12 Questions (and a free comic book at the end) with a Writer: Sean Fahey
Sean Fahey is a Coast Guardsman, lawyer, and owner/writer for independent comic book company Black Jack Press. He mixes military history, horror, and science fiction to tell stories worth reading.
1. Who are you, what have you written, and why?
I’m an active-duty officer and JAG in the United States Coast Guard, specializing in operational and international law. On select evenings and weekends, I also write comic books, primarily through the independent comic company I started several years ago, Black Jack Press.
Most of my early comic book writing is anthology work. Through Black Jack Press, I published several issues of a Western anthology, “Tall Tales from the Badlands,” a Viking anthology, “Sagas of the Northmen,” and a science-fiction/horror anthology “Dark Matter.” In addition, I wrote stories for Legendary Comics, Fulcrum Publishing, Flying Penguin Press (for their World War I anthology “To End All Wars”), and even an “Enemy Ace” story for DC Comics (a gig that was entirely the product of nepotism). After getting some reps and sets with anthology work, I now focus on longer stories. “The River of Blood,” is the most recent release from Black Jack Press. It’s an eighty-six-page stand-alone Viking-Horror comic book, very much in the spirit of Michael Crichton’s “Eaters of the Dead” and Mike Mignola’s “Baltimore” series.
Currently, I’m working on two projects. The first is “The Rage of Achilles,” a crazy Jack Kirby-inspired cosmic fantasy I can only describe as “Galaxy Quest” by way of professional wrestling in the South during the 1980s, featuring characters who may be “reincarnations” of legendary warriors from ancient history and classical literature. The second project is “Devil Country,” about a team of SAS and Long Range Desert Group commandos in North Africa during World War II, who get trapped in an underground tomb during a sandstorm and realize they are not alone.
Why these kinds of stories? I love stories about “ordinary” men and women thrown into extraordinary situations, forced to rely almost exclusively on their own (very human and often flawed) mental and physical abilities, instead of gizmos, potions, or alien DNA. I find those kinds of stories compelling and suspenseful. The stakes are meaningful and force genuine self-reflection. That’s not meant to be a backhanded comment about superhero comics. There’s plenty of room in comics for all genres, to include superheroes. It’s just not a genre I choose to work in. My favorite comics growing up were “Sgt. Rock,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “Jonah Hex,” “Warlord,” “The ‘Nam,” “G.I. Joe,” “The Punisher,” and “The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones” (still love that early Marvel run). Those are the kinds of stories I enjoy reading and will continue writing.
2. What is it that draws you to writing and graphic novels in particular?
Like most people, I think visually. As such, storytelling – for me – is an extremely visual process. Comics allow me to better translate the images in my head – tell my stories – than prose alone. More importantly, I love the collaborative environment comic books afford. It fuels me. The best feeling I get as a comic book writer is when I get pages back from an artist that deviate from my script (sometimes significantly) but tell the story better than I could. I’m experiencing this right now with my artist on “The Rage of Achilles,” a brilliant Argentinian artist named Jok. It’s a tough script, but every time I open an email with new pages (or even thumbnails) I think to myself, “Wow. He sees the story better than I do.”
I remember hearing Chuck Palahniuk talk in D.C. During the Q &A, an audience member asked him what he thought of the film adaptation of his novel “Fight Club.” Without hesitation, Palahniuk responded by saying, “I fuckin’ hated it the first time I saw it.” After the gasps from the audience subsidized, Palahnuik went on to explain, “I hated it because Fincher told that story better than I ever could.” That’s why I love working on comic books
.3. You’ve written about a wide array of subjects, how do they come to you and what about a story grabs you sufficiently to make it worth the challenge of getting it on paper?
This is one of the few benefits of being a mile wide but only an inch deep. A lot of things interest me. Granted, I may only have a superficial understanding of many of the things that interest me, but a lot of things interest me. This allows me to develop kernels and make connections. I’m a huge fan of exposing yourself to new ideas and experiences as often as possible, specifically competing ideas and experiences. I read the “The Iliad” during the same time that I was reading Jack Kirby’s “The New Gods,” while I was watching the “30 for 30” documentary on Ric Flair and was having lengthy conversations about Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology” and Neil Gaiman’s aborted run on “Thor” with my friend Matt. From that, “The Rage of Achilles” was born.
With respect to what grabs me, the angle I often try to cultivate is getting a character outside their comfort zone. Take one of their strongest attributes away and see what happens. In many ways, that was the idea behind “Devil Country.” How effective would these open country desert raiders be without speed and mobility in an extremely confined space where they no longer have the element of surprise, but are themselves hunted instead? What other attributes would such men tap into to survive? As a comic writer, I enjoy working with characters that must face seemingly impossible odds with only the tools they’ve cultivated themselves.
4. Your stories are deeply entertaining, deeply researched stories about the intersection of manly tales and mythos, sometimes with a lot of realism and sometimes a more supernatural bent. Tell us about the process you undertake to write/edit your work.
