Nottingham
Back in January of 2021, we were introduced to a wonderful new take on the world of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Maid Marian and especially, the Sheriff of Nottingham by our friends at Mad Cave Studios. Writer David Hazan along with artist Shane Connery Volk brought energy and a new vibe to the classic tale, simply known as Nottingham. We had talked to David at that time about their new endeavor. Five well-received issues later and with reprints galore, Hazan, Volk and Mad Cave knew they had a monstrous hit on their hands. The only question left was how to follow-up.
Well, on April 6th, we will find out as Hazan and Volk have once again brought the world of Nottingham back for hungry readers to consume. Entitled Nottingham: King’s Ransom, it tells the tale of the good Sheriff of Nottingham being enlisted to deliver a ransom request for King Richard the Lionheart. This will require unholy alliances and perhaps, dealing with the ambitious Maid Marian who has her own plans for Nottingham. With this in mind, it seemed like a great opportunity to talk once again to writer David Hazan and artist Shane Connery Volk about this next chapter of the Nottingham saga. So, let’s welcome the creators of Nottingham, writer David Hazan and artist Shane Connery Volk to GVN’s Talking Comics. Starting with David:
Exceeding Expectations
GVN: Thanks once again for sharing some time with us, David. It’s been a whirlwind year since we first interviewed you for Nottingham back in January of 2021. Needless to your work has been met with real enthusiasm (including a place in our best of 2021). Back when you first started on the project, did you have any idea it would be accepted as well as it had?
DH: Personally, I had very tempered expectations. It was my first foray into the world of comics, really…but the whole concept was a bit strategic. I knew the Robin Hood fans would at least want to check it out, so I hoped that would tip it over the edge into something a bit bigger than a book by two first-timers. That certainly paid off much more than I anticipated!
GVN: Well, that was an understatement. Right from the start, Nottingham was selling and selling out quickly, making for reprints to be necessary. For those of us not in the know, what plans are set in place when reprints are required? Does it require anything on your end as far as writing goes, or does it generally just produce variant covers for those issues?
DH: That’s all in Mad Cave’s hands. I just get to sit back and watch! Obviously, the demands of printing are very complex at the moment, which is why preordering is very important, so please, if you want the first printing of our books, it is very important to preorder it, preferably through your LCS!
Laying the Groundwork
GVN: Well, you heard the man…or to be more accurate, you read him. So, get those pre-orders in. Your 2nd volume Nottingham: King’s Ransom is set to be released in April of this year. How soon after Nottingham did you start laying out the groundwork for this new chapter?
DH: Well, notionally, I was halfway through #5 when the story ideas for Vol. 2 and perhaps more arrived in my head…we got the green light from Mad Cave once they saw the preorder numbers on #1 and we’ve been off to the races since about Feb/March of 2021.
GVN: Part of the strengths of Nottingham was the way you chose to portray the Sheriff as a highly competent and dangerous person with a strong sense of right and wrong. In what ways do these character traits drive him in your new story?
DH: I think we come back to a Sheriff who has had his sense of right and wrong tested again and again over the past year. He’s not sure about anything anymore, but he’ll be damned if he lets that show. I think a big thing I wanted to show in Volume 2 is exactly why history remembers the Sheriff as something other than the way we’ve portrayed him, as incompetent and greedy. That’s a mystery that gets revealed…somewhere…in this volume, which really has major consequences for the trajectory of the story going forward. I’m excited to share it because it’s very near and dear to my heart.
Learning from Your Craft
GVN: If you had to pin it down, after finishing the first volume of Nottingham, what did you learn about your craft and how comics work that benefits you as you worked on this new project?
DH: It’s hard to pin down – making a comic is always a crash course in making comics, but the biggest thing is now I have a keener sense of what Shane likes to draw, and I tried to really cater to that so that you could all feel the love of the craft even more in this new arc.
Shane Connery Volk
GVN: I’m glad you mentioned Shane. You are working once again with the talented artist Shane Connery Volk on this new story. Has Shane’s work evolved any over the past year what can fans expect in this volume that might surprise them?
DH: Oof. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Shane has levelled up in a HUGE way, and I was just barely managing to keep up. Just the level of detail is honestly awe inspiring (and keeps giving our colorist, the lovely Luca Romano, cold sweats). As for what fans can expect that might surprise them? Bigger stakes, bigger action, complex motives, twists and betrayals galore…
Finding David on Socials
GVN: Thank you once again for spending some time with us, David. Before I let you go, do you have any other projects you would like our followers to know about and where can they follow you on social media and on the web?
DH: In terms of upcoming projects, we have plenty of Nottingham coming this year, including a Free Comic Book Day issue, with art by the incredible Andrea Mutti…and still unannounced Nottingham stuff. As always, the best place to find me is on twitter at twitter.com/DavidTHazan, or, in failing that, my website at www.davidhazan.com.
And now, we are proud to have our first chat with talented artist Shane Connery Volk:
Beginnings
GVN: Thank you for sharing some time with us, Shane. Since this is the first time, I have had the opportunity to talk to you, let’s start with some background. When did you first take an interest in art and comic art in particular and who were those artists that inspired you?
