BLACK MIRROR Makes its Graphic Novel Debut with NEIL GIBSON

Andrew Irvin, Interviews Editor, is joined by Neil Gibson of Twisted Comics, who leads the newly licensed Black Mirror adaptation adventure, available through Aug. 22 on Kickstarter!

---

COMIC BOOK YETI: Neil, welcome to the Yeti Cave! How is everything going back in the UK?

NEIL GIBSON: I wouldn’t know – I’m supposed to be on holiday in Cyprus with the family, but I’m instead doing interviews. ☺

CBY: We appreciate you making Comic Book Yeti a stop on your virtual press tour when you could be enjoying the Mediterranean instead! The Kickstarter has already blown past its initial goal, so congratulations. It looks like the Black Mirror phenomenon translates across media successfully - you’re about to hit your top stretch goal. Twisted Comics is no stranger to crowdfunding its releases, but what preparation went into scaling up the campaign commitments for this release?

NG: Black Mirror is an iconic brand and so for the first time we drafted in external help with the Kickstarter to make sure we were prepared. Honestly though, things aren’t that different except I believe the quality of the products will be better than any we have done previously.

CBY: I look forward to seeing the ways in which you continue to raise the bar. Much akin to Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror universe, you’ve gained growing praise for your comparably structured Twisted Dark; as both are genre-bending entries into a format of interwoven anthology storytelling. You began publishing in 2011, as Black Mirror’s first season debuted. Black Mirror’s 34 episodes (including specials) were largely written by Brooker, with William Bridges and Bisha K. Ali dropping in to co-write occasionally. With the story count across eight volumes, you’ve exceeded this output singlehandedly with Twisted Dark. What does your writing schedule look like to keep up your productivity? What tips toward worldbuilding and voicing can you share with nascent writers?

NG: Woah – that’s quite a compliment, but I am not sure I am the best person to give advice on world building. I think there are some writers who are character based, others who focus on world building, and still others who focus on plot. I am firmly in the plot category. I do like world building and creating characters but the issue is I forget what I have written! Writing interesting and diverse characters for short stories is easy, but in longer stories, remembering multiple characters and their motivations and how each character changes over the story – that’s hard for me. I do do it, but it means I have to re-read my notes and make the effort. It’s not effortless, whereas plotting usually is. It’s the same with world building. I think of cool concepts for a world — like how a civilization uses scented candles to tell the time of day rather than using clocks — but I have to remember to have that in the background later. 

Hmm, it seems I have gone a little off topic! What is my writing schedule? Well I like to write a little everyday and have built up a bank of hundreds of stories, but I don’t have a set time set aside unless I am working to a deadline, like when I am hired to write a script or screenplay. Then I block off hours everyday and the work gets done much faster. 

As for advice, I think new writers should always start with short stories. Learn to make comics with different artists, colourists, and letterers and then, after you have done a few, branch out into longer stories. 

CBY: Building confidence by starting small seems prudent to avoid being daunted by the scale of the task at hand, for sure. For the first volume, “USS Callister” — season 4, episode 1 — was selected. Does this story also delve into the plot of “Uss Callister: Into Infinity” (the season 7 finale)? It was released quite recently, so will it be relegated to a subsequent volume instead? You’ve mentioned a voting system to help guide adaptation decisions, but nearly three dozen options for adaptation (and only so much time to write the comic scripts), what methods do you have in mind for prioritizing the publication slate?

NG: The first volume is just the first part of USS Callister, but hopefully we can revisit the follow up with the same team later down the road (for those who have not seen it, USS Callister: Into Infinity is brilliant). 

When it come to prioritization, I am picking the most universally acclaimed stories to adapt by collating review sites that rank the most beloved stories and then doing box plots to see which episodes are consistently ranked highly. That said, I do have to get approval for the stories I release. 

CBY: Oh, that is a good way to go about conducting market research by proxy, if you've got the popular reception of source material to analyze. For the “USS Callister” debut, I love how Silvano Beltramo and Agnese Pozza were able to switch between a heavily Jack Kirby-inspired Silver Age style for the in-game Space Fleet homage scenes, then shifting into a contemporarily lined and shaded approach for the “reality”-based scenes. How did the artistic team come into the picture, and what sort of notes and guidance did you include in the script and planning discussions to land on the shift in representation between the two narrative spaces?

NG: I like to work with artists on short stories first to make sure we get on together. Then I offer a graphic novel to those I like. And I have worked with both of these stellar Italians for some time now and would love to in the future too!

CBY: Molto bene, indeed - their work is right on-target. Ubiquitous across publishers, Rob Jones also joins as letterer, and you’ve got art from Butcher Billy, Patrick Mulholland, and Bill Elliott bridging the Space Fleet media across formats. You’ve also noted the credits for the episode; USS Callister was written by Charlie Brooker and William Bridges, and was directed by Toby Haynes. Is there anyone else involved in bringing this title to the world you’d like to highlight for their contributions to the process?

