The following is an interview with Bram Stoker Award-winning writer/editor James Aquilone and acclaimed artist Zac Atkinson regarding the recent launch of the Kickstarter campaign for the comic book series, The Omega Eleven, in collaboration with Monstrous Books. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Aquilone and Atkinson about their shared creative process in compiling a bevy of pulp heroes and villains to life on the page, how crowdfunding has provided a supportive environment for creators to thrive, the incredible back rewards available to supporters of the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent launch of your Kickstarter campaign! How would you describe your approach to compiling the greatest pulp heroes and villains for this exciting, new series?
James Aquilone: I love movies where the protagonist has to gather up a team…Seven Samurai, The Dirty Dozen, Ocean’s 11, Inglourious Basterds. I’ve been wanting to do a story like this for a long time. The key is that every member has a particular talent or skill that helps the team’s mission. So, we’re choosing characters based on their need for this particular heist. The Artful Dodger, Doctor Omega’s sidekick, is a master pickpocket and thief, and this will come in handy. It also leads to trouble. Merlin—though I can’t verify that he’s one of the Eleven—is history’s greatest sorcerer. We can’t reveal the others yet, though there will be hints in the first issue.
In the first issue, Omega and The Artful Dodger are in Camelot to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, though none of their skills help them much.
BD: Zac, what can you tell us about your shared creative process in working with James to bring this world and its well-known characters to life on the page?
Zac Atkinson: So far, the process has been pretty fun. We just sit and chat back and forth about ideas. My thing is I tend to have a lot of crazy thoughts with no focus, and I’ll info dump things on James and he tries to make sense of them. Our concepts get pretty wild, but once I draw and design things out, they tend to be easier for us both to grasp.
BD: James, this new series will be released through your publishing company, Monstrous Books. What defines a “Monstrous” title, and how do you feel that this series will complement the other titles in your catalog?
JA: Monstrous titles tend to be pulpy and a bit retro, stories that are entertaining and exciting and are accompanied by great art. The Omega Eleven has all that. It’s a little bit different for Monstrous since it leans more toward science fiction than horror, but its irreverent tone is very much in line with my other books like Dead Jack, Zombie Detective, and Dead Detectives Society.
BD: Crowdfunding has proven to be a phenomenal resource for comic book creators and publishers. What encouraged you to utilize Kickstarter for this project, and how would you describe your experience with the project thus far?
JA: For an indie comic book publisher, crowdfunding is pretty much the only way to go, unless you’re independently wealthy and already have a great track record and distribution. I’ve raised nearly $1 million on Kickstarter in the past three years. It certainly is a phenomenal resource for creators and publishers, not only financially but for promotional purposes. A campaign is basically a 30-day marketing event and it’s great for building an audience.
BD: Are there any specific backer rewards that you would like to highlight for those who contribute to your Kickstarter campaign?
JA: We have two awesome variant covers from J.K. Woodward (Star Trek) and Dave Acosta (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), Zac will be doing sketch covers and commissions, plus we’ll be including a new issue of Monstrous, our horror comic magazine. It will have a time travel theme to complement The Omega Eleven and we’re looking for some content, as well.
BD: In addition to your work on this series, are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
JA: I have a new Dead Jack short story coming out in the upcoming Occult Detectives issue of Weird Tales. I’m also running the upcoming campaign for another Kickstarter, which is for a horror anthology called NEW DEMONS. The lineup is crazy, with new stories from Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, Chuck Palahniuk, and Joe Lansdale.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about and support the Kickstarter campaign for The Omega Eleven?
JA: You can go directly to the campaign page.
Or you can check out Monstrous Books to see our other books and get out social links.
Zac’s site is https://www.zacsart.com/.
