Category Archives: indie

Alex has made a preview of first 32 pages of the new 64-page Robotika: For a Few Rubles More #1 available here. If you like it, you can susbscribe to the series or buy the first issue:

A new hardcover printing of the collected first Robotika series is available again, so folks new to the series can go back and read that as well:

Alex’s blog, Moonstruck, is here, and his home on HeavyInk is here.

OIF Vet, comic author and self-publisher SGT. Richard C. Meyer kindly took time from his military duties in Afghanistan to answer HeavyInk founder TJIC’s questions about No Enemy But Peace.

HeavyInk: When did you enlist?

Richard C. Meyer: I have to type fast because people are in line and my fingers are frozen since the heat went out in my tent. I enlisted in the Marines in 2000 and was stationed in Camp Pendleton. I was a machinegunner in Golf 2/5, the most decorated infantry battalion in the Marine Corps. We were the first grund unit to cross the border into Iraq the first night of the war.

HI: What were your reasons for joining?

RCM: I came from a military family and always wanted to serve. I was working at Dell Computers, bored out of my mind and I read “Black Hawk Down.” That was pretty much the inciting incident.

HI: Why the Marines, and not one of the other services?

RCM: True story. I never knew a Marine in my life, even though I had family in every other military branch. I tried to enlist in the Army, but they didn’t like that I had gotten arrested for getting in a street fight the previous year. I crossed the parking lot to the Marine recruiter and told them that story. They only cared that I didn’t lose the fight. I was at the Marine Corps recruit Depot in San Diego a few weeks later.

HI: What was your background reading comics as a kid?

RCM: Huge G.I. Joe fan. I didn’t get into other comics until I was a teenager.

HI: How many of your team-mates in Iraq and Afghanistan read comics?

RCM: In Iraq, a good deal of them read comics and many more got into comics for the first time in Iraq. Comics are perfect reading for a war zone when you never know how much time you will have. When we crossed into Iraq I had a G.I Joe comic, Danger Girl comic and Garth Ennis war comic secreted inside my pack.

HI: When did you first think that you might be interested in writing a comic book?

RCM: I always wanted to write superhero comics, but never quite made a go out of it. Immediately after the battle shown in this comic, I knew I had to write this story down. The heroics I saw from my fellow Marines were nothing short of amazing.

HI: How much of “No Enemy but Peace” is true?

RCM: 100%. Everything in the comic was either witnessed by me or recounted to me by several different witnesses.

HI: How did you make the tradeoffs between telling the tale exactly as events happened, versus making it a better story?

RCM: Excellent question. Simply put, I left out the boring parts.

HI: The comic is published by Machine Gun Bob – I’ve never heard of them. Did you form that publishing company yourself? How did that happen?

RCM: Yep, I had an offer to publish from an indy publisher, but I was basically working for peanuts. I figured that for a little extra effort, I could start my own company with my buddy and former Marine, Carlos Silva.

HI: How did you hook up with artist Martin Montiel Luna ?

RCM: I put an ad on craigslist.

HI: Having read the first five pages of previews at HeavyInk, I’m excited for the comic to arrive… but that may not be enough for me! Is there any chance of more issues? If so, what can you tell us about the story?

RCM: I’m glad you asked. “No Enemy, But Peace” is a preview of sorts for a graphic novel entitled “The Bridge.” I have 44 more pages of story about my fellow Marines in Iraq. NEBP focuses on just one of them, Sgt. Marco Martinez.

HI: What else do you want to write? More military comics? Super hero stuff? Other?

RCM: My partner and I broke into the comics industry this summer with a story in the “popgun 2” anthology from Image comics. The main character in that story, an overweight karate master named Albert Yonchi, will be the star of our next comic book, approriately titled “Yonchi.” Summer 2009.

Creepy, cooky, mysterious, spooky, altogether ooky—that’s the order of the day as we all eagerly await Halloween.

In the spirit of the scary, here’s a bit more about Carnival Comics’ The Funhouse of Horrors, the kind of book that you might want to curl up with in front of the fireplace…IF YOU DARE.

In 50 words or less, what’s the gist of your project? The Funhouse Of Horrors is a classic tale of fun and adventure mixed in with just the right amount of Vincent Price. The story takes place on a day trip to the countryside. When Jacob and his family stop off at a roadside fruit market for a bite to eat, they get a whole lot more. Jacob discovers a haunted house and the tales of horror that lie inside. Once you step inside this House Of Horrors, you’ll never see the world the same way again.

Who’s your lead character, and what’s his/her take on the world? The lead character is Jacob Stone. He’s a kid who finds a haunted house and is given a book of horrors by the man running it. He chooses to read the book and opens Pandora’s box. All the horror stories and characters in it are unleashed to torment this poor soul. His take on the world is fear. It becomes all he sees and hears. Does he have a choice? You tell me. It’s hard to look for the rainbows when ghosts are nipping on your heels.

How did this concept develop? What was the original germ of the idea? This story was to be the original Gene Simmons House Of Horrors. It was listed in the 2006 Diamond Previews and had quite a bit of buzz surrounding it. But as fate would have it, it did not see the light of day until now. I drew the concept from my own childhood experiences of going to roadside fruit stands with my grandparents while heading to Long Island over the holidays. Also, my brother and my friends would find abandoned houses in Virginia where I grew up while playing in the woods.

