GVN Talking Comics Interview: Screenwriter/ Comic Writer Michael Schwartz For Clover Press ‘Armored’

Talented Screenwriter Michael Schwartz (Gnome Alone, Zombie Town) was no stranger to the world of comic books. Mainly due to his father who instilled his love of the genre to him. But when his carefully crafted collection was taken from his garage, Michael wasn’t sure if he wanted to expend the energy and the time to rebuild it. Especially not with a new baby to take care of. But things change and as time went on, he rediscovered that love of comics and the need to start slowly rebuilding his library.

As he did so, he thought about the possibility of writing his own book. Having never done it before, it was almost a personal challenge to see what he could do. The result is a new series called Armored. A spooky, supernatural comic book series about an orphan who stumbles across a mystical suit of armor. Armor that just so happens to be haunted by the ghost who wore it centuries ago. What could go wrong? Drawn by talented artist Ismael Hernandez, lettered by Ferran Delgado, and edited by Eisner-winner Chris Stevens, Armored is being published by the pros at Clover Press. Starting this week, Clover Press is bringing Armored to a Kickstarter Campaign to help Michael’s inspiration come to fruition.

With that in mind, we recently sat down with Michael to discuss his writing career, his love of comics and how Armored came about. So, let’s welcome Screenwriter/Writer Michael Schwartz to GVN Talking Comics.

Beginnings

GVN: Thank you for giving us some of your time Michael. As per normal, I usually start new conversations asking about your creative beginnings. What started your interest in writing and screenwriting in particular? Was there a certain film or book that inspired that interest?

Michael: First off, thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Long ago, before coming up with this crazy idea of an orphaned kid who finds a magical suit of haunted armor, I spent my childhood frequenting comic shops and video stores. My dad was a big influence on my creative obsessions. He is an avid comic book reader and collector, and he ran a video store for part of my childhood.

I always liked story-telling but didn’t have the confidence to actually write anything. It wasn’t until I started reading Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins’ run on The Flash that I became obsessed with writing and analyzing how stories in comics, TV, and movies were structured. Because I studied film in university, I set my sights on becoming a screenwriter as opposed to a comic-writer. But that era of DC Comics was incredibly inspiring to me, and I still revisit them to this day.

The Loss and Rediscovery of Comics

GVN: In preparation for our chat, I noticed in some of the press for your new book, you mentioned that the catalyst for getting back into comics was the loss of your comic collection. As someone who can relate to that (mine through family members who threw them away…Talk about throwing money away), please tell our followers about that and how it re-energized your love of the media.

Michael: Oh no! Sorry to hear you lost your collection too! As I mentioned, my dad got me into collecting comics at a very early age. By the time I had my own kids, I had 20+ boxes of comics, including some my dad had given me. The day before they were stolen, I had moved my collection into the garage (note to anyone reading this: don’t do that), and literally, the next night, our garage was broken into.

My wife and I had just had a baby, so we were sleep-deprived, and the one night our son slept for more than an hour, someone broke the lock and stole almost everything out of the garage while we slept. I was devastated. Part of me never wanted to look at another comic again. But it’s hard to actually walk away from collecting comics. I’d find myself walking into a shop and seeing a copy of something from my old collection and couldn’t resist rebuying it. And then I started to discover new stories I missed the first time and once again created a pull list at my local LCS.

Reading all these comics, I realized I had stories I wanted to tell in this medium. I especially loved the idea of an ongoing series and an open-ended universe with the potential for spinoffs and introductions of new characters.

The Inspiration of ‘Armored’

GVN: So, you have rediscovered your fascination with comics, what inspired the story for Armored and did you think at that time about publishing it or was it initially just a challenge to see if you could do it?

Michael: Initially, writing Armored as a comic series was a total challenge for myself. I had always wanted to be a comic writer, but never really knew the ins and outs of the industry. When I finished writing the first issue, I gave it to my friend, Tigh Walker, who had done a lot of art for Marvel Comics over the years. He seemed to respond really well to the script, and it gave me the confidence to just go for it. It wasn’t until meeting Eisner-award winning comic book writer and editor, Chris Stevens, that I truly believed we could get it published. Chris fought hard for the project and definitely pushed it from a fun idea to reality.

