In yet another New York Comic Con Artist Alley interview, we caught up with the creative team behind the upcoming miniseries, A.K.A.

Don’t ask me why, but it’s always surprising to meet someone who’s never been to New York before. It just seems like one of those place everyone should have already visited at least once in their lifetime. But as it happens, Image writer Kurtis Wiebe found himself in NYC for the first time this past weekend, and we took a few minutes to talk about his book, Green Wake, and some other projects he’s got going on in the coming months.

New York Comic Con 2011: Artist Alley Intervew – Kurtis Wiebe from Popcultureshock on Vimeo.

Taking a break from his many projects, comic book writer/artist Steve Walters sat down with me to talk about those projects, including A.K.A., with fellow artist Rob Reilly, the creative process, and working the comic conventions.

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After a month-long break, Smallville returns Friday night with an all-new episode. In “Escape,” Clark and Lois set out on a romantic weekend “that kind of goes awry,” according to Executive Producer Kelly Souders. The episode also sees the reveal of a “new duo”—most likely referring to the recent hook-up between Ollie and Chloe—and the live action debut of the Silver Banshee, in what has become a recent trend of comic-accurate interpretations of DC villains and heroes. “We always try to give a nod [to the comics] if not more,” says Souders. “For us, it was also a conscious effort to move closer and closer to the mythology as Clark gets closer and closer to [becoming] Superman.”

The events of “Escape” also set up the action involving Zod, the Kandorians, and Checkmate that will carry through to the end of the season. Of course, speculation has centered around whether or not the endgame of season nine would ultimately be the run up to a series finale. That mystery was answered, however, when it was recently announced that Smallville would be returning for an unprecedented tenth season. Which begs the question: will season 10 be the last one?

Last week, I had a few minutes with Kelly Souders, one-half of the showrunning team, to find out.

Wow, ten seasons, huh? Congratulations on reaching such a milestone! Now that we know you’re coming back, I think the one thing everyone wants to know is if it’s the final season.
It’s funny because over each of the last few seasons, people have speculated “oh this must be the last season!” So I’ve learned to never ever bet against Smallville.

Most genre shows rarely go beyond six or seven seasons, if that. Superhero shows usually fare much worse even. What do you think attributes to this kind of longevity? I mean, Tom Welling has already played Clark Kent longer than any other actor in history.
That’s true. Everybody on our crew and in our cast approaches every season like it needs to be the best season of Smallville. And because of that passion, I think that’s why we’re still on the air. Nobody comes in thinking, “oh this is the last season, I don’t need to work that hard.” Otherwise, we would’ve ended the show years ago. But I also think 10 is a nice round number and everybody feels very thrilled and privileged to get this far, so I definitely wouldn’t assume it’s not the end just because we’ve had an incredible run.

The converse of that, though, is that instead of saying “this is the end, let’s not work that hard,” you could do what the folks over at Lost have done and say “this is it; we’re going to throw everything out there and build toward the ending.”
Yes. Definitely

And in the case of Smallville, we all know what that ending is. Speaking of which, do you already have an endgame planned? And if so, how similar or dissimilar is it to what the show’s creators—Al Gough and Miles Millar—envisioned?
Whenever the final episode airs—whenever that is—there are moments that Al and Miles always talked about, and those are moments that we want to use to preserve their vision. They’re really great steps to getting into the full Superman mythos. So what will be a part of that episode, whenever it is, will be their vision. And every season, we think of more moments that would be really cool in the final episode. So we’ve been gathering these jewels along the way each year.

How many more jewels do you guys have up your sleeves? Because I have to admit, these last two seasons have been jam-packed with iconic Superman moments. For example, fans have long speculated that the final, final scene of the series would be Clark ripping open his shirt and revealing the iconic S-symbol underneath. The thing is, you already did that this season in the episode “Warrior!” So doesn’t that just up the ante for what we can expect in the series finale? How do you walk the line between giving fans what they want without showing your hand too much too early?
That’s what’s so great about Superman. There’s always something down the road. You never really run out of things to play with!

Speaking of upping the ante, February’s “Absolute Justice” was a landmark episode for the series. Not only did it mark your first ever two-hour movie, it did phenomenally well for you. I can only assume that the eventual series finale kind of has to be a similar extended event.
Yeah. We try to up the ante every year and challenge ourselves to do something new. We’re always looking for an aspect of the show that fans haven’t seen. So [“Absolute Justice”] brought in a new level of integration of the DC world and characters [into Smallville].

That episode also set up the whole Checkmate storyline that will play out the rest of this season. And I must say there’s pretty much a consensus that believes Pam Grier as Amanda Waller is genius casting!
She’s been so much fun! I love her Amanda Waller. You never know exactly what she’s going to do. She makes her unpredictable and wonderful.

Geoff Johns was such a big part of why “Absolute Justice” worked so well, and he’s done a lot when it comes to introducing the DCU into Smallville. During your hiatus, it was announced that Geoff was named Chief Creative Officer of the newly restructured DC Entertainment. Since Geoff is part of the Smallville extended family, what will his new role mean for the show?
It’s funny because we just came from lunch with Geoff! We’ve known Geoff a long time and absolutely love working with him. It’s just been a really great working experience. He’s always been completely supportive of Smallville. Every year we work with him to try to bring in some new characters. So certainly next year won’t be an exception. We’ll definitely be taking a new step towards the goal of expanding the DC world and hopefully everybody will like what we come up with!

From what I understand, DC Entertainment was formed to act as a liaison between the comics and Hollywood.
I think that what they’re doing is trying to expand the DC Comics’ reach even further. Obviously, having Smallville on for close to a decade has shown how viable television is as far as expanding DC’s world. Now with Human Target‘s success, that’s going to be a focus for them as well as the features side. We just expect that world to keep going because it’s filled with great characters and great stories that fans love seeing in multiple formats.

