Broken Frontier

This is an Inter-Review—a review and an interview in one!

Today we speak with Miguel Guerra, founder of Iberian Press and creator of Samurai  Elf, a 7-book sci-fi/fantasy graphic novel series.  The first volume was released in late 2006, and now, two years later, the big release of the 232-page full-color Volume 2 is here!

You can purchase the book direct from Iberian Press, at their online store, or pre-order at Amazon.com (non-US buyers can purchase at their respective Amazon as well!).  If you prefer to get all your comics at your local comic shop, Samurai Elf Volume 2: Bull’s Eye will be featured in this month’s Previews, coming August 27^th, so look for it there and be sure to order it from your retailer!

And be sure to check out the free online version of Volume 1 by clicking here!

Broken Frontier Review: A little time back, I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing an advanced reader’s copy of the first volume of Samurai Elf.

Upon cracking open its eye-catching cover, I was more than engaged by the intricate high-fantasy world spiced by high-tech sci-fi—creator Miguel Guerra had accomplished an authentic novelist-level world-building for his graphic epic, and this was apparent in the cavalcade of characters and vistas and alluded-to histories the story wandered through as though they were snow-covered trees during a long Canadian winter. Everywhere, everywhere, bits and pieces and particulars and minutiae. But Guerra’s story was also unique—this wasn’t cyberpunk flavors in a medieval society, as are most swords & sorcery/sci-fi blends. Rather, Samurai Elf was a world where technology was used, but only externally, and in fact, fascinatingly, technology comprised the enemy of the piece, pitting “Way of the Sword” Japanese flavored fantasy against literal killing machines in a no-holds-barred showdown, may the best genre win.

I should mention that the art was another high point, pages crystal clear as animation (with an obvious anime influence) complemented by gorgeous grey-scale tones. Now, in Volume 2, a book even further inspired by Japanese pop culture with heavy flourishes of Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Phoenix) in art, and then Koike and Gojima’s Lone Wolf and Cub in pace, Guerra’s opus takes the plunge into full color, and now appears more than ever like an animated motion picture captured on paper. The story proceeds apace, although now, directly influenced by the visual command of moments in time as was made fashionable by the Lone Wolf manga, the book is, visually, more venturesome, allowing for huge stretches of in-between development rather than jumping at breakneck speed from action sequence to action sequence, as was the tactic of Volume 1.

In “Bull’s Eye”, the Samurai-trained, teenage elfin boy named Ardan, travels with his new gal-companion Keegan, hoping to find passage to a place called Tev Dar, where they hope to reunite with Ardan’s mentor, the Master Dwarf. Meanwhile, a technological enemy known only as “The Horde” reassess their weaknesses, and perform a terrifying upgrade, so that they might lay waste to all non-Horde beings across the land. And, speaking of everywhere, Master Dwarf journeys through land after land, and discovers that old allies can no longer be counted upon, that the world has grown complacent in its age of supposed peace, and that The Horde are not only considered a minimal threat, but most people barely know of their movements at all.

Who are these mechanical monstrosities, that they move in secrecy and yet lay waste to whole populations? Can old grudges be put aside for the world of Tyr to unite again, in time?  Most importantly: why does The Horde demand the capture of Ardan, the last known Elf in all the known world?

BROKEN FRONTIER: Welcome, Miguel!  So tell us a little about your background, as an artist and a writer, about your  translation work for Heavy Metal, and how you came to begin the 7-volume epic of Samurai Elf under your own company banner.

MIGUEL GUERRA: My childhood dream was to become a comic book artist, but my actual art career began on the fringes. When I was a teenager, I was an apprenticing artist for tombstone art. In other words, I would engrave illustrations and designs on granite headstones. How’s that for depressing? My first published illustrations (pin ups) were with Antarctic Press for Gold Digger and a short story for their Ninja High School Annual. I then had a hard time getting published, so I started focusing on my own stories. It was at this time that Suzy and I began to develop the Samurai Elf series. We believed it was a story worth telling and decided to publish it ourselves.

At this time, I began working as a translator for NBM Publishing. Some titles I wrote include, Fantastic Art of Royo and Dark Labyrinth by Luis Royo and Daily Delirium, by  Miguelanxo Prado. It was at the 2006 International Comic Con in San Diego, where I was there promoting volume 1 of Samurai Elf, that I dropped by the Heavy Metal table and left with a job as a translator, and an open invitation to submit my own short stories. Since then, I’ve translated short stories for almost every issue of Heavy Metal Magazine and many books as well. Last year they published my first short story (the first of many) called, Bed Bugs.

BF: You mention in Volume 2’s afterword that it was seeing that short story of yours, “Bedbugs”, published in Heavy Metal Magazine , in full color, that impelled you to color the rest of Samurai Elf (note to readers: the first volume was gray toned).  What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of gray tones and color, and how do you feel color has enhanced the world of Ardan and Tyr?

