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AICN COMICS: Q&@ is our new semi-weekly interview column where some of your favorite @$$Holes interview comic bookdom’s biggest, brightest, newest, and oldest stars. Enjoy this latest in-depth interview filled with @$$y goodness and be sure to look for more AICN COMICS as we gaze into the future of comics every week with AICN COMICS: SPINNER RACK PREVIEWS every Monday and then join the rest of your favorite @$$Holes for their opinions on the weekly pull every Wednesday with AICN COMICS REVIEWS!

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Q’s by Matt Adler
@’s by FRAGGLE ROCK’s
Tim Beedle, Heather White, & Jeff Stokely!

Hi folks, Matt Adler here. If you’re a child of the 1980s, you probably remember the beloved TV show FRAGGLE ROCK, brainchild of master muppeteer Jim Henson. In April, Archaia Entertainment, best known as the publisher of the critically-acclaimed MOUSE GUARD, is bringing the Fraggles back in a 3-issue limited series. I had the chance to interview 3 of the key people behind the new FRAGGLE ROCK comic: Tim Beedle, managing editor, Heather White, writer of the lead story in the first issue, and Jeff Stokely, artist of that story. So with further ado, let’s get the scoop on the Fraggles!

MATT ADLER (MA): For those who don't know, can you describe what FRAGGLE ROCK is all about?

TIM BEEDLE (TB): FRAGGLE ROCK was a television show that was created in the 1980s by Jim Henson after his success with THE MUPPET SHOW. The show introduced a fantasy world that exists alongside ours and which is populated by all sorts of imaginative creatures — most notably a race of colorful and fun-loving creatures called Fraggles. The Fraggles share this world with other creatures such as the Doozers and Gorgs, which is rather remarkable because they’re all very different creatures, with different motivations and beliefs.

On its surface, FRAGGLE ROCK was a fun fantasy series filled with the sort of puppetry and imagination that Jim Henson was known for. It had a sort of warped sense of humor that plays on one level for kids and another for adults. Every episode contained memorable songs and is filled with adventure and fun. However, if you dig just a little deeper you realize the show actually had some pretty amazing underlying themes. It was really about living in harmony with your neighbors and with your world. It taught that you should respect nature and the beliefs of others, even if they’re at odds with yours. Those are timeless themes that if anything have become even more important since the show debuted.

Of course, the show also taught us that you can gain valuable advice from talking to a trash heap, so I don’t want to make it sound TOO serious! Regardless, I think the time couldn’t be better for a FRAGGLE ROCK comeback!

HEATHER WHITE (HW): FRAGGLE ROCK is about a group of small creatures, Fraggles, who live in an underground cave system that somehow connects our human world (which they call “Outer Space”) and their Universe. The Fraggle’s main occupation is having fun, singing songs and playing games. The other main group of characters within FRAGGLE ROCK are The Doozers, even smaller creatures who live to work. They happily create structures that the Fraggles eat. It is a glorious, symbiotic relationship. The FRAGGLE ROCK world also contains another section, outside of the rock, called The Gorg Kingdom, that houses The Gorgs, giant creatures who the Fraggles fear, and the Fraggles’ oracle (of sorts) The Trash Heap. Each story is an adventure that teaches us something about friendship, love or life in general - all while being zany and hilarious.

JEFF STOKELY (JS): Well... It’s about a bunch of creatures called Fraggles living in a hole in a wall. In the hole is their cavernous home which they call Fraggle Rock. Beyond the hole in the wall is what they call “Outer Space,” but it’s really just our human world. And out the other end of Fraggle Rock is a world where giant creatures called Gorgs live. The Fraggles love to steal their turnips and the Gorgs love to smash Fraggles. There is also a marvelous fortune-telling trash heap near the Gorgs’ garden who calls herself Marjory. Other than that, the Fraggles just love to dance their cares away and save their worries for another day. It’s a great kids show and to fully appreciate it you really have to watch it...or in this case, read the comic!

MA: What made you want to work on this?

TB: I’m a HUGE Jim Henson fan. His work has been a great influence on me throughout my life and career, so the opportunity to be involved in expanding one of his properties in even a small way is of great interest to me. At the same time, as a fan, I’m very aware of the importance of making sure anything that gets done is respectful and true to his vision for the show. We’ve all seen what happens when licensed comic books are churned out and treated as product rather than as a thoughtful and natural expansion of the world and storyline. Archaia has made it clear from the start that they absolutely did NOT want to take that approach, and really made the prospect of editing this book for them appealing. The chance to work on a property I love for a company that puts quality before anything else doesn’t come around very often. Plus, I’ve worked with The Jim Henson Company before and I genuinely like working with them. They have a very creative and energetic crew over there, and it’s easy to get caught up in their enthusiasm. In short, I knew that this was one of those amazing opportunities that only come around once in a lifetime, and I wanted in on it!

