Words by David Kane.
Hellmouth Comics recently published the first round of their graphic novel adaptation of Polygondwanaland. Check out our review of it here in the Blog.
The writer and illustrator, Joe Courtney and Jorge Peña respectively, were kind enough to meet me in the Inner Cell and answer some questions about their process and inspirations.
How did the idea to adapt the album into a graphic novel come about?
Joe Courtney: I’m always listening to concept albums and trying to find the story. I’m also always reading comics. So, one day as I was listening and reading along I was outlining the comic in my head without even realizing it.
Jorge Peña: It was pretty much Joe’s idea, we were working on other projects before and I knew he had the idea on the backburner for a while, so one day he just says that we should work on this and make it our first book to be published, and we got to work. The whole album just lends itself to be made into some sort of storytelling media, whether it’s film, maybe a photography session type of thing, a series of poems, etc. Just happens to be that we make comics and that’s how we get to tell a story.
How did you two meet?
Joe Courtney: I wrote a comic adaptation of Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats’ album Night Creeper, and I posted on an Uncle Acid subreddit to see if any artists wanted to illustrate it. Jorge responded. He’s also really into Gizz, so he also saw my post on the KGATLW subreddit and asked me about that. We’ve been working together ever since.
Jorge Peña: It was a huge coincidence, I was looking for illustration work so I got to Reddit, made up an account and started following subs related to art commissions and comic commissions. I got bored for a while since nothing came up and started using Reddit as a “normal’’ person would, so I followed one of my favorite band’s subreddit, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, I saw that Joe had posted something about looking for an artist to make a comic based on The Night Creeper (the fourth studio album by Uncle Acid), so I messaged him. Turns out he was like three days away from removing the post, and we got to work on that and many other projects that haven’t seen the light of day yet.
How did you develop the narrative of the graphic novel?
Joe Courtney: I listened to Poly while reading the lyrics an absurd number of times. After a while, I started taking notes in a notebook. I made an outline of events, and a few different story arcs emerged. They seemed connected somehow, but not in obvious ways, so I decided I needed to develop the narrator so he could tie the various story arcs together.
Jorge Peña: Joe had pretty much everything for the narrative in the script already and we worked on tweaking some details later on in the “thumbnailing’’ or sketching process for each page of the book.
Whose idea was it to make the protagonist look like Stu?
Joe Courtney: I don’t remember, to be honest. I double-checked the script and didn't spot it, so probably Jorge.
Jorge Peña: I believe it was Joe’s idea, can’t really remember but I guess it was Joe.
You did a good job hinting at larger things happening in the world outside the main story. How much was left on the cutting room floor?
Joe Courtney: Polygondwanaland seems like the center of the whole Gizzverse. We wanted it to be a self-contained story but also wanted to hint that there was more story to tell if people want to read our take on it. It’s also fun to throw in Easter eggs, and Jorge did a great job with working in other Gizz concepts and characters. One thing that got left on the cutting room floor was some prehistoric action, and direct action in general. The narration in the lyrics tells of the action after the fact, and anytime I wrote action scenes, it felt forced.
Jorge Peña: I’m not entirely sure. For the art it wasn’t that much, to make comics you don’t really need a huge budget for things to appear in the page as you would in filmmaking for example, but story-wise I would say a bit was left out, probably for the future if we ever get to expand on this story as a universe type of thing.
Did your vision for the comic change over the process of making it? How different is the finished product from when you first came up with the ideas?
Joe Courtney: Originally, I thought I could do a high fantasy quest graphic novel. I think it easily could have been 100-150 pages and told a linear story with tons of action and dialogue. That didn’t end up feeling true to the spirit of the album.
Jorge Peña: The project ended up being a whole lot different. It was my first chance to make my first full book so I was a bit scared of probably never finishing it. Either I would die in the process or just get burned out drawing that many pages but I kept on with it. The whole process was really free and full of changes, mostly because one day I would work on a page while blasting some raw crust punk or another day I’d be blasting “The River”, so there were some changes in my mood that would be expressed somehow on the page that I was working on on a certain day. Also with artistic influences, some days I’d have someone like Jim Mahfood or Ralph Steadman in mind and some days I’d have maybe Mike Mignola or Jack Kirby in mind, so that affects the outcome of each page even if the page was already sketched before and had a certain feel or look to it in my mind (fuzz).
When it came time to divert from the explicit text of the album, how did you develop the changes? Do you feel like your unique direction follows what the album implies, or are you carving your own tunnel through the Gizzverse?
Joe Courtney: I always had the vinyl lyric book on my lap as I was writing, but I also knew I needed to find a balance between using the lyrics verbatim and fleshing out scenes with my own writing. I needed to give just enough added information to fill in gaps to tell the story or flesh out characters and events. The lyrics are poetry, and we’re telling a story. There has to be some added text to do that story justice. Always though, I had it in my mind that I have to stay true to the album. No tangents that were solely my creation. We wanted it to be a pretty faithful adaptation (or as faithful as we could be) of Polygondwanaland, not a story based on or inspired by the album.
