It seems odd to congratulate a just-married couple on crafting a story about heartbreak, breaking up and the end of the world, but thats exactly what Taki Soma and Michael Avon Oeming did with the Dark Horse comic Rapture. The book was announced roughly the same time as their engagement, but the couple, who co-wrote and co-illustrated the book, managed to make both their relationship and the book work.
Oeming is the better known of the couple, best known as the artist of Powers, but Soma has worked for Top Cow, Image, Silent Devil and other publishers in addition to her webcomic Youll Never Die, which Soma pulled from her website to retool. We chatted by e-mail about the book, the challenges of collaboration and how to make the end of the world a metaphor thats more than just a metaphor.
ALEX DUEBEN: Im curious how you describe Rapture. After reading it a couple times I think of it as a romance story in superhero clothes, but how do you think of it?
TAKI SOMA: I described it as a 'Post-apocalyptic superhero love story', so you're right on the money.
AD: How did Rapture start? Did you come up with the idea, was it Mike [Oeming]?
TS: Rapture started as Mike and I were driving across the country from Minnesota to New Jersey, eliminating the distance we had from each other. We came up with lots of story ideas staring at the road together; Rapture being one of them.
AD: What made this one the right idea to go forward with?
TS: Dark Horse. They liked this pitch above the others and of course, some of the other ideas were still not cooked up enough at the time to even pitch yet.
AD: How did the book end up at Dark Horse and how helpful were they in terms of both lending a helping hand and staying out of your way?
TS: Dark Horse is great. I am so very happy that Rapture was put out by such a respectful publisher. Dave Land was our editor and he was great at keeping us on schedule but giving us a lot of freedom as well. I would work with him and Dark Horse again, absolutely.
AD: Had the two of you worked on anything together before this?
TS: Not anything published. We work together often, relying on good, honest feedback.
AD: Mike likes to collaborate in a way a lot of people at his level who both write and draw dont necessarily. Was it always something that the two of you were going to work on together?
TS: Yes, although he's experienced a longer career and much success, he's always been a fan of my work. He was the one who insisted that we work together, which turned out wonderfully. He brought me out of my shell a little bit that I'm very thankful for.
AD: Any hesitations about working together? I mean its hard work just being in a relationship -- as Rapture makes clear.
TS: I think there were hesitations as first, we weren't sure if we were strong enough to be a couple and work together so closely -- and turns out that we didn't have anything to worry about. He's one of the easiest person to work with and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
AD: You both wrote it and then you did the layouts and he did the finishes. What was the process of putting it together like? Were you both in sync?
TS: Man, it went so smoothly that I don't think it was fair. We are similar creatures but what one lacks, the other excels. So the process went step-by-step; rough draft, re-write, re-write, tightening (we'd just take over the last draft, then pass on, and so forth) I would then do a simple layout to get the story-telling aspect and pacing figured out, then he would either re-draw the page or scan the layout and draw over it.
AD: Im curious about the layouts because obviously you wanted to craft something that felt like your work but you were also drawing it for Mike to finish and knowing his work, were there moments or scenes where you were designing the page for him or times when it felt like one of you more than the other?
TS: For the most part, Mike followed the layouts pretty close, but of course, if he thinks of a better pacing or panels, he would go ahead and change it. There is a lot of trust between us and I don't feel as if he's disregarded my layout because he doesn't like it, he simply thought of a better way, which I appreciate.
AD: The Biblical analogies, both in the title and in the text itself, was that idea there from the beginning or when did you decide to incorporate that idea?
TS: Yes, I believe it was there from the beginning. Early in our relationship, he asked me what type of stories I enjoyed most and I told him apocalyptic-disaster-zombie-desperate-action-superhero-romance really gets me... so... yeah, I think it came from that conversation.
AD: Cannibals seem to be the new big thing in post-apocalyptic fiction. Why are the major villains in the book cannibals and why do you think theyve been so popular of late?
TS: Funny you ask that. At first, the cannibals were going to be zombies or vampires or something like that. I thought 'magic' or 'bio-metamorphosis' as too much of a stretch on top of a biblical-esque background. Cannibals just made sense because there will, or should be shortage of food and we all get hungry. Besides that, I read a lot about serial killing cannibals for a hobby, they are so fascinating.
AD: Was it odd that as youre engaged and then after you get married youre working on a comic together thats really about breaking up?
TS: Heh, the announcement of Rapture happened the same time as our engagement. We thought it was hilarious! But Rapture is really about the hardship and the lessons we learned from having our hearts broken before. We saw it clearly as we got more serious and we wanted to share that knowledge. It is easy to love, but it's hard work that requires our attention for as long as you're in that loving relationship.
