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Richv1
Jazma V.P.
Canada
1133 Posts |
 Posted - 05/07/2010 : 09:19:54 AM
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Matt Anderson
Co-Writer for Shrek Forever After Prequel
Published by: Ape Entertainment
Interviewed by: Richard Vasseur/Jazma VP
Posted: 05/07/2010
Rich: How did you feel finding out you would be writing a story for the Shrek comic?
Matt: I was quite honored to be asked to contribute to a franchise that so many people know and love – it has definitely been a surreal experience.
Rich: What is the story of the "Lost Flute" about?
Matt: As the story begins, Pied Piper is enjoying a comfortable life as the controller of Far Far Away’s entire rat population. Unfortunately for Piper, he quickly loses that control when the king of all rats steals his magical flute. Stripped of power, Piper goes in search of a new musical instrument – with the ever-wacky Donkey as he traveling companion.
Rich: What type of personality did you give to the Rat King and the Piper?
Matt: Given the relatively limited page space I was working with, I wanted to make sure that the Rat King was an instantly recognizable cartoon-ish villain – and thanks to the fantastic character design by artist Mikhail Drujic, I believe we were able to communicate all the information we needed.
As for Piper, I had the film’s screenplay to work from, so I was able to take my cues on his personality from that. Although, ultimately the challenge of writing Piper is conveying that personality without dialogue – as he doesn’t talk. Again, here I need to give credit to Mikhail as he really had to do the heavy lifting by selling Piper’s emotions through facial expressions and body language – which, I believe he accomplished in spades!
Rich: What is interesting about rats?
Matt: They’re sneaky, clever, and despite my prior belief that they’d be heavy metal fans – Piper has proven that at heart, they are creatures that love a good instrumental ballad (perhaps modern rats like Kenny G?).
Rich: Would you like to work on a story involving Shrek?
Matt: I actually dabbled a bit in writing the character Shrek (along with his wife Fiona, and their children) in some bookend pages for Ape’s upcoming Shrek mini-series. It was definitely a cool experience to get to write dialogue for Shrek himself, and if the opportunity arises, I would love to do more.
Rich: What other fairy tale characters would you like to write?
Matt: I remember being quite fond of “The Valiant Little Tailor” – where the tailor leads a giant to believe that he killed seven men with one blow, but really it was just seven flies. I bet, given some thought, one could find a really cool way to reinvent that for comics.
Rich: Why would someone want to buy "White Picket Fences"?
Matt: In short, White Picket Fences is a fun comic! Its set in a sitcom version of the 1950’s where alien invaders, atomic mutants, mad scientists, and a variety of other threats are a part of everyday suburban living.
My collaborators and I went to great lengths to make sure that White Picket Fences was not only a through and through fun comic, but that it was also a truly all-ages comic – which means, everyone young and old should find something to enjoy in it.
Rich: What is your comic "The Fall" about?
Matt: “The Fall” was my stab at the slice of life genre. While I’ve largely preferred for the readers to take away from the story what they wanted, suffice to say – it’s about two adults reflecting on the time they shared when they were younger. As the story progresses they become all too aware of their missed opportunities while also realizing that there is nothing they can now do about them.
The complete story can be read for free at my much neglect ComicSpace page – www.comicspace.com/matt_anderson
Rich: Where does your inspiration come from?
Matt: I hate to give a vague answer, but I really don’t know. For every project that I have worked on, or am currently working on, the initial idea stemmed from a different place.
With White Picket Fences, it was a simple case of combining my love for 1950’s sci-fi movies and television shows like Leave it to Beaver.
“The Fall” was partially autobiographical, so I was able to take some of my high school experiences and use them as a springboard for the story – but it quickly morphed into fiction.
To make a long story short, I just remain open and take the inspiration from wherever it comes from.
Rich: How do you improve your writing?
Matt: I just continue to write everyday, and work diligently to make sure that what I write today is better than what I wrote yesterday.
Beyond that, I am lucky to have a small group of people that I trust to give me honest opinions on the scripts I’m currently working on. For me, having people who I know won’t just tell me what I want to hear – but will actually pick apart my scripts, challenge them and me to do better, or just help me stay on track – is an immeasurable boon to my development as a writer.
Undoubtedly you need to develop a thick skin, know when to stand your ground, but also know when to relent – but I cannot emphasize enough just how valuable it is to get an honest opinion on your work. It can only make you better.
Rich: What do you have planned career wise?
Matt: There is another White Picket Fences mini-series coming soon, beyond that I’m going to keep plugging away at the various projects in front of me, and take things one day at a time. Lately, I’ve been trying to not plan too far ahead, because I find that those plans rarely come to fruition – for better or worse.
Thankfully for me, it’s been for the better – because no matter what ambitious plan I may have set for myself, there is no way I would’ve ever predicted that I’d have the chance to write in the Shrek universe.
Rich: What comics did you read as a child and do you read now?
Matt: From the start I was a DC kid. I devoured every Superman, Batman, Flash, Blue Devil, and Blue Beetle comic I could find. I just couldn’t get enough.
That being said, my true comic revelation was the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis Justice League (International, Europe, America, Quarterly, etc.) run. I read and reread those books – to the point that I had to replace several issues due to the fact that they began falling apart.
As for current comics, it should be pretty obvious that I am greatly looking forward to Keith Giffen’s Justice League: The Lost Generation and the Giffen/DeMatteis run on Booster Gold to begin. I’m pretty sure that I’d buy anything that had both of their names on it.
Rich: How can someone contact you?
Matt: The best way is by emailing me at mandersonscomics@comcast.net. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to set up a Facebook page, or a blog, or anything really…but I’ll get around to it…one day.
Rich: What do you have to say to the fans of your work?
Matt: Please know that I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to share the absurd stories that come out of my head with you. I hope you enjoy them!
If not, I promise I’ll make it up to you…somehow. Maybe I could buy you a cheeseburger – everyone likes those, right?
Richard Vasseur |
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Matt Anderson Co-Writer Shrek FAP
