Image Comics is having a banner year, and they continue to champion the idea of creator-owned comics. A bevy of creators also have taken on that concept as one of huge importance, as writers Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Steve Niles are launching a new title called “Creator-Owned Heroes” in June with the help of artists Kevin Mellon and Phil Noto. What’s it all about? What’s their goal for the book? We talk with Palmiotti about all that and more, including some preview pages of Phil Noto’s art, below.
To start, let’s get to the root of the idea. How did the idea for Creator-Owned Heroes come about, and who was there from the beginning on pushing this forward?
Jimmy: This has been an ongoing conversation between Justin, Steve Niles and myself that was taking form each and every time we spoke in person or online. We were looking at what each of us can bring to the table on the project, and taking an even further look at who are audience was for the project we were going to present. We decided that both of our audiences are mostly aimed at adult readers and that they are lovers of genre material. Once we came up with the name and the approach… two 11-page stories and about 16 pages of editorial, we contacted some retailers for their opinions on the format and then pitched Image Comics to get this project happening.
While you’re still busy with for hire work at DC, you’re increasing your creator-owned content with this year’s Queen Crab, COH and the upcoming Captain Brooklyn. What as the impetus for you to expand your creator-owned efforts?
Jimmy: It’s a simple one. I have a lot of ideas that I want to share and if I am going to get them out there, I better get off my ass and make it happen. Most of the companies now are not really looking for original ideas, and I understand that since they find characters with long histories always guarantee better sales. I had to find some kind of plan where I was able to fund the projects and bring them to fruition without gong broke. For COH, I planned well in advance . For the other ideas, things like Kickstarter are making it easier to create books like Queen Crab and the current project running called Retrovirus. Doing creator owned books is always a risk, but it can be done and it can find an audience…if all the parts fit together.
Last year, we had minor success with Trailblazer, Tattered man, and Random acts of Violence. This year, Creator Owned Heroes is the biggest gamble I have ever taken in comics…and I think its going to be a bit of a rocky road out of the gate, but we have a years worth of material planned, so we shall see how it goes. This is a grassroots business and the retailers and fans control all of our destinies, so our job is to give them the best product we can and hope for a following. I don’t have a ton of fans, but the ones I do have are the friggin’ best there is. We hope the mainstream work we do brings them out to try our other projects.
Was Image always the place you wanted this book to reside?
Jimmy: Yes. I have been working with them for over 10 years now since we launched The Pro with them, and they have been perfect partners all across the board. We pitched the idea of Creator-owned Heroes to Eric Stephenson about a year ago, and he gave us some really good advice about format and cover presentation, and really helped us form the book into what it is today. We have a great working relationship and their group is on top of all the different aspects of selling the books, from the printing, to the promotion and finally to the delivery. It is a good healthy relationship that I hope continues for a very long time.
The format for COH is something that I find very interesting. It’s going to be coming in a more magazine style format, with the first issue featuring two comics and an interview with Neil Gaiman. Why did you as a team decide to present it in this way instead of a standard comic format?
Continued belowJimmy: The word “standard” is the key word. We wanted to do something different and give the reader a little bit more of an experience when they pick up the book. I am sick of paying 4 bucks for books I read in a minute, and we all discussed the different ideas we could do to make this a nice mix of comics and magazine that isn’t a reprint book…or a repackaging of existing material. At the same time we wanted to get our ideas and personality to be part of the experience as well. When you pick up the book, we deliver two stories, articles, interviews, photos and our opinions of the world of comics. We hope people care enough to come back for more each month. Having Neil be our first interview was a real gift.
Given its magazine style format, are you and Image looking to get this book more prominent placement in book stores, or does that have nothing to do with it?
Jimmy: Nothing to do with it, but it would be nice. All we are worried about is the audience and finding an audience when there are so many books coming out each week fighting for shelf space is going to be tough. We hope people are up for something different and that’s why we have been pushing the idea of pre-ordering the book so strongly. We know a lot of people are going to not be able to find the books otherwise. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised with some of the content we have planned. So far, my favorite part is the creator interviews.
With the slightly different format, is the stock of the print going to be different, closer to magazine style than comic?
Jimmy: It’s a comic book first, with added material. Like all Image Comics, the paper stock is the best there is.
The two artists on the initial stories are Kevin Mellon and Phil Noto, two guys who have really rose to prominence over the past couple years because, simply put, the guys are outrageously great. What made them such a great fit for this endeavor?
Jimmy: They both are distinctive artists with their own look that can do adult material. We are pulling no punched with the stories in the book. I am a fan of their storytelling work; so working with them both was a no brainer. Phil and I have been collaborating for many years now and it’s a great-shared relationship. Steve and Kevin are doing an amazing job. These stories are a lot of twisted fun.
Your portion of the story is collaboration with Justin Gray and Noto, titled Triggergirl6. Hasn’t this been something you and Justin had been meaning to put together for some time? Why did it take so long to come to life? I think I first heard of it in 2009 or so.
Jimmy: We were originally going to do it as a graphic novel but Phil became too busy with his DC and Marvel work at the time. When we came up with the idea and format of Creator-owned heroes, it was all in the timing, getting Phil on board to complete the story. The bigger picture was that I needed to bank away enough money to pay everyone involved beforehand. We have been working on this story for a while and we are really excited to see it coming out. In total, it is 44 pages…44 beautiful pages.
What’s the elevator pitch for Triggergirl6 for those that do not know?
Jimmy: The sixth in a series of lab created assassins is created to kill a very important man in the government. The difference is this one gets closer than the rest and starts questioning who she is and why she is doing what she is doing.
How much of Triggergirl6 do you have planned out going forward?
Jimmy: This all ends in 4 parts. If people like it, we will do more…but this ending is really a traditional ending. Nothing is left hanging for the reader. We deliver the goods.
Going forward, is the plan for Triggergirl6 and American Muscle to be the backbone of this story? Or are there going to be other creative teams dropping in with other stories from time to time?
Jimmy: After these two stories we have another 2-part story from Steve and Justin and I have another story lined up with a different art team. For now, these stories will all be from us, but if the book takes off, we will see other creators getting involved. We have to have the sales first…and gain an audience. Like I said before, it’s all in the retailer and readers hands. If they like it and come back for more, we should be in business and growing for a long time to come. I have everything I can humanly cross, now crossed.
