A Christmas Present That’s Strangely Alien

by Vince Brusio

Johnnie Christmas is no stranger to ugliness. Yes, he’s a New York Times bestselling cartoonist, and yes he has a penchant for drawing angelic cats, but there’s a darker side to this artist which caught the attention of writer William Gibson. Now Johnnie Christmas adds to his resume that he’s the co-creator of William Gibson’s Alien 3 #1 (SEP180247) for Dark Horse Comics. The book is in stores this November, and in this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview Johnnie Christmas reflects on his work that stifles screams should you read it in space.

William Gibson’s Alien 3 #1 (SEP180247) is in comic shops November 14.

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Vince Brusio: This book seems to be quite a departure from work you’ve done as a New York Times Best Selling cartoonist. Even as the creator of Firebug and co-creator of Angel Catbird, it’s still a stretch to expect that you’d be the one drawing pictures of malicious aliens burrowing or bursting out of chest cavities. How did you go about switching gears to get this grisly gig?

Johnnie Christmas: A few years back, my buddy Kurtis Wiebe and I started a space sci-fi body horror named Pisces, which was full of grisly goings-on. In that light, the world of Alien fits into the continuum of space sci-fi body horror. So it feels like just developing a track that’s already been started.

Vince Brusio: In visualizing the adaptation, what were some of the highest priorities for you in bringing this project to life? What had to “work”?

Johnnie Christmas: I wanted William’s characters and dialogue to really come through. Also, what had to work were scenes of transformation. His sense of anticipation and world-building was so good in his screenplay that I wanted that front and center.

Vince Brusio: William Gibson has commented that “Johnnie’s done a wonderful job of adapting this Dreamlike experience for me, to finally see this script so beautifully realized.” What webs did you weave that transfixed William Gibson’s attention so much that he was willing to say it publicly on Twitter?

Johnnie Christmas: William can speak to what got his attention, I won’t put words in his mouth. I will say that I’m just over the moon that he likes what I’ve done with his script.

Vince Brusio: This story features some of the most famous characters in the Alien film canon, such as Hicks, Bishop, Newt, and Ripley. To interpret those flesh and blood characters into line drawings is no small feat. Those characters are famous. So, given such a huge task, is this when you thought that as an artist you’ve hit a new high-water mark? How does this responsibility to famous licensed characters impact you professionally?

Johnnie Christmas: It’s very cool, to be sure, drawing characters whom I love so much. Long before I got this job I would deconstruct the storytelling and character building in Aliens. Just to see what made it work so well. But once I got rolling on the book, I just snapped into professional mode, adapting it as best I could within the constraints of deadlines and page count. My job with this adaptation, is to serve the reader and translate William’s magic into the medium of comics.

WILLIAM GIBSON ALIEN 3 #1 CVR B RIVERA (SEP180248)

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.