Greg Rucka
- Scritto da Redazione Comicus
- Pubblicato in Interviste
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Italian/English version
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Intervista a cura di Andrea Antonazzo, Carlo Coratelli, Riccardo Galardini, Danilo Guarino e Marco Rizzo
Traduzione a cura di Cris Tridello
Italian Version:
![](/images/interviste/gregrucka.jpg)
Atticus ed io abbiamo lo stesso tipo di sensibilità, ma ovviamente siamo persone differenti – entrambi indossiamo occhiali, entrambi indossiamo una coppia di orecchini e ci assomigliamo fisicamente – ma è tutto qui. Lui è un uomo migliore di me, e questo è il punto.
Ma parlando di moralità, di giusto e sbagliato, e di cose come queste, sospetto che siamo molto simili.
Cos'è che rende il personaggio unico? Pensi che i lettori italiani ne rimarranno affascinati?
Penso che l’attrattiva principale di Atticus sia che è un personaggio moderno, con una sensibilità moderna, e una moderna prospettiva.
Non penso che ci sia un personaggio simile in tutta il mondo della suspense e thriller fiction – Atticus è più meditativo del normale “buon pistolero” medio, e per molti versi penso sia più con i piedi piantati per terra.
Spesso, quando stavo creando il personaggio, cercavo qualcuno che riflettesse la mia maniera di vedere il mondo e che fosse influenzato da cose che influenzano me. In quello, penso che Atticus sia abbastanza universale, ed è un personaggio che si adatterà bene per al pubblico italiano.
Hai scritto “Io ti Proteggerò” quando avevi 25 anni. Com’è cambiato il tuo stile? Cambieresti qualcosa di quello che hai scritto in passato, se ne avessi l’occasione?
Veramente l’ho scritto all’età di 22 anni! Ma il romanzo è stato pubblicato quando avevo 24 anni o giù di lì. È passato molto tempo per me; ovviamente il mio stile è cambiato, così come è cambiato il mio modo di scrivere – spero in meglio!!
Tutto quello che scrivo, che sia un romanzo, un fumetto, un film o qualsiasi altra cosa, voglio che sia migliore dell’ultima cosa che ho scritto.
Ovviamente cambierei delle cose di “Io ti proteggerò” se potessi – certamente renderei la prosa più pulita, e proverei a usare alcune delle lezioni che ho imparato negli ultimi 15 anni. Ma nel complesso, onestamente, penso sia un romanzo buono e solido e sono tutt’oggi molto contento del risultato.
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Sono meno interessato a far cambiare le idee a qualcuno che a esplorare diversi punti di vista. Molto di quello di cui scrivo nei miei romanzi tende a riguardare l'individuo, l’incidente, che ha tenuto la mia mente occupata, che mi ha fatto arrabbiare o mi ha reso triste o mi ha strappato una risposta emotiva.
Ma scrivere una polemica, quello non è divertente – nessuno vuole leggere una storia dove l’autore vuole tartassarti cercando di ficcarti in testa le proprie idee, e io cerco sempre di ricordarmelo. La cosa più importante, per me, è che il lettore si goda la storia che si sta raccontando, che ne sia catturato, e che voglia spendere del tempo con i miei personaggi, stando nel mondo da me creato.
Allo stesso tempo, penso che i romanzi che hanno qualche significato debbano toccare qualche idea seria, devono far sorgere alcune questioni spinose.
Che poi si riesca a fornire delle risposte soddisfacenti, questo è un altro discorso, ma io voglio dare al lettore qualcosa a cui pensare quando avrà terminato il libro, non importa quanto grande o piccola sia la domanda che sorgerà.
Parliamo di fumetti. Da quanto ci risulta, una versione fumettistica di Atticus non esiste. Hai mai pensato di trasportare anche questo personaggio nel mondo dei fumetti?
