Leave Your Spandex @ The Door 5.21.03: Dave Crosland

Welcome to the 11th not-weekly-anymore edition of « Leave Your Spandex @t the Door » ! This week I’m puffed with joy (he he) to chat with breakout talent extraordinaire Dave Crosland about his upcoming “Puffed” mini-series coming in July from Image Comics. The solicitation copy reads:

PUFFED #1 (of 3)
(W) John Layman
(A) Dave Crosland
(Cover A) Dave Crosland
(Cover B) Frank Quitely
B&W 32pp $2.95 Three-issue monthly finite series
In stores the week of July 16th

THIS ISSUE:
Piss off the wrong psychopathic amusement park janitor and what do you get?
You get:
Trapped in an dragon costume…
…Beat up…
…Dumped in the ‘hood…
…Hounded by weirdos…
…Hunted by killas…
And that’s just the beginning of Puffed, a tale of suspense, drama, desperation, murder, mistaken identity, sexual longing, loss, revenge, regret, impotence-even incontinence!
Written by John Layman, ex-editor of The Authority and Planetary, with eye-popping art by comics newcomer Dave Crosland (whose illustrations have been seen in Spin magazine and Tastes Like Chicken,) and featuring variant covers by some of the biggest superstars in comics, Puffed is the hilariously off-kilter antidote to the typical guy-in-a-costume comic.
Well, guy-in-a-SPANDEX-costume, anyway.
RETAILER WARNING: Don’t let the cuddly dragon suit fool you. Puffed is full of bad people, using bad language and doing bad things.
COPYRIGHT
Puffed is ™ and © John Layman and Dave Crosland, 2003. All rights reserved.

To whet your appetite, visit our Puffed gallery, featuring inside preview art and covers by Dave, Frank Quitely and John Cassaday. To get an even greater Crosland fix, head to his homepage!

Manolis Vamvounis: “Puffed”! What is it all about? How do Firestorm’s sexy sleeves fit into the plot?
Dave Crosland: Well, Puffed is the story of this kid, Aaron Owens. He’s got a crappy job at a run down theme park, where he dresses up as this dragon, Puff. Long story short, he ends up knocked out and dropped off in the middle of downtown ghetto-ville at night and, of course, he’s stuck in this goofy-assed costume.
As for Firestorm’s sleeves, they work their way into a lot of the background action, but I was keeping that all under wraps! How’d you find out!?
Manolis: I’ve got eyes everywhere. Noone can resist the allure of a good souvlaki… Want a bite?
Dave: man, I haven’t had one of those in forever! I don’t know if I could handle a real souvlaki from Greece instead of the knock-off Americanized brand crap I’ve eaten
Manolis: The tzatziki stench would be the end of you and there would be all the grease stains on Puffed#3 artwork
Dave: Yeah, I don’t think John or the guys at Image would like that but at least I wouldn’t be hungry

Manolis: How did you become involved with this project?
Dave: I met John (Layman, the writer) at Wizard World Chicago. He told me he had an idea he’d like to work with me on.Shortly after the convention, he sent me the script for Puffed, I started knocking out sketches and pages, he made me dinner, we put on the Al Green… yeah, and the baby’s due in July. It’s a classic tale of love and intrigue, ya know.

Manolis: Sigh… back to Aaron. How does he get stuck in the costume? I’ve heard two versions: lightning strike and stuck zipper…
Dave: I don’t know anything ’bout no lightening!Although, with Aaron’s luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if he got struck by it.
Manolis: I had read in [plug]Newsarama[/plug] that the original concept was a guy getting stuck in a mobile suit after a strike of lightning.
Dave: oh, yeah. That’s actually where the idea sparked for John, and even though the Cell Phone hero idea got the axe there’s still an element of that in Puffed.
Manolis: I caught a glimpse of him in an upcoming cover
Dave: That issue’s gonna be super-fantastique! Just wait ’til you see what happens with that cell phone guy.
Anyway, Aaron is stuck in the suit just because of the way it’s made. The zipper starts WAY in the back of the crotch, and the Puff arms are too stumpy for him to reach back and open it up… Aaron can’t get in or out of the suit without a lot of help…It’s sorta like the curse of Barney or some crap
Manolis: Barney is scary; i wouldn’t flinch twice if i found he was behind such foul-play.Was Barney a major inspiration for you? –snicker-
Dave: Oh, of course!I mean, I used to watch that show religiously. Puffed is finally my chance to create something as wonderful as he was! haha
Manolis: i’m cancelling my pre-orders; You’re giving me the creeps. Stop singing dammit!
Dave: heh, heh. No, the inspiration for the look of the Puff costume is a mish-mash of John’s descriptions, and every nightmarishly happy stuffed costume I’ve ever seen. He’s like a Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse costume taken to the point where it’s scary.
Manolis: I haven’t been to Disneyland myself, but my friends have told me some gruesome tales…
Dave: ya know, I always said I’d never go to Disneyland or DisneyWorld, but in the last two years I’ve been to both…and I loved it! The best part of it, outside of the rides and the people I was with, was how creepy and plastic and touristy it all was!

