The following is an interview with co-writers Mark Russell and Bryce Ingman (Second Coming) regarding the upcoming release of their satirical comic book series, My Bad, from AHOY Comics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Russell and Ingman about the creative process of working with artist Peter Krause to bring the story to life, what they hope that readers will take away from the story (in addition to its tongue-in-cheek take on superheroes), and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: AHOY Comics will soon be releasing the first issue of your new superhero spoof, My Bad. What can you share with us about the beginning of this epic, new interconnected superhero universe that will put all other epic, interconnected superhero universes to shame?
Mark Russell: My Bad started as something Bryce was writing to be a back-up feature for Second Coming. His story centered around a villain (Emperor King) forming an unlikely friendship with a hero (Rush Hour). But, to Tom Peyer and me, it felt like rather than fitting in the Second Coming universe, it was more like the start of an entirely new comic book universe. So, it became its own series with me fleshing it out by telling a complementary story about a vigilante hero/heir to a lamp fortune (The Chandelier) trying to figure out why Emperor King sent him a salad shooter for his birthday.
BD: Bryce, what can you tell us about your experience in collaborating with artist Peter Krause?
Bryce Ingman: My Bad is the first time Peter and I have collaborated, and it’s been a complete joy. Peter has unlimited tricks up his artistic sleeves, so he’s able to roll with the crazy and sometimes complicated scenarios Mark and I ask him to illustrate for My Bad. Plus, there are a gaggle of costumed characters in the “Important New Superhero Universe,” and Peter Krause is an utterly fantastic character designer. Look at the Chandelier or Rush Hour. These are ridiculous superhero uniforms, but Peter manages to make the people dressed in them look like real, believable people. And that makes him the perfect artist for My Bad.
BD: As with all of AHOY Comics’ releases, this series is sure to be packed with incredible bonus features. Have you been given a sneak peek at the additional stories and/or illustrations that will be paired with My Bad?
MR: Yes. In fact, I’ve written several of them. As extras for Issue 1, I wrote a parody of those comic ads for Hostess fruit pies they put in comics. I also wrote a parody of the toy ad pages you used to see in comics. AHOY also let me draw the artwork for that one, too. God help them.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums, especially satirical superhero stories that make us think while keeping us laughing. How do you feel that My Bad’s story will connect with readers?
BI: My Bad is certainly meant to make readers laugh (and perhaps groan), but it’s not all empty calories. Mark and I both like our comic book stories to have a bit of substance to them – even if that substance is surrounded by chimps running around with buckets of acid and superheroes getting kicked out of bologna sandwich restaurants. As silly as My Bad gets, and it gets pretty damn silly, we’re approaching these new characters as real people, who come complete with all the hopes, fears, and eccentricities we humans have. I think people will enjoy the mix.
BD: Are there any other upcoming projects on which you are working that you are able to share with our readers?
MR: Yes. I have One-Star Squadron, a DC series about second-tier heroes trying to make a living. That one drops in December. With art by the effervescent Steve Lieber. I also have more stuff coming out on AHOY, like new seasons of Billionaire Island and Second Coming, as well as guest-writing an issue of Wrong Earth.
BI: I have a fairly insane story coming out in an upcoming issue of AHOY’s Edgar Alan Poe’s Snifter of Death. It’s my honest take on what I think would happen, in our current national political climate, if a Republican Senator was revealed to be a werewolf. It’s funny. And gory. And terrifying in the worst possible way. I hope people will check it out.
