Ales Kot was described by Eric Stephenson to us at NYCC 2012 as the creator to watch for in 2013, and it’s no surprise. Between the beautiful and surreal “Change” and his recent launch of “Suicide Squad” at DC, Ales is making waves and fans wherever he goes.
But that’s just the beginning. This is what comes next.
Coming in September this year from Kot, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles and Tom Muller, “Zero” is a brand new ongoing set to debut at Image Comics. Featuring a rotating cast of artists all doing one issue each about the mysterious and deadly Edward Zero, this is Kot’s first creator-owned ongoing and is assuredly one that will have a big reaction when it is released later this year. As Ales wrote on his tumblr,
ZERO is a secret agent. Edward Zero. He’s the perfect execution machine, in a sense — throw him at a problem and he wil solve it. Just remember that the way he reaches the solution may not always be to your liking, because he’s a bit of a sociopath.
But what happens when a sociopath realizes ideas and systems he based his life upon are deeply broken and not at all what they were supposed to be?
This is the question. ZERO is the answer.
ZERO is about wars internal and external. ZERO is about secrecy and freedom. ZERO is about conflict and resolution. ZERO is about growing up.
ZERO is a speculative fiction action thriller that begins in 2018 and ends in 2038.
ZERO is coming.
Join myself and Ales as we chat about all things “Zero,” from war and personal growth to potential controversy and the book’s impressive creative team.
Your last comic “Change” was obviously very personal. Is “Zero” in any way also a reflection of you?
Ales Kot: Yes. For me, work always has to come from the inside; otherwise it’s fraudulent.
War is a disease and it seems that a large part of humanity is obsessed with it. I’ve seen, first hand, what kind of damage war inflicts on people, and how often the wounds become obscured as the decades progress. Nevertheless, the war can still rage within, through many generations, still harming the world.
“Zero” is my observation and investigation of the war meme. It’s a meditation on genetics, on nature, on nurture. It uses the existing storytelling tropes of spy stories, action thrillers and speculative fiction to explore new possibilities within them.
I’ve seen you describe “Zero” as ‘speculative fiction action thriller’ before, and I wanted you ask you – what exactly do you mean by that? Action thriller seems pretty self-explanatory, but in what way is “Zero” speculative fiction?
AK: Speculative fiction is fiction not defined by any particular genre. Which gives you an answer without me spoiling everything.
Having seen a peek at what “Zero” will be you seem to have a Metal Gear Solid-like focus for political commentary in the midst of spy/war stories. Can you talk a bit about what work has influenced you in the creation and writing of “Zero?”
AK: James Ellroy’s economy of writing. Complexity of characters in the fiction of Garth Ennis. The physicality of Terence Stamp and Daniel Craig. The ruthlessness of Jim Thompson novels. The will, ambition and imagination of people behind “Breaking Bad”. The “container comics” approach to storytelling of “Global Frequency” where each issue works on its own and is drawn by a different artist. The wisdom of Philip K. Dick, Vaclav Havel, Werner Herzog, David Lynch and David Cronenberg. The bleak male stereotype perpetuated by so many different works of fiction that celebrate revenge and war as something to be adored or impressed by. The idea of such fiction as a healthy release, also. It’s an interesting dichotomy.
Edward Zero himself seems like quite a character to write. Given that he’s one-half the world’s most talented spy and one-half crazy, how do you channel Zero and his world when writing?
AK: I look out of the window and into the mirror. Then I sit down and bleed on the keyboard.
Continued belowWhere did Zero, as a character and not just a story or observation, originate from?
AK: I have a rather aggressive streak that stems from my genetics and very likely also from being bullied in school. Being aware of it, I can manipulate and control it by meditation, working out, running, practicing sports, martial arts, fucking and simply by using it as a fuel for creativity.
I wondered what would happen to a person who would live, from an early age, in an environment that would be interested in nurturing and using that aggressive force for its own reasons. Zero was born.
Zero isn’t exactly alone in his life or his mission. Can you talk a bit about or tease Zero’s supporting cast as well?
AK: Zizek is his handler. He found Zero as a small child and he brought him into the program.
Cooke is Zizek’s boss. She’s smart, capable and brutal. They are also in love.
Carlyle is a rogue agent who lives in Rio.
Everyone’s got secrets.
Zero’s story is told through a series of inter-connected “one-shots” over the ongoing series, all illustrated by different artists. What is it about Zero’s story that you felt was better for a cavalcade of artists rather than just one creative partner?
AK: Zero’s point of view is constantly evolving. He begins as a static character; by the end of the first issue, he is someone else. This goes on. Therefore it felt right to choose a different artist for every issue.
I also loved the idea of creating multiple new rewarding creative relationships.
What is the process like for getting new artists for the book? Do you have a list somewhere of dream artists?
AK: I find them and contact them. We talk. I describe what I want to do and why and they decide to join – or not. It’s rather simple.
As for the list of dream artists – I don’t think I keep a list anymore. There are myriads of excellent artists of all kinds I very much want to collaborate with.
Do you plan to circle back around with any of the artists that you have on the book, or is this pretty much a one-and-done situation for this title?
AK: I am leaving my options open. If it will be the right thing to do for the story, I can imagine artists coming back. Currently, the lineup includes names such as Michael Walsh, Tonci Zonjic, Tradd Moore, Michael Gaydos, Mateus Santolouco, Morgan Jeske – and there are plenty more artists I admire after that. What it will come down to is a rather simple question: what is the best decision for the story?
What different ways do you approach the writing process knowing that every artist who works on the book has different styles and strengths? How do you balance the ongoing narrative against the stylistic approach to storytelling?
