Broken Frontier

Following Image's announcement last week that it will begin publishing Mora this February, Broken Frontier sat down with series creator Paul Harmon for a chat on what Mora is all about, what role death plays in his work and what inspires this new creator.

BROKEN FRONTIER: The first issue of Mora will hit the stands in February. Other than the fact that Mora is a witch, we know very little about the character. Who is she?

PAUL HARMON: Mora is a sweet and caring girl who is very curious and very sensitive to the world surrounding her. A lot of her lust for life is what makes the magic world of the witch so appealing to her and what gets her into trouble. She’s also very strong willed and protective of everyone and everything she cares about. All of these characteristics are taken to the nth degree when she becomes a witch.

BF: For your first big foray into the world of comic books, Mora looks quite impressive.  

PH: Thanks a lot. I’ve always tried coming up with my own comic stories and over the past few years I have really tried to flesh out my ideas and to convert my natural drawing style into something more comic friendly. 

BF: Do you have any background in the world of graphic design or storytelling?

PH: That was a big problem. I never drew or sketched in a way that was suitable for any type of inking style, so it was a long learning process in that regard. Most of my background is countless hours of practice, but I do love graphic design, especially Japanese graphic and product design.

BF: How did your book land at Image?

PH: I sent a proposal in and also had some communication with Erik Larsen, which lead to me meeting him and showing my proposal to him in person.

BF: Mora will run on a bi-monthly schedule. How many issues have you mapped out?

PH: I have the overall story loosely mapped out, and then I usually plot out about 4 or 5 issues at a time. So right now I’ve got the first 5 or 6 issue arc planned out.

BF: You’re using the concept of omniscient narrator to guide readers through the story. At the start of issue #1 we are told about the very basic plot elements by two undead animals, a rabbit and a turtle. Why did you opt for this particular instance of storytelling instead of having the story unveil itself along the way?

PH: There were a couple of reasons. The first reason was that I like narration especially when the story has a very fairy tale-like flair to it. The second reason why I did not let the story unveil itself is because the overall story is very long and there are places where narration serves best and is a lot quicker. The last reason is that the narrators also represent the natural world and animal kingdom, which in and of itself is an integral part of the story. They provide a voice for that world.

BF: Given that these two storytellers look anything but cute and charming, one may wonder whether they actually have the reader’s best interest at heart. Can the rabbit and the tortoise be trusted at all times?

PH: Heheheh. That’s a good question. In most cases I would say trust them, but they are animals and as you will find out in the series, a lot of them don’t think much of us humans and our ways. They will definitely be biased at times. The fact that they are telling this story is sort of like them holding the mirror up to us and saying, “See how you humans are!” But they aren’t exactly in love with all their animal brethren either, as the series will show.

BF: With a witch at the center of the story and two undead animals telling it, death seems to be an important, if not the main theme in Mora. 

PH: Yeah, I guess you’re right. I didn’t really plan it that way, but it definitely became a theme or was at least a catalyst for certain themes. In the world of the witch, death sometimes is merely the penultimate conclusion. I think in many cases in the series death will mark the beginning of something new.

BF: When I look at some of the preview pages, I find something of Edgar Allan Poe’s oeuvre in the book. There’s a gloomy and dark shadow hanging over basically everything he has written. Does Poe count as an influence of yours in one way or the other?

PH: Thanks, I absolutely love Poe. A lot of the stories I like have that quality to them. I love Twilight Zone too, and many of the stories feel very dark and ominous. Recently, I’ve also been reading a ton of Shirley Jackson. For people who aren’t familiar with her, she wrote the classic short story The Lottery. I absolutely love her writing; her stories are so shadowed and mysterious, with such an inexplicably haunting quality to them. Much of the same darkness will be seeping over into my pages.

BF: What about the artistic aspect? Who would you cite as your influences there?

PH: In comics, Mike Mignola was the first artist I ever really paid attention to. I really love John Paul Leon, because of his awesome bold and loose style. Jorge Zaffino was an absolutely brilliant artist, he did my favorite Batman: Black & White piece. His work is so unbelievably powerful; I really want to see one of his original pages. Some other people I admire are Barron Storey, Bill Sienkewicz, Ferdinando Tacconi, Alex Toth, Katsuhiro Otomo and Akira Toriyama. I could even name the Capcom art staff, they’re amazing because there are so many people who want to imitate them but they don’t succeed because the Capcom people don’t stand still – they’re always new. I like a lot of painters/illustrators such as Nicolai Fechin, Jenny Saville, Robert McGuiness, Thomas English, Arthur Rackham and Bob Peak. Fellini’s films of late have shaped some of my visual style as well. I’m not really certain which of those directly influence me but those are all artists I really like. Combined with any and all of my other interests it sort of shapes how I draw, at least a little bit.

BF: As for comics in general, did you read many growing up?

PH: I did always have comics, but I think I mainly enjoyed the art. The only stories that really stuck out to me were the early Ninja Turtles and Batman graphic novels, like The Killing Joke and Gotham by Gaslight. I didn’t get around to reading the Dark Knight Returns until much later.

BF: Of all the books in today’s market which ones do you consider to be must-reads?

PH: I wish I knew. I’ve spent so much time trying to get into comics and hone my own skills that I haven’t read much of any of the current books. Since I’m scripting my own series – and being new to writing – I really wanted to eliminate any comic writing influence and just read the books of I love the authors I love.

BF: After all is said and done, what do you hope to have accomplished with Mora?

PH: If I am able to tell the entire story that I originally planned, that would be AMAZING to me. Beyond that, I want to contribute something fresh and new to a medium that I absolutely love. I’m hoping Mora will do just that.

- Frederik Hautain