Interview with the Creators of "Things You Shouldn't Remember"

So, here are Comic Crusaders we are always on the look out for the next big titles.Â Following on from their recent success with “Sweet Lullaby”, Darby Pop are producing a new 5 issue mini series called “Things You Shouldn’t Remember”, initially available on Comixology before get the trade paperback treatment later in August.Â You can check an advance review by clicking HERE.

We caught up with writer and letterer Luis Roldan, artist Mariano Eliceche and colorist Angel Lidon, to see what they could remember about their new book:-

Comic Crusaders: How did you guys all meet and get together for this project?

Luis Roldan: I first met Angel Lidon (Colorist) in 2015, when we worked on the science-fiction series Takkav together for a Spanish magazine. We kept in touch after the collaboration, hoping to join forces again in the future. A few months later, I wrote the first draft of THINGS YOU SHOULDN“T REMEMBER (TYSR) and was looking for the right artist. I didn“t have a clear idea as to what direction I wanted to go in when Angel recommended a highly-talented friend of his. This guy turned out to be Mariano Eliceche (Artist), and after a few conversations about comics, movies and TYSR, it just clicked. The three of us were passionate about the story and the possibilities it suggested, and got cracking almost straight away.

CC: Can you describe the creative process please?

LR: Something we decided as soon as we started working on TYSR is that we should all be equally involved in the project by keeping in close contact at all times (as closely as the internet allows, seeing as we haven“t actually met in person). We talk on a daily basis, and discuss every single detail behind the art and/or story.

As for the page process, this is how it goes: First, Mariano shares a sketch of the page with us. When everyone agrees, he does the final art and sends it to me to work on the flats. Then, if necessary, we discuss mood and color specifications before Angel does his magic.Â After which, it comes back to me for lettering.

Of course, Darby Pop editors, Jeff Kline and Renae Geerlings, were involved in every step of the process and their help and guidance has been invaluable.

C: Who are your influences and how are they shown in the book?

LR: For my writing, I draw inspiration from many different sources: writers (William S. Burroughs, Irvine Welsh, Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis), filmmakers (David Lynch, Yorgos Lanthimos), TV Creators (Damon Lindelof, David Simon), musicians (Mike Patton, Gene and Dean Ween), etc. The themes TYSR delves into may be reminiscent of the works of Morrison, Alan Moore or Peter Milligan. For the dialogue, I“ve always looked-up to Brian Azzarello and the Hernandez Brothers.

Mariano Eliceche: There are many authors who have influenced me with several different styles, such as Jim Lee, Adam Kubert, Oliver Coipel, Carlos Pacheco, Stuart Immonen ”“ they have taught me so much, and I continue to learn from them.

Angel Lidon: The artist I most admire these days is David Curiel, though I always try to reflect my own personality and style on the pages.

CC: What for each of you is the strongest part of the story (without giving the game away)?

LR: There are many elements I“m quite proud of: the different characters and their moral ambiguity, the use of several locations both real (Fayetteville, Sacramento, Wichita, Tampa) and fictitious, and the dialogue. But I think the strongest part is the enigma at the center of the story and how it is gradually resolved, providing a few pieces of the puzzle with every issue you read.

ME: What I like the most about TYSR is the mystery surrounding all the characters and how their paths cross.Â It may be that what a reader initially thinks of them is diametrically opposed to who they really are!

AL: I love a specific scene in later issues, in which we meet a mysterious funny, furry guy.

CC: What books are currently floating your boat?

LR: I“ve been reading Alan Moore“s Jerusalem for the last few months, along with Sex Criminals and Mind MGMT.

ME: I haven“t had a lot of time to read while working on this series, but I have Isaac Asimov“s Foundation and Earth waiting for me.

AL: The Dark Tower.

CC: All great choices indeed. Luis, as someone who suffers from “immediate partial recollection” (the ability to remember half of something then trying to work out the rest of it all day), am I in mortal danger?Â Seriously, the idea behind the book is quite clever, how did you think of both the main thrust of the story and the subsequent layers?

Marc Roister“s character and his story are actually based on something that happened to me. I have a favourite song from the early 2000s that I can“t, for the life of me, find again. There“s not even the tiniest piece of information about this song available anywhere. Off of that, I started exploring the concept of memories and how they work, and came up with the idea of the Rememberers — average people having mundane memories of things, people, and places no one else has ever heard of. On the other side we have the Handlers — a mysterious organization whose purpose is hunting down these Rememberers before they can share the recollections they“re having.

Once the characters were well-defined, it was a matter of putting them in different situations, figuring out how they would react, and going from there. I had a clear idea of where I wanted the story to go, and what I wanted to say with it, but I try not to have too many preconceived notions on how to go from point A to point B; I love to just start writing and let the characters surprise me with their chosen paths.

I don“t think your immediate partial recollection would qualify you as a Rememberer.Â But, just in case, I would watch my back if I were you. And if a couple of suited guys knock at your door, run!

CC: Mariano, when you get the script how do you process and put pen to paper?Â Are the character designs yours or more of a collaboration?

ME: The first thing I do is read the script slowly, so my imagination starts running freely. I then go page-by-page”¦ re-reading, making notes, and sketching. I look for any information and references I may need, and I start working on the more polished art.

Regarding the characters, Luis sent me some notes about each one (physical details and personality) and I did the design for each based on these descriptions.

CC: If you weren“t working in comics, what would you all be doing?

LR: I wouldn“t mind doing something related to film and/or music. Wouldn“t mind it at all. Or maybe I“d try and run my own publishing house; who knows?

ME: If not comics, I“d still love to work on anything related to drawing and in the art world.

AL: What I“m most passionate about is art in all its facets: film, music, painting”¦

CC: What“s next in “Things…”

LR: Over the next few issues we will meet some new characters, such as Christine Wahnfried ”“ a quirky California pharmacist and one of my favourites; Jimmy Ears ”“ the small-town gangster Marc has beef with; and the Librarian — the keeper of a fantastic place known only as The Forbidden Library. We will also start unravelling the mystery around the seemingly innocuous memories our protagonists have”¦ all the while we continually increasing the dosage of action, science-fiction, and humour.

Sounds great.Â I am really looking forward to seeing how this story plays out.Â Good luck with the book guys.

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network