Red 5 Comics is a pretty remarkable success story in the realm of indie comics publishers. Launched by two of the formative figures in modern Star Wars fandom, Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens, they've had striking success with Atomic Robo, the tale of the robot creation of Tesla who acts as a cross between Indiana Jones, Hellboy, and Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Ens was good enough to make some time for HeavyInk, not just to discuss Robo and Red 5, but also to touch upon his own creation for his imprint, Neozoic, the story of a girl, her sword, and LOADS of dinosaurs.--Matt Springer

HeavyInk: Let's start with the "secret origin" of Red 5 Comics...how did Red 5 come together?

Paul Ens: Scott Chitwood was one of the founders of TheForce.Net back in 1995, and I was pretty active reviewing Star Wars comics on Usenet at the time, so he brought me on board soon after that. We worked very closely on that project until 1999 when I got the call to head up the online division at Lucasfilm for the Star Wars prequels.

Fast forward to the 2005 DVD junket for Revenge of the Sith, and Scott and I were having supper with our families when our shared life-long love of comics came up again. Turns out we'd both been separately thinking about starting a comic book company and everything just snowballed. I gave up my day job, and here we are.

HI: It feels like there's a little bit of "retro" in what Red 5 is putting out, in terms of some of the pulpy concepts, but they're all mixed together and given a modern feel. Do you guys have a specific vision for the kinds of books you're seeking to publish? In other words, what's the Red 5 creative mission statement?

PE: Our creative mission statement is to produce fun, "cinematic" stories. Scott and I primarily have a movie background, and we like to think cinematic in terms of story scope, big-screen visuals, fun factor, a story that doesn't require knowledge of what's come before, something self-contained, characters at the center...all that stuff.

HI: Being a total Star Wars geek, I get the Red 5 reference, and I know you and co-founder Scott Chitwood have been heavily involved in Star Wars both professionally and as fans. Has Star Wars had any influence on the types of titles you publish, or the writing you're doing?

PE: Star Wars has had an influence on pretty much every area of my life, so that definitely includes our creative content. Not only have we tapped a lot of talent who have worked on Star Wars, but we also take heavy inspiration from the spirit of "A New Hope" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" from the start of George Lucas' career...where he was trying to inject fun, story and character into the then-gloomy movie scene.

In the chances I had to observe George Lucas at work, I also learned the power of combinations and juxtaposition. Those lessons are often on my mind when I write.

HI: Launching an indie imprint has to be insanely difficult. What are some of the challenges you've faced, and what have been some of the pleasant surprises along the way?

PE: Insane and boundlessly optimistic. Every day is a new challenge as we make our way, but establishing our opening line-up was huge and took longer than I anticipated. The titles needed to set the tone of our vision...there's only one first impression. The other most major struggle, one we're still dealing with, is breaking through to get stores and readers to give us a chance.

The most pleasant surprise was the day when a friend of mine sent me a link to a blog entry from Brian Clevinger talking about a project he was working on. I sent Brian a note out of the blue and he sent me a few pages of Atomic Robo. I loved it immediately.

I still get tremendous joy out of watching people opening up a Red 5 book for the first time. The "new publisher" expectation is very low, you can see it in their face. Then, a few pages in, they set all that aside and are enjoying the ride.

HI: Where do you see Red 5 Comics in a year, or five years? Without getting too "inside baseball," what's your long-term goals for the imprint?

PE: In a year, I'd like Red 5 to be at a place where people have heard of us, and that the name is associated with fun, quality and being on-time. To be at the point where seeing Red 5 on the corner of the cover is enough for a reader to pick a book up off the shelf and take a look.

In five years, I'd like Red 5 to be solidly profitable.

In ten years, I'd love Red 5 to be in a position like Dark Horse was 10 years ago. Big enough to make a difference, small enough to keep pushing creatively. Those guys have built a great company over there.

HI: Moving on to Neozoic...what's the quick and dirty premise of the series?

PE: What if the extinction event that wiped out dinosaurs didn't happen, and that the entire history of the human race has taken place in a world of giant predators? In Neozoic, we start with the city of Monanti which has thrived by building a giant wall to protect its citizens. But beyond that, they've also created the Predator Defense League -- these are the best of the best who have developed the skills to be amazing and efficient dinosaur killers. They're the pro-athletes or rock stars...the ones everyone wants to be.

HI: I've read in another interview that part of your inspiration was an abiding love for "swords and dinosaurs." What were some other chief inspirations for the series?

PE: While the character of Lilli was a focus up-front, my vision for the series is actually an epic ensemble drama with a big scope and lot of characters who all have roles to play here and there. So the Lord of the Rings novels, the Star Wars trilogy, the "V" TV mini-series and the Old Testament of the Bible are among my inspirational materials.

The various cultures we're going to come across are deliberate mashes of human cultures too. The Monanti are a Japanese, Jewish and old-west America mix. The others, well...I'll save that for another time.

HI: Where did you find artist J. Korim? What has he brought to the table for this series?

PE: I was doing some visual development myself for the series, when I decided to Google "women with swords" for some reference. One item that came up was some striking fan art inspired by Kill Bill. I immediately made one image my desktop pattern. After a week or two, I decided to send this guy a note, just to find out who he was... that was J. He agreed to come on, and he's brought so much to the world of Neozoic. Can't imagine anyone else drawing it.

He got immediately what I was looking for, plus he's pushed me in certain areas to make it stronger. My original concept called for the PDL to wear more armor, but J made me realize the kinetic action I was looking for meant losing it...which makes more sense for the level of confidence these warriors have anyhow.

J is writing the Neozoic tale in our Free Comic Book Day issue... and he took a jab at me on the armor thing in the story. (Don't think I didn't notice, Korim!)

HI: What can readers expect from the rest of the series? Is this an open-ended run or do you have a conclusion in mind for this story?

PE: Neozoic is intended to be an on-going. This particular story has an end... I'm trying to keep it to 8 issues, but it may be 10. However, I have plans for the next 20 issues or so after that in my head. Here's hoping there are folks who want to read it.