The PULSE has a new interview with
Rob Williams on the new
"Tomb of the Gods" series:
http://www.comicon.com/pulse/
BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
If seeing Indiana Jones in the theaters doesn't quite sate your fix for the action hero and his escapades, Dark Horse has just what the doctor ordered: some brand, spankin' new comic adventures! Rob Williams is scripting a four-issue limited series, Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods that takes place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom. The writer hopes this will be the first of many new stories featuring the whip-cracking, snake hating archeologist, Henry Walton Jones, Jr., Ph.D.
THE PULSE: When I was a kid, I got to see the first two Indiana Jones movies at the movie theatre. They were both very exciting movies, but I always wondered what Han Solo was doing looking for these kinds of treasures .... When did you first see Indiana Jones?
WILLIAMS: I think it was Raiders in my crumbly local cinema, The White Palace in Pontypridd, South Wales (since knocked down, probably wisely). I don’t recall it having much of an effect on me, really. Nothing like what Star Wars had done a few years earlier, anyway. I can recall seeing the poster very clearly in the foyer, for some reason. Raiders had much more of an impact on me as a teenager. And as an adult I absolutely love it as a wonderful piece of storytelling and movie-making. I think it’s a much more adult friendly film than a kids’ movie. I do remember a school friend coming in to the sixth form room the morning after Raider had been on TV for the first time and him saying he hated it. We all asked why; “Too far fetched. Would never happen.” Now there’s a man not in tune with the appeals of fantasy.
THE PULSE: What did you initially think about this action adventurer? I liked him, because he enjoyed snakes about as much as I did. Also he had that cool whip!
WILLIAMS: As a kid it’s the action and the heroics. We’re talking about one of the great leading man movies of modern times, so when you’re a kid in a playground it’s fun being Indiana Jones. Punching bad guys. Leaping off horses. Hanging off the front of Nazi trucks (well, trucks driven by Nazis. I’m not suggesting that the vehicles themselves had bought into the ethos of National Socialism). And the hat and the whip work too, of course. Who’d have thought such simple wardrobe choices could be so memorable?
THE PULSE: There have been a few Indiana Jones comic series and miniseries in the past, but how is what you're doing now going to be different than what has come before?
WILLIAMS: From what I’ve read of the old Dark Horse and Marvel series’, they seemed happy to tell Indy stories in a comics format, which sounds bloody obvious, but one of the interesting things that struck me was that these stories are based on movies, and the comics I love tend to embrace cinematic storytelling. Incremental panel progressions, silent panels, that type of thing. You watch that amazing opening sequence at the start of Raiders, it’s pure visual storytelling. No dialogue. We’re trying to incorporate that cinematic feel into Tomb Of The Gods. We want to make this feel like an unearthed Indiana Jones movie.
THE PULSE: One of the great things about the world of Indiana Jones is that it was set in the past, so it really is the same as everyone remembers -- there isn't a lot of need to update this or that to be "modern." How does that make the task of scripting this series a little easier?
WILLIAMS: I’d say it makes it a little harder, but it’s fun. You have to research if you want it to feel authentic. A few examples, I wanted to use a DC-3 Dakota in the story, which is a beautiful graceful, elegant aircraft, but this is 1936 we’re talking about, and the DC-3 wasn’t in service then, so we’ve gone with a DC-2 instead. The opening action sequence takes place in Manhattan amongst the then-new skyscrapers – the Chrysler, the Empire State. The ’30s was the decade of the skyscrapers in New York, so you have to read up on what’s been built in ’36. Similarly, what type of guns are people using. Both Steve Scott (our artist) and I have put effort into trying to make this feel authentic. It’s enjoyable to try and immerse yourself in this period.
THE PULSE: You said the tone of this was going to be akin to Raiders of the Lost Ark. How so?
WILLIAMS: I was watching Last Crusade last night as it was showing on the TV and trying to put my finger on what’s different about the tone. I love Raiders. It’s one of my favourite movies, it has an outstanding script, and it does have a different feel to Temple Of Doom or Last Crusade. It seems somewhat more adult, more grown up. Like a Bogart movie. Indy himself seems more credible (even though it’s quite plainly heightened fantasy). Temple and Last Crusade are more knockabout Hollywood sequels. With Tomb Of The Gods we’re trying to keep the tone more like Raiders. The stakes are high, both for the world and for Indy’s soul. Those punches are going to hurt him a little more. And while there’ll be comedy – it’s an important aspect of the Indy movies – I’m trying to keep the balance Raiders-like rather than Last Crusade, where the father-son double act goes a bit broader.
THE PULSE: One of the things that most people like about Indiana Jones is he's a character that both young and old seem to enjoy equally, albeit for different reasons. How open is what you're doing going to be for the ages? Are you going for a more mature audience or are you writing for everyone, but not writing down or up to anyone?
WILLIAMS: I’m just writing the story I want to tell. As I’ve said, our marker is Raiders. And all ages seem to enjoy that movie. We want Tomb Of The Gods to be accessible, and Steve Scott’s art is certainly that – the likenesses of the characters are all there – it has a realistic, Bryan Hitch-like tone rather than being heavily stylised. This is a comic book that, we hope, people who don’t normally buy comics can enjoy.
THE PULSE: How much time is covered in the mini-series? What's Indy searching for or up against here?
WILLIAMS: We’re in 1936, between Temple Of Doom and Raiders. One thing we talked about from the start is the dichotomy of Indy’s drives in those two movies. In Temple it’s “Fortune And Glory” and in Raiders he’s much more “That belongs in a museum.” Actually, he grows in Raiders, it’s one of the great things about Lawrence Kasdan’s script. At the start he’s all about the thrill of the chase, the prize. By the close he lowers the bazooka and lets the Nazis have the Ark rather than blow it up. He learns respect and humility. That’s a journey that we’re following in Tomb Of The Gods. At our opening he’s a little arrogant and obsessive about our Macguffin, and that blinds him to a lot of the things around him. And as our story progresses there’s going to be a point where his soul is at risk. Does he turn his back on his better aspects in order to claim the prize? We’re treating this like it’s an important moment in his life. Indy wouldn’t lower the bazooka at the end of Raiders if he hadn’t experienced what he does in the finale of Tomb Of The Gods.
THE PULSE: I'd imagine it's tough not to hear Harrison Ford's voice as you're writing the dialogue for Indy. Is that actor's portrayal of the hero influential on your vision for who the character is now?
WILLIAMS: Oh, absolutely. And it’s Indy in Raiders, again. There’s a greater intensity and focus in Ford’s performance in Raiders than in the other two movies. And he’s wonderfully angry, too. There’s this great inner rage in Ford’s Indy, even when he’s screaming at Sallah not to bring camels to the battle at the close of Last Crusade. He seems pissed off with the world, like all leading men, he doesn’t say a lot too. It’s more about his actions.