The following is an interview with writer Michael Tanner regarding the recent release of the collected trade paperback for Orcs in Space: Volume Two from Oni Press. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Tanner about revisiting the world and characters of the series, the bonus content that readers will have in store with the collected edition, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the release of Volume Two! For those who may be coming to the series fresh with Volume Two, what makes this story the perfect sci-fi comedy for new readers?
Michael Tanner: I think the diversity in types and style of jokes really makes it accessible. “You like the Three Stooges? This book is for you! You like The Office? This book is for you! Think you might like that stuff in space? I’ve got great news for you…”
The greatest strength of the series and the great strength of the writing team is that we all had very different comedy points of view but understood each other’s points of view. We were able to incorporate all those different joke styles and make them work since we’re dealing with very diverse characters. We’re able to do silly slapstick with the orcs because…well, they’re dummies. We get to do some “cringe” comedy with the Starbleeps. We get to do pop-culture jokes referencing everything from The Transformers to Warhammer 40k.
BD: In returning to the world and characters of the series, did you find that there was a creative shorthand amongst the team in bringing each issue to life?
MT: Us all being roughly the same age and same level of media consumption (way too much) let us communicate like that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Darmok.”
Gor and D.O.N.A at the Aarken when the shields fell.
BD: What will readers have in store in terms of bonus content or other new material within the collected trade paperback?
MT: There’s some great early design sketches for the new characters in this volume. They are really neat!
BD: How many issues do you and the team have in store for the Orcs in Space series?
MT: It will be 12 issues total…and that might be it, unless there’s demand for more. We have a lot of great stories to tell with these characters and we hope people want to hear them. The last page of issue 12 is such a fantastic tease that I hope people really get loud about it and want to see more.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
MT: I have a new series coming to Kickstarter, I believe, in April. It’s called Battle Grapple: Rebel and is a novel take on pro-wrestling. I asked myself what pop culture would look like in a future setting and decided to examine it through the lens of pro-wrestling. I’m working with Don Nguyen and Dave Wheeler on that one.
I also have a new graphic novel series that is about to be announced and I am anxious to talk about it, but I officially have to wait. My co-creator on Junior Braves of the Apocalypse, Greg Smith, and I are writing it together.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Orcs in Space: Volume Two and your other work?
MT: The Oni website is a great way to keep up on what’s coming out and when. I will also say the artist, Francios Vigneault’s instagram, is probably the most fun way to keep up with Orcs news.
My website is great way to keep up on what I am doing.
