<\/p>\n\n\n

With the release of the\u00a0MPLS Sound<\/em>\u00a0graphic novel\u00a0out this week from Humanoids, we are delighted to be joined by co-writers Joseph Illidge, Hannibal Tabu and artist Meredith Laxton for a chat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hi Joseph, Hannibal and Meredith we are so happy that we have all of you here with us today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

We would love to start by finding out a bit more about yourselves, would you please introduce yourselves to our readers.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

JI: Thanks so much! I started in comics at Milestone Media, Inc., the creators of the first mainstream multicultural superhero universe and \u201cStatic Shock\u201d, moved over to Gotham City and the Batman Editorial group for the birth of Cassandra Cain, The Batgirl. Worked for Lion Forge, Archaia, A Wave Blue World, Valiant, and now Heavy Metal as the Executive Editor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advocate for diverse representation in comics. Foodie. Sharp Dresser. Husband of Big Barda. No, really. My wife is a warrior who can kick Parademon ass.<\/span><\/p>\n

HT: I\u2019m an award winning journalist, novelist, comic book writer, poet and DJ who has worked professionally in the entertainment space since the Hieroglyphics got going. I\u2019ve written for Aspen Comics, Top Cow, Comic Book Resources, Bleeding Cool, and many other places. In other arenas, I\u2019ve built web experiences for American Honda, Kaiser Permanente, Toyota Motor Sales and lots of other corporate and smaller clients. I live in Los Angeles with my wife and two children. My main focus has been decolonizing the comics space with perspectives and quality stories often untold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ML: Hello! Thanks for having us. I\u2019m Meredith and I\u2019m a full-time comic artist and illustrator. MPLS Sound is my very first full-length graphic novel and I am really honored to have been part of the team.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph and Hannibal, can you tell us a little bit about how the two of you originally got together as a creative team?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

JI: Hannibal was the first member of the MPLS Sound team, and I was brought on to build on the groundwork he laid through his experiences and extensive knowledge of music history.<\/span><\/p>\n

HT: With Fabrice Sapolsky, I laid out a lot of the framework. I\u2019m a huge fan of the old Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, so every character has a gigantic write up that informs their choices in the plot and how they look at things. Fabrice had a very specific aesthetic he wanted, and Humanoids likewise had specific things they wanted, so they smushed me together with Joe into a writing version of Voltron 2, remember the weird one with six arms? Anyway, that was us, and off we went.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Joseph and Hannibal, could you tell us about the origin of the\u00a0MPLS Sound<\/em>\u00a0graphic novel?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

JI: Humanoids, the Publisher, and more specifically the book\u2019s founding editor Fabrice Sapolsky brought me on board to join the team and galvanize the story of Starchild, a fictional band competing to become Prince\u2019s band instead of The Revolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

HT: Out of the blue, Fabrice Sapolsky contacted me and asked me to come to the Humanoids offices. I took the morning off work and did so, and when I sat down in the conference room, Fabrice asked me to sign an NDA. I shrugged and did that too. Then he outlines this big new superhero vibe Humanoids was gonna do with\u00a0Omni\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Ignited\u00a0<\/em>and how the plan was going to revolutionize the space. I got very excited and said that all sounded amazing. Fabrice said, \u201cGreat, forget about all that.\u201d I was very confused.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, Fabrice talked to me about his deep passion for the Prince-flavored musical legacy of Minneapolis from the early 1980s. He talked to me about doing an original graphic novel set in that era, brushing up against Prince the way people experienced tornadoes in my hometown of Memphis. We talked about the politics of who got the spotlight and who didn\u2019t, which led to a lot of research that reinforced our loose suspicions, and we were off to the races.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meredith, when you first hear the pitch for\u00a0MPLS Sound<\/em>,\u00a0what did you think?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

M: Initially, I wasn\u2019t allowed to know which prominent musical artist was going to be featured in the book until I signed an NDA. Oh my god, I was so excited when the editor told me it was Prince. I could not ask for a better book to cut my teeth on. I had actually been working on my own Prince-inspired project, so I was in the perfect headspace and everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph and Hannibal, what can you tell us about the\u00a0MPLS Sound\u00a0<\/em>graphic novel?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

JI: The story takes place during the Eighties Minneapolis music scene for which Prince became the tip of the spear, the pebble dropped in the pond leaving ripple effects continuing to manifest into our present. Theresa Booker is the leader of Starchild, a band fighting against the tide of the white male-dominated rock scene with their skills, heart, and their unique mix of backgrounds. Theresa\u2019s a determined Black woman who goes through a personal journey that tests her endurance and integrity.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a story of funk, soul, joy, sadness, little victories, anger, music, love, and that Purple vibe from The Purple One.<\/span><\/p>\n

