INTERVIEW: new writer Lawrence Rennie
30th August 2017
Prog 2045 sees the start of a new three part 3riller, Mechastopheles. Delivering a condensed hit of intense storytelling over just three parts, Mechastopheles takes us to the nightmarish aquatic world and the drowned city of Vonitzia, a year after “the fall”, when demons rose and society fell.
The people of this world are survivors, desperately travelling across the seas looking for sanctuary. It’s a world of as yet unseen demons, creeper-crawlers, scream doctors, flay-tongues, soul gatherers, and giggling pagliaccios. One young girl, Allegra, is learning the hard way just how nightmarish this world can be. And as for the mysterious Mechastopheles, well, we’ll leave that for you to discover.
Mechastopheles is written by the father-son team of Gordon and Lawrence Rennie, alongside the always incredible art of Karl Richardson. It’s Lawrence Rennie’s first appearance in 2000 AD and Richard Bruton caught up with him for a few questions about his first work for the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.
Mechastopheles began its three-part 3riller run in Prog 2045 and it’s your very first outing in the pages of 2000 AD. Can you give us a little background on how the strip came together ?
Gordon came to me saying he wanted a story with a big demon robot in hell, and the name Mechastopheles. Now, As cool as a comic with just a giant metal demon fighting other giant demons would be, there isn’t much of a story there so that’s when we started planning out this larger world – the survivors, the fall of these cities like Magenti and Vonitzia. It started to come together quite quick.
Can you give us a quick, no spoilers glimpse in what’s to come in Mechastopheles?
We have a mechanical demon ferrying a group of survivors. That’s all well and fine for now, but how long do you think a hellish beast like Mechastopheles can really be trusted?
From just the first five-page episode it’s obvious that you’ve invested a lot of thought into the world of Mechastopheles, with the first instalment very quickly painting a picture in the readers head of just what’s gone on with the world. When coming up with the idea for the strip did you sit down and plan it out in depth?
There’s a general idea for what happened in these cities like Magenti, Vonitzia – the citizens; the religious groups; the powers that controlled them. There’s a background story for the creation of Mechastopheles, the bizarre mechanaman Leonato and his ‘daughter’ Beatrici. Hopefully we’ll be able to tell these stories that form our hellish realm at some point in future editions.
The 3riller structure of three 5 page episodes to tell a story, beginning, middle, end is perfect for us readers to get a quick hit of something new. But are there particular difficulties for you as a writer in creating something new, setting up the world and the scenario and still delivering a satisfying tale in 15 pages?
With just the 15 pages it definitely limited how much of the world we could bring the readers into. It was more important to bring the readers quickly up to speed on where we are, who we’re with, and what in the hell is a Mechastopheles? Initially we wanted to tell the story of Magenti and the creation of Mechastopheles but with so much to tell there, and only 15 pages, we decided it best to have our survivors already out on their quest and getting into the action to jump our readers right into the chaos.
How does the writing process work for you and Gordon? Any particular difficulties working with dad?
I’m sure we’ll both give different answers on who does more work. We both share our ideas for where we think the story should be going, what should be happening in each panel etc and the result is normally a result of those. He’s the one with the experience whereas I’m still learning so I’m happy for him to take the reigns a little more at times but it’s been an equal partnership throughout. I do find I have to keep him on track at times though; he is getting old you know…
Obviously having Karl Richardson on art is a great thing for a strip, especially one with such great visual ideas for the monstrous demons and Mechastopheles itself. What was it like to get a glimpse at those pages, seeing your ideas come to life on the page or screen?
I’m absolutely loving it. The artwork Karl is giving us is excellent and reminds me a little of some of the art in Hellboy. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help but tease some of those massive splash pages of Mechastopheles to friends because I just think they look so cool.
Is this your first comics work?
Yes and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s an excellent learning experience and helped push my confidence in my own writing. I’m primarily interested in writing in film and tv but I’m very happy to be working in comics now and getting my work out there.
Just what does it mean to you to be in the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic?
I’m delighted with the opportunity and the faith shown by 2000 AD to allow me, as a first time writer, to even get just this 3riller series. I’m beyond excited, if a little nervous as well, to finally share it with the 2000 AD readership.
What were your first 2000 AD experiences as a reader?
Finding a stash of my dad’s old comics in the house when I was younger. The bizarre, and often gratuitously violent, worlds in these comics grabbed that young curious child who probably shouldn’t have been seeing these images of Dredd blowing thugs heads off. But hey, look where it’s got me now!
And on a similar note, can you just give us a quick idea of some influences?
I should probably say my dad here, right? No, most of my influences actually come from film. It was important in my house to be brought up with an ’80s action education, meaning from a young age I’d already fallen in love with the best action movies ever made – The Terminator, Aliens, and Die Hard. These are the films that brought me onto the path of writing. I’d also give special mention to Dan Harmon. I’m big into story structure and find his process for structuring fascinating and try to incorporate it into my own.
Finally, what’s coming up for you in the near, or not so near future?
For now I’m studying English and Film at Napier University. I’d love to keep on with Mechastopheles and of course there’s always other ideas kicking around that I’d like develop.