What are your major creative influences, both within comics and otherwise? One of my biggest influences would have to be my mother reading Agatha Christie novels to me. She was an English teacher and librarian and her love of books has rubbed off on me. Also Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and C. S. Lewis.

From a visual perspective, what can readers expect from this project? In your face scary fun. I don’t like blood and guts for the sake of blood and guts. Tim Burton does it best. It should be fun and light. You want real horror, look at the news. The world is better than that. At least the one I see.

Wrap this up with your most hardcore, intense, precise pitch. Why should we buy your comic??? I was very concerned as to whether or not to release this book. Rumor has it that all those who read these tales of horror have been haunted by the wicked stories and some have claimed to have seen the living impaired. So I can not recommend you read this book, I would not wish that fate on anyone. But if you’re feeling brave enough, enter if you dare… into Jazan Wild’s Funhouse Of Horrors!!

It’s getting to be that time of year again…October has arrived, fall is in th air, and that means…CHRISTMAS SEASON!

Naw, just foolin’. Although if you spend any time at big dumb department stores, you probably think it’s about December 24, what with all the holiday crap already flooding the aisles.

Let us not forget that there’s a little something called HALLOWEEN coming before Santa even thinks about hopping on a sleigh. A night for ghouls, goblins, and things that go bump, then stab you through your eye socket repeatedly.

Studio 407 is a new publisher with a slate of horror-tinged books coming out throughout the fall. Night & Fog is just one of them, and we’ll be featuring them all over the next couple months. Here, editor Chad Jones and co-writers Alex Leung and Matt Bradford fill us in on their “monster mash-up.”

In 50 words or less, what’s the gist of your project? Linked to a terrible secret from the past, an accident in a government lab turns a nearby village’s inhabitants into creatures that seem impossible to kill. A small group of survivors must hold out for the night until a special rescue team can arrive and save them from these unstoppable monsters that have not only been made real, but also made to perfection.

Who’s your lead character, and what’s his/her take on the world? Lt. Christopher is the lead character, who is a man with a singular mind and driven with “getting the job done” at all costs. He is not the kind of person that subscribes to ideas such as “fate,” and believes people should take responsibility for their actions and the consequences that result from them. Christopher is a single father loyal to two masters: the US military and his children. He’s determined not only to uphold his sworn military duty to protect the base’s deadly secret, but also to save his children, who are stuck in the heart of the spreading terror.

How did this concept develop? What was the original germ of the idea? This developed from wanting to do a story like Aliens that mixed horror and hard core action. The germ of the idea was doing a modern take on the four classic/gothic horror stories: Dracula, Frankenstien, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Invisibile Man, and doing a monster mash but with only one monster.

More of a “monster mash-up!” Four-in-one. Just as the heroes figure out how to deal with one breed of monster (through some sort of scientific means that reflects the classic means of slaying that creature), their enemy mutates into the next.

What are your major creative influences, both within comics and otherwise? From Alex Leung, co-writer: I have a lot of influnces both comics wise and literary, so it really depends on the particular story or genre I’m working in. For Night and Fog, without a doubt it was the classic Eerie and Creepy comics of the 70’s, Stephen King, Hammer horror films and without a doubt the classic John Carpenter films of the 70’s and 80’s.

From Matt Bradford, co-writer: My biggest influences on Night & Fog were the 60s and 70s Hammer movie incarnations of the classic monsters we’re reinventing. I listened to James Bernard Hammer soundtracks constantly while writing. I loved the idea of blending them into an Aliens brand of modern sci-fi action, but there’s a lot of Jurassic Park in there too. The book is a classic, and the movie stands up so well fifteen years later! That was a big influence both on the tone of the story and on the somewhat believable, pseudo-scientific explanations we came up with for these creatures.

From a visual perspective, what can readers expect from this project? This has a slightly retro-horror look to it, like the classic Bernie Wrigtson horror books, which is why we chose Roberto Castro to work with us. We also specifically went for a 70’s horror feel that you saw in a lot of the classic Marvel horror of the 70’s and the Eerie and Creepy books. Put it together with the JM “the prince of darkness” Ringuet’s atmospheric digital painting, and I think you have a look that successfully blends both past and present styles and fits the story perfectly.

Wrap this up with your most hardcore, intense, precise pitch. Why should we buy your comic??? If you love classic monsters, and want to be terrified anew by them, this is the book for you. The action is intense, the bodycount is high, and horror doesn’t let up. Just as the characters think they know how to slay one breed of creature, it evolves into another more terrifying one. Utter dread sets in as they realize there may be no way to defeat these things…

As most everyone knows by now, there’s no hipper place to hang on ye olde intarwebbes than the HeavyInk forums. Why, just the other day, I stumbled into the bathroom and did a line while discussing Proust with Nelly Furtado. It’s just that cool.

Also the other day, Aaron Thomas Nelson stopped by to tell us a bit about his new book, Marlow. After uploading an awesome preview, it became clear that we needed to talk to this young man who was prepared to foist so much sequential goodness onto the universe.

And so, we did some lines, and we talked. Only half of that statement is true. Guess which one.

