Steven Sykora 4000
Wednesday, May 07, 2008, 03:04 AM
Joseph Gauthier of 10 Worlds Studio and writer/creator of LAZARUS: Immortal Coils (coming in June from AAM/Markosia) was the latest interview of Project Fanboy.
Steven: Joseph, thank you for speaking with us today. So tell us a little about 10 Worlds Studios.
Joe: Thank you, Steven.
<img src="/images/interviews/10worlds.jpg" align="left" hspace="15">10 Worlds is a production studio made up of writer/editor Vincent Moore, penciler/designer Alex Lugo, and myself. We came together in 2006 because we want to create comics, and feel there’s a darkness being pushed upon readers right now. We’re not traditionalist, but we see very few comics that propagate hope in humanity or inspire us to be more than who we are or think we can be. Wow, that’s corny, but it’s true.
There are men who join the army because they love Captain America, or read Cap because they’re in the military and feel that connection. Right now there’s a police detective doing what he does because he read Batman as a kid. Comics used to inspire just as the Greek myths did. Comics are our mythology.
We want 10 Worlds to offer a modern take on old-school inspirations.
Steven: You have 10 Worlds Studio but Lazarus is published through AAM/Markosia. What purpose does having 10 Worlds Studio serve you, if you’re published through another publisher?
Joe: It’s strength in numbers. Each person in 10 Worlds has a skill and knowledge they bring to the table. And, that we all have the same goals gives us strength. It’s not about who publishes us, because whether we publish ourselves or not, 10 Worlds would still have come about.
When I think about comics, I don’t think Stan or Jack, but Stan and Jack. It’s the collaboration that make comics what they are and that’s what I love about them. When I first realized what I wanted to do, having a studio or being part of a group was natural. I had this low-budget image of my friends and I sitting around a kitchen table covered in scripts, designs, and pages, talking and creating comics until 3am.
Could I do this alone? Sure. Could any one of us do this alone? Of course, but we wouldn’t be as strong, or have as much fun.
Steven: Your Company seems quite diverse in dealing with matters of religion. You yourself have the name of the human father of Jesus, while your company’s name apparently comes from ten spiritual realms of Buddhism. On top of that your debut title is called Lazarus, another figure from the Bible, who now hunts demons in the modern world. What brought on this amalgam of spirituality for 10 Worlds Studio?
Joe: I never really thought of it like that… Coincidence, I guess. We’re a very diverse group of people, so it’s only normal that our studio and the stories we produce would be just as diverse.
Alex is Cuban and Catholic. Vince and I are both African Americans, but our experiences living in Los Angeles are vastly different. I was raised Catholic, became Agnostic, and then a Buddhist, as is Vincent who introduced me to the practice. Our namesake was chosen because it fit what we believe and want to accomplish.
I don’t know if it’s that we’re religiously diverse, or that religion doesn’t factor into the studio or what we want to do.
Steven: My curiosity made me do it, but I googled “Myoho-Renge-Kyo”, which is as you know, what you sign before your name at the end of your messages. Apparently it is part of a chant, which is meant to “manifest the enlightenment of the Buddha in our own lives”. Does your religious diversity influence your work?
Joe: The bible is one of my things. Every writer has a “hook”, the bible is mine, it’s not my only subject, but it’s one that I do.
I was baptized Catholic, but my mother bounced from one religion to another looking for God and took me with her. I’ve been an Adventist, Christian, and Jehovah Witness, Born again Christian and Catholic, Baptist, and the list goes on. When I wasn’t in a prayer group, my mother dragged me to psychics and “clubs” like the Order of St. Francis. Add to that, I was told stories of how angels spoke to my family, TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) played on the television all night, and I’d fall asleep listening to the story of Saint Francis playing in the living room.
Christianity told me Halloween was evil, a pagan holiday not to be celebrated, but then I went transferred to Catholic school where it was okay. Seeing God, the bible, and everything else from so many different angles and contradictions gave me a lot of questions and I work through them in my writing.
