By: Nicole D’Andria
In the
latest “Kickstart the Week(end)”, I’m interviewing the creative team behind Assault on Fortress Doom. This 172 page,
full color graphic novel is a WWII based action adventure. This tense but still
humorous adventure is “THE BASTARD OFFSPRING OF STAR WARS AND WHERE EAGLES
DARE”.
The
greatest secret mission in history, Assault
on Fortress Doom takes place on May 7th, 1945 after the death of
Adolf Hitler. The world plans to celebrate their victory in Europe… except the
war isn’t really over yet. A band of commandos have two hours to stop the rogue
Nazi General Wolfgang Von Khan from launching a titanic doomsday device called Goliath.
Assault on Fortress Doom is the first title
written by London writer Lex McDonald. He is a former script reader for Working
Title films and, according to Lex himself, “a day-dreaming IT project
manager/writer.” The illustrations are by Uruguayan artist Edgard Machiavello.
The two found each other on DeviantArt and Kickstarter and have never spoken a word to each
other. Instead, McDonald and Machiavello worked on the entire comic through
2033 emails.
The
project was actually successfully funded on its very first day, with over
$6,944 (converted from £4,500)
being raised. The Kickstarter ends on December 3rd,
2015 6:50 AM EST for any additional backers interested in the project. For £12 ($19) you can get a digital copy of the
book and the physical version for £20 ($31). The rewards continue up until £120
($180) and include a personalized avatar of yourself or getting to be a
background character in the book. You can
view the Kickstarer here and visit their
official website here.
For more
information about Assault on Fortress
Doom, I interviewed writer Lex McDonald and artist Edgard Machiavello.
 |
| Lex McDonald |
Me: Of
all the possible wars, why did you choose to focus on World War II?
Lex McDonald: War is inherently dramatic subject matter, but I think WW2 presents a giant canvas with the biggest stakes. It's also an exceptionally well-documented conflict, which means when you tell a story about the ultimate secret mission, you can have a lot of fun weaving a fictional narrative around the actual events we all know took place.
Lex McDonald: War is inherently dramatic subject matter, but I think WW2 presents a giant canvas with the biggest stakes. It's also an exceptionally well-documented conflict, which means when you tell a story about the ultimate secret mission, you can have a lot of fun weaving a fictional narrative around the actual events we all know took place.
Me: Can
you talk a bit about the main antagonist, Nazi General Wolfgang Von Khan?
McDonald:
Hitler is
already dead when the story begins, but Churchill describes rogue general Von
Khan as a “nasty piece of work, even by the Nazi’s standards”. He’s basically a
distillation of fascist ideology into a Bogeyman figure…and has an extremely
nasty surprise up his sleeve for the Allies. Much as I’d love to tell you the
ultimate reason why he’s doing what he’s doing, you’ll have to read the book to
find that out!
Me: Who are some of the protagonists in the
story and can you talk a little bit about each of them?
McDonald:
At the
heart of the story is a squad of five strangers, thrown together at the last
minute and charged with saving the world. It’s the story of their relationships
as much as anything else. Naturally, they are led by an unflappable Brit, Major
Frederick Raleigh. The story celebrates (and pokes fun at) the Major’s stiff
upper lip and his relationship with the American member of the team, “Ace”
Montana, is pivotal. Ace is the world’s greatest living aviator (at least in his
own mind) and a serial womanizer who delights in winding up both the Major and
the only woman on the team - Astra Rougeau. She’s an utterly badass French
resistance operative and an alpha female in an era with little time for
equality. The heart of the team is Sgt Samson “Tank” Tangaroa, a giant Anzac
inspired by the All Black rugby star Sonny Bill Williams (who to me seems like
a real life action hero). And the final member of the team is Professor
Aquinas, an old German scientist in search of redemption who is completely
unsuited to a suicide mission...but absolutely key to thwarting Von Khan’s
plans.
Me: How
did you and Edgard Machiavello find each other on DeviantArt?
McDonald:
The story
for Assault on Fortress Doom had been
in my head for a long time when I joined the site. I was looking for someone
with a flair for WW2-style action and vehicles. Some work Ed had done on a
previous project immediately stood out to me and we got chatting via email. It
was soon apparent we had similar personalities and a great rapport: my wife
said this phase of the project was like watching two people internet dating!
Me: What was the process like of never
speaking to Edgard in any way besides e-mail? Why did you only contact each
other through e-mail?
McDonald:
There’s no
real reason we couldn’t chat on Skype – but I think not talking became a bit of
a superstition for us. We’re both quite meticulous – initially, email
offered the best way to make sure we captured all our ideas and any differing
thoughts. It worked so well, it kind of became like postal chess….and I guess
we just didn’t want to jinx it. Plus, if we chatted, we might distract
ourselves talking about the X-Men, Breaking
Bad or any of our other shared interests. We’re hoping we’ll get to discuss
those things over a beer one day soon.
Me: Did
you do a lot of research on WWII and Nazis for this book? Were there any
particular books and movies that you used to research it?