Based on the preview I’ve read, I’m getting the sense that Marlow is designed as a good old-fashioned genre mash-up. How do you describe the title?

That’s a really great question. When I was thinking about the storyline, I decided to re-read Thucydides’ “Peloponnesian Wars,” Virgil’s “Aeneid” and Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” in order to find some inspiration as to how to tell the story. Ultimately, I felt like “Heart of Darkness” was most “in-line” with the concerns I wanted to address and the story I wanted to tell. Conrad uses first-person storytelling that I thought would work well in a comic book. I suppose the way I used the first-person storytelling gives the book a noirish flair-along with Mathew’s artwork-that gives it this cool, noirish, action-horror vibe to it. I didn’t approach the book thinking, “horror-plus-noir would be cool,” rather the storyline drove the style.

You seem to know a good bit of detail about the inner workings of espionage and weapons…are there any secrets about your involvement with Iran-Contra we should know about? Or are you just very skilled at making fictional “spy speak” sound legit?

(Laughs) I suppose my healthy diet of pulpy spy stories helped me with the “spy speak.” That and my employment with the CIA. Ahem.

How do you describe Marlow as a character? What’s your personal “hook” that gets you in the mindset of writing him?

Marlow’s this guy who’s been seriously screwed over and is dealing with it. His job is basically blackmail, and if he doesn’t play along, he turns into this horrible creature. From a character standpoint, he’s doing some pretty immoral things in order to survive, but, at the same time is in this “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation, which he’s struggling to find a way out of. Marlow’s a good guy in a bad situation who’s trying to find a way out. That’s what interests me in the character.

Do you have a lot of the backstory worked out, in terms of Marlow’s origin and the company he works for? Is that something we’ll see revealed over the course of this series?

Yeah, the backstory is all worked out and is an integral part of the first Marlow book. The second book (that’s in progress as we speak) expands the backstory a bit more and should give the reader a broader understanding of Marlow.

I’m getting a heavy noir/crime influence from the dialogue and settings. Is that one of your influences, and if so, what are some touchstone works for you in that genre?

Well, I’m not trying to write a noir/crime story-which “Marlow” isn’t. I’d say that the noirish style just seems to fit the overall story. Horror noir it may be, but this is truly an action horror story. With that said, I suppose from the style of the narration in the story, I couldn’t help but draw on the styles found-ironically-in the Philip Marlowe television series, and Harrison Ford’s narration in “Blade Runner”.

Where did you find Mathew Reynolds? His pencils are amazing; I love the shading effects he uses to create depth of field.

We can all thank Dario Carrasco, Jr. for that. Dario was originally set to pencil the comic, but due to some personal reasons had to back out. Of course, in Dario’s usual professional manner, he didn’t just leave the project hanging, but went out and found Mathew Reynolds who just nailed the artwork. We actually included Dario’s original work in the back of the comic, and if you want to understand how artwork affects storytelling in comics, read Dario’s and compare it to Mathew’s. They both work extremely well, but the styles create a different impact on the reader. It really blew my mind when I saw the two side-by-side. (Laughs)

What’s the road that led you to comics writing?

It was a dark and stormy night. (Laughs) Seriously, I actually started out writing poetry and essays, and decided that I had some stories I wanted to tell. Comics provided, in my opinion, the best medium for telling those stories, so I started learning how sequential art worked and began writing. I’ve always loved comics, so being able to write them is a labor well loved.

In case you haven’t seen the news yet, Publishers Weekly has the confirmation that Virgin Comics has for all intents and purposes shuttered its doors.

What does that mean to YOU, oh comics fan of discriminating taste and exceptional hygiene?

It means that if you had any interest in Virgin titles, now may be the time to pick some up. Here’s the listing for Virgin Comics here at HeavyInk; I’d also recommend highly perhaps their highest-profile title from the comics community perspective, the seven-issue Dan Dare miniseries by Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine.

HI is out of #1 and #2, and I must’ve bought one of their last copies of #3, but #4-7 seem to be available…I expect some of their more highly regarded efforts to become quite collectible in the weeks to come, so if you’re interested, I suggest you act now.

One of my all-time favorite comics is the classic Giffen/DeMatteis run on Justice League from the late eighties and early nineties. They were great superhero comics, first and foremost, but they also displayed a rare focus on characterization and humor.

Giffen and DeMatteis delivered a fresh take on superheroics for BOOM! Studios with Hero Squared, and they’ve made the first issue of the series available free online. Check it out, along with several other BOOM! first issues.

Virgin Comics is giving away the chance to be a REAL COMIC BOOK CHARACTER. Not like those fake ones, your Batmans or Spider-Mans or Zots. No, you will REALLY BE A REAL-LIFE COMIC BOOK CHARACTER IN A REAL LIFE COMIC.

Here’s the PR. Good luck!

Have you always aspired for comic book immortality? Well, here is your big break! To celebrate this fall’s debut of the highly anticipated new Virgin Comics series Nowhere Man, from the creative team of Hugh Jackman, Marc Guggenheim and Paul Gulacy, Virgin Comics is giving 5 randomly selected winners a chance to be a real Nowhere Man (or woman) and get drawn into an issue!!

