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Steampunk Sword Orphan Cult Assassins – A Look at Amala's Blade

Amala's BladeThis February, Dark Horse Presents will kick off a brand-new feature, Amala's Blade, from writer Steve Horton and artist Michael Dialynas. I had a chance to catch up with the duo, and here's how that conversation went down.

Where did the idea come from – did one of you come up with it, pitch it to the other, and things start rolling from there? Or was it more of a melding of the minds from the get-go?

Michael: After working with Steve on a one-pager on his web-project "Spinning to Infinity" we stayed in touch and then he asked me if I was interested in doing a pitch with him. Emails were sent back and forth and this project was born.

Steve: The idea for Amala was sparked by, as many of my ideas are, following a chain of links on Wikipedia. I found myself at the Dalai Lama page, and I read up about how one is chosen. What if this idea of a spiritual leader chosen at birth was transplanted to another time and place, what if the leader was chosen to prevent civil war, and what if, as a twist, it didn't work?

The whole thing kind of snowballed from there. I brought in Michael Dialynas after the original artist dropped out, and made Michael a co-creator. We showed it to several publishers (foolishly, at the same time), but the pitch was formatted specifically for Dark Horse Presents, which was always our first choice. Luckily, Chris Warner and Mike Richardson liked it!

Before I get back to Amala, I have to ask since Michael mentioned it – now that you have an "in" with Dark Horse, could we see "Spinning to Infinity" popping up as something other than a webcomic?

Steve: "Spinning to Infinity" is in fact, dead. Couldn't pay the hosting bill when it came due. No real print plans for it, either.

Glad I found at least one awesome artist out of it, though!

Back to Amala, at what point did the steampunk aspect enter the picture?

Steve: The steampunk aspect came about when I developed the country on the brink of civil war. One half are the Purifiers, a steampunk society who eschew high technology in favor of things they build themselves. The other half are the Modifiers, who implant bulky technology throughout themselves and their environment.

It's as if a Miyazaki world came in conflict with a Moebius one.

Michael, that's clearly two different worlds to work with when you're talking about Miyazki meeting Moebius. As an artist, how much of a challenge is it blending those?

Michael: It was scary to begin with but my love for Miyazaki (especially Princess Mononoke) and Moebius helped me find the right blend between them. I basically grew up reading Moebius; his work was part of my "compass" when I was starting off. Moebius's series of "Incal" books where widely printed in the 80's here in Greece, so when I started to read more alternative titles, the Incal was one of the first to come across, since then its been at hands reach with my other favorite comics.

I think both of them show in my work on Amala's Blade. From the patterns and clunky prosthetics I've given the Modifiers to the human and organic feel of the Purifiers.

I was glad when Steve mentioned those two as a point of reference; I was like "you got it!" and pulled the books from the shelf without looking.

We've talked about inspirations and where the story came from, but how about the story itself? Why should we care about Amala and her blade?

Steve: Amala is a lost soul. Chosen to lead her country at age 8, she runs away, then is kidnapped before she can return. A life in the Sword Orphan Cult is all she had. That life ended in tragedy, and now herself and her blade are all that's left. Unfortunately, the life she's led, the people she's killed, and the tragedy she's witnessed has messed with her mind. She now talks to herself constantly, as figures from her past float among her like ghosts.

She's an effective assassin with a glaring weakness of self-doubt, regret, and a touch of insanity. She's got quite a bit to overcome to reclaim her past, if she even wants to do that at all.

Michael: What he said.


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