A Retrospective of the Sci-Fi Classic Six From Sirius

by Brandon Klassen

I think that I was ten years old when I first encountered Six From Sirius. I saw the iconic cover of the first issue on a back issue display at a very small comic shop that no longer exists. The image was captivating - a space helmet with a large visor reflecting five other figures adorned in similar, retro spacesuits, a sci-fi vision from the sixties against a startling, starry red backdrop, faceless and impersonal and yet so enticing. I didn't have the money at that age to buy the 4-issue set, but Six From Sirius would become somewhat of an obsession for me over the many years following.

It was the perfect science fiction comic book. Each and every one of Paul Gulacy's hand-coloured panels was a work of art. Every chapter of the story, brilliantly crafted by Doug Moench, was larger and more compelling than the last. From robots to clones to galactic powers and a main cast of heroes whose struggles, dreams and fears were more real than anything I had experienced in a comic book, Six From Sirius seemed too incredible to be contained by the printed page. And yet here it was, two 4-issue runs still unmatched in story, art and execution in original science fiction fare today, given the deluxe treatment by Epic Comics when it was originally published in the summer of 1984 with glossy pages and flawless printing.

"Too large and too expensive as one graphic novel," wrote Archie Goodwin in the introduction to the first issue, and yet that was the format I longed to see Sirius collected in, because the quality of the book cried out, Graphic Novel! Epic put out a trade paperback of the first run in 1987, with new cover art by Gulacy, and though it didn't have the glossy finish or supplemental materials of the original run, or full-page cover reproductions, it was at least a good reprint. The second run was never collected as a trade paperback and so, I thought, Sirius was over. I would, from time to time, dig out my treasured issues and once again fight, scheme, love and anguish with Jakosa Lone and his crew. One Christmas, I bought a set of the comics for a friend. A year later, Paul Gulacy's wonderful art book, Spies, Vixens And Masters Of Kung Fu was released, but contained no more than a spread devoted to Sirius. Was this the end of the story?

If the story had ended there, we could all go home happy with this truly unique piece of science fiction comic book history safely tucked into a plastic bag against an acid-free board and sealed carefully with a piece of Scotch tape. But it didn't, and you can imagine my excitement when Dynamic Forces/ Dynamite Entertainment announced that they were re-issuing the first run of Sirius in a new trade paperback collection and, better yet, with a signed, hardcover edition. This magnificent effort would go back to the original artwork "remastered (and) painstakingly restored," and give us the best-looking Sirius ever.

I pre-ordered the book as soon as I heard about it, and then I waited. To cut a potentially long story short, the trade was released but the hardcover was cancelled (something Dynamic apparently didn't see fit to tell those who had pre-ordered it, as well as pronouncing it "SOLD OUT" on their website). As for the trade, it seems that Sirius had not been "painstakingly restored" as hyped. Sourced from the original issues (not the original art), the new trade suffered from poor reproduction with over-contrasted colours, blurriness and pixillated text. Without any supplemental materials (save a new introduction written by Moench), this trade was a poor excuse for the ultimate graphic novel I had been waiting for, an insult to Moench and Gulacy's masterpiece. Although it may expose new readers to Sirius, it would almost have been better if it weren't published at all. So let me save you $20 and point you back to Epic's original, readily-available back issues.

A couple Christmases ago, I gave two more sets of the comics to friends. I've heard that there's been some film interest in Six From Sirius. And Doug and Paul both graciously agreed to say a few words about Sirius for this retrospective. Perhaps this isn't the end of the Sirius story, but there's one thing I do know for sure - if you want to read a guaranteed GREAT sci-fi comic, pick up Epic's original Sirius comics today, and then pick some up for a friend - and the story will continue.

Exclusive Q&A with Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy

by Brandon Klassen

Brandon: Six From Sirius' vintage sci-fi artwork is incredibly detailed and honestly, just too gorgeous for words, portraying a fantastic world made immediately believable and accessible with characters that always seem alive on the page with movement and emotion. It is rare - even more in today's market - to see such high quality storytelling and artwork in a graphic novel, never mind a comic book. What was it about Sirius that brought out such obvious passion in you as you brought your vision to life over a full 215 hand-coloured pages (plus the eight original covers and the trade cover), which equated to the length and quality of a graphic novel?

Paul: We were a hot team coming off Master Of Kung Fu, we had our fanbase and we weren't out to disappoint. The pressure was on and we always worked best under pressure. We're both very competitive. Our passion, in this case, came from the opportunity to do whatever we wanted, plus, toss in there that we were both sci-fi geeks. This book was done on the heels of great films like Star Wars and Close Encounters at that time so we had the incentive to really have all cylinders revving.

Right off the bat, Doug and I had the freedom to choose either sci-fi or fantasy while working for editor Archie Goodwin on the Epic Magazine where Six From Sirius first saw print. We naturally decided to settle on one of our favourite themes and that would be the spy game, but this time, we would have the world of espionage with an outer space backdrop.

When Doug dreamed up the title, the first thing I asked was, What the hell is Sirius? He explained that it's a legit star system in the Alpha Centauri Belt or something like that and we were off. Since this was going to be such a sprawling job I had to decide how I was going to execute the colours and still hit the deadline reasonably. During that period I was working for several ad agencies in New York and my skill was doing storyboards and layouts utilising marker pens. Marvel didn't have enough money in the world to pay me to actually hand paint every panel, even though many artists were doing it. So, the book was predominately rendered in marker although I did a fair share of painting with acrylics and some colour pencil work. It was a labour of love. I never got tired of it. When you have a great script and characters you just stay on your toes.

