JM DeMatteis Talks About Moonshadow 40 Years On

Still Casting A Long Shadow After 40 Years

With a new edition out now from Dark Horse Comics, Moonshadow The Definitive Edition Expanded in paperback, and the series celebrating its 40th anniversary, Moonshadow’s writer and co-creator JM DeMatteis just spoke to Tripwire’s editor-in-chief Joel Meadows about the genesis of the series, hitting this milestone and the new edition…

TRIPWIRE: What was the original genesis of Moonshadow?

JM DEMATTEIS: It was an idea I’d been nursing for years, long before I got into comics professionally. In its original form it was a kind of mash-up between a Kurt Vonnegut science fiction novel and a Kirby/Starlin cosmic superhero comic. As the years passed, and I returned to the story, it continued to deepen, expand and become its own thing…although you can certainly see the shadows of those influences in there.

TW: Archie Goodwin was one of the greatest editors in comics. How closely did you work for him?

JMDM: Archie was in charge of the Epic Line. Not just smart and extremely talented—Archie was very nice man, always a pleasure to work with. Although our day-to-day interactions were with our editors, Laurie Sutton and Margaret Clark (who were both terrific), Archie was always there, looking over everyone’s shoulders, offering advice, making sure things were progressing smoothly.

TW: How much of the series is autobiographical or at least semi autobiographical?

JMDM: It’s autobiography tunnelled through fantasy. Emotional/psychological truths of my life stuffed in a starship and launched into space.

TW: How did Jon J Muth come on board as artist?

JMDM: I met Jon through our mutual friend Dan Green. (We all lived in the same area.) Jon—who was in his early twenties at the time and already doing stunning work—read my original proposal, liked it, we got together to discuss the series, hit it off…and that launched one of the most wonderful collaborations of my career. Just as important: Jon became, and remains, a valued friend.

TW: Kent Williams also contributed to the series as did George Pratt. How did their contributions come about and how do you see them fitting into the series as a whole?

JMDM: Kent, who also lived in our area at the time, stepped in to help out when Jon needed some breathing room—turning out a bi-monthly, painted comic book was a lot of work!—and did a wonderful job. In fact, it was working together on that issue of Moonshadow that led to us collaborating on Blood: a tale once Moon wrapped up.

George pitched in toward the end to help get Jon over the finish line. But everyone that pitched in was following the Muth template. Jon’s visual voice and approach to storytelling was the guiding star.

TW: Prior to this, you were best known as a superhero writer. Was there much trepidation switching to a more personal project?

JMDM: No trepidation: liberation! Writing superhero books was a dream-come-true—but that genre also comes with limits (some of those limits self-imposed). Stepping out of the Marvel/DC universes allowed me to stop “writing comic books” and just write, he same way I’d write a novel. And in the process, I really found the core of my creative self, found my voice.

TW: When Moonshadow began, there was no Vertigo and no Image. Epic was the place to explore more sophisticated work. Was it difficult creating a project like this when there wasn’t a market for series like this out there?

JMDM: Again: It was liberating. We were encouraged to follow the muse and tell our story in exactly the way we wanted to. What more can you ask?  I wasn’t thinking about the market, or even the audience, I was lost in the story and in the joy of collaborating with Jon J Muth.

TW: The series has a very literary feel to it. What challenges did this throw up trying to pack so much into a comic series with all of the limitations of the comic story format?

JMDM:What I recall is that, every issue, I wrote far more than what was ultimately used and I’d have to edit myself mercilessly, throwing out things I loved. As much as I wanted Moonshadow to feel like a novel, there’s just so much you can fit on a comic book page. That said, I shaped the comic book form to my needs, which is why you see many pages that are more illustrated prose than typical comics.  That allowed me to dive into deeper layers of the characters and the story.

TW: Even though it has many fantastical elements, Moonshadow feels like a Jewish New York tale. How tricky was it for you as a writer to incorporate this into the more outlandish facets to the story?

JMDM: Not tricky at all. I was writing from my heart, and from the depths of my unconscious, just letting it all flow out. I keep using the same word because it fits: It was liberating.

TW: You returned to the character with Farewell Moonshadow, also reprinted here. Presumably you felt there was unfinished business with the character?

JMDM: More to say with both the character and the collaboration. More story to tell and more creative joy to be had working with Jon.

TW: And unlike the first series, this was prose accompanied by illustrations. What made you decide to utilise this format rather than comic format?

JMDM: We didn’t want to repeat ourselves and tell the new story in the same way we’d told the original one. Didn’t want to regurgitate the same style and tone. Our goal was to stretch and try something new and challenging. I love writing prose and I saw Farewell as a way to combine illustrated prose with silent comic book sequences.

TW: Prose is much more unforgiving than comic work so presumably you felt more confident as a writer with Farewell Moonshadow?

JMDM: I found the confidence in the writing itself. I think Farewell has some of my finest writing and some of Jon’s most gorgeous art. (I’ve got a page from Farewell, Moonshadow framed and hanging in my house.) I’m very proud of it: it’s the perfect coda to our original series.

TW: Looking at this series 40 years later, how do you feel about Moonshadow?

JMDM: There are two are three projects I love as much as Moonshadow, but none that I love more. Moon is the project that allowed me to see writing comics in a whole new way—and that influenced everything that followed in my career. And still does to this day.

TW: This new edition has concept art as well as a new introduction from yourself. How did you pick what should go in? And how did you choose what should go in?

JMDM: I’m not the kind of person who saves lots of material from the projects I work on, but Moonshadow meant so much to me that I saved almost everything. Jon dug through his files to find his buried treasures and then we discussed it all with our Dark Horse editor, Philip Simon, and decided on what we’d use.

I have to take a moment to bow to Philip, who is a devoted Moonshadow fan and as conscientious and dedicated an editor as I’ve ever worked with. He poured heart and soul into the two Dark Horse editions.

TW: This is a monster of a new edition. Is it designed to be the ultimate version of the series?

JMDM: Back in 2019, we did the Eisner-nominated hardcover which we called the “definitive” edition…and it really was. When it came time to do the new tpb version, we decided to push it even farther and include more extras (thus the addition of “expanded” to the title). So this is as ultimate as it can possibly get! (Unless, of course, we get to do an oversized, art book edition, which I’d love.)

TW: The last hardcover was published by Dark Horse as is this latest edition. What are the advantages of working with a publisher like this for a project like this?

JMDM: Dark Horse, through Philip, treated Moonshadow with genuine love, attention, and respect. It wasn’t “just another project” to toss out into the market.

TW: It still casts a huge shadow over the rest of your work since. Is this a boon or a curse for you as a writer?

JMDM: It’s a delight! The fact that Moonshadow is still in print, and still being appreciated, 40 years after its initial publication is something we never would have imagined back when the book first came out. I am incredibly grateful that new readers are discovering the book for the first time and older fans are getting reacquainted with it through these new editions.

Moonshadow The Definitive Edition-Expanded is out in paperback now from Dark Horse Comics