Lazarus’ story is one of those things I’ve always wondered about. What happened to him, where did he go, and since he already died, could he die again? When Jesus resurrects him, how complete was it? Was it like a cat, he spent one life and Jesus gave him another until he died again from whatever? Or, once he’s back, is he back for good?
Steven: You’ve said that you want to bring happy endings back to comics, what comics do you feel don’t do that?
Joe: Avengers are a good example, as is the X-Men franchise. Where is the light at the end of these dark tunnels? How are they heroes, and who are the villains?
In the Avengers, we go from one of their own going insane, a dismantling of the team only to be reformed and immediately engulfed in conspiracy with one of their own as a double-agent, before they’ve even come into their own they are dismantled again and the man who brought them together and had faith in their origins is assassinated.
The new/old team is on the run, outlaws, while a newer team composed of colleagues hunts them, and now we’re in the middle of an alien invasion that gives them more reasons not to trust one another, considering they never trusted each other 100% to begin with.
And who are the villains in all this? There’s so much hero vs. hero conspiracy being tossed around, who are the bad guys? Who’s right and who’s wrong? Where’s the righteousness?
In the X-Men, the name of the game is having a big body count, and the younger, the better. As an African America, I always connected with the X-Men. The X-Men were about “us.” Now, I can only relate if someone lynched my children in front of me, and I go on a rampage with a baseball bat or go into hiding.
The X-Men were heroes. They survived and triumphed over insurmountable odds. Now, they just survive, but that’s not enough. That doesn’t inspire change in any world, real or imagined.
Yeah, they’re just comics, but that’s the problem isn’t it? Used to be, the world thought they were just “funny books”, and we knew they were more. Now, we’ve adopted the world view. People haven’t suddenly come around to see comics as respectable, just marketable.
Comics are modern mythology meant to teach and inspire and yet, when we need our heroes most, Marvel is killing them off and turning them against one another.
In the middle of a war, when patriotism is at a low point, Marvel kills Captain America, a hero that stood for our nation’s spirit and what we could be, and replaces him with a weapon toting ex-Soviet assassin. Think about that...
During World War 2 DC published comics with covers that inspired victory, even though heroes never directly attacked the Nazis, that decision was made out of respect for the soldiers who were dying. Today, Marvel chooses now to turn heroism into a government job.
Hell, at a time when most publishers and people are convinced black heroes don’t sell and ethnic creators have to think twice about the color of their characters fearing readers will think they’re pushing anti-white sentiment, Marvel editorial allows a blond, blue-eyed god to kill a black hero, and compares it to a “justified” cop shooting.
I repeat: Superheroes are supposed to be better than us.
Don’t get me started on Wolverine, a man who’s fought to overcome his killer instinct is made leader of a covert group whose mandate is killing without discretion (X-Force)?Does that make sense to anyone?
Steven: You seem to have some really great artistic talent on your team. Do they capture your stories how you envision them?
Joe: Alex Lugo, Neil DeMonte, Casey Edwards, Carlos Rafael Duarte, Kevin Sharpe, Chris Colbert, Chris Copeland, Liam Sharp, Frank Martin Jr., Vinicious, Glasshouse Graphic, and every other artist who’s worked on LAZARUS: Immortal Coils has been a godsend.
I’m a writer, and I have a vision, but I can’t see everything. These men took the time to learn what my vision was and how to make it a reality. I cannot thank them enough.
I started out with an idea, and most times I’m told it can’t be done because I’m very cinematic in how I go about things. For example, I was told car chases don’t work in comics, not for very long. When they are done, they’re short and simple. There are two in Immortal Coils, they’re complex, and they work.
Thank you, Carlos.
Steven: Did you always want to write comics, or was there something else you thought you’d be doing?
<img src="/images/interviews/lazarus1.jpg" align="right" hspace="15">Joe: I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I was well into college, past the age of 21, but I always loved movies and television. First, I wanted to be an actor, but low-esteem crippled me. I didn’t think I had the looks, so I pursued directing, and it was during that time I discovered my love for writing.
