Interview with Robert Rodi(writer) and Cliff Richards(artist) of the Choas! comic, Purgatori

The Comic Review: For the people out there that might not be familiar with you tell us about Robert Rodi and Cliff Richards.

Robert Rodi: I'm a novelist who moonlights in comics, and I'm having some pretty serious fun with it. My major works to date have been 4 HORSEMEN and CODENAME: KNOCKOUT for Vertigo, THE CROSSOVES for CGE, and LOKI, ROGUE, ELEKTRA, and TOMB OF DRACULA for Marvel. I'm thrilled to be working on PURGATORI.

Cliff Richards: I’ve broken in the market in 1999 drawing Buffy, the vampire slayer. It ended at the beginning of 2003, but during this time I have done several books for Dark Horse too: Ghost, Angel, Tales of Vampires, Tales of the Slayers, Scorpion King and Star Wars. After this I worked for CG in Route 666 and Sojourn, then for Marvel in Rogue (when I first worked with Rob) Excalibur, X-men Unlimited and New Thunderbolts. For DC I did Birds of Prey, Action Comics, Omac Project #3,4,5 and 6 and Wonder Woman #222, 223, 224, 225 and currently 226. During all this time I’ve done lots of jobs for small publishers too.

TCR: What comics did you read growing up?

RR: Everything; I was omnivorous. I retain a special affection for the Silver Age, principally the Julius Schwartz books and the late-Sixties Marvels.

CR: Everything! From Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon to Phantom, Mandrake, then Spiderman, Captain America, Avengers, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and lots of those old Horror books.

TCR: Who are your favorite writers and artists?

RR: Alan Moore is in a class by himself; his intelligence is easily matched by his ambition. He's constantly exploring new ground, breaking new molds. I understand he's now taking another of his periodic sabbaticals from comics; that's fine, it gives the rest of us time to catch up. Or rather, try to.

CR: I loved to read old writers such Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Azimov, Arthur Clark and many others of the horror and sci-fi genre. I like works from artists as Norm Rockwell, Hajime Sorayama, Boris Valejo, Adam Hughes and so many different artist that I would spend the rest of the interview just telling you the list.

TCR: Did you always want to work in the comic industry?

RR: I always wanted to be a novelist. Much as I love comics, I never actually considered writing them till my friend Phil Jiminez drafted me for a story in a Vertigo anthology. That was it -- I was hooked.

CR: I’ve always loved comics, even before learning to read I just relished with the pictures but I have never dreamed of working in the market till the day I met David Campiti in São Paulo in one of his workshops. Since then I have never stopped drawing comic books.

TCR: How did you come to work with each other on Purgatori?

RR: Devil's Due approached me with the project; my understanding is that Chaos wanted the Purgatori revival to reflect the kind of mythological richness I brought to LOKI. When I agreed, I gave them a list of dream artists for the book; Cliff was at the top, because we'd just collaborated on ROGUE, where he constantly astonished me with his versatility.

CR: I worked with Rob in Marvel´s Rogue and I think we made a great team then; when Rob was invited to do Purgatori he suggested my name as artist and the publishers and editors of the book agreed after a few sketches, then luckily here I am working again with him.

TCR: What is the process that an issue of Purgatori goes through from inception to completion?

RR: I write a pretty tight script; what can I say, I'm a control freak ... Though occasionally I'll give Cliff a free hand with something, telling him, "You choose." And now that I've seen what he can do on the book, I'm giving him more splash pages to play with, which is a sacrifice for me, because I have to cut down my dialogue. But it's worth it, 'cause his splashes rock.

CR: Working with Rob is really a piece of cake, the way he writes the plot leaves no doubt for what/how to draw when I lay it out on the paper. Then after having done the thumbnails I e-mail them for approvals, and Rob and the editors do their edits and then I just finish it. Very simple and easy.

TCR: Did you do a lot of research into Egyptian Mythologies, clothing, buildings, for Purgatori?

RR: I didn't have to do much research because I was already fairly knowledgeable about ancient Egypt, especially the New Kingdom, the 18th and 19th Dynasties -- which is where PURGATORI is set. As a result, I had a lot of books already on hand, and they've proved invaluable for reference. In general, we're trying to make PURGATORI as historically accurate as possible. Beginning in the third issue, I'll be writing a column in each issue giving the historical and archaeological background on the elements we use in the stories. For instance, ancient Egyptians shaved their heads for the sake of hygiene, then wore elaborate wigs. So in PURGATORI, that's what you'll see.

CR: Rob is an expert on the theme and I have myself a little knowledge on this too because my older sister is an Egypt culture fan too and I grow up watching her studying it with my curious eyes. When I need any image refs I just search for them on the Google finder.

TCR: Did either of you read the previous versions of Purgatori? or the other old Chaos comics?

RR: As I said, I was omnivorous. I remembered Purgatori and the other Chaos characters from the '80s.

CR: I got to know the character when she first appeared in the market but never read too much books of her. I had some books of Lady Death and Evil Ernie too but nothing more than this.

