Here it is-my first interview, and I couldn't have asked for a nicer guy to fire my questions at. Bryan Glass is the co-creator (with Mike Avon Oeming) of the popular Image series Mice Templar. Issue 1 is out now while #2 is due to hit shelves on November 14. Bryan started in the comics industry in 1992 on a superhero parody from indie publisher Comic Zone entitled Lycra-Woman & Spandex-Girl. Bryan also worked with Oeming a few years later on Ship of Fools, from Caliber Press and then Image Comics. In 2002 they collaborated again when Oeming illustrated Glass's Quixote prose novel. Bryan has also written the Magaician: Apprentice comics adapted from Raymond E. Feist's novels.

 Kris: Did you grow up reading comics as a child? If so, what
 were some of your favourites?

Bryan: I actually didn't discover comics until my early teens, making it the late 70s & 80s as my formative comic reading years; Marvel Comic's STAR WARS #1 was my first. That led me to Bill Mantlo & Michael Golden's MICRONAUTS. As I started devouring comics as a medium, I discovered that it was not individual titles or characters as much as it was specific creators I enjoyed following: Claremont/Byrne's UNCANNY X-MEN; Michelenie/Layton's IRON MAN; Roger Stern's AVENGERS and CAPTAIN AMERICA runs; Wolfman/Perez's NEW TEEN TITANS; Miller's DAREDEVIL; Simonson's THOR; the Pini's original ELFQUEST; DeMatteis/Muth's MOONSHADOW; Wagner's MAGE; and finally culminating in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, and Moore & Gibbon's WATCHMEN. I then dropped out of enjoying comics as the 90s rolled around. I've returned to the comic reading fold after a long absence, and feel like I'm a kid all over again, discovering the medium for the first time!

And did you always want to be a writer in general, or
was working in comics always the dream for you?

For as long as I can remember I'd always wanted to be a filmmaker, and spent the ten years post-college pursuing that goal to no avail. But it was on the cusp of turning 30 that I had a revelation of sorts: I wasn't interested in general film-making as much as I thought, but had merely chosen film as a medium in which to tell stories. In retrospect, I believe my failure to make it in the film industry was because I simply wasn't interested in any old career in that biz, but was driven to be the storyteller behind the camera. I often wonder if I had had this personal insight sooner, might my life and career have taken a very different path--but I'm not complaining about the road I've travelled, as it has done its part in shaping the man I've become.
      Comics were simply a storytelling form that I knew very well, and I've now spent the last 15 years refining my own contributions to the field.

You've worked in the fantasy genre in a few of your projects.

Is that a genre you grew up captivated by?
 Or would you like to work in other genres more, say sci-fi or superhero?

I grew up with an insatiable appetite for sci-fi, devouring the works of Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, Herbert, and then a brief flirtation with fantasy due mainly to Tolkien. As an adult, I was drawn to the realm of supernatural horror/suspense with King, Straub, Koontz, Lovecraft, Perretti, and, as a storyteller, was profoundly impacted by F. Paul Wilson's THE KEEP.
      In my own comic career, I've done superhero parody with SPANDEX TIGHTS, dark humored space opera with SHIP OF FOOLS, and supernatural horror/suspense with QUIXOTE and 86 VOLTZ: THE DEAD GIRL. My recent work adapting Raymond Feist's acclaimed MAGICIAN: APPRENTICE was just a great career opportunity that I've enjoyed working on, yet feel no deeper connection to. THE MICE TEMPLAR is now fulfilling that youthful love of sprawling fantasy sagas that seemed to begin and end for me with THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Is the collaboration process similar for each book you
 work in, or does it vary according to the input, or
 lack of, from the artist and editor?

I've collaborated with Mike Oeming on more projects than with any other artist, but I would say that I adapt to each new creative partnership in a way that best serves the individual project. With Mike I feel very blessed, as we started out being great friends. We respect each other tremendously, so there is never a sense of competition or either one of us trying to outshine the other. Mike of course achieved major success long before my efforts garnered any real notice, so I am tremendously thankful for all of the opportunities he's given me.
      With our 90s collaboration SHIP OF FOOLS, Mike just brought me a bizarre and eclectic recipe of ingredients he wanted in the tale and entrusted me to craft a sense of order to the chaos he wanted to indulge. It was a series about a dysfunctional group of certified madmen using their own unique blend of unpredictable chaos to challenge a tyrannical galactic order. At one point Mike wanted a giant Jimmy Hendrix alien floating in space jamming on his cosmic guitar; it was my job to make it work!  (laughs)
      With our novel QUIXOTE Mike simply said he wanted to recreate some version of the classic literary character Don Quixote in the modern world. He wanted our Dulcinea to be a television reporter, and envisioned a helicopter crashing into a transmission tower to create an impromptu windmill. Again, it was my job to create a story and characters that served that trio of requests. Everything I created for the story was thrown by Mike for approval, and he said yes to about 99% of what I wanted to do with the story. I wrote it. Mike read it. He was inspired to create some images, while I specifically asked for others to give the book its unique layout in the text-to-art format.
      THE MICE TEMPLAR is a new technique for us altogether, as Mike has given me tremendous freedom to expand the story, world and concept far beyond his original vision.

