Writer Chris Condon continues to offer readers a variety of stories from multiple publishers and multiple genres, exhibiting the author’s range and popularity.
Condon’s latest story is one that he has been itching to tell for a very long time. Mad Cave’s sci-fi mystery Far Down Below (with art by Gegê Schall) invites readers to Pennsylvania in the 1980s in a comic that combines fantastic elements with the realities of teenage life.
We spoke to Condon about the new series and a number of his other current and upcoming projects in this exclusive interview.
You have previously stated that Far Down Below is a concept that you have toyed with since high school. Why has it stuck with you for so long and why is the timing right to share it with the world right now?
Chris Condon: I think that there was a lot that I identified with in it. In a lot of ways, it was my youth. It captures a lot of the things that I loved growing up, including the work of Jules Verne and the classic 1954 version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. There are specific moments in the story that were ripped from my childhood – the bike ride in the thunderstorm, the lightning striking the water tower, playing dominos inside of a closed-in porch. I really wanted to distill my childhood, or at least my memories of it.
In terms of the timing… the timing is right because Mike Marts and Mad Cave Studios decided that they liked the story enough to give it a home. I didn’t keep it hidden under a bushel. I wanted to make this story for years but I now have enough work in the industry that people are giving me opportunities to tell the stories that I want to tell. Far Down Below happens to be one of those stories – and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s coming together.
Far Down Below goes a lot of different places in the first issue, one being inside the actual Earth. Thoughts on the concept of a Hollow Earth for storytelling purposes?
Condon: It’s a classic concept and I think it’s a fascinating one. What if there was more to our earth than we know? What if there was another world, just below our feet? Why wouldn’t you want to tell a story about that? You know? There’s a reason that people have been playing with that concept since at least the 1800s. Before that, there were stories of far off lands you could reach by ship, but once humans had mapped the globe, where else was there to go but down or up? That’s when you start seeing stories of the Hollow Earth, or of the Moon, or Mars. It’s that very real human instinct to search for more.
A lot of your previous work, such as That Texas Blood, deals with seemingly mundane settings and everyday life that is intruded upon by abnormal circumstances/threats. How do you mix these elements in a convincing fashion in Far Down Below?
Condon: I grew up going to ‘Weird NJ’ spots. So a lot of Far Down Below has that truth to it. What the difference is, of course, is that our characters, Jeff and Brian, discover something truly strange and extraordinary. For me, those are the kinds of stories that will always resonate. You take a normal day, a typical excursion, and then you rip a hole in reality. I think that’s something we do in both That Texas Blood and Far Down Below – my hope is that we do it successfully.
How much of the new series is grounded in your experiences as a teen?
Condon: Most of it. I wanted adventure when I was a kid. Who didn’t? My best friend and I would trek out into the dark woods and try to find the strange and different, for no other reason than we could. I think that’s what Jeff and Brian are setting out to do and, in that way, this all is based on my own childhood experiences, barring a fantastical element or two.
What does artist Gegê Schall bring to the narrative?
Condon: Gegê brings life and color to the narrative. I couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator than Gegê. Truly.
You recently took over as the writer on Green Arrow. How is it going and what was your approach to Oliver Queen as a character in the DC Universe?
Condon: Well, you might be better suited in telling me how it’s going! I love it. It’s a joy to write Ollie and to explore some very real social issues through the lens of DC’s emerald archer. My approach was to look back at my favorite depictions of the character, to boil those down, and to come away with what I thought the base essence of Oliver Queen was. I like to think that we’ve been doing a pretty good job, but the reader really is the final judge on that.
Upcoming projects?
Condon: More Far Down Below, of course, but I also have a new one-shot out from Oni Press in May called The Goddamn Tragedy, and a new mini-series from Image Comics with Jeffrey Alan Love called News from the Fallout. I’m very excited about all of them!
Far Down Below #1 is currently available at your local comic shop.
