By Zack Quaintance — Today’s Kickstarter Interview is with writer/artist Marco Rudy, whose new book RDW: A Tale of Lost Fantasy is on Kickstarter now. There’s a lot to like about this book — from the inspirations to the execution — but if you’re anything like me, the first thing you’ll notice is the incredible vision in the artwork. It’s really stunning stuff. You can read my conversation with Marco below, and then when you’re done you can head over to the RDW: A Tale of Lost Fantasy campaign page to back this book.

Enjoy!

Marco Rudy Interview

ZACK QUAINTANCE: So, I’m always drawn to stories about addiction and recovery, because I’ve had it in my own family and my own life. This book is a high fantasy story about addiction withdrawal...can I start by asking if this is a personal story? And if so, how?

MARCO RUDY: In a way, maybe? I have had personal experience with people that struggled through addiction, in my life - and the perception from those around them, was/is not exactly the best one, hardly ever addressing the causes and focusing on the damages this person caused them. I wanted to focus on those relationships, portray them, in a way addressing both what the person going through it experiences, what those around don't see, and the effect it does have on those this person cares for/surrounds them with. The Fantasy backdrop informs the actions and story, but this is very much something true to life. OR at the very least, that is the intention.

ZACK: This is the first work in which you’ve not only taken on all the art but have also written the story yourself. Did writing your own narrative effect the way you approached process for the artwork, and if so, how?

MARCO: Oh absolutely. I am extremely visual - if you've seen my work over the years, I try my best to have page layouts interacting with the story, as best as I can, so, writing came literally, in tandem with the art. I’d sketch a layout around the mood of a scene, write said scene as I drew it (on the page borders, some times), re-write it as I went about re-drawing it and even readdressing it, once I finished the dialogue. The script, if it works, only does, because the art does, and vice-versa. At least it’s how it’s been coming along.

ZACK: I love that the story stands to incorporate folk stories that are traditionally left out of high fantasy books. Can you tell us a little bit about the cultures and mythos we might find in RDW?

MARCO: I am born and raised Mozambique and have lived abroad, for more than half my life. The places I have lived shaped who and how I am, and each new culture I experienced enriched me. It was only natural that I’d use Mozambican folk tales in it - my whole approach to storytelling stems from Mozambican writer Mia Couto and his uncanny ability to wordplay and scene bending, to make a story that much more compelling - but at the very same, I know the value of having traditional fantasy elements like Elves and Dwarves, helps for those unfamiliar to what I’m bringing to the table. While I am not the most qualified person to be using Native and First Nations folk stories, I feel like with enough research I can bring some of those to the forefront (like the mystique around the Elk, for one) or the three-legged prankster "Saci-perere" from Brazil. While there are influences from all over the place, I’ll try to contextualize them, in the book, so that it seems like these things "belong" in this setting.

My approach is inspired as well by the "Neverending Story" - which brings different elements of different folklore to make a "fantasy" world - or amazing books like Sandman, which does the same.

ZACK: I was absolutely blown away by your preview pages, especially the layouts, which you discuss as a mood-setting device in your Kickstarter video. Can you tell me a little bit about how do you develop the layouts for your pages?

MARCO: As I mentioned, it is directly influenced by the mood in the scene, and what i am trying to say. For instance, in page 5 of the book - Astrid is reacting to the possible loss of her rock troll companion. The whole scene is "grounded" in a tree and its branches - signifying that she's waking up, from whatever fever dream she just had, AND if you look closely enough, the branches make for a face - the face of the character she's concerned about. I’ll attach a sample of this, here (see below). This is what I mean, by having the layouts being crucial to the way I tell the story, if you look at a page, Everything in it, from layouts to color, is telling you something. Look for easter eggs and extra info, on those layouts, you'll have a more complete experience of what this book is about :)

ZACK: Finally, I really liked the promotional video on your Kickstarter, which featured your adorable cat. I have to ask, how many takes did you shoot to get your cat to be so well-behaved on camera?

MARCO: Geeezuuz!! I had one too many takes because I kept missing my lines or stuttering, or getting distracted. The cat eventually came along and initially he was walking all over me, but when he got sleepy, things settled down enough to make the video. If this thing gets funded, it'll be due to him, I’m sure! :D

RDW Vol. 1

RDW Vol. 1
Writer/Artist: Marco Rudy
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Editor: Kirsten Ann Thompson
Designer: Eric Trautmann
“RDW” is a tale about coping. Coping with loss, responsibility, command, addiction, withdrawal and more. It also features social commentary, PTSD, corporate interests and much more, in a Dark Fantasy setting – all of that, in a striking visual package.
Back It Now: RDW Vol. 1

Click here to read more Kickstarter interviews!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.