The following is an interview with Slavik IA and Jack Kasprzak regarding the release of their comic book, The Daily Mobster. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with the creators about their shared creative process in bringing the story and characters to life on the page, the themes they hope may resonate with readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the release of The Daily Mobster! For those who maybe unfamiliar, what can you tell us about the overall premise of this series?
Slavik IA and Jack Kasprzak: “Some want death, others want life! They both have a currency and a price.” – Baron Samedi
The Daily Mobster is a cinematic graphic novel that takes place in the 1920s. It’s a dark mobster epic with a touch of the supernatural, where suspense, drama, and action are mixed with absurd humor.
Our story features 80 unique characters, based on Jack’s original designs from a blog he started 15 years ago. Every week, Jack would draw an original character, during his lunch break at work. After three years, the blog had gangsters, politicians, business tycoons, horse jockeys, prize-winning dogs, a boxer, wrestler, an invisible man, a cow and a chicken and even a robot.
Every character embodied their own unique characteristics, personality, style and random but themed story. We brought them together to tell a linear narrative as part of our ensemble to create a world that has never been experienced before.
The cinematic graphic novel begins through the eyes of The Kid, a 12-year-old who lives at a rotten orphanage, just outside Port Noir. The Kid’s daily survival routine is to trade stolen cigarettes for cookies with the playground bullies. One day, however, his normal life stops when a mysterious assassin appears on the island and is dead set on killing The Kid.
The Kid barely escapes, but musters up the courage to jump off the cliff and row a boat to the nearby mainland of Port Noir. It’s here, he discovers what feels like a bustling city, full of life and amazing opportunity but little does he know that this city is about to experience its most violent battles between powerful families, notorious mobsters, and corrupt politicians.
Throughout the chaos, The Kid transforms from a naive orphan to a journalist, who discovers the darkest secrets of Port Noir, why his assassin won’t stop coming after him and ultimately the price of his life.
BD: How would you describe your shared creative process in bringing this world and its characters to life on the page?
SIA/JK: Jack’s initial drawings from 15 years ago give each character a purpose in our story, whether they have questions to ask of you, or to present you with dilemmas to think about. This idea allows us to write an unfiltered story, with the depth of the serious novels, but combined with dark humor to ease the tension. Each character’s story arc has its roots in their 2d design and our translation of them into the 3d characters. The original essence, intrigue, and humor guides our characters and allows us to develop unique takes on gangster archetypes.
At the core, we are a two-person duo, wearing many, many hats and this is by design. Our ability to world-build the city of Port Noir is based on our experience in writing, film, and animation. The 1920s are so tactile, they are about details and grits. These elements embody every location, set, vehicle, piece of furniture and prop, so you feel that a long time ago, the city of Port Noir actually existed.
Our core story process begins much the same way others might, but because we are able to create, pose and render images rather quickly we previsualize the scene soon after writing – which creates a great feedback loop. It’s a bit like writing while on set, but without the expensive and costly delays. Being the writers, the illustrators, the animators and the editors all at the same time, gives us powerful insight and control over every decision’s impact.
Q: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums and genres. How do you feel that this story may impact readers, and are there any conversations that you hope that it might inspire?
SIA/JK: We think there is a lack of thought-provoking stories today. Corporate oversight creates franchises that reach for the broadest audience possible, fear taking risks, and sand off the edges of anything experimental. These popular franchises are milked to their sour end by endless sequels and in time, lose their magic.
Our goal with The Daily Mobster is to do the opposite. We take chances, we keep the imperfections, and are not afraid to ask uncomfortable questions about power struggles, personal morality, integrity, relationships, or just how far you would go to get what you want – these are all explored through the many characters’ journeys. And, because we are an indie comic, without any creative censorship, we are able to craft a beautiful, but raw, story about humanity.
BD: What should readers anticipate by way of the number of issues planned for this current story arc?
SIA/JK: The Daily Mobster will be about 25 Chapters. Each chapter is roughly 125 pages and our goal is to release 6-8 chapters a year. Chapters will be available digitally and in printed form, while providing slightly different experiences in terms of color and feel.
Once finished, we hope The Daily Mobster will be one of the most unique and thought-provoking stories ever written.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our Readers?
SIA/JK: In 2023, Jack and I created a mobile shooter called Pirate’s Boom Boom, it also shares Jack’s unique design, black and white style. The game is about a Pirate & Crow duo that takes on armadas of ships on the open sea. It’s a mix of arcade, strategy and rpg. It’s free to play and has minimal ads.
Both of us (Jack & Slavik) have nearly 40 years of combined experience in the visual effects and animation industry, which we unleash in The Daily Mobster. We have worked on some of the biggest grossing films of all time and brands such Transformers, Pirates of The Caribbean, Free Guy, Black Panther, Kung Fu Panda, and Spiderman.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about The Daily Mobster?
At www.dailymobster.com, we welcome anyone who is itching for an epic that is based around character, visuals, and imaginative story-telling. Each chapter is packed with our imagination, sense of humor, mood and texture to give you a premium experience for absolutely free and no disruptive ads.
To reward our readers, every month we do giveaways! One lucky site subscriber will win a unique giveaway such as custom maquettes of the characters, art prints, signed printed copies and other merch.
Because we aren’t funded by a big studio, we encourage everyone to be involved in the production of The Daily Mobster at a producer level. Your name can appear in the credit section not only on the website, but also in the printed copies, forever engraving you into The Daily Mobster saga.
