Interview: Runes of Ragnan writer Ty Gorton discusses Once An Hour Series 24 Hours of Beer and more

By Patrick Luce Jul 12, 2005, 13:58 GMT

Medors' art from hour 16 Runes of Ragnan

The plan behind the madness was to give fans a chance to get a taste of the comic, which is coming from Silent Devil, but also give them a chance to become part of the RoR family through online forums, chats, and live updates of the creators at work.

In an interview with Monsters and Critics, Gorton talked about the event, which happened on July 6, how the 24 Hour Series came to be, what it was like, how the story and art came together, and how it felt to have the fans with him every step of the way.

“I came up with the ‘Once An Hour Series’ a few months ago, originally as something I would do on my own, the whole isolated writer with booze syndrome. The first series is up at maneatsfetus.com,” Gorton explained. “Josh immediately said he wanted to be part of the next one...from there it seemed obvious to tie it in with Runes of Ragnan as a promotional/crossover event.”

Although the creators had a basic idea of how the event would work, there was no pre-set story or art because Gorton wanted the fans to have say over how the story would unfold, what characters would be involved, and how the art would look.

Prior to the start of the event, fans were able to go into different comic forums on the Internet and vote on which characters (Eldjarn, Gunnarr or Eydis) would be used and what time period (900AD, The Present or Both) the story would be set.

“There was no basic concept in terms of story before I began writing. Only an absurdly vague notion of how it might get started. The purpose was to invent it as we went, hour by hour, no outlines and no planning,” the writer said. “That’s exactly how we did it, and as often happens through intense creative processes...it took viable shape and became something that feels structured/planned.”

A basic breakdown of the story saw Gunnarr committing an unspeakable act to draw his brother, Eldjarn, out into the open. As they engage each other in battle, a new goddess/creature is born from the seed of their conflict...and this creature forces them to work together, to forget their mutual hatred. The fans voted to make Gunnarr the main focus of the story...and to place him in the 900AD time period.

Gorton said fans, friends and beer helped keep him going through the 24 hours

“I started from scratch. Maybe a couple hours before the event, when I tried to lay down and take a little nap, I thought briefly about how to start things off,” Gorton said. “Some random ideas popped in my head...namely that there would be a woman being held by Gunnarr, a woman that Eldjarn has a strong connection to. That was the starting point that sparked what would soon follow.”

The writer credited the comic’s fans, Josh Medors, and his friends as the reason the story came together, and said the instant feedback from everyone kept him motivated to get the story done and make it as good as it could be.<!--page-->

Josh Medors works on a drawing

Gorton also said he believed the event gave fans an idea of what to expect from the series, but they will still be surprised at what is to come when the comic hits stands.

Although the event used the characters and storyline that will follow in the comic, the event’s story stands on its own in terms of plot, and Gorton was careful not to give too many secrets of RoR to the fans.

“What Josh and I created during this Once An Hour Series thrives more on emotional intensity; it is more organic, more introspective, more intimate. That’s not to say the comic won’t have those elements, it most definitely will. But it won’t be as constant; it will be balanced out with more structure, action, and intention,” he said. “I had to be very careful not to give away anything vital in this series...things that we want to reveal in the comic itself. There is so much about these characters that people do not know...and once they do know their backgrounds via the actual comic, it will make everything they do more meaningful and rich.”

Art from the 25th hour of the series

Twenty-four hours (and God only knows how many beers) later, Gorton said he felt that the event was a success, and that the story came together. He said he was proud of the story that came together out of fan involvement, but wasn’t sure if it would make its way into an actual comic book form. It might be offered as an extra in the back of one of the RoR issues, but no decision has been reached.

“Christian (Beranek) over at Silent Devil Productions has already mentioned offering the series up in printed format at the back of an upcoming issue of RoR,” he explained. “I’m not sure I’d like to see it as a stand alone publication as is...I think that would somehow steal the special nature of what everyone experienced during the event. But, as an extra feature at the back of an issue...that feels right to me.”

Thanks to the amount of support and success from the first 24 Hour Event, Gorton and Medors have also already started talking about doing the event another time and seeing how much more punishment they can inflect upon themselves for their fan’s amusement.<!--page-->

Art from hour 19 of the series

Visit RoR: the ONCE an HOUR series to read the story, see the art and all the mayhem that transpired during the 24 hours. Visit Runes of Ragnan to find out more on the upcoming comic or visit our database for information. Fans can also visit Silent Devil for information on RoR and other titles.