Tripwire Talks To Mark Wheatley About The New Edition Of Breathtaker Coming From Titan

Take Your Breath Away

Tripwire’s editor-in-chief Joel Meadows talks to Mark Wheatley about Titan’s new edition of Breathtaker in hardcover…

What was it like returning to Breathtaker?

Honestly, it didn’t feel like “going back” at all — more like picking up a conversation I’d never stopped having. My characters are always wandering around in my head, so even though the calendar insists it’s been 35 years since Breathtaker first came out, in creative time it feels more like a handful of years at most.

What was fun about this return is finally getting the chance to fix a few little imperfections that had been nagging at me ever since the original printing. (They’ve been driving me crazy for decades — even though, to me, it doesn’t feel like decades!) With today’s digital tools, we were able to give the book a real polish and bring it closer to the version Marc and I always wanted readers to see.

And the best part is — we didn’t stop at polishing. This new edition has nearly 80 pages of extra content: a brand-new story, rare behind-the-scenes material, and even an introduction from Walter Simonson. So in a lot of ways, it doesn’t just feel like continuing—it feels like expanding the world of Breathtaker in ways we’ve been itching to do for years.

How much of a temptation was it to tweak any of the old series?

Other than fixing out-of-register printing and correcting a few exposures, brightness, contrast, etc., I suppose the one major change we brought to the new printing was what we changed the sound effects. In the original printing of Breathtaker, all the hand-lettered sound effects that Marc Hempel worked into his pages of inked art were black outline or solid black lettering. Back in the day, it would have cost more for the color separations if we wanted to get more elaborate with those letter forms. We did not have the budget for it, even though we had the creative desire for fancy sound effects. In the new edition, that was an easy and, I believe, an excellent upgrade. You have never seen “SPLAT!” in so much splendor!

As for the actual story, Marc and I are very happy with what we achieved back in the day.

How does it feel looking back at the old material now?

Looking back, I’m proud that we created something that still feels alive and relevant. Aside from the absence of smartphones — you’ll only spot one in Breathtaker — the story could just as easily be unfolding right now. The themes haven’t aged out at all: the tension between government power and personal freedom is still front and centre, women are still fighting to be seen and treated as equals, and our tongue-in-cheek jab at hyper-masculine superheroes still lands today. In a way, the book feels less like a time capsule and more like it’s been in step with the present all along.

How would you describe the series in one pithy sentence?

I guess I would say, “Breathtaker is a darkly romantic thrill ride about love, death, sex and power — wrapped in satire and still uncomfortably relevant today.”

But, I like how Walt Simonson describes Breathtaker, “Breathtaker is the sound of breaking glass in the morning, the smell of diesel oil in the afternoon, the frisson of violence in the evening, and the delight of love and death in the night.”

What made you choose Titan as the publisher of the new collection?

Nick Landau approached me over a decade ago at a San Diego Comic Con with the idea of producing a new edition of Breathtaker. We’ve known each other for a good long time. So this was more of a conversation that drifted around to talking about Breathtaker. Nick had fond memories of the book. I was explaining to him that Marc Hempel and I were not interested in a new edition of Breathtaker unless it was done right. We had, at the time an arrangement with the Norman Rockwell Museum to develop a touring show of original art from Breathtaker. This was to be the second Rockwell show to feature original art from Breathtaker. The first was LitGraphic, a show that included a selection of some of the very best and ground-breaking works of seminal comics creators. That show had been the most popular show they ever mounted. So, they were looking to repeat that success. There was also an on-going interest from Hollywood for either a Breathtaker feature film or a TV series. Marc and I were also still batting around the idea of creating a sequel. There was a lot percolating at that moment in time. And all of that could make for a complicated effort to get the book back into print. I thought I was doing a good job of discouraging Nick. But it turned out Nick likes a challenge.

You got a new introduction from Walt Simonson. How did that come about?

