Comics: Interview with Richard Dent, the creator of Myopia

An exclusive interview with the author of Dynamite Comics’ sci-fi conspiracy thriller series about its latest chapter, Myopia: The Rise of the Domes.

There’s a tendency to overlook certain comic in a market dominated by superheroes from DC and Marvel. But comics, like any form of literature, can cover all genres, from science fiction, to fantasy, to horror, to even semi-autobiography. In many cases, comics are the ideal medium for these kinds of stories, capable of doing things regular books or even movies and television cannot do. The hard part, like any other form of writing, is getting one’s creative voice through.

Enter one Richard Dent and his series, Myopia. Published by Dynamite Comics, it’s a story centered around two futuristic pieces of technology, and the means in which a government uses them as part of a global cover-up. Backed by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the first issue of Myopia received acclaim from various creators and critics alike. Now one year later, Evans will be able to continue the story he started with the forthcoming, Myopia: The Rise of the Domes (Dynamite Entertainment).

Bam Smack Pow was able to talk with Dent about this second installment, the creation behind it, and what the future may hold for Myopia, and comics overall.

Credit: Patrick Berkenkotter and Vinicius Andrade (Dynamite Entertainment); cover for Myopia: The Rise of the Domes

Bam Smack Pow: I’m sure this is something you’re asked a lot as a writer, but what was the inspiration behind Myopia?

Richard Dent: Before I wrote Myopia, I was working on literary fiction and poetry. I had hit a creative wall and was watching some of my favorite old movies, The Matrix, and Minority Report, and thought to myself, “I’m a writer, why don’t I try writing something like this?” Of course, there is more to it. My influences of dystopian speculative fiction run deep, all the way back to Fahrenheit 451.

BSP: So you would say this is a passion project based on your love for the genre?

RD: Yes. I would also say that, as a comic book influences go, I’m a huge Alan Moore fan. He is a big influence on how Myopia is laid out.

BSP: Now, for those who are probably wondering, “What is Myopia?” can you describe it for our readers without giving too much away?

RD: Myopia takes place around two hundred or so years in the future. Everyone wears psychically linked lenses much like an evolution of Google Glass or our smartphones. Then the government steps in and takes control of the company that makes the lenses. The landscape or setting is post energy crisis. Oil and nuclear energy are no longer fuel sources. Magnetic energy runs a lot of society but the Magnetic Energy Agreement prohibits the reliance of any one source of energy.

More from Comics

BSP: Now I have to admit, when I first heard about the premise behind the lenses, I assumed the story would venture into some George Orwell 1984 territory. But the lens technology is used for a much different purpose here, is it not?

RD: The lenses are neither good nor bad. It’s the entities behind the lenses that influence how they are viewed. In issue #1, they are still pretty innocuous but we also see another pair of lenses that are not like the others. These lenses are explored more in Rise of The Domes, or issue #2.

BSP: And in terms of story structure, Myopia: The Rise of the Domes serves as the second act, yes?

RD: Yes

BSP: It also has a strong environmental message, as well. Do you consider Myopia more of a cautionary tale about climate change, or one about government-industrial-media collusion?

RD: Both!

BSP: I’m sure this question is like being asked, “Which of your kids is your favorite,” but is there a particular character in Myopia who really stands out the most for you?

RD: I like James Chase because he’s one step ahead. But in issue #2, Jill becomes my favorite.

Credit: Patrick Berkenkotter and Vinicius Andrade (Dynamite Entertainment); from

Myopia: The Rise of the Domes

BSP: Is this something you often experience during the writing process?

RD: Yes. I think characters are like people. Everyone has something special about them, but as circumstances change that special part of their personality can begin to magnify–for better or for worse.

BSP: The design aesthetic is also wonderfully unique, almost a mash-up between late 19th century and the 1950’s. Was this something else you always envisioned for this story, or was this something you worked out with artist Patrick Berkenkotter over time?

RD: This was something I worked out with Patrick. It wasn’t easy to convey what I wanted. Saying you want something mildly steampunk with a mix of retro could have been interpreted in a lot of different ways. There is also plenty that’s modern (obviously) in here, too. Now that Patrick has a sense of the style, it’s fun to watch where he picks to put what. I give him notes but only when I really feel strongly that a certain building or place, character or vehicle needs to have a certain style. It took a minute to get to that place.

BSP: It’s also my understanding you originally conceived and wrote Myopia as a screenplay. What made you decide to turn it into a comic book series, instead?

RD: I really liked the story and felt throwing it into the hands of the director might compromise the vision. As a comic book I’m able to be the director–along with Patrick, of course. In the last interview I did, the interviewer said that a comic book was like having an unlimited special effects budget. It’s totally true. The kind of things I wanted shown in the comic book might have been cut out of a movie. With Patrick’s amazing attention to detail, I’m completely satisfied with what I see here.

BSP: Were there any other benefits or challenges converting the story from a screenplay to a comic book script?

RD: Yes. I was really able to expand the world, pay attention to details and backstory that would have been cut from a movie script. That being said, it wasn’t easy (at first) expanding the world. But now that it’s unpacked I find myself wondering how it might be packed up again into a script without losing what’s been gained. On the other hand there are were scenes in the script that only a moving picture could provide, scenes that an illustrator couldn’t do in still unless they broke it down into multiple panels that might not work well for the story.