HT: The best thing I can say is that you can get it now, because I\u2019ve literally been avoiding talking about it in detail for years. It\u2019s a very hard secret to keep, and I kept wearing Prince t-shirts to conventions (back in the before times, when we had conventions) but nobody ever got the joke. Ah well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, this is a tale of defining success for yourself and working to achieve it, even in the face of structural and personal opposition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meredith, to make the look of the world authentic, what reference materials did you use?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

M: I binged a ton of music videos from that era and explored a lot of music that I hadn\u2019t known much about until then. I also had the opportunity to go through a plethora of old photographs of my dad and his siblings from that era and that gave me a lot of inspiration for the characters.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Joseph and Hannibal, what can you tell us about Starchild?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

JI: They\u2019re a band of musicians from different walks of life, backgrounds, and ethnicities, all brought together by one goal crystallized by the dreams of one woman.<\/span><\/p>\n

In another timeline, Starchild would have been The Revolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

MPLS Sound is the story of how and why that was not their destiny.<\/span><\/p>\n

HT: \u201cStay tuned for Starchild,\u201d from the Parliament song \u201cMake My Funk The P-Funk,\u201d would have felt like an invitation to Theresa, I figured. She was trying to make the presence and vibe the world needed to tune into, to represent and decolonize a musical scene in a very similar way to Prince, but with fewer weapons in her arsenal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meredith, has it been a challenge creating the characters and the world they inhabit in the\u00a0MPLS Sound<\/em>\u00a0graphic novel?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

M: Surprisingly not so much. Both writers were very gracious to provide me with reference imagery whenever they had something specific in mind and most of the notable locations from the book can be found via Google maps. I have never been to Minneapolis myself, but I found out that you can actually go inside the First Avenue\/7th st entry music venue with Google street view and look around with the 360 camera and go backstage. It\u2019s really cool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph and Hannibal, how did Humanoids get involved in the\u00a0MPLS Sound\u00a0<\/em>graphic novel?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

JI: Humanoids is the Publisher of MPLS Sound, so they\u2019re the nucleus, origin point, radioactive spider of the equation. Their imprint, Life Drawn, is about real people and stories that live within and alongside history, and we\u2019re honored to be a part of their mission for distinction of story and voice with MPLS Sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

HT: From what I understand, there is a whole line of graphic novels the company wants to produce that are of a very high literary quality, to introduce work that can elevate the discourse. This was one such project, and while I was there, Fabrice showed me so many things\u2026 and now I think about it, I don\u2019t know how much of that I\u2019m allowed to talk about. I\u2019m going to stop talking now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Meredith, do you have a favourite character that you like to draw?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

M: I enjoyed drawing Theresa so much. I felt such a connection to her, her journey, her relationship to her dad, everything. Every concert scene you could tell that she was really singing her heart out and I absolutely love drawing those moments. Designing her stage wardrobe was also a lot of fun and I got to explore clothing options that, maybe, I might be brave enough to wear someday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph and Hannibal, how did Tan Shu, Troy Peteri, Ryan Lewis and Jen Bartel join the team?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

HT: Jen was discussed very early on, as she\u2019s from Minneapolis, and her work is so freaking dazzling. Fabrice wanted her to be involved from almost the beginning. I have known Troy for years, and I presume the high quality and reliability of his work were the selling points. I can\u2019t speak beyond that.<\/span><\/p>\n

JI: All credit goes to the Humanoids editorial group for bringing together our dream team. Tan\u2019s color is beautiful, from the very first page. Troy and Ryan are the narrative aesthetic gurus. Jen Bartel is a leader in the industry, so having her create such an iconic, evocative cover for MPLS Sound is nothing short of awesome and heartwarming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph and Hannibal, if readers what to see more of Starchild in the future, would that be possible?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

JI: Anything\u2019s possible! If readers want to see more of Theresa and Starchild after this story, let Humanoids know!<\/span><\/p>\n

HT: To paraphrase the philosopher Christopher Wallace, if the check\u2019s right, I\u2019ll be there err\u2019night. There\u2019s a lot of timeline that didn\u2019t get covered, and a LOT of Minneapolis-based musical things we didn\u2019t get time to cover, so if the demand is there, the words will likely rise to meet it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

