By: Nicole D’Andria
Kickstart
your week with the final issue of the science-fiction horror mini-series River God. Old and new readers can enjoy the finale of the mini-series as the
first and second issues are also available to people pledging to their
Kickstarter. I interviewed the writer of the series, Toby Willmott, and the
artist, Bryn G Jones.
The
creative team is trying to raise at least £400 ($575) by May 2nd, 2016 at 8:27
AM EDT. A digital copy of the issue is available for people who back the
project for £2.88 ($2). Physical copies are available for £4 ($6). The first
three issues will be attainable digitally at £6 ($9). Other awards include prints,
postcards, posters, original pieces. Pledge money to their Kickstarter here.
Here is
my interview with writer Toby Willmott and artist Bryn G Jones.
 |
Toby Willmott
|
Me: For people who haven’t read issues one and two, what would they need to
know in order to understand issue three?
Toby Willmott: Issue three is a wild ride and there is no time for exposition. In fact, issues one and two were all setup for the big finale, so if you haven’t read them, my advice is to enjoy the action and Bryn’s beautiful artwork.
Toby Willmott: Issue three is a wild ride and there is no time for exposition. In fact, issues one and two were all setup for the big finale, so if you haven’t read them, my advice is to enjoy the action and Bryn’s beautiful artwork.
Luckily
you can pick up the back issues along with issue 3 if you’re new to the
series!
Me: Who are some of the most important characters in River God?
Willmott: The most prominent characters are Thabo, captain of the anti-poaching squad, and David and Charo, the detectives. Together they form two parallel stories, which take place on either side of the Zambezi River, though they are all standing in the centre of a tangled web, much bigger than they imagined. As a result there are characters who appear incidental in previous issues who will be responsible for some major turning points in issue three.
Me: Who are some of the most important characters in River God?
Willmott: The most prominent characters are Thabo, captain of the anti-poaching squad, and David and Charo, the detectives. Together they form two parallel stories, which take place on either side of the Zambezi River, though they are all standing in the centre of a tangled web, much bigger than they imagined. As a result there are characters who appear incidental in previous issues who will be responsible for some major turning points in issue three.
Me: Who was your favorite character to write and why?
Willmott: My favourite character to write was
actually two characters - David and Charo. As these two cops work in close
quarters, they bring out the best and the worst in each other. It was a
delight to write their backstory and their banter.
 |
| River God #3 Page 1 |
Me: What inspired the idea
for River God?
Willmott: River God started when Bryn wanted to draw heavily armed cops going underground to rescue a kid and fight an alien. My first question to Bryn was “Where does this happen?”
Willmott: River God started when Bryn wanted to draw heavily armed cops going underground to rescue a kid and fight an alien. My first question to Bryn was “Where does this happen?”
So, we
needed a place for the story to happen and a reason for them to be heavily
armed. We decided they would be an anti-poaching squad in Zimbabwe. After
this, we needed a monster, so we researched the mythical culture of Zimbabwe
and we stumbled across Nyami-Nyami, a local legend similar to the loch
ness monster.
Me: Why did you pick Zimbabwe in particular?
Willmott:
Once we had decided that our main
character was on an anti-poaching squad, this gave us some creative limitations
to work in. So we did some googling to find out where these squads were
being used in real life. Then once we discovered Nyami-Nyami, the Zimbabwean
Myth, we knew we were on to something.
By giving ourselves creative limitations it helped us to zero in on a myth which would otherwise have escaped our attention.
By giving ourselves creative limitations it helped us to zero in on a myth which would otherwise have escaped our attention.
 |
| River God #3 Page 2 |
Me: Can you talk a bit about the mythical culture
of Zimbabwe and its importance to the story?
Willmott:
Zimbabwe is a young country (29
years old) with an old history. It was named Rhodesia until a massive political
upheaval turned the country upside down. The myth of Nyami-Nyami has become
mixed with that history.
The River God is said to be the god
of the Zambezi River, a spirit with the head of a fish and the body of a snake.