Well, I have been a huge fan of Walt’s work since his MANHUNTER series with Archie Goodwin. He is a creator who has been constantly growing and exploring ways to make better comics for his entire career. He has been and continues to be an inspiration and example of what it means to be the very best. I was very gratified that Walt had made it clear ages ago that he loved Breathtaker. He gave us a wonderful blurb back in the day. So, he was on the top of our list of people to ask for an introduction. He is also a very nice person, so he agreed and did an impressive job.

It was a very well regarded series at the time. Why do you think it engaged with readers?

It seems to me that Breathtaker was, as it turns out, a payoff that Marc Hempel and I had been building to for over a decade. Marc and I originally connected when he submitted work to my fanzine, NUCLEUS. That was in 1974. We became friends and talked frequently. When I was working in New York at the beginning of my career, I was also representing Marc. When I would visit art directors, I would also show Marc’s work. I was able to pick up a few gigs for him that way. We ended up establishing Insight Studios together in Baltimore in 1980. We were working together on advertising gigs, design gigs, marketing gigs and anything we could find. I think the comics community noticed us as a team first when we collaborated on the BE AN INTERPLANETARY SPY series from Bantam Books. From there, we started Mars for First Comics. Next, we placed Blood Of The Innocent at WaRP, followed by Jonny Quest at Comico. We had studios across the hall from each other at Insight Studios. It was easy and natural to collaborate. In fact, many of our solo projects during that time also had input from the other of us that never rose to a level we felt needed a credit. During the same time period, the direct sales market for comics was taking off. New comics companies were popping up all over. New talent was everywhere.

From my own experience, I could see fans latching on to new titles and new creators and cheering them on as they developed their characters and moved on to new and exciting projects. I know our fans were there for each new effort. And by all that support, we were encouraged to aim higher for each new project.

At the time, Breathtaker seemed like just one more step up the creative ladder. We were in tune with the market, and the fans were in tune with us. Hummmmm, I guess I have just given you an extended definition of zeitgeist.

You were its writer but Marc Hempel was its visual storyteller. Since Breathtaker, you have often written and drawn your own material. How much do you miss something a little more collaborative or is it important that you have total control over your work?

I love to collaborate. Since Breathtaker, I have collaborated on quite a few projects and with a string of extraordinary creators. Not just in comics, but in TV and film. Top of that list would be Mike Oeming. Mike and I created Hammer of the Gods together (and we are working on something new, now.) Robert Tinnell and I collaborated on three graphic novels. The list goes on. In fact, Marc Hempel and I collaborated on our first new comic book story in decades, and it is included in the new Breathtaker Collection. We created a full-length MAKE WAY FOR THE MAN comic book based on the idea that, in the context of the Breathtaker story, The Man has his own line of toys, comic books and a TV show. In the new Breathtaker, you finally get to read issue #138 of his comic book.

But, there is something about control that appeals of anyone who is in the profession of world-building. I guess, at some point, we are all playing at being god on a comic-book scale. Personal vision plays a huge role in creating a comic book.

Right now I’m spending a lot of time illustrating books, books for Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs and new works from G. D. Falksen. And the satisfaction of having the schedule available to create art that is as good as I can make it is hard to beat. My comics illustrations were always the best I could make them; in the time I had. But I never had the time I wanted or needed. It always felt like a compromise. So, my main desire these days is to have the time, budget, and support to be able to create material that never feels like a compromise.

You worked a lot with Marc during this period. Would you consider returning to collaborate with him again at some point in the future?

Marc and I are good friends. We see each other on a regular basis and talk often. If Marc ever wanted to do a new project together, I’d be up for it. But the reality is that Marc is not looking for projects in comics like he once was. It took several years to work the new MAKE WAY FOR THE MAN comic book into his relaxed schedule. So we should treasure this one. It might be the last time we do something like this.

By the way, the stand-alone version of the MAKE WAY FOR THE MAN comic book will be on sale as an exclusive at the Baltimore Comic Con in October. If we have any remaining copies after BCC, I will make them available on my website. And anyone picking up our new Breathtaker Collection from Titan will get the full MAKE WAY FOR THE MAN story included in the book.

Titan’s Breathtaker Collection is available now from Titan

https://titan-comics.com/c/1576-breathtaker-collection/