An Interview Too Cool To Be Missed; Alex Robinson
Over the past several years, writer/artist Alex Robinson has made a name for himself in independent comics. He has received Eisner, Harvey and Ignatz Awards for his work in Box Office Poison and Tricked for Top Shelf Comix. His new book, Too Cool To Be Forgotten, focuses on Andy Wicks, an adult who takes an unexpected trip back to his days in high school.
What is the premise of Too Cool To Be Forgotten?
It's about a guy who's middle-aged like myself. He wants to quit smoking, so he goes to get himself hypnotized, and it winds up sending him back to 1985, where he has to relive his own high school years.
What inspired the premise of the story?
I graduated from high school in 1987. Last year was my twentieth high school reunion, and I figured that was a good excuse to visit my high school years, examine why it looms so large. I seem to still see a lot of things in those terms, and I think of myself in that high school sort of fashion. I don't know if that's accurate anymore. It's like an art therapy project.
Was life as stressful for you back then as it is for Andy Wicks?
I don't know if it was stressful. I hated high school, but I think my character is a bit more well-adjusted than I was, because I really didn't have much of a social life in high school. I more or less spent all of my time drawing comic books. In that sense, I had to make him more like a regular person because it would be boring to read about some guy drawing comic books in his bedroom. I also realize now while doing the project that a lot of that was sort of . . . I don't know . . . it's always tempting to see yourself as a victim, like, 'Oh, those jerks, they were such assholes,' whatever. But I realize part it was my own sort of keeping people at a distance too.
Have you ever tried to quit smoking?
I never have. I’ve never really taken up smoking. I have other vices, but smoking, fortunately, has not been one of those kinds of things. Unless you started in college or earlier, you're never going to really become a smoker. I could be wrong.
With Too Cool To Be Forgotten, there's more of a fantasy element involved. Why is that?
I don't know. I've always loved time travel stories. I've been a sucker for even bad time travel stories. I think that might have been sort of a reason to do it. Also, I wanted to do a story about high school, but I'm 38 years old, so it was a long time ago, and I don't know if I can accurately recreate what happened. So by putting this time travel context, I had a bit more wiggle room.
Do you have any favorite time travel stories?
Let's see . . . the first one that springs to mind—I wouldn't call it a favorite—was The Butterfly Effect. I thought it was kind of corny, but I thought the ending, at least with the director's cut, was astonishing in its darkness. Of course, a hundred Star Trek episodes, including the finale of The Next Generation, which is about Captain [Jean-Luc] Picard hopping through time. Kurt Vonnegut is also a huge influence on me. His most famous book, Slaughterhouse Five, deals with someone skipping around through time.
Is there any reason why most of the story is set in 1985?
I think it had to do with the fact that I didn't [Andy] to be able to drive. I wanted him to be forty years old. I didn't want him to be able to drive back when he was in high school, because that really changes a lot. When I look at it, I think 1985 was by then . . . the Eighties were really the Eighties. If you look back at 1981 or 1982, there's still a lot of the lingering Seventies influence.
Do you have any special memories from the Eighties?
Nothing that's especially interesting. I remember when Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom came out. That's when The Breakfast Club came out. I loved that movie as I'm embarrassed to say it now. At the time, I thought it was so deep, but now it's so hokey. I remember seeing Temple Of Doom in the theater, like, ten times for some reason. There were other people, not just myself. I have a lot of personal memories about school and things like that, but nothing that I think would make especially interesting. A lot of it, I put in the book, and I don't think of it is especially . . . I didn't go to see a concert until 1986, so it's not like I have any memories like that.
What has advance reaction been so far for the book?
I think it's been positive. I don't read reviews, so I don't really know specifics. Top Shelf really did a good job sending out advance copies and trying to build up the buzz so that when it does come out, it'll hit the ground running. I think a lot of people seem to enjoy it, from what I hear. A lot of people seem to be interested in the subject matter. I say, 'Oh, I did a graphic novel about a guy who goes back to high school,' people's eyes light up.
Do you have any other projects lined up?
It usually takes me a while once I finish a book to sort of recharge my batteries. I always try to start a new project immediately, and it always ends in colossal failure. I started a project, but it probably won't see the light of day. Plus, the whole summer, we're going to so many comic book shows and signings and stuff, that it's hard to get any kind of momentum going. I don't want to take the summer off because I'm working. I'd much rather be drawing, but I have to go to shows to promote the book.
Have you ever had any interest in working on mainstream comic books?
I've been approached by bigger comic companies. I don't think I'm well suited to working in that environment because I like to keep my work very improvisational and sort of give myself room to wiggle around and explore things. You can't really do that when you have to present a plot for approval and that kind of stuff. Part of the big draw of comics for me was that there was a lot of freedom. Working with alternative/indie comics end of things, it's definitely a lot more . . . you don't get a lot of money, but you get a lot of freedom in exchange for that. But I would love to write a book like Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man, or any of those comics I grew up with. I would love for them to say, 'Here's Fantastic Four. You have six issues to do whatever you want with it.' But I know, of course, that's not going to happen.