In the past, it seemed as if the features side of Warner always had restrictions on what you could and couldn’t show on Smallville. For example, certain characters are barred from ever appearing because of movie developments and so on. Has that changed? Will that change at all?
What’s important to the people at DC, just like any company that’s trying to oversee multiple properties, is to make sure everything lines up properly. To make sure that if something’s developing on the feature side that there isn’t a conflict somewhere else. With a lot more focus on DC, things will probably be happening that will allow for some of that. But it’s kind of complicated because we don’t really know just how things are going change that much. But I think it’s just going to be people making sure properties are protected and used in the best way.

I’ve never really understood the movie vs. television conflict anyway. I mean, Warner was able to develop, produce and release a Superman film while you guys were on the air. Now, it looks like the studio and Christopher Nolan are putting into motion another Superman feature. Will this new movie have any effect on what you do on the show?
Nobody’s called over [from the movie side] to say “hey, you can’t do that, we’re doing this over here.” You know, we’ve been on for so long that I think everybody sort of sees Smallville as its own little universe. But certainly, everyone’s big idea is to sort of string everything together.

Sorry for the brief tangent, but in talking about the Superman movies, it always frustrates me whenever I read an article about the failure of Superman as a film franchise, the writer usually bemoans the fact that as a character, Superman is inherently unrelatable to 21st century audiences. And I’m like, what about Smallville? They’ve been making Superman relate-able and appealing forever!
I find Superman to be incredibly easy to relate to. I mean, he’s alienated, he feels alone, he’s not sure he fits in. Everybody’s experienced that so for us, that’s definitely not an issue that we run in to.

Sorry for the rant. Going back to the show, and this season in particular, Tom Welling has spent considerable amount of time in the director’s chair over the last few seasons. Any more plans for Tom to direct this season or next?
Definitely. Tom’s a really great director. With his background, he really knows a lot about the other actors and finding the right motivation for a scene. And he’s really had some wonderful material to work with.

Speaking of directors, one of the show’s originals is coming back in the form of Greg Beeman. Other familiar faces returning this season include Michael McKean as Perry White and Annette O’Toole as Martha. Can you talk about what it’s like having these old school alums back in Smallville?
It’s been a blast. Brian and I have always enjoyed working with Annette. Obviously, Michael’s version of Perry White is unforgettable. He’s really brings a lot of energy and life to that character. And Greg had a lot to do with the production for many years. And while we’re not saying whether or not it’s the end, everybody knows the show is definitely in its homestretch, so it’s nice to see some familiar faces again.

Speaking of familiar faces, any chances Laura Vandervoort will be coming back as Kara? Last we saw her, she was searching for Kandor and the Kandorians have been such a major plot point this season.
Well, Laura’s on V so she’s been a little busy. But her name does come up a lot so you never know.

Fair enough. How about Clark’s glasses? Are we going to see them return? Ever since Clark showed them to Lois in “Crossfire,” they’ve kind of gone missing. Are there plans to address the iconic Clark Kent disguise?
We definitely inch a little bit closer to that every year. So without a doubt, next year we’ll take maybe more than an inch or two towards that famous Clark Kent look.

So if you do plan to incorporate Clark’s “disguise,” do you have a plan to address how no one recognizes Clark in the glasses?
That’s really the great question of all time, isn’t it? How does someone not recognize someone behind a pair of glasses? For us, it’s more about the double identity to be honest, about getting both images together.

Of course, the other disguise people are clamoring for is another one for Clark’s superhero persona. Back in San Diego, I believe Brian mentioned that the black trenchcoat look was just the first prototype. Are there others along the way before we get to the iconic Superman costume?
I think we all know that what he’s wearing now is just the interim to what he eventually wears. We’re about to get into this discussion over the next couple weeks over hiatus! So stay tuned, I guess.

What about the final Superman costume? Will we ever see Tom don the iconic red and blue?
Now that I can’t answer! People have been asking us that for years! I can’t blow it now!

Touche. So, finally, how do you maintain the balance of the original intent of Smallville without making it a full blown Superman show?
Each year, it’s a different challenge because we don’t want him to completely stall. We always want him to keep making progress and move toward becoming Superman. So at the beginning of each season, we sit down and talk about Clark psychologically. What’s going on with him, why he hasn’t put on the outfit, the lessons he has to learn. So each year, we look over what the final stages are that he has to get through being Superman 100%. You know, not just going around saving people, but actually embracing his persona and being that symbol of hope.
——-

Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

New Video Post From Emerald City ComiCon!

While at Emerald City ComiCon this year, we bumped into Chew’s John Layman (literally! in the elevator! and he recognized us from our videos!), who very graciously agreed to a video interview. Here, he talks about Chew’s next story arc, “Just Desserts,” the return of Mason Savoy, the awesome fold-out, poster-sized cover of Chew #15 (his description is hilarious), and what it’s like having the biggest “sleeper” hit of the year:

Kudos to Josh, who has loved and supported Chew from the beginning–just check out his reviews and previous interviews! Haven’t tried this awesome comic yet? Now you can buy Chew #1 for just $.80!

BUY CHEW COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS!

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Make sure to check this space bright and early Monday morning! That’s when we’ll start rolling out our exclusive interviews from Emerald City ComiCon 2010. We’re kicking things off with John Layman, writer of Image Comics’ smash hit, Chew! In it, Layman chats with Josh about the upcoming story arc, “Just Desserts,” gives us a first look at the Pulp Fiction-inspired cover for Chew #13, and fills us in about a free special feature included with issue #15!

But wait! There’s more! Next week’s raffle item is a copy of Chew Vol. 1: Taster’s Choice, signed by Layman himself! To enter, head to one of our three Oregon locations between March 29 and April 4, and you’ll receive a raffle ticket with any purchase. Or, if you live outside the Portland, Oregon area, you can sign up for our weekly Newsletter instead!

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading Chew, you’re missing out on one of the funniest, quirkiest, most surprising titles of the past year. You can check out our past videos, as well as an early interview by Josh, right here on our blog!

But remember, for the latest news, come back Monday and get the full scoop–you’ll be glad you did!

Questions? Comments? Post them below!

