A couple of years ago, I had the great fortune of interviewing one of my all-time favorite comic writer/artists, Jason Pearson. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be one of my favorite interviews.
Jason has had a varied and interesting career in comics. He has worked for all of the major companies on all of the major books, including X-Men, Batman, Robin, and many more, including a lengthy and memorable run as cover artist on Marvel’s “Merc with a mouth,” Deadpool.
Jason is considered an “artist’s artist” which is to say he is highly regarded and respected by his peers. Jason was also a founding member of Gaijiin Studios that pooled the talent of some of my other favorite artists, including Adam Hughes and Joe Phillips.
After the image explosion of the ’90s, a lot of renowned talent started turning to creator-owned projects. Makes perfect sense. Why make all the money for “the man” when you can keep the lion’s share for yourself? Not to mention the gratification on working on something you created yourself. (Not to say I don’t still want to write and draw Wonder Woman, damn it!)
Body Bags was and is Jason Pearson’s pet project. First released as a mini-series under Dark Horse’s Blanc Noir imprint in 1996, Body Bags told the tale of a “body bagger” (Read hit man.) reunited with his estranged daughter who is hellbent on following in daddy’s footsteps.
The series was a hit, if not a controversial one. (I mean the concept of a father/daughter tag team of assassins really does take “bring your daughter to work day” to a whole other level!) Body Bags would make appearances via short stories, one-shots, and other minis over the years, and I was always ready to scoop it up whenever it resurfaced.
Jason would move back and forth between Body Bags and work for the Big Two over the years, doing Body Bags when time and finances would allow.
It’s been awhile since we have seen new Body Bags from Jason, but the good news is that it’s coming back with a vengeance and should be released in time for its 20th anniversary. (Lord, I’m getting old.) Body Bags: Don’t Die Until I Kill You promises to be the next installment in the Body Bags mythos.
Jason began his Kickstarter event on October 21st hoping to reach a goal of $20,000 to fund his project. The book was funded within two days of the start of the campaign, thus proving what I all ready knew: The appetite for Body Bags and Jason Pearson’s art is still as ravenous as ever!
Although it is already funded (Yes, I put my money where my mouth is!), I hope he makes 10 times as much as he was hoping for. Then, we may not have to wait too long before we see Jason’s next project. Or at least he can buy a plane ticket to Hawaii after the book comes out. As anyone who has done a crowdfunding project knows, it’s freaking exhausting!
If you’re a fan of Jason, Body Bags, or just totally bitchin’ comics in general, you should definitely check out this Kickstarter project and throw some much-deserved cash its way. The Kickstarter clock is ticking!
Check out the project here!
