The Keep

[Erwin Heinek]

The article mentions a Hellboy connection through the artist. The movie mentioned is one of the scariest ever. If I remember correctly the hero becomes known as the Repairman in later novels.

http://www.newsarama.com/IDW/Keep/TheKeep01Pre.htm

[tomasej]

It's a fantastic novel, but Wilson hated the movie. It really shredded his original story. He wrote a pretty good short story called "Cuts" about a an author who takes vengeance on a producer for destroying the author's book when adapting it to film.

As a kid I loved the movie myself but I haven't seen it in years--been meaning to though.

Glaeken and Repairman Jack are not the same guy.

[Erwin Heinek]

I wasn't sure about the Repairman Jack connection. There is word on the official website that the novel "The Tomb" is in development as "Repairman Jack" which may have been what I was thinking of.

The movie "The Keep" was pretty confusing but it delivered in terms of mood and pacing for chills and thrills.

[tomasej]

Yeah, it all can be kind of confusing. I don't think Wilson had original planned the "adversary cycle" as it's called. The novels just sort of evolved that way and Jack appeared in the Tomb and people demanded more of him.

Wilson's a great writer; people should check him out.

I'm also looking forward to the comic adaption of the Keep. :D

[THE REAL kirk]

LOVED the movie. I found it visually incredible. Very sad that it has never been released on DVD and VHS tapes are rare.

I didn't know it was a novel before being made into a movie. and a comic adaptation you say?

[Jan Bentzen]

Well - if it´s a Michael Mann movie - it´s undoubtly visually incredible. I would like to see it on DVD sometime.

- Jan

[Jan Bentzen]

And speaking of Matt Smith - the artist of "The Keep" - he´s clearly influenced by Mignola. Some years ago it was more evident. Around the time he did the "Box Full of Evil" back-ups - he also did Deathlok # 6 for Marvel. That issue could have been drawn by Mignola by the looks of it.

- Jan

[tomasej]

LOVED the movie. I found it visually incredible. Very sad that it has never been released on DVD and VHS tapes are rare.

I didn't know it was a novel before being made into a movie. and a comic adaptation you say?

Yes. The important thing with the adaption is that Wilson is involved, so it should be faithful to the novel.

[Poe Ghostal]

Just resurrecting a very old topic...

I picked up the TPB of The Keep last week. I had just finished the actual novel a few days before, so it was interesting to be able to compare the two. In his forward, Wilson says the graphic novel was his way of doing a visual version (i.e., something like a movie adaptation) the way he wanted it done.

The Michael Mann movie is generally thought to be a disaster (and Wilson certainly agrees).

I enjoyed the graphic novel. Smith's artwork is very Mignola. Frankly, though, I don't think that sort of style works for horror stories. Even in MM's Hellboy I don't find the images as creepy as anything Guy Davis does. Artistically, it seems to me that Hellboy is more about pacing and mood.

But effectiveness for horror and similarities to Mignola aside, the artwork is very well done and the color work is fascinating (it's primarily black-and-white, with a liberal use of teal and occasional appearances of red). The GN also fleshes out a few plot points I was unclear on in the novel, particularly regarding the Christian cross.

Has anyone else read this GN? What with the Nazis in a haunted, abandoned old castle and all, I'm wondering whether Mignola read the novel or saw the film back in the early 1980s.

[shonokin]

Must've missed this topic originally so thanks for bringing it back. I loved the movie and also Wilson's writing. The book is more Lovecraftian, I think there's even a HPL quote at the beginning? It makes my brain hurt to try to think back that far because I read it when it first came out. Sadly I think the Tangerine Dream soundtrack dates it pretty badly.

Had no idea about the graphic novel. I'm ambivilant about Smith. I think it's kinda odd just how much he used to ape Mike's style. I guess it's the same as the endless number of people who aped Kirby, though I always thought of that more as pastiche and homage, whereas with Smith it seemed he wanted the Mignola style to really be HIS style all the time. Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno... it just always seemed a little weird to me.

I'll look up The Keep TPB though.

[hellboyone]

I have one issue of the Keep comic and I'll look for the TPB. I was really enamored by the Mignola clones when they first came out of the woodwork (Smith and Sook) but quickly outgrew Smith when he never grew into his own style (Sook seems to still be looking for that style but he's still an exceptional artist). Initially I was excited to see The Keep because I was just so starved for Mignola art and I also liked the coloring in it.

I'm curious to see The Keep film since it's one of Michael Mann's early movies and even if it doesn't do the book justice I bet it's still stylish and entertaining.

Sounds like a movie due for a revamp.

EDIT: talk on IMDB (not exactly reliable, I know) claims there's tons of footage that was cut from the original version of The Keep and that Michael Mann is working on a special edition DVD for release in 2009. Interesting..

[Poe Ghostal]

In the forward to the TPB, Wilson says he's heard rumors that Mann is actively suppressing a DVD release, and that he (Wilson) heartily supports that...

And yeah, Smith's style--at least in The Keep--is very similar to Mignola's. That's fine with me, so long as Smith is drawing the way he wants to draw. The thing with Mignola is that his style is so distinctive that when someone else draws in a similar way, it's really obvious, whereas few people make a huge issue of how similar Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri are.