When we first set out to do Secret Identities, Jeff Yang, Jerry Ma, and I didn’t intend to make Parry Shen our fourth musketeer. In fact, I was just stoked to learn Parry was interested in the project. Like most Asian American moviegoers, I became a huge fan of Parry’s since he burst on the scene as Ben in the groundbreaking film Better Luck Tomorrow. He went on to have memorable roles in films like The New Guy–in which he got to make out with the future Summer Finn, Zooey Deschanel (I know, right?!)–and the cult horror classic Hatchet. Most recently, you might have seen him as Ty on television’s #1 show NCIS: Los Angeles.

But I still think that the coolest role on Parry’s resume is that he’s my homeboy. That’s why he agreed to this exclusive PCS interview in which we talk about auditioning for BLT, posting wedding videos on the internet, being a video game character, his close association with Asian Conan, how we suckered him into the SI crew, and more.

Most people, of course, know you from starring in Better Luck Tomorrow. Can you talk about how you got the part?
It just was a normal audition. I missed the first round of improvisations and then heard about the audition through a fellow actor who had just gone through it. I contacted Justin [Lin, the director] and off the bat was lucky enough to be paired with Karin Anna Cheung who eventually wound up playing Stephanie, the female lead. And we had this great chemistry and I recall thinking to myself, “If this girl isn’t one of Justin’s final choices, he’s nuts.”

Karin and I went in together and knocked it out of the park. We were doing the New Year’s scene where she’s supposed to kiss me, and she just kinda stopped and I whispered, “you’re supposed to kiss me
right now” and she yells, “I’m supposed to WHAT!?” The charm, awkwardness and playfulness that Ben and Stephanie were supposed to have was all there.

Even though Karin and I wound up being his final choices, Justin still kept on casting for three more months to see everyone he could. And it was agonizing hearing all the actors confirmed as the cast. I’ve known all these guys for years, and I’d be like, “Roger Fan as Daric? That’s so perfect!” or “Jason Tobin as Virgil? Of course!” Agh! Why is everybody in this movie except me?!

Three months after the callback, I finally got a call from Justin offering me the lead role of Ben. I was the last actor cast on the film.

That movie marked such a watershed moment in modern Asian American cinema. And it launched the careers of so many talented Asian Americans in Hollywood. How does it feel to be part of something like
that?
Extremely blessed. The cast members and I were pounding the pavement as actors for six years before BLT came along. So we knew how special this project could be if it came together the right way.
We all put our careers and pilot seasons on hold to do this project for deferred payment–which means getting paid $0 until the movie makes money. Which usually means $0. We were willing to do that because we knew even if we did book a TV series, we’d probably be playing the quirky, asexual best friend with an accent. And we had enough of that.

What types of things did you pass up?
I mean one day during shooting, my agents informed me that Woody Allen wanted to fly me out to read for a part in his next film! But there was no way I could leave set–I was pretty much in every scene. My agents wanted me to abandon the BLT. But I had to tell them, “Look, you guys have to trust me, this project is different–it’s special.” Of course, the whole agency was cursing me out under their breaths at the time, but in the end, one of the agents later admitted, “You were right.”

Wait you passed up a chance to audition for Woody Allen?!
Well, my agents were able to logistically make the meeting work. Basically, I left the set on the red eye from California to New York for the meeting and then flew back onto set the next day. I think I was in NYC for about four hours total. It was for the film Hollywood Ending, but I didn’t get the part. Soon-Yi was there to watch me audition for Woody, though!

Even though you didn’t get the part for Woody Allen, I’m assuming you would’ve killed to act for him. Are there any other directors on your wishlist?
Just the usual suspects: Clint Eastwood, Steven Soderberg, JJ Abrams, James Cameron, Zack Synder, David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, Spike Jonze, Robert Rodriguez, Ang Lee, Jason Reitman, and Christopher Nolan.

Just to name a few? Ha!
Actually, I learned an interesting thing when I was directed by Forrest Whitaker on First Daughter. I was prepared to just absorb all of this guy’s information and obey with whatever he had to say, but when it came time to shoot, I was taken aback when he asked me what I thought about a scene or how my character would deal with a [particular] situation. And it was really nice to be trusted and to give input like that, making it a real collaboration. Sung Kang conveyed a similar notion to me when he was directed by Denzel Washington in Antwone Fisher. So that de-mystification was a really empowering lesson–that although these great directors had a wealth of knowledge that I could learn from, I still couldn’t discount what I, as an actor, could also bring to the table.

Back in 2006, when we first put out a call for story submissions for Secret Identities, you were one of the first people to respond. So how did Jeff, Jerry, and I sucker you into becoming part of the editorial team?
As a comic geek and actor looking to create engaging APA characters, I thought the project was a no-brainer for me. But to this day, I really have no idea how I became part of the editorial team! I basically just approached you guys to submit an idea for a story I had–which wound up being “The Hibakusha” [in the book]. And during one conference call one day, Jeff just tossed me the responsibility of replying to anyone who submitted [stories]. Then that somehow turned into “write all the rejection letters.” Then that became “set up the deadlines for the contributors.” And so it went.

The first time we met in person was in Jeff Yang’s living room in Brooklyn in the fall of 2006 or so. It’s hard to believe that Secret Identities has been a part of our lives for the last three-plus years. What has been the best part of the SI experience for you?
I can’t count the number of best parts, actually. There are so many:
All of us in Jeff’s living room and looking at art samples on Jeff’s big screen TV. Jumping on the daily emails, going back and forth on new stories and artwork even though I was always three hours behind you guys on the east coast. Slowly getting different celebs to contribute and getting awesome pull quotes. Making the animated videos for some of the stories. Selling close to 80 copies at ECAASU, even though we had no actual book out yet. Making friendships with creators and artists that I’ve admired for years. Getting my personal box of books in the mail like George McFly in Back to the Future, while handing a copy to my daughter and telling her, “You can do anything if you put your mind to it!” Biff Tannen walking in to tell me he’s finished with the “second” coat of wax on the car. Wait, that last part didn’t happen.