McDonald:
Although
the story is fictional – and has some fantastical elements – it was really
important to me to ground it in reality. There was a lot of online
fact-checking and I watched the World at
War, as well as countless History channel docs about supposed Alpine
redoubts and secret Nazi technology. The British war comic Commando was definitely a visual reference point for us and an
obvious source of inspiration is the brilliant war movie Where Eagles Dare. But in terms of story-telling, I found myself
re-watching films like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark because for me,
their take on adventure and action is still the absolute tops.
Me: You reached your goal on Kickstarter in
a day. To what do you owe this great success on Kickstarter?
McDonald:
Being well
prepared and understanding the importance of the first few days of a
Kickstarter campaign. A story with (I hope) an exciting and easily understood
premise. Putting Ed’s fantastic artwork front and center. A strong trailer (a
lot of people have told me the trailer is one of the best they’ve seen for a
comic, which is very flattering). And, of course, emotionally blackmailing
friends and family to visit the Kickstarter page and pledge...
Me: What is the number one reason you think people
should back Assault on Fortress Doom?
McDonald:
I genuinely
believe anyone who likes history, action and adventure will get a massive kick
out of this story. It’s big, ambitious, looks great – and when you put it down
at the end, I guarantee you’ll feel you’ve been on an incredible ride.
Me: What
advice do you have for aspiring comic book writers?
McDonald:
I still
consider myself an aspiring comic book writer, so I’m not sure how well
qualified I am to give advice! I suppose I would say three things. Stop putting
it off and just do it. Make yourself write or draw even when the muse is not in
your corner. Make sure other people’s negativity is water off a duck’s back to
you. Oh, and a fourth thing: find a tolerant and supportive partner!
 |
Edgard Machiavello
|
Me: How
would you describe your art style in Assault
on Fortress Doom?
Edgard Machiavello: I
started reading American superhero comic books and was hooked by this. Never
actually did superheroes comics, but I would really like to, some day.
My
direct influences are Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and Todd McFarlane.
I
always read some manga stuff, really love the dynamic panels of it.
And
I did some historical comics published here in Uruguay, so you could say that
AOFD style is the result of all of this: mainly American superhero action with
tiny bits of manga dynamics. Add some love for WW2 stories, a nice British
accent, and you got AOFD.
Me: If
you could do the artwork for any superhero story, which superhero would it be
and why?
Machiavello: JSA.
I really like those characters and the stories in their books. Old style
characters, a "mature" version of the JLA with a big sense of
justice, plus lots of action and humor. I really like that. Wildcat and The
Flash are my favorite characters by far.
Me: What
was your favorite page or panel to work on in this graphic novel?
Machiavello: Every
new page was a real challenge. Lex sent bits of script to work with, 5 page
sequences, each one better than the previous, and always came up with something
amazing.
I
could say my favorite pages are the car chase sequence. I love WW2 vehicles,
and here I did action scenes with cars, trucks, and tanks shooting and drifting
off-road. Lot of fun doing these pages.
Me: Who
is your favorite character to draw in Assault
on Fortress Doom?
Machiavello: Tank,
since day one. I love that character.
Pure
muscle but a big heart. He can gently lift a kid on his shoulder or smash your
skull. Super versatile character.
Me: You
were originally an architect. What made you decide to go from that profession
to comic book artist?
Machiavello: I
loved drawing since I was a kid, always drawing everywhere and crafting cardboard
machines. My family thought I would become architect or engineer. So the
closest thing to that was architecture.
During
the time I was studying I bought some X-Men and Wolverine comic books, and I
was so hooked, like "I want to do this!" Those books blew my mind. So
I started to do some pages as a test in my spare time between classes... and
here I am.
Me: What
is the number one reason you think people should back Assault on Fortress Doom?
Machiavello: The
story.
AOFD
is great story. You have action, humor, mystery, car chases, aerial dogfights,
super weapons, cool gadgets and above all else, really strong characters. Lex
is an awesome writer and did a brilliant job. Every new page keeps you wanting
to know what is going to happen next. Just brilliant.
Me: What
advice do you have for aspiring comic book artists?
Machiavello: First
of all, love what you do: If you don`t love it, that lack of love will be
reflected in your art.
Preparation.
Study the most you can: anatomy, perspective, shadows, everything. This way you
will be ready for anything.
Practice.
Just keep drawing: This way you will polish your skills and style.
And
patience. You can draw just for fun, but if you want to make a career you have
to know it is not easy, but not impossible. Try to get in contact with editors
and show your stuff, don`t be afraid of the negative responses, opportunities
will come.
Me: Thanks for your time Lex and Edgard. If you
want to see a band of commandos with two hours to save the world from Nazis,
check out and back the Kickstarter for Assault on Fortress Doom.
Do you
have a Kickstarter? Want to be interviewed about it and have it showcased on
“Kickstart the Week?” Let me know in the comments below or message me on my
personal website www.comicmaven.com.
Other “Kickstart the Week” features:
100 Tears: The Comic
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