Steven Sykora 4000
Sunday, February 24, 2008, 09:46 AM
<img src="http://www.projectfanboy.com/images/interviews/c_lawson.jpg" border="0" hspace="10" align="left">Project Fanboy recently got to speak with Curt Lawson of Broken Soul Press, and he was kind enough to answer some questions for us. Here's what he had to say!
PF: Hi Curtis, thanks for taking some time to talk to us today.
CL: Thank you for Having me!
PF: So tell us Curt, who makes up the BSP team, what drew you to the industry and how did you all meet and decide to start BSP?
CL: Well, The core BSP team is basically myself and my incredibly patient webmaster Jim Poon. I've known Jim forever he’s one of my best friends in the world. When I started BSP Jim was kind enough to handle any of the tech stuff that was over my head. Without his help I would be making photo copied comics at kinkos and have the worlds worst angelfire site.
Other members of the team would include current Kincaid artist Mike Curcio, and our former Kincaid artist, Mariano Laclaustra. Despite Mariano leaving the book for greener pastures, he is still a great help to me with his input and friendship.
As for what drew me to the industry... Well, I had been trying to be a rock star for years, and when my last band broke up I decided to take a break from music and focus on something else that I loved. Comics seemed the natural way to go. I had always wanted to try my hand at it, so I figured, “what the hell?”
PF: What is your Kincaid title about?
CL: Kincaid follows the story of Elvis Kincaid, a drug addicted punk musician who manifests super human powers, but has no clue why. Upon discovering these powers, Elvis finds himself being hunted by a secret society called the League of Nine Angels. Unknown to Elvis, The League pull the strings of all world power from media to global economics. Elvis wants nothing more than to return to his decadent life style, but instead finds himself at the centerpiece of a game of global intrigue and an evolutionary power struggle.
PF: According to your website, Elvis Kincaid has “regenerative abilities and the power to control sound”. Can you give us a little more detail about these powers? How powerful are these regenerative abilities and what sorts of things can he do with his sound manipulating power?
CL: Well the healing power is an essential part of the character of Elvis. It’s comparative in strength to a short hairy guy with funny hair that appears in about 13 titles a month. He can heal wounds from bullets and knives far faster than he could ever bleed out. A side effect of this power is that his advanced metabolism simply does not allow drugs to effect him, thus he is forced to deal with the mental side of his addiction, whether he likes it or not. If it wasn't for this ability to heal at a rapid speed Elvis would have been dead two times over by issue 2.
The sonic powers allow Elvis to manipulate sound to deadly proportions or to completely silence it. Elvis has not nearly discovered the scope of his powers yet though. Be assured that he will be using this in very creative ways down the road. Also, having a deep love of music, Elvis may find many non combat uses for this power.
From a practical level though I have found it incredibly hard to properly demonstrate sound in such an important role through the medium of comics. I think Mariano Laclaustra did an excellent job of this in the first issue though, where Elvis first displays these powers.
PF: Is the Kincaid title going to be leading into more titles down the road? What have you got in store for us?
CL: At the moment I think that I'm going to have to break the ongoing story of Kincaid into multiple mini-series’. Kind of what Chaos comics did with their earlier titles. At this point in time, we just don't have the cash flow to keep a regular series coming out on a regular basis. Also, it’s tough getting artists to finish work in a timely manner in the idie game. I’m sure as heck not paying these folks enough to make ends meet, so sometimes life comes before art.
As for the future of Kincaid, I do have two more story arcs planned after this first one. The first will be a one shot called Kincaid: Criminality. As the title suggests, Elvis will be using his powers to make money by rather illegal means. The second will be a three issue mini series called Kincaid: Fist of the Proletariot. I’m reluctant to spoil the story for that one just yet. Eventually I hope to end the Kincaid story with a graphic novel called "The King", but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself there. Also, I would love to do an ongoing series called "Nine Angels" that would follow various characters set within that world.
In addition to the Kincaid stuff, BSP will soon be releasing an ashcan of “The Insufferable Suffolk Gang”, written by me, with art by Richard Rich. This comic will deal with the misadventures of the world’s most bumbling super villain group. The comedy is kind of over the top, ultra-violent stuff.
PF: Is Kincaid available for distribution through Diamond? When can we expect to see it in stores?
CL: We don't have distro through diamond yet. Once we have all three issues of our "Beginings" story arc I'll submit it to Diamond either as a three issue mini series or a trade paperback. But we are probably looking at close to a year before it hits stores outside of the Boston area.
PF: Have you worked with any other indie companies or projects?
CL: Actually I have a few shot horror pieces coming out in different anthologies soon. One, called "The Vampire Murders" will be included in “From The Gallows to the Grave" being put out by Black Chalice studios. Also, I have a piece called "The Essex" in After Hours #3, which is associated with dimestore press. In addition to those I’m working on an untitled sci-fi graphic novel with Daniel Fagan. I can’t go into too many details about it, other than that it’s very character driven and focuses on the dark side of the human soul. Expect some incredible imagery too. We are looking for a publisher for that project, so Editors reading this should feel free to drop me a line.