Will you be a government agent? A bad-ass assassin? You’ll have to win to find out. Not only will you appear in an issue, but Hugh Jackman, Marc Guggenheim and Paul Gulacy will all personally autograph the copy of the issue that you appear in!

And if you’re not one of the few lucky winners, don’t worry… you could always be one of the ten runner-ups to receive a copy of Nowhere Man #1 autographed by Hugh Jackman!

Enter now at www.virgincomics.com/nowhereman or send an e-mail to nowhereman@virgincomics.com with DRAW ME as the subject. The contest runs through September 15th, 2008.

Nowhere Man takes place 500 years in the future, when the Earth’s population has been infected with a virus that allows an oppressive government to monitor their thoughts. It’s the Patriot Act gone haywire. But a group of rebels have engineered the ultimate weapon: a genetically altered child, born immune to the virus. He’s the only one on the planet who can bring some semblance of privacy and individuality back to the world. He is the Nowhere Man.

Voting is now open for Top Cow’s Pilot Season competition. Out of a series of one-shots, two will be selected to move on to get their own series.

You’ll recall our interview with Adam Freeman on his book Genius. That’s who I voted for, but I’ve also heard good things about a few of the other books, especially the Jay Faerber title.

You can vote once a day, so have at it!

One of the coolest things about HeavyInk is that our community is growing to the point where it can really make an impact on the titles, publishers, and creators we love. We’ve been able to support indie books like Atomic Robo, Nearly Infamous Zango, and Johnny Hiro in ways that bigger comics retailers can’t always manage.

Now we have the chance to make a tremendous impact on one person’s life: Josh Medors. Josh is a comic book artist recently diagnosed with cancer who is facing a health battle along with the usual medical coverage concerns that independent contractors deal with on an all-too-regular basis.

The good people at BOOM! Studios are releasing a benefit book this fall, Pulp Tales, to help raise funds for Josh and his family. HeavyInk will be donating all our proceeds from sales of the book directly to Josh.

Check out the talent lineup on this book: Steve Niles and Sarah Wilkinson; B. Clay Moore, Seth Peck, and Chris Samnee; Josh Fialkov and Andy B; Kody Chamberlain; Tony Fleecs; and covers by Ben Templesmith and Josh Medors.

THAT is some good comics right there. Plus, your purchase supports a very worthy cause.

We’ll have some interviews coming up to help promote the book and tell you more about the awesome contents. In the meantime, place an order if you can, and read more about the book over at Comic Book Resources.

One of the more hysterical “webcomics” I’ve come across is Garfield Minus Garfield…and I put “webcomics” in quotes because it’s really more of a print comics satire, but there is a creative motivation involved, and it is on the web. ANYWAY!

It’s exactly what the title says—a daily Garfield strip, minus the titular cat. Instead it becomes, in the words of site creator Dan Walsh:

...a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb.

Anyway, read more at the Garfield Minus Garfield site. You’ll also be able to own Garfield Minus Garfield in handy tree-killing form with this fall’s Garfield Minus Garfield book.

Oh, and my absolute favorite true webcomic, hands-down? ACHEWOOD.

Our vibrant, manly love for Red 5 Comics and its products is well-documented here.

Today, we have an exclusive interview with Scott Chitwood, one of the founding fathers of Red 5 and a writer for the publisher as well. His Afterburn (co-written with Paul Ens) has recently been optioned for a film by Tobey Maguire for what we understand is roughly seventy six bagazillion dollars.

In spite of his wealth and power, Scott was remarkably down to earth. Read on, effendi.

Afterburn is written by the two founders of Red 5 Comics. How did the title’s creation evolve? Was this a story you hoped to tell when you founded the imprint, or did it come later after Red 5 had begun?

When Paul and I started Red 5 Comics, we always had the intention of creating some of the titles ourselves. After all, if we were going to build the sandbox, we wanted to play in it. Paul and I brainstormed over a number of story ideas and Afterburn stood out as one of the ideas with a lot of potential. I came up with the initial concept and a first draft of the story, then Paul and I took stabs at revisions after that. It was during that revision process that we started identifying the appealing parts of the story (like the mutant sharks) and expanding on them.

Genre fans are very familiar with the “post-apocalyptic” environment from many movies and comics. How did you approach the idea of “post-apocalyptic” from a fresh direction?

It actually didn’t start as a “post-apocalyptic” story idea. It started as an Indiana Jones idea. Back when I was a kid, I saw a National Geographic painting in an archeology book that showed the U.S. Capitol overgrown by forest and vegetation. I thought it would be interesting if Indiana Jones were raiding modern locations and treasures rather than ancient ruins and temples. The question was how to go about doing that.

One day I was walking through my living room and my wife had a Discovery Channel show on TV about solar flares. They were talking about what could potentially happen if a solar superflare hit the earth. They talked about electronics being wiped out, vegetation dying off, humans being bombarded by radiation, and other fun stuff. As soon as I heard that, I knew we had out apocalypse event for the story. The rest fell into place pretty quickly after that.

What’s your take on this world you’re developing? Are you telling one-off action stories set in this larger universe, or is there an overall larger tapestry you’re creating as well?