Were there any not-so-great moments for you?
Really, the only worst part was the last week before we went to press and had to deal with artists and writers dropping out at the last minute and figuring out how to still complete the book. Oh, and that I hardly made any money acting-wise during that period because I was more focused on getting the book done than booking auditions. But just like BLT, if I truly believe in something I will drop everything–much to the dismay of my wife.

Right before the book came out, you wrote an impassioned letter on your blog about the importance of the community to support the book that echoed a similar open letter you wrote before the premiere of BLT. How does your experience putting out Secret Identities compare to the whirlwind surrounding Better Luck Tomorrow back in 2002?
Well with SI, there was a lot less mainstream fanfare. I mean, I got into People Magazine with BLT! But in terms of the importance, I think it’s right up there. It’s something that needed to exist and be available to address images and issues of the APA experience. The response was also very similar–you could literally see folks that have been waiting for something like this for years. And the grassroots marketing rang very familiar. The press, book tour, pull quotes we got were entirely obtained by our doing. As great as The New Press was, they just didn’t have the resources. I’m extremely proud of the work that we all did to pull this book together from scratch and to be actively integral in the sales that led to a third printing and being one of the publisher’s best selling books in 2009.

You were responsible for most of the “motion comics” that we put out ahead of the pub date. A task you pretty much put upon yourself. And I can attest, since I cut the trailer for my story, that it’s a grueling process. You even documented it (and look dogtired while doing it) in a YouTube “making of” video for Gene and Sonny’s story. So, what was the motivation for doing the motion comic trailers? What was the experience like? And would you wanna do that again?
I told someone that SI was my next project, and he said, “Well too bad–a book’s not going to play as easily as BLT did on the college circuit.”

It was a harmless comment and true to some extent but it kinda pissed me off that he was already writing off something I was planning to commit several years of my life automatically as some “failure.” So it made me think about how and why the buzz for BLT got to such a high level on college campuses. I figured a lot of it was due in large part to Evan Leong‘s documentary BLT Genesis, where he followed us while we were making the movie. His 30-minute documentary was mailed to all the campuses before the movie came out and really help create an awareness. And in thinking of how I could create a similar video to do that for Secret Identities, I suddenly realized, “Duh, all these stories are basically storyboards! The work is already done. All I need to do is to add voices.” And at that point in my career, I was beginning to delve into the world of voiceovers and playing around with audio–so all I had to do was to call up my actor friends and invite them to play on my microphone. And the
movies have come in handy to just shoot out via email to schools, play during a book appearance in lieu of a traditional reading, and making the stories quickly digestible in a three-minute trailer.

It was probably where I felt the most comfortable in the process of what I could personally contribute to the project. Because the world of publishing was and is still new to me. I had a lot of catching up to do: learning about verso and recto pages, creating a book map, using Illustrator and Photoshop. Besides my organizational skills and storytelling/dialogue sensibilities–I was pretty much useless with anything that had to do with the publishing aspect, which is why I think our editorial team’s skills complemented each other so well. But when the idea of creating a video [component] to help with the marketing of the book came about–that was within my comfort zone and skill set, and I immediately knew what needed to be done for that.

In fact, it’s a lot easier than shooting a video because I don’t have to worry about shooting the footage, getting the right angles, or the right lightning. The image is the image. All I need to do is work on pacing it to fit the tone of the story, adding the voices and the foley sounds, which I think was the most fun part of the process.

Now that SI is out of the way, you’ve been keeping pretty busy doing non-comic book stuff. For instance, you recently appeared on an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. What was that experience like? Is there any chance the role could be recurring?
Yes, since I realized that I couldn’t pay the mortgage solely with signed copies of Secret Identities, I decided it was best that I start acting again. With NCIS:LA, the director and I were trying to find a unique and memorable voice and trait to stick out from the existing cast members. We came upon a snarky personality to give him. I hope to get a few more chances in the future to work Ty out.

By the way, this means you have starred alongside both LL Cool J in NCIS and Kool Moe Dee in The New Guy–who famously beefed back in the 80s, which in my mind, makes you the coolest guy I know.
Well, what I think is even cooler is that I got my ass kicked by Vanilla Ice in The New Guy and then I got to know MC Hammer since he was an investor on BLT. In fact, Hammer was even going to be the pastor that married my wife and me. Those two guys used to go head to head back in the day. But just so you know, most guys think I’m cool because I got to make out with Zooey Deschanel at the end of The New Guy.

Ah yes, kissing Zooey. Color me jealous. Speaking of which, she makes a cameo in the BLT “deleted scene” in which you propose to your future wife. Have you seen the YouTube vid of “Jeff and Erin’s wedding announcement?”
I have, and it is very cool. Although it is technically superior in terms of production value… Jeff and Erin weren’t really in any of those films. By editing my proposal video into a movie I was actually in, I think I trump Jeff and Erin. Heck, my wife thought it was really a part of the movie and thought my character was proposing to Stephanie!

Speaking of BLT deleted scenes when are we gonna get a BLT Blu-ray?! And if it ever happens what special features would you like to see on it?
There was so much behind-the-scenes footage that we have. From Roger Ebert defending our film at Sundance to a real time split-screen showing how Justin made 20 extras look like 100 partygoers by simply
reusing them and changing their clothes all in one shot. Maybe even the marriage proposal video. Who knows? We’re only three years away from the 10th anniversary. That might be a good time to put out a Blu-ray. Loads of fun, yes?

You also recently wrapped Hatchet 2–wait, what? Didn’t your character kind of, you know, die last time around? What gives?
Well in [the first] Hatchet, my character mentioned he had a brother, so voila, enter “Justin”–incidentally named after Justin Lin, Shawn’s more competent twin brother who heads into the swamp in search of his brother.

Hatchet 2 is another in a long string of horror movies on your resume. I mean, you’ve been in so many horror flicks, the fansite Pretty/Scary named you “Mr December 2008,” a fact that Jerry and I will never tire of, by the way. Are you a big fan of the genre?
I’m just a fan of movies, be it any genre. As long as there is a story to be told and provides some escapism, I’m game. Being in one genre film tends to get you noticed and appreciated by more creators, producers and writers of the same genre. That’s why I seem to have done more films in that particular area than any other. But I do enjoy genre films because the fantastical circumstances really help give you great aspects to jump off of. Like, I think my character in Hatchet is some of the strongest character stuff I’ve ever done. Doing just a pared down character in a straight drama is at times more difficult because it’s just you. But the greatest challenge, particularly in a genre film, is that a slew of other elements need to come together as well.

