Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: boundless, Christian Zanier, Comics, Ember, entertainment, kickstarter

Christian Zanier Goes Boundless – Talking About His Fiery New Series Ember

Published Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:00:00 -0600

Boundless Comics returned with the arrival of Lady Death only a short time ago, and successfully funded on Kickstarter, the imprint now turns to its first new series of this incarnation in the form of Ember, both written and drawn by Christian Zanier. With 7 days still to go in its Kickstarter campaign, Ember's Zero issue has received double its funding and more, with plenty of reward packages on just about every level of fan support. The project is also slated to have a quick turnaround with rewards fulfilled as early as April 25th, unlike many crowdfunding campaigns.

Christian Zanier joins us here at Bleeding Cool to talk about Ember, why the series captures his imagination, and what it feels like to be creating the first new series for the return of Boundless.

Hannah Means-Shannon: How do you feel about being the creator of the first all-new series from Boundless in its new incarnation? Do you feel like you're helping shape Boundless?

Christian Zanier: It's incredibly exciting to be given full creative control over any book, especially a new franchise which is evident to be very important to Avatar's re-launch of Boundless. It shows a trust for my talents and conviction which in itself is very gracious. I'd hope my involvement helps in shaping the success to the relaunch of Boundless.

HMS: What made you decide to create a story about a female hero? What makes you want to both write and draw a female hero in a series?

CZ: More appropriately I was made an offer I couldn't refuse. This genre is in my blood and I'm very appreciative to be offered such a substantial and critical role in a female superhero series for the relaunch of a well-established bad girl publication line like Boundless. I always wanted to take a sexy bad girl series and give more depth of story and characterization, putting them at the same level of importance as the sex appeal. Writing this story also gives me an opportunity to include some of my interests, aside from sexy women of course, like air craft wreckage investigations and conspiracies about the US military.

HMS: Why work with a character who comes from a privileged background? Is this something of a redemption story for her in terms of being given a second chance to value life in a less materialistic way?

CZ: There has been a good number of heroes of privilege but whose drive is primarily their self-imposed sense for justice or something giant like to save all humanity. It's refreshing to be able to work with it at a different angle; Ember doesn't want to be a hero. It's not necessarily a redemption story. Being a young, reckless, debutant she has only aspirations to make a mark on the world for her own self-indulgence which her transformation ultimately gives her that opportunity. The push towards embracing the kind of responsibility of a superhero becomes a struggle within herself and with others who try to either convince or manipulate her into taking on that role. It's more of a transition from what she wants to be, to what she should be for the greater good, with some continuing reluctance.

HMS: I know Ember actually receives her powers through science, but is this kind of like Batman or Iron Man in that coming from money does help one wants to a hero through technology or at least through support tech?

CZ: A little of both. Her powers are caused by happenstance and then she takes the shallow path for gain and recognition. It will take some time for circumstances to steer her towards being a hero. Not to give away too much, in this situation, the money and influence is her father's, who uses it to protect her interests. Her high-tech costume and tech support is actually of military origin.

HMS: What are Ember's goals? Does she have a "mission" or will she find one?

CZ: Her primary goal is to be a superstar, famous and loved by everyone even if part of that is by being a superhero. Begrudgingly, she is saddled with a mission and yes, slowly begins to understand and embrace it as her own.

HMS: What was your process like designing Ember visually, both before and after her powers, and especially her "hero" costume?

CZ: Her aspiration and success as a model influenced her physical look or course, but for her costume I wanted to balance technology with sex appeal and try to create a fresh, distinct look. The tech is inspired by the nature of her powers and the nature of fire as a wild, destructive and unpredictable element. The costume helps direct that fire and reduce injury and destruction that her powers in a raw state can cause.

HMS: One last, less serious question: was she already a bit of an exhibitionist in terms of flashing skin before her "accident" or is Ember's tendency to be barely clothed part of her "heat" elemental nature?

CZ: What it comes down is that Boundless is a comic line known for its risqué vibe and sexy female characters and Ember is just a continuation of that tradition. Fans will have the familiar content they expect with the extra bonus of deep characterization and story with all the sexiness intact. At a certain level, modeling is a form of exhibitionism and when it comes to bare flesh, inhibitions are less of a constraint for models. Ember embraces it in her personal life just as much in her modeling. Her costume may not have been her doing but she does add her own flare in the finished form.

Don't miss out on supporting Ember while you can. Find out more about the Kickstarter rewards here. And here's the trailer for the campaign:

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