There are plenty of things to love about comic books. Among them is finding a writer that you enjoy. Someone you like so much that you’ll give their project a shot before you read the description. One of those writers for me is Steve Orlando and his comic for Mad Cave,Land of Never.
The first issue was so good that I immediately started writing an article on it and later reached out to Mad Cave Studios to ask for an interview with Steve Orlando. He was nice enough to answer some questions. First among them was where the idea for Land of Never came from and if it connected to the original’s dark tale. He gave an extended answer that answered my query and then some.
“The initial kernel on this one came from a conversation with the folks at Mad Cave–a brainstorming session. And some of my favorite books have started that way (Hello, EXORCISTS NEVER DIE–!) and this is no different. Some of the best tales come from questioning how an idea can evolve in surprising ways. So here, we had PETER PAN and the question was–how can it be new? How can it be surprising? And with Peter, as you said, the original story was already darker than folks may think.”
Steve Orlando went on to explain that, despite what we’ll see in the mini-series, Pan isn’t a villain but the antagonist.
“For this version, for LAND OF NEVER, we wanted to extrapolate that into a world where Peter may be the antagonist, but he’s not the villain—where the idea of never growing up becomes not a fantasy, but a nightmare. And in a way, that IS the perfect metaphor for growing up—something we can’t wait to do until we’ve done it, after which time we often long for the relatively carefree days of childhood.”
Reflecting, Orlando admits he’s proud of what they’ve done and the direction the comic has taken.
“I’m extremely proud of this entire series, to be clear—but as we send our second issue to print, I really do think we nailed the vibe and tone of the book. I think we hit it right on the head. One of the reasons I’m happy with it is we don’t go easy on the leads—and we don’t ignore that while they know Peter is real and the Floating Man is real, they still have to prove it to the authorities and everyone else in their lives.”
“We dig deep into the horror of the Floating Man’s abductions–and how even being a near-miss target of Peter’s can be traumatizing.”
Steve Orlando
After putting a spin on Peter Pan, Orlando has begun working on a spin on Beowulf, and there are a handful of other iconic stories he’d be interested in putting a modern and grim touch on.
“Funny you should ask! We’re doing it with one of the oldest myths there is right now at Mad Cave with WAR WOLF, a book that offers an action-satirical take on BEOWULF,” Orlando revealed.
“As for other fairytales I’d like to tackle in a modern take—for sure! But it’s not a guarantee all would be dark or grim—it depends on the original. It depends on the core concept. But it’d be fun, for sure—Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and Sleeping Beauty, as examples, would be exciting choices to present in all new ways.”
As a fan of Robin Williams’ Hook and the Fox Peter Pan (showing my age here), Orlando hinted there is hope we’ll see Tinker Bell or the crocodile that took Captain Hook’s hand.
“We can’t give away all our secrets right at the top, can we? But I’ll say this, at least one of these will be mirrored in the book, and sooner than you think…”
Speakin of looking ahead, there are some fun things ahead from Orlando!
“It’s the second arc, the final half of WAR WOLF! I’m incredibly proud of this book – Marco Perugini has been an incredible collaborator. And I am lucky to be able to tell this tale–one part BEOWULF and one part WAR OF THE WORLDS – all presented for the post-fact present. It’s bold, it’s sexy, it’s raw…and I’m so happy to have Mad Cave as a partner!”
