Commando Writer Interview - Ferg Handley
- Published:
- Wed 08 Dec 2010
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Prolific Commando Scriptwriter on his career in comics.
In 2008, visitors to the Commando website were invited to
send in questions for Ferg Handley, a veteran writer of Commando
scripts. Thanks to all who submitted their questions. Ferg came
back with some very interesting and in-depth replies.
But, before we get to Ferg's answers, he spoke to us a
little about how he approaches writing a script. Over to you,
Ferg.
Well, firstly I need to come up with initial story idea;
sometimes, the editor suggests something, or something'll grab my
attention when I'm researching a different story. Recently, I was
reading a book called 'The Forgotten Soldier' by Guy Sajer (the
true story of a Wehrmacht soldier on the Eastern Front); at one
stage, his unit was stranded at Memel on the Baltic coast, and
there were hordes of foreign workers and Allied POWs roaming
around... so I figured the Allied POW angle was interesting, and
ended up getting a story out of it.
After the initial idea, I tend to chat things over with the
editor, then I do a short synopsis. If that works okay, I then do a
full-length synopsis (anywhere between 2,000-4,000 words), or even
a rough frame-by-frame breakdown - that way, any changes can be
made at this stage, rather than re-scripting. After that, it's onto
the script.
Realising I could draw on all aspects of war was really useful,
and it meant I wasn't just limited to WWII Brit and American
stories.
As for influences when it comes to writing… Well, there's
Commando itself. When I first started writing Commando books, it
was handy to look at other ones, for style and story content. In
fact, one called 'Division of the Dead' was useful, because it was
set on the Eastern Front, with a Russian hero... Realising I could
draw on all aspects of war was really useful, and it meant I wasn't
just limited to WWII Brit and American stories.
Good war movies are also a big influence: 'Cross Of Iron', which
shows things from a German point of view; anything with John Mills
in it ('Dunkirk', etc); 'The Thin Red Line' was good for showing
stresses on troops; 'Windtalkers' was also useful, as it showed
Japanese front line defensive systems (as opposed to old movies,
with Japanese troops just emerging from jungle). Of course, modern
war movies are pretty graphic in terms of violence and so on, which
needs toned down for Commando (which are stories set in war, rather
than war stories per se).
And of course, 'Band Of Brothers', which really showed the
internal workings of a paratrooper company.
I'm always reading non-fiction books on war, and it's unusual
for me not to get at least one story out of a book. I don't read
much fiction these days (apart from comics), but I was always an
avid reader of Sven Hassel's books, and that maybe filters through
when I'm writing about German troops (especially anti-Nazi
ones).
As for comics, Garth Ennis has written some great stuff over the
last ten years, and he's a definite influence in terms of dialogue
and characters. In fact, he's a Commando fan, and I sense Commando
is an influence on his war writing... so it's like things have come
full circle. I don't really read any other writer's war stuff
(there's not that much about these days), though I did enjoy Don
Lomax's 'Vietnam Journal'. Lomax was a serving soldier in 'Nam, and
his work is a little rough-and-ready, but it has a real heart to
it.
I'm also influenced by Frank Miller, especially his 'Dark
Knight' and 'Sin City' stuff, but that doesn't really come into my
Commando writing, as it's a totally different style.
And now, onto those readers' questions;
Patrick asked - What is your favourite
Commando?
That's a real tough one, Patrick. I grew up reading Commando,
but that was a long time ago now and although there were some
classics, I can't for the life of me remember any of the actual
titles. But if you're asking about ones I've written
personally, I'm fond of 'Oath of Honour' (4115), about a German
cook and his horse... and over a series of flashbacks, we learn how
the hero lost all his friends to the war, but was determined to get
back home; 'Over The Top' (3174) - partly because of Ian Kennedy's
amazing cover art on it; 'Prisoner Of War' (4066) - in which a wily
American sergeant makes life misery for a nasty head guard (always
good to see bullies get their come-uppances). But my personal
favourite is a comedy one, 'Billy's Best Friend' (3938), as I based
the dog on my own Bullmastiff, Gizmo… a rather unwarlike hound!
Also from Patrick - Do you have a favourite part of
history to draw from (WWI, WWII, Modern, etc)?
Must admit, I'm not really into modern history (Falklands, Gulf
War) as a basis for Commando. But I have a real fascination for WWI
and WWII, and most of my stories are drawn from those conflicts.
Further back in time, I'm into Napoleonic era, plus Roman era and
the so-called Dark Ages.