Are there any other writers or artists you'd like to
 work with in the comics industry? Anyone who you're a
 big fan of?

 As a writer, I am drawn mostly to the work of other writers, with whom I would most likely not collaborate with. My recent rediscovery of the Marvel universe has revealed a host of relatively new writers that I'm really digging, as well as those writers transplanted from other mediums! While I never fail to be astounded by nearly any artist that can produce stunning sequentials on a monthly basis.
      I would have loved the opportunity to work with the late Michael Wieringo, but I feel honored that he produced one of our SHIP OF FOOLS covers. My favorite art style is what I consider to be the crisp, concise, realistic-yet-animated style that I was first introduced to with Michael Golden, and then later in the works of Art Adams, Wieringo, Chris Sprouse, Sky Owens, Humberto Ramos, Ryan Stegman, and particularly the legendary styles of George Perez and Frank Cho. I'm also a big fan of Eric Shanower's work. Some up-n-coming new artists I'm really looking forward to are Jamie Fay, who is working on Rich Bernatovich's (THE SENTINELS) new series NEVERMINDS, and the amazing creative duo of Adam Withers and Comfort Love.
      Ultimately, however, I feel that every individual story dictates the style of artist best suited to breathe life into it. I have a few tales to tell that I would actually prefer the moody painted styles of Bill Sienkiewicz and Jon J. Muth.

Mike has been quick to give you credit for expanding his original concept into something much larger.

Was that a difficult process for you, or did the ideas flow quickly after your initial discussions with Mike?

The process was born out of how I usually work; that is, taking an initial concept, like Mike's original 6-issue MT synopsis, and as I flesh out characters and explore their motivations the entire project expands in three directions at once: the backstory gets deeper, the forward plot grows, and the overall concept of the world/universe expands. The next thing you realize is that each new aspect is complimenting the other facets at the same time and all three aspects are growing as one.
      Mike presented the initial concept of anthropomorphic mice once governed by the noble Templar, and how survivors of that fallen Order cannot unite to overthrow tyranny because of their own bitter ideological divide. He presented me with his hero Karic, along with various adventures that culminated in his saving the mice in a very Old Testament fashion.
      The original tale was exciting grand adventure, yet as the prospective writer of the upcoming series, my questions regarding various motivations actually had no definitive answers: How did the Templar fall? What issues had divided them, and now thwart their restoration? What is to prevent any redemptive finale from perpetuating the same negative cycle in the next generation? Why is the world of the mice filled with spirit beings like the fish gods, and why do they help or hinder the hero?
      A more simplistic tale doesn't need answers to those types of questions. But I've never been content with accepting the basic conventions of any genre as a validation for the story taking the turns that it does. I've always wanted to know why? As I answered those questions for myself in MICE TEMPLAR, the story grew from a 6-issue miniseries to the 25+ issue tale we've now set ourselves to tell. About half of Mike's original synopsis is now spread out across the larger tapestry, while the other half has either been cut from this story altogether, transplanted into the past history or projected ahead to our potential sequel.
      At every stage where the story grew in size and scope, I approached Mike's approval with apprehension that this was to be the time he would finally say no. But every time he surprised me by saying go for it, based upon the legitimacy of my storytelling argument.
      This process literally took years!

You've worked with Mike before, on the Quixote novel.
 Did you find it was easier for the two of you to get
 in synch this time around? Was it a more natural
 process?

I developed my very first comic series with Mike way back in 1992, the superhero parody SPANDEX TIGHTS. We collaborated again in 1996 on SHIP OF FOOLS, and then started developing QUIXOTE as a comic series in '98 before dropping it. Mike created the first MICE TEMPLAR short story at about the same time while working as a security guard. It wasn't until Mike returned to success with POWERS in 2001 that he asked me to reconsider QUIXOTE and adapt my original comic scripts into a novel that eventually debuted in 2005. Then came 86 VOLTZ, and now MICE TEMPLAR.
      Mike has always given me extraordinary creative leeway when working on any project with him, so it has never been an issue of misunderstanding or one or the other of us trying to force our personal stamp upon the other.
      What has changed since we began developing projects together in the 90s is that Mike has now established his own reputation as a writer; not only of numerous creator-owned projects like BASTARD SAMURAI, HAMMER OF THE GODS and SIX (in collaboration with fellow writers like Miles Gunter, Marc Wheatley and Dan Berman), but refined his own style in mainstream titles like THOR, STORMBREAKER, ARES, OMEGA FLIGHT and RED SONJA. This progression of Mike's career has actually helped our collaborative process together. He now has a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn't, and I no longer have to explain, justify or defend certain aspects of the storytelling process as much as I used to. Mike has even expressed that he now has a greater appreciation for what I bring to the creative process.
      With MICE TEMPLAR, we've already worked out the entire story beginning to end, and Mike now implicitly trusts me to write the scripts on my own, and thereby control the pacing of the entire unfolding saga.