We set the story up to be ongoing if we wanted it to be. The initial story arc was 4 issues so that if it tanked we didn’t sink too much money in it. But the story would be set up so the characters could have further adventures if we wanted to go there. That was the beauty in cooking half the world – there are so many places you can have stories and so many treasures Jake and his team can go after. Throw in international politics, rival treasure hunters, and other cool stuff and the story potential is endless.

Visually, what’s influencing the creation of Afterburn? Are there other artists or books that have provided inspiration for the way Afterburn looks?

Since we were telling a cinematic story with a potentially real world approach, we were looking for more realistic artwork over stylized penciling. That’s why Wayne Nichols’ art really stood out. He does beautiful, detailed backgrounds as can be seen in the opening scenes of issue #1. When we first talked to him, we told him we were looking for a “Mad Max” and “Terminator” look to the post-apocalyptic environment. Everything needed to be dirty, worn, and beaten. We wanted to see skeletons and dead bodies on the ground where they dropped when the flare hit. We wanted to see fires and destruction where planes fell out of the skies and wildfires raged. You know, the good stuff.

What was much more difficult to zero in on were the mutants. We wrote the full script without ever really thinking about what they looked like. So when the time came to draw them in concept art, it took quite a bit of time to choose a look. We didn’t want X-Men mutants with powers, but we didn’t want “Total Recall” freaks either. We settled on a look that was still distinctly human, but modified by the effects of radiation. As a reader, the process behind creating a look of a character was something I definitely took for granted. Never again!

What does Matt Busch bring to the table as the cover illustrator? How has he helped develop the book and its following?

Matt Busch has been a friend of ours for a very long time. We’ve known him since the earliest days of running TheForce.Net. So when we started this comic company, we knew we wanted to use him. Afterburn was a natural fit for his talents. As you can see from the covers, his art is stunning. I’ve had the cover art with the shark displayed at conventions and I’ve seen people stop dead in their tracks when they’ve seen it. Kids yell out, “Shark!” There’s no question his artwork has gotten our title a lot of attention. In fact, it’s what caught the eye of our agent that helped get us our movie deal.

Tell me about the process of Afterburn being optioned for a feature film. Was it being shopped around for a while, or did the production company approach you guys?

Several groups were interested in the movie rights to Afterburn after having seen it mentioned on ComingSoon.Net, but the writer’s strike slowed progress on many talks to a complete standstill. Then one day in an LA comic shop, our soon-to-be agent saw a copy of Afterburn #1 on the store counter and checked it out. He saw the potential in the story and contacted us about shopping around the movie rights. When the writers strike stopped, the interest started up again. Ultimately Tobey Maguire, Relativity Media, and Neal Moritz won the bidding war.

So getting it optioned was a combination of having a good story idea, having professional looking artwork, and dumb luck.

Where’s the film’s production at right now? Any status updates?

It’s in pre-production. From our conversations with the production company they’re very excited about the project and moving it forward. They have some great ideas for the movie, and I definitely think it’s in good hands.

At the risk of kicking up too much of a kerfuffle, I think Friend of HI and Hero By Night creator DJ Coffman could use some moral support right about now, if not a good lawyer to do some pro bono creator rights work on his behalf…

A long story short, I had emailed the folks at Platinum to inquire if there had been any movement about the rights issue so that I could possibly get moving and publishing at least the webcomic on my own before the audience that we built for 2 years completely dropped off. I pretty much got this form letter sounding reply that included this statement:

Please be advised that due to the controversy stirred up as a result of your recent blogging and interviews, all discussions between us regarding any potential licensing back to you of limited rights to Hero By Night are on hold. At this time, we cannot say when those discussions might be resurrected. – Brian Altounian

To summarize, “we were gonna, but you talked, and now we’ve changed our minds.” Fantastic!

Read more about it at DJ’s blog.

Here’s hoping Platinum comes to their senses and starts treating their talent with the decency they deserve—they have no reason I can see to withhold publishing rights from DJ, other than being bastards, especially since any work he does to continue to promote and produce the work will only help any efforts Platinum may undertake to sell the property in Hollywood.

The Grand Wizard of Comics himself, interviewed in two parts.

Writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman have previously written the original graphic novel Monster Attack Network for AiT/Planetlar and the five-issue Highwaymen miniseries for Wildstorm (more on that later). They’re also a senior editor for Entertainment Weekly and a producer on Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels, respectively.

Now they’re throwing their hats into the ring to take on Top Cow’s Pilot Season, in which several comics enter, one comic leaves. Not quite as catchy to chant as the bit from Thunderdome, but there it is.

Adam made some time in his schedule to tell us more about Genius and what happens when the world’s greatest military genius is born in South Central.

Let’s start with the genesis of the project. How did these two ideas—the world’s greatest military genius, and a war in one of LA’s worst neighborhoods, weave their way together?

It was really the combination of two separate ideas. One was a documentary about these extreme right wing militias in middle America preparing for what they feel is the inevitable race war. The second idea was a general fascination with savant-like prodigies and how they are born with a gift not necessarily of their choosing. We combined the two into this concept that every generation is given a great military mind – Hannibal, Napoleon, Washington, Patton, etc. Who says our generation’s greatest warrior has to go to West Point and be a trained killer in the traditional sense? What if someone surrounded by violence their whole life discovered they had this gift and chose to do something with it?

