Broken Frontier

This is an Inter-Review—a review and an interview in one!

Today we look at the works of Karl Christian Krumpholz, the creator of the Byron: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous GN and its new sequel series, Die, Byron! Die!  Both are  available for download at Eyemelt.com, though the GN can be purchased in print copy at the SLG Website.

We now move into the second and final installment of our Inter-Review with Karl Christian Krumpholz and Byron.

Read the first part HERE.

Broken Frontier Review: As Byron: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous (the first series) moves into its latter half, the horror elements spike through the roof, the weirdness spreads over every character and environment, and ends with a final confrontation that’s, interestingly, as much a whimper as it is a bang. Krumpholz explores the fragile psyches of more than just his hero—delving additionally into the fears of the vampire mastermind, killer lackeys, and competitive supporting cast, Byron proves more than just a heroic quest. It transforms into a medley of character criticisms that do come to a head, but ultimately, Byron is less the hero than he is the unsuspecting lever for every character’s self-inflicted demise.

Which makes things all the more interesting when Byron sets out in his second series, Die, Byron! Die!, in search of his now-missing pickled brother in a jar. Being a survivor, Byron’s self-confidence and arrogance have grown exponentially, and yet, his survival was never due entirely (or even mostly) to his own efforts, so his bravado far surpasses his actual know-how.

BROKEN FRONTIER: From wannabe to sorta-be—describe Byron’s development from Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Die, Byron! Die!

KARL CHRISTIAN KRUMPHOLZ: Well, at the start of the original GN, Byron was a shallow club kid. He had to have the best clothes, the best fangs, and the best make-up simply for those few hours once a week at the club. The rest of the week he was nobody, but at the club—he was king! Or at least thought he was. One of the main purposes of Mad, Bad, and Dangerous was to show Byron as this sort of shallow wannabe cool kid, force him to face some of the dark things he idolizes, and grow up. There is a reason these things are considered evil, and being thought of as dark, mysterious, and dangerous is not all there is to life. Time to put that away.

Now, in Die, Byron! Die!, Byron is at a place where he thinks he knows what’s going on. “Sure, there is a darker world out there then I thought, but I know and understand all that now.” Yeah, right. He lost that sort of kid arrogance, but he now has the arrogance of someone who thinks he knows what’s truly going on. Something like that phrase “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing…” Byron is a little wiser, but still has no clue what’s truly out there and is wandering right into it. His arrogance and cluelessness is simply re channeled. He no longer thinks of himself as ‘Dark Lord of the Club Scene’, now he’s a ‘Psychic Investigator’! He’s stumbling through America and making a lot of enemies along the way.

BF: As a comic writer moving from his first adventure to his second, almost literally in step with your own character, do you find yourself facing the same crisis of sense-of-accomplishment vs. reality?

KCK: Well, yeah. In a way, Byron’s journey is a lot like my own. Once I started dealing with a publisher, I had to figure out everything again. “Oh, that is the way it’s done…” sort of thing. I’ve been doing everything for much too long on my own. After the first GN  was published, I felt immense satisfaction, but that was just the first step. Great, you have a book. What are you going to do now? Now people have to find out about it, and read it. That’s a little tougher because of the digital comic issues I stated before. People are unfamiliar with the title and loathe trying new things. Once they find it, I know they would enjoy it. And then for my next trick, I have to start the next issue, then the next… no time to rest… have to keep moving forward. More coffee and booze helps…

BF Review: The first issues of Die, Byron! Die! follow Byron as he begins a meandering, cross-country search, which has him stopping off in the oddest places and facing a wide-range of new occult threats. From a possessed redneck to a zombie-making bartender, and Byron himself empowered unbeknownst by a strange (though powerful!) spirit, mysteries abound, more of Byron’s ego is set up to be shattered, and Krumpholz seems to have a lot more freewheeling fun than he dared strive for in M, B, and D . The number of subplots and side bits and visual accoutrements to the main pursuit of Byron’s brother is colossal here, showing that Krumpholz stands far more liberated, storytelling-wise, than during the first Byron.

BF: Comparing the writing of the two series, did you find yourself freer and more confident to experiment than you did with the first?  Or do you find the second series to have a more solid structure (it does, in a way, feel more focused that M, B, and D, even if more mischievous in its details)?

