The following is an interview with writer Michael Moreci (Barbaric, Star Wars) regarding his Zoop crowdfunding campaign for Roche Limit: The Deluxe Hardcover Edition. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Moreci about the experience of revisiting his work on the series, what made this project stand out from his incredible catalog of titles, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: You recently launched a Zoop crowdfunding campaign for the first-ever collected hardcover edition of Roche Limit. As you look ahead to the combined collection, what has been your experience in revisiting your work (alongside artists Vic Malhotra and Kyle Charles) on the series?
Michael Moreci: Honestly, I don’t love all my work. No writer does. It would make life too easy!
But, there are some books I’ve written that hold up, and I find Roche Limit to be one of them. I have a deep fondness for how bold it is. I’m really trying to cram a lot of ideas in there, and I like that each volume is unique onto itself. Would I do some things differently, given the chance? Definitely. There are things that irk me. But, overall, I enjoy this younger version of myself, one who maybe was more or a risk-taker, and it makes the series really enjoyable.
As for Vic and Kyle, what can you say? They’re both absolute pros, and their work on this series was remarkable. The book looked great then, and it may look even better now.
BD: In looking back at the development and creation of the series, what can you share with us about your shared creative process that really made this series unique to your incredible body of work?
MM: I think it goes back to what I was saying earlier, about taking risks—this is a much bolder series than I remember, and I wish I could remember the exact headspace I was in at the time so I can try to recapture it. There’s so much going on, so many allusions to scientific theories, philosophy, movies, and more. I look back at it, creatively, wondering where that all came from. I don’t know that I’d have the nerve to go that big, I really don’t. Roche Limit is very much the work of a younger, more daring writer. I don’t know if that makes it better, necessarily, but there’s some verve in there that I recognize and enjoy.
BD: Why do you feel that crowdfunding – and Zoop in particular – has been such a valuable resources to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators?
MM: Crowdfunding is so essential. Traditional comic publishing is such a gamble anymore. The entire industry is in a really challenging place right now, and releasing a book—going through the expensive process of printing it, shipping it, etc.—is always a risky proposition, riskier still in our current climate. Crowdfunding not only provides security, but it allows creators to take risks and find an audience that maybe they wouldn’t find in the marketplace as it stands right now.
BD: Are there any specific backer rewards that you’re most excited about with the campaign?
MM: This is a dull answer, I know, but seeing the book in hardcover is going to be such a joy for me. Roche Limit is important to me, personally and professionally, and to see it have this new life and reconnect with its audience (and hopefully find a new audience) is meaningful to me.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MM: Barbaric! My bloody and profane sword and sorcery series is coming back this fall. We took a fairly long hiatus, but we’re back in full stride. We’ve got a one-shot, The Black Knight, coming in October, then an all-new story arc coming in December.
Additionally, I’d love for every single person to pick up Alex Segura’s and my Dick Tracy series. It’s such a fun update of the detective in yellow (who’s one of my favorite characters), and I’m really proud of the work the entire team is doing on it. A new story arc, our third, begins soon.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Roche Limit: The Complete Series Deluxe Hardcover?
MM: If I can say anything, it’s that the book, I promise, is worth their while. It’s a big story, and a complete story, and it’s one that touches on some important ideas. It’s full of ideas, in fact, and I think that’s what good sci-fi should do—present ideas, challenge us, make us think. I present it in a pulpy package in Roche Limit, drawing on noir, action, metaphysics, and more. It’s a book I’m proud of, and I’d love people to share in the enjoyment of it.
