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Interview:
Paul Karasik on Fletcher Hanks
Paul Karasik on Fletcher Hanks
By John L. Daniels, Jr.
Published: 2007-09-12
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Paul Karasik is editor of I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets,
featuring the work of golden age artist Fletcher Hanks.
John Daniels: How did it feel to give a book signing and
talk in your hometown of Washington D.C. at Politics and Prose?
PK: I received a terrific reception at Politics
and Prose. It is a wonderful bookstore and Thad, the guy who runs the
graphic novel department, really knows his stuff. In other words, he
likes the same things I like!
JD: What caught your interest in writing this book about
Fletcher Hanks?
PK: I first heard of Hanks over 20 years ago when I was the
Associate Editor of Art Spiegelman’s and Francoise Mouly’s
RAW magazine. We reprinted a Stardust story and I never forgot
it. Four years ago a friend sent me a link to a Hanks tale on-line. I
began to dig around, found some more of ‘em, and eventually came
upon the answer to the true life mystery, “Whatever Happened to
Fletcher Hanks?”
“Hanks is unique in that he is the first auteur
in the fledgling field of the comic book.”
— Paul
Karasik
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JD: Were you as amazed as I was that so little was known
about this ingenious artisan?
PK: I have been amazed by several aspects of
Hanks’ work. Although formulaic to a degree, each story is
startlingly inventive in design and feel. Readers will not be bored
by the 15 stories. In fact many people are asking for Volume 2!
Another amazing fact is that nobody has “discovered” his work until
now. Many fans and collectors have asked, “How is it possible that I
never heard of this guy before?!”
JD: How would you compare his drawing style to artists of the
golden age?
PK: Hanks is unique in that he is the first auteur
in the fledgling field of the comic book. Most comic book stories at
the time, and up to the present, were created by a team: individual
writer, penciller, inker, and colorist. Hanks was a one-man band, an
auteur with a distinct personal vision that he burned into the pages
of his work.
JD: How did you enjoy the meeting with his son Fletcher
Hanks Jr.?
PK: It was a life-changing experience as I
describe in my comics Afterword [In I Shall Destroy All Civilized
Planets].
JD: In the Afterword, It seems you almost had a question as
to whether his son was Fletcher Hanks himself?
PK: At first, I thought that Hanks Jr. was Hanks
Sr. It soon became apparent that I was speaking with the son who had
his own story to tell. A grim story.
JD: Do you yourself collect any comic periodicals? If so what
is your most memorable character or comic that you would define as
peaking your interest in the medium?
PK: My first comic book was an issue of
Adventure Comics from 1966. I was seduced by the crisp
four-color pantheon of the Legion of Superheroes. You got a lot for 12
cents. It took one comic book and I was hooked. I still have all those
old D.C. and Marvel comics in plastic bags in my basement, but it is
nothing compared to some of the collections made available to me by a
few serious collectors who contributed stories for the Hanks book from
the hermetically sealed comics vaults.
JD: Could you tell our readers about some of
your other works?
PK: My most famous work was a collaboration with
artist, David Mazzucchelli (Batman: Year One). Together we
adapted Paul Auster’s novel, City of Glass. It was listed
as one of the 100 Most Important Comics of the 20th Century by the
Comics Journal.
I collaborated with my sister, Judy, on a family memoir, The Ride
Together. The groundbreaking comics/prose format tells the story of
growing up with our oldest brother who is autistic.
My gag cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker and
Nickelodeon magazines.
JD: How did you feel about the response to this remarkable book?
PK: I am floored by the reception of this book. It
completely sold out within a month and we are now awaiting the second
edition to arrive from Malaysia. It is a good thing that Fantagraphics
put a few cartons away for my book tour. Even then, at San Diego Comic
Con, we sold out by the morning of the second day. I have nine reviews
at Amazon.com, all five star raves. After years of toiling away at this
project in the studio it is really gratifying to have such a positive
response.
“Hanks was a one-man band
with a distinct personal vision that he burned into the pages
of his work.”
— Paul Karasik
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JD: What is your favorite story from the book?
PK: My sentimental favorite is also really one of
the strongest: the Stardust story from Fantastic #7 that we
reprinted in RAW. It is a plot by Gyp Clip to remove all the
gravity from Earth, thus sending all the humans spaceward and leaving
the planet free for plunder. Gyp and his thugs chain themselves with
huge iron chains to prevent themselves from floating away.
JD: What is it that you would like readers to walk away
with?
PK: Things are not always as they seem. Our heroes
can become villains, and regular everyday Joes can become heroes.
JD: Are you currently working on other works that readers
and fans would like to know about?
PK: My next project is to set out to educate the
world that everything that you need to know about making comics can be
learned from three panels of a certain Nancy comic strip by the
great Ernie Buchmiller.
JD: I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy
schedule to answer questions Comiccritique.com
JD: I also would like to thank the staff at Politics and
Prose in Washington, DC for reserving me a signed copy of the book.
—CCdC— Images are often used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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