Interviews

For the last few years, artist Nika, aka Deandra Tan, has been working on a long-form romance comic called Love Debut! Inspired by shoujo manga, the series follows aspiring musician Nick as he rises through the pop world, which brings him into the orbit of Sara, a former singer who is far more wary of the music world. Their romance is the center of the story, but from there Nika spirals out and creates a whole world for them to live in. With the webcomic recently wrapping up after a three year run, Nika has taken to Kickstarter to fund a print edition of the comic. To find out more about how she created Sara and Nick's world, Back Pages spoke to her about the origin of the series, how things have developed over the years, and what people can expect from her Kickstarter.

We’ve got still more coverage from the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for you. Following our visit to the set, and our conversation with Kevin Feige, here’s the full transcript (lightly edited for length, and removing a few spoilers that Marvel still doesn’t want out in the world) of the press’ lengthy chat with Guardians writer/director James Gunn. Topics included why Thanos and his Infinity Stones won’t show up this time around, how the sequel is both more intimate and more massive in scope, and the mystery character who Gunn originally wrote into the Guardians 2 script treatment, only to cut him (and he did say it was a him) out because there were just two many heroes at that point.

If you’ve read our full Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 set visit, and you still want more details from behind the scenes of Marvel’s next big blockbuster, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s the nearly full conversation (which we’ve lightly edited for length and clarity) that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had with the assembled press on the set of Guardians 2. Below you’ll get more details on the film’s story (if you’re really worried about spoilers, you might want to skim that part), particularly how Yondu and Mantis fits into the new roster of the Guardians, along with some concrete details about the movie’s place in the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe. (No Thanos! No Infinity Stones!)

Blood Blister, the new horror comic from writer Phil Hester and artist Tony Harris debuting this week from AfterShock, tells the story of Brandon Hull, a man whose soul becomes so corrupted by the banal evil of the superficial choices he makes that it begins to manifest on his previously flawless physical form, launching him into a hellish world of monstrous evil. Hester is also currently drawing Shipwreck, an AfterShock comic by writer Warren Ellis about a man who finds himself in a surreal wasteland after (possibly) surviving a crash. ComicsAlliance sat down with Phil Hester to talk about horror, collaborating on comics as both a writer and an artist, and the nature of evil in the world today.

Jimmy Palmiotti knows the comics industry. I don't just mean that he knows how it operates, although his thirty-year career has proved that to be the case; Jimmy Palmiotti literally knows everybody in the comics industry, having started out as a freelance inker working with people like Gene Colan before turning his hand to writing and publishing. Palmiotti has been at the heart of the industry throughout his career as part of the New York comics scene, and his work has pushed publishers to be more bold and creative. We spoke to him about five of his career milestones.

Looking to take some time off? Want to catch some rays in the scintillating sunshine? Fear for your life and desperately need to escape the country as a result? How topical! Consider this travel tip: stow away on a pirate ship. It's a risky choice --- its inhabitants may execute you or sell you to a nearby brothel --- but an afloat ship is better than a sinking one. ComicsAlliance spoke with cartoonist Noella Whitney about why comics readers should consider Broadside's Black Lion, a ship from the Golden Age of Piracy staffed entirely by buff ladies, as their next vehicle for adventure.

Good news for those of you who enjoy your Arthurian legends mixed up with superheroes: Last week, Valiant announced Immortal Brothers: The Tale of the Green Knight, a new 48-page one-shot from Fred Van Lente and Cary Nord that retells the story of Sir Gawain through the lens of the Valiant Universe's three immortal brothers. Inspired by Barry Windsor-Smith's take on the Three Musketeers from 1993, this one finds Aram, Ivar, and Gilad --- alias Armstrong, the Timewalker, and the Eternal Warrior -- involved with a life-and-death wager against the mysterious Green Knight. To find out more, ComicsAlliance spoke to Van Lente about his inspiration for the story, the ease of mapping the brothers to their Arthurian counterparts, and why a story so weird makes for a great superhero comic.

There's no getting around it: having your father strand you in another universe sucks. And it leaves you wondering, did he really just forget to check the back seat of the car before pulling out of the 7/11 parking lot? Was that last Father's Day tie too gaudy? Does he at least have the courtesy to ditch me in a universe with wi-fi? If you are going to find yourself starting life anew in an unfamiliar world, there are a few better places to be than the neighborhood of Market Square in Valerie Halla's Goodbye to Halos. It boasts a community full of queer, anthropomorphic people, action-packed bouts of magical girl fisticuffs, and flirting as, basically, currency. ComicsAlliance spoke with Halla about positive queer representation, gay lions, and the value of found family.

While Batgirl has spent the last six months backpacking around Asia, there's no place like home, and this week Hope Larson and new series artist Chris Wildgoose bring Barbara Gordon back to a Burnside full of changes. There's new shops, new career possibilities and a new love interest and potential villain in Ethan Cobblepot. ComicsAlliance caught up with Larson and Wildgoose to talk about the evolution of Burnside, and what "Son of Penguin" has in store for Batgirl.

If you already read Faith, then you've already seen Valiant's premiere heroine fighting off some of the biggest threats that the universe can throw at her: An invasion from the planet-conquering Vine, a demon int he form of a housecat, and even an actor who decided that being a supervillain was far more fun than playing one. But the good news is that Faith has only ever had to face them one at a time. Until now. Jody Houser, Joe Eisma, and Marguerite Sauvage are teaming up the villains in "The Faithless," a new storyline debuting in April that finds Faith Herbert facing off with a gang of bad guys that all want revenge.