Raya Golden and George R.R. Martin on the origin and future of their Voyaging graphic novels (Exclusive)
As a devoted fan of George R.R. Martin‘s works, I eagerly await any new adventures he pens for his beloved characters. The announcement that Tuf Voyaging is being adapted into graphic novels was undeniably thrilling, and now, hearing about the potential sequels has me positively giddy with anticipation.
Cautionary Note: This piece may include subtle hints or minor plot details (minor spoilers) from the graphic novel “Voyaging, Volume One: The Plague Star.
This past month, the 82nd annual World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) occurred in Glasgow, Scotland. Not only does it host the prestigious Hugo Awards annually, but Worldcon also functions as a significant gathering spot for creators and enthusiasts of fantasy and science fiction. I was lucky enough to attend this year’s event and even had the opportunity to interview George R.R. Martin about his extensive writing journey and relationship with fandom.
Additionally, I conversed with Raya Golden, Martin’s longtime partner in creativity and associate. Over the years, Golden has worked closely with Martin, serving as the art director for his Fevre River Packet Company and collaborating on several graphic novel adaptations of his works. The current project between them is titled Voyaging, which consists of a series that starts with a volume adapting his 1986 novella, The Plague Star. This narrative lays the groundwork for Haviland Tuf, an androgynous space captain, detailing how he acquired control of a formidable spaceship inhabited by numerous cats. During the ’70s and ’80s, Martin wrote various shorter pieces about Tuf’s escapades, which were eventually compiled into the novel Tuf Voyaging.
Because I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of “Voyaging”, I couldn’t resist the chance to chat with Golden and Martin about the creation process behind this adaptation, as well as their aspirations for its future.
The road from Meathouse Man to Voyaging
Voyaging isn’t their first time collaborating on a graphic novel; instead, it’s usually Golden who works on lesser-known or unreleased material from the author’s oeuvre. Their initial collaboration was “Meathouse Man,” based on a 1976 short story by Martin. Following that, Golden worked on “Starport,” which was derived from a TV pilot script Martin wrote for Fox when he was still in television, but the network chose not to develop it.
From the very beginning, it was George R.R. Martin’s work, specifically “Tuf Voyaging”, that caught Golden’s attention for adaptation. As she herself put it, “I read Tuf and thought, ‘This is the one I want to adapt.'” In the early days of his career, Haviland Tuf was a well-loved character by Martin’s audience, but now he has been largely eclipsed by the inhabitants of Westeros. However, Tuf still has devoted fans, and Golden is undoubtedly one of them. “It’s the depth of the character that matters, not necessarily its popularity,” she explains.
Meathouse Man. He said something like, “You can’t do Tuf…but you’re a fan of the undead, right? Why don’t you take on Meathouse Man?” Pausing for a moment, he gave me a long, thoughtful look. “Have you read Meathouse Man?
Absolutely, I’ve given it a good read, and just a glance is enough to show I get it. It’s one of Martin’s most depressing, chaotic, infamous tales, revolving around a corpse attendant who seeks love and purpose in a dismal assortment of planets. Here, re-animated human bodies are used for various purposes, such as labor under harsh conditions or for the macabre “meathouses.
Indeed,
The graphic story titled “Meathouse Man” was warmly appreciated, garnering Gold and Martin a nomination for the 2014 Hugo Award in the Best Graphic Story category. This project served as an extensive learning experience for Gold and significantly influenced her approach to subsequent books. Specifically, she made sure not to shoulder the entire workload alone, ensuring a more manageable division of tasks in future projects.
She shares that following her work on “Starport“, she’s been collaborating with a colorist consistently. If she gets the chance to progress with “Voyaging“, her ambition is not only to pen fresh tales but also to partner with other artists. This way, each time Tuf finds himself in a new realm, it will feel like experiencing him through a completely new lens. The constants in this journey will be the ship, Tuf, and his cats, but everything else – the settings, cultures, and expressions – will be vastly diverse, offering a myriad of fresh, vibrant worlds.
