With the release of The Man From Maybe #1 today from Oni Press, we are delighted to be joined by writer Jordan Thomas. Jordan has written titles, including Weird Work and XINO.Â
Hi Jordan, it’s so wonderful to have you here with us. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Jordan Thomas. I’m from the South Coast of England but right now I’m living in Valencia in Spain and I’m the writer behind Frank At Home On The Farm, Weird Work and the new Oni Press series The Man From Maybe.Â
Can you tell us about the origins of The Man From Maybe?
Well, Hunter, the President of Oni was a fan of my and Shaky Kane’s Weird Work series at Image. So, when Hunter got the job at Oni he pretty quickly got in touch with us about making something for them as part of their new wave of books.Â
How would you describe The Man From Maybe?
It’s pure fun comics. It has the spirit of Jack Kirby’s wilder work whilst also firing a few shots at issues in the world we currently live in. Cowboys, dinosaurs, a megalomaniac billionaire who is part Elon Musk, part Darth Vader and a story that combines the thrills and spill of Mad Max, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and Raiders of the Lost Arc into pure bright, comics insanity.Â
When did you first discover Shaky Kane?
At his lighthouse home wandering around mumbling that no one makes mad fun comics anymore. We then collaborated on Quarantine, Weird Work and now The Man From Maybe.Â
How did Shaky Kane get involved with The Man From Maybe?
He was always involved. We’re full collaborators on this. The Man From Maybe as a title and design came from Shaky as did the dinosaurs opening. His vein of unrelenting creativity runs through this even more so than most of his previous work.Â
Did you write a full script for The Man From Maybe?
I did indeed. I always work full script. And normally I get the whole book written before the artist gets to work to ensure it all connects and is as good as I can make it.Â
Who are Smile, Inc.?
Essentially Harvard Denny, an Oppenheimer-obsessed, power hungry sociopath who hoards resources and technology to maintain his grip on the toxic, writhing world of our story.Â
How did Oni Press get involved with The Man From Maybe?
They asked Shaky and I to make them a book and this is what they got. Careful what you wish for, kids!Â
What has it been like working with Shaky Kane and Oni Press?
Fantastic. Working with Shaky is always great. He’s a super professional and has such a unique, memorable way of pulling off the scripts. He’s a huge talent and a joy. Oni have also been great. They’re all for letting creative people be creative and have shown huge support and faith in us.Â
What made Shaky Kane the right artist for The Man From Maybe?
He was the only artist. It’s written for him. Despite the state of the world in the series being grim, the book itself is loads of fun, and that is because of Shaky’s art.Â
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
Sure. Buy the comic. Tell your friends to buy the comic. And then yell like crazy about how much fun it is. Ideally do all that in your local comic shop.Â
We would like to say thank you to Jordan for chatting with us. We would like to wish Jordan and the whole of The Man From Maybe team the best of luck with the series.