What was it like on the set of Hatchet 2? How is the set of a horror flick different, if at all, from other sets you’ve been on?
What sets a horror set apart from a traditional one are the days a character is set to be killed. All of a sudden, the special effects crew eagerly emerges with gusto from their secret lab on set with fake blood, hot glue sprayers to create spiderwebs, rubber prosthetic wounds to attach to faces, severed appendages for the camera to cut to. It’s really the one special time this crew gets to finally see their creations come to fruition in the grand scheme of the storytelling. And everybody cheers when a head explodes the right way. It’s kind of surreal but you definitely get into it when you’re in that environment.

Your stunt double on Hatchet is Steven Ho, who most people nowadays know as “the guy who kicks Conan O’Brien’s ass once in a while”. So I gotta ask, you were Team CoCo all the way, right?
I have been a fan of Conan since he first debuted 16 years ago. His bizarre and absurd humor just made sense to me. But I have to admit, as more people discovered Conan, I kinda watched it less and less. It’s like that indie band that all of a sudden everybody loves after you’ve been following them for years. But I am and always will be on Team CoCo.

You also did some mo-cap work on a top secret video game project recently. What can you reveal about the game and your part in it?
It’ll be Activision’s largest game to date. It’s a reboot of the “True Crime” series simply called, TRUE CRIME. It’s about an undercover cop delving into the underworld of Hong Kong. I play Winston, the boss he befriends. There are a lot of big names in this: Chow Yun-Fat, Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Kelly Hu, Will Yun Lee, Tom Wilkinson.

What’s it like to act in a skintight bodysuit with little plastic balls sticking out everywhere? (Personally, I think it sounds kinda kinky.) Is it a different kind of acting than what you were used to?

I felt like I was in the Spider-Man costume. Honestly, if I could only do that kind of acting, I would. I mean, I can do the most menacing voice and the animators can come up with an appropriate body for that character. It’s really like what James Cameron said about Avatar–technology opens up new possibilities for actors. I didn’t have to worry about makeup, projecting, opening up to the cameras or staying in my light because a tiny camera and mic was always fixed in front of my face. All there is left to do is act. And if a stunt is required, a guy like Steven Ho would just slip into my suit and the audience would be none the wiser. The downside is there are no residuals with video games. So I can’t really make a living on solely that.

Are there any other projects on the horizon?
I’ll be directing and co-producing an animated web series called “The Kid’s Table,” based on Keiko Agena’s original Mango Pop characters. It’s about a group of four 12-year old girls who have different personalities and are forced to eat at the kids table every week when their parents get together to play poker.

Sounds fun. I’m going to be talking to Keiko about that soon, actually. What other projects are you working on?
I’ve also been writing a comedy script for the past two years that I’m looking to get made. Our friend [and fellow SI partner-in-crime] Jerry is helping me with storyboards right now, and we’re tossing around the possibly of making it into a graphic novel adaptation first. I think that might very well be my next baby that I drop everything for… that is unless we get rolling on SI Volume II.

Recently, you finally decided to join the rest of the world and launched your own Twitter account. What prompted that decision? I seem to recall you being reluctant to join before.
Honestly, it was purely for the sake of convenience during a website update. I only update every six months or so, and I was simply planning ahead. I wanted my webmaster to put up icon links for my Facebook and MySpace pages–and then I figured, “What the hell, might as well get this Twitter thing up there and get it out of the way.”

I am still leery if the 14 followers I have really care what I am doing on a day-to-day basis. But it is pretty cool that there is a character count limit that forces you to pare it down to the essentials. Because, as you can see from my answers, I can go on for awhile. This entire interview would probably be about 85 Twitter posts.
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Actually, I did the math, and this interview would probably take up 25 tweets. Anyway, True Crime drops in September 2010, and Hatchet 2 starts slaying moviegoers the next month in October, just in time for Halloween.


Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team

Pop Culture Shock participated in a Virtual Q/A session with Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill) to talk about his new film, Extract, which comes out on Blu-Ray and DVD on December 22nd, and is what he describes as his own little sequel to his live-action cult-classic, Office Space. Extract is about Joel (Jason Batemen) who has built an empire of vanilla extract and his troubles. His bartender friend, is a drug pusher. His wife (Kristen Wiig) leaves him sexually frustrated and his neighbor Nathan is the most annoying person on the planet. Joel hopes to sell his company off to the highest bidder until an accident on the clock puts that in jeopardy. You know these characters, and you know these situations. Judge again is able to recreate a small town world that’s familiar and is filled with funny and odd characters. Here is a full review of the Extract Blu-Ray.

ON EXTRACT’S STORY AND CHARACTERS

While so many other comedies tend to shoot for these big company stories, you tend to reside in settings with small town folks as the main characters (King of the Hill, Office Space and now Extract) what draws you to these small town stories?

Mike Judge: I would say my stuff resides in suburbs of big towns also, or small towns that are near big towns. I guess that’s because I’ve mostly lived in places like that — Albuquerque NM, Richardson TX, etc. I think that a lot of writers in film and TV in the past have tended to come from NY or big east-coast cities, and there have also been great stuff written about really small hick towns, and so I feel like I can maybe bring a different perspective on things with a suburban setting.

Did you always have Jason Bateman in mind for the lead role?

MJ: I started writing this a long time ago – I think it was shortly after Office Space came out. I originally wasn’t thinking of any actor in particular, just writing it. Jason had done King of the Hill and I always liked him, but when I saw him in Arrested Development, I thought he would be perfect for this, and when I rewrote it and finished it, I was imagining him as the lead. It’s a similar character to what he did in AD, but I think Joel is a little less slick or something. Jason was the first actor I gave the script to and he said he liked it and wanted to do it, so it was him from the get go.

