Indie Edge: Bill Willingham

Please tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m a writer of comics and prose, who once long ago also drew comics… and may do so again — but don’t hold your breath. I’m probably best known for creating two series: Fables, from Vertigo, and Elementals, from Comico, a publisher long departed. I live in Minnesota in the woods.

What are your favorite projects you’ve contributed to over the past decade?

I wrote Fables (DLX Ed. Vol. 1 HC—MAY090235), which ran for 150 issues, as well as several specials, original graphic novels and various spin-offs. Although the series has concluded, the hardback collections are still coming out. Bad Doings and Big Ideas (JUL110285) is a collection of all of the non-Fables stories I’ve written for Vertigo over the years. Legenderry (NOV141321) is a steampunk (I hate that word, even as I like the subgenre) reimagining of many well-known characters of adventure fiction, inhabiting a common world called “Legenderry” (of course). It has been collected in a single volume and is still available from Dynamite Entertainment.

What are you currently working on?

A series about to come out from Dynamite called The Greatest Adventure. Since all of the heroes created by Edgar Rice Burroughs inhabited the same fictional universe, and often interacted in his various novels, I decided to bring as many of them together into a single crew of a remarkable space-faring ship (of Barsoomian design) to go on the ultimate adventure — in the spirit of Jason and the Argonauts (or The Golden Fleece, if you prefer the classic title). There are also, at last count, seven other novels and comic series on the threshold of being announced, but since they aren’t announced yet, I’ll stay mum. Do please watch for them sometime within the year!

What fun titles are you reading?

Since you limited me to only mentioning three, this won’t exactly be a comprehensive list. Betty and Veronica (#1A—MAY161104), from Archie Comics, is currently being written and drawn by Adam Hughes. It’s marvelous and not only for its art. Mae (Vol. 1—SEP160067) is an ongoing series of graphic novels, written and drawn by Gene Ha and published by Dark Horse. It’s a portal adventure and clearly a work of love from Gene, who’s doing the best work of a stellar career. Ragnarok (Vol. 1 HC—AUG150450) is an ongoing comic series written and drawn by Walter Simonson. It takes place in the post-destruction worlds of Norse myth and it’s glorious. It’s all about what happens after the end of the world.

EDGE ESSENTIALS

Pick up these books to learn more about Vito Delsante’s Indie Edge style!

• Fables Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 HC (MAY090235)
• Bad Doings & Big Ideas Deluxe HC (JUL110285)
• Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure TP (NOV141321)