Deconstructing Strangehaven: Interview Roundup

The In Praise of Shadows video hasn’t been the only Strangehaven-related content being broadcast across the infinite digital landscape in recent months. My laid-back East Essex timbre can be heard on both an audio podcast and a YouTube video interview, and there’s also a website Q&A and a couple of video reviews that have surfaced recently.

Podcast:

In June I did what I think is my first ever podcast for Deconstructing Comics. Kumar Sivasubramanian and I had a grand old confab for an hour about Strangehaven and we really got into the weeds of my twenty-five year journey.

We discuss my apprenticeship to the medium, the seeds of creation, influences, lofty intentions, process, formalism, ambiguity, Meanwhile… and the shift to colour, the elastic nature of time, the future of Strangehaven, publishing options, work/life balance and a promise of ‘some kind of satisfying ending’ to the series. But not necessarily in that order.

You should be able to find it on your favourite podcast platform (search for Deconstructing Comics Episode #740), or listen on Spotify, Apple, Deconstructing Comics’ own website, YouTube or just click and listen below.

Blog Interview:

Earlier in June I did a short email interview with Giallo Julian of the horror website Dread Central for his Indie Spotlight column, “Strange Havens, Vaudeville Clowns, and Carnivorous Cannibals.”

You’ll need to scroll down to the bottom of the column, where the Throwback section begins.

Julian is genuinely impressed by the concept of old skool self-publishing:

“The most amazing aspect about Millidge’s comic, however, is that unlike many of his contemporaries, he did it all BY HIMSELF. Writing, editing, illustrating, publishing, everything that went into bringing it to life, it was all him. Which is nothing short of fucking rad!”

Video Interview:

And back in November last year I gave a two-part video interview to comics YouTuber Mark Oldroyd.

The first part is mostly about Strangehaven, its creation, technical aspects of self-publishing and what lies ahead. In the second section we chat about advice for self-publishers, my favourite creators, current comics reads, and discuss changes to the industry over the past twenty-five years. You can watch them here:

Part One  |  Part Two 

Mark had already posted a twenty-minute video ‘appreciation’ of Strangehaven prior to our interview taking place, and that’s here.*

Video Review: 

Finally, I should mention that I recently stumbled upon a very perceptive eight-minute review of Strangehaven, also on YouTube, from way back in September 2018. Strange Brain Parts’ “Strangehaven in Review” gratifyingly points out, among other things, the parallels with Abrams and Lindelof’s TV series Lost. You can watch it below:

[Edit: “Strangehaven in Review” has been removed from YouTube.]

All very flattering of course, and I’m very thankful to Kumar, Julian, Mark and the mysterious Mr. Brain Parts for helping to get the word out about Strangehaven.