Xander Bennett
So who are you then and what do you do?
Xander Bennett, freelance writer and ex-pat Australian. I write short fiction, comics and a bunch of other less exciting stuff.
What have you done that we might recognize?
To be honest? Not a lot! But that'll change soon, mark my words. (arches fingers in a sinister manner)
What have you done that we might not know about?
Cagescomic.com is the site to see. CAGES is an original 114-page comic book that tells the story of three children struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. It's written by me, illustrated by fellow Aussie Melanie Cook, and published by the fine folks at Insomnia Publications.
What are you working on now that we should look out for?
I'm doing two new adventure comics with David Montoro, an awesome French artist. Chasing the Dragon is an urban mythic detective story, and Shaman is a tale of the Wild West told from the native American perspective.
What piece of work are you most proud of and why?
At the moment? I'd have to say CAGES. It was the first comic book script I ever wrote, and people seem to be responding to it really well.
if I could buy only one thing you have worked on what should it be?
CAGES, of course! Look, it's got action, horror, monsters, mad scientists and robots. I guarantee you'd like it.* (*not a real guarantee.)
What book would you have been proud to have worked on and why?
Anything Grant Morrison has ever touched. But only because I secretly want to be Grant Morrison.
If you could work on any book / character in comics what would it be and why?
Is it cliched to say Superman? Well, I don't care – it's Superman.
Wait, no! Jonah Hex. Definitely Jonah Hex.
Who would you most like to collaborate with on an original story with and why?
Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, brothers extraordinaire. If you ask me, they can draw anything.
If you were allowed only five comics (does not have to be single issues a run counts as one) on a desert island (like Lost) what would they be?
Sandman, Preacher, Scott Pilgrim, Morrison's Seven Soldiers, Busiek's run on Conan.
Do you have a website / blog where we can find out more?
I'm glad you asked. Cagescomic.com is the site for all things CAGES. There are some great reviews up there right now. Xanderbennett.com is my personal site, though I can't guarantee it's been updated since the last Age of Man.
If you were a sandwich what would your filling be?
Er... peanut butter. I'm sweet and mushy on the inside.
Chocolate or Chips?
Chips. Mmm, salt...
These food questions are making me hungry.
Judge Dredd or Batman?
Batman, because only because I never read Dredd. Despite being a former British colony, Australia is pretty much saturated with American culture.
What word do you think is underused
Cyclopean.
If you could be granted one superpower which would you chose?
Flight. No contest. But it has to be proper flight – no invisible planes, okay?
Save the world or rule the galaxy?
Rule with an iron fist, baby.
What is your ultimate “who’d win” in comics?
Is it sad that I've never really thought about it?
If you could be involved in telling a story featuring any two characters who would they be?
I have a few ideas for a Phantom Stranger/Jonah Hex team-up, although I might be the only person in the world who'd actually read it.
What is the best and worst thing about working in comics?
Best? Getting art back from artists. It's the most incredible feeling in the world to see your vision there on the page.
Worst? I suppose the time it takes to accomplish anything in the small press world. But then that's true of all publishing. And hey, we're all in this for the love of it, right?
Will you forward this to someone you know who works in comics. And who if so who is it likely to be?
My long-suffering artist Melanie Cook, so she can point and laugh at my terrible answers.
Any words of wisdom before you go?
Never get involved in a land war in Asia.
