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Articles › An Interview with Leah Moore and John Reppion
In a world of superhero duos and comic character teams it is rare to find a comic writing and publishing duo in real life. However, in Birmingham we found one.
They are MooreReppion, a husband and wife comic creation couple. Leah Moore and John Reppion are champions of the UK small press and this is what they had to say...
So when did you first get into comics?
Leah – I did an eight page story nearly 4 years ago now, and that was for Wildstorm for Terrific Tales. And then we did Wild Girl, which was about a year later so its been a good while now.
John – We've been writing together for about 3 years now, nearly 4 years. I just started because Leah had already done the 2 eight page stories and we just just started collaborating on stuff and came up with our own series and just went on from there.
At what stage did you think you could actually do this for a living?
Leah – We foolishly thought we could do it for a living right from the start. We thought 'Lets become comic writers, that sounds great' and then gave up our day jobs after about the first couple of issue of Wild Girl. We just gave them up. We had crap jobs; he worked in an off license and I was in a bar. We both just went 'This sucks, we want to stay at home and watch TV and write scripts all day' and then we found out several months later that its really hard to keep the rent being paid and everything. That actually gave us the impetus to start really pestering everybody and saying 'Give us work, give us work!'. Before that we'd been really laid back and expected it all to just happen. So after we realised the rent still needed paying we got really fierce with people, with proposals flying out and everything, but to be honest we are amazed, every time have to fill in our tax reports we go 'Wow, we made that much this year!'. Well, its never very much to be honest but at least we've made it to the end of another whole year as professional comic writers.
Did you ever think you would end up being a comic writer as a profession?
John – Not at all. I used to do little comics as a kid, but only in the same way everybody else does. It wasn't anything I really wanted to do, but both of us just fell into it really.
Leah – You might think there would be the natural progression for me 'Oh well, Dad seems to do be doing all right with his comics, so maybe I could have a crack at it', but I honestly, it hadn't even occurred to me. I thought I was going to be…I don't know, a barmaid by the look of it!
What are your life stories, in brief?
Leah – Born in Northampton, went to Liverpool when I was twelve, hence the bizarre accent which always really baffles people as they go 'Oh, I thought you'd sound like your Dad' and you don't.' - that’s Liverpool for you. Went to university, one of those things people mention isn't it? Hasn't got me anywhere but it was three years of drinking so that was quite good.
John – Mine's even shorter than that! Born in Liverpool and I stayed there. That was it. Never went to university, or anything, bummed around for a bit until 2003 and started writing comics and just been doing that even since.
Leah – Not bad old life really is it?
When did you guys meet?
Leah – We met first when we were sixteen. I went off to uni and we didn't see each other for years and years and then I went into his offy! I went 'Ah, a man who works in an off license, how very handy!'
Free Booze!
John – Couldn't possibly have done that (laughs).
How would you describe your style?
Leah – I don't know if we have even got one to be honest as there are so many different projects we try and do and things that are as different from each other as possible. Have we got a style?
John – I don't know. It's possibly more difficult to know because there are two of us writing together the whole time, I know Leah has done a couple of things on her own before we were writing together, and it is quite different when you write on your own. I also do other sorts of writing, I write articles, and that's very different again.
Leah – Your articles come out in a definite voice, don't they. We basically type up a few pages each and keep swapping between us so what we do is try and make the script not sound like it was written by two people, so I suppose any crazy quirks that we were going to develop get ironed out. 'Stop doing that, it's really annoying' or 'Pack it in!'
Do you argue a lot when you write then?
Leah – Dialogue! In your head you know what somebody sounds like, and you know the way they talk and if somebody else says 'Yeah but could it be a little different?' you think, well no, I know what they look like and sound like and they are in my head so we do have small spats about that.
John – That's getting better now. We are learning all the time. We haven't been writing that long and we are doing a lot more work now. We are a little more used to each other. Basically it would be like we were trying to assemble something from MFI together or something, that's like doing dialogue!
Leah – Never try it! We spent a year collaborating, what on earth were we thinking! (laughs) We just can't stand each other! Like Sonny and Cher!
Who do you take your influences from?
Leah – I think mine would be 80s and 90s indie stuff. I was never big into DC or Marvel or any of that, and basically the comics I used to steal off my Dad was a sign whether I liked it or not, the Love and Rockets and all the Fantagraphics stuff, Peter Bagge. I wouldn't say they had a massive influence on the way I write, but that's what I aspired to. If I could do as good as that then...
John – I think that in terms of writing, its probably not so much comic stuff specifically that influences me, its more films and general books. I'd be more likely to put something into one of our scripts that is a reference to a film or something whereas I am not really referencing comics.
Leah – He's a massive horror-head, so he's really into all his horror films, so quite often we will use horror film techniques, the different shots, and the way the scenes play off. We quite often end up with classic horror. Its helpful to have that kind of visual reference.