HW: FRAGGLE ROCK was a fantastic show, and a huge part of my life. Being able to help bring it back for the fans, new and old, was a dream come true! As a fan, I couldn’t be happier about the Henson and Archaia partnership. Fraggle is such a phenomenal Henson property, and Archaia has this unwavering devotion to proper storytelling, so you know the quality is going to be there. I was excited about these comics before I even knew I would work on them!

JS: I watched FRAGGLE ROCK when I was a wee lad so there was no way I could turn down such an awesome offer. To look back and be able to say I had a hand in making a Jim Henson title into a comic book is nothing short of a dream come true for me. And when I heard Archaia was publishing it, I jumped at the opportunity!

MA: Did you know anything about Fraggles beforehand?

TB: Like I said, I’m a big fan, so I knew quite a bit about the show. However, it had been some time since I’d sat down and watched it, so I spent a few evenings re-watching some old episodes prior to getting started. It’s amazing how well the show holds up. Yes, the sets and effects may seem dated by today’s standards, but not to the point of being distracting. Plus, as an adult, I started noticing some of deeper themes that I wasn’t even aware of as a child. The ecology of the world is very interesting, and how every creature seems to make an irreplaceable contribution to it. What’s so great is that none of this is shoved down your throat. It’s just there for more observant viewers to pick up on. I’m also convinced that the show left some messages up entirely to interpretation. Some of my friends I’ve discussed the series with have some pretty crazy interpretations of some of the episodes, and while I’m not sure they’re what the writing team and producers intended, I think they’d welcome people bringing their own meaning to the series. I mean, it’s a very strange, surreal world by design. I think really brilliant creators realize that part of what makes entertainment memorable is what the viewer brings to the experience and how it informs what they take away.

HW: I am an old-school, die-hard Fraggle fan, so it was really nice to be able (and encouraged) to totally geek out while working.

JS: Oh, yeah! I loved the show growing up. I’m too young to remember some of it but once I started watching the shows on DVD recently, I was hooked again. Although, of course, these days I watch it purely for research purposes…

MA: Can you describe the collaborative process on the book?

TB: On the editorial side of things, it’s very collaborative. We actually have three editors involved at various levels. I’m overseeing the series and handle most of the project management, but we also have Joe LeFavi who helps considerably with the creative. His insight into the world is irreplaceable and he’s offered some great suggestions and ideas for just about every story we’ve produced. Along with Joe, I’m also being assisted by Paul Morrissey at Archaia, who in addition to providing creative input also makes sure that Archaia’s needs are met and offers friendly and much-needed reminders about our print and marketing deadlines! (Paul, by the way, played a crucial role in launching BOOM!’s successful line of kid’s comics and served as editor for their critically acclaimed Muppet and Pixar comics. Having him on FRAGGLE ROCK is an honor!)

The Jim Henson Company is also involved in every step of the process, offering approvals, notes and suggestions, and occasionally Archaia’s management team steps in with a request. It was their decision to publish the series with dual covers and to add activity pages to each issue for younger readers. Both wound up being great suggestions that I think just add to the quality and value of the series.

With so many people involved behind the scenes on this comic, it could be a real headache, but that’s never been the case here. All of us have the same clear vision of what a FRAGGLE ROCK comic needs to be to appeal to fans and also draw new ones in, so when someone offers a suggestion, the reaction is always along the lines of, “Whoa! I can’t believe I never thought of that! That would be so, so cool!”

HW: I worked mainly with uber-editor Tim Beedle, who is the greatest. Really. He was so fun, knew his stuff and was always there to bounce ideas off of and help me navigate after I got too wrapped up in the story! Once Tim and I were comfortable with drafts, we sent them off to Henson. Joe, with his infinite Fraggle knowledge, double-checked everything from standard sizes of Fraggle traps, to appropriate use of Gobo’s Canadian accent. Once the story was ready, Jeff got to do his magic!

JS: Working on this project has been great! Everyone at Henson and Archaia have been really encouraging and helpful with my designs. I was lucky enough to work with a great creative team. We haven't bumped heads once on anything. Heather’s story is such a treat to illustrate. After I read it the first time, I felt like I had just watched an episode!

MA: Are there any particular creative challenges you faced in working with these characters?

TB: Believe it or not, FRAGGLE ROCK is actually a rather difficult property to write for and for a variety of reasons. First, the world is so unique and different and so wholly original that not everyone is able to wrap their mind around it. Without naming any names, we had to pass on pitches written by some otherwise talented writers simply because they didn’t get it. Their ideas just didn’t fit naturally within this particular world.

We also have a unique challenge in that this is a property that’s now over 25 years old that was primarily aimed at children. The people who grew up watching the show are now all adults. Children today have probably never heard of FRAGGLE ROCK unless their parents have exposed them to it. However, to simply age the property up and start aiming it at adults would be untrue to it. At the same time, we also don’t want to make it TOO young because we realize most of the people picking it up in comic stores will be adults.

