
@’s by DEATH SENTENCE’s Mony Nero!!!
MONTY NERO (MN): No reason. I’ve done a couple of shorts for 2000ad, made a couple of computer games, and painted three covers for indie comics and Clint. Nothing anyone would notice.
OD: G-Plus, the virus that is contracted and acts like AIDS (and I don’t mean the 1970s dietary supplement), where did you come up with this super powered DEATH SENTENCE?
MN: It’s all stems from what you’d do with six months to live – what the point of your life is. All the characters want to do something amazing in the time they have left, and the virus enhances their ability to be creative. It’s got a realistic and contemporary tone, which is where the virus angle came from. It feels like real life in a way that other comic books don’t. It’s funny vibrant and entertaining, but there’s an air of foreboding too – an edge to it all.
OD: Issue one introduces us to three very different types of characters bound together by the G-Plus virus – two famous, one not so much, what was your thought behind using these three perspectives?
OD: So will these be our only three protagonists or will the world open up broader?
MN: Three’s more than enough. They meet amazing people and discover astounding things – but this series focuses intently on Verity, Weasel, and Monty. Through them we see the world of this story unfold.
OD: Let’s talk about the choices those three make with their last days to live. It looks like Verity won’t be able to live out her days as she pleases thanks to the power she”s been imbued with. Who else is in for a surprise?
MN: Everyone. Nothing goes as you or they expect. That’s our job – to keep you on your toes. Keep you guessing and excited. You have no idea where this ends up. Mike’s just drawing the last issue now – it’s off the scale. Ten times as epic as anything in issue one.
MN: There’s a listening and surveillance agency called GCHQ. They’re very high tech and they have this awesome doughnut shaped building straight out of James Bond. It’s a real organisation and a real place. How could you not put that in a comic? Mike actually thought I was joking. I wrote ‘doughnut shaped HQ’ and sent him the link, but he though I was taking a piss. He drew a boring office block and had to redo it later. But why are GCHQ listening, that’s the question? Who are they feeding the information to – and why? It’s a pandemic emergency, a pressure situation. The traditional response is oppression, but nothing in Death Sentence is black and white. There’s a conflict within the seat of power – privatized agencies with their own agenda. It’s all pretty credible – just amped up for maximum drama.
OD: Dowling’s artistic style is a perfect compliment to this celebration of life (for some) in the face of death. How did you two hook-up, dumb luck, through Titan or do you have uncompromising pictures of him?
OD: Will DEATH SENTENCE be an ongoing title or is it set as a mini series?
MN: It’s a six part series with a very definite ending. But I’ve got the next arc plotted out. If people buy Issue 1 then we can start work on straight away. It’s up to the public – what kind of comics do they want?
Optimous Douche has successfully blackmailed BottleImp to draw purty pictures for his graphic novel AVERAGE JOE coming out in 2013 from COM.X. When not on Ain’t It Cool, Optimous can be found talking comics and marketing on robpatey.com and just marketing on MaaS360.com.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G