The following is an interview with writer Joel Meadows regarding the upcoming release of the Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders: The Gene Genie – The Complete Collection through Simon & Schuster. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Meadows about his shared creative process in working with artist/co-creator Andy Bennett to bring the series to life on the page, what may be next for the characters of Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders: The Gene Genie – The Complete Collection! In looking back at the development and creation of the series, what can you tell us about your shared creative process in working with Andy Bennett that really made this project unique to your body of work?
Joel Meadows: We work fairly closely together. I write DC style for the script and when Andy draws his pages, he brings the panels and pages to life with his own unique visual flourishes. I try to give him guidance but let him have enough latitude and freedom to add his own unique take on the pages. Without his contributions, the impact of this series would be seriously lessened, and he is an amazing asset to our Holmes series as its artist/ co-creator.
BD: In addition to bringing both volumes together for the first time, what will readers have in store with the upcoming collected edition?
JM: As well as collecting the two volumes, the new volume also includes a brand new introduction by acclaimed writer JM DeMatteis and cover artist Laurence Campbell (Eisner winner) and artist on Dark Horse’s Hellboy: The Ghost Ships of Labrador and Image’s The One Hand And The Six Fingers. It also features pin-ups from George Pratt (Enemy Ace, Batman: Harvest Breed, Wolverine: Netsuke), Barry Kitson (Supergirl, L.E.G.I.O.N), Frazer Irving (Batman, 2000AD), and reproductions of Dan Panosian (Batman, Conan) and legend Walt Simonson (Thor, Manhunter).
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. Why do you feel that the stories of Sherlock Holmes continue to connect with and impact readers and creators alike?
JM: Sherlock Holmes, like James Bond and Batman, is a character who is so adaptable and can lend itself to a range of different stories and there is a timelessness to him. So, for both readers and creators like myself, he offers a wonderful latitude to put him into a fictional world rich with possibilities.
BD: If given the opportunity, would you revisit the world and characters of Sherlock Holmes for future story arcs?
JM: We already elude to a future Holmes tale at the end of this collection, featuring a character who is familiar to readers of Conan Doyle, so definitely. It is a little way off but it is in the pipeline. I am also finishing the second draft of an original Holmes prose novella which acts as a bridge of sorts between Doyle’s work and the Empire Builders: The Gene Genie.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
JM: The next Tripwire Comics Presents project is Stripwire presents, a 100-page book which features the cream of strips taken from Tripwire’s print magazine since 2007. The book includes work from the likes of Declan Shalvey (Alien, Deadpool), Roger Langridge (Fred The Clown), Andy Bennett (our Holmes artist) and many more, which is on pre-launch on Kickstarter and will go live on 7 February. Also this summer, we are also publishing Into White: The Art Of George Pratt, a 250-page hardcover and paperback celebrating the work and career of this respected and acclaimed artist and illustrator. This is the first in a planned series of Art Of books we shall be bringing out. I’d also like to mention Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders: Down And Out In London, the prose novella I have already brought up, which should be out this spring.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders: The Gene Genie – The Complete Collection?
JM: People can order the collection from Simon & Schuster here, as well as from Lunar in comic shops.
