It’s down to nearly the final day, but on Kickstarter right now you can find a really unique and interesting sci-fi anthology book entitled “Fearless Future”. Curated by Chris Robinson, these 40+ page books put together a swath of talented creators combining to tell sci-fi stories in the vein of Twilight Zone and “2000 AD.” Featuring talent like Declan Shalvey, Ian Herring, Dallas Penn, Kelly Fitzpatrick and more, the Kickstarter has surpassed its goal — but it can certainly do better.
So in an effort to help make sure you don’t miss out on this exciting project, I sat down with Chris for a quick Q&A about the book, and why it deserves your faith.
What’s your ‘elevator pitch’ for “Fearless Future?”
Chris Robinson: “Fearless Future,” or as we started shorthanding it, FeFu, is an anthology of science fiction micro stories about the future and change and human nature in relation to both those things.
Tell us about yourself – what’s on your comic book resume?
CR: My first credit ever was a special thanks in “Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of our Fathers.” I’ve been a Marvel , Archaia, and Valiant intern. My biggest credit was assistant editor for “Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand.” My next title is called “Operation: Redux” (it’s got nazis!).
I think of myself as an editor foremost, which in my opinion requires a very different skillset from writers/artists. If you’ve never worked with an editor you may wonder what’s the point, but the fact that guys like Remender and Jason Aaron rely on a really talented editor (Hey, Sebastian!) in their creator-owned work speaks to the value there over anything I could say.
What possessed you to start this project?
CR: I had some down time after “Tale of Sand” but before my next project and wanted to do something creator-owned. One of the most important things you can do as a first/second/third-time creator is build connections with your contemporaries. I thought an anthology would be a fun way to do that, especially if I did the whole thing one hundred percent my way, which ended up being very different than anthos, like Dark Horse Presents, for instance.
Who are some of the writers/artists working on this book?
CR: Only the best! *Deeeeeep breath* Adam Szym, Afu Chan, Dallas Penn, Declan Shalvey, Deron Bennett, Eric Skillman, Ian Herring, Jody Leheup, Josh Tierney, Jytery, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Kendall Goode, Paulina Ganucheau, Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, Roland Boschi, Rus Wooton, Ruth Redmond, Savanna Ganucheau, Sebastian Girner, Theotis Jones, Jared K Fletcher, Clayton Cowles, Alejandro Arbona, Austin R. Wilson, Derek Fridolfs, Ken Jones, Jesse Turnbull, and Byron Crawford… plus a whole slew more that I want to keep under my hat for right now.
I like to think of this group as “the most known unknowns,” partially because I like strained allusions to Three 6 Mafia albums and partially because it’s kinda true. Like we all know “Moon Knight” megastar artist, Declan Shalvey for his interiors and covers, but did you know he was such a gifted writer, too? His script was one of my favorites and very much the product of someone who’s been on the receiving end in the past. That’s just one example of the kind of credit shuffling that went down on “Fearless Future.” Everyone is such a multi-hyphenate talent that deserves room to do more in comics. FeFu is hopefully just the start of that.
So I wouldn’t really say that we have breakout talents in the way you’re thinking since everyone is a known quantity. That said, if I were a big two editor, I would be beating down Kendall Goode’s door with sample scripts and if I were a children’s lit imprint editor, I would be beating down Deron Bennett’s door to lock down the U.S. rights to Quixote.
What’s your favorite story in this collection?
CR: Such a cop out, but they’re all my favorites for very specific, ultra-sentimental reasons that would instantly dash my rep with the office fight club. Like for instance, I will always remember Derek coming through as the first creator I didn’t explicitly know personally, but was totally GGG as soon as I pitched the idea to him.
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What makes Fearless Future a unique project?
CR: This is such a bonkers collection, but it wears the uniform of the mainstream, if that makes any sense. FeFu goes toe-to-toe with any anthology on the shelves right now, but it achieves that on its own terms.
You won’t find a more incongruous group of folks coming together to make some of the best comics you’ll ever read. Talent made up from old hiphop blogs I used to read and podcasts I listen to… From books I’ve done in the past and the as yet uninitiated… Talent I admired but hadn’t had the opportunity to get together on project yet… All coming together in the name of classic science fiction. Collaboration is what makes this medium great. I think that’s really special.
Whenever I get involved with a book, I constantly ask myself “Would I read this?” I don’t think I’m alone. Are you like me? I think so. So really, “Fearless Future” is for us. There’s another version of this book with a very different set of collaborators. I’m glad we’re doing not doing that version. More than that, I’m glad so many people want to read this version. There’s still time to get involved if you are like us.