You seem to be trying to take a pretty realisitic view of life in an inner city. What kind of background do you have with that part of the world, and did you undertake any research to make your depiction more accurate?

Growing up on the tough streets of Long Island, Marc and I have exactly zero background growing up in that world but we did research into gang culture and military tactics and that’s what being a writer is. A lot of that research will, readers willing, show up in future books as the Battle of Los Angeles escalates into a full scale conflict. We have some really, really cool stuff planned that obviously wouldn’t fit all into one book.

Obviously, Destiny’s chief character trait in the first issue is her tactical brilliance. What else can you tell us about the character?

She is a person that has watched the game be played her whole life and has figured out a way to run it. She is a street hardened politician in a sense, in that she knows how to speak to all types of people, knows how to motivate them, and manipulate them. She is strong, incredibly bright and driven to make a difference. It is up to the reader to decide whether she is justified or misguided. She really is a very fascinating, complex character.

Take us through this story a bit as it might evolve over possible upcoming issues. What’s your long-term vision for the book?

Man oh man. The battle will become larger than anyone thought possible. Detective Grey’s role will definitely grow as his “Suspect Zero” theory is proven legitimate. There will also be a lot of backstory as to how Destiny became the woman she is, how she has been planning this for quite some time and how she intentionally stayed off the grid and kept her existence and motives a secret until the time was right. There is also a shared experience Destiny and Det. Grey have that neither of them knows about. Marc and I have this story all structured out and a great arc planned and we really hope we get the chance to tell it. We had to really pick and chose what to put in the first issue to tell the story, establish characters and convince readers that this is a story that they will want to hear more of.

What do you need to make happen in order to see Genius take the Pilot Season crown? What’s the most important thing fans can do to help?

Come August the voting will open on Top Cow websites and a few other comic book sites, I believe. You can vote once per day for the entire month. Please, if Genius piques your interest and you want to see more, vote every day and encourage others to do the same. This is a chance for all the fans that crave something different out there to make it happen. All of us that can see the ever-widening scope of what comics can do – this is our chance to put something different out there and take steps towards redefining the medium. I am a huge fan of superheroes, but I want more options as well.

You wrote Genius with your collaborator on The Highwaymen, Marc Bernardin. How does the division of labor work between the two of you as writers?

It is totally 50/50. It’s actually very funny – Marc and have been friends since 5th grade; we grew up blocks from each other. We have been writing film and TV specs for years and then I got an offer to move to LA that I could not pass up. Since I have moved our productivity has increased ten fold. We are such good friends that our work sessions in the same room always turned into massive Halo sessions or watching movies for inspiration – basically anything else that would side track us. We got work done but not nearly in proportion to how much time we were putting in. Once I moved to LA we began to work over the phone, e-mail, IM, etc. and our output has skyrocketed. We are both so busy (he with EW, me running Gene Simmons Family Jewels) that we really hyper focus on the task at hand. A story usually starts with a one line idea from one of us, “What if…” Then we flesh it out together and do an outline and then we pass Final Draft documents back and forth. I write 5 pages, he tweaks, adds five more and sends it back, I tweak, etc. So in the end all aspects of the book – the idea down to the layout and the dialogue – are both of ours. It’s working so far.

I thought The Highwaymen was a fun miniseries that deserved a bigger audience, and yet it seemed to become some kind of case study for the ways in which smaller books get the short end of the stick in an event-driven marketplace. Why do you think that happened, and what did you learn from the experience?

It was a huge learning experience, both good and bad. First off, we are proud that we put out what we feel is a quality book. I don’t think it would have become the “case study” and internet water cooler talk it did if it was crap. I think. It was exactly what we set out to do and, as a bonus, was really well received by the critics and the 12 people that bought it. 13 if you count my mom.

I think it is important to point out that it was not cancelled. I say that not out of ego, but fairness to Jim Lee, Scott Peterson and all the folks at DC/WildStorm. We made a deal for 5 issues and we did 5 issues. Of course the hope was that sales would demand more and then we and WildStorm, collectively, would have discussed continuing the Highwaymen in some form. Unfortunately the sales didn’t warrant that conversation.

I think it is too easy to “Monday morning quarterback” and say what went wrong. We all knew from the beginning that we had an uphill battle in the marketplace: unknown characters, no costumes, no capes, two unknown writers and a mostly unknown (but awesome) artist. When you think about it, the stars really had to align for it to be a runaway hit. Am I disappointed? You bet your ass, but I understand. I don’t take it personally. Who knows, maybe if Marc and I are lucky enough to become the next Fraction, Bendis or Vaughn, the math will add up and it will become feasible for WildStorm to do another.

I will say this, if you like something – support it – because you are directly affecting how long it will be around. Don’t automatically think, “Looks great, but I’ll wait for the trade” because if everyone does the same there will be no trade. If you like something, grab it now and show your support.

What else do you and Marc have on your plate, in terms of upcoming projects?

A lot actually. A bunch of anthology work: A Grunt tpb from Arcana, Outlaw Nation from Image, Postcards II, resurrecting the Sphinx in a pulp collection coming out. We also have a bunch of bigger projects I can’t talk about right now but hope to soon.

