Broken Frontier

This September, the fantasy genre is scheduled for a skullkicking courtesy of Jim Zubkavich.

Injecting some much-needed adrenaline and humor into a genre that can sometimes take itself far too seriously, Skullkickers is Zubkavich’s new series from Image chronicling the epic misadventures of a deadly duo of medieval mercenaries, who become embroiled in a plot far larger than either could have imagined – especially the dwarf…

Broken Frontier chatted with Zubkavich about thow British comedy influenced the humor in Skullkickers, the decision to leave his protagonists anonymous, and just what the heck is up with the gun…
 
BROKEN FRONTIER: Who are the Skullkickers and what can you tell us about the medieval realm they inhabit?

JIM ZUBKAVICH: The Skullkickers are a pair of (currently) nameless mercenaries who wander a medieval fantasy world smashing monsters aplenty. The place they inhabit is a dingy, muddy place filled to the brim with nasties – creatures, demons and dark magic. The majority of normal peasants try to keep their heads low and don’t cause trouble but this pair of warriors are too stubborn (or stupid) to fall in to line like the rest do.

BF: Why did you choose to leave your mercenaries nameless and do you plan on eventually revealing their identities and origins?

JK: The human and dwarf are pretty straightforward archetypes and I wanted their first adventure to kick into gear right from the start without an “origin story”. Where they came from isn’t important at this point, it’s what they do from here on that matters. This first arc starts them on a winding path and propels them in to bigger and badder things with each twist.

I may touch upon their pasts later on but I definitely don’t want the book to look back too much. There’s a manic energy to tearing ahead with current hi-jinks that feels right at this point. I want readers to wonder what these two will do next, not how they met or how they started their monster mashing careers.

BF: What can you tell us about “the Gun” and its existence in a medieval setting?

JK: I thought for sure more people would ask about the gun but you’re the first interviewer to bring it up so far.

The human’s pistol started as a joke, honestly. Chris Stevens (the artist on the original short stories from Popgun) wanted to draw fantasy action but he also wanted the big guy to do more than just slice stuff with a sword. He gave him a gun to use and, since we figured the original short story was the only time we’d use these characters, its existence wasn’t important. Now that Skullkickers is a full blown series I had to make sure I had a justification for it, even if the reader doesn’t know it yet.

Suffice to say that it’s not commonplace and there aren’t a lot of other people running around with guns. A later story arc will directly tie in to the gun, why it’s there and also why no one else seems to make a big deal out of its existence when the human pulls it out and starts firing away.

BF: Humor plays a large role in establishing Skullkickers’ unique tone and atmosphere. What are some of the challenges of writing comedy for comics?

JK: You have to use the medium to its advantage. Comics give you a lot of fun ways to deliver on a joke in text, visuals and pacing, or a combination of all 3.

I try and mix-up the humor as much as I can – witty banter, ridiculous expressions, over the top violence, strange sound effects and slapstick all come into play. I figure if we’re having fun with it, that energy will translate directly to the reader and they’ll enjoy it too.

BF: Who and/ or what were some of your creative influences during Skullkickers’ development?

JK: At the core is my absolute love of fantasy novels mixed with the enjoyment of creating stories playing D&D with my brother and our friends when I was a kid. The novels fed my imagination and the games had a manic improv style energy I want to come across in Skullkickers.

Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness also had a big effect on me. When I watched that film it was so clear to me that they adored their source material - monsters, horror and fantasy – but also weren’t afraid to wink at the audience and say, “Yeah, it’s totally ridiculous but you love it as much as we do.”

Last, but not least, the snappy banter in classic British comedy shows always impresses me. I love great dialogue and if I can tap into a bit of that exquisite British comedy wit from time to time, I’ll be a happy camper.

BF: How did your previous comics work and your work with UDON, inform the creation and development of Skullkickers?

JK: Every project is a learning experience. Having 7 years of various professional production work, both as an artist and Project Manager, has given me a really solid base of understanding about the industry as a whole. Formatting, file handling, scheduling – all those boring sounding things that people don’t think about when they start in comics have been a part of my life for years. Knowing what to expect and how to pace it out makes a huge difference in terms of professional output.

Working with artists on all kinds of different projects has also helped keep me on my toes in terms of mistakes and critiques. I’m much more aware of artistic or storytelling pitfalls because I’ve seen almost all of them at one time or another. I’m positive I have a lot more to learn but, even still, having that experience at UDON has made the transition to writing and collaborating way smoother.

Since I’m also an illustrator, it informs the way I write, making sure that what I’m saying is doable because I’m visualizing it as panels as I’m writing them. If a concept isn’t coming across clearly I can also quickly sketch something and bounce it off the team, which is a real boon too.

BF: Who are your artistic collaborators on the series?

JK: Edwin Huang is the interior line artist. He’s a newcomer but the strength of storytelling in his pages and the ease with which he’s picked up on the way I write action scenes or stage a joke has been fantastic to watch.

Misty Coats is our colorist and she’s also hit the ground running, putting together fantastically moody and exciting pages without over-rendering or losing the reader’s attention.

Marshall Dillon is the letterer and I’m definitely putting him through the paces with some interesting lettering challenges. Strange sound effects and wild changes in dialogue are that much clearer thanks to his hard work.

Chris Stevens is our cover painter and the original collaborator on Skullkickers. Chris designed the look of the protagonists and gave readers their first glimpse at the world that Edwin’s inherited since then. Chris’ Skullkickers covers are iconic and eye-popping.

BF: I loved the pacing of the first issue. What were some of the challenges achieving such a fine – not to mention fun – balance between action and comedy?

JK: Thanks! It was a really fun one to put together, sprinkling in just enough info for readers to know what was happening even if they weren’t sure why. I really wanted to open up the book in the midst of an action scene, like a James Bond movie where you see 007 wrapping up his previous mission. That punchy opening tells you everything you need to know – these guys kick ass with wit and sarcasm. Setting that paradigm up right from the first few pages makes it clear what we’re going for and gives you someone to root for. These two guys aren’t heroic, but compared to everyone around them they’re easily the most entertaining and well worth following.

BF: What can you tell us about this opening arc in the epic lives of your mercenary Skullkickers? What are some of the challenges they face?

JK: What seems like a simple caper to get back the corpse of a visiting dignitary killed in the line of duty spins out into a much larger conspiracy involving necromancy, assassins, undead armies, hidden lairs and demons. At each turn, the Skullkickers get themselves in deeper and have to figure out how they’re (in some cases literally) going to kick their way out.

BF: Finally, when and where can fans expect to see some skulls kicked?

JK: Issue #1 arrives in stores September 22nd. Let your local comic shop know that you want to buy the book and you’re ready for skulls to be kicked!

Can’t wait until September 22nd? Download Skullkickers #0 for free! If you too want to kick skulls and take names, visit http://www.skullkickers.com/