INTERVIEW: BEN FISHER & ADAM MARKIEWICZ ON DYNAMITE’S THE great DIVIDE

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The great Divide #1 Adam Markiewicz cover

Ben Fisher is the writer of Grumpy Cat, Smuggling Spirits, Hexen Hammers, and more. Adam Markiewicz is the creator of Trench coat Samurai, Defenders of the lost World, and others. Together, they bring us the post-apocalyptic adventure, The great Divide. They recently told Westfield’s Roger Ash about this exciting new series.

Westfield: What was the genesis of The great Divide?

Ben Fisher: A psychologist would probably say it stems from being an introvert who consistently finds himself in crowded rooms — so I conceived a world where isolation is a survival mechanism rather than a personality defect. but conversely, the concept also stems from my genuine interest in human connection. What does it mean to have relationships if physical contact is a death sentence — when simply being near another person is a tremendous risk? how do societal constructs shift when utter extinction is a foregone conclusion?

Adam Markiewicz: The lucky thing for me is that Ben had already worked out all the important details. So for me it was just about visualizing it as best I could. It’s an easy world for me to fall into. Post-apocalyptic stuff is very much in my wheelhouse.

The great Divide #1 Mike Henderson cover

Westfield: What can you tell us about the series? who are the main characters we’ll meet?

Fisher: The series is set in the near future, where all of humanity suffers from a mysterious affliction that causes any skin contact to result in agonizing death. We see the world through the eyes of reluctant comrades traveling across the Pacific Northwest, and witness their discovery of the Divide’s potential cause.

At the heart of the story are two people who connect in traditional Hollywood romantic fashion: Paul is an aimless wanderer content to run out the clock on his life until he meets Maria, who immediately beats him unconscious, robs him, and leaves him for dead. during their journey, they connect with a pretty unusual cast of characters, including a former soldier who often serves as their moral compass, a sociopath who collects memories, and a “baredevil” who thrives on the adrenaline rush of over-exposure.

Markiewicz: Ben has done a great job of populating this series with characters that are exceptionally fun to draw. I think a lot of that has to do with the personality that just pours out of them. I think it’s safe to say we’ve both made an effort to make these characters as real as we can, both in the dialogue and visually.

The great Divide #1 preview page 1

Westfield: how much prep work did you do for the series, both in world building and the look of the comic?

Fisher: I tried to gather as much information as I could to bolster the story’s internal logic and world-building. For example, I met with power plant engineers to discuss how the electric grid would behave, behavioral psychologists, and even a few doomsday “enthusiasts.” as for the “feel” of the world, Adam deserves most of the credit. We had multiple discussions about aesthetics, and how a person devoid of human contact might express him or herself in art — but in the end, it was Adam who so beautifully conveyed loneliness in the landscape. and I’d be remiss not to add that Guzowski really turned everything up to an “11” with his colors.

Markiewicz: I think there were some initial talks about how the world would look. So much of it is in the script. Ben really does a good job of describing this world and the people who inhabit it that my job ends up being pretty simple. We did some brainstorming about the graffiti and mannequin street art. In terms of the look, I’ve mainly taken inspiration from early John Carpenter (Escape From new York, assault On Precinct 13, The Thing) and George Romero’s zombie movies. This is a world not too far off from our own. just no one’s been around with a Swiffer to tidy up.

The great Divide #1 preview page 2

Westfield: There are a lot of mysteries in the comic such as why did touching another person become lethal and why does one of the people die and the other doesn’t? will all the mysteries be resolved by the end of the series?

Fisher: The great Divide has a whole laundry list of weirdness. The two you mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. Why do the dead victim’s memories transfer to the survivor? Why does the entire planet periodically, and without warning, enter a temporary sleepwalking trance? Why do the survivors of skin contact lose the ability to read and write?

I’ve never been a fan of “weird for the sake of being weird” in storytelling. If something strange happens, I prefer there to be a reason. Obviously, we don’t want to spoil anything — but yes, questions will absolutely be answered. Of course, I can’t promise that the answers won’t raise a whole new set of mysteries …

The greatDivide #1 preview page 3

Westfield: As dark as the story is, there is still humor. Was it important to you to include bits of humor?

Markiewicz: I don’t think something like this can work unless there’s a little humor. As serious as some of the themes are, I think people would get jaded pretty fast if it took itself too seriously.

Fisher: Adam is exactly right. It would be all too easy to let the dark subject matter swallow all the light — but where’s the fun in that? [Joss] Whedon once said “Make it dark, make it grim, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.” There’s no doubt we’re hitting on serious, troubling themes in this book — but there’s a lot of humor and bright spots mixed in, as well.

Westfield: There’s a bonus offer with the first issue – a song download. how did this special feature come about?

Fisher: We recognize that there’s a lot of entertainment options today, including many outstanding titles on the comic shelves. So we made the decision early to include additional digital content with each issue, as our way of thanking readers who choose to spend some time with us. The first issue will include the download code for a song I wrote about a doomsday prepper on a first date. The second issue is going to have downloadable pages to a post-apocalyptic adult coloring book drawn by Adam. We’ve got a lot of fun stuff planned!

In addition to all that, Adam and I are having an absolute blast telling this story, and that enthusiasm has spilled over into our other passions. We’re both musicians (Adam in particular has an ear for ambient soundtracks) and we’ve written a full original score for the series, which we intend to make available online (for free!) to help set the mood.

The great Divide #1 cover by Kyle Strahm

Westfield: any closing comments?

Markiewicz: only that The great Divide is a team effort. Not just me and Ben, but also Adam Guzowski, the insanely talented colorist. We had a brilliant logo designed by legendary letterer Patrick Brosseau. and starting with issue 2, my covers will feature color assists by Melanie Darling, an up and coming talent who’s worth keeping an eye on. The comic would not work without all these players involved.

Fisher: Absolutely. Guzowski is doing jaw-dropping work here. I also want to give a shout out to all the editors at Dynamite who have been true teammates with us. The great Divide is, we believe, a unique story and one we’re absolutely thrilled to be telling.

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