KCK: Well, that’s the truth. After learning some of the rules, I’m having a bit more fun bending them. The first GN was my first attempt at a multi-issue storyline. All my previous comics have been stand alone stories. So, there was a lot of figuring everything out, foreshadowing, and flashbacks while juggling a hell of a lot more characters then I was used to. Also add to that all the twists and story changes that were popping up as I drew it.

The new storyline is much easier and fun. I’m telling more stand-alone stories, but there is indeed an overarching plot. I’m finding it much easier to pace and have the story develop. I think that part of it is because I’m not limiting myself by telling the story in four issues and cramming everything I can into that little space. I’m letting it flow and breathe… or at least attempting to. Starting with the first issue of the new series, I do pick up some threads that may not have been completely apparent in the GN, drop hints on what’s now going on, and where Byron’s brother might actually be. The reader, of course, will probably figure it all out much sooner then Byron ever will. Didn’t Chekhov make a comment about showing a gun in the first act?

BF Review: For all those cool story beats, Krumpholz can likely be called an artist first and foremost, regardless of the strengths inherent in his writing, and Byron can stand alone as a truly visual—and a packed one at that—warehouse of black-and-white elegance. M, B, and D is a chock-a-block collection of square-shaped characters, sharp-teethed critters, and nearly panel-less pages.  D, B! D! wields the same, though wherein the first series had moments of opaque action and compositions sometimes difficult to dissect, the second series shows Krumpholz already finding a far more elegant and easily sub-divided number of layouts, with clearer action, more distinctive characters, and a clean and polished line to every finished page. His style is incredibly suited to Byron’s subject matter, being a cousin to Mexican folk art (Byron always reminds me of the old Lucas Arts PC game, Grim Fandango, starring a cell-animated grim reaper and a cast of undead spirit-characters all conceived in a Dia de los Muertos cultural aesthetic).

BF: So have you been influenced by Mexican art?  Or any other Goth- and/or occult-related material?

KCK: I think I’m kind of fascinated by Mexican art simply because I was never really exposed to it while growing up. It’s not like you can find many outlets for an artist like Jose Guadalupe Posada in Boston or Philadelphia. I have to thank my girlfriend, Kelly, for exposing me to the majority of Mexican art when I finally moved out here to Colorado. She’d grown up here and always loved Mexican art. Hell, our apartment even looks like some sort Mexican altarpiece. For me, all of this was like discovering something utterly fascinating and new. Unlike most of the typical depictions of skulls in European art, Mexican skulls are brightly colored and cheerful. I find that much more pleasant and disturbing: A happy sugary coating for something so dark. Day of the Dead, sugar skulls, Virgin of Guadalupe, and other religious icons all of this started infusing my own artwork (comic or otherwise.) I think being raised Catholic also helped me to appreciate it as well.

BF: Any other comic or animation styles that have been primary influences on your work?

KCK: I was always kind of attracted to the simpler art styles rather then the frenzied over drawn super-hero stuff that have been prevalent in the past. This is mostly because I love the use of shapes as icons to suggest movement and action. Matt Wagner’s Mage and Grendel were one of the first I was drawn to. That led to seeking out comics by Evan Dorkin, Marc Hempel, Steve Purcell, Jamie Hewlett, Shag, and such. Evan Dorkin’s comics (like Hectic Planet) were always these frantic comics with a sort of self-pitying protagonist. There’s Byron right there. Also, Charles Burns’ comics were the first to attract me to using heavy blacks. That sort of heavy inking also led me to the comics of Mike Mignola, who I think has influenced the majority of horror comic illustrators.

BF: Looking back at Mad, Bad, and Dangerous and now at the work on Die, Byron! Die!, how do you feel about your progress as an artist? And how do you feel about these series as finished and near-finished products?

KCK: I’ve been very happy with the book and my progress. However, like every other artist, I still believe I have a way to go. I can’t help but look at some of my older work and wince, knowing I could have done it better. That’s just natural. When I first started, I almost felt that I needed to cram everything I could onto a page. I think that made for a slightly confusing read and panel layout. I’ve relaxed somewhat and I’m starting to take time with my layouts. Now I’m experimenting a bit more with storytelling, page design, and even cover layout. I think everything flows so much better. I’m very excited about where Byron is right now and the story that I’m telling.

