Interview with Cole Haddon, creator of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde

I had the awesome chance to chat with Cole Haddon, the brains behind The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde from Dark Horse Comics.  This was particularly fun, as I am a huge fan of this story.  On top of that, Cole is just a hysterical guy.  If you want to find out, make sure you follow Cole Haddon on twitter!

Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

IGH: We all may recognize Thomas Ayde, the inspector in The Invisible Man, as the hero in this story.  With this story as the prequel of sorts for The Invisible Man, will the Adye we see in that case be the same man from the original tale?

CH: First off, good catch. Most people fail to make the connection between my Inspector Adye and H.G. Wells’s The Invisible Man. I’ve often said The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde is his “secret origin,” and so, to answer your question, yes, the intention has always been that Adye would become the hero of that novel…or, rather, my interpretation of it.

IGH: We watch Ayde begin to understand the world around him, through his education and corruption by Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.  Ultimately, do you think he finds a sort of peace?

CH: I think Adye has a long road ahead of him. He’s identified himself as a person of very specific beliefs his entire life, and, by the end of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde, that’s all been taken away from him. He’s rudderless, but also full of cautious optimism that maybe, just maybe his re-education by Hyde has prepared him for the monstrous world that’s been opened up to him. So, yes, I think he does find a sort of peace…that won’t last.

IGH: In your afterword, you mention that Adye's betrayal of Hyde is forgiven because he makes up his own mind.  I felt that Adye never betrayed Hyde, instead he just proved that he learned from him.  In looking back, do you still feel that Adye betrays Hyde?  

CH: I think that Adye betrayed his friendship with Hyde, but fulfilled his responsibility as a human being according to Hyde’s code of ethics. It’s the great irony of the story, as far as I’m concerned. Hyde’s ethics are much more solid and humanistic (despite his homicidal “madness”) than any of the “good, upstanding” characters we meet in the comic book.