Manolis: Was there a point where you were thinking of making the costume a giant ape? You know what they say about comics with monkeys on the cover ;-)
Dave: Naw, I don’t think a gorilla suit was ever gonna be in the mix, mainly because I DID hear what they say about comics with monkeys on the cover! You dirty dawg!
Manolis: What if i send over some souvlakis and we forget this whole affair… -hides in shame-
Dave: That should do the trick. Are you, like, SOUVLAKI KING over there, or what? You keep bringing those things up and I haven’t eaten yet, today…
Manolis: With all the souvlaki i’ve eaten these last years as a bachelor, I oughta be!
Dave: Oh, and what’s up with Feta Cheese?! I mean, it tastes great… but what’s with that foot smell?
Manolis: there’s no foot smell. It’s all a government conspiracy.
This is the point down the interview where we take readers’ questions… My 7-year old cousin asked me to ask you: “How does Aaron pee and do the doo-doo?” This is a word-for-word translation of course. And it really was my cousin who asked… really! Is this addressed in the comic?
Dave: Oh yes… Aaron’s “toilet issues” are thoroughly addressed in book 1 and they haunt him for the rest of the series…
Manolis: That’s that for our readers’ questions… my cousin says “thanx”. Disgusting child…
Dave: haha! No problem

Manolis: How would you react if you were the one trapped in the puffy dinosaur costume?
Dave: Jeez… I think I’d just walk straight through the ‘hood until I got back home. I mean, honestly, who’s gonna mess with a guy in a dragon costume in the ghetto at 1:30 in the morning? Dude goes out in public like that MUST be crazy… Ya see, it’s all in how you play it. Was that answer badass enough?
Manolis: Sure, sure! Bad-ass, man! Hardcore!!
Dave: oh yeah, people will think twice about messing with me at conventions this year! I might have to pull my gat!
Manolis: Will you be attending in a Puffed costume?
Dave: Word to yer mutha! Hellz yeah! With the fat, 4-finger rings and the gold “P” medallion!
Manolis: You’ll be the kiddies’ favourite…
Dave: And I’ll even bring along a couple ho’s… it’ll be ghetto-fabulous
Manolis: someone oughta burn down your Eminem CDs…
Dave: They’ll play my soundtrack… oh, I’m gonna be rockin’ the Snoop Dogg when I stroll in…
Manolis: I’m suddenly so relieved there’s this little thing called “the ocean” between us.
Dave: and a little RJD2 for dat ass! Man, my reach is worldwide! There’s no escaping the Crosland grasp! Man… have I gone on a tangent again?
Manolis: I think it’s time for your purple pill, Dave. But it’s a good intro for the next question: A kid walks in a comic store (he he), picks a copy of Puffed#1 and is irrevocably scarred for life (or so your solicit would seem to indicate). How do you defend yourself in court?
Dave: This is art, dude. It’s, like, made to get a reaction out of people.and if, like, it’s negative or positive, it’s still positive. Because, like, a reaction is the point of the piece!
Manolis: Are you defending Puffed or eminem?
Dave: Man, Puffed is Eminem. Don’t you see, it’s all connected! Forget the court of law, we’re talking about the court of art and love… What I’m trying to say, man, is like, if a kid is horribly scarred by John’s writing or my artwork or both, then we’ve touched that many lives with our work and that’s what it’s all about, right? Touching people, whether they like it or not…uh, I mean–! nevermind!
Manolis: Doesn’t seem like you’ll be getting out of the court so easily… shame, shame. Dressing like a dinosaur to lure kids in…

Dave: Hey, I’m not stopping at kids… I’m trying to get at all age groups: kids, teenagers, 20-something-ers, senior citizens… I think Puffed speaks to people of all ages and from all walks of life! firefighters, doctors, clerics… everybody!

Manolis: Who would play Aaron in the inevitable “Puffed: the movie”? Who would be your pick and who do you think would end up getting the role?
Dave: I’d pick Jake Gyllenhaal and, of course, the studio would cast Scott Baio.
Manolis: I don’t know either of these gents! Where have they starred?
Dave: Jake’s in Donnie Darko and Bubble Boy… Scott Baio was Charles in “Charles in Charge”

Manolis: Are you planning on revisiting the property with a follow-up series?
Dave: I’m not sure… actually: Puffed In Space would be the logical followup… Since we’ve already got Puffed In The Hood: That’s if we follow the Leprechaun franchise’s example.

