INTERVIEW: Marcellus Hall creates love letter to NYC with new graphic novel
Acclaimed illustrator Marcellus Hall has crafted an original graphic novel that follows a man after he endures a difficult romantic heartbreak. He walks through the streets of New York City, encountering new people and new neighborhoods, always on a journey of self-reflection and inspiration.
Kaleidoscope City, now on sale from Bittersweet Editions, is the latest project from a Renaissance man. Hall is known for his illustrations in The New Yorker and also starting the band Railroad Jerk in the 1990s. His work has also been published in Time, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. Today, he performs with Marcellus Hall and the Hostages.
Hall, who wrote and illustrated Kaleidoscope City, recently exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox about the new project. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How long did it take you to settle on the look and atmosphere of the graphic novel?
I wanted something surreal and existential (rather than linear and plot driven), but how to achieve that without coming off as self indulgent or phlegmatic was the challenge for me. After many iterations and many years, and with invaluable editorial help from Marco North of Bittersweet Editions, I arrived at something that felt right to me.
Was it always going to be your main character telling the story in first-person narrative? Did you think about other types of narration?
Yes, I considered writing in the third person (or from multiple perspectives), but first person, I felt, conveyed an intimacy and credulity that was appealing. I am interested in writing from a different point of view for my next graphic novel.
In the editing stage, do you find yourself cutting back on the text and letting the drawings tell more of the story?
I was constantly omitting text. I started with reams of text, but felt increasingly that silence (and empty space visually) was crucial to the mood I was trying to convey.
Why do you believe we have this collective need for connection?
Life is a lonely business. Religion and art tell stories to make us feel less alone. The fact that we inhale air speaks to our need for air. The fact that we have religion and art speaks to our need for connection. I can’t say why we need connection anymore than why we need air, except to say that we would die without either of them.
Do you feel there is a connection between your work as a lyricist and your work writing dialogue/inner thoughts in a graphic novel?
Yes. Song lyrics are important to me, as are written words. When I read unscrupulously written words or hear carelessly written lyrics, I am turned off — insulted even — to think that someone has wasted my time and polluted my mind with them. Anyway, this is just to say that I took as much care in writing this book as I do in writing lyrics, or drawing pictures for that matter.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Kaleidoscope City, written and illustrated by Marcellus Hall, is now available from Bittersweet Editions. Click here for more information.