Jorge Peña: It’s definitely a bit of both. In terms of the art I thought if this is a chance for me to add to the Gizzverse and give something to the fans of the band I’d do it my way (while making some sort of tribute to the whole KGLW lore), but at the end of the day my way is inspired in many ways by King Gizzard so I just trusted the process and went with what I thought was right. Also Joe helped to connect a lot of stuff between what we really wanted to do and the whole Gizz visual and lyrical side.
What are your artistic influences? How did they play into your portrait of the Gizzverse?
Joe Courtney: Jack Kirby, mythology and folk and fairy tales, Ralph Bakshi’s fantasy movies, 80s horror, Adventure Time, Over the Garden Wall, and modern indie comics creators like Andrew MacLean, Alexis Ziritt, and Ben Marra who use as few words as possible to tell a story. Those last three were a huge influence for me in writing Polygondwanaland. People are going to read the book to see the Gizzverse represented visually. I couldn’t bog them down with my words and my ego.
Jorge Peña: Too many to count but during the making of the book I was looking at a lot of Paul Pope, Sean Murphy, Mike Mignola, Jason Galea, Jim Mahfood, Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Jack Kirby. In general I’d have to mention Greg Capullo, Ralph Steadman, Vincent Nappi, Damian Connelly, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, Ashley Wood, Maarten Donders, Rafael Albuquerque, Frank Miller, John Romita Sr. and Jr., Jim Pluk, Edmond Baudoin, Jae Lee, Alice and Martin Provensen, Jamie Hewllet, etc., etc., etc. The list goes on and on.
Trivia: the alternative cover for the book is a huge nod to Jim Mahfood’s artwork!
What’s your favorite comic book/graphic novel?
Joe Courtney: Probably Saga, Headlopper, Watchmen, or Slaine: The Horned God. Impossible to pick one. I’m already thinking about the one’s I didn’t mention.
Jorge Peña: That’s a tough question, I could list a bunch like Mignola’s Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil, Murphy’s Punk Rock Jesus, Pope’s Battling Boy, Dalí by Baudoin and, once again, the list goes on and on.
Can you discuss your choice of colors within the comic? For example, what was your process for shading? What colors did you enjoy working with most?
Jorge Peña: For the choice of colors, my background in being forced to study graphic design ironically helped a lot because the color palette for each page had its basis on basic color theory and applying a sort of investigative method to define what worked best (as you’d do when working graphically with publicity stuff). Every decision made on each page was based on that, what would work best based on the context/concept of the story and what each page had to say. If you know something about color theory, each color has a psychological meaning or use to it, so a lot of purples and greens to express mystery, a lot of light pinks and blues to express some sort of tranquility and a bunch of yellows, reds and oranges to express rage and/or shock.
Jorge, how much artistic freedom were you given? Did Joe give specific directions for how things should look, or were you set loose?
Jorge Peña: Joe pretty much gave me the keys to a 68’ Mustang and I was doing donuts while screeching and scraping the hell out of those wheels in a parking lot, so I basically had a beautiful car to drive around but I was still stuck in a parking lot (not in a bad way, I’d actually love to try that out). So in a way I was able to do whatever I wanted but I still had to keep in mind that this is not necessarily an original story, it’s based on something so I had to keep that something always in my mind (fuzz) to not stray away too much from the original idea. On another note, most of the pacing of the story and the amount of panels for each page was pretty much defined by Joe. There were some tweaks here and there but not that many.
What did you have the most fun drawing?
Jorge Peña: Every single line, dot and splatter of pencil, ink, color and pixel I put in that book.
What is your favorite part of Polygondwanaland (the comic)?
Joe Courtney: Jorge’s coloring. Every chapter, sometimes every page, has a different palette that perfectly fits the shifting moods of the comic. It also fits the spirit of the band and their ever-shifting sound. I also loved just seeing the pages roll in and seeing it come to life.
Jorge Peña: Overall I’d say how the whole story transitions (weirdly enough in a smooth way) page to page into something even more weird and bizarre. But specifically I like the whole ending sequence, I won’t spoil it here though.
What’s your favorite song in Polygondwanaland (the album)?
Joe Courtney: Wow, I’m unprepared for this question. The album has been one solid thing for me for the last few years, so it’s hard to separate songs. Probably “The Fourth Color.” It’s so epic.
Jorge Peña: Definitely “Loyalty.” It has great chord progressions, the lyrics are awesome (they make me feel like I’m sort of a god), weird time and beat changes. It’s the best!
Other than Poly, what’s your favorite Gizz album?
Joe Courtney: Nonagon Infinity is probably my favorite album of all time.
Jorge Peña: My favorite is definitely Polygondwanaland but Nonagon Infinity, Infest The Rats’ Nest, Murder of The Universe and Fishing For Fishies are up there as well.
