Review Fix Exclusive: Darryl Knickrehm Talks ‘The Immortal’

Review Fix chats with comic book writer and artist Darryl Knickrehm, who discusses the goals and inspiration for his new series, “The Immortal.” A fan of the work of Chris Claremont and Moebius as well as Batman, Star Wars and Star Trek as a kid, those that give the comic a chance will find some odes to some of comics’ most iconic characters, but more than enough originality to inspire newfound intrigue.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this comic?

Darryl Knickrehm: I’ve been crazy about the work of Moebius for a while, especially the work he did in Heavy Metal magazine. So the initial inspiration (many years ago) was to do something like that. The only problem was that I had kind of given up on making comics a long time ago when I went a different creative route after high school (to film school). After making indie films for a number of years, however, I began dabbling in illustration again. That initial ‘ode to Moebius’ comic that I did was my first attempt at drawing a comic since my teenage years. It was laughably bad, but it started me down this road I am now. It also created the concept that eventually turned into The Immortal.

Review Fix: What comics did you read as a kid?

Knickrehm: I loved X-men. I think mostly it was because of Jim Lee’s art, however. I got into comics right about the time he and Chris Claremont started their X-men series (I remember standing in line for hours to get their autographs). I had always loved drawing when I was little, so when I first saw Jim Lee’s art, it totally blew my pimply, teenage brain.

From there I discovered Batman. Just everything about that character clicked with me. So much so that while my interest in superhero comics dipped as I got older, I’m still a fan of Batman to this day.

Review Fix: How did they inspire this one?

Knickrehm: Batman was a huge influence on The Immortal. I think the reason Batman works so well (and is also so appealing to adults), is because his character is fairly dynamic. He’s got problems, but he tries to be good.  In fact, his motivations at times can be completely selfish. He’s a great anti-hero in many respects. And in story-telling terms, this is the perfect character. It allows internal conflict and more importantly, growth.

This is what Z (the main character of The Immortal) is like. He’s not a direct (or conscious) derivative of Batman, but I’m sure the likeness are there. And now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure a little Wolverine worked his way into Z’s character as well. He was my favorite character out of the X-men. He’s also an interesting anti-hero (I think it goes without saying that I like anti-heroes). He’s got a mystery about his past, he doesn’t really fit in, he’s got anger issues. Z has many of these similarities as well.

Review Fix: What inspired the main character’s art design?

Knickrehm: When I first drew that ‘ode to Moebius’ comic, I was just starting to get back into illustration. I was basically starting over from square one and studying anatomy, art styles, etc. So instead of truly ‘drawing’ I was merely mimicking Moebius’ style (and falling very far from it). I didn’t know exactly what style I wanted to do, or more importantly, what style I could do. I had dabbled with a really contrasty style during film school (I took a few art courses as well) that was similar to what Frank Miller did in Sin City, but it wasn’t exactly right. I really fell in love with the line work of Moebius, Franklin Booth, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Virgil Finlay, but I just wasn’t able to pull it off. I then was blown away by the intricate detail of Geoff Darrow and Seth Fisher and how it could be enhanced with brilliant color schemes (by Dave Stewart). Then finally after a few years of dabbling with this and that, I found the mishmash of styles which I liked and could do. But through it all I was enamored with the punk-like creativity of those early Heavy Metal Moebius works. And that was when Z was born.

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy this comic the most?

Knickrehm: Well, I know I enjoy the comic, so… Someone who grew up on Star Wars or Star Trek but is looking for a more adult version. Someone who gets a kick out of cool art. Someone who likes the grit of Batman or Wolverine or Sin City. And someone who loves a page-turning mystery. One with big revelations, cool monsters, and action and adventure.

Review Fix: Why do you think the world loves Sci-Fi so much?

Knickrehm: I think sci-fi is the modern day version of myth and legend. The modern day human, however, is more educated than any in the history of humanity. We are taught how things work and don’t need religion or myth to explain the inner workings of the universe. We are raised with an understanding of how things are and why they are, which makes the universe almost a mechanical place. It’s a place based on formulas, based on science. A place where it’s hard to pull the wool over the reader’s eyes. Because we’ve seen it all and understand it all nowadays because of our education and because of technology. But underneath all that understanding is a primal urge to not understand. We are fascinated by the unknown. People love ghost stories, alien myths, things that can’t be explained. It adds magic to our life. It makes things bigger, more interesting, fantastic. And I think the reason sci-fi is so popular is because it satisfies all those needs in one cool little package. I know that’s why I like it.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2016?

Knickrehm: I’ve got lots of plans this year. First, is to get the rest of the story of The Immortal out there. I’m currently working on Issue six, and if things go as planned, all 8 issues will be out by the end of the year. I’d also like to pick up some work as a penciler at some comic book studios. I’m also hoping to do one or two short stand-alone comics that I’ve written as well. We’ll see if I can get all of that done, however.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Knickrehm: I’ve got a lot in the works. To start, I’ve got two or three short, one-shot stories that are already written and I’d like to draw. These are kind of Twilight Zone-like episodes that don’t connect but are just cool stories. My next big project is another limited series called 152. It’s a horror story this time, based on a short film I did a while back. I’m thinking of doing it more in a manga style because it’s based in Japan. I’m also developing a spin-off/continuation of The Immortal. And finally, I’m pondering on turning an unpublished novel I wrote into a massive graphic novel series. It would be something truly awesome to see, but a massive undertaking. Hopefully, at least one of all these will see the light of day.