"Long ago, beneath the great dimmed eye of Wotan..."
 is an epic way to start Mice. What are your hopes for
 the future of this tale? (pardon the pun)

I'm a firm believer that any redemptive finale only comes at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. Happy endings need to be earned, often with great cost, and by taking your characters on an adventure that forces them to deal not only with the darkness of their world, but the far greater struggle we all face with the darkness within. The adventure of Karic will be no different. The story of this young mouse will be a true coming of age tale--just as we wrestle with the transition from youth to adult, we discover that the real world is far more complicated than the games we played as children.
      The beginning of our tale needed to fulfill many things: setting the stage, establishing the world, introduction of the characters. While a good opening act nearly always establishes what is at stake for the hero and his world. We've done this to a certain extent with the first issue of MICE TEMPLAR, and we've fulfilled several preconceived notions of the archetype hero's journey. Yet playing into the audiences' expectation is only the first step toward inevitably yanking that comfortable rug out from beneath the readers' feet. Do not assume that what every character espouses is necessarily the truth, as one of the most profound aspects of Karic's path to adulthood and prophesied role as hero is learning the necessity of discernment.

Are there certain themes that naturally come forth
when you're writing, or do you have in mind on the
outset what themes you want to explore in each story
 you write?

I don't believe in writing a story in order to put forth an agenda. Such stories end up wreaking of propaganda, as any facet of story or character that doesn't align itself with the agenda usually has to be cut or forced into a mold it obviously wasn't intended for. That said, however, all creators also bring their own personal biases and subjectivity to that which they create. We all have a world view, and very rare are the artists that consciously write from outside their own perspective on any consistent basis--the individual personal world view nearly always finds a way to creep back in.
      Even fantasy stories should always have a ring of truth to them. If the story, however fantastic in concept or setting, paints an accurate picture of the world with its characters and situations, then I believe the audience is more open to receive and contemplate whatever deeper theme the author's tale resonates with.
      With MICE TEMPLAR, as with QUIXOTE (and SHIP OF FOOLS, if it had run its intended course), I have brought my own Christian world view to bear in what the story has to say about issues of morality and faith. And yet I've consciously avoided affixing any overt Christian label to the work for multiple reasons: the first being that MT does not present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a clear enough fashion to appease those who would demand it; the second is that too many people in our current cultural climate can no longer discern what Christianity actually is beyond a political ideology or social platform. By labeling the series as "Christian," I'd attract some readers for all the wrong reasons, while simultaneously turning away those who have a preconceived knee-jerk reaction to what they perceive that label to mean.
      Ironically, the ideological differences in my series that ultimately divided and destroyed the Templar are symbolic of many things which currently divide our own culture today: politics, social morays, doctrinal disputes that occur at the expense of our deeper callings--everything that forces one side of a disagreement to label anything from the opposition as abjectly wrong--is what ultimately destroys both sides in such conflicts. There are things in this world that are truly worth taking an all-or-nothing stand upon, and most matters of deep faith fall into that category, but the moral of the Mice Templar's fall is to count the cost of your opposition, and double-check that your own self-righteousness does not turn you into the very thing you claim to oppose.
      Wow, that all sounded pretty heavy handed. (laughs)

What else are you working on at the moment that we can
look forward to?

I've several projects in development at the current time, but nothing in the official pipeline with artists or publishers attached. And that's a fine place to be for now while I concentrate on MICE TEMPLAR. But I've got a sprawling sci-fi saga I'd love to finally tell that has been with me in one form or another for practically my entire life. Then there's a modern urban ghost story I'm developing; a supernatural civil war tale; an espionage/adventure heroine caught in a web of betrayal; and a retro-sci-fi tale that explores the nature of political power.

Do you have any sage words of advice for others who
 want to work in comics?

It has taken me a long time to get to the position I now find myself in. And it's not so much about how good you are or how good you think you are, but more about being ready to deliver the best you have when the right opportunity arrives...and arrives...and sometimes has to arrive again. Learn to distinguish between using an artistic talent to express oneself versus using your talent to validate yourself; the former is healthy, the latter destructive. Be patient and dedicated to your craft; be open to genuine criticism that teaches you to be better, even as you learn to disregard that which will demoralize you. Learning to discern the difference between the two is one of the greatest skills any artist can master. And remember that there are very few genuine overnight success stories out there; public recognition can occur seemingly overnight, but the skills that get you there are only mastered by persevering through adversity.

Official Mice Templar site
Bryan's Ministry

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