This week saw the release of “Youth” #2 from Curt Pires, Alex Diotto, and comiXology Originals. The series, self-described as “Larry Clark’s Kids meets Chronicle. X-Men by way of Frank Ocean,” is a story about young people and their spur of the moment decisions that may not be exactly the wisest. The series is four issues, released weekly, and each Friday during that time period, we’ll be chatting with writer Curt Pires about each issue. Let’s get right to our second chat.
Written by Curt PiresCover by Alex Diotto
Illustrated by Alex Diotto
Colored by Dee Cuniffe
Lettered by Micah MyersIn the aftermath of the events of issue one, the kids reel to piece together what’s happened to them. And then a government death squad shows up. $hit pops off.
If the first issue of “Youth” was introducing the reader to the characters, this issue spends time introducing the reader to the world that the story takes place in, but one that is not perceptible to most of its inhabitants. When the story was coming together in your head, was cosmic nature always a part of it? Or is that simply an ‘easy’ way to explain their powers?
Curt Pires: I wasn’t really looking for an easy way to explain the powers, but I felt like if we just have the meteor crash, and with no explanation they’re given powers, it’s a bit too lazy. Eventually I had the idea to pull back and showcase this struggle at the dawn of the universe, very much inspired by Kirby, Genesis, all these sorts of things, and use that as a bridge to the children’s powers. We’ll see more of this story as things go on…
Issue #2 is a relatively quiet issue, with lots of emphasis on the cosmic backstory, as well as the government forces that attempt to keep these sorts of things in check. By the end of the issue, neither of those points seems particularly important to our main characters. Why did you want the readers to have a look behind the curtain as to how all of this works?
CP: It just felt clear to me I needed some sort of antagonistic force to embody the themes of the book. The kids are representative of a generation that feels frustrated and left behind by the state of things largely due to the stewardship, or lack thereof, by their fore-bearers. They’ve inherited a world ravaged by unemployment, an increasingly inflating education bubble, and the concept of home ownership has never been more out of reach. These kids embody the lost aimless generation of today, and Thunder and his force, embody the paternalistic violence of the forces that gave birth to this world, and at large, the government in general.
I legitimately laughed out loud at both the name Don Thunder and his description as ‘bootleg Nick Fury.’ He and his response team are almost pathetically useless against the four superpowered folks they face. This is becoming a pattern; even before their powers, these kids were able to do what they want and avoid the consequences that appeared imminent due to their actions. Are the ‘adults,’ whether parental, civil, or governmental, just incredibly inept, or are our heroes particularly lucky?
CP: Ha! I’m glad to hear that. I was laughing writing it. And we thought we might get hit with a cease and desist over it. But it worked out. Our heroes are very very lucky. And they’re not out of the woods yet. Not by a longshot.
You teased “Clair de Lune” last week – can you give us another taste of the soundtrack for issue #3?
CP: Sure. “Windowlicker” – Aphex Twin.
