The following is an interview with Eisner-nominated writer Norm Harper (Rikki, The Sequels) and artist Meaghan Carter (Godslave, To Know a Witch) regarding their return to Kickstarter for the sequel graphic novel, The Iron Barge: Book Two. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Harper and Carter about where readers will find themselves in the new installment, what they hope that readers may take away from their story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the recent launch of your Kickstarter campaign for The Iron Barge: Book 2! Where will readers find themselves in the adventures of Brook and Porter in this new installment?
Meaghan Carter: Brook and Porter are continuing their road trip across post-apocalyptic Las Vegas to get Porter to the prison known as The Ark! We get to see a lot more of the world, both what’s been destroyed and what’s been rebuilt by the animals now that the humans are gone.
Norm Harper: Yeah, this book picks up just moments after the end of Book 1, with Brook and Porter in the clutches of a tiger named Stripes, who isn’t too happy with our heroes. From there, like Meaghan said, it’s a road trip story. Which means new locations, with some amazing new visuals, and new characters to meet. Most of them gunning for our mismatched pair. Book 1 was, understandably, a lot of setting up this world and I feel like, with that work done, this volume really gets to make use of the premise more fully.
BD: In returning to The Iron Barge’s world and characters, do you find that you have developed a creative “shorthand” in your continued collaboration?
MC: Because we took a break between books to fulfill the Kickstarter, I actually felt like I had to re-learn how to draw the characters, haha. There was a little rust to work through at the start, but each page it felt like ‘okay NOW I know how to draw them, finally.’
NH: I’m in a similar situation. I wrote the entire three-book series a couple of years back, and it can be a trip to have art for the pages come in with the script not being as fresh in my mind as it traditionally is on a project. “Did I write that?” But I think that’s a testament to how much Meaghan and I both love this world and these characters. We’ve kept the spark of this story alive through a lot of trials and bumps in the road. I’ve had other stories that I’ve shelved forever due to much smaller obstacles, but this project won’t stay down.
BD: Why do you feel that crowdfunding has been such a valuable resource to ensuring the success of today’s comic book creators?
MC: I feel really strongly about this, and am holding back a gigantic essay about how important self-publishing is, haha. But to me, crowdfunding specifically helps democratize books being made. Rather than a publisher’s editor and accountant deciding if a book will make money and how much a creator should be paid for it, crowdfunding lets the AUDIENCE decide if a book can make money. It means that weird books, queer books, BIPOC books that might never have seen the light of day can not only get made, but their creators can get paid for their labour, as well. It puts power back into the creator’s hands.
NH: I agree with everything Meaghan said, and mostly just want to add that I’m super grateful to her. She had prior experience with the platform, and so she runs the show when it comes to Kickstarter, and I’m the loyal lieutenant. She’s a huge part of why Book 1 was such a successful campaign.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
MC: In this book, Brook begins to struggle with definitions of ‘right and wrong’ that she was taught. There’s the law, and there’s what matters. She’s kind of just starting to confront those questions, and I think that’s a conversation we’re seeing play out every day in the world right now. There’s what you’re told and what you see in front of your face. It’s tough to unlearn these things, as Brook learns.
NH: This is another area where this volume has an advantage over Book 1. Last time, we set up the prisoner/guard dynamic between Brook and Porter, and now with them on the road together, we get to watch the push and pull between their worldviews more fully. This series has a very strong POV about how the morally right thing to do is often against the rules.
BD: In light of the crowdfunding campaign, are there any particular backer rewards that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MC: I would have loved to have mentioned the original art rewards, because I drew and inked both covers and the print traditionally – but they’re gone! They were gone day one, I didn’t even get to promote them. My runner-up favourite is the sticker set, because I had so much fun designing them!
NH: All the speaking roles are already gone, but there’s still the chance to have your pet put into the book via background cameo, which I think is such a fun idea.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to share with our readers?
MC: I do a comic on my own called GODSLAVE! If you’re looking for more talking animals, it only has one (my bad). But it’s about a girl tricked into working for an Egyptian God, and subsequently ending up in the middle of a Pantheon Family Feud. It’s got action, gods and mortals in modern day, and you can read the whole thing for free at godslavecomic.com .
NH: I guess I have to point out that my meta-commentary on nostalgia, The Sequels, is currently available from Fanbase Press.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about the The Iron Barge: Book Two and your other work?
MC: Iron Barge Book 2 is currently live on Kickstarter! You can look it up and watch the video I had a bunch of fun editing like a music video! You can also find me on bluesky and instagram as megacarter
NH: We also post pages from Book 1 once a week at www.ironbargecomic.com. That’s a great way to check out the story thus far and see if Book 2 is right for you. But it is right for you, just trust me and run straight to the Kickstarter page. I’m “thatnormdude” on BlueSky and Instagram.