From Cpl. Charlie - Loved Rebel Army! Keep up the good
work! Do you enjoy making up imaginative stories about Commando?
And are your children fans of Commando?
Thanks for the kind words, Corp. No kids here, but yes, I
LOVE making up Commando stories. The research is fascinating, and
in its way, it helps me connect with the past. Plus, it's part of
the great British comics tradition, and I'm proud to be part of
that.
From Tom Trill - Which subject do you like writing about
mostly for?
I suppose in a sense, the wars themselves are the subjects, Tom.
But in a broad sense, I do like writing about troops under
pressure, and how they react to it (i.e. coping with the deaths of
comrades).
I love putting in a bit of the supernatural, such as a magical
talisman.
I like siege situations for that reason. Aircraft stories from
WWI are always fun. And in ancient history ones (e.g. Roman era), I
love putting in a bit of the supernatural, such as a magical
talisman (sword or whatever).
From Fritz - What do you find easier, writing straight
drama and action, or writing the more humourous type
stories?
To be honest, Fritz, I find the humour ones really flow when I'm
scripting. And the dafter the better!
From Becca - Do you come up with all your story ideas
yourself and take them to the editor? Or does the editor give you
an idea and ask you to write a story round it?
They are mainly my own ideas to start with, Becca. I tend to do
a short description for Calum, the editor (or George Low, before he
retired); we discuss them and build them up from there. Sometimes I
just come up with a basic idea in a couple of sentences; other
times, I note down more of the actual story. Editorial input is
important for me, and I'm lucky that the Commando staff are both
enthusiastic about the title, and have a lot of background
knowledge (technical and historical).
But yes, sometimes the editor will come up with a story. George
Low would sometimes send me a well fleshed-out idea. And, for
example, he suggested the 'Ramsey's Raiders' series (though it was
only meant to be six issues originally), then we worked up the
characters. And now and again, Calum will ask for a specific type
of story... recently, he was short of aircraft stories, so I came
up with scripts for him; and he's good at suggesting ideas that are
a bit different (such as using a Spitfire floatplane instead of a
standard fighter).
From Aidan - What do you do if you get stuck for
ideas?
Can't say that's been a problem, Aidan (yet... fingers crossed).
I always like to have some ideas in my pending file, and usually, I
can refer to them for a story. And after a while, I learned how to
take a basic idea and craft it into a storyline.
From Eddie - Have you any tips or advice for someone
hoping to start out as a comic writer?
First of all, make sure you can afford it, especially to start
off with; there's only a limited amount of UK titles (though many
UK writers do get into US comics), and you need to be able to write
a fair amount each month in order to survive.
Get published! Even if it's a self-published A5 comic, or unpaid
contributions to anthology titles (in the Small Press sector, for
example). An editor needs to know you can write comics, and unlike
the old system, where scripts were produced in-house, there's not
much in the way of on-the-job training. Having said that though, I
have improved so much by working with editors.
And on the whole, it's not a 9-5 job; be prepared to work
strange hours and weekends. But if it works out, it's one of the
best jobs in the world... and at least folk's eyes don't glaze over
when you tell them what you do, unlike some occupations (not that
there's anything wrong with IT or accounting...)
And be prepared to write anything, especially when starting out.
A credit's a credit, and it's all about building up a decent body
of work. I've got one friend who even ended up contributing to a
Forestry magazine... doubt he envisaged that when he decided to get
into the game!
Another one from Fritz - Is there one period in history
that you haven't done but would like to?
Out of the periods I haven't covered, I'd like to write about
the English Civil War (though I have touched on it now and again).
The Peasant's Revolt would be great, and also the vicious conquest
of Britain by the Normans (by that, I mean the period directly
after the battle of Hastings). American Civil War would be good as
well (again, I've touched on that conflict, but not directly).
From The Editor - Ferg,these readers probably don't know
that you write for other comics and magazines. Can you tell them
why Commando is the best? Seriously, can you tell them who else you
write for and what makes Commando different from the
others?
'Tenshun, editor online! Apart from Commando, I'm the regular
writer on Panini's 'Spectacular Spider-Man' title (Ed: At the
time of the interview, Ferg had completed about 60 issues),
and I'm picking up work on their new 'Marvel Heroes' anthology;
great fun, as I do like my superhero stuff (and it means all my
superhero reading hasn't gone to waste). There's hopefully other
non-Commando work in the pipeline as well.
Any research I do is money in the bank in terms of improving my
knowledge of the world, and I'm glad to be in a position where I'm
constantly learning.