HT: Thank you for reading, thank you for your interest, thank you for supporting the work in a time when you clearly could do other things. We appreciate you!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

M: If you pick up the book, I really hope you enjoy it! A lot of love and hard work went into making it a reality and I\u2019ll be so happy to see it hitting the shelves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

JI: Read MPLS Sound. Feel good. Get funky. Fight for your dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

We would like to say thank you to Joseph, Hannibal and Meredith for taking the time to chat with us, we wish them the best of luck with their new project. The\u00a0MPLS Sound<\/em>\u00a0graphic novel\u00a0out this week from Humanoids.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>","post_title":"ComicBuzz Chats With The MPLS Sound Team","post_excerpt":"Graphic novel","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"comicbuzz-chats-with-the-mpls-sound-team","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-08 15:54:48","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-08 14:54:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206153","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206134,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2021-04-09 16:51:20","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-09 15:51:20","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

Today, we are so happy that we have been joined by the multi-talented writer David Pepose. David is the writer of numerous comics including Spencer & Locke<\/em> and Scout's Honor<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

As some of our readers may not be familiar with your work, could you please tell us about yourself?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I'm David Pepose, and I've written comics like the Ringo Award-nominated Spencer & Locke and Going to the Chapel at Action Lab Entertainment, The O.Z. on Kickstarter, Scout's Honor at AfterShock Comics, and more. I've worked as a crime reporter, a comics journalist, and even in TV publicity, but thankfully I've landed exactly where I was meant to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

How did you get into the comics industry?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I've been a comics reader my entire life, dating back to my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #346 when I was a kid. I got my first break in the comics industry as an editorial intern at DC Comics, where I worked on books like Final Crisis, Batman RIP, and Green Lantern: Secret Origin. After that, I landed at Newsarama, where I wound up serving as their reviews editor for over a decade. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I found myself really restless creatively \u2014 and so I started writing scripts to pass the time. The first full-length script I wrote wound up becoming my breakout series Spencer & Locke \u2014 once I sold that series, I've been writing ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Who are your favourite comic creators?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Boy, how long do you have for me to answer that? (Laughs) Frank Miller and Devin Grayson are two creators that have always really informed my work, just in terms of experimenting with style and emotion. I've also drawn inspiration from Dan Slott, Geoff Johns, Rick Remender... as I'm thinking about it, Jonathan Hickman and Al Ewing might be my two favorite writers today \u2014 they're insanely talented and brilliant, and their work has consistently inspired me to keep upping my game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Could you tell us about the origin of\u00a0Spencer & Locke<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When I first decided to try writing a longer-form series, I thought about how people say \"write about what you know.\" That's a piece of advice that I think is often misinterpreted, but at the time, all I could think was, what do I know about anything? I knew about comics. My first instinct was that might be pretty limiting, but then I realized I could lean into it, by mashing up the iconic creative voices of my youth. The idea of remixing old-school Frank Miller crime fiction with something as wild and imaginative as Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes felt like I was putting myself up for a dare \u2014 there's a surprising amount of overlap in terms of their sensibilities, and that overlap allowed turned our psychological crime thriller into a really compelling exploration into trauma and mental illness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

How did you find the rest of the team for\u00a0Spencer & Locke<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Through a lot of trial and error on the Internet. (Laughs) I connected with artist Jorge Santiago, Jr. by looking for recent graduates from comic book art schools \u2014 SCAD, RISD, the Kubert School, SVA, just to name a few. I was really impressed with Jorge's portfolio, and as it turned out, he had been really interested in tackling a crime series, so the timing was perfect for us to develop Spencer & Locke. Meanwhile, I knew letterer Colin Bell from my reviewer days at Newsarama, where I had been Colin's editor \u2014 he was really the first pro letterer I ever met, so I pretty much deputized him immediately. Colorist Jasen Smith was the trickiest person to find \u2014 we had looked at samples from a few other colorists, but it wasn't until my friend Taylor Esposito recommended Jasen that we found the right fit for Jorge's lineart. The rest is history!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What can you tell us about\u00a0Spencer & Locke<\/em> 3<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I have to keep things a little close to the vest on this one, since it's still pretty far out \u2014 Spencer & Locke 3 is going to be the exclamation point at the end of the sentence that is our series. We've got a Garfield-themed serial killer picking off our homage to\u00a0 the Peanuts gang, all while Spencer and Locke find themselves navigating a critical crossroads in their unlikely friendship. Combine that with a brand-new partner for them, and there's a lot of balls we have to juggle in this series!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What can readers expect from\u00a0The O.Z.<\/em>\u00a0#2?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that Dorothy Gale has found herself stranded in the war-torn land of Oz, she's going to have to make some tough decisions as the Resistance goes on the hunt for the Silver Slippers. Without spoiling too much, we had a reveal at the end of our first issue of another character who will be joining Dorothy's squadron \u2014 a warrior-king with plenty of experience with courage on the battlefield...\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You started this year by releasing\u00a0Scout's Honor\u00a0with AfterShock; how did the opportunity to work with AfterShock come about?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Working with AfterShock has been a long time coming \u2014 I worked under editor Mike Marts when I was an intern at DC, and when I saw him step away from the Big Two to head up AfterShock's\u00a0publishing line, I knew it was a company I wanted to work with. It took a little while to find the right pitch for AfterShock's\u00a0publishing slate, but I just kept in touch with Mike and president Lee Kramer with each new book I produced. Eventually, the stars aligned and we found something that clicked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

