[img]2675|left|||no_popup[/img]The best thing about attending a convention like L.A.’s Comikaze or San Diego Comic-Con isn’t the big-ticket events and vendors, as exciting as they are, but the opportunity to meet dazzlingly creative independent artists. I never fail to be impressed by the diverse, idiosyncratic visions of talented individuals having a go at sharing their work with the public.

One example comes from last year’s Comikaze, where I came across Parabolis, the Kickstarter-funded debut novel by promising new voice Eddie Han and his talented editorial art partner, Curt Merlo. It’s a tale of political intrigue and social upheaval, where a weary soldier longs for a quiet life but finds himself caught up in the machinations of a world in which secret societies work behind the scenes to influence the course of history. Enriching the tale is the creators’ origination of the “novelzine” format. More than an illustrated text, the format deploys editorial art and graphic design inspired by 1920s Constructivism to create a book that redefines the relationship between text and illustration. The result is beautiful.

In anticipation of opening night, I chatted with Eddie about his work:

[img]2676|right|Eddie Han||no_popup[/img]What surprised you most about writing your first novel?

That I actually finished it.

Why was it important for you to develop the novelzine format for your book as opposed to going with a more traditional “illustrated text” approach?

I always knew I wanted a visual component to the story whether it was a graphic novel or an illustrated book. But having committed and completed it in the form of a conventional novel, converting it into a graphic novel was out of the question…although, a graphic novel edition of Parabolis would be pretty sweet. I digress.

Making the book into an illustrated novel was still an option but it also seemed unnecessary. Maybe even gimmicky. What I mean is, oftentimes illustrated novels tend to visually depict what is already apparent in the text–a redundancy with the added side effect of foiling the reader's imagination. So I looked to magazines and newspapers instead where the accompanying images usually add a compelling dimension to the prose. That's where Curt came in.

How did you and Curt collaborate in putting the novel together? To what extent did text and images influence each other throughout the book's development?

[img]2678|right|||no_popup[/img]Collaborating with Curt came easy because we've been friends for quite a long time and I was already familiar with his work. I essentially threw the manuscript in his face and said, “Sorry for throwing the manuscript in your face.” The point is, I trusted him. Curt brought a whole design element to the project that I hadn't considered before. He pored over how the final product would look and feel in hand–the right texture, the weight, the negative space, font choice, font size, how the number of text columns would affect the reading experience. I mostly approved of everything he did and took frequent naps.

The manuscript was already completed when Curt got involved so there was little in the way of art influencing the story. As for the story influencing the art, Curt would first read a chapter, then develop the art for it. His approach was always the same. He'd ask himself, “What can I say with my art to expand the world? How can I fill out the story in the unwritten gaps? What am I doing with my life?” The result was an entire culture and history added to Parabolis that wasn't explicit in the narrative.

Any particular lessons learned from writing your first novel that will inform your approach to your next story?

My first go-around, I wrote out a bunch of fragmented scenes and then created a story trying to string them all together. I eventually made it work after discarding 90 percent of everything I wrote and rewriting the 10 percent. Now I know to start with broad strokes–a solid outline with basic plot points. Someone also said I need to include a sex scene.

While on the topic of next stories…what can we look forward to as the Parabolis saga continues?
New lands. New characters. New villain. A sex scene.

Art from the book, along with prints and copies of the book itself, will be available at a forthcoming art show in Santa Ana. Eddie and Curt will be on hand for a chat as well. The opening night details are:

Saturday, August 2, 7 – 10 p.m.
Night Gallery Fine Art, Santa Ana Art Walk
201 North Main Street, Santa Ana
www.nightgalleryfineart.com and www.parabolis.com