Broken Frontier

You will believe a man can fly. Taking one of the most common of comic book conventions and giving it new life, Skipper Martin’s Bizarre New World has quickly become a critical success. Detailing the story of Paul, an average Joe who suddenly finds himself with the ability to fly, issue #1 from Ape Entertainment was recently released. With the next two parts ready to take flight in June and July respectively, Martin found some time to speak with Broken Frontier about his book.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Skipper, thanks for joining us to talk about your 3-issue mini-series from Ape Entertainment. For those that may not have picked up the debut issue, what is Bizarre New World?

SKIPPER MARTIN: It's a story I've been dying to tell for eight years. If someone could actually defy gravity in the real everyday world, how might that actually play out? I sometimes think of it as a lost, taken for granted moment in tons of other people's stories!

For instance, I've recently begun reading Invincible and Ex Machina, and I don't profess to be an authority on either one, but the fact is both books have a flying guy in them, and both spend virtually no time at all dealing with this incredible gift. Invincible at least acknowledges how cool it is for about a page, then it's just the status quo from then on out. They do make a couple of fun flying jokes in the series, but pretty much it's almost instantaneously business as usual. Machina has the character make a comment or two about his flying jetpack situation, but again that's all.

Both are great books, and to their credit, they have a story to tell and can't waste 10 pages on how fun it is to fly. I on the other hand put the ability as the focus for the entire story. I honestly believe flying would be damn near heaven on Earth, but not without it's pitfalls, and practical problems. That sentence right there is basically Bizarre New World  in a nutshell.

BF: What was your original inspiration behind Bizarre New World?

SM: It was probably born out of lucid flying dreams growing up. But the first thoughts of turning human flight into a story popped into my head in 1999. Of course, I wanted to fly myself, I don't know many who haven't at least thought about it, but to take that amazing ability and allow it to flourish in the real world seemed like fun uncharted territory. 

I wanted to see an average person deal with it realistically, keep him human and vulnerable. I wanted him to face real problems, and that's what interested me about the idea the most, the very real obstacles he would face, not just in the air, but how he might be treated after being discovered.    

BF: If you found yourself in the same shoes as Paul, what would your reaction be to the ability to fly?

SM: I think the whole book is really my opinion on how I would probably react. From testing it out, to the fears that come along with the situation, to where I would go flying if I had the chance. Now I'm finding out that readers are relating, and actually agreeing with my decisions.

I had no idea anyone else would relate, in fact, I automatically assumed I would hear people tell me they would do it differently, and yes that does happen, but mostly I'm hearing people would probably do some kind of variation on what Paul did.

BF: Elsewhere, you’ve discussed that finding the origin of Paul (the protagonist of Bizarre New World)’s power crippled the project for years…what was the "ah-ah" moment to overcome this?

SM: I don't think there was a 'EUREKA' moment so to speak, it was a gradual realization over many years of thinking about it. I couldn't make any reason work in my mind, nothing ever fit. I kept quitting the project in frustration over it. I remember many times thinking "I just don't give a damn where it comes from!!" I think that officially became my approach when I told music video director Lex Halaby about my ideas. He just looked at me and agreed that it flat out didn't matter.

Once I heard it said back to me so matter of factly, I think at that moment it became something I actually believed was right. I said to Lex "I just don't give a flying f*** where this power comes from!" He laughed, and said "Perfect! You should have the character actually say that!" It was a funny idea, but I've kept the language pretty clean, so that got lost along the way.

BF: How did you, artist Chris Provencher and colorist Wes Dzioba team up for this project?

SM: I went to a friend of mine Blair Marnell who ran the column All the Rage, he led me back to an old comic chum Tone Rodriguez. Tone was in demand and busy at the moment I needed him, and he did his best to TALK ME OUT OF MAKING THE BOOK! "Are you sure you want to do this?" he'd ask. I think he thought I would get bored of the idea and move on, so he gave me some basic advice, try to find an artist on Digital Webbing , put up an ad, finish the writing, etc, and we left it at that. I got the whole story plotted, and went to his studio to present it to him. 

As I was telling him, he asked me about the main character, I described him as loosely based on me, then I went about describing the whole plot. When I was finished, he handed me the drawing of Paul that appears on the back of issue one. It was the first time I got to see my idea come to life. I was so excited, I got serious about getting an artist on board, and Digital Webbing yielded about a hundred possibles. Christopher Provencher stuck out of the crowd because of his excellent website . It was a very clean, tight presentation, and I instantly fell in love with his expressive fluid style. His characters live and breathe, and I desperately wanted to tell the story through the imagery whenever possible. He's an excellent collaborator, and just a damn cool guy.

Tone saw some of Chris's early work and was bowled over that I found someone so quickly with so much raw talent. He was so shocked I was actually using his advice; he then took it upon himself to mentor me from that point forward. He led me to Wes Dzioba, who is just insanely talented. Wes is an absolute dream to work with. The guy bleeds talent, but that's not his best attribute in my opinion. He has that rare quality so many people I know simply don't have, he's a complete and total professional.

When he says he can do something, you can put it in stone. He ALWAYS keeps you in the loop, an excellent communicator, and the total package all around. He colored and lettered the book, and just vividly made the book soar. My only instructions to him were not to over color / saturate the book, and please make the skies as beautiful as possible. The sky is the ultimate fantasy setting for the book, and I want it to be a place that called out to Paul.

Needless to say, Wes delivered, and that's an understatement.    

BF: Tone still ended up having more involvement in Bizarre New World, didn’t he?