Sono stato contattato da un paio di differenti editori riguardo l’adattare le storie di Kodak in fumetto, ma non sono sicuro sia qualcosa che mi piacerebbe fare, francamente.
Credo che bisogna portare rispetto a come i differenti media funzionano, e un romanzo non è un fumetto, non è un film e non è un poema. Ognuna di queste forme ha i suoi unici punti di forza e debolezze, e cercare di passare da una all’altra può, per me, diminuire il valore dell’originale.
Per esempio, io non sono un fan di quegli scrittori di fumetti che creano un fumetto solo perché vogliono venderlo per un adattamento cinematografico – penso sia un’ingiustizia nei confronti della forma d’arte che è il fumetto, e abbassi il valore del resto di noi che lavorano in questo campo.
Quando racconto una storia in forma di romanzo, è perché ho deciso che questa è la migliore maniera, per me, di raccontare la storia che voglio raccontare. Non vuol dire che poi qualcuno non possa adattare con successo un romanzo in film o fumetto; solo che io non sono interessato nel provare a fare “l’impollinazione incrociata” in quel senso.
Detto questo, posso immaginarmi, un giorno, a scrivere una storia originale di Atticus in forma di fumetto. Potrebbe essere interessante vedere un artista lavorare con quei personaggi.
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È divertente perché non ho mai pensato a me stesso come ad uno che sia passato dal mondo dei romanzi a quello dei fumetti come se avesse fatto la “mossa” della vita.
Io sono uno scrittore, scrivo storie, e sono abbastanza fortunato da riuscire a scriverle utilizzando i media che più mi piacciono, ovvero, i romanzi ed i fumetti.
È appassionante vedere persone, da altri media più “popolari”, arrivare al mondo dei fumetti, ma non è sempre una transizione facile da fare.
Ho visto un mucchio di scrittori televisivi arrivare al mondo dei comics e pensare che fosse una forma più facile sulla quale lavorare, e che sarebbero stati in grado di fare il passaggio senza problemi, e il risultato è stato disastroso.
È più difficile di quel che si crede scrivere fumetti.
Il beneficio di avere qualcuno come Joss Whedon o Brad Meltzer che lavora nei fumetti, è l’esposizione che questo dà al medium in sé.
I comic sono ancora visti come un “qualcosa” adatto solo “ai bambini”, almeno negli Stati Uniti.
Tutti sappiamo che, chiaramente, non è così – c’è un mucchio di fantastica, matura, adulta narrativa a fumetti, e quando un “gran nome” viene da fuori, questo, sicuramente, aiuta.
Hai finito di scrivere il tuo arco narrativo con Ed Brubaker su Daredevil. Com’è andata questa collaborazione? Sei contento del risultato finale?
È andata a meraviglia! Mi mancherà lavorare con Ed e Michael (Lark), e tirarsi su le maniche e scrivere con loro è stato un gran regalo.
È stato Daredevil che ci ha aiutato – è un personaggio incredibile, e amo quello che Ed sta facendo con lui.
Abbiamo appena messo a letto l’ultimo numero sul quale abbiamo lavorato insieme, e non potrei essere più contento di come il tutto si presenta.
Nelle miniserie di Final Crisis Revelation ti occuperai ancora di alcuni personaggi che sicuramente ami, come Renee Montoya/Question e Crispus Allen/Spettro. Qual è il tuo rapporto con questi personaggi e come interagiranno tra loro nella miniserie?
Voglio molto bene a entrambi i personaggi, è vero.
Crispus l’ho creato durante il mio lavoro su Detective Comics, ed è sempre stato un personaggio del quale vado molto fiero; quando è stata presa la decisione di farlo diventare il nuovo SPETTRO, sono stato un po’ sorpreso – quelli non sono mai stati i miei piani per lui, ma è sempre gratificante vedere altre persone che rispondono positivamente a qualcosa che hai creato, abbastanza da voler vederlo crescere e cambiare.