BSP: And do you describe each and every panel? Or do you, like some comic book writers, prefer the artist create the scene before adding in dialogue?

Credit: Patrick Berkenkotter and Vinicius Andrade (Dynamite Entertainment); from Myopia: The Rise of the Domes

RD: I hand him a script with dialogue so that he knows how much of the panel is going to be covered with captions. To me it’s most important to include everything that needs to be in the scene then how it’s going to look. I do add my two cents when it’s the first appearance of a key setting, vehicle or character that will be reoccurring. I also have gotten into the habit of making a lot of notes on his thumbnails.

BSP: Was there anything Patrick did that has made you rethink Myopia in any way?

RD: That’s a good question. I certainly didn’t have to worry about working around an illustrator with limitations. In fact I tried to suggest panel layouts and rework the script so that Patrick would have more room for scenes where I knew his talent could really shine. Ironically Patrick works well with more dense pages, though I’m sure he wouldn’t be happy with me saying that!

BSP: Now before Myopia was picked up by Dynamite Comics, you had a Kickstarter funding campaign for it with an impressive list of backers—and I mean very impressive. What was that experience like?

BSP: It was amazing. You’re talking about writers whose books I’ve read and were inspired by. Actors who work on shows that have a huge presence at comic cons all over the world. I couldn’t have been happier with the campaign.

BSP: Just in case readers don’t know, the list includes George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones), Neil Gaiman (Sandman, American Gods), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaiden’s Tale), Dean Koontz (Watchers, Odd Thomas), Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files), and so on. Was any one in particular you were the most surprised by lending their support?

RD: Gosh, that’s a hard question to answer. Each supporter was a huge surprise. Dean Koontz answered a letter I sent to him. So did George R.R. Martin. Some of them had connections to my previous publisher… but still that didn’t mean anything. I would have to say Margaret Atwood’s contribution was the biggest surprise. She has a strict policy against blurbing other writers, so I never imagined she would respond to a letter for a Kickstarter.

BSP: Especially for a comic book series that isn’t a superhero series, I imagine.

RD: None of these writers really do superheroes. They all have their foot in comics but have their own “thing” going on. I think that’s why I appreciated their support so much, though I do have to point out that Deadpool Illustrator Scott Koblish was also a supporter. He was part of the Myopia video, though he didn’t donate rewards. I’m sure he would have if I had asked.

BSP: Well, as you probably know, when people think comics, at least in America, they think superheroes. Why do you think this is, and do you see this attitude changing with the rise of more independent comic publishers?

RD: True. Where I went to college there were a lot of writers who also liked to draw comics. I drew them when I was in high school. They weren’t superhero comics. Those weren’t even discussed as having anything in connection with what we did. I still think there is a huge divide between indie comics and superhero comics. Somewhere in the middle we have people from both sides of the fences coming in and bridging that gap. This is thanks to publishers like Image (on the superhero side) and publishers like Top Shelf on the Indie side. Hollywood has also brought the concept of comics mainstream. You’re seeing movies based on superheroes and indie comics alike.

Credit: Patrick Berkenkotter and Vinicius Andrade (Dynamite Entertainment); from Myopia: The Rise of the Domes

BSP: And where you see comics being in the future?

RD: That’s an interesting question! I don’t know. Marvel and DC have, for a while now, [been] making superhero comics more dimensional. I see that continuing. I see them getting more diverse. I don’t see the indie market slowing down anytime soon. It’s glutted but so is traditional publishing. It doesn’t stop people from doing what they love.

BSP: Being that you’re also a teacher of creative writing, what’s the best advice you’ve given to your students, or to anyone who wishes to break into writing, comics or otherwise?

RD: Try and see through whatever you write. I have a poetry book with almost every poem in it published in a magazine and I still haven’t found a publisher for it. I still send it out. Also, don’t put time limits on yourself. Write everyday but do so until what you have is good then send it out there. Don’t be afraid of rejection. It means so many different things than what’s going through your head.

BSP: So what are your biggest hopes for Myopia going forward?

RD: Right now I’m just hoping that it finds an audience in the comic book and literary community, which I think it’s doing. The book is represented by Janklow & Nesbit as well as Paradigm, and they have already had a lot of interest in the movie rights. I’m hoping if it goes down that road, it’s done as a movie by a director who gets the source material.

Credit: Richard Dent

From richdentwriter.com:

"Richard Dent is a Creative Writing teacher through the National University MFA program, whose own poems and short stories have been widely published in a number of outlets and journals. His original version of Myopia (in screenplay form) was selected as a finalist in the Francis Ford Coppola Screenwriting Competition and the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition.Myopia: Rise of the Domes will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ December 2017 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in February 2018. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Myopia: Rise of the Domes with their local comic book retailers. Myopia: Rise of the Domes will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, Madefire, and Dark Horse Digital."

Next: Interview with Blaine Anderson and Brendan Taylor of Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics

Be sure to check out Myopia: The Rise of the Domes.

Home/Comics