Eleanor & The Egret: John Layman and Sam Kieth Interview

This week sees AfterShock Comics' release of the collected edition of Eleanor & the Egret, the bizarre and charming tale of larceny, art, lamprey-wielding assassins and gigantic talking birds created by none other than the Harvey and Eisner Award-winning writer of Chew, John Layman, and the iconic creator of The Maxx, Sam Kieth.

Staying true to style for both creators, Eleanor & the Egret is a quirky tale with an array of extraordinary characters and captivating artwork that is bound to excite longtime fans. CBR talked to both creators to get a glimpse into the creative process and collaboration behind the colorful story.

 CBR: John, Eleanor & the Egret was definitely a departure from your previous series, Chew. What was it like for you writing such a different genre?

John Layman: I purposely sought out a book like Eleanor as a palate cleanser to Chew, no pun intended. When Eleanor was conceived, I was on the tail end of Chew, killing people left and right, and getting really dark. I wanted something happier and poppier and more fun to offset the darkness that I knew was Chew’s end.

  It’s not every day we get to read about magical birds who perform heists and eat paintings. How did the idea develop for Eleanor & the Egret? What about the villains?

Layman: It came organically out of a lot of conversations with Sam. "What do you feel like drawing?” It was sorta supposed to be a jam between friends, just the two of us doing something that would be light and fun. I’d say it was something we didn’t take too seriously, but that makes it sound like we didn’t care, which is not the case. We didn’t take it seriously in that our primary concern was to have fun, and give something to the readers that would be fun. Sam and I have done a lot of dark stuff, so just doing something light like this was a departure for the two of us. An experiment of sorts.  

Sam, I follow your blog pretty closely and noticed the same egret featured in one of your pieces that you mentioned was an idea for a children’s book. Did you have a lot of input on the storyline and characters for Eleanor & the Egret? What was it like working with John in that aspect?

Sam Kieth: John and I still haven't ruled out the idea of a children's book at some point. I think almost every thing I create is a weird combination of Dr. Seuss and underground comics. Though John's and my sense of humor is pretty perverse, I think we both drifted towards a bit more heart and innocence on this one. I've never trusted any writer as thoroughly as I have John before. He's unique among anyone I've ever worked with.

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John, how was your experience working with Sam on this short-term project in comparison to your seven year run of Chew with Rob Guillory?

Layman: Chew was very much a symphony, with every note predetermined and specific and precise. Working with Sam is more like jazz, because we riff off each other, and I don’t think either of us are completely sure what we’re going to do until we do it.  

Sam, throughout your career there is a pattern towards female protagonists who are ordinarily extraordinary. Is there a particular reason why that type of character is one you’re so drawn to?

Kieth: It's probably something I do too often. I have no idea why. I even talked John into changing the villain in Eleanor, Rue, into a woman too. Probably changed how John wrote her, but you'd have to ask him. I have no idea why that happens.

  Eleanor & the Egret feels a much more gentle book than some of your other work. Sam, what was it about the series that caught your interest?

Kieth: Well, given [The] Maxx and Chew, we figured anything we created together would be offbeat, and have a sense of humor, but any gentleness really started with John's input. It sort of grew into a cross between a book about creativity, and a romance story too. John said he favored a female character to play to my tendencies.

John, I was surprised to see that, while you were the writer of the series, the book read very similarly to a lot of Kieth’s previous books. Was that something that happened intentionally? Was working with Kieth something you had in mind when creating the concept and characters?

Layman: I’m a friend of Sam’s, but I’m also a fan, so I tried to give him stuff to draw that would excite him (which is good advice for any writer working with an artist.) Also, I know as a fan that there are certain “Sam tropes” that readers expect, and that get the best work and enthusiasm out of him. Certainly the damaged female lead is part of it, but also the weird villains. If anything, I tried to free Sam to be “more Sam,” encouraging him not to overthink things and worry too much about over-explaining everything.

Sam, with having such a well-known style of art and storytelling, do you feel like you can look back at the context of your other works and see old habits in your art style in Eleanor & the Egret? And on the other end of that, do you feel like you’ve broken any new ground for yourself in this project?

Kieth: I don't think any New Ground can be broken at my age, I suspect any stylistic path-habits are probably too entrenched. But what do I know? My opinion of my own work is the least valid. If others dig it, great. I will say it felt different to draw it. My first sketches coaxed something new out of John's script, and he left large chunks of "open space" for me to add things... things that a fuller script issue might have prevented. It broke new ground in how I collaborated with anyone, that's for sure.

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What's next? Your career has shown that you're capable of working in multiple genres and for different audiences. Do you have any projects in mind to follow this up?

Kieth: There's a massive back-log of projects currently clogging my brain and hard drives. But remember not every goofy, indulgent, or weird-ass idea I dream up are all worthy of being published. It's a sad fact that for some of us, our brain and hand creates far past the buying audiences appetite for new crap. Not every idea is worth killing a tree over.

Eleanor & the Egret: Vol. 1 will be available on Feb. 28 from AfterShock Comics.  