A Clockwork Orange

Every once in a while, like most comic creators, I'm asked the question "If you could do your dream project, what would it be?" For me, the answer is easy: for many years now, I've wanted to adapt Anthony Burgess' classic novel A Clockwork Orange into comics form.

I'm not entirely sure why; I'm also a big fan of Stanley Kubrick's work, and no one could successfully argue that his iconic film adaptation is in need of improvement. Maybe I just like a good challenge. In any case, during the summer of 2009, I found myself dealing with a major family crisis and in need of something to keep my mind occupied during long interstate train rides and otherwise insanity-inducing idle time at my destination, and the one thing I found that could occupy mind enough was this long-dormant idea.

So I grabbed a fresh copy of the book, pulled out my trusty legal pads, and before long, I had pushed, pulled and trimmed the story into a complete 150-page comic script. Later on that year (crisis passed, thankfully) I took some time to work up a few pages as a proof-of-concept proposal.

Over the last two years, a number of friends and colleagues have seen these, but for a variety of reasons I've kept them from public view. But it seems like now is the time to set them loose.