Comics

When did you get into superheroes? Like really into them, not like a kid who likes them because everyone else does but really into them?

I’m so glad you make the distinction because there’s a very clear gap between the two. I grew up in the age of Batman: The Animated Series, along with the Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons from the 90s and liked all those all characters about as much as every other kid at the time on average. In addition to several other tv cartoon superheroes. But eventually I grew out of them near the end of elementary school when my focus got pulled by music.

I got pulled back to superheroes (not too long after in the grand scheme of things now that I think about it) late in high school. By the Hulk roller coaster at Universal of all things. We’d taken a trip down there and while I was waiting for what felt like days to get on the ride they were playing that video of General Ross talking about catching Hulk and showing info on Banner, etc. I was never a big Hulk fan as a kid so here was a character I was aware of but clearly didn’t know as well as I thought I did. The whole ~20hr drive home I was thinking about Hulk running around smashing stuff and I had to know more. And while reading up on the Hulk I got sidetracked reading about the X-Men, and remembered how much I liked Beast as a kid. Not long after that I started going to the comic shop downtown and picking up every Hulk and X-Men book I could find. This would have been around the time of Bruce Jones’ run on Hulk and Morrison’s run on New X-Men. To this day I have a soft spot for that mid-2000s era of X-Men stuff, because I picked up everything even remotely X-Men related back then.

So if you like any of my stuff, you have a roller coaster in Florida to thank for it. This is at least part of the reason that I’d like to do even just one Hulk book if I ever get the chance, to bring it full circle. And though my comics reading isn’t 99% X-Men like it was back then, I’ve still got enough of a fondness for them that I’d jump at that book too.

Are you gonna release a core rule book of DIE? Or will the comics themselves serve as one?

Plan is to release a PDF circa the trade releasing. We’ll likely do a wider playtest circa issue 5 for folks who are reading the book. This is a beta set of rules, designed for a one-scenario (but as many sessions as you like) game. If folks like it, we’ll likely do a fancier hard-back edition around the end of DIE.

(We may do a zine edition of the beta rules too, if folks seem interested.)

I suspect I should make a DIE FAQ, right? Anyone respond to this with questions you want answered, and I’ll get to ‘em later.

Boss, that eyeless Plas is frikking terrifying.

This is the most common reaction to that drawing of Plas, and it will always surprise me. I just thought it was a fun gag when I came up with it, and while I guess I understand where people are coming from, I never thought of it as scary. This seemed like, to me, a way Plas absolutely would react to being surprised/shocked. Plus, he’s not eyeless. They’re right there. On his head.

hE’s holDinG tHem

Why do the spider people make so many deals with the devil?

I look at it a different way - Why does the devil have such a keen interest in spider people?  :)

I came across your blog and watched some interviews of you on youtube and it motivated me to send a story proposal to image. On a scale from 1 to Won't happen, how unlikely is it that I will get any kind of respond?

Glad I was able to motivate you.

Image receives hundreds and hundreds of series concept pitches every year, so it’s definitely an uphill battle, but it is possible. Justin Jordan’s pitch for the Luther Strode series was a cold pitch sent through the standard submission email, and I know there have been quite a few others as well.

As I cover on my site, make sure the pitch is concise and clear with a good hook, and a nice sample of art to show that this is going to be a professional project worth investing in. That’s your best chance at making a strong first impression and, in turn, getting a response.

will you ever draw variant for young justice again?

I will, in fact! Keep an eye out for Young Justice #3!