[dogboy443]

As being a fan of Wilson and the Keep since it was first published, I've read all of his horror/thriller material. I haven't read any of his sci-fi work. The Keep is a very strong novel and the Tomb, that follows it gave birth to Repairman Jack. Wilson always said he'd like to more RJ stories and he did write one short story. It wasn't until the late '90's that Wilson made some publishing deals and we've had over a handful of RJ novels. All have that otherworld feel mixed with a gritty crime novel feel. RJ is constantly mentioned on F Paul Wilson's web-site and a script is finished and they've been talking to a hot fresh face actor to play the role and they've tailored the script to that actor. Anyway, check out http://www.repairmanjack.com/index2.html for all of the info on book/graphic novel and movie releases.

Mark

[hellboyone]

In the forward to the TPB, Wilson says he's heard rumors that Mann is actively suppressing a DVD release, and that he (Wilson) heartily supports that...

And yeah, Smith's style--at least in The Keep--is very similar to Mignola's. That's fine with me, so long as Smith is drawing the way he wants to draw. The thing with Mignola is that his style is so distinctive that when someone else draws in a similar way, it's really obvious, whereas few people make a huge issue of how similar Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri are.

Silvestri will be the first to tell you that since he actively aped Jim Lee early in his career. Smith has drawn Mignola-related stuff if I recall and Mike even inked over his pencils on something that I'm completely forgetting about. "Very similar to Mignola's" is an understatement.

[Poe Ghostal]

I'm aware of the relationship between MM and Matt Smith ("Killer in My Skull" and so forth).

But then, why do we assume an artist has to have his one signature style and stick with that forever? Even if his own style evolves, an artist can take a break and try something else. We don't harp on the Coen brothers when they ape a noir flick or when a director deliberately goes with a "Hitchcockian feel" or take their design ethic from Metropolis or Blade Runner. If Matt Smith wanted to use a Mignola-esque style because he thought it fit the material, then that's his prerogative. I'm not quite ready to condemn him for having a style similar to Mignola's.

[hellboyone]

I'm not condemning anyone. I'm actively seeking The Keep TPB. I own Matt Smith original art. The guy's got talent. But to make the comparison again, Ryan Sook moved on. I understand the want and even the need to copy your favorite artist's style (guilty as charged). As far as I know, between the last time I saw Smith draw a comic and The Keep, he's been drawing in the faux-Mignola style. That's several years. If he doesn't start finding his own voice, he's just cheating himself and he'll always be known as "that guy who draws like Mignola."

I really don't care how Matt Smith chooses to draw. If he were my friend, I'd tell him exactly what I wrote up there.

As far as the Coen Brothers are concerned, they can borrow and pay homage to any genre and any filmmaker they like. You'll still be able to tell that it's a Coen Brothers film because they have a distinctive storytelling style.

[Poe Ghostal]

As far as the Coen Brothers are concerned, they can borrow and pay homage to any genre and any filmmaker they like. You'll still be able to tell that it's a Coen Brothers film because they have a distinctive storytelling style.Oh sure. But the equivalent that we'd be discussing in terms of storytelling would be F. Paul Wilson, not Matt Smith. If Alan Moore wrote a comic and Mike Mignola drew it, you'd still be able to tell it was an Alan Moore comic because he has a distinctive storytelling style. Smith's style becomes kind of irrelevant in that context--it would be more like, say, the Coen Brothers were making a noir film and hired a particular cinematographer to mimic the style of Fritz Lang in M. In this case, Wilson would have chosen an artist who could draw like Mignola because he wanted the book to have that sort of art (and Mignola himself presumably being unavailable).

I agree it's good for an artist to have his own art style, and I can't speak from personal familiarity whether Smith's style is the same no matter what he does.

[hellboyone]

Except for the Coen Brothers pretty much use the same cinematographer for all their movies (the amazing Roger Deakins, whom they trust for whatever look they're going for, I guess), but we're drifting off topic now...

I don't know the sequence of events that led to Smith drawing The Keep, but I assume the writer wanted someone Mignola-esque due to the subject matter (Nazis, the occult, etc.).

[shonokin]

I'm not condemning anyone either. More like damning with faint praise. :p Because I think what Smith does, he does well. I just think it's weird that a professional artist wouldn't want to be known for his own style.

I saw ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE on the stands some years back and was surprized and happy to see that Mignola had some other things going on at the time. But was really surprized to find it was actually Smith. :eek:

I'm a professional artist and even though I have certain influences that show up in my work, anyone who knows my artwork knows it is my work. I'd think any other artist would be happy to be known for their style, not for looking like someone elses. *shrugs* That's all I'm sayin'.

It doesn't keep me from reading it or enjoying Wilson's writing and Smith's art. Looking through The KEEP it is well drawn and I look forward to reading it!

[parrish]

I don't know the sequence of events that led to Smith drawing The Keep, but I assume the writer wanted someone Mignola-esque due to the subject matter (Nazis, the occult, etc.).

I think your right, when I saw the cover in the comic shop, I thought it was Mignola.

Does anybody know if Matt Smith has a website or anything?