The following is an interview with comic book writer Jordan Thomas regarding the recent release of the sci-fi anthology, Metallic Dynamite. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Thomas about the shared creative process of working with the anthology’s artists, his concurrently active Kickstarter campaign for Weird Work #3, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent release of Metallic Dynamite! For those who may be unfamiliar, how would you describe the collection’s overarching premise?
Jordan Thomas: Metallic Dynamite is in the tradition of comic magazines like Heavy Metal. It’s an opportunity for us as creators to experiment and have some fun and hopefully provide a collection of entertaining and original science fiction comics for our readers. The main reason behind it was that I wanted a way to work with a bunch of artists I really like who don’t have the time to do a full series with me but I could get them onboard for a shorter story. The science fiction angle just kind of came about from the first couple of ideas that I settled on fitting nicely within in that genre. From there, the book really turned into a full-on sci-fi love letter with all the guest artist pinups and essays, as well as the six full stories we created.
BD: In bringing together so many talented creators for this project, what can you tell us about the shared creative process of bringing the various stories to life?
JT: I pretty much wrote all the scripts with the specific artist in mind. Several of the stories I already had ideas for, but it wasn’t until, for example, seeing Lucy Sullivan’s work on IND-XED that I felt I had an artist who could pull off that really ethereal style in my vision for endless beings living outside the realms of our reality required. Once Lucy said she was onboard, I then made sure the script suited her way of working. It was similar for all the other stories, as well.
BD: Do you foresee creating subsequent anthologies to follow this first edition of Metallic Dynamite?
JT: It’s definitely a possibility. I love getting to work with a bunch of different artists at one time, and I wouldn’t necessarily have to stick to science fiction for the next one if I had other ideas. However, this first volume did take me over two years from approaching the first artist to getting it into people’s hands, so it will be awhile before Metallic Dynamite makes a return.
BD: In addition, you have just launched the crowdfunding campaign for Issue #3 of your series, Weird Work. Where will readers find themselves in this latest edition of the sci-fi/noir series?
JT: Well, this is the final issue of this first story in the series, it may return with new stories set in the Weird Work world, but this issue will tie-up everything from the previous installments whilst providing a bullet-ridden climax to the story.
As issue two finished, a lot of the puzzle pieces of the investigation were starting to fall into place and some of the main culprits were being revealed, so this issue will be all that coming to an explosive head as our less-than-heroic detectives find themselves caught in the middle of a city-wide conspiracy.
BD: Do you feel that Issue #3 will serve as a solid jumping-on point for readers who may be new to the series?
JT: Not really to be honest! If I was new to the series, I’d definitely be taking up one of the catch-up tier options, which means you’ll get to read the whole story in one go, rather than suffer waiting the months between issues like our previous backers have, bless ‘em.
BD: Are there any special backer rewards that you would like to highlight for the Kickstarter campaign?
JT: Well, the main special rewards we have available are all the beautiful Shaky Kane original art we have on offer. The new one we’ve added this time is sketch covers done on special glow-in-the-dark paper, which should be pretty cool!
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
JT: I’ve a few exciting pitches out with publishers at the moment, which people should keep an eye out for news on, but, besides that, it’s just starting to gear up the next things I want to get moving post Weird Work finishing.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Metallic Dynamite, Weird Work #3, and your other work?
If you head over to my Twitter (@Jordan_J_Thomas), you can get to pretty much everything there. All the comics I’ve created are also available as add-ons on the current Weird Work #3 Kickstarter campaign if people want to catch up with my writing to date. There should be something for everyone!