SCV: I’ve been drawing my whole life. I loved superheroes as a kid, and anytime I would get a comic in my hands, I would pour over the art for days. I grew up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan, so I wasn’t exposed to a lot of different comic books. When I was 12, my parents took me to my first comic shop and my life changed forever! I became a big fan of Todd McFarlane and the Image creators. The detailed art just blew my mind! Over the years I’ve discovered so many great artists. I love Mike Mignola, Jock, Jason Shawn Alexander, the list goes on. At the moment, I’m getting my eyes on as much Bill Seinkiewicz art as possible!
Winning the 2019 Mad Cave Talent Search
GVN: So, you were one of the artist winners of Mad Cave Studios 2019 talent search. When you entered, did you have some aspirations of where you hoped that might lead?
SCV: I didn’t have any huge plans in place when I entered the Talent Search. I’ve been a professional musician for 20 years and I always knew I wanted to draw comics at some point. When the Talent Search came around, I was just hoping to get a shot at any book so I could truly begin to learn the craft of comic illustration.
Nottingham
GVN: Your first project for Mad Cave brought you together with David Hazan for Nottingham which was a MONSTER hit. Needless to your work has been met with real enthusiasm (including a place in our best of 2021). Back when you first started on the project, did you have any idea it would be accepted as well as it had?
SCV: I knew when I read the script for book 1 that it was going to be a really cool series. It was just such a great idea and spin on the Robin Hood lore. I don’t think you ever really know if something is going to be a hit or not. I’ve definitely learned that in the music industry. Just like in music, I knew that I would put everything I had into the books. Only time and comic readers would decide if it was going to be a hit!
Reprint Covers
GVN: Well, it certainly didn’t take long for your work to be appreciated. Right from the start, Nottingham was selling and selling out quickly, making for reprints to be necessary. For those of us not in the know, what plans are set in place when reprints are required? Did you have a plan set for possible variant covers if a reprint became necessary?
SCV: Personally, I had no plans in place. This was my first published comic work so not only did I not know what to expect, but I really didn’t know how any of it worked at all, haha. The first sellout happened so fast. I had drawn a picture of the Sheriff for a behind the scenes video for Mad Cave that they ended up using as the cover for the second print. When that sold out as well, I just started drawing reserve covers so there would be options in the case of further reprints.
Nottingham: Kings Ransom
GVN: Your 2nd volume Nottingham: A King’s Ransom is set to be released in April of this year. How soon after Nottingham did you and David start laying out the groundwork for this new chapter?
SCV: I think David had a few ideas for where the series would go if we were given a green light on the next arc, but I’m not sure when he started to get deep into the writing. I got the first script in the summer of 2021 and started drawing in the fall.
Infusing Gritty Realism
GVN: Part of the strengths of Nottingham was the way you chose to visually portray the Sheriff and all of the characters in the book. There was a gritty, hard realism to them that reflected the time they were living in. Does this carry on in the new volume?
SCV: It absolutely does! I really never chose my art style, it chose me. I discovered and learned so much in the first 5 books and I’ve leaned even harder into this gritty style. It’s funny to think of any realism in my work, since a lot of it is very over the top, but my goal was and still is to try to portray some humanity in these characters. The Sheriff is weighed down by his past and the things he’s done. I wanted his look to reflect that. He’s hunched over and beaten down, but he can be ferocious and intimidating when it suits him. Robin and Marian, on the other hand, are superficially beautiful, but their beauty hides their darkness which they both use to get what they want.
Lessons Learned
GVN: If you had to pin it down, after finishing the first volume of Nottingham, what did you learn about your craft and how comics work that benefits you as you worked on this new project?
SCV: Well first of all, I’ve learned that there are so many things I don’t know how to draw (horses, castles, medieval cities, the list goes on, haha). The biggest lesson I learned was through the deadlines. I had to find ways to economize my time. Working 20-hour days is not sustainable, so I have seriously had to refine my process. The deadlines also taught me to let go of perfection. All you can do is your best on every page and when you’re done you have to just lick your wounds, learn your lessons, and move on to the next page.
David Hazan
GVN: You are working once again with the David on this new story. Has David’s work evolved any over the past year what can fans expect in this volume that might surprise them?
SCV: David is a true artist, and like all true artists he is always evolving. Obviously, I can’t give away any story details, but David has definitely taken the world of Nottingham and expanded it in unexpected ways!
Future Endeavors and Socials
GVN: Thank you once again for spending some time with us, Shane. Before I let you go, do you have any other projects you would like our followers to know about and where can they follow you on social media and on the web?
SCV: I will be working on a few different art projects when this series wraps up, but I can’t say too much about them at the moment. I will also finally be back in the recording studio with my band, One Bad Son, and back out on tour this summer if all goes well! You can find me at Instagram.com/shaneconneryvolk, Twitter.com/ShaneCvolK, Patreon.com/shaneconneryvolk, or on my website – shaneconneryvolk.com. I also host a live drawing show every Monday on Youtube called “the Midnight Drawer”.
Needless to say, we expect great things from Mad Cave Studios and Nottingham: Kings Ransom. The first issue drops April 6th, and you can find our preview and review here and here.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
