Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Benjamin Marra, captain victory, Comics, Connor Willumsen, dynamite, entertainment, Farel Dalrymple, jack kirby, jim mahfood, Jim Rugg, Michel Fiffe, nathan fox, ulises farinas

Joe Casey On The Artists For Captain Victory… All Eight Of Them

When I interviewed Joe Casey about the new Captain Victory And The Galactic Rangers, he talked about how no single artist could come close to what Jack Kirby could do. So he and Dynamite are going to use eight of them. Now Casey is back to talk about each one of them by the issue that they will appear in the first five. Casey also says that issue six will be the culmination of the space opera with guest stars and surprises abound.

Issue #1

Nathan Fox – what can I say about this guy? I was a fan even before I knew him and worked with him. When I want to make a strong aesthetic statement with a particular project, Nathan's the artist I go to. He's an artist's artist, but he's also got a style that can grab a general readership by the balls. The work we've done together on Zodiac (for Marvel) and Haunt (for Image) were just a warm-up to what we're doing here. He's one of my most valued collaborators, and he gives 110% on every project we do together. On Captain Victory, he's busted through a major door. This is next level stuff, even for Nathan. You've never experienced pure hyper-heroic sci-fi like you will when Nathan draws it.

Jim Rugg – Finding other artists to match up to Nathan's energy was a definite challenge, and deciding which ones to feature alongside Nathan in issue #1 was extremely daunting. But Jim rose to the challenge in such a great way, depicting a pivotal — although untold until now — moment in Captain Victory's life, introducing an major conceptual element to the mythology that is so essential to what Captain Victory — and our series — is all about.

Ulises Farinas – We've worked together recently, on Catalyst Comix from Dark Horse, so including him in this project was just a natural thing. Ulises has a unique take on the material. Hell, he's got a unique take on the world and art and comics in general. His work has a specific energy that really works in the context of this particular story.

Issue #2

Michel Fiffe – I didn't know Michel before I asked him to work on Captain Victory, but I sure as hell knew his work. I was a fan of his early on. He and I have talked comics like two geeks locked in a basement together, and what came out of those conversations was the sequence in issue #2 depicting Captain Victory as a rookie Ranger on an impossible mission, showing just how dedicated to the cause he really is.

Issue #3

Farel Dalrymple – Farel's been doing great work for many years now, but I really think he's a future giant in our business. His work has a fluidity to it that all great cartoonists seem to possess, and his sensibilities as a storyteller are unlike anyone else working right now. I just hope the psychedelic sequence I wrote for him — starring everyone's favorite aquatic Ranger, Lt. Orca — lives up to his level of talent.

Jim Mahfood – I've known Mahfood for many years now, and we've collaborated on many other projects. Bringing him into this series is a big deal, though. He was actually the first guy I asked, because I knew if Mahfood was onboard, that would give the book a certain kind of legitimacy and send a clear signal that we're doing something decidedly different with this Kirby property. And I think readers will be surprised at just how big a Kirby fan Mahfood really is. I've got him drawing a sequence in issue #3 that sends Tarin on his own space noir gumshoe detective story.

Issue #4

Benjamin Marra – Some people might think having Marra onboard is a real left-hand turn, creatively speaking. To me, knowing what I know about Marra's interests and his influence, it was a true no-brainer to have him involved. We share a love of a certain school of artwork… the Jim Steranko/Paul Gulacy school. If you know their work, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Marra's drawing a flashback sequence starring a seminal figure in the life of Captain Victory: Argas Flane. Needless to say, if you're familiar with the original Kirby comics (and Flane's original appearance), I can guarantee that *this* depiction of Flane will shock and awe you.

Issue #5

Connor Willumsen – When you see the sequence that Connor's drawing in #5, it'll make perfect sense why he's part of the dream team. Imagine taking the weirdest, most innocuous concept from Kirby's original series and presenting it as pure urban horror. To me, Connor's style is wholly unique in that he can evoke certain disturbing emotions purely through his linework. Not many artists can do it in the way Connor can. I'm grateful he threw his hat in the ring with us.

For more on Captain Victory And The Galactic Rangers, click here. The final order cut off for this series is quickly approaching. If you haven't let your retailer know your interest in the series, you'll want to do so in the next few days.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!