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Speak Of The Sons Of The Devil – OSSM Comics And Brian Buccellato On Their New Image Series

By Alex Wilson

For those of you unfamiliar with OSSM Comics, they're a Santa Monica based publisher who've released a few genre spanning titles such as Monomyth, Thaniel, Xenoglyphs, and Separators. They've also published the collected limited series Foster by New York Times Best Selling Author, Brian Buccellato.

OSSM Comics is currently working with Buccellato on his upcoming Image book, Sons of the Devil, hitting shelves on May 27th. Omar Spahi, the founder and President of OSSM Comics and Buccellato took some time to sit down with me and talk about their relationship, Sons of the Devil, and what's next for them both.

SOTD1Alex Wilson: Hey guys. Thanks for taking the time to chat today.

Brian Buccellato: No problem.

Omar Spahi: Thanks for having us.

AW: Of course. Now let's dive right into this. I noticed that OSSM Comics has been helping push Sons of the Devil from a marketing standpoint, but you, Omar, and OSSM, are also involved in another way. Could you tell us about that?

OS: Absolutely! I'm honored to be a producer on Sons of the Devil. I help with the overall production of the comic. Comics are my passion and I love the creative process of working with them and making fantastic comics that take on a life of their own. As for the marketing, I know Brian and I couldn't do it without the marketing genius of Siike Donnelly. He's the man making sure fans and retailers know about the book.

BB: Omar and I are always talking story and ideas, so there is a natural give and take to our relationship. But in this case, his involvement is as an advocate, financier, and a friend. He also Executive Produced the short [film] with me and was instrumental in that process.

AW: So it's not just a financial connection, but a creative one as well.

BB: Exactly. Sons of the Devil is my creative vision, but it doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens with the support of the people around you. Shout out to Jenn Young, JJ Vazsquez, and Kyle Higgins!

OS: I have to agree. I think it's a team effort. I try to be as involved as I can, but the praise really goes to the fantastic team including Toni Infante, who literally gets me so excited I want to lick the pages, and Troy Peteri on letters this book wouldn't have the raw sexual magnetism artistically. Not to mention Brian really taking the time to make the writing thrilling and keeping you on your toes.

AW: After successfully funding this series, and the short film, how did Image get involved?

BB: Well, Kyle Higgins (whom I previously shouted out to) is a close friend who not only helped with the post production of the short film, but he sent pages of Toni's art to Eric Stephenson at Image, which lead to the meeting where Eric was kind enough to welcome SONS into the Image family. Shout out to Toni Infante for doing work that's way beyond what I was hoping for. He's awesome.

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AW: Omar, what does this mean for the future of OSSM?

OS: Hopefully, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have a ton of big news planned for 2015 which will blow your mind. First and foremost, I'm a comic book fan and as a fan I couldn't be more excited for the direction we're heading and a big reason for that is Sons of the Devil.

AW: And Brian, what would you like to see come out of this, not just for yourself, but for your friend's independent company?

BB: Omar and I have BIG plans. For comics, film and many other avenues of creative expression. We love to create and we have a network of creative people around us that all want the same things (like the folks I mentioned above)… so for us this is another step towards being able to tell the stories we want to tell. Image is absolutely the BEST platform for creator-owned comics, and we are just thankful that we have this opportunity.

AW: Omar, is your goal, being a writer and creator yourself, to one day be involved with Image on a more creative level? Maybe do a book of your own?

OS: I sure hope so. I'd love to do a book with Image down the line. I think the goal right now is to create strong high concept IPs and transition them into film and TV. Image Comics seem to be the best deal in comics, because as a creator you can create your passion and I feel like passion is so important in creating meaningful comics.

AW: And you, Brian? Having talked to you at Cons, and a few times outside of Cons, I know you have many other ideas of your own. With the plan for Sons of the Devil to be an ongoing series, do you have other ideas bubbling under the surface that you hope to bring to Image down the line?

BB: I always have ideas that I want to do. Honestly, I can't seem to shut my brain off. That said, Jenn Young (mention above) and I are developing another series called CANNIBAL with Omar. Hopefully we will be able to announce something official this year.

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AW: I appreciate your time, gentlemen. Is there anything you'd like to add regarding OSSM, Sons of the Devil, or anything else?

BB: Just one more heartfelt thanks to Omar and OSSM for believing in me creatively, and for his support in making it a reality. I'm really proud of what we are doing and if people give the book a chance, I think they will jump on for this ride we are taking.

OS: Aw, you're making me blush. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of something like Sons of the Devil which I know will take the comic world by storm. This is only the beginning.

Sons of the Devil will be out in stores next week on May 27th. If you're looking to get a better idea of the book check out Dan Wickline's review. You can also find OSSM Comics on Twitter @ossmcomics, on their website ossmcomics.com or on Facebook.


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Hannah Means ShannonAbout Hannah Means Shannon

Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. Independent comics scholar and former English Professor. Writing books on magic in the works of Alan Moore and the early works of Neil Gaiman.
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