How would you describe\u00a0Scout's Honor<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Scout's Honor follows a post-apocalyptic cult that has risen from the ashes of a nuclear war... and their bible is an old Boy Scout manual.\u00a0Hundreds of years later, the Ranger Scouts of America are the leading force for law and order amidst the irradiated Colorado Badlands \u2014 and their most promising recruit is a young initiate named Kit.\u00a0But Kit is harboring a secret \u2014 in this patriarchal survivalist hierarchy that only allows men to serve, Kit's had to conceal her identity as a woman in order to pursue her calling as a Ranger Scout.\u00a0Unfortunately, Kit makes a chilling discovery that is going to shake her entire faith in the Ranger Scout doctrine, as she struggles with losing her religion on a dangerous quest for the truth.\u00a0It's like a post-apocalyptic Joan of Arc, tailor-made for fans of Mad Max: Fury Road, The Hunger Games, and The Handmaid's Tale.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What has it been like working with Luca, Matt, Carlos, Andy and Jose on\u00a0Scout's Honor<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It's been really terrific \u2014 Luca Casalanguida has such a sense of drama to his work, but he's also got that rawness that permeates all the action sequences. Pairing him with colorist Matt Milla has been a real dream team, as we're able to bounce between the harsh earth tones of a post-apocalyptic world, while throwing in neon accents that remind us of the radioactive energy of this world. Letterer Carlos Mangual also threads the needle nicely, not just making my dialogue flow on the page, but adding his own degree of grit to the Ranger Scouts' world. And I can't say enough good things about our cover art team of Andy Clarke and Jose Villarrubia \u2014 these are some of the most beautiful covers I've ever had on my books, and they've really leaned into the high concepts of each issue nicely.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

For readers who are looking forward to issue four of\u00a0Scout's Honor<\/em>, what can you say about issue four?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Kit's going to find herself lost in the wilderness, both physically and spiritually \u2014 and if the monsters of the Colorado Badlands aren't enough to finish Kit off, her growing crisis of faith just might. It might just be my favorite issue of the whole run.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You are working on another project called\u00a0Grand Theft Astro<\/em>.\u00a0Can you tell us all about\u00a0Grand Theft Astro<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Grand Theft Astro is the story of Hakeem \"Hermes\" Henrikson, who races spaceships as the fastest starchaser in the galaxy. Unfortunately for him, after he tests out an experimental quantum supercharger in the middle of a race, he winds up ripping open a wormhole seven years into the future. Stranded in a universe that's long since left him behind, Hakeem must embark on a faster-than-light heist with his formerly younger brother if he ever hopes to return to his home era. It's kind of like The Fast and the Furious meets Back to the Future, with a little bit of Star Wars thrown in for good measure.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you all for your support for Scout's Honor, Spencer & Locke, and The O.Z. \u2014 every preorder counts, so be sure to call your local comics shop to add our series to your pull list! Beyond that, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at\u00a0@peposed, on Facebook at\u00a0@davidpeposecomics, subscribe to my newsletter Pep Talks at <\/span>bit.ly\/pepnews<\/a>, or visit my website at <\/span>davidpepose.com<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n

We would like to say a big thank you to David for taking the time to chat with us. Scout's Honor<\/em> #4 is on sale next week on the 14th of April. <\/span><\/p>","post_title":"ComicBuzz Chats With David Pepose","post_excerpt":"Scout's Honor","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"comicbuzz-chats-with-david-pepose","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-08 15:56:42","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-08 14:56:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206134","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206099,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2021-03-30 18:01:04","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-30 17:01:04","post_content":"

