Chris Condon and Shawn Kuruneru team for a new harrowing Western tale from Oni Press titled, appropriately enough, The Goddamn Tragedy.
The grisly one-shot comic is entirely painted by Kuruneru, with the gut punch scripting of Condon, who we were lucky enough to speak to again in this exclusive interview about what makes his story such a “Goddamn Tragedy”.
Where did the idea for The Goddamn Tragedy originate?
Chris Condon: I had been talking to Oni Press’ president and publisher, Hunter Gorinson, about doing an original idea together after Night People. I had expressed interest in focusing on a one-shot, but didn’t really have much of an idea at that point, though I did think that a Western would be fun, especially after Jacob Phillips and I had just had some success with The Enfield Gang Massacre. I was reading something somewhere about the Donner party and it occurred to me that I haven’t really seen much about that tragedy in a fictional story, especially recently. Then, the title popped into my head. The Goddamn Tragedy. I thought that was such an evocative title that I formed a story around it.
You have worked in the western genre a number of times. What is it about the genre that appeals to you and works to your strengths as a writer?
Condon: I love the focus on environment and setting in a Western. If you watch an old Western film, they often have these huge, sweeping vistas, all filmed in widescreen. They even invented a new form of widescreen in the 1950s called “Cinerama” to help emphasize this focus even further. I love that – I love the silence of being in a distant, remote place. I think there’s an inherent tension in the isolation, in being forced into an inhospitable environment that’s out of your comfort zone. I think I thrive in telling those sorts of stories.
What did Shawn bring to the story in terms of his art and the fact that he painted the comic versus more traditional pen and ink?
Condon: Shawn was my one and only choice for art on this. I was very fortunate that Hunter and Sierra Hahn (the EIC at Oni) had both worked with Shawn before and had enjoyed the experience, so they allowed that collaboration to take place. Thank God they did. Shawn is a phenomenal artist with a unique style – something I try to find in every artist I work with. He has a unique way of portraying Western vistas, as was apparent in his previous Western work in Cave Grave and Poor Moon, both of which are being reprinted by Oni Press. Simply, The Goddamn Tragedy would not be the same book without him.
The Goddamn Tragedy shares some similarities with The Endfield Gang Massacre in terms of “the truth” vs. the actual truth. How did the story devices and narratives of each support this conflict?
Condon: Huh! I hadn’t even thought of that. I think that’s something built into the very idea of history. The old saying is: “history is written by the victors.” Well, that implies that the victors scrub the truth to be beneficial to them. But the real truth is often more interesting and complicated. I think exploring that, exposing the truth amidst the lies, is something that fascinates me. Possibly because it’s a struggle that we’re often losing.
You have also been involved in Oni’s relaunch of the EC Comics brand. Thoughts on the reemergence of the company and the stories you’ve written so far?
Condon: I love EC Comics. I grew up loving EC Comics and it’s a thrill to have been included in the relaunch as much as I was. I love the stories I was able to tell and I am very proud of how diverse and varied the work is.
Upcoming work?
Condon: I have a new Image Comics series called News from the Fallout that I’m very excited about, more Ultimate Wolverine, Green Arrow, and some more fun, scary stuff from Oni.
The Goddamn Tragedy is currently available at finer comic book shops everywhere. Check out the main cover by Kuruneru and one of the variants by Jenna Cha below.