What’s the main thing that draws you to KGLW as a band?
Joe Courtney: I absolutely love concept albums. I love to sit with the lyrics and pull out the story. I especially love 70s prog rock concept albums because they often tell fantasy stories. So, when I heard that there was a band telling one big story throughout their entire discography, I was in. When I heard I’m In Your Mind Fuzz it was over for me. New favorite band. Thanks Bob for the assist.
Jorge Peña: First it was the music. I got introduced to the band by listening to the Murder Of The Universe KEXP session and then I listened to Nonagon and ITRN. It was a mind opening musical experience in every sense, especially being a musician myself. At the same time I was noticing the whole artistic identity the band had built (special mention to Jason Galea), and I just got hooked, listened to everything they have and have been listening to it ever since that first encounter with the group.
What has your experience been of the Gizzhead fan community?
Joe Courtney: It’s such a passionate, welcoming community. For the most part, the fans don’t gatekeep. They truly want King Gizz to spread, which is kind of unique for a fanbase. When new fans post on Reddit looking for suggestions on where to begin, tons of people welcome them and give thoughtful responses. I’ve also started to notice meetups happening before shows, which is really cool. The band seems to play a major role in lots of people’s lives, myself included.
Jorge Peña: Pretty good, thanks to the community I’ve had a chance to express myself, do the work I love to do and have met really great people. Gotta love the Gizzheads!
The ending feels like a cliffhanger; do I dare utter the word “sequel”?
Joe Courtney: It had to end how it ended. When people read it, I think they’ll agree. And yes, that’s the plan/hope. And a prequel.
Jorge Peña: Maybe, could be. That’s pretty much up for Joe to decide.
Do you have any other Gizz-related projects on the horizon?
Joe Courtney: More comics. I’m also working on an RPG, which I’ll ask Jorge to illustrate. But those are all in the beginning phases. I couldn’t bring myself to go too deep into any other projects until I saw how people reacted to my first attempt.
Jorge Peña: Definitely. A secret KGLW-related project with other Gizzheads, plus some stuff we’re doing with Joe through Hellmouth that might be announced later this year. But if I could do anything Gizz related I’d love to work with the band, maybe make a comic directly with them or even just an album cover would be really awesome.
If you met someone else working on a King Gizzard fan-project, what advice would you give them?
Joe Courtney: My mantra for writing the comic was “stay true to the spirit of the band and the spirit of the album. It’s not about you.”
Jorge Peña: Go with the flow, try to put your own inputs and ideas into it. The finished product isn’t just an extension of the Gizz realm, it’s you and I guess that’s what’s so lovely about being a part of and trying to put something out for the “Weirdo Swarm.” People in this community are so open to new stuff, so don’t do what the band has already done. Try and give something new to the community, something to make them think, something that has your own mark on it.
In your own words, what is Polygondwanaland?
Joe Courtney: I’ve spent hours and hours in that place, and I still don’t know! It’s somehow prehistoric and futuristic; mythical and dreamy yet also real. The only thing I really know is that it’s where Han-Tyumi was born. On a symbolic level, maybe it’s the idea that transformation and enlightenment require a sort of destruction of who you once were. I guess that also destroys… or murders the universe you once knew? I also feel like it’s a symbol for how we’ve destroyed utopia with machines. I don’t know; I’m rambling. Once I think I’ve got it, it’s gone. It’s a really slippery place.
Jorge Peña: As the mythical place that’s described in the album, I’d say that it’s full of dinosaurs.
As the album, it’s a great sonic and lyrical experience. Not as many dinosaurs as I’d like but that’s okay. Too much of anything is bad for you, right?
And as the comic, it’s just two fans trying to put out their best work in what they love to do for people like you and me. It’s our vision of the Gizzverse, our vision of the sounds and lyrics of the album. Sadly not enough dinosaurs but there are some so I guess it’s cool.
P.S. No dinosaurs were harmed in the production of this book.
Also, special thanks to my parents for putting music in my ears, a pencil in my hands, believing in me and the process of raising a kid as you did.
Anything else to say?
Joe Courtney: I want to thank Jorge, Mike from Gizzfamily, Galen Frazer, Joshua Stuckley, Konstantin, and you.
Jorge Peña: I’d like to thank David, the KGLW.net team and Mike, Joshua and Galen from Gizzfamily for paying attention and providing help to this book. It wouldn’t be possible to launch this and make this project and many more to come without you guys and the fans of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. You people don’t know how much this means to me and how this community pretty much saved my life. Also, a huge thank you to Joe. I’m glad this wild world put a person like you in my path.
If you’d like to contact the creators about their work, you can find them both on Instagram. Joe Courtney: @hellmouthcomics Jorge Peña: @jorclank
Physical issues of the graphic novel have sold out, but the PDF edition is available at Hellmouth Comics.