With the launch of\u00a0Inferno Girl Red<\/em>\u00a0graphic novel on Kickstarter today, we are delighted to be joined by the co-creator and writer Mat Groom. Mat has worked on numerous comics including\u00a0Self\/Made<\/em>,\u00a0Crimes of Passion<\/em>,\u00a0Tales from the Dark Multiverse<\/em>,\u00a0The Rise Of Ultraman<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Trials Of Ultraman<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hi, Mat thank you for taking the time to sit and chat with us today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks for having me! I really appreciate the opportunity to talk about INFERNO GIRL RED.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mat for some of our readers who may not be familiar with your work, could please tell us about yourself?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sure! I\u2019m from Sydney, Australia, and during the day I work at a creative agency called FOR THE PEOPLE as a writer. And during my evenings and weekends, I write comics! I started with SELF\/MADE, a creator-owned series published by Image Comics, I\u2019ve done a few small one-off things for DC Comics, and I currently co-write the ULTRAMAN books for Marvel, with Kyle Higgins!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You have just launched a Kickstarter campaign for your new graphic novel\u00a0Inferno Girl Red<\/em>, could you please tell us about the\u00a0Inferno Girl Red\u00a0<\/em>graphic novel?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely! INFERNO GIRL RED is a 100-page graphic novel about a teenage girl named C\u00e1ssia Costa who has to overcome her hard-earned skepticism to wield the power of a magical dragon bracelet and save her city, which has been ripped out of our existence by ancient cult and their army of demons! It celebrates hope in the face of darkness and action in the face of apathy, and features a mix of superhero action, teen angst and tokusatsu action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why did you choose to use a Kickstarter campaign to release your graphic novel?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We did approach some publishers initially, but the only options before us in traditional publishing were splitting the novel into single issues or giving up the intellectual property rights (and thus control of the destiny of the series). Neither of those options was acceptable to us, so we decided to take the book to Kickstarter! This allows us to genuinely gauge reader enthusiasm for the series and, if funded, will mean our art team can work on the book for the better part of a year and still be able to pay rent and buy food!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Could you tell us about the origin of Inferno Girl Red?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah! The mother of our lead character C\u00e1ssia, Ana, became something of a pariah years ago for unjust reasons and because of that C\u00e1ssia and Ana have had to move from city-to-city, barely getting by as Ana looked for work. It\u2019s not like C\u00e1ssia has a bad life, Ana is a supportive and loving and enthusiastic parent, but their situation has meant that C\u00e1ssia has grown up pragmatic, and highly-rational-- not a big believer in fairy tales.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when she gets an invitation to a prestigious boarding school in the near-utopian Apex City, it looks like her situation is about to turn around. Her skepticism seems to be validated, though, when the entire city is ripped out of our existence. It looks like there might be hope when C\u00e1ssia encounters a magical dragon bracelet that lets her transform into INFERNO GIRL RED\u2026 but the gauntlet is powered by belief, and C\u00e1ssia might be the worst person in the world to wield it\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is there a reason you wanted to release\u00a0Inferno Girl Red\u00a0<\/em>as a graphic novel instead of telling the story in parts using single issues?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little difficult to describe other than \u2018this felt right like the right format for the story\u2019. I write single issues for ULTRAMAN, I wrote single issues for SELF\/MADE (and particularly loved playing with the format there), but at every stage of building this story it was clear to me that this story would work best as a novel, with a bit more time to breathe and without the need to have a beginning, middle and end every 20(ish) pages as you really should in single-issue comics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

How did Erica D\u2019Urso join the project and what has it been like working with her?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Editor Kyle Higgins and I conducted a long search for the right artist for the series, but it wasn\u2019t until we found Erica (who was recommended to us by Francesco Manna, our artist collaborator on ULTRAMAN) that we knew we\u2019d found the right person. Erica can handle explosive, dynamic action just as easily as heartfelt emotional moments, and that was the balance we needed\u2014but she also has a tremendous sense of style and design that fit just right. Since we\u2019ve been working together, I\u2019ve also discovered that she is lovely, enthusiastic, wildly inventive and really dedicated. So, basically, I\u2019m the luckiest writer in the world!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Can you talk us through the design of the character of Inferno Girl Red and how her look came about?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Well that was all Erica, but I can talk a little to the conversations we had during the design process. We talked a lot about the awesome design aesthetics of tokusatsu heroes like the SUPER SENTAI and the KAMEN RIDERS\u2026 but also the design choices of recently-created American superheroes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the goal was to create something clear and iconic, but also very forward-thinking and fresh\u2026 I think Erica absolutely nailed it. There are so many great touches, from the super sneakers to the energy scarf\u2026 and it was all Erica.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

