Interview with Mark Ricketts, Writer of NIGHT TRIPPERS

[Mark Ricketts was kind enough to take the time to answer some of my questions about his graphic novel NIGHT TRIPPERS. I've reposted my review immediately below this interview.]

1. So, vampires in Swinging London--two major pop cultural touchstones. Why put them together as you have here, and what were you hoping for each to bring out in the other?

Culture clash! An unholy marriage of the gothic and the psychedelic. A discordant union between the past, present and the future. An inharmonious mingling of objective reality and illusion. And since eternally young vampires and the juvenile movers and shakers of '60s London are both typically portrayed as decadent, excessive nihilists...why shouldn't they be paired up?

2. When Bob Tinnell asked you about influences, you replied, "You gotta know your history before you can create anything refreshing and original." Let's tweak the question of influence a bit: What challenges to your creativity did you face, in light of the specific history (literary, cinematic, etc.) that informed NIGHT TRIPPERS? Where did you see those sources ending, that marked a starting point for you? What were you trying to go beyond? What opportunities did you see for doing something new?

On the surface, NT may appear to be a twist on the traditional vampire vs vampire slayer story. I guess if you're looking for that, you can find it. However, I was drawn to the rise and fall of swingin' London and decided it might be fun to put that historic burden on the shoulders of vampires. First of all, I wanted to play with the themes found in the novel ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS--manufactured pop stars. You know how it appears, on the surface, that pop stars and pop culture is the product of youth, when in fact it is usually driven by old dudes in suits who are rarely interested in artistic integrity and mostly concerned with the "bottom line"? Well, my challenge was to transform a family of vampire moguls into power hungry puppeteers set on controlling the very youth movement that would spark the political, social and sexual revolution that is still felt in our current society. The great thing about my job was that I had years of history and reflection to draw upon. Also, the music, theater, film (love those old Hammer films from the sixties) just made the background of the story that much richer. You should see the ideas I had to throw out!

One of my favorite characters of the piece is Pete, the vamp slayer. He's an old school rocker whose time has passed who is opposed to the new school mods which are being manipulated by his vampiric arch enemies. Being eternally young, the vamps have to change with the times. Humans get old and lose their energy for growth and change. However, we humans, especially as we get older and more set in our ways, will fight to the death to defend what we perceive to be the status quo. The story is full of that kind of stuff-- struggles between the old and the new. The King who brings peace to a war torn land is murdered by his own son. A youth movement rises from a decaying society only to be manipulated towards its own demise. A young girl escapes her mundane life with the help of an established mentor only to turn on him in the end. Plus, a man seeks eternal youth only to become immortal after youth has passed him by.

Did anyone catch that Pete's name was Peter Penne (Peter Pan) and his girlfriend-turned-vampire was named Wendy? I loved the idea that "the boy who refused to grow old" was actually "the man who refused to change". And Wendy, who in Barrie's book returned home to grow to adulthood, maintained her youth as a vampire. I played around with all kinds of characters from Brit born lit. From Gormanghast to Dorian Gray to...

From a technical standpoint, Micah and I took advantage of the free- wheeling, let it all hang out, sixties sensibility and placed what we called "confessional panels" throughout the book. It gave us a chance to expose the reader to the characters in an unusual way. The trick was to tear the reader away so that we could have this character insight without ruining the narrative flow. No one has complained, so I guess we were successful.

3. How did NIGHT TRIPPERS force you to grow as a writer? What did you have to learn or figure out to tell this story? Is there anything you've learned or figured out since it went to press, that makes you wish you could change anything?

One of the reasons I love being a writer is that I get to read, research and observe with a writer's eye. Every idea creates a new challenge and every day brings a new idea. I still like how Night Trippers turned out. Get back to me in a year and I'm sure I'll have ideas on how to make it better.

Even though it wouldn't have been feasible, I wish the book could have been longer. I have so much more to say about the time and I'm itching to continue my exploration of the histories and motivations of the characters.

4. I remarked in my review that, for a story set in Swinging London, NIGHT TRIPPERS is awfully overshadowed by the past, and a lot more visually subdued than I expected. How did you and Micah come to those decisions, not to go for something more visually vibrant, superficial, and "in the moment"? What's the point of a Swinging London setting, if so much of your book is going to be Teddy Boys, pensioners, and Arthurian flashbacks in old-fashioned-looking sepias? Why not go more whole-hog with the psychedelia?

Well, we did offer the black-light/day-glo acid trip and the rainbow explosive pages with Dot becoming a commercial icon, but we also took the reader behind the theater curtain, backstage in the wings, where dreams are formed, created and destroyed. Believe me, it would've been easier to create a vampiric Austin Powers. However, that was never our intent. We were, of course, interested in capturing a nostalgic feel, but what made London in the sixties so culturally interesting was the struggle between young, cocksure entrepreneurs and the conservative, button-down old guard. Pre-Beatles London was a drab scene! Art and fashion came from France. Music was American made. Gray suits, bowler hats, brollies (umbrellas) and the devastating effects of WW2 defined the scene before that crazy collection of art school kids decided it was time to change their world.

The mad swirl of color and sound is what people center on when they think of those days, but that's just one candy coated aspect of a world in change. That's why we decided to inject muted color (and other periods of growth in Great Britain) into the paisley haze of 1966 London. We even offered a glimpse into the future of youth culture (80s punks).

Ever seen Antonioni's film Blow Up? It's got a jaded hipster photographer bored with the glamorous dream world of fashion, sex, art and music. He's so bored that he's taken to photographing the seamy and sordid side of post-war London life. When he stumbles onto a murder, something dark and sinister, he is revived by the harshness of that reality. That film was very inspirational for setting the tone and color for our story.

5. How has the sixties period setting helped or hurt, in terms of NIGHT TRIPPERS finding an audience? What other facets of the period would you like to explore in future projects? Is there other stuff out there right now that you perceive as helping to build up a market for this sort of thing?

I think nostalgia for Sixties music and fashion has helped build an audience for the book, or perhaps our readers just like stories about vampires. Can't say. However, I hope nostalgia is drawing people into the project because I want to do a book about those Satan worshipping Moptops. And I want to drop supernatural forces into San Francisco's Summer of Love. However, I never want to be limited in my writing. I never want to worry about being commercial or being associated with a particular genre. When I wrote Nowheresville, I never thought about whether readers would be attracted to a 1950s Beat generation crime noir featuring a zen detective. I just write about things that interest me. Right now, Micah and I are working on the first of what I hope to be many sequels to Night Trippers. This one takes place primarily in Victorian England.

6. Anything else you'd like to add? Thanks for taking the time out for this interview!

If you like this one, you'll love the next one--NIGHT TRIPPERS: THE DEAD GIRL'S PROMISE. Micah and I hope to get it out next year some time.

Thank you.