It’s like one of those John Hughes love stories where the guy pursues the hot chick, meanwhile his best friend, who happens to be an equally attractive female, is his soul mate. I’ve always been into writing, but I never saw it as something I could do for a living. It was something I did when I was bored, depressed, or in love. I’d write love poetry, depressed monologues about how unfair the world can be when you’re sixteen, and then it switched to fan fiction before I even knew the term. I’d see a movie, imagine what I would do differently, and write about it.
It wasn’t until Image jumped off that I realized I could write comics for a living. Before then, I never looked at the credit page of a comic book.
Steven: Is this your first leap into steady publication, or have you had other projects in the past?
Joe: This is my first published book. I’ve had other projects, some have evolved. Others were the result of a young and twisted mind.
But don’t think I’m a one hit wonder. Now that I found a way to into the party, I’m the guest that won’t leave.
Steven: It looks like Lazarus will be a monthly publication for you in June, how has it been working with the stress of deadlines?
Joe: The first book hits in June, that’s when the fun starts. I start something, develop it, finish it, and move on. When I pitch a story, it’s done. And I can relax about any deadlines, and I can devote myself to other production matters.
I have a love/hate relationship with deadlines. I work well under pressure, but it never fails that I could have done something better if I had applied myself earlier. Having everything done ahead of time is a result of that. LAZARUS: Immortal Coils was written and completed before I even sought out a publisher. That was part of my hook to publishers, and everyone responded to that.
My advice to other new guys: Pay the money to complete the project before submitting and use that in your pitch.
Steven: What can you tell us about Lazarus? Does he have any supernatural powers or abilities to help him hunt these demons?
Joe: Lazarus is immortal, so first and foremost, he can withstand fatal injuries, but he’s not invulnerable, so he feels everything. The human body can learn to adjust to a lot of conditions, so there are a lot of things that won’t stop Lazarus because he’s body has adapted. For example, a gun shot wound to the shoulder will stop and has been known to kill a person. Lazarus can take a shot to the chest and keep going.
Lazarus died and went to hell, so he came back with the ability to see and sense the presence of demons. In Immortal Coils, the demons don’t just posses people, but are shape-shifters. They can be anyone, and can change into any monster imaginable. They are the reason we have myths about dragons, unicorns, gorgons, etc. Being able to see past their disguises is important and one reason why Lazarus is so very dangerous.
Lazarus has heightened physical abilities, which was tough to guess at because I didn’t want him to be Spider-Man strong, but I needed him to do things just a bit better than we can. He can jump higher, run faster, and his balance is better, more than just a person who “engages in intensive regular exercise.”
Living as long as he has, he knows a lot about fighting. The art of war changes, new martial styles are developed, so he’s constantly learning, but he already knows a lot to make him the deadliest man alive, including how to make his own weapons.
Steven: Does the Lazarus from your story have the same historical origins as the Lazarus in the Bible?
Joe: Yes, and that’s what so different and cool about Immortal Coils. This isn’t some guy named Lazarus because it’s catchy. This is the real guy, the one who knew Jesus (or Yeshua as he’s called in the book, his Hebrew name), the one who died and was brought back. Nothing else is written about this guy after his resurrection. A man brought back from the dead who just disappears, literally. The one entry I found on him read it was “believed” he left Jerusalem and lived happy ever after, but no one knows for sure.
I get to not only write this cool monster hunter story, but go back and fill in blanks to key moments in the Bible that were never mentioned, like Jesus’ last conversation with Lazarus, or what happened to Lazarus the day Jesus died, why wasn’t he there?
And the book is called “Immortal Coils,” it not only tells Lazarus’ origin, but his connection to the demons, and his nemesis, Ahasverus, the Wandering Jew. It revolves around Jesus and the two very human decisions he made before he died that created Lazarus, Ahasverus, and connected them to the demons, so years later they’re still alive, plotting and fighting.