On The\u00a0Inferno Girl Red\u00a0<\/em>graphic novel you are working with Igor Monti, Becca Carey and Kyle Higgins what has been like working with them?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh it\u2019s been a dream. Igor and Becca are both doing work that I really do think will be looked back on as ahead of its time. Igor creates these wondrously vivid and electric palettes that look kind of wild but actually aren\u2019t, they\u2019re very carefully guiding the tone of each page from panel-to-panel. And what he does with light and shadow is some sort of magic trick. Becca took our request to make the lettering feel as emotive and dynamic and create as the art\u2026 and just RAN with it. So good.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Kyle\u2014we've been friends for years, and we co-write ULTRAMAN together, so we have a very natural working relationship. But I never take his experience for granted\u2014he has so much wisdom to share, both about storytelling but also about the process of producing comics, which is really important to know if you\u2019re doing a creator-owned comic.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Do you have a favourite Kickstarter reward?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh actually my favourite I can\u2019t talk about just yet because we haven\u2019t announced it quite yet, it\u2019s taking a little longer to finalise\u2014but it\u2019s SO cool, and I think completely unlike anything I\u2019ve seen from a comics Kickstarter before.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s a bad, vague answer, so I\u2019ll instead say: our art prints. Seeing our world interpreted by legends like Nicola Scott and Darko Lafuente and Tiffany Turrill and so many more\u2026 it\u2019s been an incredible thrill and a real privilege, and I\u2019m so happy with how they turned out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is there a connection between\u00a0Inferno Girl Red\u00a0and\u00a0Radiant Black?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes.<\/span><\/p>\n

☺<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope you\u2019ll consider backing our campaign! It\u2019s a genuine passion project from a team of creators pouring their hearts and souls into it, and there\u2019s no way it can come to life without community support. So please, come check out our campaign\u2014come for the gorgeous art, stay (and back) for the heartfelt and timely story that has something to say about what it\u2019s going to take for humanity to persevere.<\/span><\/p>\n

We would like to say thank you to Mat for talking to us about his new project. We would like to wish the whole team of\u00a0Inferno Girl Red\u00a0the best of luck with their campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

To support the campaign, visit Kickstarter: Inferno Girl Red<\/a>.
<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"ComicBuzz Chats With Mat Groom","post_excerpt":"Inferno Girl Red","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"comicbuzz-chats-with-mat-groom","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-08 16:01:29","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-08 15:01:29","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206099","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206067,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2021-03-23 14:24:19","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-23 14:24:19","post_content":"

This week see the return to the Baltimore<\/em> universe with the long-awaited release of Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens<\/em> from Dark Horse comics. The series is co-written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, with art by Bridgit Connell, colours by Michelle Madsen, and covers by Hugo Award-winning illustrator Abigail Larson. We got a chance to sit down with the author Christopher Golden to talk about Baltimore<\/em>. Christopher Golden has written a wide range of novels and comics, some of these include Angel<\/em>, Baltimore<\/em>, Buffy the Vampire Slayer<\/em> and Hellboy<\/em> just to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hi Christopher we are so excited to have you here with us today, we have been fans of your work for a very long time. We are so delighted that you are here to talk with us.<\/span><\/p>\n

CG: Thanks so much!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You have been part of the Baltimore<\/em> universe right from the beginning, how does it feel to be still creating in the Baltimore<\/em> universe?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

