| SAVANT |
2002
|
| DOGWITCH:
Dan Schaffer |
|
| transcript: |
|
| Describe
Dogwitch in four words. |
| It’s
different, try it.
|
|
| What
sort of genre do you see the title as being?
|
| Hmmm.
Is kinky a genre? No, what about deranged? Oh well, I guess
it’s easiest to describe it as comedy horror, then. A comedy
horror with sugar and spice.
|
|
| How’s
it been received?
|
| Pretty
well. I’d say 90% of the reviews I’ve come across have
been in my favour. It’s not your usual type of comic book
though so I was prepared for a mixed response. I’ve been
told that it’s up for an award, and that it’s pointless,
both in the same week so I try not to think about that stuff
too much. I just do it the way I’d want to see it, and hope
that a few people agree with me.
|
|
| Violet
has the potential to be the next poster child of Goth.
How do you feel about that? |
| Very
pleased, probably. What’s a poster child? If that means she
achieves iconic status in the goth community then that’s
great. If it means she becomes an essential goth fashion
accessory for five minutes before the eventual backlash makes
her untouchable, then pah!
|
|
| What
sort of following do you have in the Goth community?
|
| I
wouldn’t like to say. A lot of goths have contacted me just
to tell me they love DOGWITCH, which is great, but that
doesn’t mean they’re aren’t another five million out
there who hate it. I mean, I think the book mocks goth
attitudes, but also celebrates them. All the goths I’ve
spoken with appreciate that, and it goes down fine. Maybe
it’s post goth, or neo-goth or something. Same goes with the
pagans and various witches. They don’t seem to have been
offended by the audacious approach to witchcraft in the book.
Not yet anyway. In fact, I’ve heard from many witches who
take a distinct leftfield approach to witchcraft anyway. So,
for the moment at least, I seem in safe hands.
|
|
| Comedy
or horror, which do you prefer writing?
|
| Well,
there’s real horror and then there’s the horror genre.
They’re two different things entirely. The horror genre;
vampires, ghosts, that kinda stuff, I like it, sure. But I
like real horror too. Most people will tend to agree on
what’s really horrific. Humour is probably harder to pin
down. I only write funny stuff so I don’t depress myself
writing moody shit all day long, but I’d say that it’s
probably easier for me to fall into writing extreme versions
of horror. I just don’t want to be miserable.
|
|
| What’s
ahead for the series?
|
| It’s
just moving out of its introductory phase of crazy mayhem
issues, and into a slightly more detailed and structured area.
Longer arcs and recurring characters are starting to appear
more frequently, and you’ll begin to see a plot arc and some
direction to Violet’s story. It’ll still be told in the
same style, with plenty of those loopy one off issues, but
they’re going to contain more information, more hints and
more characters as the everyone and everything in the
Banewoods starts to take notice of Violet’s presence there.
|
|
| And
what’s ahead for you? More
comic work or are other fields beckoning?
|
| A
whole lot more DOGWITCH mainly. It takes up a lot of my time.
I’ll be doing occasional guest cover paintings for other
books and there’s also some extra work lined up soon on
another Sirius title that I’m looking forward to doing. A
bit of DOGWITCH merchandising in the pipeline. Some sleep
wouldn’t go amiss. Maybe a bit of fresh air.
|
|
| You’ve
got an unlimited budget, unlimited resources and a clean
slate. What do
you do?
|
| Buy
a house in the woods, make bad videos, raise the dead. I dunno.
That question caused a big flood of possibilities to get
jammed up at the front of my brain. I’m sure you want me to
say something clever here but I give up, you got me. What
would you do?
|
|
| What
don’t you do?
|
| Give
clever answers apparently. Oh, was that one?
|
