State Of Mind

Step into my world...just for a moment. Here you'll find various interviews I've taken, this page is dedicated to all the shrinks out there, bidding on my therapy sessions :) - Myles Leigo


September 2
The Crows' Despair/ChambeROOM creator tWISTEd sPINe tackles Insurrection head on for ten top questions.

1) Was art something you have always aspired to do, or did The Crow comic book ingnite this creative flame?
I knew from a fairly young age I had a talent for art. I wasn't too confident as an artist, so I stuck with a style and materials I felt comfortable with. As for aspirations, I still am a bit sceptical of my own work. I actually purchased the graphic novel after I started Insurrection.

2) Do you feel that your talents as an artist has progressed from your first page of insurrection to your most current? And if so, do you think that progression is visible as readers read through it?
Absolutely. Looking back now, I consider re-doing the first 30 pages. But then again, I basically bled on those pages, since then, ive developed a lot of shortcuts.

3) Now...there is an inherent amount of violence in any Crow tale. Is that the main reason you were inspired to create your own comic based on the mythology, or is it something deeper about the story elements?
I have wanted to create my own crow-story since I heard about city of angels, something different, something other-worldly that has stuck with me ever since I saw the film.I think the inspiration actually came from events in my life that really fucked me up, and then this whole 'wait for Salvation' crap...it seemed harmonic to bring the two together and release some demons.

4) How important is it to you for other fans of The Crow to like what you are creating? In other words, is this project more for personal enjoyment, or are you driven to make the fans happy?
At the beginning, It was like...hey, i've always wanted to do this lets see what happens...and I felt obligated to keep fans happy after a few comments about the sexual content in the early pages. But then I realised that if I kept everyone else happy, then I was wasting my time. You cant please everyone, so I just stuck to what I felt, and what I was releasing into this comic.

5) What type of drawing materials are you using to create insurrection?
The worst :). A shitload of HB pencils on average grade fax/copy paper, and then I upgraded to a really smooth pen, and then it died...I wanna find me another one of those pens, really cool feel to 'em. Ive also been experimenting with the airbrush facilities on paint Shop Pro 5.

6) Do you outline what you are going to do before starting on each new page of the comic, or is it something you more or less let flow?
I start with a fairly detailed synopsis, and then when I start to draw, it changes.Sometimes it's a great change, sometimes not.

7) You have a great deal of musical lyrics that appear throughout insurrection. Do the songs themselves inspire some of the artwork and direction, or do you create the pages first, and then select a song that you feel fits the material?
Most scenes are actually based on the song. The emotions and mental imagery I get when I hear a certian song inspires a scene, and sometimes, even the dialogue.

8) Keeping with the music theme, how important do you feel music is to The Crow in general? There is alot of controversy over Pressman's decision to create a hip hop Crow film...do you think the transition to rap music will work?
I think the music used in the first two films was perfect.sure it might seem like 15 film clips stuck end to end, but thats how it started. Music gives you emotion, and thats where it was born. I think this hip hop transistion will 'work'...because if it makes money, then it works. Although its saddening the see The Crow anthology go out like this. The current fan base isnt big enough, so Pressmans' after a bigger crowd. Maybe the current fan base can live on through fan-created independant projects such as Insurrection and Conception.

9) Can we expect to see an ending to insurrection in the near future?
It's all written out, 5 pages max. SOON! :)

10) Lastly, do you forsee more Crow related projects in your future, or will you be tackling something different next?
After Insurrection is finished, There's 'Epitaph', the prequel. I'm also working on a short South Park-Crow crossover, purely for the laughs.

Thank you for your time, and I would like to congradulate you on your work with insurrection. It is something I have enjoyed following these past months, and I am anxious to see where it takes us.
No no..thank YOU :)


August 20
Hear This/Heavy Rotation stepped inside the twisted mind of Insurrection artist/writer Myles Leigo for an introspective moment of non-silence to get a few things straight.

Who would you name as your visual influences in your artwork?
David Fincher, H.R. Giger, Jon Romina Jnr, and the Hilderbrant brothers. Oh, and The Crow: city of angels. The Script might have been a bit lackluster, but the imagery was kick ass!

You frequently use song lyrics in this story, which bands have you been listening to while working on this project?
Hell, a LOT. (laughs) a lot of Staind, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Machine Head and the scores to the first two films by Graeme Revell.

Can you describe the main character in one sentence?
Have crow will travel?, No...the living dead girl with a tainted smile.

The Crow is synonymous with the goth culture, would you call 'Insurrection' gothic?
No. Dark yes, Gothic No. I think the edges of the gothic label have been smudged a bit lately, not that I know much about the goth culture, but I see a lot of dark films mis-labelled 'gothic' instead of 'Film Noir'.

Where abouts on the geological map would Insurrection be set?
Um...Nowhere! It actually doesnt have a setting. I didn't think it was that important. Maybe post modern day decayed Seattle?

Is this the first project like this you've done?
Yeah...can you tell? (laughs) It's a steep learning curve.

What would be the best outlet for Insurrection?
I'd say film. I'd love to see this story as a film, you just have that much more to play with.

Who would you pick to play the part of Angelina if Insurrection got the celluloid treatment?
Probably Helena Bonham Carter, or an unknown.

When was Insurrection started?
Way back in May 97 I scribbled down a few ideas of a female crow story. It remained nameless until April this year when, fueled by other crow fans, I dug the file back up and the creative juices started flowing. The first title I gave it was 'Urban Hell' but it seemed a tad distracting,then it went to 'Resurrection' and finally, 'Insurrection'.

Has the story changed in any great way?
Hell yeah. Things have been dropped out all over, usually because it starts the story going in an entirely wrong direction, like there was to be this sub-plot of a guy, who knew Angelina, he was the snitch who inadvertently caused her to be a scapegoat and murdered upon suspicion, who now feels guilt and stuff, but I just didn't think it would work. Another one was the scene where Tony and pals had this brilliant idea to capture Angelina and keep her in a cage, restrained, and drown her or something, then Isaac turns back into a man and saves her, only to lose both of their powers, but that took the story into the usual places...boring ya know? the latest idea ive thrown out is of Isaac wearing a tragedy mask, not the usual crow paint. I felt it paid homage to some of the earlier drafts of The Crow screenplay where Eric wore a mask. It was just an interesting take.

What is the difference between 'Insurrection' and other existing Crow stories?
I think the main one would be it's a girl. Hmmm, to me, Insurrection feels like a breath of fresh air to the crow world, because it touches on many elements not usually covered in this Anthology. Like, instead of the character coming back to avenge 2 or more deaths, she's really just coming back because she has been so traumatised by what happened to her, plus 'The Murder' has big things for her...oh yeah, 'The Murder'. My story, I feel, has expanded on the usual mythos of The Crow, theres a lot more behind-the-bird storyline to deal with. Also, the main element is like, betrayal...unrequited love if you will, anyone who's ever loved someone only to not be loved back, or totally shafted back, can relate to this story. But the underlying theme of a love stronger than mortal boundaries also exists, its just that its toward the ending of the story. Finishing up, I feel my story is a lot more contrasting in scenes, not clashing I hope, but contrasted...theres less of that feelgood stuff...it's raw man.

In closing, whats with Angelina on the rooftops?
Er...well, she doesn't wanna go home. I think most people will get this, but the place Angelina hangs out is a rooftop, always rooftops, this is because she can overlook the city, I mean hell, she's a crow ya know? She wants to fly!