We’re all big fans of Monkeybrain Comics over here. I mean, honestly, how can you not be? Have you seen their output? It’s nothing short of incredible, really — a wide variety of titles, a great line-up of creators and a wonderful ethos behind the entire creation and execution of the line. It’s hard not to be excited abotu it all.
Now, as they kick off their second year, Monkeybrain has announced that they’re launching five new series today on Comixology — literally all available now as you read this. And, speaking of reading this, one of the new series that was announced today was the brand new All Ages comic “Captain Ultimate” by Ben Baily, Joey Esposito and Boykoesh, a new take on a time old superhero myth. Featuring a somewhat familiar analogue character who has been changed by the sands of time and the strains of the world (and market) that seeks to define him, “Captain Ultimate” #1 finds the return of the world’s greatest superhero to help usher in a New Age of Heroism akin to the Original Age of Heroism, lead by bravery, honesty and none of that… oh, how shall we put it? Dark/gritty crap.
We’ll have a proper review up later this week, but I’ll note this: I’ve read it, I’ve quite enjoyed it and it comes with my recommendation. In fact, it comes with my recommendation so much that today we are presenting to you a chat with series writers Ben Baily and Joey Esposito all about the book, its inspirations, its themes and why the world needs a Captain Ultimate more than it needs a Man of Steel. (That sounds cynical, but it’s really not — I promise.)
“Captain Ultimate” is on sale now via Comixology. For my chat with Ben Baily and Joey Esposito about the series, read on below.
How did you guys get hooked up as writing partners?
Ben Baily: Twitter. Like all important business these days, it happened on Twitter. Joey was tweeting about wanting to rework a public domain character and I said I wanted in. We searched around for a decent character for a bit and then said “screw it, let’s just make our own Golden Age hero!” We just had fun right from the get go, so it came pretty naturally.
Joey Esposito: It was pretty cool, actually. I’d been working with Ben in my day job and knew we got along just fine, but once we started talking story, honestly, I think it really blossomed our relationship in a way. Like, Captain Ultimate is awesome and everything, but I’m more grateful for it for making us closer friends (aw). But yeah, so once we got talking about it, it just flowed really organically.
Where did the Captain Ultimate pitch come from originally?
BB: Originally, I had this idea about a superhero returning to a world that had all but forgotten him. He came back because he was inspired by the actions of a little boy who stood up to refused to back down and run away when everyone else had. I had that, and the name: Captain Ultimate. That was it. When I showed it to Joey, something just clicked and we started reworking it together, changing the story and giving some more weight to the world. It snowballed pretty quickly into the book it is now.
JE: Yeah, creating something new was way better than revamping a public domain hero. The basics were there when Ben and I hooked up but like he said, it really just snowballed and changed and grew really naturally. By the end of writing issue #1 together we had more characters and long-form story arcs than we knew what to do with.
What is it like working together on the book? How do you distribute the writing process?
JE: It’s pretty simple. Luckily, we’ve clicked pretty well. The only other co-writing I’ve done was on a short 12-page story, which worked fine, but it was short. At the time I’m answering this, Ben and I have written three and a half issues together and it’s been smooth sailing. Basically we have a lot of Skype chats, break down the issue by page together, pick the pages each of us will write, take a week to write those pages, and then reconvene on Skype and tweak it. Making sure everything gels, tell each other what we think sucks, etc. I think we’re pretty amenable to each other’s suggestions and criticisms.
Continued belowBB: Joey has been my editor for over a year, so he’s used to telling me my stuff sucks.
JE: [laughs]
Boykoesh’s art style really seems to invoke a lot of the inherent all-ages/Golden Age Superhero thematic ideas in the book. Where did he come into the mix for the series?
JE: I met Boy a couple of years ago through the podcast that we do for work, where he was submitting some really awesome art themed around the show. Eventually I found out that he did cartooning and stuff, and we brought him on for an anthology myself, Kristopher White, Erica Schultz, and Adam Pruett are putting together with GLAAD called #PositiveComics, an anti-bullying anthology. He did a really great story for that with a writer named Jeremy Thomas, and after seeing his sequential work in that style, he was the first artist we went to for Captain Ultimate. Thankfully, he was into it and his designs were amazing. Collaboratively, it’s been a really enjoyable and smooth process from both a co-writing and art standpoint so far.
What about Monkeybrain attracted you to them in particular over other potential publishers?
JE: I mean, just look at their titles. I challenge you to find one stinker in their catalog. It’s impossible. Aside from their stance on creator ownership and just being really smart, dedicated, and passionate people, Monkeybrain’s catalog is eclectic with some of my favorite creators in the business. I’m not sure we even considered taking it to anybody else. We just love what they’re doing.
BB: It was always Monkeybrain for us. They were the first and only people we sent the full pitch to. If they didn’t pick it up, we probably would have self-published.
The book gives off a very good and strong all-ages vibe, but do you think the digital publishing method will help or hinder that access the younger audience may have in any way?
BB: We think digital really is the way to go for all-ages stuff. We love print, but kids are more and more tech savvy everyday. My kids (ages 5 and 3) know their way around an iPhone and tablet, no problem. With Captain Ultimate, digital was always our plan because we think that will reach the biggest audience and the most kids. We’ve designed the book with digital in mind so that it’ll hopefully read great no matter how you read it, whether it’s a phone or a tablet.
JE: Plus, if you look at the superhero genre on the kids section on Comixology, the library is super limited. There’s some amazing stuff (Tiny Titans!!!), just not a lot of it. If I was a kid, that would bum me out hardcore. As far as I’m concerned a kid should be able to pick up any issue of Superman or Spider-Man or Wonder Woman and be able to enjoy it, but that’s just not the case anymore. So we wanted an alternative to that, and we thought digital was the way to do it.