PF: When did you start reading comics and who were the major influences in your current work?
CL: I started reading comics when I was about 12 and most of my nostalgia goes back to the 90’s. Unlike most comic fans I still have a soft spot for that time period, embossed covers and all.
The major influences in my current work would be Brian Bendis, Sam Kieth, Fabian Niceiza, (did I spell that right?), and of course Stan the man. Also, I’ve found the works of Scott McCloud to be invaluable!
PF: If you could work with anyone in comics today, who would it be?
CL: Sam Kieth, hands down! I would love to work with him on any book. I love his art and The Maxx is my favorite comic of all time. I often times start trying to write some off the wall, psychological stuff and realize “Hey, this is ANOTHER Maxx rip off you’ve written”, before tossing it into the recycling bin.
PF: What do you think makes a good comic?
CL: My top three factors would be strong characters, interesting yet fitting panel work, and a great ending. I think a great example of this was Pride of Bagdhad. It had solid panel work with a good mix of dialogue and visual story telling. I found myself caring about the characters almost instantly, and the ending left me haunted for a week.
PF: Do you still read the big publishers like Marvel, DC etc? If so, who are some of your favorite characters?
CL: I still spend about $50 a week on comics, mostly marvel and a few image and Darkhorse titles. My favorite was Cable and Deadpool, but that just got cancelled. Kirkman’s Antman was pretty awesome too, but that’s no more either. Other than those, I really like Ultimate Spider-man, The Walking Dead, New Avengers, The Umbrella Academy and any Thing with an x before it. I particularly enjoy Mike Carey's X-men.
PF: If you could write any title in comics today, what would you like to take a crack at?
CL: Definitely X-men. That's been a lifelong dream. I have a spot of skin reserved for an X-men tattoo if I ever get to write it. I would also love a chance to do a Deadpool story arc. I have a “Deadpool and Siryn” mini-series that’s been germinating in my head for years. Oooh, and a Shatterstar one shot or mini-series. I love the character and I think he has been grossly underdeveloped. There is so much cool stuff you could do with him.
PF: What sort of things do you like to do when you’re not working on BSP?
CL: I read a lot. Go to shows. I love to surf, though I’m not very good at it. People don't think there's surf on the east coast, but there is. All my troubles melt away in the cold Atlantic. I also enjoying playing guitar and piano.
PF: Thanks again for the interview and don’t forget us when you get to the top!
PF: Hi Curtis, thanks for taking some time to talk to us today.
CL: Thank you for Having me!
PF: So tell us Curt, who makes up the BSP team, what drew you to the industry and how did you all meet and decide to start BSP?
CL: Well, The core BSP team is basically myself and my incredibly patient webmaster Jim Poon. I've known Jim forever he’s one of my best friends in the world. When I started BSP Jim was kind enough to handle any of the tech stuff that was over my head. Without his help I would be making photo copied comics at kinkos and have the worlds worst angelfire site.
Other members of the team would include current Kincaid artist Mike Curcio, and our former Kincaid artist, Mariano Laclaustra. Despite Mariano leaving the book for greener pastures, he is still a great help to me with his input and friendship.
As for what drew me to the industry... Well, I had been trying to be a rock star for years, and when my last band broke up I decided to take a break from music and focus on something else that I loved. Comics seemed the natural way to go. I had always wanted to try my hand at it, so I figured, “what the hell?”
PF: What is your Kincaid title about?
CL: Kincaid follows the story of Elvis Kincaid, a drug addicted punk musician who manifests super human powers, but has no clue why. Upon discovering these powers, Elvis finds himself being hunted by a secret society called the League of Nine Angels. Unknown to Elvis, The League pull the strings of all world power from media to global economics. Elvis wants nothing more than to return to his decadent life style, but instead finds himself at the centerpiece of a game of global intrigue and an evolutionary power struggle.
PF: According to your website, Elvis Kincaid has “regenerative abilities and the power to control sound”. Can you give us a little more detail about these powers? How powerful are these regenerative abilities and what sorts of things can he do with his sound manipulating power?
CL: Well the healing power is an essential part of the character of Elvis. It’s comparative in strength to a short hairy guy with funny hair that appears in about 13 titles a month. He can heal wounds from bullets and knives far faster than he could ever bleed out. A side effect of this power is that his advanced metabolism simply does not allow drugs to effect him, thus he is forced to deal with the mental side of his addiction, whether he likes it or not. If it wasn't for this ability to heal at a rapid speed Elvis would have been dead two times over by issue 2.
The sonic powers allow Elvis to manipulate sound to deadly proportions or to completely silence it. Elvis has not nearly discovered the scope of his powers yet though. Be assured that he will be using this in very creative ways down the road. Also, having a deep love of music, Elvis may find many non combat uses for this power.