Brandon: Sirius' storytelling is solid, perfectly paced and equally concerned with the epic-scale events occurring almost beyond control and viewing those events through the eyes of our six heroes, who each face the obstacles before them in a unique way. What was it about Sirius that inspired your process to fully realise a futuristic universe in a cohesive and engaging story that could afford little time for lengthy expositions?

Doug: It seemed to me then, and seems so in retrospect now, that the requirements for Sirius amount to a recipe for simplicity itself. One: The fact that Paul and I were dying to collaborate again. Two: The chance to do so in an expansive high-quality format. Three: Total freedom to create and execute whatever we desired. Four: Ownership of the result. Given those four gifts, the rest was easy and the process a joy.

Brandon: To what degree did you, as a creative duo on Sirius, influence or directly inform each other's work? How much did you work together to plan the story and define Sirius' visual look?

Paul: We've always played off one another no differently than Lewis and Martin. In Doug's scripts, a paragraph is essentially a panel. So as an artist, you gauge it from there. It's actually harder than reading a script with numbered and scripted panels, and even then I have a tendency to stray from that if I feel we need that extra camera shot or whatever. I approach things intuitively - I feel it more than I see it. The gist and bottom line is I read his words and take it one step further, he sees the art and gives it his last shot with the writing and at the end of the day you have this beautiful ballet.

We always discuss beforehand the thrust of the story and all characters as a collaborative team. Who are the main characters, how many, who lives, who dies, who's the love interest, who's fighting who and what for, etc. How it's going to look is up to me for the most part.

Doug: Quite simply, Paul and I seem to work well together. We may argue about who's Lennon and who's McCartney, but in the end it doesn't matter. The teamed-up blend is good.

We worked closely by phone through a brief prep phase, discussing the overall concept, characters, and (very) loose plot. After bouncing ideas back and forth and coming to rough terms, we shifted to our usual variation on the “Marvel Method” of plot-pencils-dialogue-lettering-inks-colouring, the same process employed since our run on Master Of Kung Fu. My plots, however, are extremely detailed, moreso than many full scripts done by other writers. Page and panel breakdowns are included, as well as dialogue. Artists are free to handle the plots as they wish and some treat them as full scripts, adjusting nothing.

Then there's Paul. Being a brilliant visual storyteller, he always brings something extra to the penciling stage. Not that he doesn't render certain pages exactly as broken down in the plots. He does. Indeed, I tailor my plotting to his strengths and storytelling style. But the real fireworks commence when Paul finds a page or a sequence that ignites his imagination. He may combine two or three of my panels into one of his, then break one of my panels into a three or four panel gem of sequential storytelling. Best of all, he always manages his variations flawlessly, never altering or omitting crucial story points. It's akin to musicians or actors playing off each other's improvisations. Paul riffs off my plot in his pencils and then I junk the plot to riff off his pencils in my finished dialogue. The overall story is conveyed to the reader in a more spontaneous and dynamic fashion.

Even when Paul renders a page or sequence exactly as plotted, I may still adjust my preliminary narration and dialogue to match his art, always striving for the perfect mesh of words and pictures and ideally achieving an overall synergy greater than the sum of its individual components. Anything and everything in Paul's art can and does affect my final script. Subtle facial expressions, staccato pacing, added “bits of business” or “background eyeball kicks,” etc. The only imperative is to convey information vital to the narrative. Sometimes Paul nails a moment so perfectly in purely visual terms that a line of plot dialogue becomes redundant, in which case the best writing becomes no writing at all and I simply omit the line.

Brandon: The pairing of truly great creative minds - I like to use writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday with colourist Laura Martin on Astonishing X-Men as an example - seldom occurs, but always seems to yield amazing results. Single artist/creator titles also often tend to be quite accomplished, such as Jeff Smith's Bone. Are these unique endeavours like Sirius really the exception in today's market, and why do you think that is so? In the large comic world of yearly-planned, collaborative writing and the exploding Manga market, is there still room for small, high quality publications or labour of love indulgences?

Doug: First of all, I wouldn't call Sirius “small.” The original series, in fact, did quite well, particularly for (non-superhero) science fiction. Hence the request for a sequel. But you're right. Things have changed, and not necessarily for the better. Much of the change devolves to purely business decisions. After all, why should Marvel expend money and effort publishing creator-owned properties when the company can own everything? Without Archie Goodwin pushing it, the creator-owned Epic imprint never would have existed in the first place. As for special collaborations, you're also right. Lennon doesn't bump into McCartney every day. It's a wonder that it ever happens. On the other hand, a great artist who's also a great writer, or vice-versa, may be equally rare. Quality itself is rare, period, whatever its origin.

Paul: I personally think Sirius was an exception in the market, but on the other hand, tons of other creators feel the same way I do about their books. We're glad that they made it into a trade. It would make an exciting movie. It's definitely original. The right eyes would have to fall on it but I've learned never to hold my breath.

Folks are finding room to get labour of love indulgences published. It's being done but the fact that you are taking the time to shed light on this series that ran over twenty years ago tells us that you are a very astute fellow that knows a good thing when he sees it.

Brandon: Thank you guys so much for giving me the opportunity to have this interview with you. Any closing thoughts?

Doug: Just thanks for your kind words. Paul and I are glad we passed the audition.