First, thank you for the kind words. Regarding your question about my writing process, it starts with the kernel of an idea, usually a mutation of something I read or watched. Then, I research. I always research, no matter what the subject is. I’m current outlining a project called “The Forest,” it’s a “Western” revenge story on the German border of the Roman Empire after the Battle of the Teutorburg Forest. After I had the kernel of an idea, but before I put any serious pen to paper, I read, and read, and read. I filled a research journal with notes as I read. Tacitus’ “Germania” and “Agricola,” Cicero’s “De Officiis” (On Duty), Peter Wells’ “The Battle that Stopped Rome,” Fredrick Jackson Turner’s “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” It was the same process with “Devil Country.” Right after I had a basic idea of “John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ in the desert during World War II,” I started reading and asking for recommendations on the SAS. I was immediately directed to Ben Macintyre’s “Rogue Heroes,” and supplemented that with dozens of articles and documentaries on the SAS and LRDG in North Africa, as well as more generalized articles and book chapters on the War in North Africa…and I watched “The Thing” again, not that anyone needs an excuse to periodically revisit the greatest film ever made.
You never know what you’ll get from research. Certainly, you hope your research lends a level of authenticity to the characters and the setting. That said, from the research itself can also come entirely new story ideas and characters. When I was starting to prepare our Viking anthology, “Sagas of the Northmen,” I had some basic ideas for broad topics I wanted to explore. Leif Erikson’s journey to North America. The Varangian Guard. I poured over a dozen books on the history of Vikings. In doing so, I learned about the Icelandic system of justice during the “Viking Era,” the “Althing,” a communal deliberative and adjudicative body that resolved all manner of disputes with an astonishing amount of due process given the period, but also used some unique forms of punishment. One of the punishments, usually for murder, was declaring someone an “outlaw,” literally outside the law. They had no rights for three years and could “legally” be robbed or murdered until the three-year period expired. Could you make it for three years? Could you make it three years surrounded by a bunch of Vikings? This was something that I had no previous knowledge of, but it turned into story I wasn’t originally planning on writing, “No King but the Law.”
It's not just new stories though. It’s also new characters and relationships between characters. The tension between the LRDG and SAS characters in “Devil Country” (which I think is the heart of the story) only came from my research learning about these two communities. That research went a long way to diversifying the protagonists and preventing them being a homogenous unit of British commandos, which, in turn, dramatically increased the tension when they end up trapped together in close quarters.
5. What have you learned in the process of writing and publishing, both substantively and personally, and what surprised you?
Don’t say no to yourself. For almost twenty years, I walked into comic shops on Wednesdays, poured over the new releases, and said to myself, “that’ll never be me.” Then, I just up and did it. It has never been easier to publish your own comics than it is right now. After I started publishing my own comics, I wanted to prove to myself that this wasn’t a vanity project, and I could get published in someone else’s books too. I was very lucky at first, but then I got a few rejections. I kept at it. I worked harder. Rejection is part of the process. It’s not personal. Just don’t say no to yourself if it happens.
In terms of surprises, I enjoy doing signings and conventions because they remind me that everyone just wants a good story. So, as a writer, you shouldn’t assume you know with absolute certainty who your audience is and focus all your sales efforts on a certain demographic or interest group. I recently did a convention for horror and mystery writers. At one point, a very pleasant, neatly dressed, middle-aged woman walked up to my table and started flipping through my books. I thought she was just being polite. She waived over to a very pleasant, neatly dressed, middle-aged man and said to him as he approached my table, “Yeah babe, this is definitely us.” She then turned to me and said, “We’ll take it.” I asked her which of our books she was referring to. As she was opening her pocketbook, she said, “All of them. We’ll take one of each, and can you sign them?” Conversely, I had guys – literally dressed as Vikings – walk right past my table without even looking in my direction. Don’t assume anything, and never exclude anyone from being a potential reader. Good stories transcend superficial barriers.
6. What is hardest about making a life as an active-duty Coast Guard officer and a writer?
The feeling that I can’t give 100% to either. Include in that calculus that I’m also a husband and a father of two young men. I’m also interested in film, reading, hiking, camping, fishing, archery, cooking, and traveling. Saturdays in the Fall are off the table, at least when Georgia is playing. I’m not unique; this is a common issue for most people. That said, it does leave me feeling that I’m always failing or slacking somewhere in my life. I’m a journeyman. I’m not mastering anything.
The counter to that though (and this is something I constantly remind myself) is that all these things that aren’t writing per se are the experiences that fuel the imagination. If I did just one thing, I’d be boring, and my work would reflect that. To your specific question though, when I’m writing a comic, I’m not reading the latest treatise on maritime interdiction operations, I’m not working on a law review article on narco-terrorism, I’m not getting ahead on my Coast Guard work. Right or wrong, that puts a pit in my stomach sometimes. Again though, it’s a choice.
7. What do you want people to take away from your work?
First and foremost, I want my readers to be entertained and have a worthwhile reading experience. As you know, there is a lot of content competing for the limited amount of free time folks have. What’s more, our leisure dollar is increasingly constrained. So, I want my readers to feel their time and hard-earned dollars were well spent.