John – It's a visual language. As much as people might not recognise it on the page as that, that is how it is in my head. But really everything influences you. We are not aspiring to be like anyone else particularly now, but every comic you read, every book you read, the good bits you remember and you draw upon in the future.
What's your favourite horror film then?
John – Probably Evil Dead II. It's one of my big favourites.
Are you into horror?
Leah – I never used to be to be honest. I was a sad girl going 'Oh no!', but going out with John I have been introduced to the most revolting Italian zombie cinema and going 'Oh my god, is she really eating him?' What's the one with sharks? The really frightening one with the sharks?
John – Zombie Flesh Eaters
Leah – You've warped my mind.
If you weren't doing what you are doing now, what would you be doing?
Leah – I would be firmly behind the bar, or in front of it.
John – I would be managing an Off-License by now I imagine, earning more money than I do writing comics!
Leah – Probably have a nice semi-detached somewhere and 4 kids
and free booze!
Leah – We'd be made! Shit, why didn't we do that!
If you had to write a comic out of a current celebrities life, which celebrity would you choose?
Leah – That's really difficult. Can you imagine Paris Hilton for comics! Something really shit like Wayne Rooney and he's just shambling about like the hulk.
John – It would quite good to do the C-List celebrities comics. Just like OK magazine, if you could have Jordan and Peter Andre.
Leah – They look like little cartoon characters don't they, You could do that!
Now have I got this wrong, is Sir Patrick Moore your great uncle or something?
Leah – Patrick Moore is not my great uncle! My Dad said that as a joke in some interview on radio or TV.
John – He was being interviewed for something and he was reading the script from The League and in the script he'd written for Kev O'Neal he said 'As a reference you could possibly find some of the fine books which have been written by my uncle Patrick Moore'. It was just a joke in the script!
Leah – That's it, they made him read it out on camera. After that we had so many people turn up on our message boards going 'Sir Patrick Moore, I never knew you were related!' and I was like 'Oh my god'.
I was just thinking about how great it would be all round the table at Christmas!
Leah – And Roger Moore!
Demi Moore!
Leah – One big happy family, like the Waltons!
What advice would you give people starting out writing comics?
Leah – I'd say get into as many small press things as you can. Basically, do loads and loads of work, even if you are not getting paid, even if you are not happy with the way you are drawing, selling or your writing. The only way you can learn is by working like mad. Get anything you can into print, even if it's just tiny little fanzines, on the web, get it out there. Every story you do, you'll learn from and every story that gets out there in print, somebody might see you and say 'Well actually I’d like to do something with them'. We've paired up and done work with artists we wouldn't have worked with if we hadn't done the small press stuff. You just have to write and draw shitloads, and eventually you realise ‘I know how to do it now, I don't do this and I don't do that’. That's it really. It sounds dead simple, but people think they can go from working in bars to be Neil Gaiman or Jim Lee and its impossible unless you are already an absolute genius. If you have a portfolio made of gold, and contains the best stuff in then you might get offered a job. If you are anything less than a god then you are going to have to get a lot of stories under your belt, and every little thing keeps adding to that portfolio and every time someone picks stuff up for a quid at a convention, they can go 'Its really good, I really enjoyed it' and its all advertising.
John – We started doing stuff for Wildstorm straight away. Following that we have done UK small press stuff and I think a lot of people see that as a weird thing to do. Everyone always says there is no comic industry in England, but what about the small press? Small press is really thriving and its not something to be ashamed of; I think everyone that can get involved should get involved. Even if you are doing work for America, the thing that is going on here is the small press. We are proud to be involved with it, and in some ways its actually more important to us.
I don't know if it overshadows what you do, but your Dad is famous for turning down big offers and hating the Hollywood thing. Is this something you carry on, or influence the way you think?
Leah – I suppose it must influence me somewhat, but I made it a point not to carry his grudges about with me because I'd have to have massive big book and actually write down 'I hate this person because in 1975 they didn't send me the cheque for £15 that I was supposed to get and I've hated him ever since'. I'd have to add Warner Bros to that too! And if I based my business dealings were with on who he hated or didn't hate, I'd never get any bloody work! You've got to just do the work and if people like and respect what you've done then you build your relationship with them based on that. The only thing that slightly perturbs me is that it might happen the other way round! People might be like 'Bloody hell, Alan Moore's a nasty old sod, I bet his daughter's just the same!'. I'm really cheerful and nice!
If Hollywood want to make Wild Girl into a film, we'd be quite happy with that!
What's next for you guys?
Leah – Dynamite are very kindly letting us have a go at loads of different stuff. We've got Witchblade – Shades of Gray Which should be out in January
John – February
Leah - And we are just starting another mini series for them, and if any of the mini series do well, then they might turn into ongoing, so yeah, Dynamite all the way.
Wrapping up, any message for you fans?
John – Have we got fans? That would be really weird!
Leah - Buy the Albion trade, it’s out now!
Leah and John, legends, thank-you.
Posted by The Brick on Thursday, December 21, 2006 (07:59:06) (853 reads)
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