As for Commando - they are real history, and that's the clincher
for me. Any research I do is money in the bank in terms of
improving my knowledge of the world, and I'm glad to be in a
position where I'm constantly learning. And, as I mentioned
earlier, Commando's part of that amazing British comics
tradition... a defiant survivor, if you will. Plus, Commando have
some fantastic artists, and it's always a buzz to see how they
interpret my scripts.
The main difference, is that with other comics, I have to make
sure the page works in terms of layout; with Commando, I just
script in frames, which are paginated by the editors.
From Rob McGie - I've really enjoyed all the 'Ramsey's
Raiders' issues! How did you come up with the idea, and did you
base them on real people in history?
Thanks, Rob, glad you enjoyed the Raiders... and hope you like
what I've come up with for their return (Ed: Starting in
January 2009, Jimmy Ramsey and his Raiders were reunited for a four
issue run, beginning with 'Raiders Recalled'). As mentioned
earlier, my former editor George Low came up with the basic idea,
and it flowed from there. As for the characters, their maverick
nature is based on the men of the original SAS, who were real
characters (they're not based on anyone specifically).
Sergeant Derek Jarvis happens to be the name of one of my oldest
and best friends (and a Scot to boot), and his mother's surname was
originally Ramsey. To be honest, a lot of the Raider's characters
were influenced by characters in movies; Monty is a bit of a David
Niven type, for example; while Fitz isn't a million miles away from
Clint Eastwood (who did some fine sniping in 'The Good, The Bad and
The Ugly'... and was a taciturn type).
From Scott P - How long does it take you to write a
script for Commando, and how many pages do you need to
write?
Good question, Scott. It takes exactly three days to script a
Commando, and I do it frame by frame. There's about 135
frames to a script, so it's three sessions of fifteen frames each,
over the three days. I put two frames to a page of script, so
that's about 67 pages (they seem to average out at about 12,000
words). However, a lot of the graft is done at the synopsis stage;
I tend to write a long synopsis (up to 4,000 words), which I then
divide into around 135 frames. Then it's just a question of
converting them into script form.
From Tony - Have you ever had any big changes made to a
story once you've handed it in?
Not at the script stage, Tony. We always get the synopsis nailed
down tight, which avoids major rewrites at the scripting stage.
However, synopses don't always work out; I've had some that didn't;
and yes, others have needed a fair degree of reworking to sort
out.
Also from Tony - When you are writing a character into
the story, do you tell the artist how to draw them? Do you talk to
the artist to make sure they get it right, or does the artist just
decide how things will look?
I don't have much contact with the artists, apart from Garijo
(who I managed to contact via the internet). And I don't any input
once it's in the artist's hands. Sometimes I'll suggest an actor
that would work as the basis for a character - but to be honest,
these guys really know what they're doing. Mind you, the editors do
put their own suggestions in for the artist as well.
From Grae - How much research do you need to do before
starting a story, and does any type of story or period in history
require more research than another?
Depends. I have a good handle on the basics of WWI and WWII
these days, and sometimes they require little research; but if it's
something specific, like a certain battle or piece of equipment,
then I can spend a lot of time researching. I do like to get things
right, so I've often spent far too long researching minor details
(more so now I've got broadband internet access... in my dial-up
days, I tended to do the research then get on with it; nowadays,
I'm often researching while actually scripting - which can slow the
process down, but makes for a better end result). In a way, it's
pot luck with historical stuff - I'm quite up on Dark Ages and
Roman history (partly as a result of researching for Commando on my
earlier historical pieces). A recent two-parter on Scotland in the
'English' Civil War and Caribbean pirates did take a lot of
research though... but worth it in the end.
From Douglas - How many Commando comics do you write in
a year?
Douglas, I try to write two a month, so that would be about 24 a
year... though holidays etc. can eat into that. So let's say about
20 a year on average (it used to be more, but now I work for other
titles, and there are less original Commandos per month now, so
less scripts needed).
From Peter - Does Commando often take on new writers, or
are they chosen from established ones because they know the format?
And how did you initially contact the Commando editor?
The Commando staff takes each story on its merit, Peter, so if a
novice writer came up with a good idea, they'd certainly develop
it.
I phoned George Low and was asked to apply via letter for the
writers' guidelines. That I did, and that's how it all began.
From Philip - Do you have an official
website?
Nope, nor an unofficial one, Philip.
Also from Philip - What are your views on the state of
comics in Britain?
