A Comic Writing Journal, The Frequency of 7

A Comic Book Writing Journal, The Frequency of 7

in coffee and heroes – 4/29

by Jacob Malewitz

An Iron Sword Games Presentation, 100

"7 Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa is one of the finest films ever created. I originally watched it in high school, but definitely did not watch it there. Actually, I grabbed it from the library, sat down, and watched a VHS copy of the story of how one village, hounded by evil doers, needed the help of samurai. And not just any samurai, and not just any number of samurai. The actual Japanese title was different, but the number "7" came from the number of samurai hired by the villagers. These men were odd balls to be sure, some funny, some odd, some disciplined, all with character and life, and portrayed with talent. It's been a few years since I watched the DVD version of Akira Kurosawas film masterpiece, but it's an ever present part of my storytelling process. And by storytelling,I am hinting at comic book writing.

I liked the idea of 7. It could be 7 monsters, 7 beasts, 7 angels, 7 detectives, 7 something. 7 of who were brought together in some odd way.

I chose "7 Killers," which is my first truly decent comic book attempt. It lacks an artist, has a wordy story synopsis, but it's a decent comic. It needs an artist, hello artists out there. I need your help.

I took to the idea of 7 because of "7 Samurai," but I completely reworked the story. These killers were far from samurai--actually one of them thinks of himself as a samurai, the aptly named Katana--because they're in essence hired killers.

Now, where did I get "killers" from? Why does it have to be something "cool" always like secret agents or hitmen? Actually, think John Woo. I to this day watch "The Killer" starring Chow Yun-Fat and directed by John Woo with glee. Oh, I know, the story is a bit suspect, it's no 7 Samurai, but John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat were at the top of their games in this film. It made both their careers in many ways. And it's still the best film both Fat and Woo ever did.

So we got "7 Samurai" and we got "The Killer." Why Asian cinema? I love Hong Kong and much of Japanese cinema. I enjoy anime, I love action, and I like orchestrated gun fights. But not a Jacky Chan fan, sorry.

So you'd think the plot is about as good as a Hong Kong action spectacular, but it took time to mold, took a bit of my own madness to finish, and lasted just long enough for me to hit 4 issues and start thinking of film rights.

A graphic novel isn't an easier form, but it's a form I love. I interviewed novelist Evan Kuhlman years back; he wrote "Wolf Boy,"a hybrid novel involving comics I reviewed for a newspaper. And Kuhlman had an interesting take on comic scripting: he said it's harder than novel writing. Maybe it's the mode you're in, the type of writer you are, the way you put words together. If you prefer screenplays and TV scripts to putting together thousands of words for short stories and a hundred thousand for novels, you might try it.