The following is an interview with award-winning writer Garth Ennis (Hitman, The Boys, Preacher) regarding the upcoming release of the sword and sorcery comic book series, Babs, through AHOY Comics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Ennis about finding the pros and cons of writing within the fantasy genre, the value of satire in storytelling, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Babs! In having recently delved into the fantasy genre with Hawk the Slayer, what excited you about returning to the sword and sorcery genre for this story?
Garth Ennis: I think Hawk was definitely the trigger, yeah. It’s one of the very few entries I like in a genre that I normally find highly avoidable (others being The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (up to a point), Stormbringer, the 2000AD strip Slaine, and probably a couple of other things that escape me for the moment). Interestingly, what I like about sword & sorcery is also what I find so lazy about it: because it’s fantasy, you can pretty much have anything happen at any moment, get your characters out of any difficult situation by having them cast the appropriate spell or summon the right dragon. See also sci-fi and superheroes, I suppose. It’s really a matter of getting the balance right, of making things make sense within the narrative.
BD: With such a humorously scathing story, how would you describe your creative experience in utilizing the narrative tools of the sword and sorcery genre to put the more toxic elements of fandom and society as a whole on notice?
GE: So many of the characters look the part to begin with, like orcs and goblins and other sneaking, cackling things. You can just imagine a little turd of a Smeagol going online and finding venomous solace on various incel websites, and slowly, steadily going full Gollum.
BD: What do you feel is the inherent value of satire in storytelling and especially the sequential art medium?
GE: I’m always a little bit cautious when the subject of satire comes up, because I’m well aware of the difference between what people say and the actual effect of their words on real life. It’s all very well to produce some devastating one-liner on social media, and you can imagine it doing the rounds like various satirical cartoons used to in the coffee houses of eighteenth century London—but what difference does it really make against those holding political power? I’m reminded of the rather cruel words of the English humorist Peter Cook, “We based our satire on that of the Weimar Bohemians, who did so much to prevent the rise of the Third Reich.”
To me, the real value of satire is to keep people committed to a cause. It’s good for morale, it reminds you that there are other people who feel the way you do, that it’s worth carrying on and not simply giving up.
BD: In reuniting with artist Jacen Burrows, do you feel that you’ve developed a creative shorthand or shared creative language in bringing the story to life on the page?
GE: Yes, just as I have with all my long-term collaborators, such as Sudzuka, McCrea, Burns, Higgins, Epting, et al. It’s that same feeling of each of us trusting the other to get on with the job. I particularly like the clarity and precision Jacen brings to his pages; it makes humour that bit easier when the reader can see exactly what’s intended.
BD: You previously worked with AHOY’s Tom Peyer and Stuart Moore during your time at Vertigo. What made AHOY Comics the perfect home for this series?
GE: They’re first and foremost a humour line, and Babs just seemed like a natural fit. Our shared history certainly played a part. When you’ve helped two guys feed an assistant editor’s body into a shredder, and then steadily dispose of the results in the publisher’s mid-morning coffee over a period of some months—not to mention lose the original murder weapon (a stapler) in the East River—well, you know you’ve got a couple of friends for life.
That was a strange old year, 1993. The good news is that the vacancy at Vertigo was then filled by newcomer Axel Alonso.
BD: Lastly, if provided with the opportunity, are there any sword and sorcery characters that you feel would make the perfect crossover with Babs?
GE: I’d be more interested in featuring a few disguised versions of existing characters, just for pisstaking purposes. Beyond that, although not completely relevant to your question, I’ve got half an idea for an inter-company crossover in which Babs runs into a couple of my other characters, Marjorie Finnegan and Code Pru. Maybe one day…