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Quindi, come puoi immaginare, mettere Cris e Renee, ancora l’uno contro l’altra nelle loro nuove forme, come Spettro e Question rispettivamente, è stato un vero piacere. E i disegni delle miniserie di Final Crisis – Revelation sono stati niente meno che incredibili.
Philip Tan, il matitista, è eccezionale, e i suoi disegni non sono mai stati migliori.
Penso che il pubblico sarà molto sorpreso da quello che abbiamo fatto nelle mini, e della maniera in cui questi personaggi interagiranno tra loro.
Hai anche scritto un episodio dell’anime “Batman Gotham Knight”. Puoi dirci qualcosa di più della storia che hai scritto? È differente dalle altre storie di Batman che hai scritto nel passato?
Mi è stato chiesto di scrivere una storia simile a quelle che ero solito scrivere in Gotham Central, specificatamente di mettere Crispus Allen e Renee Montoya l’uno opposto all’altra, e di usare la loro relazione come una maniera di dimostrare i cambiamenti avvenuti a Gotham City tra “Batman Begin” e “Il Cavaliere Oscuro”. La sceneggiatura è stata veramente facile da scrivere, semplicemente perché conoscevo i personaggi dentro e fuori, e mi sono divertito moltissimo a metterli in mezzo ad una sparatoria e guardare il modo in cui ognuno reagiva a quello che gli stava accadendo attorno, a come rispondevano a figura di Batman.
Nella versione finale, Montoya è stata cambiata in Anna Ramirez, per calzare meglio in quello che era stato fatto ne “Il Cavaliere Oscuro”.
Cosa puoi dirci riguardo la collaborazione futura con J.H. William II sulla serie di Batwoman in corso?
J.H. ed io siamo al lavoro sulla serie ormai da più di un anno, e mi risulta che il primo numero uscirà a dicembre. È un fumetto fantastico, e Batwoman è un gran personaggio. Sono entusiasta che finalmente possiamo vederla nella sua serie personale dopo un'attesa così lunga. Sfortunatamente la DC non mi permette di dire molto altro sulla serie a questo punto, ma posso aggiungere questo: sarà una gran figata!
English Version:
Keeper is the first novel of the Atticus Kodak series. How much of your personality and past is in that character?
Atticus and I share a lot of the same sensibilities, but we are, of course, very different people. There's a vague physical resemblance - we both wear glasses, and we both have a couple of earrings and the like - but beyond that, it ends. He's a better man than I am, which is, of course, the point. But in issues of morality, of right and wrong, things like that, I suspect we're actually quite close.
Which are the main traits that makes the character unique? Do you think it could fascinate italian readers?
I think Atticus' strongest appeal is that he's a modern character, with a modern sensibility, and a modern perspective. In all of suspense and thriller fiction, I really don't think there's another character like him out there - he's more thoughtful than your average gun-toting good-guy, and, in many ways, I think he's much more grounded. Mostly, when I was creating the character, I wanted someone who reflected my own view of the world, who was influenced by those things that influenced me. In that, I think Atticus is pretty universal, and a character who certainly will translate well to an Italian audience.
You wrote Keeper when you were 25 years old. How did you style changed? Would you change anything you wrote in the past, if you had the occasion?
Actually, I wrote it when I was 22! The novel itself wasn't published until, I think, I was 24 or so. That's a long time ago for me, now, and of course my style has changed, and my writing has changed - hopefully for the better! Everything I write, whether it be a novel or a comic or a movie or whatever, I want it to be better than the last thing I wrote.
Of course I would change things about Keeper if I could -- I'd clean up the prose, certainly, and try to use some of the lessons I've learned in the last 15 years. But on the whole, honestly, I think it's a good, strong novel, and I'm still very happy with it to this day.
In Keeper, as in others Atticus Kodak novels, there is a strong presence of the issues of the "real" world. Do you think you can change the mind of some reader or try to improve his knowledge telling stories with so strong elements?