Well, the industry is in much better shape than when I first
started trying to break in. DC Thomson has always had a strong line
of core titles (Commando, Beano, Dandy), but now there's a lot more
comics that are tied-in to TV shows, especially for the junior
market.
The comics medium was essentially born in Britain, and it bugs
me that this is not appreciated…
And I can't complain, as I'm making a living from UK comics.
However, the comics medium was essentially born in Britain, and it
bugs me that this is not appreciated - government funding for a
national comics museum would be good, as well as funding for
creators and new publishers. But that's modern Britain for you.
In terms of creators, the UK has always produced great talent,
and it's good to see how many British creators are working on top
US titles (Grant Morrison and Garth Ennis being two of the leading
lights).
From Malcolm - Has an artist ever completely
misinterpreted your writing in their artwork? And do you or the
artist decide on which panels to use?
Not really, as the scripts are sub-edited by the Commando staff,
and they can tell if a panel description is wrong or ambiguous. And
over the years, I've learned to keep things simple for the artists
- mainly because I don't normally know in advance who'll be drawing
it, so I have to assume it could be a foreign artist. Plus, I'm not
into very lengthy descriptions for the artists, unless strictly
necessary: good artists are also storytellers, and they
should be allowed to do so.
The decisions on which panels are used are made in the
sub-editing stage. Now and again, an artist will split a frame to
make it easier, and that usually works out fine.
From George - I really enjoyed the Romans in Britain
books you did a while back with John Ridgway, which leads me to
ask; is there a period of history you would like to write but have
decided not to because it falls too far from the standard Commando
story? (Oh, and any chance of more Romans in Britain
tales?)
Yes, George, there's always scope for more Roman ones (and I
always try to get a British angle in). Nothing in the
pipeline right now, but readers pestering the editor might help.
There's no period of history Commando can't cover, so that's not
really an issue. Mind you, I'd quite like to do a Stone Age story,
though I've never suggested it.
Must admit, I'd love to do futuristic stories; I did manage one
(3309 'Warriors In Time'), but it started and finished during WWII.
But sci-fi isn't really Commando fare.
We finish with several questions from Brucie - How is the text
formatted with the contents of text boxes and speech balloons?
Best answered with an example, Brucie. This is a panel (which we
call pics) from No.4115 'Oath Of Honour':
Pic 4.
Flashback. Hans and Willi are stood by their field kitchen
(not cooking, there are no rations). A column of German
infantry are moving along the road (they look dishevelled and
exhausted - there's the odd vehicle, but no tanks or
half-tracks). Some of the infantry start pointing to the sky
and shouting - several American planes are approaching (P-51
Mustangs, carrying rockets).
PANEL
ABOVE: THIS LEFT THE TWO
OLD HANDS STRANDED WITH THEIR FIELD KITCHEN, NOT THAT THERE WAS ANY
FOOD LEFT TO COOK. AND AS A COLUMN OF EXHAUSTED TROOPS FILED
BY, SHOUTING SUDDENLY BROKE OUT…
1ST
GERMAN: ACHTUNG,
AMI JABOS!
2ND
GERMAN: RUN FOR IT -
RAUS, RAUS!
How much direction do you give to the artist as to the
action in a panel?
Depends. I do tend to see each 'shot' visually as a comic frame,
and I try to get that across to the artist. Some shots need more
description than others (especially when we are introducing
locations or characters for the first time); and if a story has a
long sequence in a specific place, I try to describe it in detail -
better that than constantly adding stuff as I go along.
Is it difficult coming up with new ideas that haven't
been done before?
There've been a lot of Commandos published over the years, so
it's often a question of getting a different take on an idea (for
example, showing a battle from the Germans' perspective). But the
more I read, the more the ideas leap out. And these days, there's
more scope for 'historical' ones, which broadens the horizon.
Do you research the themes of back issues or submit your
synopsis to the editor and then modify it if
necessary?
No, if a story is too close to one that's been done before, the
editor will let me know... and as I usually hit him with the basic
idea before doing the synopsis (which can sometimes run to almost
4,000 words), 'repeats' are quashed at that stage.
Of course, I will deviate from the synopsis sometimes, nothing
major though.
Do you get useful feedback about changes to your
script?
Not really...the script is accepted (no failures yet, fingers
crossed it stays that way), Calum will confirm he's got it, then I
don't see it again until the actual Commando book comes out (though
sometimes, I do get a sneak preview of the artwork).
Anyway, thanks to all of you for your questions and your
interest in Commando. See you on the Front Line!
And a big thanks from all of us here to Ferg for taking the
time to answer all the questions we put to him.