CG: It\u2019s fantastic. When Mike and I created Baltimore in the novel\u00a0Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire<\/em>, we had some thoughts about there being a sequel at some point. But we never dreamed that it would grow to be this enormous mythology that goes back to the beginning of time, and the idea that it would become its own comic book universe never occurred to us. But then\u00a0Joe Golem\u00a0<\/em>happened, and over time it grew organically into this much larger thing. Ideas and characters kept presenting themselves, and now it\u2019s something I spend so much time thinking about, and I just want to keep exploring. And who could be anything but thrilled with the artists we\u2019ve collaborated with while creating the Outerverse? Ben Stenbeck, Patric Reynolds, Peter Bergting, and Bridgit Connell. What a rogues\u2019 gallery that is!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You have been working with Mike Mignola for quite a long time, what's it like working with Mike Mignola?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CG: As of this year, Mike and I have been working together for a quarter century, which is insane. We started way back when I persuaded him to let me write the first\u00a0Hellboy\u00a0<\/em>novel,\u00a0The Lost Army<\/em>, which came out in 1997. I\u2019d like to think we\u2019ve been positive influences on one another. We share a certain frame of reference and a lot of similar interests, but our approaches have always been very different. My mind is always searching for explanations for things, trying to force order onto a story, and Mike\u2019s much more about the weirdness and the beauty and not so much about explanation. Working with him has always inspired me by giving me the freedom to NOT explain something, to let the weird and beautiful just be weird and beautiful.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What can you tell us about the first issue of Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens<\/em>?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CG: Thirteen years ago, Sofia Baltimore took part in a battle that decided the fate of the world. Her husband\u2014her closest friend, Lord Baltimore\u2014died during that battle. The great evil of the Red King was destroyed, but that didn\u2019t drive all evil from the world. There are still monsters, there\u2019s still darkness. It took time to begin to gather but now, as World War II begins and the Nazis ally themselves with a congregation of witches called the Hexenkorps, Lady Baltimore has gathered a small group of her own allies to combat the insidious evil and the monsters popping up around Europe. In the first issue, she encounters an old ally, Judge Rigo, who tells her that stories abound about Baltimore\u2019s ghost appearing in various places. He needs her help in his own work against the Nazis, and if she\u2019ll help him, he\u2019ll help her get to the bottom of the stories of Baltimore\u2019s wandering ghost. Of course, that\u2019s just the first step in a dark, epic story of war, evil, love, and resurrection\u2014but not the way you might think.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you and Mike Mignola are writing together how does that work? Do you write the plot together? Do you write the script together?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CG: It really differs from project to project. Most of our work together is done on the phone. Sometimes Mike has a lot of plot elements in his head and we talk them out, or he\u2019ll write down ideas. Sometimes I\u2019ve dreamt up most of a story already. Either way, we hash it out, and then I\u2019ll put flesh on the bones and run it all by him for his take on it all. The best part is that many of these characters and stories are big, sometimes epic, and Mike always has the ability to pull out the essence of a thing, to carve off the fat, whether in the plot or in the dialogue. When I started as a comics writer, I would overexplain everything, and Mike has done his best to cure me of that.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens<\/em> comic includes the talent of Bridgit Connell, Michelle Madsen and Abigail Larson. How did they join the Lady Baltimore comic and what has it been like working with them?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CG: Michelle has been the colorist on most of the previous Outerverse comics, and she\u2019s fantastic. I wouldn\u2019t want it any other way. With Bridgit\u2014Katii and I had a long, ongoing email chain and various phone calls as we built a list of potential artists for this book, searching for someone who could bring the right combination of action and movement, who could do the kinds of backgrounds and visual world-building these stories need, and who could give life to the characters\u2019 faces the way we wanted. We winnowed that list down to two or three people and then presented them to Mike. Katii and I had Bridgit as our first choice, but I don\u2019t think we told Mike that. He had met Bridgit before, and loved her work. What I\u2019ve found, working with Mike, is that he has a great eye for artists who are already really good but who have it in them to really level up, and he saw that in Bridgit\u2026and boy, was he right. With Abigail, that was a Katii and Mike decision, but I\u2019m so glad they made it. Abigail\u2019s covers give\u00a0Lady Baltimore<\/em>\u00a0a gorgeous, distinctive style that sets the series apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of our readers maybe not be familiar with the Baltimore<\/em> novel and the comic series, is Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens<\/em> #1 new reader-friendly?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CG: Absolutely. My hope is that new readers will pick up\u00a0Lady Baltimore\u00a0#1<\/em> and, though they shouldn\u2019t need to read\u00a0Baltimore<\/em>\u00a0to understand it, they\u2019ll be intrigued enough to go back to the beginning. Fortunately, the whole\u00a0Baltimore<\/em>\u00a0story is available in two gorgeous, affordable omnibuses\u2014check \u2019em out!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

CG: Just a thanks in advance to readers who are willing to give\u00a0Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens\u00a0#1<\/em> a shot. It\u2019s a wild ride with a new hero I hope you\u2019ll love as much as we do. Sofia is her own woman, with her own mission, and I can\u2019t wait for people to see where it takes her!<\/span><\/p>\n

We would like to say a big thank you to Christopher for taking the time to talk with us, Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens #1<\/em> is out this week from Dark Horse comics.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"ComicBuzz Chats With Christopher Golden","post_excerpt":"Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"comicbuzz-chats-with-christopher-golden","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-10-08 16:13:29","post_modified_gmt":"2022-10-08 15:13:29","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/comicbuzz.com\/?p=206067","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":206022,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2021-03-10 15:40:02","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-10 15:40:02","post_content":"

