DF Interview: W. Maxwell Prince launches a series of one-shots with multiple artists in ‘Swan Songs’
By Byron Brewer
Writer W. Maxwell Prince (Ice Cream Man, Haha) brings readers his newest miniseries with Swan Songs, a string of one-shots which comprise stories about endings...The End of the World. The End of a Marriage. The End of a Sentence. The End of the End of the World! (Which I suppose one might consider the BEGINNING of a new world…)
And along for the terminal ride are some of comics' best and brightest artists! The first apocalyptic issue, "The End of the World," is drawn by none other than The Department of Truth’s Martin Simmonds. Future artists for future endings include Caspar Wijngaard (Home Sick Pilots) and Filipe Andrade (The Many Deaths of Leila Star), with more to be announced right here!
But before we reach the swan song of this interview, let’s begin it as I discuss the miniseries with its author and my friend, W. Maxwell Prince.
Byron Brewer: Will, you are becoming famous (infamous?) for your recent one-and-done series of stories format which this new mag, Swan Songs from Image Comics, seems to follow. Explain how you came to use this technique and how it will be utilized here.
W. Maxwell Prince: The unfortunate answer is that I’m just not very good at writing protracted, serialized fiction. Trust me—I’ve tried. For some reason, limiting the amount of space I have to tell a story activates these kind of muscles in my brain—economy, compression, the ability to machete out the extraneous. So that’s just where I’m at, as a writer.
This series, sort of like Haha, is centered around an idea: things endings. So each issue (drawn by a different artist) is about something ending (e.g., the world, a marriage, a sentence, the sidewalk…)
Byron: Tell readers about the title “Swan Songs” (you never know when a phrase has become something alien to new gens) and how it applies to the subject – or subjects – of this book (as if I didn’t give that away in the intro, which is the Image solicit for #1 which I am imagining you wrote?). Anyhoo, what’s the book(s) about?
W. Maxwell Prince: A swan song is something you do before death or retirement. Your final act, so to speak. So these are stories about things ending…or at least what happens right before the end.
Byron: I understand we have a number of awesome artists headed this way for Swan Songs. I know the epic work of Martin Simmonds will be featured along with your awesome script for the first apocalyptic issue, “The End of the World”. What other artists will be piped aboard to share this adventure with you?
W. Maxwell Prince: I’m blessed beyond belief. The roster:
Issue 1, fully painted by Martin Simmonds.
Issue 2 by Caspar Wijngaard.
Issue 3 done in full colored pencils by Filipe Andrade.
Issue 4 by Caitlin Yarksy
Issue 5 done in collage by Alex Eckman-Lawn
Issue 6 by some guy named Martín Morazzo
Byron: Wow!… I think I know the answer, but will there be threads of a larger Swan Song extended to or between any of these one-and-done issues?
W. Maxwell Prince: Issues #1 and #3 speak to each other in a certain way, but beyond that they all stand alone!
Byron: We have the mag pretty much covered as a concept. Let’s talk about issue #1, coming our way in stores July 5. Can you summarize this essentially one-shot issue’s tale for us (no spoilers please) to let folks sobering up from Independence Day know what to expect?
W. Maxwell Prince: Issue #1, as mentioned, is “The End of the World.” But I wanted to take that idea and make it small, intimate. So this story is about a guy named Bryan running against the atomic clock, trying to achieve something small (for his momma) before the world goes kablooey.
Byron: Talk a little about Martin’s art for this issue.
W. Maxwell Prince: It’s just gorgeous—what we’ve come to expect from Mr. Simmonds. It’s fully painted, which I believe is new for him. One need only look at the preview pages to see how lush the thing is. I’m so lucky to have gotten to work with him.
Byron: Will, what other projects with which you are associated can you tell readers about?
W. Maxwell Prince: I write Ice Cream Man, which is our small horror-anthology-that-could. Issue #36 comes out this summer!
Dynamic Forces would like to thank W. Maxwell Prince for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Swan Songs #1 from Image Comics is slated to be on sale July 5th!
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