Harry here with the latest sent in by Andrew for AICN COMICS... Sounds like an exciting project from Image, here ya go... Enjoy!
Image Introduces...The Believer, the second release from the ‘Introduces line, sports not only a fresh view of comics, but a fresh creative team. This is the first headline work for the entire crew. We've caught up with the team to find out a little more about the book and its creators.
"This is the dream that I have been chasing for the last two thirds of my life," says Rob Schamberger, writer and co-creator, "Words can not really do justice to how exciting this whole experience has been for me. I mean, hell, the script for the first issue is one of the first things that I've ever written. I wrote it when I was eighteen years old. Three years later, here it is, coming out from Image Comics, one of the biggest comic publishers in the world. How cool.
"I've had this passion for the form and the industry for as long as I can remember. It's really dominated everything that I do. Comics are one of the most amazing ways for someone to truly depict their vision, and it's also such a young medium. My grandma's older than Superman, you know? There's so much potential here that no one can even imagine. The really awesome thing about comics is that the only thing holding the creators back is themselves."
Thom Thurman, penciler and co-creator, adds, "At this point all that I can say is I worked too damn long and too damn hard not to make it in the industry (though I went about it all the wrong way...if you want pointers on what NOT to do, write me...). I'm a true f**k up. I wanted to be in the comics industry to make the big bucks and land chicks. Big bucks are a thing of the past (mostly) and are only in superhero books (which I have little interest in doing) and as for landing chicks, let's just say my wife would not be pleased.
"Now I have to concentrate on the by-products of comics like story-telling and drawing, which I have to say are almost as fulfilling as making big bucks, landing chicks, and writing smart ass answers to questions.
"In all seriousness, there are some things in life that people just know they have to do, a calling if you will. I can't imagine not doing comics. There hasn't been a time I haven't wanted to do them. Hackneyed as it sounds, that's it. I love going to bed thinking of ways to resolve panel layout issues or ways to move the view around.
"I'm also a lazy bastard and don't want a day job, complete with cubicle and tie. Swinging in the breeze wearing nothing but a bath robe at the drawing table is life for me."
Chad Molder, inker, gives his thoughts, "Initially I got started into comics as a wee little one reading X-Men when Walt Simonson was drawing them, and I always loved the way he made people look. Also, by reading Calvin and Hobbes...
"Anyway, I started out trying to draw like Calvin and Hobbes, and progressed, as I got older, into the more action comic style (Jim Lee, WOW). I never wanted to get into comics really as a profession. I actually wanted to be more of a commercial artist until I found out how much money they were making in the early 90's. Then as I started learning to ink and getting small gigs here and there, and still not making any money, I started to realize that I just enjoy working on this style of art more than anything else. So, now its basically because I just enjoy working on a wide variety of pencilers, seeing the many different styles, it always gives me a little inspiration to work more."
Ron Riley, colorist, adds, "I really enjoyed comic books as a kid, and would love to be a part of bringing that joy to kids.
"I think comic books are the only popular medium, where "anybody" has the ability to create a visual interpretation of a story, and get it out to an audience very quickly and relatively cheaply. It can be like creating your own movie, with a budget of billions, and a cast of an equally absurd number. It is something you can do on your own, or with a few cohorts. Print up a bunch of copies, and start selling.
"The more toes I dip into the metaphoric "comic pool", the more I realize how incredibly hard and time consuming it can be. Not to mention, it almost defines rejection. So if you can get past those hurdles (plus a few dozen more), and are super freakin' talented and/or persistent, give it a shot. Hey, the worst thing that can happen is you could have your dreams crushed, and die alone penniless."
We also asked the crew to tell us a little about the book and why it would be worth the reader's money.
"Because it's the best thing ever written," laughs Rob. "Seriously, though, this book has flourished beyond my wildest expectations. It all started with my love for old pulp stories like The Shadow and all of the various detective and horror stories. Then, somewhere along the line, I remembered that I love Clint Eastwood. Throw in the potentials of the comic book form, and so was born The Believer. My only problem was finding the right artist to bring it to life. My good friend Phil Hester (yeah, that's me name-dropping) gave me Thom's contact information, and it just went from there.
"Thom knew Chad from local shows, and then we found Ron through a classified ad that we had ran, and the rest just blossomed. Everyone really came together in a great way and we have honestly made the best work to date of our careers. It's just damn exciting."
"If people want to read a great story," adds Thom, "This is it. Everybody who's read it has favorably compared it to Bendis's early work, and that's a fair though inaccurate comparison, at least in my view. It has everything you could want in a comic, except romance (unless you want to count page eight...), but who wants mush in their comics? Not to mention the story is SELF- freakin'-CONTAINED! I mean, for three bucks you get setup, change, and resolution all in 22 pages. Not $12 for a four part mini or $9 for a trade.
"It has my finest pencils ever. Working with Rob, Chad, and Ron meant mediocrity was not an option. What seriously kicks ass is that we all clicked and there is nowhere to go but up from where we started, if we put in the same level of commitment. And now that we've had a taste of sweet success, I can't imagine not giving everything but our all for our next few go-arounds. But by issue six, we'll all have swollen heads, and then you can drop us, but not before then."
"It's an Image comic," notes Ron. "If it's the debut of all the creators, one of them has got to make it big. It's printed in glorious "Ron" colour. I really need the money. To find out how it ends! Geez!"
Image Introduces...The Believer #1 will be available this December at all finer comic book stores. To see previews and more of the book, check out The-Believer.Com