One of my favorite comics, The Last Call (by the extremely talented Vasilis Lolos), is making the jump from page to screen:

Universal has bought the Oni Press graphic novel series “The Last Call” and set it up with Barry Josephson to produce through his eponymous banner.

“The Last Call,” written and illustrated by Vasilis Lolos, centers on two teens on a joyride who get hit by a train – an interdimensional soul carrier – and find themselves on a quest to solve a mystery that will allow them to return to their regular lives.

Congrats, (UPDATE: Harvey Award Nominee) Vasilis!

For the interested, there’s a 38 page preview of TLC #1 here , and if it’s your cup of tea, it can be yours with a bit of clicking:

Issue 2 is due out August 30th:

If you’re looking for me before then, I’ll be where I’ve been since #1 came out – on the edge of my seat.

UPDATE: a software bug is breaking urls with “&” in them. Until we get it fixed, here’s the url for the preview: http://www.onipress.com/preview.php?bid=268&pid=141

A nice profile from New York magazine on Dash Shaw and his Bottomless Belly Button, already an early frontrunner for graphic novel of the year, if the buzz is any indication.

You asked, and he answered.

The (Nearly) Infamous Zango, star of Nearly Infamous Zango, has filed his responses to your advice column questions with Zango writer-artist Rob Osborne, and we present them to you here now.

We also have a winner in our Ask Zango contest: HI user Robert! We’ll be in touch shortly to coordinate delivery of your MEGAKEWL prize package.

All Hail Zango! And because he stars in a great comic, All Buy Zango!

Dear Mr. (Nearly) Infamous Zango,

How would you describe your working relationship with your handler Rob Osborne? Is he always making you do things you don’t want to do, like go to book signings or being a guest speaker at a villain convention, when you would rather just sit at home watching TV? Or is it the opposite, where he’s there to hold you back from all of your wild and crazy antics?

And are there any problems with having an attack-gorilla that you didn’t know about before you decided to have one? Bad odor? Expensive to feed?

Swearing my Undying Fealty,

Robert

Who do you think you’re talking to, Robert?! I am Lord Zango! No one handles Zango! Not even Zango!

Osborne is just a worthless wretch! He thinks that because he knows how to hold a pencil he is qualified to tell the stories of Zango! But it is I who allow this inept moron to tell my tales. It is I who command him to spread the word of my brilliance. And I demand that he makes me look good!

When you read The Nearly Infamous Zango, you should come away trembling with fear! You will know that my intellect has no equal! My power is expansive! My will is like steel!

If Osborne does his job properly, then soon all the world will shiver at the mention of my name. Then, all will submit to me. And if not, Osborne and the rest of you doddering dolts will be crushed beneath my bunny slippers!

In regards to your inquiry about the attack-gorilla, it is abundantly clear that Deacon Dread is losing his edge. Perhaps he has dementia. Because that overgrown monkey was as useless as a pogo stick. I don’t want cutesie toys. I want results!

Dear Mr. (Nearly) Infamous Zango,

Every night some hooligans in my neighborhood throw rocks at cars. I’ve had two windows broken already! If it weren’t for the fact that I drive an ‘82 Rabbit, I fear my car would be ransacked as well. What would you do to stop this rash of absurdity?

Also, they ring my door bell at 2am. Make it stop!

Sincerely,

Borderline Psychotic in Boston

A 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit? This is what you drive?! It’s no wonder you’re on the receiving end of abuse. You’re a loathsome fool without a proper understanding of how the world works! You drive a car that no self-respecting 16-year-old girl would accept as a birthday gift!

We live in a world governed by force! The aggressor enjoys the spoils. Consider the wild, where the tiger pounces on a zebra. The tiger gets dinner, and the zebra complains about—What? Doorbells and rocks?! How unfair life is?

No! The zebra is dead meat!

Stop being a wuss, Boston boy! Release this psychotic behavior you so-nearly indulge in, and take your anger out on the hooligans that torment you and your neighbors!

No one is coming to your rescue. It’s time you took things into your own hands. Inflict some pain! And make sure everyone in your neighborhood knows it was you who caused those troublemakers to suffer. That’s how you get respect!

Dear Mr. (Nearly) Infamous Zango,

My husband and I have been married for 15 years, but lately it seems like we hardly even know each other anymore. He’s been spending a lot more time than usual in his secret laboratory, and recently he genetically engineered a new assistant, a super-intelligent chimpanzee who he calls JoJo. He says she’s just his helper, but he keeps coming home later and later, and yesterday I could smell her perfume on him, and his hair was messier than usual (almost as if someone had been “grooming” him). Am I crazy for thinking there’s something going on here? How can I confront him about this without driving him away further?

—Feeling Jealous in Metrotown

Sounds like your husband may be into some monkey business. Which disgusts me to no end.

If you fear conflict, then you’re too soft and weak to get what you want. Always initiate conflict! Always demand what you want! Always give outrageous ultimatums!

If this doesn’t yield the results you desire, then be prepared to make your husband miserable. Hopefully, your spine proves sturdy enough to stand up for yourself, oh Jealous One.

Zango rocks.

He reminds me of “The Monarch” from The Venture Brothers.

Did you crib from TVB? Did they crib from you?

...or was this a case of totally awesome parallel inspiration?