From a practical level though I have found it incredibly hard to properly demonstrate sound in such an important role through the medium of comics. I think Mariano Laclaustra did an excellent job of this in the first issue though, where Elvis first displays these powers.
PF: Is the Kincaid title going to be leading into more titles down the road? What have you got in store for us?
CL: At the moment I think that I'm going to have to break the ongoing story of Kincaid into multiple mini-series’. Kind of what Chaos comics did with their earlier titles. At this point in time, we just don't have the cash flow to keep a regular series coming out on a regular basis. Also, it’s tough getting artists to finish work in a timely manner in the idie game. I’m sure as heck not paying these folks enough to make ends meet, so sometimes life comes before art.
As for the future of Kincaid, I do have two more story arcs planned after this first one. The first will be a one shot called Kincaid: Criminality. As the title suggests, Elvis will be using his powers to make money by rather illegal means. The second will be a three issue mini series called Kincaid: Fist of the Proletariot. I’m reluctant to spoil the story for that one just yet. Eventually I hope to end the Kincaid story with a graphic novel called "The King", but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself there. Also, I would love to do an ongoing series called "Nine Angels" that would follow various characters set within that world.
In addition to the Kincaid stuff, BSP will soon be releasing an ashcan of “The Insufferable Suffolk Gang”, written by me, with art by Richard Rich. This comic will deal with the misadventures of the world’s most bumbling super villain group. The comedy is kind of over the top, ultra-violent stuff.
PF: Is Kincaid available for distribution through Diamond? When can we expect to see it in stores?
CL: We don't have distro through diamond yet. Once we have all three issues of our "Beginings" story arc I'll submit it to Diamond either as a three issue mini series or a trade paperback. But we are probably looking at close to a year before it hits stores outside of the Boston area.
PF: Have you worked with any other indie companies or projects?
CL: Actually I have a few shot horror pieces coming out in different anthologies soon. One, called "The Vampire Murders" will be included in “From The Gallows to the Grave" being put out by Black Chalice studios. Also, I have a piece called "The Essex" in After Hours #3, which is associated with dimestore press. In addition to those I’m working on an untitled sci-fi graphic novel with Daniel Fagan. I can’t go into too many details about it, other than that it’s very character driven and focuses on the dark side of the human soul. Expect some incredible imagery too. We are looking for a publisher for that project, so Editors reading this should feel free to drop me a line.
PF: When did you start reading comics and who were the major influences in your current work?
CL: I started reading comics when I was about 12 and most of my nostalgia goes back to the 90’s. Unlike most comic fans I still have a soft spot for that time period, embossed covers and all.
The major influences in my current work would be Brian Bendis, Sam Kieth, Fabian Niceiza, (did I spell that right?), and of course Stan the man. Also, I’ve found the works of Scott McCloud to be invaluable!
PF: If you could work with anyone in comics today, who would it be?
CL: Sam Kieth, hands down! I would love to work with him on any book. I love his art and The Maxx is my favorite comic of all time. I often times start trying to write some off the wall, psychological stuff and realize “Hey, this is ANOTHER Maxx rip off you’ve written”, before tossing it into the recycling bin.
PF: What do you think makes a good comic?
CL: My top three factors would be strong characters, interesting yet fitting panel work, and a great ending. I think a great example of this was Pride of Bagdhad. It had solid panel work with a good mix of dialogue and visual story telling. I found myself caring about the characters almost instantly, and the ending left me haunted for a week.
PF: Do you still read the big publishers like Marvel, DC etc? If so, who are some of your favorite characters?
CL: I still spend about $50 a week on comics, mostly marvel and a few image and Darkhorse titles. My favorite was Cable and Deadpool, but that just got cancelled. Kirkman’s Antman was pretty awesome too, but that’s no more either. Other than those, I really like Ultimate Spider-man, The Walking Dead, New Avengers, The Umbrella Academy and any Thing with an x before it. I particularly enjoy Mike Carey's X-men.
PF: If you could write any title in comics today, what would you like to take a crack at?
CL: Definitely X-men. That's been a lifelong dream. I have a spot of skin reserved for an X-men tattoo if I ever get to write it. I would also love a chance to do a Deadpool story arc. I have a “Deadpool and Siryn” mini-series that’s been germinating in my head for years. Oooh, and a Shatterstar one shot or mini-series. I love the character and I think he has been grossly underdeveloped. There is so much cool stuff you could do with him.
PF: What sort of things do you like to do when you’re not working on BSP?
CL: I read a lot. Go to shows. I love to surf, though I’m not very good at it. People don't think there's surf on the east coast, but there is. All my troubles melt away in the cold Atlantic. I also enjoying playing guitar and piano.
PF: Thanks again for the interview and don’t forget us when you get to the top!