Since Diamond Comic Distributors is taking a holiday-dictated time out the last week of December, there will be no new mainstream books in comic shops December 30.

With this in mind, a group of trailblazing comics creators founded Indy Comic Book Week, an event in which indy creators can get their books into comic shops across the nation. (We’re also participating here at TFAW.com, and creators have ONE WEEK LEFT to submit–click here to learn how to send us your comics!)

We were able to conduct an email interview with three of the founders: Matthew Warlick, Vinh-Luan Luu, and Jake Ekiss. Read on to learn what inspired them and get their perspective on where indy comics fit into the industry as a whole:

TFAW.com: Hi guys, thanks for sitting down and answering a few questions!

Matthew Warlick: Anytime, thanks for having us.

Vinh-Luan Luu: Not a problem; I have been really looking forward to it.

Jake Ekiss: Anytime!

TFAW.com: Why don’t you start by introducing yourselves? Tell us a little bit about who you are, your history with comics, etc.

MW: I’m Matthew Warlick. I’m an “independent” comic creator as well as freelance illustrator and art director. I’ve been in love with comics since I was about 10, when a friend let me borrow his New Mutants #93.

VVL: I’m Vinh-Luan Luu; I just go by Luan though. Confusing, I know. I’m a freelance graphic designer/illustrator by day and a comic book creator by night. Because of my experience and efficiencies, I’m mostly on the production end of things at Space-Gun Studios. I’ve been into comics since about the second grade; collecting my first issues with Jim Lee’s X-Men run.

JE: I’m Jake Ekiss, and I’ve been working on indy comics and webcomics for about 7 or 8 years now. My first big project was working with Vinh-Luan Luu on the webcomic Space-Gun. It was a gag-a-day strip that updated twice a week and ran for three years, roughly. Since then he and I founded Space-Gun Studios and joined other artists Paul Milligan, Evan Bryce, and Matthew Warlick. Our first big studio project was to put together the Synesthetic anthology. Since that I’ve done a number of indy and for-hire comic projects. My book for ICBW is the first full-length comic book that I’ve done solo as an indy creator.

TFAW.com: What inspired you to found Indy Comic Book Week?

MW: We were directly inspired by Kyle Latino’s “Deadline 09″ challenge, which made its way to us through some blog posts and online discussions. We thought it was a great idea and started brainstorming ways to hop on board. I came up with the snarky idea of calling it “No Comic Book Week,” and Luan came up with the much better “Indy Comic Book Week.” From there I set up the website and we started posting about it on Twitter, and it took off and became the beast it is today.

VVL: Paul Milligan came to us with a flyer/posting he got from his friend Edward Priddy, who in turn got it from Kyle Latino like Matt said. Oddly enough, I was in California at the time when I got this so what happened next all happened via emails, blogs, and tweets. Within two weeks, we go from the original email, to “No Comic Book Week,” which becomes “Indy Comic Book Week,” and my original blog post about it. The website and the twitter hashtag [#indycomicbookweek] soon followed; before we knew it we had emails from across the nation and even a few overseas. What started as a local Dallas-Fort Worth event turned into something massive; it has been really interesting to see the development happen through the twitters and blogs.

JE: Originally there was an article by Kyle Latino circulated that described both the Diamond Skip week and referred to it as “Deadline 09,” a time when Indy creators would have their works put on the shelves in place of the usual mainstream books. We had the idea at the studio to take the whole thing a bit further, and Matt went ahead and purchased the webspace for indycomicbookweek.com. We decided to turn the website and accompanying blog into a sort of hub for the event. People can go there to preview their work, find recourses for promotion, and find what retailers are supporting the event.

TFAW.com: Can you tell us a little bit about what Indy Comic Book Week involves?

MW: Originally it was going to be just a local Dallas event showcasing books by local talent. More than anything it was a good motivating force in the sense of having a hard deadline to produce some quality work. Once the website went up and a few local retailers hopped on board and started promoting, it really took off. It’s quickly become a nationwide platform for creators to promote their books and independent comics in general.

VVL: Indy Comic Book Week is about taking advantage of an opportunity. UPS is closing for an extra day, due to where the holidays land this year. So instead of dealing with the shipping fiasco of getting new books to shops on Wednesday after Christmas, Diamond decided to forgo the shipping and just have a “No Ship Week.” So we are taking advantage of that shipping loophole to fill in those gaps on the new release shelves that would usually hold Spider-Man or Superman.

TFAW.com: How long has Indy Comic Book Week been around?

MW: At this point it’s been around less than six months, since about late August. It’s really exceeded all of our expectations in terms of exposure and support.

JE: This will be our first year, though there is already talk of making it an annual event.

TFAW.com: What has the response been like so far this year?

MW: Overwhelming. The support from creators, retailers, and fans has been amazing.

VVL: Yeah, pretty overwhelming. What started out small where we could just call up creators or walk into a local comic shop has become a huge ordeal of coordinating information across the nation. Jake had to call up shops himself and figure out who’s in charge and if they’d like to participate. Nothing really difficult to do, but there’s a lot of shops and creators that wanted to jump on board.

JE: Thus far the response has been very positive. There’s been some hiccups just trying to get a solid system in place what with the brutally quick turnaround, but otherwise people have been universally supportive. Retailers to fans, we’ve gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback.

TFAW.com: How can creators participate?

MW: The “official submissions” are closed, unfortunately. With the event less than month away, we’ve had to stop adding creators to the site to focus on promoting our own books and the event in general. Creators can still talk to shops about carrying their books, and there’s a list of participating retailers on the site for just that reason. Creators can also promote their books through the Twitter hashtag “#indycomicbookweek.”

VVL: Yeah, with what Matt said, we are in what we dubbed “Phase Four” of ICBW. It is in these final weeks where we should be promoting the event to fans. At this point, creators should have their books done and are corresponding with retailers about carrying their books. Now we need to let the fans know about the event. Its about letting them know what’s going on, where to find these books, and why it’s a rocking event with things like in-store signings, specials deals on the day, live art events, and so forth. We the creators know why this is such a great event; we need to share that enthusiasm with the fans.