AK: I study each artist before I ask them to work with me – and then again before I write the script. When it comes to writing the script, I always ask the artist what kind of a script he or she prefers. I prefer opening things up and letting the artist have as much freedom as possible, but if an artist wants me to call every shot, I heartily indulge in that approach as well. Whatever makes us all happy and makes for the best comic.
As for your second question, the thread of ongoing narrative is kept intact by visually distinctive characters, Jordie Bellaire’s coloring and the lettering skills of Clayton Cowles.
In comic books, a very visual oriented medium, I’d say the role of the artist is perhaps even more important than that of the writer given the skill required to bring all that madness to life. Are you hoping, in addition to everything else, that this changing artist aspect will help shine additional appreciation on this?
AK: I have no way of statistically measuring what’s more important, nor do I want to make such statements. I have an incredible amount of respect for any creator committed to his / her vision and I hope they will all get what they want.
Continued below
One interesting thing I find about the book is that the book doesn’t have a single artist but it does have one unified colorist with the fantastic Jordie Bellaire. Given the different styles being brought in to tell Zero’s story, what is it about Jordie’s work that you find particularly important to the process of telling “Zero”?
AK: Jordie is a committed professional with a diverse portfolio and a deep thinker interested in her craft. She is passionate about her work and that passion shines through.
The peanut gallery commentators don’t seem to put too much stock into the importance of the staple position a colorist can have on a book with multiple artists (see: Big Two titles), but do you hope something like “Zero” may buck that trend?
AK: I aim to make the best comics I can make – and that means every single element needs to be in sync and as good as it can be, creating a greater whole.
I believe the way to create a better now is to lead by example. Part of this means always mentioning colorists and letterers on the covers of my comics and giving them a cut of media rights.
Similarly the book has Clayton Cowles in the letter department. Having worked with Cowles before on “Wild Children,” what is it about his particularly brand of letters that you enjoyed to make you ask him to come in on “Zero”?
AK: Very much like Jordie, Clayton is a consummate and eclectic professional who is interested in creating new, exciting comics. Working with him is a breeze. The fact that he puts up with my lettering revisions is also important.
You have Tom Muller on design for the book. What role does he play in the series? The role of design is discussed very little in terms of how a comic is received.
AK: Design is crucial because everything is design. The covers are collaborations between Tom and the artists. The inside is a collaboration between Tom & I. Everything is designed to move the story forward, to add texture, to keep the reader within the world we are creating and expand it.
How far along do you project a book like “Zero”? Is this something you see going indefinitely, or do you have a more definitive point that you’d like to take the story to?
AK: I have a clear ending in mind. It’s set in 2038 and we can see a bit of it on page one of the first issue. The path to it will evolve.
As for the length, I would like us to take at least 3-4 years. We begin in 2018, specifically in Palestine, and then go to Beijing, Rio, Belfast, London, Reykjavik…and eventually end in 2038 – that’s 20 years of story.
The book is rather globe trotting in its execution. Did you visit the places involved beforehand, or did you do any other kind of research on the locales?
AK: I always do my research, yes. I visited some of the places we will be traveling to and I intend to visit more of them in the near future.
On that same thread, in what way is the story somewhat influenced by the location or vice versa? The book starts in Palestine and that alone is reflective of the current situation in the Middle East — so are things like this dictated more by the story or reflective of your personal views?
AK: Both. The merging of the two is inevitable and there is no clear process to it. Sometimes I have a location and build the story around it, sometimes I have a story and think of the right location, other times they come at the same time. There is no way to separate the personal from the story for me, nor am I interested in doing so.
With a book like “Zero,” where do you strike the balance between what you want to say as a writer telling a story and a person who has thoughts on big issues that are going to somewhat be expressed in a series like this?
Continued belowAK: It all has to come out of the place of truth within me. I need to work on a scene until it’s right, until it moves me, until the characters are doing what they are doing inside me. Then, when the pages, drawn and colored, come back, I work towards the new balance, which can be different than before, sometimes slightly and other times massively. What comes with that part of the process is rewriting in sync with the new flow the nearly completed pages create. It is crucial to reach a place of perfection within the moment for me, to reach the point where I know the flow is there and the story can now be told.
In what way, if any, do you approach your creator-owned ongoing differently from your new work at DC? Is there any major stylistic or personal habits you change when working on new “Zero” over new “Suicide Squad”?
AK: Yes. “Suicide Squad” is a company-owned property, so the company has the last word on what I write. Therefore, unless I am given free reign, I will never be able to create something as creatively satisfying as the work I own myself, with my collaborators. That doesn’t mean I can’t make it a good story.
“Zero” is me having free reign. I am interested in having full creative control in everything I do.
Knowing you a bit and having an idea of how you view the world, are you at all worried about the reception of anything in “Zero,” whether it be the ideas or the commentary, or even darker aspects of the story?
AK: No.
“Zero” #1 by Kot, Walsh, Bellaire, Cowles and Muller goes on sale September 18th
ZERO #1
story ALES KOT
art MICHAEL WALSH & JORDIE BELLAIRE
cover A MICHAEL WALSH & TOM MULLER
cover B BECKY CLOONAN
cover C CHRIS BURNHAM
SEPTEMBER 18
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99
SAVING THE WORLD. ONE MURDER AT A TIME.
Edward Zero is the perfect execution machine – a spy who breaks the rules to get things done. When a stolen device appears in the center of a long-running conflict, Zero comes to retrieve it. The problem is, the device is inside a living, breathing, bio-modified terrorist and there’s an entire army after it.