BF Review: Byron has been, by far, the wonderful surprise dark horse to emerge from the consistently-stellar SLG stables. I found fellow SLG published Chumble Spuzz to be the funniest and most effectively madcap, but Byron is the most intriguing.  Mad, Bad, and Dangerous is a GN that struck, and is now stuck, in my mind, and I found it near-impossible to put down as I tore through its 130+ pages in a single sitting. The second series reads (thus far) much more episodic, which makes the serialization a little more palatable (I can’t imagine reading the first series in so many chapters—the cliffhangers of the latter issues would have killed). 

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered to review the first issue, lo, so many months ago, and now I’m stoked to continue the adventures of Byron. I’ve rarely felt so satisfied to know there’s more to come and that a property isn’t going to disappear until all the loose ends are tied. In fact, the more I think of it the more I see Byron as a sort of supernatural Beanworld, with a similar off-key but captivating sense of storytelling and simple but impossibly evocative art. A sort of book that at first glance looks too out-of-synch with everything else to be worthwhile, but is unforgettable once explored.

BF: So Die, Byron! Die! is going to run how many issues?  And are there tentative plans for a third series?  Spin-offs?  Something completely different for you?

KCK:  Heh… actually, all of the above. I’m thinking that Die, Byron! Die! is going to run about seven issues. I do have an idea for a third series, but want to see where I am when I finish this story later in the year. There are also several ideas for a spin-off comic lurking in the back of my head that I would someday like to play out, specifically one featuring Tallow and Barrow (the Ghoulie Twins) from the first series. They are a couple other characters that I do enjoy writing, as they are utterly amoral pop culture obsessed killers. The baby vampire/zombie helps as well. Byron, as a character, is terribly reactive to what goes on around him. I like the Twins because they are utterly active. I would like to visit back with them and see what trouble they can stir.

However, as the first GN came out, I find myself more and more busy with projects. That is generally a great thing, but I now find myself scheduling my time on projects. I also have a completely different comic that I’m working on, but that is utterly in the planning stage. Best keep mum on that for the moment.

BF: Awesome. And the twins really are two characters I’d love to see again!  After that epilogue to Mad, Bad, and Dangerous, I was positive you had plans for them.

Okay now, quick, in closing, tick off your top five comics of all time.

KCK: Hurm… let’s see.

- Grant Morrison’s run on Doom Patrol. I do love his Invisibles as well, but Doom Patrol was what got me first reading his stories. I love his non-linear storytelling and logic.

- Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. Not only is the artwork incredible, but I also love the world and mythology that he has built, not only with that title, but also with all the spin-offs.

- Hellblazer. Now, this is a series that goes back and forth in my mind depending on the creative team, but when it’s good, it’s one of the best comics around (specifically Delano and Ennis’ run on the book.) I love the character John Constantine simply because he’s a jaded bastard and con-man that deals with the most incredible supernatural threats. Also, Azzarello’s run (where Constantine is wandering America) is a small influence on the current Byron storyline.

-Warren Ellis’ Transmetropolitan. Hunter S. Thompson-like political commentary and satire masked as a comic. Love it.

I’m sure someone somewhere we hunt me down and take some sort of comic/Goth card away from me if I don’t put Neil Gaiman’s Sandman on the list, but I’m not. For the last spot I will say Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing. Again, like Grant Morrison, Alan Moore has done better stuff since, but I like his interpretation of this character. That series put horror back into comics.

BF: And what would your dream project be outside of Byron? What would be a team-up with another writer or artist you’d just about swoon to have happen?

KCK:  Heh… heh… There are so many. I would likely give my eyeteeth to work on a project with Grant Morrison, Mike Mignola, or Warren Ellis. I’ve also been really interested in everything that Ben Templesmith has been doing lately, especially Wormwood. I would love to work with him as well.

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The Byron: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous GN can be ordered through the SLG website.  Alternatively, you can download all four issues for $0.89 each from Eyemelt.com

The first two issue of Die, Byron! Die! are now available at Eyemelt with further issues released on a monthly schedule.

And visit Karl anytime at his Myspace Page.