LUCID: An Interview w/ Writers Michael McMillian & Anna Wieszczyk

Guest Post by Brian Lynch

I had the pleasure of briefly interviewing comic book writer Michael McMillian and artist Anna Wieszczyk, the creators of Archaia Publishing’s LUCID. The fourth and final issue hit shops back in March. But while you’re here, find out how Mike worked (actual) magic into the pages, and why Anna’s love of extreme fashion could’ve made main character Matthew Dee’s wardrobe just a bit more… interesting.

What series and / or writers most directly influenced your work on LUCID?

MICHAEL MCMILLIAN: I’ve been reading comics since I was a kid back back in Kansas, but much of LUCID was influenced by the comics I read in college, mainly Alan Moore’s line of ABC books and Warren Ellis’ Authority and Planetary. Those books really re-ignited my love for comics as an adult. Mostly, LUCID comes from a long love of occult mythology and modern American folklore. I wanted LUCID to be a fun, fantasy-adventure set in a very contemporary world.

LUCID has a unique art style – it reminds me a lot of the anime coming out of Madhouse, and at the same time, the computer-generated qualities give it a unique feel. Was this a conscious decision for the project, Anna?

ANNA WIESZCZYK: I was probably picked up for the project because of the “manga vibe” in my style. I’m afraid I’m still nowhere near Madhouse, but I think I’d like to push my style in direction where the comics I make looks like screens from the anime.

I read that you [Mike] were the mastermind behind the gnarly glyphs used to illustrate the spell-casting process; how’d you come up with them, and did you have any sort of ulterior Grant Morrison-esque motive with putting them in print?

MM: I’d argue that my motive behind putting those sigils in print wasn’t really “ulterior” … it’s pretty obvious. I am a big fan of Grant Morrison. I came across Pop Magick back when I was researching a pilot script I wrote years ago. That’s where I first read about sigils. Those few paragraphs were just hilarious and utterly fascinating. For those who haven’t yet sought it out, that whole text is a really entertaining read and a pretty brave piece of writing. Although I was already into both, I was hooked on Morrison and magic from that point on.

I knew early into the process with LUCID that I didn’t want the “spell-casting” by characters in LUCID to be what we’ve already seen in comics—you know, Latin verse or backwards talking or things like that. So I thought it would be a cool opportunity to create sigils, since they themselves are actual magic spells, and use those as the spoken spells in the LUCID-verse. I drew each sigil for the book and our letterer, Shawn DePasquale, added the special effects. I crafted them myself and they all have a double meaning- what they mean in the world of LUCID, and what they mean and represent to me here in our world.

My delivery system varies somewhat from Morrison’s lessons—it might even be a bit too literal and simple—but hopefully he would approve. I’ve already started to see results happen in the real world since Issue #1 was released, so I might just be doing something right!

As far as what each sigil means to our characters, there will be a sigil guide for readers to explore in the LUCID hardcover collection out in April. The overall conceit is that these symbols are actually compressed magical spells that mages have passed down for thousands of years. These spells are composed an ancient “magical language.” Should LUCID live to see another volume, we’ll get into this in the future!

Anna – What’d you enjoy most, or, alternately, find the most challenging/frustrating about illustrating Mike’s fantasy world? (and when you got the chance, what sort of little personal twists would you drop in?)

AW: The entire LUCID world was a challenge for me. It was my first mainstream comic, and I think I learned a lot, not only in terms of creating artwork, but about the whole editing process as well. The only thing I would change is the characters’ clothing preferences. I love designer brands, so it was pretty frustrating when I found myself drawing Dee in the same old suit. But I guess my fashion sense is a bit too extreme. Dee would look bit weird wearing Rick Owens or Gareth Pugh.

LUCID #4 just came out, and the collected hardcover will be out soon; what projects do you either of you have coming down the pipeline, and will we be seeing the next set of LUCID stories coming our way any time soon?

AW: I’ve started to work on the second part of the motion comic Godkiller for Halo 8 and just finished one shot for a Polish anthology. It features only female authors and will come out in print in a few months.

I would love to work some more on Lucid. First of all, I think this story has potential to be something epic and I’m curious about it myself. Secondly, I really need a job, as I just graduated and I’m struggling to make a living as an illustrator.

MM: My run with co-writer Marc Andreyko on the TRUE BLOOD comic just kicked off and runs for six issues. I’ve also been working on an original graphic novel with another artist friend of mine, W. Dave Keith, called The Indian and the Bandit. I have plans to stay in comics for a long time. I hope the same goes for LUCID. Volume One is just the tip of the iceberg, planting seeds for what could be a lengthy series. If enough readers pick up Volume One, there will be more!