The following is an interview with Aaron Mak regarding the upcoming release of the comic book series, Gods Among Men, through Cynation Comics and ComX Studio. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Mak about his shared creative process in bringing the world and characters to life, the upcoming launch of a Kickstarter campaign for the first issue, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Gods Among Men! For those who may be unfamiliar, how would you describe the series’ premise?
Aaron Mak: Gods Among Men is an unprecedented narco-noir, and a socially disruptive true-crime story. It follows Jason Lee – a restauranteur with a failing business, a father to a young daughter, and an outside-the-box thinker with great ambition who increasingly incorporates less-than-legal methods to keep his business alive and provide a better life for his family. He descends quickly into the criminal underworld, where he begins to discover how intertwined the mundane layman’s world is with that of the ethereal criminal underworld.
BD: In tandem with the release, you will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first issue of the series. What encouraged you to utilize crowdfunding as a part of your production process, and what can you tell us about your experience thus far?
AM: We felt Kickstarter was a great platform to be able to bring in and facilitate pledges from people interested in your comic. We are working alongside ComX Studio (the publisher of Gods Among Men) to build the fandom on top of our social media efforts. Kickstarter’s pledge rewards system is also great, because it really put us in the consumer’s shoes to craft differing rewards that would us say: “We want all the various tier rewards ourselves!” There’s nothing more important than a product that the creators would want to buy themselves.
BD: What can you tell us about your shared creative process in bringing this world and characters to life on the page?
AM: Co-creator and writer (and brother) Josh Mak and myself have been collaborating since 2017 on various creative projects so we started off this project with an established collaborative relationship. With our artist, Ben Sullivan, we spent the initial period briefing him on the intricate backstory so he could imbue authenticity into the artwork. He would lay down the pencils and inks (which he would knock out of the ballpark), which we’d then take to our colourist, Wilson Go. With brief descriptions of some specific elements, he’d colour the pages in a way that served the scene and bring it to life. In summary, Josh Mak is the brains, I am the hands, Ben Sullivan is the heart, and Wilson Go is the soul.
BD: Are there any specific backer rewards that you would like to highlight for our readers?
AM: In two of our tiers, pledgers will be able to acquire our Gods Among Men Collector’s Cards – these will be available as 3 random cards in our First Tier ($5AUD) or as a full set of 9 in our Third Tier ($20). These cards feature art from the book, and act as mini databooks which provide people with additional information not found in the book.
Another unique tier we’ll be offering is a hardcover edition of the book, which will feature a handwritten forward, unique bonus messages written by Jason Lee himself, unique remarques by Ben Sullivan, and a QR code exclusive to the hardcover which takes readers to a video that brings the story of the comic into reality.
BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?
AM: Prior to Gods Among Men, our team at Cynation Comics collaborated with ANA – a Melbourne-based symphonic metal band – to create a comic for their official band merchandise. This is a unique situation as we’re making them exclusive to purchase at ANA live shows (with the exception of some special requests), and we’re down to the last 20 copies from a total limited run of 150 copies. The 2nd printing of ANA #0 is underway, and we will begin work shortly on ANA #1 to continue the story for our readers. In a nutshell, an interdimensional goddess comes to our world with a hidden agenda, seeking out the greatest champions it has to offer. Think manga-inspired storytelling told through western comic art style.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Gods Among Men and your other work?
AM: We are constantly updating fans across all our social media:
Turn on notifications for the GODS AMONG MEN Kickstarter.
Instagram: @cynationcomics
Facebook: @Cynation Comics
X/Twitter: @cynationcomics
