Talking ‘Tharg’s 3rillers’ With David Baillie And Nick Brokenshire

Most rules exist for a reason. It might not be a good one, or an obvious one, but there’s usually a reason. In “Blue Skies Over Deadwick,” the new Tharg’s 3rillers strip from writer David Baillie, artist Nick Brokenshire, and letterer Annie Parkhouse, Dilemma is about to become the first “eavesdropper” to do a climb, but why weren’t they allowed to do climbs in the past? For more on what’s coming in this week’s Prog, check out this interview with Baillie and Brokenshire:

Rachel Bellwoar: Unlike other 2000 AD strips, where there might be certain expectations or characters attached, Tharg’s 3rillers can really be anything. How did you land on “Blue Skies Over Deadwick”?

David Baillie: I really love Future Shocks and 3rillers – reading and writing them! They’re a perfect portion of sci-fi novelty, or as previous Tharg, Andy Diggle, said – ‘a shotglass of rocketfuel’. Like you said, Rachel, they can be anything, the only constraint being the format. That’s really exciting, but also a little daunting sometimes – especially with the rich heritage of incredible short form work 2000 AD is known for!

Hope this doesn’t sound flip, but the roots for this story really were just that I wanted to write a story for Nick with giant robots in it. I had another idea, that Tharg thought was too busy for a three-parter (and he was right – as always!) and so I opened one of my dusty notebooks to look for inspiration.

I found an idea I’d written down in a fever dream a few years ago – the page three twist of the first chapter, which I won’t spoil! – and that was it. I just started building out from there, filling the world with the stuff and people that the story needed.

And then Nick knocked it out of the park!

Bellwoar: Part one, at least, is narrated by Dilemma. Is Dilemma his real name or a nickname he was given?

Baillie: I like to think that Dilemma is his real name! There’s a rich tradition of dystopian sci-fi societies naming their kids in ways that may seem whimsical to us, using words that aren’t usually used as names and therefore sound like nicknames. (Case in point… As in, Case from Neuromancer – although now I’ve Googled it that was apparently his surname? Wow…) The citizens in Judge Dredd, for example, usually have great character names!

Dilemma Jones was born an ‘eavesdropper’ with the ability to listen in on others’ thoughts. So far the residents of Deadwick have found it to be a useless and slightly annoying ability, that a small number of them develop from a young age. And to make matters worse, when the settlement faces an existential threat, it’s found that eavesdroppers are too ‘sensitive’ to help fight it off.

Dilemma argues his way onto one such defensive expedition, and that’s where our story starts!

Bellwoar: Unlike the other members of his team, Dilemma is a telepath. As a fan of 2000 AD’s Psi-Division stories, what made you want to add that element to the story?

Baillie: I hope I’m not giving too much away by saying that it’s the narrative crux of the story – everything that happens from the second episode on is down to his latent abilities.

I’m a huge telepathy nerd – I love when it appears in stories, especially in settings you might not expect it. Pop a telepath in a dusty dystopia and I’m all in! Myself and friend-and-artist Conor Boyle created a story for the band Megadeth a couple of years ago with precisely that combination and I think I’ve been itching to revisit that story recipe cocktail!

Bellwoar: Usually where there’s snow and climbing there’s mountains but that isn’t the case here. Was it difficult, trying to avoid giving away what Dilemma and her team are actually climbing?

Baillie: Like I say that was the seed for the story and I found it in a notebook from a few years ago. If I have an idea for a good visual reveal I usually note it down, hoping to use it later – and when that comes off, you have no idea how happy I am!

But of course it requires the right artist to make it work – and Nick Brokenshire is that artist!

Bellwoar: Rather than wear one standard uniform, all of the characters’ outfits are slightly different. Did you always want their gear to be more personalized?

Nick Brokenshire: Well, I think as the story unfurls, we’ll understand more clearly what state the humans in this story are in. Suffice to say that they are wearing clothes that fit their society and purpose. In the first chapter, they are climbers in a very inhospitable  position so they all wear cloaks and protective gear accordingly. Nevertheless, you’ll see that they each have their own look that reflects who they are.

Bellwoar: The whole reason they’re doing this climb is to protect Deadwick but we don’t actually spend any time there in part one. Will that change in future installments, and is there anything you can tease for the next two parts?

Baillie: We see a bit of Deadwick in episode two, and then we’ll spend some time in Automata City later in the story – and Nick’s done an incredible job with both locations. I also love that he’s dotted the wasteland with the remnants of human civilisations, something I didn’t request in the script as I knew he had enough to draw as it was!

Let’s see – what can I tease? Episode 2 has a surprising narrator, and some of the best giant robot designs you’ve ever seen! Episode 3 has an enormous cyber battle in it and explains how the world of Deadwick came to be. And it’s all drawn by one of the best in the business – Mr Nick Brokenshire!

Brokenshire: Thanks David! Very nice of you! Once we actually see Deadwick, a whole lot will become clear about the state of humanity and why this mission is so crucial – all will be revealed!

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, David and Nick!

“Blue Skies Over Deadwick” starts May 22nd in 2000 AD Prog 2383.