I thought it would be fun to get to know some of the editorial group behind your favorite comics and graphic novels a bit better, so I started asking questions.

First up, Mark Doyle.

PM: What was the first Vertigo book you read?

MD: Sandman. I blame that book for my current occupation.

PM: What was the first Vertigo book you edited?

MD: My first solo gig was Northlanders #17. Will Dennis was kind enough to hand me the amazing team of Brian Wood and Vasilis Lolos doing a one-off story where they break down the art of Viking single combat. It had amazing characters, awesome insight and history and it was a one-off—my favorite kind of comic. If you never read it, scour the back bins for that issue or check it out in the collection “Northlanders Book Three: Blood in the Snow.”

PM: Thanks Mark. And dont forget, NORTHLANDERS #24 comes out this Wednesday.

“This issue changes everything…”

“After this nothing will be the same…”

“Everything you thought you knew about the DMZ changes now…”

You hear these kind of buzz statements all the time. But seriously? We mean it this time. It’s not just buzz. I remember when Brian first pitched this idea to us a year ago. He said, “okay, this story arc ‘Hearts and Minds’ is going to put Matty through the ringer and just when he hits rock bottom we’re going to drop a bomb on him…”

I didn’t realize he meant literally. Check out that cover.

Big scary mushroom clouds are never a good thing.

This changes everything, folks. The next few years in the DMZ nothing will be the same and it all starts today with issue #49.

Problem: How do you entice readers to start reading a monthly comic with issue #21?
Solution: Make it look like #1.

Brian gets a lot of well-deserved praise for being a great writer. From the damaged streets of the DMZ to the frigid wastelands of Northlanders, Brian brings heart, drama and truth to all of his stories.

But he doesn’t get enough praise for being a great designer and artist too. The first 34 issues of DMZ? Those covers were all Brian. That bold logo? Brian. And the new trade dress for Northlanders? That’s Brian too. He really wanted readers to know, “yes, it’s okay to start here!” We knocked around a few different ideas, but ultimately what did he do? He took the Northlanders logo, kicked it to the side, designed a new logo for “The Plague Widow” and put that front and center. Slipped a “1 of eight” in there and suddenly you’re thinking, “Hey, what’s this comic? I’ve never seen this before, maybe I’ll give it a shot…”

See Brian thinks about this stuff. He talks to retailers and readers, finds out what works, what doesn’t, and incorporates all of it into his work, sucking you in to a unique comic experience from the logo to the last line of dialogue. Start to finish, you know you’re in the hands of an artist. Enjoy it.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Here’s the thing—it’s got a twist ending.

I just started working with Will (Dennis, my boss, who I’m totally scared of) plus Brian and Ryan (Wood and Kelly, writer and artist, who I’m totally a fan of) on this Northlanders book and I’m wicked excited about it. But it’s got this twist ending. And there’s something in the first script that totally gives it away.

Imagine you’re a production assistant on “The Usual Suspects” and somebody refers to Kevin Spacey as Keyser Soze on page 15. Kinda like that. But I caught it, and we saved it. They must have appreciated it because now I’m editing Northlanders all on my own. Awesome. (Of course they won’t talk to me anymore for being such a know-it-all pain-in-the-ass, but, whatever, it’s cool.)

So check it out: Northlanders Volume 2: The Cross and the Hammer. It’s got Vikings, murder, tragedy and at the heart of it all a father and daughter on the run. Go buy it. See if you can spot the twist, before it hits you in the gut.