Broken Frontier

Mark Poulton is a first-time writer whose big break in the world of comics came from Arcana Studio and his book Koni Waves.

Jason: Mark, welcome to Broken Frontier. When and how did you come up with the idea for Koni Waves?

Mark: Hi Jason. Thanks for having me. I created the series back in the summer of 2001 with Stephen Sistilli and Dexter Weeks. I was working at their art studio and every once in a while I would bring up the idea of making a comic book. I was the big comic book fan of the three of us so I think initially the idea only appealed to me. However, I eventually won them over.

We then had a brainstorming session that resulted in the character Koni Waves. We began work on an ashcan, but unfortunately around the same time I had optioned a screenplay and the comic was on the backburner for awhile. It wasn’t until 2004 that we revived the project.

Jason: For those of us unfamiliar with the project, what is Koni Waves about and who are the major players?

Mark: Koni Waves is a three-issue limited series about private detective Koni Kanawai, an ex-cop in Honolulu, Hawaii who worked her way through college as a dancer at the Apanapana Ballroom. After her drinking problem gets her booted from the force, Koni starts her own detective agency. With the help of Pete, her surf buddy; Krystal, a colleague from her dancing days; and Huk, the owner of her favorite watering hole, Koni encounters a series of supernatural events that leads her to discover a dark side of her island not seen in the usual tourist spots.

Jason: Stephen Sistilli provides the art for the book. How did you come to work with him? How does it feel to see your vision expressed in his work?

Mark: Dex introduced me to Steve, while Dex was interning for him. After Dex graduated, the two of them opened their own freelance art studio. Like I said before, I worked there for a while coloring storyboards and scanning artwork. That’s how the series started.

Seeing Steve draw Koni is incredible. His comic art is heavily influenced by the black and white horror magazines of the 70s like Eerie and Vampirella and that’s exactly the vibe we wanted for the book. His style goes perfectly with the whole Tiki theme.

Also, Dex and Mike Capprotti, who also helps out at the studio, contribute pin-ups and covers.

Jason: What role has Image alumni Marat Mychaels played in the book? How did you end up working with Image’s first rookie?

Mark: I don’t hide the fact that I’m a huge Extreme Studio fan. I’ve admired Marat’s work since he started on Brigade and followed his career all the way through to his most recent work at Marvel.

When Steve, Dex, and I were putting the finishing touches on issue #1, I asked them what they thought about bringing in a guest artist to do either an alternate cover or a pin-up for the book.

After they gave me the green light, I contacted Marat through his website and asked if he would be interested in working on the book. He really seemed to like the project and agreed right away. He turned in a killer piece which we are using as part of our flip cover for issue #1. Marat has the cover up on his website and has been very supportive. We’ve already asked him to be part of an upcoming Koni project.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning of things to come. He’s been absolutely great to work with!

Jason: As a first-time writer, what were some of the challenges you faced in pulling the story together and pitching it to Arcana Studio? Is Arcana the only publisher you approached?

Mark: The biggest obstacle was deciding on how we were going to release the series. Originally, we planned on self-publishing the book. However, as we started completing the issues we felt we owed it to ourselves to see if any publishers were interested. We figured the book stood a far better chance with a publisher backing it than us.

We submitted to a few companies and had around four offers before we decided on Arcana Studio. I had submitted Koni to Dwight MacPherson and Michael Devito of Dead Men Tell No Tales and they really championed the series to Arcana’s president, Sean O’Reilly. Arcana were definitely the most enthusiastic about the series. I think the thing we had going for us was we had two complete issues (penciled, inked, and lettered) to submit. Plus, we were halfway done issue 3. I think having the series pretty much completed before submission definitely made a good impression.

Jason: The book seems to draw on elements of Hawaiian culture and mythology. How did you go about incorporating this into the story? Did you do a lot of research?

Mark: Luckily for us, Dex is Hawaiian. He is our go-to guy for Hawaiian lore and reference. Besides having an extensive library of books, Dex has firsthand knowledge of the islands and still has family there. He has played a huge part in developing the mythology of the book as well as keeping things accurate.

Jason: I believe that Koni Waves is turning up in other forms besides the comic. What other merchandise/ avenues of exposure do you have planned?

Mark: We’ve teamed up with Shocker Toys for a line of Koni Waves action figures. They are going to be part of their popular Shockini line. The Koni Shockinis are part of their first new line-up of licensed figures which should be out after February’s Toy Fair. Dex did the designs for the figures and they look fantastic!

In addition, Stormwatch Comics in West Berlin, NJ will have two retailer exclusive covers for issue #1. Each cover features artwork by Stephen Sistilli and will be limited to 100 copies.

Jason: How can people learn more about Koni Waves, when is the book being solicited and when is it expected in stores?

Mark: We are working on a Koni Waves website, but in the meantime you can check out Arcana Studio’s site.  Issue #1 is in January’s Previews (item code: JAN062849) and it will ship to stores in March with issues #2 and #3 shipping bi-monthly afterwards.

Jason: What other projects are you working on?

Mark: Dex and I just contributed pin-ups for BOTS which is a sketchbook benefiting the Autism Society of America. It should be ready by convention season. Also, I dialogued an 11 page Blood Wulf story that is going to be released as part of an anthology from Arcade Comics. I had the pleasure of working with an artist by the name of N8 on the project and I can’t wait for people to see his work. It turned out awesome! Plus, being the huge Extreme Studio fan that I am it was a blast playing with one of Rob Liefeld’s creations. The anthology should be out in Spring 2006.

On the Koni side of things, we are working on a Halloween special. In addition, we’ve started on Making Waves: The Art of Koni Waves. It will feature old and new artwork from the series and feature some guest artists that we are really excited to be working with. One of the coolest things about the book is going back and looking at some of the artwork from the original ashcan and seeing how things have progressed. Hopefully, the sales of the limited series will warrant these projects getting released.

Jason: What is your ultimate project?

Mark: Spider-Man. Without a doubt, Spidey is my all-time favorite character. I think it was Kraven’s Last Hunt that really did it for me as far as being a fan. It’s a true masterpiece and required reading for any comic book fan as far as I’m concerned. To have the chance to work on such an iconic character and add to its mythos would be a dream come true. 

Jason: Thanks Mark!

Koni Waves #1 is available for order in Previews Volume XVI Number 1, January 2006. You can find the book under Arcana Studio on Page 226. Click here for more information on Koni Waves.