TCR: How important has the internet been to each of your careers as an artist/writer? RR: It's been great to be able to talk directly to fans on message boards; I don't think CODENAME: KNOCKOUT would have run two years if I hadn't able to engage in dialogues with my readers and get their feedback. I'm monitoring the Devil's Due message boards now, for the same reason. CR: It’s essential for my work! Living in Brazil it’s the only way I can work with people in any part of the globe where there is internet. Also, as I told before, a Google finder is a must for me to get any refs for the books I draw. TCR: What are some aspects of your job as a writer/artist that you like? Dislike? RR: The lag time between writing a script and seeing it in print can be frustrating. For instance, PURGATORI #2 came out a week after I finished the script for #8. I've done some theater work -- monologues, mainly -- and it's great when you deliver a line and you get an immediate response to it. Very gratifying. On the other hand, in theater, once you walk offstage, it's over. PURGATORI isn't going to evaporate once the lights go up; I'll always have my copies to look back on. CR: I love anything about working with comics; I have loved it since I did my first sketches. I just can’t imagine my life without it. I love picking up a script and start to lay down the story in images, make the characters to be alive on the paper. I can’t tell anything bad about drawing comic books. TCR: Are there any Marvel or DC characters that you would like to work on? why?

RR: I'd love to do more with Thor. In fact Marvel already has my proposal for a limited series in hand, a larger-scale follow-up to LOKI, but it's on hold till they relaunch the character. I don't know when, or if, it'll ever see the light of day, but I have high hopes.

CR: I would like to work on Spiderman because he’s one of my favorites since I was a young kid. But I also would love to work on Batman or Superman. Working on Wonder Woman books is a dream that have already come true and I´m really happy about that.

TCR: What sort of things piss you off?

RR: People who get on escalators and then stop moving. Like, any excuse to be inert, you know?... Escalators aren't an amusement park ride, they're to help you climb faster.

CR: Watch corrupt politicians stealing all the country’s money and giving nothing back. Isn’t this something to drive anyone sick?

TCR: What bands do you dig?

RR: Right now I'm listening to the Jimmy Giuffre 3, an absolute killer "cool jazz" combo from the Fifties. I don't listen to many pop bands. Maybe if XTC ever comes out with another album....

CR: Man, I like lots of bands: From Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC etc till Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Linking Park and so many others.

TCR: What TV shows, and movies have you liked recently?

RR: SIX FEET UNDER was brilliant, if uneven. THE OFFICE, both the American version and the British original. I recently caught up with the rest of the world by watching all of BUFFY on DVD -- that was a trip.

CR: I like watching animal shows and movies on the cable TV, but I´m a real movie maniac.

TCR: What comics and books have you read lately? What are you reading now?

RR: I especially like Brian Vaughn's books, EX-MACHINA and Y: THE LAST MAN. Warren Ellis's PLANETARY. AGE OF BRONZE, when it comes out. Probably a few others I'm forgetting. I actually don't have as much time for comics these days.

As far as novels -- I'm currently reading Kyril Bonfiglioli, particularly his Charlie Mortdecai series, about the underhanded dealings of an overweight, amoral, voluptuary art dealer in 1970s Britain. Scandalously funny. The first one's titled DON'T POINT THAT THING AT ME.

CR: I´m still reading the same books I read when I was a young kid: Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. I like trying something new once in a while but I´m faithful to these old top lists.

TCR: Any advice for aspiring comics creators?

RR: Don't just read comics. Read everything. It'll help you in the long run.

CR: If you really love working with comics never give up! Sometimes it can be too hard to get good jobs but it is worth any trouble if you are a real Comic book addict as I am.

TCR: With multiple/variant covers, DC doing the Crisis, One Year Later, and the 52 events, Marvel doing An Ultimate line, House of M, DeciMation, and yet another Spiderman book fans seem to have to buy more comics than ever to keep up with whats going on with either company and with most comics priced at $2.99. What chance does the small publisher have? and what is your take on the current state of the comic industry?

RR: DC and Marvel obviously know how to sell comics, but I'm not sure they're selling to a wider audience -- they're probably just selling more comics to an existing audience. I think -- hope -- that with a book like PURGATORI we can attract a readership who enjoy following a character, a story arc, from month to month without having to cross-reference with eighteen other titles. Certainly there has to be room for that in the market --and for publishers who provide that -- or the industry will eventually collapse.

CR: I think the market is too big to give to small publishers their share. There are lots of genre to lots of different readers. I believe if a publisher knows that a toad can’t swell with air to become as big as a bull*he knows how to live in the market.

TCR: So what is next for Robert Rodi and Cliff Richards

RR: Right now I'm working on my next novel, which will be released by Kensington Press at the end of next year; so I've scaled back my comics work till that's done. I've got a story in an upcoming ESCAPIST anthology from Dark Horse, and a few pitches lurking elsewhere, so we'll see what happens. But I remain committed to PURGATORI.

CR: When the books I´m working on right now are over I will be once more looking for job. I often don’t know what comes next. I have never had a long term job so I´m already used to live without so many warranties of work. Isn’t it a venturous life?

TCR: Plug time... Tell us all about Purgatori and why we should be buying it.

RR: We've reconceived Purgatori as a tragic heroine -- a woman seeking redemption for a terrible, Biblical-scale crime, whose efforts are undermined by a murderous, bestial side to her nature. It's an epic story arc, starting in ancient Egypt and ending ... who knows where? (Actually, I do; I have the ending firmly in my head, though it's at least several years away.) It's a multi-layered, mytho-horror-fantasy story with erotic overtones -- something for everyone. I'm putting everything I've learned about writing comics into this one, and I guarantee you a wild ride.

CR: If you would like to read a story about the origin of a character, if you like a good horror story, a hot crimson babe wearing almost nothing and a book wrote by one of the greatest writers in the market, then you have to read Purgatori.

TCR: Tequilla, Whiskey, Vodka, beer or what??

RR: That depends. We talking breakast, lunch, or dinner?

CR: Tequila, Whiskey, Vodka, beer and whatever.