Bluewater Productions has taken Ray Harryhausen's creations to the next step in creating a comic book line from his classic movies. They are launching, "Wrath of the Titans," "Jason and the Argonauts," "20 Million Miles More," "Sindbad: Rogues of Mars," and others. Check out an interview with this classic filmaker - Ray Harryhausen, and the president of Bluewater Productions - Darren G. Davis.
Aaron Albert: How did the process of bringing your movies to the world of comics start? Ray Harryhausen: When my producer Arnold Kunert and I were in Bellingham, Washington, in 2006 as part of my “Art of Ray Harryhausen” book tour, we were approached by Bluewater Productions president Darren Davis about doing a series of comic books based on the continuing adventures of Sinbad, Jason, Perseus and other characters from my films. Arnold and I thought it was an interesting idea and asked Darren to present us with a proposal. We liked the proposal and Darren began working on the project almost immediately.
AA: What has it been like to see the films you have created return in new stories
in the pages of comics?
RAY: It’s very interesting for me to see my films become a part of another
artistic world.
I hope those who have enjoyed my films will find the comic books equally as
enjoyable.
AA: What are you most excited about for this comic book project?
RAY: Seeing young artists interpret characters from my films is most intriguing.
Its gratifying to learn that we still have many people interested in telling
a compelling story.
AA: Were any parts of the stories from this wave of comic books ones that you
had? What was your part in the creation of the stories?
RAY: I have left the creation of these stories up to Darren and his colleagues.
Other than using the primary characters from several of my films,
the plot lines are almost entirely original.
AA: Being an artist yourself, what do you think of comic book art?
RAY: I enjoy almost every type of art. I was raised in a different time, of course,
but I have a great deal of respect for a wide variety of art forms.
AA: Is there one comic series that is closest to your heart?
RAY: I don't believe any of the series will be closer to me than any other.
After all, one cannot choose a favorite child or the others will become jealous.
AA:) Do you have plans for any more recreations of your classic movie works?
RAY: My producer and I are having discussions with several different groups of
people
regarding some possible film projects, but nothing has developed beyond a few
very pleasant meetings.
AA: It seems that all through your career, you seem to keep coming back to
fantastical creatures and monsters. What has been the appeal for you to work
with these kinds of creations?
RAY: When I was young, I enjoyed reading the works of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells
and Edgar
Rice Burroughs. I think they were wonderful storytellers. I suppose those writers
and
their stories had a great deal of influence on the types of films I made between
the
1950s and the early 1980s.
AA: Will we see any of the classic monsters make a return in the pages of the
comics? If so, which ones?
RAY: I’m not directly involved with that aspect of the comic books. You’ll
need to check with
Darren Davis for an answer to that question.
DARREN: We are making sure there are a lot of familiar faces in the comics.
You will see the Ymir in 20 Million Miles More. In Jason and the Agonauts: Kingdom
of Hades will be the Skeleton Warriors as well as the Talos. Sinbad: Rogue of
Mars we have a Centaur. In Wrath of the Titans - that one has to be kept secret
but fans will be really pleased. We are also introducing new monsters such as
the Boar-Men and Typoon. Wait to you see which monsters appear in Back to Mysterious
Island.
AA: Would you be opposed to recreations of your classic movies with today’s
special effects?
RAY: I would not be opposed to remaking any of my movies if the scripts were
good and
faithful to my original presentations. There have already been two attempts
to remake
my films and, as far as I’m concerned, they were not successful. But others
may not
share my opinion.
AA: What has been the most rewarding thing about this experience?
RAY: I always enjoy seeing new, young artists finding something rewarding to
do with their
talent. Darren seems to have surrounded himself with a highly-qualified group
of people.
I wish them all well.
DARREN: I get to work with someone that has been an inspiration to me. It is
really
an amazing process and I want to make Ray and Arnold proud of the books. We
have been producing comics for 7 years and the “Ray Harryhausen Presents”
line is the best comics we have produced.
AA: What has been the most challenging?
RAY: I haven't really had any challenges where these comic books are concerned.
I am
enjoying the experience and I hope the people who purchase the comic books will
feel
the same when they read them.
DARREN: I am overwhelmed with the amount of people that want to contribute
to
these books. Ray is a legend and there are so many people that want to be a
part
of this project. We only have 22 pages!!!
AA: If there is one more movie or story you could tell, which
would it be and why?
RAY: I cannot think of anything at this time. As long as the
story has interesting
characters and a logical plot, I’m supportive.
DARREN: I am getting my dream of working with Perseus. His
story is one of the most classic of all mythology. There are many more stories to tell with him.
For more information about the "Ray Harryhausen Present's" line at Bluewater Productions, be sure to check out their website.