Too Cool To Be Forgotten will be released in July from Top Shelf Comix. For more information, visit their website at http://www.topshelfproductions.com.; Alex Robinson's personal website is http://www.comicbookalex.com.
What is the premise of Too Cool To Be Forgotten?
It's about a guy who's middle-aged like myself. He wants to quit smoking, so he goes to get himself hypnotized, and it winds up sending him back to 1985, where he has to relive his own high school years.
What inspired the premise of the story?
I graduated from high school in 1987. Last year was my twentieth high school reunion, and I figured that was a good excuse to visit my high school years, examine why it looms so large. I seem to still see a lot of things in those terms, and I think of myself in that high school sort of fashion. I don't know if that's accurate anymore. It's like an art therapy project.
Was life as stressful for you back then as it is for Andy Wicks?
I don't know if it was stressful. I hated high school, but I think my character is a bit more well-adjusted than I was, because I really didn't have much of a social life in high school. I more or less spent all of my time drawing comic books. In that sense, I had to make him more like a regular person because it would be boring to read about some guy drawing comic books in his bedroom. I also realize now while doing the project that a lot of that was sort of . . . I don't know . . . it's always tempting to see yourself as a victim, like, 'Oh, those jerks, they were such assholes,' whatever. But I realize part it was my own sort of keeping people at a distance too.
Have you ever tried to quit smoking?
I never have. I’ve never really taken up smoking. I have other vices, but smoking, fortunately, has not been one of those kinds of things. Unless you started in college or earlier, you're never going to really become a smoker. I could be wrong.
With Too Cool To Be Forgotten, there's more of a fantasy element involved. Why is that?
I don't know. I've always loved time travel stories. I've been a sucker for even bad time travel stories. I think that might have been sort of a reason to do it. Also, I wanted to do a story about high school, but I'm 38 years old, so it was a long time ago, and I don't know if I can accurately recreate what happened. So by putting this time travel context, I had a bit more wiggle room.
Do you have any favorite time travel stories?
Let's see . . . the first one that springs to mind—I wouldn't call it a favorite—was The Butterfly Effect. I thought it was kind of corny, but I thought the ending, at least with the director's cut, was astonishing in its darkness. Of course, a hundred Star Trek episodes, including the finale of The Next Generation, which is about Captain [Jean-Luc] Picard hopping through time. Kurt Vonnegut is also a huge influence on me. His most famous book, Slaughterhouse Five, deals with someone skipping around through time.
Is there any reason why most of the story is set in 1985?
I think it had to do with the fact that I didn't [Andy] to be able to drive. I wanted him to be forty years old. I didn't want him to be able to drive back when he was in high school, because that really changes a lot. When I look at it, I think 1985 was by then . . . the Eighties were really the Eighties. If you look back at 1981 or 1982, there's still a lot of the lingering Seventies influence.
Do you have any special memories from the Eighties?
Nothing that's especially interesting. I remember when Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom came out. That's when The Breakfast Club came out. I loved that movie as I'm embarrassed to say it now. At the time, I thought it was so deep, but now it's so hokey. I remember seeing Temple Of Doom in the theater, like, ten times for some reason. There were other people, not just myself. I have a lot of personal memories about school and things like that, but nothing that I think would make especially interesting. A lot of it, I put in the book, and I don't think of it is especially . . . I didn't go to see a concert until 1986, so it's not like I have any memories like that.
What has advance reaction been so far for the book?
I think it's been positive. I don't read reviews, so I don't really know specifics. Top Shelf really did a good job sending out advance copies and trying to build up the buzz so that when it does come out, it'll hit the ground running. I think a lot of people seem to enjoy it, from what I hear. A lot of people seem to be interested in the subject matter. I say, 'Oh, I did a graphic novel about a guy who goes back to high school,' people's eyes light up.
Do you have any other projects lined up?
It usually takes me a while once I finish a book to sort of recharge my batteries. I always try to start a new project immediately, and it always ends in colossal failure. I started a project, but it probably won't see the light of day. Plus, the whole summer, we're going to so many comic book shows and signings and stuff, that it's hard to get any kind of momentum going. I don't want to take the summer off because I'm working. I'd much rather be drawing, but I have to go to shows to promote the book.
Have you ever had any interest in working on mainstream comic books?
I've been approached by bigger comic companies. I don't think I'm well suited to working in that environment because I like to keep my work very improvisational and sort of give myself room to wiggle around and explore things. You can't really do that when you have to present a plot for approval and that kind of stuff. Part of the big draw of comics for me was that there was a lot of freedom. Working with alternative/indie comics end of things, it's definitely a lot more . . . you don't get a lot of money, but you get a lot of freedom in exchange for that. But I would love to write a book like Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spider-Man, or any of those comics I grew up with. I would love for them to say, 'Here's Fantastic Four. You have six issues to do whatever you want with it.' But I know, of course, that's not going to happen.
Too Cool To Be Forgotten will be released in July from Top Shelf Comix. For more information, visit their website at http://www.topshelfproductions.com.; Alex Robinson's personal website is http://www.comicbookalex.com.
- Jason Borelli
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