What we’ve done to address this is to try to give this series a true all-ages appeal. It’s entirely appropriate for children and we’re including some fun stuff that’s aimed almost exclusively at them, like our activity pages. However, like the show itself, our stories are sophisticated enough that they can appeal to adults on a different level. There’s plenty of verbal and visual humor that I think adults will greatly appreciate. And one additional thing we’re doing for older readers and fans of comics in general is seeking out critically acclaimed artists and writers from the indie comics scene to contribute stories. People like Jeffrey Brown, Jeremy Love, Neil Kleid and Katie Cook. Some of our shorter backups actually offer a pretty unique take on the world, one that I think fans of alt comics will appreciate.

HW: I think the greatest challenge, for me, was not over-thinking it. When you love something, like I love the Fraggles, you want it to be perfect, and I have a tendency to go a little Hermione Granger on things when left to my own devices. So, to keep in the right mind-set, I had to take lots of breaks, watch lots of Fraggle episodes and consume far too much sugar.

JS: I've tried to stay as true to the original designs as possible. I know how disappointing it can be to pick up a comic of your favorite childhood cartoon only to find out the interior art is terrible! Another thing I wanted to do was really give FRAGGLE ROCK its own feel for the comic by using a bit of my cartooning and graffiti experience. I've also been looking at a lot of old Jim Henson sketches, as well as Vaughn Bode work. Fans of the old show should be pleasantly surprised.

MA: What has it been like working with the Henson Company?

TB: As I mentioned, I’ve worked with The Jim Henson Company before. I was the editor on both of their successful manga projects with TOKYOPOP, RETURN TO LABYRINTH and LEGENDS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL. I formed some really tight professional relationships with some of the great people over there and those relationships still remain firmly in place. Therefore, working with Henson almost feels more like working with old friends than working with a licensor.

I think a lot of that has to do with the way The Jim Henson Company approaches licensing. They’re never passively involved. They always take an active role in defining what they want out of the project and making sure that what we’re giving them adheres to their vision and where they want to take that property. I’ve always found the experience of working with them to be exciting and creatively fulfilling. I genuinely wish more licensors took the same approach.

HW: Simply put? Lovely. I think all Henson fans have this mental image of what working with The Jim Henson Company would be like, and Joe does not disappoint! He was every bit as hilarious, passionate and dedicated to the story as I could have ever hoped for. He knew everything about The Fraggles and really shared the desire to make this comic we have been waiting for – our old Fraggle friends in new and exciting adventures!

JS: It's been great working with them! There have been a couple moments where I've had to redraw something but they have been extremely helpful in the whole process and making sure I’m not overworked. The partnership between Henson and Archaia has been very smooth. There are quite a few licensing deals that get rocky due to creative differences but I've been graced with a phenomenal creative team to help me out.

MA: What makes this a book people will want to pick up?

TB: I feel like I’ve already given some great reasons, but let’s see if I can sum it up. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll want to pick it up because these are the first new stories to be told in this world in many, many years. But even more important, the people involved in telling these stories are all fans who truly understand what made the original series so remarkable. We’re taking the time to make sure this comic is something that we’re proud to release into the world and that we feel is worthy of standing alongside the original series.

If you’ve never seen the show, you should pick it up because it’s an imaginative and funny all-ages fantasy series which is something you don’t often find in comic book stores these days. We’re writing it in such a way that it doesn’t matter whether you’re familiar with the world or not, and the stories are drawn by some truly remarkable artists resulting in a beautiful collection of comics that I think will ultimately hold its own with other anthologies like FLIGHT and POPGUN. And those ones don’t also have a catchy theme song like ours does!

HW: Well, I really think the art in these issues is gorgeous, and will be something that will initially draw people in. Hopefully once they get inside, they will fall in love with the characters, just like all of us authors and illustrators did years ago! Personally, I’m can’t wait to see what Jeffrey Brown and Katie Cook did as well. I really love Jeffrey’s THE INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS and UNLIKELY (such diversity!) and Katie’s drawings are beyond awesome – she can make anything cute! Seriously, I have a drawing she did of RoboCop, and he is cute. Amazingly freakin’ cute.

JS: Because it’s FRAGGLE ROCK! In all honesty, I think the overall quality of this book is what sells me. You can tell this truly is a labor of love on our parts. You see it in the art, the writing, the talent behind it is great. The craftsmanship of the printing alone is enough to make me buy a copy!

MA: Thanks so much for answering my questions. Look for FRAGGLE ROCK from Archaia in April! FRAGGLE ROCK/MOUSE GUARD Free Comic Book Day flip book will be distributed in comic shops for free on May 1, 2010 and FRAGGLE ROCK #2 debuts in May.

In most places, Matt Adler goes by the name his mother gave him, but occasionally uses the handle "CylverSaber", based on a character he created for the old DARK FORCES II: JEDI KNIGHT game (one hint of his overweening nerddom). He currently does IT and networking support for the government of Nassau County, NY, but his dream is to write for a living, and is in the process of figuring out how to get publishers to give his stuff a look. In the meantime, he passes the time by writing for AICN, CBR, and a few other places. He has also written for MARVEL SPOTLIGHT magazine.

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Editing, compiling, imaging, coding, logos & cat-wrangling by Ambush Bug
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G

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