Outside of entertainment value, if there’s a “core theme” running throughout my work, I think it’s that “actions reflect character.” Words alone are superficial. Good intentions alone aren’t enough. You have to set sail, and it’s important to have a strong moral compass, a North Star, to help center you when you go off course.
In addition, my stories are mostly about “ordinary” men and women, which is atypical in the comic book industry. Again, I have nothing against superhero comics per se. I love Frank Miller’s “The Dark Night Returns” and “Wolverine” mini-series. Jack Kirby’s run on “The Fantastic Four” and his entire DC catalog (everything from “The Challengers of the Unknown” to “Kamandi”) scream “pure comic book.” Darwyn Cooke’s “The New Frontier” may be the finest comic ever written; the prologue alone captures the essence of courage and brotherhood better than just about anything I’ve ever read. More recently, Tom King’s “The Human Target” is a compelling and well-crafted noir-inspired exploration of the “human side” of being a superhero, and a powerful statement about the need true professionals have to see a job through to completion. All that said, part of the reason I choose to work in this medium is because I want to do my (very small) part to provide a counter-narrative. You don’t need gizmos, potions, or alien DNA to have strength – real strength – and to exercise that strength in the face of adversity.
8. What advice do you have for aspiring authors/editors?
Treat it seriously. Writing is like working out. You’re not going to get that Tyler Durden physique after one workout. You have to be willing to do the work. One of the greatest gifts I ever received was the “F” Dr. Lucas Carpenter gave me on my first paper in Freshman English. Written on the front page of the paper was “Serious Errors. Come See Me Immediately.” For the next three years (until the Fall of my Senior year), I never turned in a paper without taking it to one of the grad assistants in the writing lab for review and feedback, and that meant finishing the first draft days before it was ultimately due. I vividly recall calling Dr. Carpenter at his house (he was very generous with his time) to discuss grammar nuances the night before papers were due, as I was giving it the final edit (Doc took half a letter grade for each grammar error). That experience forced me to take writing seriously. I taped that “F” above my desk and kept it there until I graduated from law school. Now, I show outlines (not just scripts) to five or six trusted agents before moving on to the next stage in the process, and I show scripts to as many people as I can before sending them to the artist. That’s just part of the work.
Part of the work is also reading, a lot. You have to read competing ideas. You have to read beyond the genre you are working in. You also have to expose yourself to new experiences. Get outside your comfort zone. That’s where the kernels and the connections come from.
As it relates to comic books specifically, my advice is to find an anthology series to write for. If you can’t find one, start your own. Anthologies are the best way to build your confidence and skill set. You’ll also know if you’re genuinely serious. If you can’t complete an eight-page story, you’re not serious. If you can complete an eight-page story, then write a ten-page story.
9. What is your favorite book and why?
“The Grifters,” by Jim Thompson. It’s the first novel I read entirely for myself, not something assigned to me in school. I was a late bloomer.
10. What do graphic novels do that “conventional literature” does not or cannot?
We discussed a little bit already the marriage of visuals and prose. That’s unique in and of itself. In that way, comics tend to be a bridge between novels and film. To be honest though, the real strength of comic books is that they are a gateway drug for developing healthy lifelong reading habits. My younger son will only grudgingly read conventional novels outside of those assigned to him in school, and he only grudgingly reads those. Manga though? He tears though that stuff. Absolutely tears through it. He’s fifteen and he’s read hundreds of volumes of Manga, amounting to thousands of pages. “Vinland Saga.” “Attack on Titan.” “Naruto.” “Neon Genesis Evangelion.” The latest fascination is a samurai series called “Vagabond.” He and I have an arrangement, as soon as he finishes a volume and we unpack it together with my wife (what he liked, what he didn’t, and why), I order the next book in the series. He gets to keep his allowance for other things. The Manga is on Dad.
11. How can people get copies of your work?
For those (like me) who prefer their comics in print, our entire catalog is available at Indy Planet: https://www.indyplanet.com/black-jack-press
If you prefer digital books, our catalog is available at DriveThru Comics: https://www.drivethrucomics.com/browse/pub/3616/black-jack-press
You can also follow us on Twitter (https://x.com/BlackJackPress) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BlackJackPress), where we post preview art of our works in progress, promote free giveaways, and pontificate about Westerns, Noir, Science Fiction, and all things John Milius, John Carpenter, and barbarian.
12. What have I not asked that I should have?
I think you hit the highlights. So, let me thank you for inviting me to do this. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity. Also, let me thank your readers for taking the time to read this interview. If you made it this far, permit me to show my gratitude by offering every reader of this interview a free digital copy of a Black Jack Press anthology comic of your choice. Check out our catalog above, make your selection, and shoot me an email at blackjackpresscomics@gmail.com. No strings attached. No questions asked. If you like what you see, please consider trying another book and following us on our social media sites. Much appreciated!