As a gamer, collaborating with fellow creators would significantly boost both the narrative depth and the production process of our shared project. Goldie points out that such cooperation would enable us to expedite the release schedule, allowing us to pack in more captivating tales.
Why Voyaging was renamed from the original book, Tuf Voyaging
You might have observed a slight variation in the title of this graphic novel: The original compilation book by Martin was titled “Tuf Voyaging“, but the graphic novel omits Tuf’s name from the title. This seemingly small adjustment wasn’t made impulsively; authors Golden and publisher Ten Speed Graphic gave it a great deal of thought. Essentially, “_The Plague Star_” is a survival story set on an abandoned ship where a motley crew of mercenaries gradually meet their end one by one. Golden believed it was crucial to withhold Tuf’s name initially, as it would make it too evident for new readers that he would be the survivor in the end.
In my perspective, the closing sentence of the inaugural book titled “Voyaging” intriguingly reads: “forever voyaging Haviland Tuf,” a line not present in the original novella. This addition was made deliberately by Golden to establish the broader narrative encompassing Haviland Tuf’s thrilling adventures across the cosmos, accompanied by his feline comrades aboard their spaceship. Interestingly, she confessed that she intentionally included this ending because she had to struggle to keep Tuf’s name attached to the project initially.
Initially, George R.R. Martin penned the tale “A Beast for Norn,” which is situated right in the heart of things. Following this, he wrote numerous other stories, placing them on either side, creating a series of interconnected yet episodic tales without a clear timeline for Tuf’s appearances. Later, he composed “The Plague Star” as a means to connect all these stories and provide Tuf with an origin story, specifically for the Tuf compendium novel titled “Tuf Voyaging.” I advocated for Tuf’s name not to be included in the title of the compendium, as I wanted new readers to be surprised when they discovered that Tuf is the protagonist at the end. For those already familiar with him, I thought it could serve as a ‘Red Wedding’ moment, introducing Tuf and “Voyaging” to new readers who would not initially know that he becomes our equivalent of Indiana Jones in the concluding story.
Will there be more volumes of Voyaging?
If you loved the first installment of “Voyaging” like I did, then a natural question arises: will there be additional volumes? Author Golden has a definite plan for further graphic novel journeys with Haviland Tuf. However, at this point in time, it remains undecided whether we’ll continue the “Tuf Voyaging” comic series.
Martin expresses that the decision to publish more of a particular work often depends on the publisher’s response to the initial piece and its sales performance. He admits his intention to write additional Tuf stories, but finds himself short on time despite having numerous ideas for new tales. Notably, he has compiled eight Tuf stories in total, with “Plague Star” being one of them – an origin story and the longest developed among them.
Golden explains that the tales he intends to write are derived from your notes and additional materials, not merely conjured up. He also mentions that each subsequent volume will typically contain two narratives. Since “The Plague Star” is extensive, alternate volumes would consist of either one previously published story combined with a new one or an existing longer tale like “Manna From Heaven” (with the S’uthlamese). He plans to divide these lengthy stories into parts, creating pauses between the other narratives.
Looking ahead, there’s plenty of potential for further Tuf escapades, with ideas stemming from notes penned by Martin for unpublished tales. Though we may need to exercise patience to learn if sequels will materialize, the tantalizing glimpses of Golden’s plans have me eagerly anticipating more. Here’s hoping that the sum total of these projects aligns perfectly and Haviland Tuf and his feline crew return to bookshelves soon.
Currently, the first volume of “Voyaging” titled “The Plague Star” is accessible now. You have the chance to secure signed copies of it, along with “Meathouse Man”, from Beastly Books, Martin’s independent bookstore based in Santa Fe. For those who are intrigued about the origins, you can explore Martin’s book “Tuf Voyaging” as well.
The complete conversation we had with George R.R. Martin and Raya Golden at the Glasgow Worldcon has been published! You can find it by clicking here: [Link]
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2024-09-18 17:42