RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
In Jim McCann’s newest series, The Other/Half (Ignition Press), Henry and Ethan are night and day as a married couple. Henry is rough around the edges as a private investigator; Ethan’s a socialite from old money. But the two get caught up in a high-stakes situation that puts them both to the test.
To celebrate the release of his new book, McCann is headed to Dallas to meet fans and friends for a signing appearance. Zeus Comics and Collectibles will host the author, along with Other/Half illustrator Joe Eisma, on Saturday, March 14, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
In addition to the title’s first issue, Zeus will have limited copies of the online exclusive The Other/Half The Cold Open.
The event will also feature Leah Williams, the author of Voyeur, also from Ignition Press.
McCann discussed the book with Dallas Voice ahead of his appearance at Zeus. He talked about how classic cinema shaped the characters and the career path that took him from theater to daytime soaps to — his dream job — working for Marvel Comics.
Dallas Voice: Congratulations on the new book. After reading the first issue, Ethan and Henry are an interesting couple. What was the impetus for this story? Jim McCann: I love classic cinema and old Hollywood, and the Thin Man franchise always stuck with me.
There was something about that patter of dialogue those types of films had. It’s so shiny and witty and the stories are always about this married couple thrown together and solving a crime.
And that led to The Other/Half? I really wanted to take some of that feel of those movies into today. I wrote out this pitch with a gay lead couple. In those movies, you really do get a sense of how the two communicate. They live and work and love each other throughout these series of events.
In The Thin Man, Nora is more upper class where Nick is not, and you echo that here with Ethan and Henry. It’s interesting to play into that class difference, but they love and trust one another to have each other’s backs.
How was your writing process? Were you watching these movies while creating the storyline? Oh yeah, every issue I was watching these movies: Philadelphia Story, My Man Godfrey, the Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn films.
The story is not set in those decades. I wanted to walk that line where it could be set in the ’40s but is set today. Plus, I want the core of it to be relatable to everyone. As a member of the community, I’m excited to tell this story with this queer couple lead, but I wanted everyone to get something out of it.
You’ve written some heavy-hitting Marvel characters — Hawkeye, X-Men, Dazzler. How do you compare writing something like Other/Half to the world of superheroes? With heroes, there are these big dynamic moments but also a certain canon established by the greats that came before you. You can be creative but also serve that history. When I create my own, I have their voice. I think for indie comics like this, you can go more into a slice of life story. There’s more room to explore other avenues.
In writing for Marvel, did you ever get to incorporate a queer character? I created Twitchy in my Hawkeye series, but it didn’t get picked up, and I never had a chance to write others. But in my other books — Mind the Gap, The Return of the Dapper Men and Lost Vegas — they have a queerness about them. Queer characters are a bit more universal now in comics, but, that being said, somebody’s gonna ban it somewhere. Now that I’m doing Other/Half, I hope more LGBTQ+ folks come to the comics to see the representation.
Comics are a place for everyone.
I imagine working on the indie side of things helps. I have to sing Ignition’s praises. They have a “creator first” philosophy, and they let you develop your brand which was one reason I felt very comfortable telling a queer story. So that’s a part of me on the page which was never part of my brand before. It’s very fulfilling.
Your career has been all over the place with the throughline of writing: theater, daytime soap operas, comics and animated series. How did you navigate your way here? I broke in wherever and whenever I could. I knew I wanted to be a comic book writer when I picked up my first book at 10. I was naturally drawn to theater which I minored in college. I was working in theater when I ran into a soap star in Nashville who put me in touch with ABC’s writing program, which was a massive help to writing serialized fiction. That helped me with comics too.
I moved close to New York to write for the soap and within a month of moving there, a job at Marvel opened up. These were my dreams. When I soft pitched Hawkeye & Mockingbird, Brian Michael Bendis said I should write it. Then I went on to create Return of the Dapper Men with artist Janet Lee, and I won an Eisner for that.
That’s the highest honor in the field. So what do you dream about now? Well, I’m a big Star Wars fan, so I’d love to do a Star Wars comic. Maybe some more TV and film, but I’ll continue with comics. I love the medium so much.
The Other/Half debuts on March 11. Author Jim McCann and illustrator Joe Eisma, along with another Ignition author Leah Williams, will be at Zeus Comics and Collectibles, 1334 Inwood Road, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 14, for a signing event to celebrate the release of the new book.