NG: Too many to mention, but it would be remiss if I didn’t mention David Christopher, Will van Rest, Kenny Diack and Raymond Tyler. There are many, many more people involved but your readers don’t want a wall of names!

CBY: No, they'll just have to check out the published edition if we've piqued their curiosity. I don’t know where it sits on the production slate currently, but a graphic novel version of Bandersnatch that functions like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book may be a way more time-effective way to digest the story than navigating back and forth through over five hours of footage. Have you got any plans for putting this together?

NG: We have talked about this and I do think it would be a fun project, but it is a complex one that would require a LOT of pages, so it is one to do further down the road, but the option is there for sure. 

CBY: I'm glad to hear it's already under consideration, because I can see it being executed brilliantly.  “USS Callister” is the first publication being offered for sale, but “San Junipero” made an appearance in preview form for Free Comic Book Day this year. It provides exactly enough of a glimpse into one of the most beloved episodes to hint at the full force of the story. What convinced you to present “San Junipero” as the sneak peek, and who can we expect to join the creative team for its full graphic novel iteration?

NG: It was meant to be the first released one but production on "USS Callister" happened a lot faster, also the latest season of BLACK MIRROR on Netflix also had a sequel to "USS Callister" so we went with that comic first.  

CBY: Yes, it's hard to argue with the timing, and after a season finale so strong, I know I was left wanting more. You’ve also managed to write a variety of other titles beyond the Twisted Dark run, and you’ve pulled in a massive number of artists into your collaborations. Can you tell us a bit more about the broader work being done by Twisted Comics? What helps it stand apart from other comics publishers?

NG: Most publishers make several titles which make no money in the hope that one will be a hit. However, we want to be known for quality, not quantity. My goal is to be like Vertigo was in the early days when it was run by Karen Berger and Shelly Bond. If there was a Vertigo logo on the graphic novel, I would buy it. I’d love to have that for Twisted Comics. I do know a lot of our readers buy everything we have, but I also know many just buy Twisted Dark and have not tried any of our others. So that’s a reminder between my goal and what we actually achieve!

As for what makes us stand out, I think it’s the tone - because I edit every title, even the ones I don’t write. Almost all our stories are cerebral and slightly dark in nature. We aim to entertain, educate, surprise and leave you thinking. 

CBY: I had a chance to check out some of the other material from Twisted Comics, and I would agree that you certainly deliver in that capacity. Black Mirror has been produced through a few production companies over its seven seasons (currently being released through Broke and Bones). I’m always curious about the cross-format adaptation process; what went into making this adaptation happen? What details can you share about the licensing and partnership arrangement to bring this world-renowned IP to the comics world?

NG: Oh. Well I signed an NDA and anything that we discuss is private so I can’t share. What I CAN share is that the people we are working with have been an absolute delight to work with and also very forgiving on us when we made a mistake early on! 

CBY: I figured some of the agreement would likely be privileged, but I was quite curious, and it's good to hear the negotiations have been carried out in good faith to your satisfaction. Hopefully that presages a long and productive partnership to bring more of the Black Mirror world to the page. Lastly, we received the interview inquiry through One Shot Studios, the partner in delivering the Black Mirror titles with Twisted Comics. I know they offer a range of services to comic creators, so how did you end up working together on this project, and where do their responsibilities pick up in the process?

NG: One Shot are the successful team who delivered the record-breaking Good Omens graphic novel and so we hired them to run this campaign for us. Again, a great bunch of people who really know their stuff. They designed all the reward tiers for the campaign and are in charge of reaching out to people like yourselves to promote the title. Their other responsibilities include putting up with my bad jokes on video calls and trying not to get too annoyed when I ask the same question for the fifth time because I forget… 

CBY: As is customary, guests have the opportunity to share any unrelated comics, film, music, art, literature, or other creative work that has inspired them recently. What has been catching your attention that our audience should check out after they get up to speed on the latest Black Mirror material?

NG: I recently read Chamberlain which is drawn in a TinTin style art, and sheds a different view on the run up to World War 2. It was a recommendation from Rich Johnston who knows more about comics than I ever will. I also was recommended Pandora’s Star, (first novel in The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton) and though I have just started it, I think it’s very well done. 

CBY: Neil, thanks for the recommendations and joining us in the Yeti Cave today. If you’ve got publication, portfolio, or social media links you’d like our readers to check out, now is the time and place to share!

NG: Well of course, if any of your readers are fans of Black Mirror or have friends who are fans, I’d recommend they check out the kickstarter to get a copy as a gift. 

But if people would like to see my sci-fi work The Theory, they can read an excerpt here.

---

Like what you've just read? Help us keep the Yeti Cave warm! Comic Book Yeti has a Patreon page for anyone who wants to contribute: https://www.patreon.com/comicbookyeti‬