The following is an interview with Eisner Award-winning writer Mark Russell (Second Coming) on partnering with AHOY Comics for their first-ever Kickstarter campaign for the sci-fi series, The Forgotten Divine. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Russell about his shared creative process in working with artist Russ Braun to bring the story to life on the page, the incredible backer rewards available through the campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: AHOY Comics recently launched its first-ever Kickstarter campaign for your new sci-fi drama series, The Forgotten Divine. What can you share with us about the premise of this satirical series and its examination of cultish behavior?
Mark Russell: Well, it’s less satirical than it is an attempt to create a cult and take it seriously. To look at how an extreme belief system ties those who share it together and to tell the story from the perspective of the people inside the cult. Though there is a fair amount of gallows humor.
BD: Your collaborator on the project, Russ Braun, noted that this was a “challenging story, both to read and to draw.” Do you feel that this story was unique to your body of work in posing specific challenges to the production process or that it required risks that you haven’t previously undertaken?
MR: It is definitely unique. It is very dark in places and yet, to my thinking, full of wonder and mystery, which is what makes it so appealing to the people inside The Forgotten Divine. I think it is definitely one of those stories that I didn’t script so much as cough up. It feels like my subconscious wrote this story as much as my brain did. And it wasn’t until it was done that I really understood what it was about.
BD: How do you feel that Rodney’s story may connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it might inspire?
MR: I think we all, to some degree, feel disappointed by life. That this is not what we imagined. And if we, like Rodney, suddenly have an experience that turns our understanding of the world upside down, might we not grab that rope? Climb it to a more fascinating and meaningful existence, even if it means leaving our lives and maybe even our sanity behind?
BD: In light of the Kickstarter campaign, are there any particular backer rewards that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MR: I think the one I am most pleased with, other than the fake lock of Tom Peyer’s hair, would be the variant cover I designed for the book.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
MR: Yes! I also currently have two other series on the shelves right now. Racer X, which tells the story of Speed Racer’s enigmatic older brother, and Dog Tag, a story about a soldier who is also a writer, and his diary of the last year of World War II.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for readers to lend their support to The Forgotten Divine Kickstarter campaign?
MR: By going onto Kickstarter right this very second, looking up The Forgotten Divine, and signing up for updates. Plus, they’ll find out about even more of the other extras and giveaways. Who knows? They could even get a real lock of Tom Peyer’s hair.