Steven: Do you regularly read comics? If so, what comics do you read on a regular basis?
Joe: It’s a weird thing, being a comic writer is like being a bartender; you still like alcohol, but don’t drink as much.
When I do read comics, I collect every type I can, from the big two, to manga, and the independents. I dig Ellis’ Black Summer, Shooter’s Legion of Super-Heroes, Beatty’s Number of the Beast, JMS’ Thor, John’s JSA, Claremont’s Exiles, Fraction and Brubaker’s Iron Fist, and those are the ones I just bought.
Oh! And, I cannot forget the manhwa, Shaman Warrior by Park Joong-Ki.
Steven: Do you have any future projects lined up after the Lazarus series?
Joe: Yep. A sequel is a definite if sales are good. Suicidal Tendencies is the title, and it kicks everything up a notch.
My partners, Vince and Alex, are working on a superhero story called Bwana Msaka, a classic story in a Spider-Man, Black Panther mode.
And, my next project in development is a vigilante story that redefines what a mature comic book is thought of in the biz.
10 Worlds will be in San Diego’s Comic-Con this year as members of the Antidote Trust, and we’ll have previews of these books, along with copies of LAZARUS: Immortal Coils, prints, exclusive trading cards, sketches by Alex Lugo, you name it. I invite everyone to stop by, show you’re support, see what’s coming, and get some goodies.
Steven: Where can our readers find you work?
Joe: They can order LAZARUS: Immortal Coils from their local comic book stores, issues 1 and 2 have solicited in Previews. Issue 1 is #APR083485, on page 200 of April’s catalogue, and issue 2 is in this month’s Previews, page 202, and order # MAY083525.
There’s our publisher’s website, www.markosia.com. And we have a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/10_worlds_studio.
An online preview is at http://www.10worldsstudio.com/Lazarus_Issue_1.pdf
We also have an official site coming at www.10worldsstudio.com and a trailer, so keep your eyes open.
Steven: Thanks again for speaking with us Joseph and good luck with Lazarus!
Joe: Thank you, Steven. This was a blast!
Steven: Joseph, thank you for speaking with us today. So tell us a little about 10 Worlds Studios.
Joe: Thank you, Steven.
<img src="/images/interviews/10worlds.jpg" align="left" hspace="15">10 Worlds is a production studio made up of writer/editor Vincent Moore, penciler/designer Alex Lugo, and myself. We came together in 2006 because we want to create comics, and feel there’s a darkness being pushed upon readers right now. We’re not traditionalist, but we see very few comics that propagate hope in humanity or inspire us to be more than who we are or think we can be. Wow, that’s corny, but it’s true.
There are men who join the army because they love Captain America, or read Cap because they’re in the military and feel that connection. Right now there’s a police detective doing what he does because he read Batman as a kid. Comics used to inspire just as the Greek myths did. Comics are our mythology.
We want 10 Worlds to offer a modern take on old-school inspirations.
Steven: You have 10 Worlds Studio but Lazarus is published through AAM/Markosia. What purpose does having 10 Worlds Studio serve you, if you’re published through another publisher?
Joe: It’s strength in numbers. Each person in 10 Worlds has a skill and knowledge they bring to the table. And, that we all have the same goals gives us strength. It’s not about who publishes us, because whether we publish ourselves or not, 10 Worlds would still have come about.
When I think about comics, I don’t think Stan or Jack, but Stan and Jack. It’s the collaboration that make comics what they are and that’s what I love about them. When I first realized what I wanted to do, having a studio or being part of a group was natural. I had this low-budget image of my friends and I sitting around a kitchen table covered in scripts, designs, and pages, talking and creating comics until 3am.
Could I do this alone? Sure. Could any one of us do this alone? Of course, but we wouldn’t be as strong, or have as much fun.
