@’s by THE MONARCHY’s Tyler Kirkham!!!
OPTIMOUS DOUCHE (OD): From the imagery on Kickstarter THE MONARCHY feels like a rave in Satan's id. How would you describe it?TYLER KIRKHAM (TK): THE MONARCHY is “Underworld” meets “Castlevania!” I love the dark feel and gun fights of “Underworld” with all the magic and mythical creatures of “Castlevania.”
Here's the basic premise: Far beneath the mundane reality of our everyday lives, hidden within the echoes of our most famous legends, exists a world shrouded in secrecy. It’s a world of magic and myth, where an ancient order of sorcerers act as guardians, protecting the world from the forces that seek to destroy life as we know it.
They are The Monarchy.
Passed down through a mysterious guild, they are magical warriors that carry within them the stolen Seven Powers of Creation and through them, hold back the tide of evil led by an equally powerful order of dark sorcerers called Warlocks - an evil that has threatened mankind for generations.Unfortunately, only one Monarch now remains. In a desperate act of heroism, the last of the Monarchy uses his final breath to pass on a mystical legacy to his unsuspecting grandson, initiating him into a world of darkness with a trial by fire: survive and save the world, or die and let the powers of darkness overtake it.
Now, young Andreas must embrace his power or be destroyed by the evil Cabal that hunts him. With the help of a renegade warrior-guardianess, they must face his grandfather’s murderer, her past, and his destiny, or lose the battle against evil for all time.
OD: The story feels very biblical in nature, where a reluctant savior is forced to fight the ultimate evil--fair statement?TK: Yes there is a lot of stuff taken from real history in this book. Mandy, the co-creator, is a teacher and is really smart with historical stuff. Andy our main character, and the last hope to keep The Monarchy legacy going has all the 7 powers of creation at his will. He just has no idea how to harness the power. That is something he will learn throughout the series. These powers have been passed down through the centuries to young monarchs through really crazy, dangerous tests and challenges of faith. The Warlocks have been killing off Monarchs before they reach the proper age to learn how to fight back so their numbers have dwindled.
OD: Most of the imagery on Kickstarter shows a mystical land; does the book ever traverse into the "real" world?
TK: Actually, the whole book is on earth. Our main Character Andy is from Boston, then travels to France. The city you are seeing, Merlona, is our version on Gotham. It sits on the boarder of France and Spain.OD: Does the story take place in modern day, ancient days of yore or both?
TK: The main story takes place in modern day, with cut scenes from the past. Since The Monarchy has been around for so long we touch on that, and explain all the history of the Guild and how they came about their powers. It’s actually a blessing and a curse.
OD: You're doing this as an ongoing graphic novel series, right? How big is the first book, and how many more do you have planned?
TK: We have it planned for 3 full books at about 150 to 170 pages, roughly. That’s if we get the first one out of course! =) We really want to share the story with people. There are a lot of great ideas we have that would need to stretch into the next books. Book one just scratches the surface, to be honest!
OD: Your name right now resonates with most fans as a penciler, but you're hands off on the art for THE MONARCHY? This is your story and script?
TK: Yes, the original concept was mine. Mandy and I plotted it out and she did the brunt of the writing. I would say I have a bigger role as the art director.OD: What's that flip over to the word processor side like for you? How does the process differ from your time penciling?
TK: I've always wanted to create stories. As for writing, I have another project I'm also developing that I've done more writing for. As for my penciling, I still do a monthly book at DC so I don't let my side projects get in the way of my penciling. That's my #1 priority for sure.
OD: I'm starting to see a real uptick in creators using Kickstarter to launch comics these days, what was behind your decision to get kickstarted?
TK: To be honest, I was hesitant to use it. I'd noticed a lot more industry names using it; that's when I jumped in. THE MONARCHY has been in development for about 3 years. It’s still being worked on today. I knew that I was going to struggle getting it on shelves, though. It costs a lot to produce comics. Kickstarter will help me pay Mandy and Oracle, the artist, as well as pay an editor, letterer, and cover printing costs to get it on shelves. Once it’s on shelves the sales will fund the next book.OD: So how does BOOM! fit into the whole equation since they were the ones that sent the press release that turned me on to the story?
TK: The book isn't affiliated with Boom! studios in any way. Richard Boom, who is a good friend and runs Boom!’s Art Department, sent out the release to help us out.
He also writes for Broken Frontier, and was the first one to break the story.
OD: Short, sweet and to the point—thanks, Tyler. Be sure to check out the Kickstarter page and throw Tyler a few duckets of love to help a great comic get on the shelves and to get some THE MONARCHY schwag.
Optimous has successfully blackmailed fellow @$$Hole BottleImp into being his artist on Average Joe. Look for Imp's forced labor on Optimous brain child in mid-2012 from COM.X. Friend Optimous on FaceBook to get Average Joe updates and because ceiling cat says it's the right thing to do.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