The Human Element

GVN: Having just read the first issue, I was drawn in by the premise but even more so by the interplay between the young people involved. Especially the initial reaction to Andy by Myles’ friends. While it might not be fair, it’s totally understandable. How important was it for you to intertwine such a powerful human element into your narrative?

Michael: I tend to start with a concept or basic premise and then look for what the main character’s story arc will be. I try to make sure it’s something relatable on a universal level. In the case of Andy, he’s dealing with an immense sense of loss, but so are the kids and adults around him. The story of Armored is so fantastical that I needed a human element to ground the story for readers to be able to connect to it on an emotional level. Loss is universal and all of us have to deal with it at some point or another. It just felt like the natural theme to explore when dealing with ghosts and death.

The Creative Team

GVN: You are working with a talented group of creators on Armored with artist Ismael Hernandez, letterer Ferran Delgado, and editor Eisner-winner Chris Stevens for Clover Press. As a rookie in the comic world and as you worked with your new team, what did you learn about the comic industry that you hadn’t before?

Michael: I am so fortunate to be working with such a talented group. They really are helping take the story of Armored to the next level! What I’ve found most interesting about the comic industry is actually how similar it is to the animation industry. I find panels in a comic and storyboarding in movies similar and Ismael in particular, tells stories in the same way a storyboard artist does. In comics and animation, things are built from the ground up. If they aren’t drawn, then they don’t exist in the world. There’s a lot of overlap there.

But probably the biggest learning curve is how much of a director I have to be. When I write a feature film, I don’t necessarily think about the angles, or the expressions on characters’ faces. The script is handed over to the director, who thinks about all that. The director may make changes and I may not have another say after that last draft. With comics, I am involved up until it goes to print. Thankfully, I have all of these talented people around me to make sure the best possible product gets into readers’ hands.

The Art of Ismael Hernandez

GVN: Speaking of Ismael, his work has a watercolor look that works extremely well with the somber, dark mood the story invokes. Did Editor Chris get you connected with Ismael or how did that collaboration come about? Also, as the pages started coming in, were you surprised at all as you saw your story visualized?

Michael: I had just started working with Chris on the first issue when he told me to take a serious look at Ismael’s work and consider him for Armored. I immediately fell in love with what he had posted on social media. I just had to work with him before some other writer scooped him up! Ismael is such an incredible artist when it comes to conveying emotion, action and sequential storytelling on the page. As pages came in, I was just amazed that he was able to capture exactly what I had envisioned in my head… and sometimes even better than what I imagined. His art definitely gives Armored a unique feel that I think will make it stand apart from what’s currently out there.

The Kickstarter Campaign

GVN: Armored is coming to Kickstarter later this month (tentatively August 23rd). Will this be your first introduction to crowdfunding and what will fans find when they visit your campaign?

Michael: This will be my first introduction to crowdfunding from the creator’s side. While I have supported a number of campaigns, I never knew how much work goes into them. Thankfully my publisher, Clover Press, has run a number of very successful campaigns and they’ve been able to educate me along the way of the ins and outs. It’s still a very nerve-wracking process, as I hope the comic does well so I can continue to tell the story of Armored for many more issues to come. We’re still finalizing the campaign tiers but expect some really cool variant covers from not only comic artists, but also artists I’ve worked with in the animation industry, and the horror movie community. And, if things go as planned, we’ll have some 90s inspired, dare I say, “gimmick” variant covers that I think will really knock people’s socks off.

Projects on the Horizon

GVN: Thank you again for sharing your day with us, Michael. Before I let you go, I want to give you an
opportunity to promote any other projects you might have in the future.

Michael: Thank you so much! I’m happy to finally be able to share “Armored” with everyone because it’s an idea I’ve lived with for almost five years now. As for things coming up for me… I have a movie I co-wrote coming to Hulu this fall called ZOMBIE TOWN, which is based on a book by R.L. Stine. Also, my wife (who is a TV showrunner) and I are just putting the finishing touches on a graphic novel script we wrote, based on an idea we’ve had kicking around for over a decade. And lastly, I’m in the middle of writing issue 6 of Armored. If all goes to plan, I hope to be talking to you a few months from now about the second arc!

Armored was written and created by Michael Schwartz. With art by Ismael Hernandez, letters by Ferran Delgado, and edited by Eisner-winner Chris Stevens. If you want to check out the Armored Kickstarter Campaign, you can find it here. Be sure to check it out.