We got a chance to sit with Eisner nominated writer\/artist Ibrahim Moustafa to talk about his upcoming graphic novel Count from Humanoids. He is best know for his work on Jaeger and High Crimes but has worked on numerous titles including James Bond, Mother Panic, Moon Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy to name just a few of the titles he has worked on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hi Ibrahim we are so delighted to have you here with us today, we have been fans of your work since your High Crimes comic with Christopher Sebela. We are so happy that you are here to chat with us today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks so much for having me, and for the kind words!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Before we talk about your new graphic novel Count, can we just step back a little bit and talk about you signing a three-book deal with Humanoids, can you tell us how the deal came about?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Count was actually how it came about, haha. I had pitched the book to Humanoids, and we had developed a really great working relationship, and when we were about 2\/3 of the way through, Mark Waid and editor Rob Levin presented me with the idea of signing an overall deal for Count and two more books. It was a very good email to receive, haha.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your new graphic novel Count which is out on the 16th of March it's an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, what made you want to adapt Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I love stories about justice and revenge, and I've really loved the story of Edmond Dantes for a long time. It's the ultimate story of comeuppance, and I realized it was incredibly fertile ground for a reimagining of this scale. There are also a lot of themes in the original that are sadly still relevant today; classism, wrongful imprisonment, governmental corruption... I wanted to amplify some of that by putting it through a new lens that highlights the fact that whether it's 200 years ago in France, or in this adjacent sci-fi world I've created, they're issues that affect us all.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What has it been like working with Humanoids?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Great!<\/span><\/p>\n

When did you start working on Count?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I had the idea to adapt it back in 2017, and then I began the process of slowly developing it in my head for a while as I did various other projects, and then I went back to it in earnest in 2018 and started chipping away at character designs. I pitched it in early 2019, and then started working on it full time in the summer of that year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brad Simpson and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are both working with you on the Count, how did they join the project?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hass and I have been online friends for a handful of years, and I had been chomping at the bit to collaborate with him on something. So when the opportunity came up I was thrilled that we were able to ask him to join this project. Brad and I had a lot of mutual friends in comics and so I was familiar with him and his work, and when it was time to find the right colorist for the book, his work was 100% what the book needed. And luckily, he was available at the time!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the adaption process is there any part of the process that you enjoy the most, the layout of the pages, pencilling, inking?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I actually came to the realization recently that my favorite part is always the step that I'm about to do next. Then when I'm doing it, I can't wait to get to the\u00a0next<\/strong>\u00a0step, because then\u00a0that<\/strong>\u00a0step is my favorite part, haha. If I had to choose though, I think penciling is my favorite. It's often the most relaxing (unless I keep messing up a face and having to redraw it over and over).<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before you signed your deal with Humanoids, what did you think about them as a publisher?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Humanoids is a publisher that I think people discover when their taste in, and love of, the comics medium and what it has to offer elevates to the next level, and they begin to go deeper into the rabbit hole. For me personally, I got into comics, I read a bunch of the excellent superhero books that are available, and then I went \"okay, what's next? What else is out there?\" and that's when I discovered Humanoids.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How would you describe Count?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Count is a story about revenge, retribution, and revolution, with cool sword fights, and robots.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has it been like working on Count?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Incredibly fun and very exhausting, haha.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Do you have a favourite scene from Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I really love the scene where Albert has challenged Edmond to a duel, and Edmond in a display of prowess, shoots a bullet through the ace of spades on a playing card. It was a cool way to show how much he had honed himself over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

We would love to know what comics are you currently reading?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently tore through several volumes of\u00a0The Undertaker<\/em>\u00a0by Ralph Meyer and Xavier Dorison from Europe Comics. It's a really cool western about a traveling undertaker who is more than he appears to be. I also recently finished\u00a0Hawkeye: Freefall<\/em>\u00a0by Matthew Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt, which was maybe the funniest comic I've ever read, and very good.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Would you have any message for the ComicBuzz readers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope you enjoy Count! If you're curious about it, you can visit\u00a0<\/span>www.countcomic.com\u00a0<\/a>and watch a pretty cool trailer that I put together for the book, and there you'll also find a link to a number of purchase options. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!<\/span><\/p>\n

We would like to say thank you to Ibrahim for taking the time to sit and chat with us. We wish him all the best for his new project, Count which will be out on the 16th of March from\u00a0Humanoids.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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