AD: The nostalgic looks back at the relationship are done in a very different style. What was the thinking behind making it look so different and what kind of look were you going for?
TS: We simply wanted the flashbacks to be very clear to the audience that it was not the present.
I started this method to visually separate the time frames in Youll Never Die webcomic and Mike really wanted to incorporate his watercolor pages; voila!
AD: I loved how in many of the fight sequences there are a lot of layouts where you use a single page image with the characters moving through the space and conveying the action and time that way rather than by breaking it down into panels.
TS: I saw it more like a montage. Fight scenes are great, but really,Evelyn was very limited to a certain fight style because of the spear that I felt it might look redundant if we showed every kick and slash. With a splash, it felt grand and complicated without actually walking the audience through the same repeated movements.
AD: I dont want to give away the ending, but theres a certain deus ex machina nature to it and Im wondering what was the thinking behind it and how it fits for you?
TS: Sure, that's pretty fair. The apocalyptic state the world was left in was meant to be a metaphor, a background for Evelyn and Gil to express their state of being. Hence, the world turned with how they related to one another.
TS: Ill admit the first time I read it the ending kind of annoyed me, but the second time around, I was really carried away by the emotional arc of the story and it felt very honest. How much of a challenge was it in terms of making sure that the end of the world never felt like a metaphor and that for all the action, it was all about the relationship?
TS: I think the supporting characters and their situations really carried a lot of weight to make the world feel genuine. The General and his conflict with the local cannibals whose roster included his own brother, or old man, whose eccentricity, kindness and honesty really turned up a world we can all relate to (whom by the way, is based on my father who passed away shortly before Rapture began production) And who can forget Adam, the child villain? He was so tragic, because he was truly innocent but his youth was corrupted by the powerful spear which was supposed to make him a champion.
AD: How do you think the story would have differed if you and Mike had each written and drawn it solo - how would each of your versions been different from Rapture?
TS: It wouldn't have been as honest, I think. This was us expressing the heartbreaks we've endured and learned from. Really, it's a very personal story.
AD: I really enjoyed your old webcomic Youll Never Die, which other than Rapture is how people probably know you. I know you took it down. I hope youre planning on doing something with it.
TS: I did take it down just for that reason. I am shopping it around as a series as well as a few other ones I've been cooking up. Thank you for asking!
AD: So Youll Never Die will be returning in book form -- hopefully soon. Anything else youre working on?
TS: I've got a couple more pitches cooking besides Youll Never Die. And of course, Mike and I have a number of series we want to see it to fruition. All in good time, I hope!!!
Rapture is available from Dark Horse
Oeming is the better known of the couple, best known as the artist of Powers, but Soma has worked for Top Cow, Image, Silent Devil and other publishers in addition to her webcomic Youll Never Die, which Soma pulled from her website to retool. We chatted by e-mail about the book, the challenges of collaboration and how to make the end of the world a metaphor thats more than just a metaphor.
ALEX DUEBEN: Im curious how you describe Rapture. After reading it a couple times I think of it as a romance story in superhero clothes, but how do you think of it?
TAKI SOMA: I described it as a 'Post-apocalyptic superhero love story', so you're right on the money.
AD: How did Rapture start? Did you come up with the idea, was it Mike [Oeming]?
TS: Rapture started as Mike and I were driving across the country from Minnesota to New Jersey, eliminating the distance we had from each other. We came up with lots of story ideas staring at the road together; Rapture being one of them.
AD: What made this one the right idea to go forward with?
TS: Dark Horse. They liked this pitch above the others and of course, some of the other ideas were still not cooked up enough at the time to even pitch yet.
AD: How did the book end up at Dark Horse and how helpful were they in terms of both lending a helping hand and staying out of your way?
TS: Dark Horse is great. I am so very happy that Rapture was put out by such a respectful publisher. Dave Land was our editor and he was great at keeping us on schedule but giving us a lot of freedom as well. I would work with him and Dark Horse again, absolutely.
AD: Had the two of you worked on anything together before this?
TS: Not anything published. We work together often, relying on good, honest feedback.
AD: Mike likes to collaborate in a way a lot of people at his level who both write and draw dont necessarily. Was it always something that the two of you were going to work on together?
TS: Yes, although he's experienced a longer career and much success, he's always been a fan of my work. He was the one who insisted that we work together, which turned out wonderfully. He brought me out of my shell a little bit that I'm very thankful for.
AD: Any hesitations about working together? I mean its hard work just being in a relationship -- as Rapture makes clear.
TS: I think there were hesitations as first, we weren't sure if we were strong enough to be a couple and work together so closely -- and turns out that we didn't have anything to worry about. He's one of the easiest person to work with and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
AD: You both wrote it and then you did the layouts and he did the finishes. What was the process of putting it together like? Were you both in sync?
