Lots of great books hit comics shelves week after week. But in the case of Falling In Love On The Path To Hell, you got the sense pretty quickly that we were dealing with something truly special from creators Gerry Duggan and Garry Brown. Special as in pretty much every issue sold out and had a couple follow-up print runs.
And, sure, metrics are just one factor, but there’s heaps of things about Falling In Love On The Path To Hell to inform why it’s resonated so much. Because beyond the initial “hit” of a premise — would-be lovers, the samurai Asami and the gunslinger MacRaith, each enter a version of the afterlife that’s like The Hunger Games meets Lost — Falling In Love On The Path To Hell goes deeper still.
It’s the slow build of this otherworld and the pair’s relationships; the hints and threads that inform some larger history and conspiracy; the way it’s as much a love story as it is a dissection of community and society at-large; and the balance of intrigue, action, and humor that only emboldens a multifaceted story even further. In short, Falling In Love On The Path To Hell is a snapshot of how great comics can change the tone of the whole industry and still tell decidedly important stories.
If you’re looking to catch up, or just want to revisit the early days of the Asami-MacRaith relationship, the volume one trade paperback is due out in January. (The TPB, which collects issues #1-4, has an FOC of November 25.) From there, the book’s second arc continues as issue #6 hits shelves on November 27. Ahead of both releases, Duggan was kind enough to field some of our most burning questions about Falling In Love On The Path To Hell. That includes the aforementioned slow burn of the narrative, why Duggan thinks the story’s taken off like it has, some of his favorite tidbits, and even what might come next.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: I feel like Falling In Love On The Path To Hell was kind of a big hit right out of the gate. What did you make of that initial, excited reaction?
Gerry Duggan: I think readers are ready for new. Retailers, same boat. In fact, I think the pros that I know that have some comics retailer experience have a buff to certain stats, to go with the D&D analogy.
The one thing I know from my time in selling comics: retailers are bombarded with PDFs of new comics to bet on and that is what retailers have to do they have to gamble that they can purchase this un-returnable product and then sell it to the secondary comic market: our readers. This problem has only gotten more complicated as IP boiler rooms have flooded the comic book space. There is a lot of product vying for retailer attention, and we didn’t want to leave much to chance — so we actually printed the first issue as an ashcan at our expense and made sure that each Lunar account had at least one, and then I flew up to ECCC and spoke to retailers and handed them out in at a Lunar Distribution event, and got to make the stores happy when I told them how far in advance we were working. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance — I wanted to make sure the stores saw how cool this comic is, how wonderful Garry is, and they rewarded us.
We wanted to make it easy on our retail partners to feel confident that they could order us and that Garry and I, and our team are committing to having the comic run ongoing for years. The one thing I wish I could make every comics fan understand is that retailers have some guesswork in ordering, and that when you add a book to your pull list — you’re directly contributing to the book’s continued success. We’re very grateful for this direct market, and wish to continue to nourish it.
Art from issue #1. Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: Similarly, what do you think was that element (or maybe elements?) that resonated most with readers?
GD: We have been very happy with the reaction from readers. We surely tried to plan for success, but if the book hadn’t resonated with readers, it would have all been for nothing. I think sometimes you get lucky about what hits and when it lands. I worried as Shogun billboards were going up, you worry about everything, really. A new comic isn’t just an idea you love, it’s also a small business. The sweat equity we had before the book even was announced was considerable. It’s been so much fun signing the last few months. Talking to fans about what they love and the mysteries of the island. Very gratifying. We’re getting regular letter writers; so cool. Please — write a letter, our email is in the back of the books — marked OK to print. We’re also horny for fan art!
AIPT: Of the various things I like about this book, it’s the pacing — you didn’t rush into letting Asami and MacRaith fall for each other (as might’ve happened with other creators). Why was that gentle, deliberate approach so important?
GD: I had written a couple of different versions, and the one that felt the most enjoyable was the slow burn. Commencing with their love in full bloom and then cutting back was an option but it wasn’t a great one, because we were also going to be flashing back to the lives of our characters before they arrived in purgatory so, it really meant that timeline on the island had to be more or less an arrow. Also, I just think there is joy in watching a horny cowboy try not to blow it with her. Every issue builds — I feel like we’ve earned every moment, their first kiss was not one of passion, but a thank you, and that felt right. These are two lone wolves, and I think they’re way out of their comfort zone with one another. Loneliness can kill. These two have been alone in every meaningful way — for most of their lives. That’s a great place for a love story. Every mistake led them to this.
Art from issue #2. Courtesy of Image Comics.