Steven: Your Company seems quite diverse in dealing with matters of religion. You yourself have the name of the human father of Jesus, while your company’s name apparently comes from ten spiritual realms of Buddhism. On top of that your debut title is called Lazarus, another figure from the Bible, who now hunts demons in the modern world. What brought on this amalgam of spirituality for 10 Worlds Studio?
Joe: I never really thought of it like that… Coincidence, I guess. We’re a very diverse group of people, so it’s only normal that our studio and the stories we produce would be just as diverse.
Alex is Cuban and Catholic. Vince and I are both African Americans, but our experiences living in Los Angeles are vastly different. I was raised Catholic, became Agnostic, and then a Buddhist, as is Vincent who introduced me to the practice. Our namesake was chosen because it fit what we believe and want to accomplish.
I don’t know if it’s that we’re religiously diverse, or that religion doesn’t factor into the studio or what we want to do.
Steven: My curiosity made me do it, but I googled “Myoho-Renge-Kyo”, which is as you know, what you sign before your name at the end of your messages. Apparently it is part of a chant, which is meant to “manifest the enlightenment of the Buddha in our own lives”. Does your religious diversity influence your work?
Joe: The bible is one of my things. Every writer has a “hook”, the bible is mine, it’s not my only subject, but it’s one that I do.
I was baptized Catholic, but my mother bounced from one religion to another looking for God and took me with her. I’ve been an Adventist, Christian, and Jehovah Witness, Born again Christian and Catholic, Baptist, and the list goes on. When I wasn’t in a prayer group, my mother dragged me to psychics and “clubs” like the Order of St. Francis. Add to that, I was told stories of how angels spoke to my family, TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) played on the television all night, and I’d fall asleep listening to the story of Saint Francis playing in the living room.
Christianity told me Halloween was evil, a pagan holiday not to be celebrated, but then I went transferred to Catholic school where it was okay. Seeing God, the bible, and everything else from so many different angles and contradictions gave me a lot of questions and I work through them in my writing.
Lazarus’ story is one of those things I’ve always wondered about. What happened to him, where did he go, and since he already died, could he die again? When Jesus resurrects him, how complete was it? Was it like a cat, he spent one life and Jesus gave him another until he died again from whatever? Or, once he’s back, is he back for good?
Steven: You’ve said that you want to bring happy endings back to comics, what comics do you feel don’t do that?
Joe: Avengers are a good example, as is the X-Men franchise. Where is the light at the end of these dark tunnels? How are they heroes, and who are the villains?
In the Avengers, we go from one of their own going insane, a dismantling of the team only to be reformed and immediately engulfed in conspiracy with one of their own as a double-agent, before they’ve even come into their own they are dismantled again and the man who brought them together and had faith in their origins is assassinated.
The new/old team is on the run, outlaws, while a newer team composed of colleagues hunts them, and now we’re in the middle of an alien invasion that gives them more reasons not to trust one another, considering they never trusted each other 100% to begin with.
And who are the villains in all this? There’s so much hero vs. hero conspiracy being tossed around, who are the bad guys? Who’s right and who’s wrong? Where’s the righteousness?
In the X-Men, the name of the game is having a big body count, and the younger, the better. As an African America, I always connected with the X-Men. The X-Men were about “us.” Now, I can only relate if someone lynched my children in front of me, and I go on a rampage with a baseball bat or go into hiding.
The X-Men were heroes. They survived and triumphed over insurmountable odds. Now, they just survive, but that’s not enough. That doesn’t inspire change in any world, real or imagined.
Yeah, they’re just comics, but that’s the problem isn’t it? Used to be, the world thought they were just “funny books”, and we knew they were more. Now, we’ve adopted the world view. People haven’t suddenly come around to see comics as respectable, just marketable.
Comics are modern mythology meant to teach and inspire and yet, when we need our heroes most, Marvel is killing them off and turning them against one another.
In the middle of a war, when patriotism is at a low point, Marvel kills Captain America, a hero that stood for our nation’s spirit and what we could be, and replaces him with a weapon toting ex-Soviet assassin. Think about that...