JE: The best way is to check the website out and get signed up on the blog. At this point it’s virtually impossible for people to put out new books, but folks who have books that were already coming out in December could always hop on board. Likewise, we’ve capped the official website for listing new people on the site proper, but the blog is still open for anyone who wants to sign up and show previews of books that will be on store shelves the week of the 30th.

TFAW.com: How can the average person get involved this year?

MW: By promoting the event and the site, by visiting the blog, and most importantly by going into shops on December 30th and checking out all the great independent books that they might not see otherwise. And if you find something you like, let your money do the talking, and be sure to let the retailers know you appreciate the chance to read indy books.

VVL: The size and reach of Indy Comic Book Week was really created via social networks like Facebook, Blogger, livejournal, and twitter. And we need to use those same methods to spread the news. We have a Facebook event up and the twitter hashtag #indycomicbookweek is really active. And of course come in on December 30th to your local shop and pick up a few great comics.

JE: The best thing people can do is spread the word about the event. We’re on Facebook, twitter, pretty much everywhere online, but word of mouth is still the best way to spread news. The more people that hear about the event and come out to support the indy books at their local shops, the better.

TFAW.com: Where do you think independent comics fit in today’s comics landscape?

MW: I think they play a large role, larger than most people might realize. There is some really creative, intelligent, and beautiful work being created that’s really pushing the medium forward. The stories are rich and powerful, and there is often no status quo to maintain, so you get some really interesting things you wouldn’t necessarily see in a book from the big four.

VVL: The great thing about indy books is the creative freedom. It’s a place where any creator can go and try out new things and tell different stories.

JE: Comics, particularly American comics, are experiencing something of a Renaissance right now. With the Net becoming more and more a viable platform for indy books and the print-on-demand companies becoming slowly more affordable, indy books are gaining more and more prominence.

I think a lot of the more creative ideas are coming out of the indy market, and I think that will continue. It’s also a great place in the industry for new guys to cut their teeth and really get some experience on how comics are put together. Nothing teaches you better than the experience of doing it yourself, and for the first time the average Joe really can put together a book completely on their own and see what it’s like.

TFAW.com: Do you think they’re more visible then they were, say, 10 years ago?

MW: Definitely. The success of Indy Comic Book Week speaks to that, as does the number of small press books, independent creators, and webcomics out there.

VVL: Oh, much more. I think with the rise of print-on-demand, the online market as both a means of sales and distributing content, and the various conventions across the nation, an indy creator can really make a viable home in that wide landscape. There is no need to wait for someone to get back to you; you can do it yourself, rock the market, and let them come to you.

JE: Definitely. The Web has been a big part of that. Combine the Web’s ability to give unlimited access with POD production, and it’s never been easier to produce an indy book. That means there’s a lot more indy work out there, and gradually it’s finding its way more and more onto store shelves.

TFAW.com: Do you think the rise of webcomics have helped get more eyes on independent comics, or are they something else entirely?

MW: I think webcomics are the best of both worlds. Those creators that succeed not only have an understanding of comics but also of the online world in general. They have a direct line to their audience and take a huge stake in their creations, and also prove that niche content can be very successful, if done right.

VVL: Of course they’ve helped. That’s because webcomics are independent comics, just in a different format. They have to create a story on a regular basis, find their fanbase, and figure out how to sustain themselves financially. At the core that is no different than any of the indy books out there on shelves. I think people see webcomics as different because the more successful ones right now are more strip-style comics; but there are webcomics out there that do a long-format story telling very well and those will start gathering more momentum soon.

JE: I think the two are like cousins in the same family. Webcomics tend to be a different format (although not always), but their rise has certainly paved the way for indy comic books. I think the two are entwined if not entirely representative of each other. Long-term indy comic books will have different challenges to face, but there’s no doubt the webcomic scene has affected them positively.

TFAW.com: Are any of you comic creators yourselves?

MW: I suppose I’m an “independent” comic creator, meaning I don’t have a Marvel or DC exclusive. Yet. I’ve done art and colors for some small press books, but mostly work on my own stuff while doing freelance design and art direction to pay the bills.

VVL: Yeah, I would consider myself a creator; though I am in more of a support role for the studio.

JE: In fact we all are, and several of us will have books out for ICBW. Mine is Solomon Azua, a sci-fi epic with cool spaceships, deadly aliens, and wicked tech.

TFAW.com: What do you like most about independent comics?

MW: I like the variety. If you can think of it, there is probably a creator out there doing it. Or trying to, at least.

VVL: The creative freedom they give creators who may want to tell a different story than what would be the norm.

JE: I think the best thing is the freedom and the responsibility. Doing a book on your own carries with it a tremendous sense of accomplishment, and knowing that you are in charge of it from start to finish means you have a lot of control over the quality and the little details that can make or break a book.

TFAW.com: What are your plans for future Indy Comic Book Weeks?

MW: I think we’ll see how this one goes first then revisit it. We’ve talked to some local retailers who are interested in helping grow the event for next year, so that’s a possibility. I think it all depends on how well everything goes come December 30th.

VVL: There has been talks about having this become an annual event. We have to see how this year’s event goes before addressing next year; there have been a few bumps here and there, so we have to figure out if those can be paved over or if we’d have to find another route.

JE: Right now we’re still focused on this year, but with so much enthusiasm I think it’s safe to say this idea will carry on somehow. What with the POD companies starting up their own distribution as well, it may become a much larger event the next time we do it.

TFAW.com: Apart from your own work (of course) what other independent creators would you recommend the novice indy reader check out?

MW: I’m definitely looking forward to the stuff from my studio mates Jake Ekiss and Paul Milligan. Green Monk looks awesome, and I’ll definitely be picking up a copy. Omnitarium looks great, as well.

VVL: I’ve gotten to see most of the studios’ books so far, and I think people will love them. One Night Stand looks to be pretty awesome.

JE: I’m really looking forward to the book Omnitarium myself. And of course I’ll recommend anything from the local Dallas crew. David Hopkins has a book called One Night Stand that’s geared towards the more mature reader that I’m really excited about.

