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Amy Chu's Writer's Commentary on Kiss: The End #4

Published Thu, 15 Aug 2019 14:30:55 -0500

Amy Chu has a Writer's Commentary ready to go on Kiss: The End #4, out now from Dynamite. Let me know if you have one ready to go as well. She writes…

As the KISS End of the Road tour enters its final stretch, so does our crazy miniseries. Part of the joy in writing KISS: The End is taking a trip back in time to some of the band's biggest concerts around the world. The other part of the joy is working with Edu Menna, Jorge Sutil, Troy Peteri and of course the unflappable Kevin Ketner. And let's not forget the cover artists. I have enjoyed Stuart Sayger's covers so very much. It's a treat to see Reilly Brown and Brent Schoonover join in on the fun — as the writer, I rarely know what's coming down the pike regarding the covers but it's always nice to see people I know. It makes signing the books double the fun.

I would like to give a special shout out to Jorge Sutil for this issue. Like letterers, colorists have the power to make or break the comic, and Jorge has done such a beautiful job in this issue it almost makes me weep in places. Troy Peteri happens to be a top notch letterer and avid KISS fan, so please take a moment to appreciate his nuanced use of fonts throughout this series.

So get ready to dive in…

Page 1

Jay in the desert. Where are we? The rattlesnake is the clue…

Do you recognize the lyrics? Written by Gene Simmons, Psycho Circus 1998. I kind of wonder what percentage of artists still write their own material. Sure Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran but that seems to be the rarity these days.

Page 2

I'll have you know I went down a Rammstein youtube rabbit hole doing research for this issue. I had not realized they opened for the Psycho Circus tour. This was over 20 years ago, so it was fascinating to see how they've evolved as a band. Do you feel old? I certainly do…

Page 3

A tricky page. In retrospect, I should've have discussed with Edu about taking off Jay's shirt in the heat, but what's done is done…

Page 4

… and here comes the sword. This is the stage torched fire sword, which of course you can buy from Gene's website for the low, low price of $12,500. (I don't get a cut, but I would like one!)

Page 5

Bill Messner-Loebs is remarkably casual about throwing out curveballs like, what if the sword originally belonged to the angel Lofiel?

Page 6

I imagine this scene as 2 parts Hellboy/1 part Vogon… In case you're wondering, T.S. Eliot's work is public domain coincidentally since 1998 so I can sample his lyrics, I mean, stanzas here. Writers, do things proper — you can take someone else's written words otherwise without permission!

Page 7

I'm sure some dads can relate to this page.

Page 8

And thus begins Jay's redemption…

Page 9

For this scene, Google Earth became very handy. I sent Edu a bunch of coordinates to make sure this looked genuinely like a small town in the Mexican desert. This page got a LOL note from Kevin, our editor, for the millennium bug reference. I chuckle more over the rendition of Ramon's "plumber's butt". I just noticed the proprietress is wearing a KISS shirt. Ha! Nice one, Edu.

Page 10

Pacing is such a huge challenge in a comic. If I could have a do-over, I think I would try to structure this page differently. Maybe have her holding the pitcher of water already? Jay grabs the cup already in Ramon's hand? These are the things that keep us creators up at night…

Page 11

There is a Ramones joke here of course, for those who know New York City musical history. The Ramones were from Forest Hill, Queens and so is Ramon. I imagined what if Douglas Colvin and Ramon had been friends, and he had taken his name from Ramon Ramone…

Page 12

Another Messner-Loebs twist… Have you read his run on The Flash from the '80s? No? Go try to find a copy. Sadly, DC doesn't seem to have reprinted them despite their popularity, but I think you can find them on comixology perhaps.

Page 13

We get to pay homage to a great figure in American music history. It was said that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil to achieve his musical success.

Page 14-15

I call this the "Luke-Obi-Wan-Yoda" scene…

Page 16

It may seem quaint now, but the 3D aspect of the Psycho Circus tour was a big marketing angle for KISS. Check out the graphics in the original music video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWIW6Ti0PbE Feeling nostalgic yet?

Page 17

It seemed natural to play off of the 3D component of the stage show.

Page 18

Another Messner-Loebs twist…

Page 19

Remind me to ask Jorge how he did the effects on this page… it really made all the difference, don't you think?

Page 20

And… an Alice in Wonderland splash page!

Stay tuned for the finale next month. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. This has certainly been one of the most enjoyable series I've written, right up there with Vampirella & Red Sonja Meet Betty & Veronica. I'll be sad when it comes to an end, but so must all good things, right? When I get a chance, I'll try to add some more behind the scenes stuff on my instagram @amy_chu or facebook page facebook.com/iwritecomics. In the meantime, rock on!