I'm less interested in changing someone's mind than I am in exploring difference points of view. A lot of what I write about in my novels tend to be the subjects, the incidents, that have for some reason engaged me, have made me angry or sad or in some other elicited an emotional response. But writing a polemic, that's no fun -- no one wants to read a story where the author is trying to beat them over the head with his or her ideas, and I always try to remember that. Most important to me is that the reader enjoy the tale being told, that they become captivated by it, and want to spend time with my characters, to be in their world.
At the same time, I think that, for a novel to have any meaning at all, it has to touch on some serious ideas, it must raise some hard questions. Whether or not it (or I, for that matter) can provide a satisfactory answer is something else, but I always want to give the reader something to think about when the book is done, no matter how large or how small the idea or question might be.
Let's talk about comics. As far as I know, a comic version of Atticus doesn't exist. Have you ever thought to bring this character too to comics?
I've been approached by a couple of different publishers about adapting the Kodiak stories to comics, but I'm not sure it's something that I'd enjoy doing, frankly. I'm a firm believer in respecting the art of different mediums, and a novel isn't a comic isn't a movie isn't a poem. Each of those forms has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and trying to cross-over between them can, I think, diminish the original material. For instance, I'm not a fan of those comic book writers who create a comic only because they want to sell it as a movie - I think that's unfair to comics as an art form, and that it cheapens the rest of us working in the field.
When I tell a story in novel form, it's because I've made the decision that this is the best way for me to tell the story I'm trying to tell. That's not to say one can't successfully adapt novels to film or comics; I'm just not that interested in trying to cross-pollinate in that way.
That said, I can imagine, one day, writing an original Atticus story for comics. Might be interesting to see what an artist does with these characters.
What do you think about the increasing wave of screenwriters, novelist and so on coming to comicdom writing comics? You were one of the first doing this move.
It's funny to me, because I never thought of myself as moving from novels to comics as a big deal. I'm a writer, I write stories, and I'm lucky enough that I get to write them in mediums that I love -- namely, in novels and in comics.
It's exciting to see people from other, more "popular" mediums, coming to comics, but it's not always an easy transition for people to make. I've seen a lot of television writers come to comics thinking that it's an easier form to work in, that they'll be able to make the shift without problem, and the results have been nothing less than disastrous. It's harder than people think to write for comics.
The benefit, of course, to getting someone like Joss Whedon or Brad Meltzer working on comics, is the exposure it gives the medium. In the U.S., at least, comics are still viewed as something "only for kids." And we all know they're so clearly not -- there's a lot of wonderful, mature, adult storytelling going on in comics, and when a big name comes in from the outside, that certainly can help.
You finished writing your story arc with Ed Brubaker on Daredevil. How did this collaboration worked? Are you happy with the final result?
It worked wonderfully! I'd missed working with both Ed and Michael (Lark), and just getting to roll up my sleeves and write with them again was a huge treat. That it was Daredevil only helped things -- he's a terrific character, and I love what Ed's been doing with him. We just put the last issue I worked on to bed today, actually, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
In Final Crisis Revelation you'll write again some characters you surely love, such as Renee Montoya/Question and Crispus Allen/Spectre. What's your connection with those characters and how will they interact in the miniseries?
I'm very fond of both characters, it's true. Crispus was one I created during my run on Detective Comics, and he's always been a character I was very proud of; when the decision was made to turn him into the new Spectre, I was a little surprised - that had never been my plan for him, but it's always gratifying to see other people respond so positively to something you've created, enough that they want him to grow and change.
As for Montoya, I've always loved the character, from the first days of the Batman animated series that Paul Dinin, Bruce Timm, and Alan Burnett did. She'd always seemed to me a character with incredible potential, and I've been lucky in the way DC has allowed me to work with her, to help her to grow into someone with great complexity and depth.
