Welcome… To what I hope will be a new ongoing series of interviews conducted by myself with independent comic creators. I am here to help give exposure to the next wave of comic book industry professionals and help you, the reader, discover some great titles that you might have missed otherwise.
Here’s how it came about:
I put out a post on my Facebook page (which posted itself to twitter, yes yes, I am that social media savvy) asking independent creators if they wanted to be interviewed for the site.
I didn’t get any…
Just kidding! The first creator I have for you guys is a lady by the name of Devin Michaels, a writer who is currently writing a title called “Destiny’s Fate”. She kindly agreed to answer some questions for me.
Let’s get to it…
Chris Tresson: Who/what inspired you to become a writer?
Devin Michaels: My mom is an English teacher and inspired me to become a writer. Watching shows like The Adventures of Batman and Robin and X-Men, I fell in love with the characters, which led me to comics. I decided that writing their lives was what I wanted to do.
Chris Tresson: What is your comic, Destiny’s Fate about?
Devin Michaels: Do have any free will to make choices, or must we keep to a strict plan created for us? Destiny’s Fate explores this struggle—destiny (an achieved future) versus fate (a predestined future)—and follows Kainoa Ryder, the physical manifestation of destiny and a time-traveling assassin who is fated to kill the defenders of time—his parents.
Chris Tresson: Who are the creative team behind the book?
Devin Michaels: Mau Vargas rocks the art. He’s done storyboards and art for such companies as Coca Cola and Milky Way. Rodrigo Tobias ignites the colors, and he also owns his own art studio, Graphic Leak. Taylor Esposito, formerly of the Marvel Bullpen, amazes with letters and graphic design work for the project, such as setting up pages, posters, etc.
Chris Tresson: What would you say the best part of writing this title has been so far?
Devin Michaels: Seeing the work take a life all its own. I created this story back in college and finished it during Senior Project: Writing as novel. When Noel Burns of IC Geeks (the publisher/distributor) asked why I wasn’t producing my own comic, this story just begged to be made into one. Now, seeing Mau’s and Rodrigo’s and Taylor’s work bringing the characters to readers and watching as people follow and back the project, it’s really amazing.
Chris Tresson: How are you getting Destiny’s Fate out to the masses?
Devin Michaels: My team and I use Twitter as our main medium of publicity. The project has been retweeted by the likes of Kyle Higgins, Gail Simone, Marcus To, Mikel Janin, and Joe Caramagna and has been backed by Joey Esposito, James Tynion IV, Paul Allor, and Michael Malkin. We’ve also taken to Facebook and Tumblr, and since the book will be distributed through IC Geeks Publishing, Noel has been helpful with putting DF on his Websites and contacting retailers. Taylor, Mau, and I have also contacted some comic media sites as well as retailers ourselves, just trying to get the word out.
Chris Tresson: Is Destiny’s Fate a limited or ongoing series?
Devin Michaels: It’s a seven-issue limited series. This miniseries captures the first arc of the novel I wrote.
Chris Tresson: Any plans for what you’re going to do next?
Devin Michaels: Taylor is also lettering Watson and Holmes; Rockthrower (New Paradigm Studios); Samhain Night; Goddam It Baby, This is Soul; and other projects. Mau and Rodrigo have jobs through Graphic Leak. All three freelance as well (and are professional and competitive!). As for me, I’m going to see how DF takes the indie scene and then decide where to go from there.
Chris Tresson: Finally, what is it about the comic medium that interests you, why do you want to write comics?
Devin Michaels: Comics have such a rich history. When a person watches a movie, generally there is a book or a sequel to enjoy, but that’s it. Comics, mainstream especially, have thousands of stories with characters decades old. One of my favorite past times I enjoyed was chain collecting (I haven’t done it since funding my own comic). The best example this is Booster Gold. I thoroughly enjoyed the Dan Jurgens and Geoff Johns’s book that resurrected the character. From there, I fell in love with Jaime Reyes and from there, Justice League International. I picked up Bob Wayne’s Time Masters, too! I love discovering old and new characters and reading their interconnecting stories.
A big thank you to Devin for the interview, I wish her the best of luck with Destiny’s Fate. You can find the Kickstarter for the series HERE, you can also follow Devin on Twitter: @DevinLMichaels . Let’s get those books funded nerds!
Be sure to check out IC Geeks Publishing also, for all your indie printing needs!
Until next time,
KEEP IT NERD!
About Chris Tresson
Chris Tresson – Hailing from the North West of merry ol’ England, Chris likes to read comics and spends his spare time writing and drinking too much coffee… In spite of his outwardly frightening appearance Chris is a very nice guy. We refer to him as our brother across the pond.
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