Razorjack is the widely praised sci-fi thriller created by Judge Dredd
artist John Higgins. You can download the first 22 pages here
for free (caution: story suggested for mature readers). To read more about
the comic and its creator, read the interview below.
John Higgins is a modest man, which is surprising for one who is so
extraordinarily talented. He is one of the few people in the comics industry
who can write, pencil, ink and colour — and all to an embarrassingly high
standard. Most comic fans will recognise his name from the pages of Judge
Dredd, 2000AD, Hellblazer and Watchmen, for which he designed the colour
scheme. Today he is talking about Razorjack, a sci-fi noir he created and
published himself, but he is doing so in an understated way. “Usually when I
do interviews people send me written questions and I write my replies so I
can sound interesting and intelligent. A couple of months ago I went to a
pub and had a few beers with a writer for an interview and I had a really
nice time but when I saw the first draft of the article it sounded like I
was on a drunken rant,” he jokes.
Higgins needn’t worry about sounding intelligent. His eloquence and passion
for comics ring through his words. His particular passion for the last 15
years or so has been Razorjack, a new collection of which has been issued.
“In the past I had submitted several story ideas to the editors of Marvel
and DC but getting something through the big companies is a time-consuming
job — it takes forever — so I concentrated on what people knew me for,
pencilling, inking and colouring. I did do some wonderful pieces of work in
collaboration with some of the best writers in the business, Jamie Delano,
Alan Moore and Garth Ennis, but as much as I enjoyed working with these
superb writers — they stretched me and helped me grow as an artist and a
creator — I was frustrated. I felt like I was filtering someone else’s
vision and creation. I wanted to do something that was personal and I hope
that comes across in Razorjack. I hope I’ve entertained people.”
With Razorjack, you can tell what fires Higgins’s imagination: pulp adventure
stories, the sort that have been muscled out of comics by superheroes. The
title character is a beautiful, red-haired H.R. Giger-inspired slice of pure
evil that is hell-bent on conquering the universe and the book is a twisted
jamboree of multiple storylines, horror and blockbuster-style fun.
“I wanted to mix genres — detective fiction, murder mystery, science fiction
and fantasy. All the people I’ve enjoyed reading in the past, I just tried
to cram them into one story. If Razorjack could be described as anything it
would hard-boiled SF noir. It touches on elements loved by 14-year-old
fanboys — excitement and adventure — but also has some adult themes: the
story is about a serial killer and deals with twisted sexuality.
“Whenever I’ve read books with multiple storylines and strands there’s such a
sense of speed. You get involved with one set of characters and then move
off to another set; there’ll be quiet lyrical moments in which to catch your
breath and then your off again at speed. It creates a sense of tension and
drama.
“Ultimately, I didn’t want the story to be too complex — I just want it to
entertain people.”
Higgins jokes in his introduction to the new collection that Razorjack will
never win him a Nobel prize for literature — “it would be nice to be
nominated” — but he should be recognised for the superhero-like effort he
put into publishing the book. “ Steve Dillon, with whom I once shared a
studio, had back in Eighties started up a magazine called Deadline, which is
where Tank Girl made her first appearance. Although he had major backing —
one of his backers was in the music industry — he didn’t make a penny. He
warned me not to self-publish and said that it was impossible to make any
money out it, and he was right.
“The comic shops know that they can sell a hundred copies of the latest
Spider-man or Batman whereas supporting something like Razorjack is a bit of
a gamble because they don't know what they market for it is going to be
like. When I first started doing Razorjack, they didn't want to know.
Diamond distributors have this big, thick magazine called Previews, which
tells shops and readers about coming comics, and in one issue it featured a
small piece about Razorjack. Although the piece was good, it got lost. I
visited my local comic shop and the owners, who were friends, had no idea
that it had come out. the fact that so few people knew Razorjack existed
drove me mad.”
Razorjack was saved from obscurity by Com.x, a small publishing company that
shared Higgins’ passion for comics. “When Com.x came onboard they took over
a large part of the promotional side. The guys who were originally part of
Com.x were comic fans. You don’t come into comics as a publisher or as
writer or an illustrator or colourist to make a living per se, you come into
comics because you love them. It really isn’t a job.”
Higgins was born in Liverpool in 1949 and began his artistic career as a
medical illustrator at the Royal Martin Hospital, London, in the Seventies.
He wasn’t interested in comics until he spotted a new publication between
the rows of war and football weeklies that were all the rage at the time.
“2000AD was revelation to me. When I left college comics were not at the
forefront of my mind. Even though my job was as a medical artist, I was
doing freelance work for publishers of fantasy and sci-fi books. 2000AD came
out in 1977 but I didn’t catch up with it until several years later. Most
boy’s magazines of that period were filled with football or war stories, but
2000AD was science fiction — it was exactly the sort of stuff I wanted to
do. The characters were weird and wonderful — mainly because of the
sensibilities of the writers — and I don’t think they could exist anywhere
else in literature.
“Covers to science fiction books at the time were heavily influenced by Chris
Foss, who did paintings of a giant hard-edged machinery. But I wanted to
figurative art. The reason I became a medical artist was because I loved
drawing figures. American comics felt like a world away; as a young man I
couldn’t imagine working on some the icons of the comic industry, even
though it turned out that way.
“Because I was down in London I knew the building where 2000AD was being
produced. In those days you could go round to a publisher with your
portfolio and they would be interested in sitting down with you and giving
you advice, telling you where you were going wrong. 2000AD got me into
comics, and started me on a new career path. In some ways it was the best
thing that could have happened to me. Covers to fantasy books tend to use
CGI or photo manipulation these days.”
Higgins soon became one of the mainstays of 2000AD, livening the adventures of
Judge Dredd with his dynamic style. In 1986, he was asked by fellow 2000AD
alumni Dave Gibbons to do the colouring for Watchmen, led to work in the US.
“My style has changed considerably over the years and it’s strange to see
old artwork in collected editions of 2000AD and Hellblazer. All my mistakes
have been on the printed page, which is what happens when you learn on the
job.”
He says that new collection of Razorjack was his chance to show people how he
had grown as a writer and artist. “For many people collected editions are
just an excuse to publish unused art work and make a bit more money. I
didn’t want to do that and I put a lot of work and care into this new
Razorjack edition. I drew a new four-page coda and inserted bits and pieces
here and there. With the coda, I wanted to show people what I’ve
learnt as an artist and what I’m capable of now.”
Razorjack © 2001-2009 John Higgins. Published by Com.x. It can be bought at
comic shops and on Amazon