So you can guess, putting Cris and Renee opposite each other again in their new forms, as the Spectre and the Question respectively, has been a real treat. And the art on the Final Crisis - Revelations mini-series has been nothing less than incredible. Philip Tan, the penciler, is outstanding, and they've never looked better. I think folks are going to be really surprised by what we do in the mini, and the way they interact.
You also wrote an episode of the Batman Gotham Knight anime. Would you tell us something more about the story you wrote? Is it different from the others Batman stories you wrote in the past?
I was asked to write a story similar to what I used to do on the comic Gotham Central, specifically to put Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya opposite each other, and to use their relationship as a way to demonstrate the changes in Gotham City between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The script was actually quite easy to write, simply because I knew the characters inside and out, and it was a lot of fun just putting them in the middle of a gunfight and watching the way they each reacted to what was happening around them, how they responded to Batman. In the final version, Montoya was changed to Anna Ramirez, to better fit with what was being done in The Dark Knight.
What can you tell us about your future collaboration with J.H. Williams II on a Batwoman ongoing?
JH and I have been working on the series for over a year now, and my understanding is that the first issue will be out this December. It's a gorgeous book, and Batwoman is a great character -- I'm excited for folks to finally get to see her in her own title after such a long wait. Unfortunately, DC won't allow me to say more about the series at this point, but I can add this: it's gonna kick serious ass!
Atticus and I share a lot of the same sensibilities, but we are, of course, very different people. There's a vague physical resemblance - we both wear glasses, and we both have a couple of earrings and the like - but beyond that, it ends. He's a better man than I am, which is, of course, the point. But in issues of morality, of right and wrong, things like that, I suspect we're actually quite close.
Which are the main traits that makes the character unique? Do you think it could fascinate italian readers?
I think Atticus' strongest appeal is that he's a modern character, with a modern sensibility, and a modern perspective. In all of suspense and thriller fiction, I really don't think there's another character like him out there - he's more thoughtful than your average gun-toting good-guy, and, in many ways, I think he's much more grounded. Mostly, when I was creating the character, I wanted someone who reflected my own view of the world, who was influenced by those things that influenced me. In that, I think Atticus is pretty universal, and a character who certainly will translate well to an Italian audience.
You wrote Keeper when you were 25 years old. How did you style changed? Would you change anything you wrote in the past, if you had the occasion?
Actually, I wrote it when I was 22! The novel itself wasn't published until, I think, I was 24 or so. That's a long time ago for me, now, and of course my style has changed, and my writing has changed - hopefully for the better! Everything I write, whether it be a novel or a comic or a movie or whatever, I want it to be better than the last thing I wrote.
Of course I would change things about Keeper if I could -- I'd clean up the prose, certainly, and try to use some of the lessons I've learned in the last 15 years. But on the whole, honestly, I think it's a good, strong novel, and I'm still very happy with it to this day.
![](/images/interviste/WOLVERINE_12_250.jpg)
I'm less interested in changing someone's mind than I am in exploring difference points of view. A lot of what I write about in my novels tend to be the subjects, the incidents, that have for some reason engaged me, have made me angry or sad or in some other elicited an emotional response. But writing a polemic, that's no fun -- no one wants to read a story where the author is trying to beat them over the head with his or her ideas, and I always try to remember that. Most important to me is that the reader enjoy the tale being told, that they become captivated by it, and want to spend time with my characters, to be in their world.
At the same time, I think that, for a novel to have any meaning at all, it has to touch on some serious ideas, it must raise some hard questions. Whether or not it (or I, for that matter) can provide a satisfactory answer is something else, but I always want to give the reader something to think about when the book is done, no matter how large or how small the idea or question might be.
Let's talk about comics. As far as I know, a comic version of Atticus doesn't exist. Have you ever thought to bring this character too to comics?