Traditionally Nyami-Nyami was the provider of sustenance from the River,
but when the Kariba Dam was built in 1955 by a majority white government, its
construction was said to have separated Nyami-Nyami from his wife and
incurred his wrath, causing deaths and accidents during the dam’s creation.
It is a story rich in fantasy and real-life emotions and politics, so it was the perfect subject for our comic.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for aspiring comic book writers?
Willmott: My inspirational words will come in the form of a question which was asked of me, and changed my writing life forever:
“Do you
write every day?”
I can’t
tell you how many times I have failed at doing this, but I also cannot number
the amount of times that question has inspired me to get back to the desk and
work. Keep going!
 |
Bryn G Jones
|
Me: Toby mentioned the story was inspired because
you “wanted to draw heavily armed cops going underground to rescue a kid and
fight an alien.” Pretty specific premise – what made you think up that
scenario?
Bryn G Jones: I really like it when cops have guns.
Not so much in real life but certainly in films and comics. As for the alien:
the film Prometheus really
stuck with me, as did the original Alien
films. I thought that setup would have some fun visuals.
Me: How would you
describe your art style in River God?
Jones: I like to think that my art style has a certain science behind it. I think about modeling light and how color interacts in each scene. But I don't reference photos that much so I end up with a cartoon-like result I call 'pseudo realism'.
Jones: I like to think that my art style has a certain science behind it. I think about modeling light and how color interacts in each scene. But I don't reference photos that much so I end up with a cartoon-like result I call 'pseudo realism'.
Me: It’s really interesting to see a painted
art style when artwork is often penciled and inked. Why did you choose to go
with this method in particular for this book?
Jones: I find big blocks of ink really hard to work
with. Some artists do it really well but I'm much more used to working with
mid-tones. I'm quite comfortable with my digital tools and for much of my
artistic journey I've seen myself as more of a painter. There are definitely
benefits to changing the way one creates things. I'm still thinking about
styles for my next project.
 |
| River God #3 Page 3 |
Me: Who was your favorite character to draw and why?
Jones: Definitely Elliot. I really like his hairstyle. The circular lenses on his glasses are fun to draw but require a stencil. His distinctive features make him easier to recognize so there's less chance he'll need a re-draw. Great guy.
Me: Why did you found Eleven Comics and how does this publisher differ from others?
Jones: Being the publisher, I get to decide what to draw or write, and when to do it. That was the main reason Eleven Comics started. I've enjoyed the business side of things but it does get stressful when handing over large sums of money. We're different because we're tiny. Really really tiny.
Jones: Definitely Elliot. I really like his hairstyle. The circular lenses on his glasses are fun to draw but require a stencil. His distinctive features make him easier to recognize so there's less chance he'll need a re-draw. Great guy.
Me: Why did you found Eleven Comics and how does this publisher differ from others?
Jones: Being the publisher, I get to decide what to draw or write, and when to do it. That was the main reason Eleven Comics started. I've enjoyed the business side of things but it does get stressful when handing over large sums of money. We're different because we're tiny. Really really tiny.
 |
| River God #3 Page 4 |
Me: You recently wrote your first psychological thriller, The Church and the Dime. Can you tell us a bit about this project?
Jones: I read the synopsis of His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I never committed to reading the trilogy, just really wanted to know what all the fuss was about. His ideas about parallel universes inspired me to write something that took place across multiple universes. The Church and the Dime actually ended up being similar to the film Memento. It was my first full length sequential piece. The main character, Jonny Dime, is a head trauma patient trying to find out who killed his wife. Although he ends up spending more time hallucinating.
Me: What inspirational words do you have for aspiring comic book artists?
Jones: Have fun doing it. If you don't you'll probably just burn out.
 |
| River God #3 Page 5 |
Me: Thanks for your time Toby and Bryn!
If you’re
interested in reading more River God before
deciding whether or not to pledge, a free sample of River God available on the
Eleven Comics website.
Do you
have a Kickstarter? Want to be interviewed about it and have the project
featured on "Kickstart the Week?" Let me know in the comments below or
message me on comicmaven.com.
Other
“Kickstart the Week” features:
No comments:
Post a Comment