MG: That’s right. The reaction I got from many of my friends was so strong when they saw the colored pages that I felt like I had to do volume 2 of Samurai Elf in color. Most people who saw Volume 1 thought it was done in color and then I gray scaled it. It didn’t occur to them that I was working with shades gray as though it were a gouache. I was trying to do something new and push black and white comics in another direction. Peoples’ reaction to color is so much more powerful, almost primal. They relate to it more than gray. So, there were several factors that went into the switch to color, the strongest of which is that western audiences expect color and I’m not the one to keep it from them.

On the plus side for gray, I find it keeps the reader focused on the story and less on the art. We now accept black and white from manga without a problem, but expect color from our own artists. Gray is a lot more difficult than it seems. There are only so many shades of gray, so doing basic thing takes more thought. Like making things stand out, adding mood, lighting (differentiating between day and night, indoor and outdoor), making things seem warm or cool, and adding perspective is more challenging with gray than color.

The toughest thing about color is the infinite possibilities. It can be quite intimidating, especially at first. Nailing down a palette and maintaining consistency was difficult, but Suzy Dias, my co-writer and color assistant, had invaluable advice and kept everything coordinated. She has a great eye for color. But the impact that color has for readers over gray cannot be underestimated.

In the end, gray can’t compete with the detailing that color offers. One of the things I love about using color is that the reader gets to see exactly what the characters look like. What’s in my mind is now out on paper. The backgrounds have more impact and the lighting is more powerful or subtle, depending on the time of day or the mood I was going for. For example, there are certain scenes, like Ardan’s nightmare sequence, or the scene in Industria where Lopt is talking to the Caretaker, where color added to the ominous mood by reflecting the uneasiness and tension of the characters.

Or on the opposite end of the spectrum, I was able to depict bright daylight and moonlight as Ardan and Keegan walked through Castel. There are also special effects, like the headlights and taillights on the Hunters’ hover cycles as they stream by at high speeds. The only major drawback when using color is time. I had to put more thought and planning into using color, but after a while it becomes second nature.

BF: While Volume 2 is far less action-packed than Volume 1, there’s so much more of the world of Tyr itself—continents, kingdoms, peoples, villains, histories, and races—that’s allowed a proper showcase here.  How does it feel to finally explore and bring to the fore so many characters and conceits you’ve obviously held onto for years?  In other words, how does it feel to be fully finished with the big second book, and no longer a one-hit wonder?

MG: I’m still recovering from the production of this book, but it feels great to have the first 2 volumes done. I knew that Volume 1 would be the hardest of all the volumes to write since it’s basically Act One. We had to introduce most of the major characters and explain the basic story so that readers get hooked, without giving too much of the plot away. In other words, Volume 1 is the introduction, so there is only so much you can do with it. It has to set up your characters and your world for the rest of the story, and more importantly, make it something that readers want to continue to follow. Once you set everything up here, you can focus on building the characters and the world that they inhabit.

Volume 2 begins to develop the world of Tyr. That was a challenge too, since the world is imaginary and I needed to make it seem real. Some ideas were always in the back of my mind, while others were born as I worked on Samurai Elf. But ideas are very different from fully developed concepts and this book was very challenging. Everything from creating a map of Tyr, to the history and politics of the planet was a daunting task. It forced me to take those vague ideas and think them through to make them solid.

In many ways, this book sets up the rest of series as far as basic information about Tyr. I wanted readers to know that Tyr is not like other things they’ve read. Suzy and I have written an entire history for this planet that will play into current events for Ardan and Keegan as the plot unfolds. Since we didn’t have room to fit it into volume 2, we included a “Guide to Tyr” at the end so that readers could get lost in the story. Having a background for a fantasy world makes it seem more real and adds more dimension to the characters.

With each volume, especially the first 2 books, I set the parameters in which to play. I have the entire series plotted out, but I kept it loose enough so the story could grow organically and I could incorporate all of Suzy’s ideas and give her room for the dialogue. It’s a great feeling to know that I have 2 books out there, but it will feel even better once all 7 are complete.

Be sure to join us tomorrow for part two of our Inter-Review with Miguel Guerra and his latest GN, Samurai Elf Volume 2: Bull’s Eye.

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You can order the 232-page, full-color Samurai Elf Volume 2: Bull’s Eye (or even the 186-page, b&w Samurai Elf Volume One: Set Apart) at the Iberian Press website.  You can also pre-order the GN at Amazon.com.

If you prefer all your comics to come from your local comic shop, Samurai Elf Volume 2: Bull’s Eye will be featured in this month’s Previews, coming August 27^th, so look for it there and be sure to order it through your retailer!

And be sure to check out the free online version of Volume 1 by clicking here!