Broken Frontier

Zenescope premiered SF-title Agon with #1 in stores Wednesday 10th March, 2010. BF talked to artist Paul Roper and writer Scott Burn.

The solicitation read as follows:

Earth receives a broadcast from an extremely advanced alien species in the form of a mysterious and frightening blood-red rain storm. Humans are offered a simple choice: compete in an ancient interplanetary combat ritual or watch as Earth is methodically destroyed. Ten warriors must now be chosen to fight in a battle that pits highly evolved species from various worlds against one another.

This ancient and deadly tournament will ultimately decide the fate of our planet.

It is time to fight for humanity, it is time for AGON.

BROKEN FRONTIER: A message written in blood. Are you already trying to go metaphorical on fans?

SCOTT BURN: I definitely think there's something just a little terrifying about the sky turning black and then being hit by blood red rain. But while it's unsettling on the surface, what's most disturbing is what we find inside the rain. I wanted to get right out very early a sense of deep foreboding of what was coming, and find soon after that it's far worse than we thought. The key was creating a visual that captured that concept and our artist, Paul, did a great job bringing that out.

PAUL ROPER: What Scott said and if its kinda gory and freaky then I'm up for penciling the stuff!

BF: So the Earth's inhabitants receive this bloody message, which heralds the first signs of a celestial combat, much alike Marvel's Secret Wars or DC's Superman vs. Muhammed Ali. Can I draw those parallels or am I selling you short then?

SB: I'm appreciative of the comparison. We find cave paintings that show this isn't our first time being visited by alien civilizations. And the cavemen gave us the information we would need to know the aliens would be coming back when they felt we were ready. The challenge then becomes; how do you possibly choose ten people to represent the entire world with the sole task of saving mankind.

PR: To be honest I think it's more of a stand alone story. kinda one of those [stories: that you could say is like this from that studio if you only skim over the bare points of the story. But Agon has its own little twist and turns that put it in a different light.

BF: Who are the main players in this story and who is your favorite?

SB: After much arguing, ultimately the warriors are chosen by the members of the UN Security Council. Each country chooses the soldier they feel would best serve the team. However, none of them know each other; there's also great enmity between certain countries. So when the team first comes together, they're far from a cohesive unit. And being led by Seth, the US member, who is a failed anthropology professor, only adds to the conflict between them.

The characters are named by the country they're from. My favorite is China. My goal in creating him was to have a modern day Lancelot. A character who has dedicated his life to the art of battle, while having a tremendous sense of honor. And while he doesn't reveal it often, he also bears the burden of knowing his greatest skill is taking away life, and it's not something he's happy about. That, to me, was a really intriguing character to explore.

PR: I have a soft spot for China and Seth, but really don't want to say to much more other than I think every comic reader will always have a soft spot for the hot chick in a tight fitting outfit that can kick the living spit out of you!!

BF: That is perfectly natural, Paul! Are all the gladiators (if I can call them that) as forced in entering the competition as are the humans?

PR: Yup!!! there all paddling up hill on this one.

SB: Humans are one of four civilizations that are chosen. Each of them are the dominant species on their planets as well. Each of them understand that failure means the annihilation of their species.

BF: Hardships! I am missing the days of E.T. Are there such things as friendly aliens?

SB: Well, while there isn't a Rieces Pieces eating alien, each of the aliens have someone they're fighting for on their home planet. My goal was to set them apart visually and show a great disparity between them all. But then over time, for the characters to realize that the things that set them apart aren't as significant as what makes them alike.

PR: Yeah there are friendly aliens...well I hope so! But on recent form they all seem to be a little bit short tempered in some respects. Maybe E.T. could make a comeback only more up to date and just a touch meaner ...Ooooow!!! New idea there for a sequel <laughs>

BF: How do the two of you work together in this project?

SB: Paul and I initially got on the phone to talk through conceptually what I was going for in the pages. Once he had a sense of my writing style, he'd send different sketches which were usually really close to the mark. So really from that point it was just nuancing small touches.

PR: Well basically Scott nags the life out of me ...Naaah I am kidding!
We kinda throw ideas at each other and hopefully better the stuff we come up with, Scott writes a script that's easily readable and pretty much always hits the mark for me to get the right kind of idea. Plus we're kind off on the same level in films and stuff so it's a given almost that it works.

BF: It seems like you two got along during this projects. So, can you tell something about eachother then?

SB: Paul's the guy you want to walk beside you in that dark alley. Aside from being a killer artist, he's also a badass MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) trainer. So my threatening to kick his ass if he doesn't get the sketches right doesn't hold a lot of weight. He also has the distinction of being the only diehard rugby fan I know. He's also one of coolest guys to work with which has made the whole process really enjoyable.

PR: Not to much about Scott other than that he has the same kind of humour and likes the same kind of films and [has] one hell of a vivid imagination. Plus I think I've managed to peak his interest into British Pro Rugby League, but its early days yet.

BF: What does Agon actually stand for?

SB: Agon is a Greek term. While it has a few variations, the main one means contest or competition. The reason it's the title for the comic book is that, as you really get to the core of the term, it's about how far will you push yourself to survive in the conflict? It's about characters looking within to rise to the epic challenge.

BF: What do you do besides crafting stories around Agon?

SB: I live in Los Angeles and try to occasionally enjoy the benefits of warm sun every day. When I'm not making up bedtime stories for my girlfriend's kids, I'm trying to craft other stories outside the Agon world. I'm a sci-fi addict so that's the main stuff I tend to write. Although right now, I'm working on a tiny coming of age story. Totally outside my wheelhouse and something I'd like to make independently if I can find a way to put it together.  

PR: I have what you might call a hectic life; I work a nice 12 hour day deliver driving, then coach Mixed Martial Arts 4-5 times a week plus I have been working on my own stuff for a while now. So [that leaves] very little time for sleep, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

BF: How long will this series last?

SB: It's a miniseries. 5 issues plus a prequel.

BF: How did you hook up with Zenescope?

SB: The original idea came from one of the producers on board the project. He took it to Zenescope who said they'd like to do it if they could figure out how to crack the story. The producers (Alan Riche, Peter Riche, Holt Gardiner) and I were working together on another sci-fi project we had sold last year. They suggested bringing me on board since this was exactly the kind of thing I could sink my teeth into. I thought the concept was great. The only question was how do you make it something bigger than just a gladiator battle in space. So I spent time thinking about how to elevate the material into something much deeper. When I came up with the direction of exploring the very nature of humanity and how to thread that through the series, everyone gave the green light. Ralph Tedesco and Joe Brusha (at Zenescope) have been great about letting me run with almost exactly what I set out to do at the beginning and brought on Paul to give life to what I pictured as I pictured it. That's been amazingly gratifying.  

PR: Crazy as it sounds, but Raven Gregory paid me a compliment on one of my pieces. I just asked if they were looking for artists and should I submit... the rest is history.

BF: Thanks guys! Finally, are there plans to revisit Agon after this series ends?

SB: I've had a blast writing it so hopefully people respond well and Zenescope would be open to exploring some other worlds with it. I'd love to do more.

PR: I'd like to think so but that's left to fans and editors so we'll see. I'd like to though. 

BF offers an interior preview for the premiere of Agon. Agon #1 will be in stores as of Wednesday 10th March, 2010.