Meet the Creator: Matz @ Titan Comics

It’s 40 years since Snowpiercer, creators Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette introduced readers to a post-apocalyptic world, where humanity’s last remnants clung desperately to life on a massive train, separated by carriage and corruption, forever circling the world on an endless track. This seminal sci-fi series inspired an award-winning movie starring Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton, and the Snowpiercer TV series, airing on TNT and Netflix.

Award-winning Hard Case Crime writer Matz joined forces with original artist and co-creator Jean-Marc Rochette to unleash all-new prequel: Snowpiercer: Extinction.

How did you first encounter the Snowpiercer series?

MATZ: I first encountered Transperceneige (Snowpiercer) pretty much when it came out in the 80s. I still have the first edition!

I’ve always been a fan of Jacques Lob. I’ve been reading his work since I was young, when he collaborated with Jijé, Gotlib, Gigi, and then later on with Pichard or Druillet. I paid attention to the names on the covers, even as a kid! He had an amazing career, and a great style. I was quite honored when Rochette asked me to work with him on a new Snowpiercer – I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of a giant.

Unfortunately I never got to meet Lob himself. My first book was published the year he died, in 1990.

What’s your favorite aspect of the series? The train? The characters?

MATZ: The original series mixes sci-fi with a touch of poetry, in a way that I really like. The train itself, the titular Snowpiercer, is a rather original idea, and the perfect setting for a post-apocalyptic parable. I’m guess Lob thought long and hard about human nature, the fate of the Earth, and how to approach it all in a smart and entertaining way. The end result was a rather powerful, striking tale.

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What can you tell us about the plot of Snowpiercer: Extinction?

MATZ: The story takes place before the original Snowpiercer series, which means I get to show you what happens right before the end of the world. It’s also a story that new fans can enjoy.

It’s a story about a world – our world, really – on the brink of chaos, and how it plunges straight into annihilation. We have doomsday preppers, eco-terrorists, people trying to save the world, and even others planning on destroying it…

Do you have a favorite scene?

MATZ: It’s hard to pick! Every scene is elevated by Rochette’s art – I’m so impressed by his illustrations.

Scriptwise, I’m most proud of the way we build up the tension. I don’t want to spoil things, but we have two… let’s call them shamans, in this story. The reader will have to decide which they like best.

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Jean-Marc Rochette illustrated every Snowpiercer book – what was it like working with him?

MATZ: The fact that Rochette asked me to collaborate with him on Extinction was hugely important to me. He’s the original artist – if it had been someone else, I’m not sure I would have accepted. What I am sure of is that the book would have been very different: Rochette knew what he wanted to do from the start. He told me the kind of story he wanted to tell, and we went from there!

Working alongside Rochette gave me the guidance and sense of legitimacy I needed. I wrote a treatment, and then the script, which we worked together closely on. It all went smoothly. We get along really well, and creatively speaking we just clicked: the story he wanted touched on a number of ideas I’d wanted to write for some time.

The first book was released in 1982. How did you adapt the series to everything that’s changed since then?

MATZ: Actually, I’m not sure the world has changed all that much – Lob was spot on back in the 80s. you can look at books and movies from the 80s, the 70s, and even earlier, and see the same problems we are facing today were already on people’s minds. Pollution; the destruction of the planet, our only habitat.

Maybe the difference is that today we seem closer than ever to the breaking point. We’ve never done enough to really change anything, and I don’t think we will until it’s too late.

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Do you have any messages for fans of Snowpiercer?

MATZ: Yes! Take a good look at Rochette’s pages, because they really are quite amazing. I hope that they will enjoy this new cycle as much as the previous ones.

Check out this handy Snowpiercer timeline to see when the books, movie, and TV series all take place.

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