RICHARD: And those big flapping eyes are just scary.
ADI: Yeah, but not all Manga are infantilised pedo fantasies. At least one third of manga feature mature stories where the art is quite naturalistic and realistic, without any oversized eyes in sight. And I continue to read and study Manga for storytelling and pacing techniques, since they're still light years ahead of us.

RICHARD: Lots of good stuff to nick?
ADI: Tons. There are cop noir comics that make 100 BULLETS look like a children's picture book. Political and military thrillers every bit as complex as le Carre or Robert Ludlum.

Stories about corporate takeovers as visceral as any action film. You get the idea.

RICHARD: And hardly any American editor reads them. Any temptation to just cut and paste?
ADI: Not on my part. What I want is to create stories as complex, in content and art, as the ones I read in Manga.

RICHARD: You're part of what seems to be a new movement in comics. Just as Karen Berger found the Brits through Warrior and 2000AD in the eighties, Caliber created a stable of creators who were plundered by Marvel, the new focus seems to be through the Warren Ellis Forum and its spin-offs. Antony Johnston, Lee Barnett, Tony Rollinson, Alistair Pulling, Nick Locking, Ryan Richards, Natalie Sandalls, hell, even me. How did this community affect your work, if at all?
ADI: Well, being in touch with the community certainly keeps me on my toes. And bear in mind I was a student of Dave Lloyd and Alan Moore back at the London Cartoon Centre in the late 80s, but I think those of us in this loose-knit community try to keep our fingers on the pulse, and we're obsessed with the same pop culture, political and social issues and often have the same very black, British sense of humour, so I certainly don't see myself as having emerged from a vacuum.

Talking to you guys certainly helps sharpen a lot of my thoughts on doing comics, and writing and creating in general.

RICHARD: So what's in the pipeline right now?
ADI: I'm writing BLACKSHIRT for Moonstone Books, which is a revamp of a pulp character from the 20s, dragged screaming into the 21st Century. Talking to Humanoids about a project. Also still writing screenplays, pitching a thriller to British telly, a new radio play to the BBC, and a radio sitcom. And I've started directing short films again.

100 BULLETS BOOK I TPB: FIRST SHOT LAST CALL

RICHARD: You're a busy boy, Adi. Surely you should be leaving comics to people who only want to write comics. Hell, one day you could just fly away to Hollywood, right in the middle of a Black Cat Spider-Man mini-series. How would we cope?
ADI: Oh, I'm sure no one will notice I've been replaced if it's a Marvel comic. Believe me, you will continue to hear from me. What drives me mad about all these writing projects is that I don't have the time to draw my own stories, which would be off-beat character dramas and comics that don't fit easily into genre categories. I've started doing that with my last short film and hope to continue down that road.

RICHARD: So is that it then? You're abandoning comics for the silver screen.
ADI: No, comics will continue to be something I will do. There are lots of reasons for this: on a certain level, they're more creatively satisfying, since you can turn out a comic faster, whereas a film will take ages due to the resources and manpower involved.

RICHARD: Unless you do it through DC... then it takes just as long?
ADI: That seems to be the problem with DC, which Dan DiDio is trying to correct. I mean, I was commissioned to write BLACKSHIRT by Moonstone Books back in February, and my first issue is already fully inked (it's June now). At this rate, the whole 3-issue series will be out by end of the year/ early next year, which is a very fast turnaround.

RICHARD: Have you been talking to Dan DiDio of late?
ADI: Spoke to him at Bristol. I think he's a very smart guy with the right outlook.

RICHARD: And...?
ADI: Well, I don't know if I'll be doing anything further for DC just yet. It'll entirely depend on what I decide to pitch, I think.

RICHARD: Anything to Epic?
ADI: Not at the moment, because I'm too busy, and I can't think of anything that might fit the Epic criterion.

RICHARD: Did you read Micah Wright's experiences?
ADI: Yes I did, and I certainly did not find it encouraging. I didn't feel especially surprised either. Joe A.I.M. is hilarious. And possibly waaaay too sophisticated for Marvel.

RICHARD: Yeah, wish I'd thought of it. Reminded me a bit of that Invisibles issue, and the Austin Powers henchmen scenes...

So anyway, Anglophone comics, eh? Bright future, or skulking in the shadows? And what will you, Adi Tantimedh be doing about it!
ADI: Anglophone comics can have a bright future if they leap out and grab the prize rather than stay in their ghetto. I've got my own plans, and hope to be kicking against the pricks to make it a bright future that's more than men in tights hitting each other. If it all goes pear-shaped, then it's off to the movies for me.

RICHARD: What are you seeing? Can I come?
ADI: Mix of arthouse fare and crap with explosions. Of course you can come. More the merrier.

And with that Adi and Richard left hand in hand to get some popcorn.

Rich Johnston writes Lying In the Gutters .

Coming up in Waiting For Tommy, Dan Jurgens, Jim Starlin, John Romita Jr, Mark Millar II and. a return. to Bill Jemas.

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