By: Nicole D’Andria
This
week, go on an interplanetary journey with Dr. Mordecai Crowley. In his
all-ages space adventure, readers will discover new alien species and witness
strange happenings along as Crowley researches outer space in Mordecai Crowley's Journal of Interplanetary
Travels.
The
graphic novel is created, written and illustrated by Michael Murdock. His
illustration and design work has appeared in place such as the New York Times, Pottery Barn and Utah
Business Magazine.
Both
volumes of Mordecai Crowley's Journal of
Interplanetary Travels are available when you pledge money to the
Kickstarter. You can spend $12 for a digital PDF of Volume 2 and $18 for
digital PDFs of both volumes. Or you have the option to choose the $25 reward
tier for a signed hardcover copy of Volume 2 or the $50 reward tier for both
hardcover volumes, plus alien destination postcards). Consider pledging money
to the Kickstarter here.
I spoke
with creator Michael Murdock about his “retro-futuristic” adventure.
 |
| Michael Murdock |
Me: How would you describe Dr. Mordecai Crowley and
his job?
Murdock: He is an explorer. After exhausting all
of the places to explore on Earth, he decided to point his eyes towards space.
Me: You call this a “retro-futuristic” adventure.
How did you combine these seemingly contradictory terms and why did you want to
put them together in the first place?
Murdock: I love vintage sci-fi. If you look at
some of their ideas about how the future would look, it is really remarkable. I
decided to focus on a time period in the past, where an explorer created a
space ship that, in reality, was far too advanced for the day.
Me: You mention how, in vintage sci-fi, they had
some remarkable ideas about how the future would look. Could you give a couple
examples of these works that inspired you here?
Murdock: Planet Comics is a great example of some
of the types of work that I love. There is some amazing imagery that shows off
their concept for the future. Here is an online resource for them to check out:
http://comicbookplus.com/?cid=878
Me: Which alien species was your favorite to create
and why in volume 1 and in volume 2?
Murdock: Volume I focuses more on the robots
(which I love drawing), so I liked all of them, but the Crab Bot in particular
turned out great.
Volume II
goes further into the planet and discovers some biological aliens on it, some
of whom are involved in some shady dealings. One alien species in particular,
the Gra, were fun to come up with and draw.
Me: What would you say are some of the works that
inspired the robots in your series and how did they inspire you?
Murdock: For Volume I, I got a lot of inspiration for
the robots from our own world. I looked at old zoological drawings and tried to
emulate the look and feel of some of those, but with a twist. A robot twist.
Me: If you could go to one planet for a day, which
would it be and what would you do?
Murdock: I know technically it is a dwarf planet,
but I think Pluto would be cool. Being so far away from everyone else, seeing
things never before seen. I think it would be incredible.
Me: What is the number one reason why you think
people should pledge money to your project?
Murdock: With the first book, I have had so many
people tell me how much their kids love just looking at the pictures and
reading about them as they go to bed. I think that more than anything is the
reason why. It is an interesting, fun book to read, that doesn't talk down to
kids or anything, but is also not offensive. It helps them to imagine what
could be.
Me: What are your plans for the future of this
series? If you're planning it, can you tease a bit about volume 3?
Murdock: For the future, I am planning on
continuing the story. I may switch up the format though, and create a comic
book, rather than the format I have created now. It is still up in the air
though. I have also started concepting a game in this world as well... we'll
see how far that goes though =)
Me: What inspirational words do you have for
aspiring writers/artists?
Murdock: Well, being more of an artist than a
writer, I would say that the important thing is to just start getting it out of
your head. It's fine to ideate, but once you start putting it on paper, that is
where progress starts.
Me: Thank you for taking the time to explore the
galaxy with us, Michael. If you’re reading this and interested in taking the
journey for yourself, check out Michael’s Kickstarter here.
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.
Other “Kickstart the Week” features:
In present days the usage of WhatsApp web at whatsapp web online is high due to the increase in the number of smartphones/ Laptop/ PC devices
ReplyDelete