TS: Man, it went so smoothly that I don't think it was fair. We are similar creatures but what one lacks, the other excels. So the process went step-by-step; rough draft, re-write, re-write, tightening (we'd just take over the last draft, then pass on, and so forth) I would then do a simple layout to get the story-telling aspect and pacing figured out, then he would either re-draw the page or scan the layout and draw over it.
AD: Im curious about the layouts because obviously you wanted to craft something that felt like your work but you were also drawing it for Mike to finish and knowing his work, were there moments or scenes where you were designing the page for him or times when it felt like one of you more than the other?
TS: For the most part, Mike followed the layouts pretty close, but of course, if he thinks of a better pacing or panels, he would go ahead and change it. There is a lot of trust between us and I don't feel as if he's disregarded my layout because he doesn't like it, he simply thought of a better way, which I appreciate.
AD: The Biblical analogies, both in the title and in the text itself, was that idea there from the beginning or when did you decide to incorporate that idea?
TS: Yes, I believe it was there from the beginning. Early in our relationship, he asked me what type of stories I enjoyed most and I told him apocalyptic-disaster-zombie-desperate-action-superhero-romance really gets me... so... yeah, I think it came from that conversation.
AD: Cannibals seem to be the new big thing in post-apocalyptic fiction. Why are the major villains in the book cannibals and why do you think theyve been so popular of late?
TS: Funny you ask that. At first, the cannibals were going to be zombies or vampires or something like that. I thought 'magic' or 'bio-metamorphosis' as too much of a stretch on top of a biblical-esque background. Cannibals just made sense because there will, or should be shortage of food and we all get hungry. Besides that, I read a lot about serial killing cannibals for a hobby, they are so fascinating.
AD: Was it odd that as youre engaged and then after you get married youre working on a comic together thats really about breaking up?
TS: Heh, the announcement of Rapture happened the same time as our engagement. We thought it was hilarious! But Rapture is really about the hardship and the lessons we learned from having our hearts broken before. We saw it clearly as we got more serious and we wanted to share that knowledge. It is easy to love, but it's hard work that requires our attention for as long as you're in that loving relationship.
AD: The nostalgic looks back at the relationship are done in a very different style. What was the thinking behind making it look so different and what kind of look were you going for?
TS: We simply wanted the flashbacks to be very clear to the audience that it was not the present.
I started this method to visually separate the time frames in Youll Never Die webcomic and Mike really wanted to incorporate his watercolor pages; voila!
AD: I loved how in many of the fight sequences there are a lot of layouts where you use a single page image with the characters moving through the space and conveying the action and time that way rather than by breaking it down into panels.
TS: I saw it more like a montage. Fight scenes are great, but really,Evelyn was very limited to a certain fight style because of the spear that I felt it might look redundant if we showed every kick and slash. With a splash, it felt grand and complicated without actually walking the audience through the same repeated movements.
AD: I dont want to give away the ending, but theres a certain deus ex machina nature to it and Im wondering what was the thinking behind it and how it fits for you?
TS: Sure, that's pretty fair. The apocalyptic state the world was left in was meant to be a metaphor, a background for Evelyn and Gil to express their state of being. Hence, the world turned with how they related to one another.
TS: Ill admit the first time I read it the ending kind of annoyed me, but the second time around, I was really carried away by the emotional arc of the story and it felt very honest. How much of a challenge was it in terms of making sure that the end of the world never felt like a metaphor and that for all the action, it was all about the relationship?
TS: I think the supporting characters and their situations really carried a lot of weight to make the world feel genuine. The General and his conflict with the local cannibals whose roster included his own brother, or old man, whose eccentricity, kindness and honesty really turned up a world we can all relate to (whom by the way, is based on my father who passed away shortly before Rapture began production) And who can forget Adam, the child villain? He was so tragic, because he was truly innocent but his youth was corrupted by the powerful spear which was supposed to make him a champion.
AD: How do you think the story would have differed if you and Mike had each written and drawn it solo - how would each of your versions been different from Rapture?
TS: It wouldn't have been as honest, I think. This was us expressing the heartbreaks we've endured and learned from. Really, it's a very personal story.
AD: I really enjoyed your old webcomic Youll Never Die, which other than Rapture is how people probably know you. I know you took it down. I hope youre planning on doing something with it.
TS: I did take it down just for that reason. I am shopping it around as a series as well as a few other ones I've been cooking up. Thank you for asking!
AD: So Youll Never Die will be returning in book form -- hopefully soon. Anything else youre working on?
TS: I've got a couple more pitches cooking besides Youll Never Die. And of course, Mike and I have a number of series we want to see it to fruition. All in good time, I hope!!!
Rapture is available from Dark Horse