It was October 2012 when Silas first crash landed on a mysterious alien planet. More than 3 years later, Ken Garing returns to the world of “Planetoid” and Image Comics. This month, the sequel to the first series, “Planetoid: Praxis” hit comic book shelves. Picking up after the first arc, the inhabitants of this planetoid are greeted by yet another visitor to their world. After the fight for their freedom, they learn the fight might not be over yet.
Here at Multiversity, we were able to talk to series creator, writer and artist Ken Garing, about the new chapter in the “Planetoid” series. In addition to the interview, below we have exclusive preview pages from issue two, which hits stores on March 8. “Planetoid #1” is available in stores and online now and and the final order cutoff date for issue #2 is February 17.
It has been more than 3 years since the trade for Planetoid was released. How does it feel to be back putting out a new issue in the Planetoid series after that long?
Ken Garing: It’s great! I’ve been eager to get Praxis out there. I had a couple of experiences with non-creator-owned projects that didn’t work out right after Planetoid. In the end I got paid, but no work appeared on the stands. I took a break and traveled. Then I did a short story for Vertigo and some issues of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” for IDW. But all the while I was working on “Praxis.” Also, “Planetoid” got optioned and I’ve been creatively involved in that too, which has been interesting.
What made the story of “Praxis” one you wanted to explore instead of a new series?
KG: I actually began work on a totally new series initially, but eventually “Praxis” took over. I have a lot of other ideas, but I felt like there was still more to be said with “Planetoid: and if I was ever going to do it, I might as well do it now. It just took a long time to get it published. And even though “Praxis” is a sequel (in that it takes place in the world of “Planetoid”) in many ways, I view it as a new series because it’s so different from Vol. 1.
Has your approach or style changed since that first volume?
KG: The storytelling style is the same but the story itself is very different. Vol. 1 followed the “Hero’s Journey” template, whereas “Praxis” is more sprawling and with a more complex moral dynamic at play.
As for the art, there’s definitely been some changes. The line work and color is way more bold. When I first started working on “Praxis” I was looking at a lot of work by Richard Corben and Tanino Liberatore; their use of color makes everything else look boring in comparison. Planetoid has a particular tone, but I felt like I could experiment with the color and still retain that feeling. I hoped it worked!
Where does this series pick up following “Planetoid?”
KG: So, a settlement has been established on “The Slab” – which is this continent sized piece of infrastructure on the planetoid’s surface. A woman named Onica is their de facto leader and she now has two kids Aden and Zuri. She’s partnered with a man named Nkunda. The settlement has sustained itself peacefully for years but that is all threatened when outside visitors start coming to the surface. We follow this cast of characters as they cope with the changing world around them.
While I suggest readers go pick up/read the first volume will new readers be able to pick up “Praxis?”
KG: For sure! The only feedback I’ve received on that, has been positive. New readers seem to not have any problems there. “Praxis” is it’s own story. It’s self-contained. “Praxis” #1 was designed as kind of a bridge between the two series’. I hope people don’t shy away from it just because it’s based on a previous series.
The first series felt like it had a bit of everything in its design. Traditional sci-fi, post apocalyptic
tones, aliens, robots, and lizard companions. What have you drawn on for inspiration for the world of “Planetoid?”
KG: My big three influences in comics are Corben, Moebius and Otomo. So, I’m always looking at their work. But when I first started working on “Planetoid,” I had just returned from Japan where my friend had shown me some Tsutomu Nihei comics. His work in comics like “Blame!” and “Abara” had a big impact on me because it was so ambitious and the way he used scale to create these massive worlds. That first issue of “Planetoid” was really influenced by Nihei. That’s why it’s so dark!
As time went on, the world in “Planetoid” allowed me to include all kinds of different elements. With “Praxis,” I didn’t use so much reference. I found that I was already comfortable with that world and could create right on the page. It comes a lot easier now.
Also, I should mention that I’m a big fan of New Wave sci-fi authors like Harlan Ellison, John Brunner, Frank Herbert, and Philip K. Dick. Herberts’s Dune books, in particular, had a big influence on “Planetoid.”
I enjoyed the world/characters of “Planetoid” the first time around. Have you been able to build the world
and lore out more since the initial series?
KG: Yes, there’s a lot more background in “Praxis.” There’s a lot more exploring. In Vol.1 there were these killer robots that patrolled the surface. In “Praxis,” that threat is gone. So, instead of living like scavengers, the people on the surface can now create different kinds of communities or go off on their own and homestead. There’s some examples of that in forthcoming issues.
I was excited to see your art on a few issues of the current “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” ongoing. What is the biggest difference in working on a corporate-owned book like “TMNT” versus being in charge of everything on your series?
KG: It’s totally different, but it was a good experience. It was kind of fun to just play it straight and be a penciler/inker. Usually writer/artists will write for other titles but rarely do they draw them. Also, Eastman & Laird’s original “TMNT” comics were my earliest inspiration to make comics in the first place, so it was a chance I couldn’t pass up. It would be cool to do more “TMNT” especially if I could write and color it; a one-shot, maybe. Also, Bobby Curnow at IDW is a really great guy to work with.
Looking at Image and comics as a whole there has been a resurgence of sci-fi titles. A large portion of
the current releases are space/sci-fi stories. This was not the case when the first series originally released. What has it been like seeing the shift towards sci-fi and to now put out a book in that market?
KG: “Planetoid” launched around the same time as “Prophet” and “Saga” and it’s true, since then there has been an onslaught of sci-fi titles. But I’m not too worried. “Planetoid” is very much so it’s own thing. For good or ill, nothing else looks or reads like it.
To my way of thinking, comics that are made by writer/artists are their own separate genre, regardless of what kind of story is being told. For example, going back to those old “TMNT” comics, at the time Eastman & Laird were making them, they considered “underground” rather than superhero comics. So yes, the market is saturated with sci-fi titles at the moment, but I think there’s an audience for the type of comics I’m trying to make.
What is your goal for “Praxis” and what are you plans after you wrap it up?
KG: My goal is to make a great science-fiction comic. Science-fiction comics like those by Corben, Moebius, Simonson, Chaykin, Otomo, Shirow, Serpieri, Bilal, Nihei –along with other forms of science-fiction art; novels, films paintings– this stuff has always existed as some parallel world to me. It’s been a positive part of my life.
I think that intelligent science-fiction that deals with real world issues and creates new worlds puts you in a good head space to think about the world. I’m hoping that I can do work that contributes to that tradition.
After “Praxis,” I don’t know. I have a lot of different ideas! I’m hoping to do a new science-fiction or fantasy mini-series.
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