Comicbookinterviews.com Chief Correspondent – Canada Hal Hilden recently caught up with fellow Canuck Ken Janssens, and between discussions on Canadian Health Care, Manitoba winter storms versus the dreaded Maritime Nor’ Easter, and who is the best hockey player, they managed to find time to discuss comic books. The native Canadian recently wrote Sherlock Holmes: Victorian Knights. Ken talked about his career in comics and his work at Bluewater Productions…
HAL: Ken, glad you could stop by CBI…
KJ: If anyone wonders which climate won as the more bad ass, it was definitely Manitoba winter storms. 
HAL: Where were you born and raised?
KJ: I was born and bred in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It’s a great place. The biggest small town in the world.
HAL: How long have you been writing comics?
KJ: I’ve been writing comics coming on two decades. Now, ask me how long I’ve been successfully writing comics.
HAL: Any comic that has been completed and seen print can be deemed a successful writing comic endeavor. That’s my opinion.
HAL: How did you break into the industry writing comic books?
KJ: It’s one of those things where you have little starts and stops in small startup companies that go nowhere. But you meet people. The networking happens. Eventually, if you’re lucky, someone remembers that they liked your work and they are now in the position to help you. For Sherlock Holmes: Victorian Knights, it was Bernie Lee who remembered my love of the classic detective. Thanks again, Bernie!
HAL: Tell us a little about the Sherlock Holmes mini series from Bluewater Comics?
KJ: The mini-series is titled Sherlock Holmes: Victorian Knights. The story is two mysteries that are connected through a single suspect (though I won’t tell you how). The first story takes place inLondonand has to do with a dead prostitute in a ‘haunted’ boarding house. The second story takes place in the countryside. Anyone who loves the feel of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” should be happy about this one.
HAL: Tell us about the team that brought this series to life?
KJ: Two words for you: Matthew Martin. This is the artist on the book and he blows me away with his diverse character designs. The characters are completely distinct from one another, more so than in any other book I’ve seen. The action panels are quite awesome as well. He’s our British component to this international affair. Colourist Vladimir Popov is our fantastic colourist and equally-American Bernie Lee is our letterer. Bernie’s also our ‘Charlie’, having brought us angels together.
HAL: What do think is the world’s fascination with Sherlock Holmes?
KJ: A character that has existed at the top of the literary pack for as long as he has (just shy of 135 years) usually does because the character represents different things to different people. Some people love the mysteries Sherlock gets involved in and how the stories feel. Some people love him for his intellect and how he solves the mysteries through his amazing observational skills. If you’re like me, you love him because he can be a superior jerk who, quite frankly, deserves to be one. I think that aspect makes him one of the greatest three-dimensional protagonists. It also explains why so many characters since Holmes’ inception have been based on him.
HAL: What is it like to work for Bluewater Comics? I’ve spoken to Bluewater Comics publisher Darren G. Davis a few times and if anything, he has his finger on the pulse of what’s hot right now.
KJ: Darren has been nothing but awesome to us. He has been understanding and quite encouraging. Bosses don’t get much better than him.
HAL: Do you have any formal writing training? Have you taken any classes or courses?
KJ: I have a minor in English and have taken different writing courses throughout my life. It’s good to get in a class with a bunch of writers every once and awhile. It can jump start your thinking in directions that were previously off your radar completely.
HAL: Who are your artistic and/or writing influences?
KJ: For comics, my current writing influences are Brian Michael Bendis and Gail Simone. They are masters of character and tales that compel me to read more and more, even if I’m not a big fan of the properties they are writing at any given time. Outside of comics, I dig Damon Lindelof, Michael Chabon, Audrey Niffenegger, and Caleb Carr. If you want past influences, that would take a lot longer.
HAL: How do you focus when writing?
KJ: That’s not easy. There are some weeks that I can’t write a single word. After working a day job for nine hours, it isn’t always simple to get the brain going. I find that the best way to find your focus is to just start writing, even if you aren’t writing anything good. It will spark your mind and usually get you into a better head space.
HAL: How long does it take you to create a 22-page script?
KJ: That varies greatly. It depends whether the story takes place in the present day or not. If it does, I can usually knock out a script in a week or two. If not, the research can make the process last a lot longer.
HAL: What mode of scripting do you use? Personally, I use the Darkhorse method of script-writing.
KJ: Dark Horse is nice enough to put script templates on their website so that has always been the one I have followed. Lately, my format has become a little more relaxed than that, but that is still the gist of how I write.
HAL: What was the first comic book you ever read?
KJ: I’m not sure exactly what book it was. Probably an old X-Men comic that my dad had in a box. I can, however, tell you the first comic I ever bought. It was Batman and the Outsiders #1 onMay 19th, 1983. It was what set me on the path that got me where I am today. Thank you, Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo.
HAL: Ahhh, Batman’s dark Justice League. I remember it well.
HAL: Do you read any of the new comic books that are being published today? If so, which ones?
KJ: I’m still figuring out what I’m going to stick with in DC’s new 52. I really like Animal Man, Batwoman, and I have always had a thing for Suicide Squad. I will always be an X-Men fan and I really like Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men. I read sporadic comics in Image, Vertigo, Dark Horse, and Bluewater.
HAL: Name a few characters or franchises that you’d love to write for if given the opportunity?
KJ: My six favorite comic book characters are Green Arrow, The Question, Black Lightning, Deadshot, Cyclops, and Beast. If I ever get a chance to write any of those guys, I would be extremely stoked.
HAL: Print vs. Digital. Your thoughts…
KJ: I will be a Print fan until I die. There is just something about holding the books in your hands. I do use Digital and see the many benefits and future of it, but it will never be my number one.
HAL: What other mediums or genres have you written for?
KJ: I am a published prose author and a produced radio and stage playwright. I write a lot of noir and mystery, but I have written in most genres.
HAL: Do you have any other projects on the go, or any in the immediate future?
KJ: I have a 128-page noir graphic novel coming out with Pro Se Productions that is halfway pencilled. I also have a project that has been greenlit for Moonshot Digital Comics. The project that will hit the stands first, though, is a Richard Pryor bio comic for Bluewater that I’m quite proud of.
HAL: A bio gig from Bluewater! Congratulations!
HAL: Thanks for your time Ken, and I look forward to following your comic career. I also wish nothing but the best for the revived Winnipeg Jets, except when they play my beloved Maple Leafs.
KJ: I wish I could say the same Go Jets Go!
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About the interviewer –
Hal Hilden fancies himself a warrior-writer. Having wallowed through the trenches with pen and paper in hand he has fired off script after script over the years. This has given him calloused fingertips and the intestinal fortitude to realize that working in the comic industry is easier said than done.
Hal’s co-creator owned property is Dreamland: 2047. He dabbled in the television industry writing a spec-script for a cartoon property. Hal is currently a staff writer for Red Leaf Comics and Chief Correspondent-Canada for comicbookinterviews.com. His highly-acclaimed issue: MacSorly, RCMP from Red Leaf Comics was an instant hit.
Hal can be reached at: hhilden@comicbookinterviews.com
