An Interview With Mike Carey, Author of The Devil You Know - Part One - Page 2

Scott Butki: First, how did you get into writing comic books? 

Mike Carey: Like most people in the industry, I guess, I was a fan before I was a creator.  I learned to read from comic books - notably from the so-called "Power-House Comics" of the mid-sixties, which were largely written and drawn by British comic book legend Leo Baxendale. 

Then I started borrowing and reading my older brother Chris's American superhero books, discovered the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four, and that was it - the beginning of a life-long love affair. Or addiction, if you want to be cruel. So I was pretty much always reading comics as I grew up, apart from a short spell in my teens.  Then I started to do comic reviews and articles for fanzines and semi-pro-zines, and from there I started pitching actual scripts and ideas to Martin Skidmore, who was briefly the editor on the UK Trident Comics line. 

They picked up two of my stories, but went bankrupt before they could pay me or publish me. It didn't matter by that stage, though. I'd made some contacts through that experience, and I started writing on the American indie scene, through the good graces of two very generous people, Ken Meyer Jr. and Lurene Haines.  I worked for Malibu, then for Caliber, and I slowly leapfrogged my way to DC's door. 

What has been your high point and low points in writing comics? 

The low points tended to be when a publisher I was writing for went bankrupt or ceased trading, leaving me out on my ear once again.  It seemed to happen a lot.  A creative low point was the Pantera comic book I wrote for Malibu's Rock-It imprint.  It was... well, it was the adventures of the thrash metal band Pantera as they face down evil vampires and kick supernatural ass somewhere in Texas.  And it was so bad it sort of imploded and created a local black hole wherever it was read. Dangerous stuff. 

Highs... Well, it's hard for anything to compare with the day when Vertigo editor Alisa Kwitney called me and invited me to pitch for Sandman Presents Lucifer.  I'd been banging my head against the door for seven or eight years by that point, and suddenly it opened to reveal a land flowing with milk and honey and actual pay cheques. 

Article Author: Scott Butki

Scott Butki was a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years before making a career change into education.

He is an in-house media critic, a recovering Tetris addict and a proud uncle.

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