Seven Questions with Near Death Creator Jay Faerber

This week William R. Davis Jr. gets a chance to have a short Q & A with Near Death creator Jay Faerber, whose critically acclaimed trade paperback vol. 1 of Near Death has been creating quite a buzz lately in the comic world. Mr. Faerber is also currently a writer for the CW television series Ringer.













William:

Issue two of Near Death was one of the most thought provoking comics I have ever read. It seems that the worst and most unforgivable crime in modern America is rape or molestation. Issue Two deals with Markham having to
decide between protecting a convicted sex offender or letting him get killed
by the family of the rape victim. No spoilers here, but my question is: Is
there a crime in society that there is no atonement for? If that is your
belief, what is that crime? Why do you feel that way?

Jay: Currently, I think there is no crime that you can't atone for.
However, that's with the caveat that I've been fortunate to have never
been impacted by a serious crime. No one I know has been sexually
assaulted or murdered or anything like that. If that were to happen,
my views might understandably change. But NEAR DEATH isn't a platform
for my own beliefs and values. It's the story of one man's own sense
of morals and how they may -- or may not -- change as he goes forward
with his life.

William: You have done some work on Superman and Superboy in the past. As a lifelong
fan I have to ask: What is your favorite Superman story arc ever?

Jay: I honestly can't pinpoint an arc from the comics. I know this may
sound blasphemous, but I think my favorite version of Superman is
where he's the only super-hero in the world. That's why I love the
first Superman movie so much. That's my favorite "arc."

William: There are a lot of crime themed movies, television shows, books, and comics
out there right now. What do you feel separates your work from the rest of
the genre?

Jay: Crime is probably the most popular genre in all of fiction -- although
I admit "crime" is a pretty broad umbrella. The TV show MONK falls
under the crime genre, and so does THE WIRE, although they couldn't be
more different. So I think what separates my work from the rest is
simply my voice. Every writer's voice is shaped by his or her own
personal experiences, so my stories are always going to be different
from every other writer's. I think NEAR DEATH is a nice combination of
character study and episodic storytelling.

William: Markham has a life changing near death experience that leads him to protect
those he once tried to kill for profit. Markham admits that he personally
has no problem with killing, but does not like what he saw on the other
side. What is his motivation to protect these people despite his core
beliefs? Can someone be forgiven for a crime even though they have no
genuine remorse for their past actions?

Jay: Markham is motivated solely by self-preservation. All he cares about
is not spending an eternity in Hell when he dies. So he's willing to
completely change his tactics and start saving people instead of
killing them. But like you said, he doesn't really have any remorse
for his past actions, so his heart hasn't actually changed. You've
heard the phrase "fake it 'til you make it." Right now, Markham is
faking it. But if he fakes it long enough, will he GENUINELY change
and become a better person? That's the story we're telling.

William: In Issue Four Markham says: "I was a killer." This is a statement he made after shooting Brewster in the head at point blank range. Is Markham a
killer? Is it justifiable to kill people in the name of good? If so, in what
situation is the killing of another human being just?

Jay: It's interesting that you mentioned that scene where Markham shoots
Brewster in the head, because you're right -- he just shot a guy at
point blank range, but in future issues he's said he no longer kills.
And we've seen him go out of his way NOT to kill. So why did he shoot
Brewster like that? I'd chalk it up to "force of habit," since this
was his first case after his near death experience.As for the other questions you raise, those are questions Markham himself is wrestling with, as we saw during his conversation with the priest in issue #5. So I'm content to let that play out in the book itself.

William: Is there an end date for Near Death? Where do you see this character going in the future? How many issues of Near Death can we expect to see on comic store shelves?

Jay: I don't have an end date in mind for the book, but I DO know how it
ends. I just don't know WHEN. As for where we're headed in the future,
I'd like to keep shaking up the locale of the book. Markham moved from
Seattle to LA after issue #5. I don't know how long he's staying in
LA, but the book's co-creator, artist Simone Guglielmini, lives in
Italy, so we may have Markham go to Italy for awhile. I'd love to give
the book an international feel.

William: Your past work has dealt with mostly superhero books. Your new
book is a crime book. Are there any new genres we can see Jay Faerber tackle
at some point in the future?

Jay: With my work in television, my time is pretty limited, so I don't know
how much comic book work I can do aside from NEAR DEATH. Crime is
probably my favorite genre, so I could tell stories in this genre for
quite awhile. But I'd also love to try my hand at a high adventure
book -- some kind of pulp serial throwback, or maybe something
involving time travel. I just need to find more hours in the day,
first.

We at The Hammond Comics Blog want to personally thank Jay Faerber for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Near Death trade paperback vol. 1 and new issues of the ongoing series can be found at your local comic shop. Go pick them up today- WRDJ