TFAW.com: Thanks again!

MW: Thank you!

VVL: No problem! It was fun!

JE: Anytime!

Have you submitted your independent comic to TFAW.com yet? There’s just one week left! Are you planning to participate in Indy Comic Book Week and try some new comics? Post your comments below!

There’s has been such a huge groundswell of interest in Jericho Season 3: Civil War, the upcoming comics series from Devil’s Due Publishing, that when TFAW.com got a chance to interview part of the creative team, we jumped at the chance! As you may already know, Jericho Season 3: Civil War is the official continuation of the much-loved Jericho CBS television show starring Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James, and Ashley Scott.

From the very beginning, Jericho has had dedicated, active fans–so much so that they convinced CBS to bring the canceled show back for a second season! Now Jericho’s beloved Rangers are back for a third season in comic book form. Read on to learn more!

TFAW.com: We are here with show writer/producer Dan Shotz and series editor Cody DeMatteis–thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, guys!

Dan Shotz: Our pleasure . . . we are so thrilled that Jericho Season 3: Civil War is finally here. We love seeing the Jericho story continue in comic book form, and we have a feeling the fans will be very pleased with what we’ve put out. The whole Jericho team from the show is involved in the creation of this comic book series and we are having a blast working with Devil’s Due Publishing to give the fans something truly special.

TFAW.com: Jericho was much loved by fans–so much so that they were able to bring it back to CBS for a second season after cancellation. What made you decide to bring it back as a comic?

DS: This has always been about the fans. They are so passionate and have inspired us to keep the story going. They made history when they brought the show back for a second season and we, the writers and producers of the series, wanted to continue the story for them in different ways. This story is very close to our hearts and we feel like we have so much more to tell.

TFAW.com: Where does Jericho Season 3 pick up, storywise? Of course, this series has “Civil War” right in the title. Can you tell us about that?

DS: We left Season 2 with a Civil War looming between the East and the West. And now we have the opportunity to show it. The first group of books will deal with the Civil War on the verge of breaking out and the repercussions of living in a potential war zone. Jake and Hawkins will be directly involved with the outcome of the war itself, while the Jericho citizens will be fighting a resistance from within the new Allied States.

TFAW.com: Dan, what was it like adapting Jericho from television to comics? Were there any particular challenges?

DS: As the writers of the first issue, Robert Levine and I found it very freeing. The comic book form allows us to go big without restrictions. When you are working on a TV series, we are limited by budget and time concerns. When you want a tank to arrive on set, it costs serious money. With a great artist, we can fill a base with a dozen tanks free of charge.

TFAW.com: Cody, were you a fan of Jericho before you started editing the comics? What things do you keep in mind to make sure the comics have the same “feel” of the series?

Cody DeMatties: I had been a fan of the series, right up until the cancellation. Given that the cliffhanger we were left with I was more than excited to be involved with this project. There are plenty of factors to making sure that the comic retains the same overall feel of the original show, but Dan has been a massive help in guiding the voice of the comic. He’s the one that ensures when fans pick up a copy of Jericho #1, they’re going to be more than satisfied.

TFAW.com: How well do you think this comic has recreated the characters and world of the TV series? For fans, will this be like getting a “real” Season 3?

CDe: As Dan noted earlier, with the comics, fans are going to be getting a bigger story. The scope of the Jericho world isn’t tied to budget anymore . . . the sky is the limit for where this can go. I feel that people are going to find the same dynamic, character-driven stories they’ve come to expect from Jericho, but with the freedom of the comics medium allowing for the exploration of aspects not possible on screen.

TFAW.com: How would you describe this comic to readers who’ve never seen the show?

DS: Jericho is a story about a world turned upside down by a coordinated terrorist attack that wiped out 23 American cities. As America is slowly trying to rebuild itself, the country we once knew is now split into different factions and they are each vying for control. But at the heart of the story, Jericho is about the citizens of a small town, who are making a difference on a grand scale. They are fighting back for what is true and right and will risk their lives to save their home.

TFAW.com: How did you choose the artist, Alejandro Giralbo? In the preview pages I’ve seen, it looks like he’s captured the likenesses of the actors really well.

CDe: I connected with Alejandro through Nutopia Agency. We got samples from a variety of artists, but he really nailed the feel we were going for with an added sense of realism. He’s a very talented guy . . . I feel we’ll be seeing more from him in the future.

TFAW.com: Are there going to be any relationship developments in Jericho Season 3, or is this mostly an action tale?

DS: When the writers of the series got together to break the story, we made sure that the book would feel like the show. While the show had high-quality action set pieces, it also had rich characters with strong emotional beats. We didn’t want to lose that multi-layered texture of the Jericho story. I think we found a good mix of exciting adventure with the deeply personal.

TFAW.com: Are there any surprises in store for fans that you can reveal?

DS: We have so many juicy pieces of candy in there for the fans. Don’t want to reveal too much. But I will say that all of the Jericho characters, the fan-favorites, make their way into the book.

TFAW.com: Jericho has such a committed, passionate fanbase–why do you think they relate to the show so strongly?

DS: While the show started with an enormous premise, a post-apocalyptic devastation, it’s connected with audiences because of the individual characters who were forced to realize who they were under the most extreme circumstances. The “what if?” scenario can be very powerful and emotional when you try to see yourself in that position. That concept is where this whole ride began . . . to create a community of citizens that would face adversity on every level and continue to survive. This idea continues to inspire us.

TFAW.com: After this six-issue miniseries has ended, are more story arcs planned?

CDe: We are in the process of discussing what is up next for DDP & Jericho . . . a few exciting ideas being passed around. We should have details soon. We want to keep telling stories in the Jericho universe as long as the fans will allow!

TFAW.com: Thanks again for you time–I’m looking forward to reading the comic!

Dan and Cody: Thank you very much.

Jericho Season 3: Civil War premieres today–make sure to pick up issue #1 now and pre-order issues #2-4 right now!

What do you think of the latest comic book adaptations of television series? Which others would you like to see? Post now or forever hold your peace!