So obviously I’d say a fairly safe comparison to make when looking at Captain Ultimate is that he has his history rooted in the idea of Superman, but where does Superman end and Captain Ultimate begin?
BB: There are obvious Superman influences in Captain Ultimate and his supporting cast, but I think we differentiate them pretty quickly. Captain Ultimate is a hero like Superman, one that stands for certains truths and morals, but he’s not Superman. He’s a human being who is given a chance to do good in the world and he takes it. I don’t want to reveal too much, but the third issue is all about Captain Ultimate’s origin and I think once folks read that, the Superman comparisons will become null and void.
JE: Superman is my all-time favorite superhero, no question. And so, yeah, there’s a lot of that moral compass sort of stuff, the aspirational sort of ideals, in how we approached Captain Ultimate. For me, Captain Ultimate is more about representing how a character like Superman, as a kid, made me feel. What he meant, and still means, to me. Projecting that same kind of inspiration into our world between Milo and Captain Ultimate. But as far as the character’s details and origin and what not, it’s quite different, as you’ll see.
Continued below
I also, from looking at the preview, get a “Action Comics” #775 vibe, ‘What’s so Funny about Truth, Justice and the American Way’ — the old hero of yesteryear coming in to deal with/show the edgy heroes of today how to be real heroes, at least as a jumping off point for the series. Is this an apt comparison?
JE: I think that’s apt. One of the greatest Superman stories ever told, too. But yeah, I would say Captain Ultimate tackles a similar sort of thematic approach — how to be truly heroic in an increasingly non-heroic world. But, I think we differentiate from that quite a bit in two primary ways right off the bat: One, it’s digestible enough and appropriate for kids. And two, the Super Revenging Society aren’t outright bad guys. They might be a bit misguided, but they aren’t as extreme in their methods as someone like the Elite in the story you mentioned. As the series progresses, you’ll see how Captain Ultimate’s return influences them — for better and for worse.
Are heroes like Captain Ultimate, someone who ostensibly seems to embody particular aspects of heroes that aren’t necessarily universally celebrated anymore, representative of the type of comic characters you want to see more of?
JE: I think you nailed it. That’s pretty much exactly why we started writing the book in the first place. I grew up reading in the early 90s, an era which featured a lot of what we’re sort of satirizing in this book. And truthfully, that stuff is fun, I enjoy it. But I also feel like we’ve since gotten away from heroism to some degree. At some point superheroes lost their aspirational qualities in favor of just being relatable. Being relatable is certainly important, but I’m more attracted to a hero that is something I know I could never be, but try to be anyway.
BB: If you are looking for dark, gritty, and emotional superhero books, there are plenty of those out there. I like that stuff as much as the next guy, but we wanted to make an alternative that. Something that was pure fun with a solid message. Like the superhero version of Full House. Just kidding. Kinda.
Looking ahead, how far along are you planning with the series? Is it being viewed as a book with a specific lifespan, or are you hoping to take it on as a more general ongoing?
BB: We have a lot of stories planned out. Every time we talk it gets bigger and bigger. Nothing lasts forever, but we have a lot of Captain Ultimate stories we want to tell.
JE: Yeah, it’s ongoing. And while we definitely have a set course and plans for all the characters as they evolve, we’d love to have other creators come and play in our universe for one-off stories or anthology issues. We want it to be a collaborative world that people can come play in, if they want. We both love what IDW is doing with The Rocketeer right now, particularly with the Rocketeer Adventures, so I think that’s a good way to look at how we’re approaching the universe we’ve built. Light on restrictive continuity, heavy on fun and creativity.
As the book evolves, where do you see the placement of the Other Heroes in the book, the darker and edgier heroes? Will they continue to feature as a comparison, or are you looking to focus specifically on Golden Age ideals?
BB: They feature heavily in future stories, but hopefully in some unexpected ways. Like Joey said, they aren’t bad guys, just misguided. There’s some fun stuff coming up. We love the Super Revenging Society, every time we write a scene with them we just want to drag it out. They’re a blast.
JE: Everytime we start talking about the next issue all I want to do is write a Venus de Muscles one-shot. But we’ll get there.
Now, especially in the wake of the controversial Man of Steel film (as weird as that is to say), where do you see Captain Ultimate’s role in the general culture of comics?
Continued belowBB: It’s funny, because we wrote this first issue long before either of us had seen Man of Steel, but in a way it’s sort of an answer to that. I think Man of Steel is a more adult version of Superman and I’m not saying that’s good or bad, but there is stuff in there that I wouldn’t want my kids to see. Maybe that’s just me. But if other people felt the same way, Captain Ultimate is something that is 100% kid friendly while hopefully still being enjoyable for adults. There’s more than a few gags and references that are just for older comic book readers.
JE: I like Man of Steel a lot, I truly do, but the thing that bummed me out about it was that I don’t think it’s all that appropriate for kids. Which is fine, like Ben said, but if any superhero should be applicable to “all-ages” it’s Superman. So even though we started on this book long before Man of Steel was out, I do think it’s somewhat timely for those people maybe looking to show their kids a hero that they couldn’t show them in Man of Steel, or even modern superhero books in general.
If you don’t mind me asking, where does the name come from? Where did Ultimate get his rank of Captain?
BB: Issue #3 explains where he gets his name. Both the Captain and the Ultimate.
JE: And it ain’t the army!
