By: Nicole D’Andria
Find out
what happens in a coma to a father in this “Kickstart the Week” showcasing Detached! Get in-depth information about
the first issue in an interview with writer Adrian Terga.
Detached is about a father who falls comatose on
his deceased wife’s birthday because of a traumatic brain injury he can’t
remember. He explores the comasphere, a place where your mind is awake but not
under your control. Inside the comasphere, he meets a shapeless entity who
tells him the importance of memories and how he can return home to his daughter.
This Kickstarter is for the first 24
page issue. This is writer Adrian Terga’s first Kickstarter project. His
creative team includes artist Emily Schnall (www.emilyschnall.com) and letterer Nikki Powers (Prometheus #1).
The goal
of the project is to reach $3,200 by April 27, 2018 at 10:51 AM EDT. The reward
tiers include digital ($5) and physical ($12) copies of the book, which you can
also get signed by Terga ($18), plus a sticker of the cover art and a cardstock
print ($25). You can see more of the rewards on the official Kickstarter page.
I spoke
with writer Adrian Terga about Detached in
detail. Take a step into the comasphere!
 |
| Adrian Terga |
Me: How would you describe the father in Detached
and his relationship with his daughter?
Terga: Nathan
is a widowed father struggling to come to terms with reality while raising his
daughter, Addy. That kid may be my favorite character. She represents many of
the same emotions her father feels but she expresses them without a filter. You
know, as kids typically do. Their relationship is typical in the
father-daughter kind of way, but it’s the value of their relationship away from
each other that propels this story forward. These characters really need one
another and they are given a dose of reality through alternate ones.
Me: You
start the book with a quote from Carl G. Jung. Where did you first see this
quote and what is its significance here?
Terga: The
Father of Consciousness. When I conceived of this idea a little over a year
ago, I did a deep dive of internet research on comas, some brain anatomy, and
the conscious mind vs. the unconscious mind. It was no surprise that Carl Jung
had his finger on concepts like mine way before me. I had to pay tribute to a
man responsible for mapping out the possibilities I allude to and that quote
felt perfect: “One doesn’t not become enlightened by imagining figures of
light, but by making the darkness conscious.” That quote opens the book to
reflect that being aware of what you don’t know means you are ready to know;
that a coma can be navigated in the dark.
 |
| Detached Page 1 |
Me: Besides
what you've already mentioned, what was some of the most fascinating research
you found during your deep Internet dive and how did this influence Detached?
Terga: There
is a YouTube docuseries called Broken: Living With a Brain Injury that shows a lot
about the varying circumstances that come with brain injuries. I looked at many
sources, but that one is a great one to check out for anyone that is interested
in the topic.
Me: What
is the comasphere and what was the inspirational behind it?
Terga: Before
the deep dive of internet research on comas and all of that, I came across a
video that sparked this idea: it was a girl recounting what she experienced in
a medically induced coma. She could remember things. For example, she remembers
walking through snow and later found out that the room she was in was very
cold. The weird little connections her mind was making blew me away. And the
fact that comas aren’t visual made me want to make them so.
The comasphere is
the place where your mind is out of your control. Memories fall apart and
controlling your feelings will make the experience manageable; the more erratic
a person is, the worse the comasphere becomes.
 |
| Detached Page 2 |
Me: How did you find illustrator/colorist Emily
Schnall and letterer Nikki Powers and determine they were the perfect fit for Detached?
Terga: Luck.
Sheer luck. I searched for a few months to find a group that understood and
could interpret the material in a way that made them excited to work on this.
Emily’s work on this is gorgeous. If you like books like Harrow County,
this book is up your alley. Her distinct style felt fresh and lent itself
perfectly to my story. And everyone needs a Nikki Powers on their team, someone
who has experience and knows what needs to be done. She worked with me and set
the tone adjacent to the art on the page. Both are very qualified.
Me: What is the number one reason people should
pledge money to your Kickstarter?
Terga: Awareness.
I support comics any way I can to show that they are books, that they are
as impactful as a novel. Comics are my preferred reading material. And as a
teacher, I tell my students to read the hell out of them.
 |
| Detached Page 3 |
Me: What inspirational words do you have for
aspiring comic book writers?
Terga: Start
something decent. If you work at it, you might get lucky and make something
good, or even great. But you need to start it to even get that chance.
Me: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Adrian!
If you’re reading this and interested in taking a closer look at the
comasphere, check out the Detached Kickstarter
here.
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| Detached Page 4 |
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 my website.
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