During World War 2 DC published comics with covers that inspired victory, even though heroes never directly attacked the Nazis, that decision was made out of respect for the soldiers who were dying. Today, Marvel chooses now to turn heroism into a government job.
Hell, at a time when most publishers and people are convinced black heroes don’t sell and ethnic creators have to think twice about the color of their characters fearing readers will think they’re pushing anti-white sentiment, Marvel editorial allows a blond, blue-eyed god to kill a black hero, and compares it to a “justified” cop shooting.
I repeat: Superheroes are supposed to be better than us.
Don’t get me started on Wolverine, a man who’s fought to overcome his killer instinct is made leader of a covert group whose mandate is killing without discretion (X-Force)?Does that make sense to anyone?
Steven: You seem to have some really great artistic talent on your team. Do they capture your stories how you envision them?
Joe: Alex Lugo, Neil DeMonte, Casey Edwards, Carlos Rafael Duarte, Kevin Sharpe, Chris Colbert, Chris Copeland, Liam Sharp, Frank Martin Jr., Vinicious, Glasshouse Graphic, and every other artist who’s worked on LAZARUS: Immortal Coils has been a godsend.
I’m a writer, and I have a vision, but I can’t see everything. These men took the time to learn what my vision was and how to make it a reality. I cannot thank them enough.
I started out with an idea, and most times I’m told it can’t be done because I’m very cinematic in how I go about things. For example, I was told car chases don’t work in comics, not for very long. When they are done, they’re short and simple. There are two in Immortal Coils, they’re complex, and they work.
Thank you, Carlos.
Steven: Did you always want to write comics, or was there something else you thought you’d be doing?
<img src="/images/interviews/lazarus1.jpg" align="right" hspace="15">Joe: I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I was well into college, past the age of 21, but I always loved movies and television. First, I wanted to be an actor, but low-esteem crippled me. I didn’t think I had the looks, so I pursued directing, and it was during that time I discovered my love for writing.
It’s like one of those John Hughes love stories where the guy pursues the hot chick, meanwhile his best friend, who happens to be an equally attractive female, is his soul mate. I’ve always been into writing, but I never saw it as something I could do for a living. It was something I did when I was bored, depressed, or in love. I’d write love poetry, depressed monologues about how unfair the world can be when you’re sixteen, and then it switched to fan fiction before I even knew the term. I’d see a movie, imagine what I would do differently, and write about it.
It wasn’t until Image jumped off that I realized I could write comics for a living. Before then, I never looked at the credit page of a comic book.
Steven: Is this your first leap into steady publication, or have you had other projects in the past?
Joe: This is my first published book. I’ve had other projects, some have evolved. Others were the result of a young and twisted mind.
But don’t think I’m a one hit wonder. Now that I found a way to into the party, I’m the guest that won’t leave.
Steven: It looks like Lazarus will be a monthly publication for you in June, how has it been working with the stress of deadlines?
Joe: The first book hits in June, that’s when the fun starts. I start something, develop it, finish it, and move on. When I pitch a story, it’s done. And I can relax about any deadlines, and I can devote myself to other production matters.
I have a love/hate relationship with deadlines. I work well under pressure, but it never fails that I could have done something better if I had applied myself earlier. Having everything done ahead of time is a result of that. LAZARUS: Immortal Coils was written and completed before I even sought out a publisher. That was part of my hook to publishers, and everyone responded to that.
My advice to other new guys: Pay the money to complete the project before submitting and use that in your pitch.
Steven: What can you tell us about Lazarus? Does he have any supernatural powers or abilities to help him hunt these demons?
Joe: Lazarus is immortal, so first and foremost, he can withstand fatal injuries, but he’s not invulnerable, so he feels everything. The human body can learn to adjust to a lot of conditions, so there are a lot of things that won’t stop Lazarus because he’s body has adapted. For example, a gun shot wound to the shoulder will stop and has been known to kill a person. Lazarus can take a shot to the chest and keep going.