SM: He did help whenever he could. He came in near the end and did a kick butt limited variant cover, the "Free Comic Book Day" short story "Blind," and 2 back up BNW stories that'll be featured in issues 2 & 3 called "Border Crossing." He even wrote them, his first writing credit! He along with Will Wilson took me to Ape Entertainment, and you know the rest. He goes to signings with me whenever possible, and I'm very lucky to know the man.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you the making of BNW was nothing but wine and roses, it's a lot of work, requires ridiculous amounts of patience, and a few spare bucks didn't hurt. But in the end, Chris drew his ass off, Wes made it shine, Will was invaluable behind the scenes, and Ape got the books on the shelf. But in the beginning, and all the way through to the end, it was Tone who guided the whole project, and the real reason it ever got made at all.   

BF: What’s been your reaction to the early feedback on BNW?

SM: It's been overwhelming. To work so hard on something for such a long time, you just never know how people will look at it. I was petrified to send the book out. I gave the book all I had, if people hated it, I would've gone back to my day job knowing I did my best. Now that people actually like it??? I think I was more prepared for disappointment!

When the first review came in, I damn near fell out of my chair. AICN called it the best comic so far in 2007. Ok, so maybe that one guy just finished watching Mary Poppins and felt particularly happy & generous. Nothing to get excited about yet. But that wasn't the last great review, and it's just impossible to process. I can't wrap my head around it. Any minute I'll turn into Sally Field at the Oscars! "YOU LIKE ME!" That people have been so generous with their praise has been something I honestly never expected.

The reviews at Broken Frontier in particular, from 2 separate people??? Both were just glowing, and I still find it hard to believe my name is anywhere near them. I know Chris and Wes are just as happy as I am. It's been a joy to read them, but also a bit difficult to really truly let myself BELIEVE them. I was expecting 'not a bad first effort' kind of praise, and only if I was lucky. Turns out I was luckier than I thought.

BF: What can people expect to see in issues #2 and 3 of Bizarre New World?

SM: It's difficult to break it down because to me it's all one story. There are parts I love in issue #2, some of my very favorite pieces of art, and certainly some of the best scenes and jokes in the entire series. But it's issue #3 that gets my juices flowing. Issues one & two are simple, quiet, modestly told parts of the story. I enjoyed writing them, and was thrilled with the execution.

Yet, issue #3 is where the real story actually kicks in. The stakes go up, things really simmer and bubble. It was fun to watch the whole beast really begin to show it's claws. People will find out what made me want to do this story to begin with. I put all the time, energy, & money into a project like this, because I personally wanted to see issue #3. I hope people come along for the ride

BF: After the BNW mini wraps in July, what’s next for the series?

SM: The follow up is a double issue one shot picking up where the first series leaves off. The story I really wanted to write is upon me. I've been dreaming of this for 8 years, and now the script is finished with Chris already laying it out. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with how the first mini-series came out, but the follow up is really the meat I've been waiting to get to. 

I'm just over the moon with how the script came out, and if it's as solid as I think it is, and Chris & Wes do their usual excellent work, I think the audience will get something worth picking up to say the least. I've put so much into this project, not just monetarily. I'm making a promise to the reader in the first series, I'm doing everything I can do deliver on that promise with the sequel.

As for the trade, I was hoping to put the whole story in one trade, but I also want the book to be available easily, and trades are ridiculously convenient. So yes, I want to trade the first mini to coincide with the release of the follow up, but that's a bit down the line at this point.

BF: White Picket Fences is your next project, isn’t it? What can you tell us about it?

SM: So to speak. It's not MY project, I'm just doing a small piece for them [interviewer’s note – writers Matt Anderson & Eric Hutchins]. I've read my fair share of comics, novels, etc, I've seen my fair share of movies and television shows. When I see something new and fresh, I don't just tip my hat, I applaud until my hands bleed. I saw early work on White Picket Fences through Ape, and it's the total package kind of project. Original, fun, and just a damn stellar piece of work.

The art alone is terrific, but they've got the story to back it up. I let them know how much I loved their project, and asked them to do a BNW short story based on the flying guy concept, they agreed but also wanted me to do a White Picket Fences piece.

Now, I'm new to all this, so that one really came out of left field. I've never even tried to write an 'alien' story of any kind, but I definitely wanted to try! We both took a stab at each other's worlds, and the results so far have been just tons of fun all around. Great guys by the way. Their book just rocks.

BF: Being new to the creative side of the comic book industry, what have you learned through the Bizarre New World creative process?

SM: To quote the great Jackie Gleason in the not so great movie called The Toy, he summed it up in one word...patience. You need a staggering amount of it. It's a tough business, but an incredibly rewarding one. It's wonderfully liberating to be able to dream up anything and watch it come alive right before your eyes.

I would recommend to anyone wanting to do this for a living, grow some thick skin, but don't do anything half way! If you've got a pretty good idea, don't waste anybody's time. Mediocrity is all around us, save a buck, save a tree, don't bother. If on the other hand you've got the million dollar idea, the story that keeps you up at night and sticks to brain like old warm Juicy Fruit, then get your butt out there and tell it to the masses!

What have I learned through this process?

- A story you believe in is a story worth telling.
- The writer actually gets some respect in the comic book business.
- Tone Rodriguez is never wrong.
- I'm a very lucky man.
- Looking up to the clouds as a kid was not a waste of time.

For more information on Bizarre New World, check out the website at www.bizarrenewworld.com.

       

Also be sure to check out Broken Frontier's reviews of Bizarre New World #1, #2, and #3.