Broken Frontier

Red 5 continues to branch out from their widely loved hero Atomic Robo, with new series, such as this historical adventure from David Ziebart and Dan Lasl.

Fans of the publisher got their first peek at Foster Broussard: Demons of the Gold Age in this year’s Free Comic Book Day sampler, which was a fortuitous selection, as the issue turned out to be the most widely ordered single issue in the publisher’s history.

Set in 1849, the 5-issue mini-series focuses on the charismatic cad of the title, who manages to escape his fate at the gallows by convincing the British authorities to let him find gold in the hills of California. He soon learns that a cheeky smile won’t be enough to save him from danger however, as he faces spirit warriors intent on protecting their land from greedy minds, coyote demons and more. Writer David Ziebart gives the lowdown on this genre mixing series.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Foster Broussard is a great name. Were there any other names you rejected?

DAVID ZIEBART: Yeah, it is a great name, isn't it?  The name was totally Trevor's doing.  Trevor had originally written the story as a movie script, and I was brought in to adapt those ideas to work as a comic series.

BF: It’s an interesting combination of genres. Have you always been a fan of adventure, and supernatural stories?

ZIEBART: Absolutely.  I completely love both of those genres.  I grew up on a steady diet of Star Wars, which is a combination of those things (with lasers swords!).  I couldn't count how many times I've watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, or read Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files. And this is a story where you have this charming guy who's the smartest man in the room and knows it, embroiled in a story where the supernatural collides with the 'real' world.  

BF: Is this your first job as a comics writer? How did you break in to the business?

ZIEBART: I've done contract writing for various jobs in the past.  This is the first credited comic writing work that has appeared in print, but I have other series of my own creation in the works too.  I've been an unofficial consultant to Red 5 for a long time, and they offered this opportunity based on those works-in-progress.  Foster seemed like a great chance to take that first official step.

BF: What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done?

ZIEBART: Honestly, I'm a pretty boring guy.  I did once dive naked into Vancouver Harbour on a bet.  I don't really know you well enough to get into the rest of the story ;) 

BF: How did you and Trevor Pryce work together? Were you given free rein with his concepts?

ZIEBART: I didn't really work with Trevor.  I took his script and tried to stick as closely to his original story as the comic format would allow. I know that Red 5 passed the drafts by him, but as far as I know,  there was no push-back on anything.

BF: Did you do a lot of research?

ZIEBART: Not really.  I typically enjoy doing background research for writing projects, but in this case, as I was adapting an existing story, I spent most of my time reading and re-reading Trevor's work, to get a feel for his story and try to do it justice. 

BF: Have you ever been to California or England?

ZIEBART: I've been to California (San Francisco, actually).  I loved it.  Northern California is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I haven't been to England, but I've had several room mates from there.  I very much want to visit some day. 

BF: Did you and Dan Glasl come up with the look of the characters together?

ZIEBART: Nope. That was all Dan. 

BF: What’s next in the pipeline for you?

ZIEBART: I'm not sure, right now.  Issue #5 of Foster is wrapped, and I'm joining the Red 5 booth at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in a few weeks.  Hopefully that will spark a few projects forward that are currently in the planning stage. 

Foster Broussard: Demons of the Gold Rush #1-2 from Red 5 are available now.