I've been approached by a couple of different publishers about adapting the Kodiak stories to comics, but I'm not sure it's something that I'd enjoy doing, frankly. I'm a firm believer in respecting the art of different mediums, and a novel isn't a comic isn't a movie isn't a poem. Each of those forms has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and trying to cross-over between them can, I think, diminish the original material. For instance, I'm not a fan of those comic book writers who create a comic only because they want to sell it as a movie - I think that's unfair to comics as an art form, and that it cheapens the rest of us working in the field.
When I tell a story in novel form, it's because I've made the decision that this is the best way for me to tell the story I'm trying to tell. That's not to say one can't successfully adapt novels to film or comics; I'm just not that interested in trying to cross-pollinate in that way.
That said, I can imagine, one day, writing an original Atticus story for comics. Might be interesting to see what an artist does with these characters.
![](/images/interviste/ww-downtoearth_250.jpg)
It's funny to me, because I never thought of myself as moving from novels to comics as a big deal. I'm a writer, I write stories, and I'm lucky enough that I get to write them in mediums that I love -- namely, in novels and in comics.
It's exciting to see people from other, more "popular" mediums, coming to comics, but it's not always an easy transition for people to make. I've seen a lot of television writers come to comics thinking that it's an easier form to work in, that they'll be able to make the shift without problem, and the results have been nothing less than disastrous. It's harder than people think to write for comics.
The benefit, of course, to getting someone like Joss Whedon or Brad Meltzer working on comics, is the exposure it gives the medium. In the U.S., at least, comics are still viewed as something "only for kids." And we all know they're so clearly not -- there's a lot of wonderful, mature, adult storytelling going on in comics, and when a big name comes in from the outside, that certainly can help.
You finished writing your story arc with Ed Brubaker on Daredevil. How did this collaboration worked? Are you happy with the final result?
It worked wonderfully! I'd missed working with both Ed and Michael (Lark), and just getting to roll up my sleeves and write with them again was a huge treat. That it was Daredevil only helped things -- he's a terrific character, and I love what Ed's been doing with him. We just put the last issue I worked on to bed today, actually, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
In Final Crisis Revelation you'll write again some characters you surely love, such as Renee Montoya/Question and Crispus Allen/Spectre. What's your connection with those characters and how will they interact in the miniseries?
I'm very fond of both characters, it's true. Crispus was one I created during my run on Detective Comics, and he's always been a character I was very proud of; when the decision was made to turn him into the new Spectre, I was a little surprised - that had never been my plan for him, but it's always gratifying to see other people respond so positively to something you've created, enough that they want him to grow and change.
![](/images/interviste/felon01_250.jpg)
So you can guess, putting Cris and Renee opposite each other again in their new forms, as the Spectre and the Question respectively, has been a real treat. And the art on the Final Crisis - Revelations mini-series has been nothing less than incredible. Philip Tan, the penciler, is outstanding, and they've never looked better. I think folks are going to be really surprised by what we do in the mini, and the way they interact.
You also wrote an episode of the Batman Gotham Knight anime. Would you tell us something more about the story you wrote? Is it different from the others Batman stories you wrote in the past?
I was asked to write a story similar to what I used to do on the comic Gotham Central, specifically to put Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya opposite each other, and to use their relationship as a way to demonstrate the changes in Gotham City between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The script was actually quite easy to write, simply because I knew the characters inside and out, and it was a lot of fun just putting them in the middle of a gunfight and watching the way they each reacted to what was happening around them, how they responded to Batman. In the final version, Montoya was changed to Anna Ramirez, to better fit with what was being done in The Dark Knight.
What can you tell us about your future collaboration with J.H. Williams II on a Batwoman ongoing?
JH and I have been working on the series for over a year now, and my understanding is that the first issue will be out this December. It's a gorgeous book, and Batwoman is a great character -- I'm excited for folks to finally get to see her in her own title after such a long wait. Unfortunately, DC won't allow me to say more about the series at this point, but I can add this: it's gonna kick serious ass!
Redazione Comicus
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