Manolis: From browsing through your art portfolio on your site, i see you have a good eye for drawing celebrity portraits. Will there be any face-dropping in the comic?
Dave: you might find some of that in there… I’d definitely keep an eye out for, at least, one celeb, besides the panel with my mom thrown in as an extra
Manolis: Your art style can get pretty surreal, especially in your paintings and drawings. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Dave: There’s a huge group of artists I draw inspiration from…it goes all the way from Gottfried Helnwein and Egon Schiele to Jim Mahfood and Ashley Wood.. But, humungous lists of artists, aside, I really draw my most inspiration from music; I always listen to music when I draw. Just the feel and the way music moves and sways, that’s a total influence on the way I work.
Manolis: what music do you listen to when you’re drawing Puffed?
Dave: Lots of goofy stuff. There are some “darkened bar talk” scenes in book two that fit perfectly with Tom Waits and Morphine. There are three thug characters who’s theme could be from any El-P production. At the beginning of the story, it’s a total, bizarre Nirvana meets A Tribe Called Quest meets Toto soundtrack! Lately, I’ve been listening to a bunch of RJD2 and the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players… that stuff is priceless! Yeah, the TFSP is perfect for Puffed, because it’s so unlike anything I’ve ever heard before

Manolis: What are your future comics plans?
Dave: I have a few stories of my own that I’d like to pitch, but the one at the forefront now, is a story I’m working on with the editor of Tastes Like Chicken, insane Wayne Chinsang. I think we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, ya know. I mean, I might work on something I’ve got brewing at home, once Puffed is done or Marvel might call and want me to do a revamp of Thor or a Bucky’s Revenge comic, where he comes back and tells the world what an asshole Captain America was to work with.
Manolis: Would you like to work on a superhero title? What would be your dream project?
Dave: hmmm…superhero title… Ya know, since you mentioned him, I think I’d like to do something with Firestorm. I mean, I know he’s a villain, but I think the world would like to know what’s going on with him
Manolis: He’s a villain? Maybe i mixed up his name. Funny guy from DC, fire for hair, puffy sleaves, recently joined the JLA. I think he has now left the JLA to join Busiek’s comic… Ben will probably edit the correct answer in.(Firestorm is not a villain…the people I have to work with…oy…-Ben)
Dave: Really? Well, I guess he’s not a villain. And if he is, BOY does he have those JLA ‘tards duped! But yeah, I think readers would thrill to find out what he’s all about… And what the hell is up with that shirt! I mean, is he in Shakespeare or something? Or is he a pirate?
Manolis: There’s a story aching to be told!

Since this site has its roots in a wrestling site, some WWF style matches are in order:
-Aaron versus Barney and the winner takes on Godzilla! How would you have it pan out?
Dave: Oh, Aaron would take Barney down in under a minute…I’m talking Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas-style! Now, for Godzilla… are we talking about old-school Godzilla or the pussified Matthew Broderick version?
Manolis: None of the hollywood nansy stuff…
Dave: Well, I always thought of Godzilla as a boxer. You know, his fighting style in the movies (when he wasn’t burning shit up) was like a Brooklyn brawler… lots of footwork, lots of punching and he’s got that trick where he slides on his tail at you with his feet out to go all “oops!” upside your head. So he’s a triple threat: fists, feet and flames: feet of flames. Anyway, Aaron would get his ass handed to him. Unless he was blasted with an incredible dose of gamma radiation, got a mod haircut and grew to enormous proportions-
Manolis: PUFF SMASH?!?
Dave: Yes! He wouldn’t have to waste time turning green, because he’s already green. Ya see, he’s efficient. He’d lure Godzilla and the Army out into the desert. He could just do that whole discus-toss with the Army’s tanks, and hurl them at Godzilla… That’s like a 7-ton dodge-ball… Godzilla would have to get tired of that eventually
Manolis: Match three: Aaron versus Firestorm: who would get outpuffed?
Dave: Oh, Aaron’s losing that one. Even though he’d be able to toss Sherman tanks like puppies, there’s no outdoing a guy who can pull off the puffy sleeved-flaming-hair look.
Manolis: Match four : Aaron versus Marvel’s Rhino: two whackos trapped in animal costumes. Crossover posibilities?
Dave: I wish! The Spider-Man villains like The Rhino are the best! I think Aaron would end up being too pathetic for Rhino to fight. Like, Rhino would just end up laughing at him. Then, Aaron would just be like, “Whatever! You’re just a dork in costume, too!”. Rhino would be devestated by the verbal blow. He’d collapse in a tsunami of snot, tears, and mental instability. Boo-ya!
Manolis: Did you just quote Ali G? This is my cue to end this before you escalate! Thank you for the most fun I’ve ever had during an interview!

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The rest of you, tune back in 411comics and “Leave Your Spandex @t the Door” in 1 week, hopefully, for a much-delayed bag of April reviews. As always, I’m waiting for your comments at through email…

Manolis Vamvounis
a.k.a. Doc Dooplove