Broken Frontier

Following up on yesterday’s interview , Matt Anderson drops by BF again to take you behind the scenes of White Picket Fences #1, released today by Ape Entertainment.

The solicitation for the issue reads:

When eleven-year-old Charlie Hobson uncovers Martian weaponry hidden in the outskirts of his hometown of Greenview, he unwittingly sets the stage for a world threatening conflict that will pit the American Military against a deadly alien menace.  As his own backyard becomes a battleground, Charlie must embark upon an adventure to return normalcy not only to Greenview, but also to the entire planet!

White Picket Fences is a three-issue mini-series co-written by Eric Hutchins and myself (Matt Anderson), gorgeously illustrated by Micah Farritor, and published by Ape Entertainment.

The story is set in an alternate version of the 1950’s, where a cold war exists between Earth and Mars (it is the red planet after all), giant ants hang out in the Los Angeles storm drains, local school teachers turn into bizarre lizard-like creatures.  It’s the kind of a world where a kid could get into a lot of interesting situations, which is exactly what Charlie Hobson does!

With the first issues in stores this week, I wanted to take some time and highlight a few key scenes, point out some personal favorite moments, and hopefully intrigue and entertain some people enough to check out the book.

PAGE 5

On this page, we officially meet our boys – Charlie, Parker, and Tommy – who will serve as our guides through the wacky world of White Picket Fences.  I say “officially” because they did appear on pages 1-4, we just didn’t know who they were.

Since this is the first issue of a new series, and it is the first chance readers get to meet the lead characters (unless of course, you caught our Free Comic Book Day story “Monster in the Classroom!” – available now on the book's ComicSpace page -- plug, plug!), Eric and I did our best to ensure that the dynamic between the boys would largely be established by the end of the page.  We did that by playing up certain characters traits, like Parker’s manic nerdiness, Tommy’s ability to dish out grief, and most importantly, Charlie’s curiosity and sense of adventure.

I have to point out that the first three panels on this page are some of my favorites of the issue.  Micah did a perfect job at capturing the disappointment in Charlie’s face, Tommy’s poor attempt at stifling his laughter, and Parker’s bewilderment at what he’s done wrong.  Topping it all off, we get the pull-back shot of panel three, where Tommy can no longer hold in the ridicule and stomps around like the Frankenstein Monster.  Just perfect.  

PAGES 6 & 7

On these two pages, Eric and I take a big step back and let Micah’s art have breathing room to tell the story without being encumbered by the seemingly endless amounts of dialogue that appear on nearly every other page of the series. 

What I really love here is that these panels are done in a “quick cut” style, yet after you’ve read the pages you can swear that you followed Charlie through every step he took at the Old Miller Farm.  As far as I’m concerned, that is a pure testament of Micah’s ability as a storyteller.

Also, if you look closely at panel six, on page six you can see one of my favorite jokes in the series.

PAGE 10

It needs to be said, that while the kids are the heart of White Picket Fences, the adults are often the most fun to write.  This is never truer than it is with Charlie’s father, Franklin, who, in all his spoon-gesturing greatness, makes his first appearance on this page.

While we tipped very close to self-parody with Franklin’s stern “sewing circle vs. business world” talk, I think it really helps establish Franklin as a man of the times.  A man who gains a sense of accomplishment out of any situation, and who may just be more out of touch than he’d ever know.

Also on this page we are given a bit of a history lesson by way of learning that a “Green Menace” preceded the current “Red Menace.”  This peppering of significant historical and current events into general conversation, I believe, makes for a much more organic read.  I’m happy that we were able to avoid one character making a big speech about the state of the world just to supply the reader with background information.

That being said, tune in next issue where General Whitman makes a big speech about the state of the world.

PAGE 11

Forget cell phones.  Forget email and instant messaging.  The real way to stay in touch with your best friends is with these handy Captain Odyssey brand walkie-talkies! 

Or at least it is for Charlie, Parker, and Tommy (and that’s probably just because none of those other things have been invented yet, but still…)

I don’t remember who actually came up with the idea first, but I must say that having the kids communicate via walkie-talkies is one of my absolute favorite details in the whole series.  While I never did anything like that when I was younger, it nonetheless feels very real to me.

What else happens on this page?  Oh yeah…Charlie pushes the red button.  Why do people always insist upon pushing the red button?

So, what happens after Charlie pushes the red button?  For the answer to that, you’ll have to pick up issue one, because now we are going to jump to…

PAGES 16 & 17

As the military pours into town, Franklin eats toast.  Remember when I said he might be just a bit out of touch…yeah.  Although, you have to respect a guy who doesn’t let a military occupation interfere with his toast and morning pipe.

When I take a step back, I realize that there is a lot going on during these two pages.  Not only do you have the military rolling into Greenview, but there’s also the introduction of a new character – the incomparable Walter Goodman, and the beginnings of Charlie’s upcoming adventure.

In my opinion, these two pages really deliver a lot of story, and makes sure that the plot keeps moving forward at a swift pace, which I believe to be a good thing, given that some comics can take multiple issues before you have any idea what’s going on.

Again, special notice must be given to Micah for pulling this together.  These pages have nine and eight panels respectively, and yet they do not feel cluttered at all.  That is something that not many artists can pull off, and Micah makes it look just so easy. 

Someone should give him a medal.

PAGE 20

So, let’s see what we’ve got here:

Tree house?  Check.

Cool helmets?  Check.

Strange alien device?  Check.

Man, I want to be a kid in Greenview!

I really like the way this page turned out.  To me, it has just the right amount of zaniness to be fun, while still showing Charlie’s steadfastness regarding their impending adventure.

Also, of no small note, is that this page has the first spoken mention of Captain Odyssey – Charlie’s favorite comic book hero, who also happens to star in his own backup feature in all three issues of White Picket Fences.

That’s all for me, folks.  I hope you enjoyed reading this little peak into the world of White Picket Fences as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.  More so, I hope that if you haven’t done so already, you pick up a copy of issue one, read it, and enjoy it!  That’s what comics are for, right.