For me…I wanted to put something into the world that was about love and redemption and make something that would bring me joy, and so far that has truly worked. I got to spend a little quality time with Frank Miller during the past year, and talking about collaborating on comics, and how his love of Lone Wolf & Cub and those amazing covers lead me to pick up that comic – and then I fell in love. Purity of intent is so important when you’re collaborating on art. I tell Garry the most beautiful and terrible stories, and he finds the most stunning way of telling you all those stories. Then I just try to get out of his way. I’ve said this other places, but sitting with my partner Virginia and hearing Ray Bradbury speak so eloquently about love really changed my life. He challenged all of us to “name what we love, and advocate for it, and nourish it, and do all that and be unashamed of what we love.” I’m paraphrasing, but I think all that comes through. We love samurai stories and westerns, and romance and horror, and this is a love letter to all that and more. I feel all that love being reflected back at us.
AIPT: What’s the thing that unites Asami and MacRaith? I feel like it goes deeper than just being warriors — they need each as a kind of counter or balance.
GD: We’re just starting to explore my favorite conflict in the comic — we see in the flashback to her arranged marriage in issue five that she rejected this life, rejected a marriage, rejected being anything but a warrior. It will not be an easy transition for her to walk one path with MacRaith. Will she be able to surrender to love? She’s not surrendered to anything except that seemingly fatal wound in issue #1. One of the best conflicts in the story is her internal conflict. It will be coming into sharp focus.
AIPT: Do you have a favorite moment/scene in either of the first four issues, something that really defines the scope of this story?
GD: It’s a great question, and I think it’s the last scene in issue #6, which is coming up for everybody the week of Thanksgiving. Perhaps that’s cheating since your readers won’t have read it yet. The other scene I think that shows you how much of an epic swing this comic is the burial that opens issue three. The warrior cult on the island has its own culture, and Garry drew what could have been a dreary affair into something beautiful. Flowers were drawn filling the wounds, and then the light. Garry and Chris collaborate and the result is like the magic hour at sunset. Really impressive team that had not worked together before page one. I also wanted to be sure to honor Garry’s storytelling by our shared credit. Garry can work off full script or we can go Marvel-style. At times on the book we’ve done both.
Art from issue #3. Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: I also think that, with the island, your approach to the afterlife felt extra novel. Where did this world come from, and why does it work for this specific story?
GD: It goes back to that D&D campaign in my brain, I think. I know how you can get off the island, and what it will cost…so the characters are kind of trapped in my dungeon, haha. I’m glad it’s hitting for you. The island’s mysteries are a big part of the fun, I think. A new character makes his debut in the second arc, and he’s not from the 1870s. We also saw MacRaith spend a short amount of time in the “spirit corridor” off of the island, but Asami told him two moons had passed on the island. Weird stuff!
AIPT: Was there something important/helpful about only having a four-issue “debut?” Or jumping right into the next arc? Does that lend a sense of momentum and/or make things feel more lively for the story?
GD: Well, I think it’s a help in that we are trying to stabilize our orders; so having a cheap trade on the horizon may help us from needing more reprints of those first four issues? All you really want to do is put our your singles and keep building towards the multiple volumes for store shelves. I’ve done that a lot for the big two, and I’ve not done that for myself, so I’m excited to one day have an omnibus of this book. I know what the last issue is. I hope we don’t get there for a couple of years. Feels like we’ll get exactly the story we’re hoping to tell. By offering volume one at a steep discount, I am also trying to make life easy for our retail partners to hand sell the book to the folks that don’t know they’re fans of the comic…yet.
AIPT: Is there one of our leads that you resonate with a little more than the other?
GD: I think I feel a bit more like MacRaith. A rube trying to overcome his own shortcomings. I love writing these characters very much. They really do speak to me. My favorite balloon so far is Asami’s when he asked why she hadn’t spoken to him before issue #4, she says “I had nothing to say to you until you were gone.” I think that’s how it works sometimes.
Art from issue #4. Courtesy of Image Comics.
AIPT: Since I have you and I just have to ask: what can you tease us about the remainder of the second arc/issues #6 and 7?
GD: Well, we established that there is a kind of calendar at the top of the island, or a clock, it’s certainly a mechanism and it was sabotaged. Asami and MacRaith have also discovered there are four ways off the island: by water, air, fire, and earth. I’m running the comic like a D&D campaign — I know a lot the characters don’t. The eagle-eyes amongst the audience may also have detected an anomaly of the fifth dimension. The answers they seek will lead them back to Mohan, and then to war.
AIPT: Is there anything else we should know about this book/story, what’s still to come, comics at-large, love and life, etc.?
GD: Yeah, we have a very inexpensive first print of our first collection on sale soon. We’re taking haircuts to bring it to market at $9.99, and hope that we can convert more folks from trade waiters into monthly readers. It’s an experiment; not sure we’ll do another print at $9.99, so if you’re on the fence for some reason, buy it at our friendliest price. We appreciate all the love and support — we feel it very strongly. We’re also very privileged to be telling this story at the best comics publisher in the West, Image Comics.
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