Lazarus died and went to hell, so he came back with the ability to see and sense the presence of demons. In Immortal Coils, the demons don’t just posses people, but are shape-shifters. They can be anyone, and can change into any monster imaginable. They are the reason we have myths about dragons, unicorns, gorgons, etc. Being able to see past their disguises is important and one reason why Lazarus is so very dangerous.
Lazarus has heightened physical abilities, which was tough to guess at because I didn’t want him to be Spider-Man strong, but I needed him to do things just a bit better than we can. He can jump higher, run faster, and his balance is better, more than just a person who “engages in intensive regular exercise.”
Living as long as he has, he knows a lot about fighting. The art of war changes, new martial styles are developed, so he’s constantly learning, but he already knows a lot to make him the deadliest man alive, including how to make his own weapons.
Steven: Does the Lazarus from your story have the same historical origins as the Lazarus in the Bible?
Joe: Yes, and that’s what so different and cool about Immortal Coils. This isn’t some guy named Lazarus because it’s catchy. This is the real guy, the one who knew Jesus (or Yeshua as he’s called in the book, his Hebrew name), the one who died and was brought back. Nothing else is written about this guy after his resurrection. A man brought back from the dead who just disappears, literally. The one entry I found on him read it was “believed” he left Jerusalem and lived happy ever after, but no one knows for sure.
I get to not only write this cool monster hunter story, but go back and fill in blanks to key moments in the Bible that were never mentioned, like Jesus’ last conversation with Lazarus, or what happened to Lazarus the day Jesus died, why wasn’t he there?
And the book is called “Immortal Coils,” it not only tells Lazarus’ origin, but his connection to the demons, and his nemesis, Ahasverus, the Wandering Jew. It revolves around Jesus and the two very human decisions he made before he died that created Lazarus, Ahasverus, and connected them to the demons, so years later they’re still alive, plotting and fighting.
Steven: Do you regularly read comics? If so, what comics do you read on a regular basis?
Joe: It’s a weird thing, being a comic writer is like being a bartender; you still like alcohol, but don’t drink as much.
When I do read comics, I collect every type I can, from the big two, to manga, and the independents. I dig Ellis’ Black Summer, Shooter’s Legion of Super-Heroes, Beatty’s Number of the Beast, JMS’ Thor, John’s JSA, Claremont’s Exiles, Fraction and Brubaker’s Iron Fist, and those are the ones I just bought.
Oh! And, I cannot forget the manhwa, Shaman Warrior by Park Joong-Ki.
Steven: Do you have any future projects lined up after the Lazarus series?
Joe: Yep. A sequel is a definite if sales are good. Suicidal Tendencies is the title, and it kicks everything up a notch.
My partners, Vince and Alex, are working on a superhero story called Bwana Msaka, a classic story in a Spider-Man, Black Panther mode.
And, my next project in development is a vigilante story that redefines what a mature comic book is thought of in the biz.
10 Worlds will be in San Diego’s Comic-Con this year as members of the Antidote Trust, and we’ll have previews of these books, along with copies of LAZARUS: Immortal Coils, prints, exclusive trading cards, sketches by Alex Lugo, you name it. I invite everyone to stop by, show you’re support, see what’s coming, and get some goodies.
Steven: Where can our readers find you work?
Joe: They can order LAZARUS: Immortal Coils from their local comic book stores, issues 1 and 2 have solicited in Previews. Issue 1 is #APR083485, on page 200 of April’s catalogue, and issue 2 is in this month’s Previews, page 202, and order # MAY083525.
There’s our publisher’s website, www.markosia.com. And we have a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/10_worlds_studio.
An online preview is at http://www.10worldsstudio.com/Lazarus_Issue_1.pdf
We also have an official site coming at www.10worldsstudio.com and a trailer, so keep your eyes open.
Steven: Thanks again for speaking with us Joseph and good luck with Lazarus!
Joe: Thank you, Steven. This was a blast!