- TJIC

Zango does rock! I am the Great Lord of Metrotown! I am to be loved and loathed! I am to be revered and despised! But you’re a fool, TJIC! Second-rate wannabe super-hacks like the Venture Brothers are constantly imitating Zango!

Besides, isn’t that a cartoon? Lord Zango is real. I inflict real agony.

There is only one Lord Alfred Zango, Jr! Your lives are meaningless without me! All the imposters will kneel before my greatness!

Dear Mr. Nilifamus Zango,

Van Freako found big rabbit for nice playing. Rabbit not soft and cuddly. Rabbit made of metal and glass. Rabbit fun! Van Freako play rock game with rabbit! Me not want to hurt rabbit, but Van Freako break glass. Van Freako afraid to tell Dread. What should Van Freako do?

-Van Freako

ps Van Freako like Zango bunny slippers. Me can play with Zango bunny slippers?

Van Freako, you half-witted troglodyte! Keep pestering me with your incessant whining and I’ll have Deacon Dread put you to sleep! And I’m not talking about a nap! I mean the long, rotting kind.

And stay away from my slippers, Van Freaks-a-lot, or I’ll give you a zap.

Dear Mr. (Nearly) Infamous Zango,

What T.V. show satiates a mind such as yours? Are there any that could even hope to hold your attention?

- Chris

Chris, is your life so barren of meaning that you wish to know the viewing habits of Lord Zango?

Maybe I enjoyed the recent episode of Oprah, where she shared her “favorite things” with the audience. Perhaps I relish the political blood-letting that is on the cable news networks every night. Surely you’ll find it fascinating that I watched the finale of American Idol. And yes, I’m glad that Archuleta was sent home crying to his mother!

But there’s nothing on television that sates me. My grey matter requires greater stimulation than Hell’s Kitchen and The Office can provide. The NBA playoffs are more sleep-inducing than Ambien.

Soon, your high-def television will be dominated by my handsome and dangerous face. Then you’ll experience the rich, terrifying potential of television.

I, LT COLONEL JUSTICE, have a question for you!

Your evil must end! The reign of terror you have brought to this fair city is intolerable, and you must be stopped! With the aid of my trusty teenaged sidekick, PERCY, I will defeat your android army! My question to you, Iron Ox, is…

Iron Ox?! I’m not the Iron Ox! I am ZANGO!

What do you mean this isn’t Iron Ox? Zango? (Nearly) Infamous Zango…

Zango…I KNOW I’ve heard that name from somewhere…Zango…AHA!

You’re the one with the lisp, aren’t you?

Justice, you inept mongrel! With a single Zango Zap, I’ll turn you to a heap of smoking ashes! Never mention that pontificating puke’s name again! I hate the Iron Ox! And I shall ram those robots of his into a dark and uncomfortable place!

Dear (Nearly) Infamous Zango:

Your daughter is HOT! Is she single?

- Sidekick Percy

Percy! Don’t you dare speak of my daughter! She’s off limits! You’ll rue the day that I cross paths with you and your doofus mentor!

Dear Mr. (Nearly) Infamous Zango,

What are your fondest memories from the height of your villany? Was there a certain do-gooder that got under your skin? What was your favorite way to get them to wish they had never been born?

- Robert

The height of my villainy? Robert, your head is full of Play-Doh if you think that I’ve fallen from my Machiavellian pinnacle!

I am still the greatest, most formidable supervillain alive. None shall surpass me. Especially that self-absorbed loudmouth Iron Ox.

Do I have fond memories of terrorizing Metrotown? Yes. Do I long to bring the entire population to its knees once again? Of course. Will that happen again soon? Most definitely. Provided that Dread doesn’t disappoint me again. As soon as my army of killer fruit is ready, I shall break this city.

That’s right. Killer fruit. Run for your lives.

Dear Mr. (Nearly) Infamous Zango,

Do you feel that, as a villain, you get more chicks than the goodie-two-shoes of the world? Cause I’d kill to get some action.

Signed,

Desperate in Atlanta

Desperate, are you hoping to get some hot Zango action? Well get in line, sweetheart! I’ve got a bevy of fawning fans clamoring to spend time with me.

But you’ll be waiting forever, because your desperation reeks of, well, desperation! You must change your ways! Don’t grovel. Don’t sulk. Don’t place stuffed animals on the dashboard of your car. Don’t get lots of cats and become the “Cat Lady.”

You said, “I’d kill to get some action.” That’s hot. Demand action! Just not from me.

(Nearly) Infamous Zango, I beseech thee!

How can you tell if a one-eyed man is winking or blinking?

Yours in eternal serf-itude,

- Matt C.

Such nonsensical quandaries are beneath me! My cerebral powers aren’t to be trifled with, Matt C.

Coincidentally, Deacon Dread has only one eye now. I can promise you, he won’t be winking at me. He’s never been a winker. And he knows that coyness is intolerable!

Now, all of you, heed my words! Make yourselves useful! I am Lord Zango, and all shall submit to me or suffer my wrath! Spread the word to your so-called friends and colleagues…

I am Lord Zango! Love me! Loathe me! Serve me!

For more information about The Nearly Infamous Zango, please visit AbsoluteTyrant.com. And to learn more about writer-artist Rob Osborne, visit RobOsborne.net.