By Robin Jones
Welcome back to the Inter-Comics Indie Spotlight, this column aims to make you, the readers, aware of cool indie/crowd funded comic book creators and projects!
We’re bringing back an awesome, Saturday morning cartoon style comic creator this time around, as we talk to Rob Turner, creator and writer of the webcomic Reynard City, an action packed, tongue in cheek romp with kickass foxes taking on robots, evil generals and such! They’re just gearing up to get Issue #24 to their Kickstarter people (plus also working on a bonus extra exclusive for them to make up for the delay!) This new Kickstarter is set to cover the next three issues, with the big plan being to get our artists down for Norcon in September and give them the A list treatment they deserve! On top of this they’ll have a number of new rewards including you in foxy superhero style if you back them!
So, without further delay, let’s get chatting!
Me: Reynard City is billed as a Saturday morning cartoon comic. Can explain what that means.
Rob: I was lucky growing up in the 90′s, we had a mix of great superhero cartoons (Batman, X-Men, Spiderman etc) as well as anthro cartoons (ranging from Ninja Turtles to the much underrated Swat Kats). As a kid I used to love getting up early and eating my breakfast on a tray while watching the shows. What we try to do is take that excitement and put it into our online comic.
Me: What made you settle on the idea of kick ass foxes?
Rob: I think it goes back to Disney’s Robin Hood and Tails, I liked the idea of the fox being a hero as opposed to a manipulator or a sidekick. Plus being from a rural area there was a part of me that liked the idea of them being the survivors in a tough environment.
Me: If you had to describe Reynard City in one sentence, what would you say?
Rob: ”Sonic meets X-Men via Yellow Submarine”
Me: What were the comics that influenced you as you were growing up?
Rob: Asterix was the first comic I remember regularly getting. I’ve always been drawn to the quirkiness of French culture and Asterix is probably one of the best examples (Dr Antibiotix was named as a tribute to the comic). Over time as I got older I got more into comics themselves mostly as a result of watching cartoons (Batman and X-Men probably being the main two).
Me: You have a creative team working with you on the art, what’s their influences and processes in terms of illustrating?
Rob: We are lucky to have an excellent creative team who bring their influences to the party. Susie Gander is a big Tomb Raider fan and she brings that dynamic energy to her work, Nicholas Webb is more anime influenced. Judging from Dan Butcher’s Vanguard he’s very much inherited the cynical satire you get in 2000AD and Alan Moore. We also have a new artist on board from Norwich called FlipKick who has proved to be very dedicated and is learning very fast!
In terms of process the different artists have their own way of working. Some do it bit by bit while others like to complete a page in one go. Ultimately I believe in giving them as much freedom as I can (within the framework of the story they have been given)
Me: Where can people get hold of Reynard City?
Rob: Issues can be downloaded from www.reynardcity.com We are currently working with design company Visualise on overhauling the website and we intend to make it easier for people to order the issues from the site. We also sell issues at conventions. If anyone wants to order any issues in print form feel free to contact us!
Me: Do you have any new crowd funding projects in the pipeline?
Rob: We are very grateful to everyone who donated to the Issue 24 Kickstarter (kickstarter.com/projects/1562835050/reynard-city-issue-24). Our next Kickstarter project will be to cover the next three issues. Our aim is to get issues out once every two months, something that is not always easy to do. We are also looking for sponsors (ideal if you have a comic that you want to promote! More info www.reynardcity.com/advertise)
Me: What’s next for your intrepid team of foxy foxes?
Rob: The next thing is Issue #24! I can’t reveal too much but the issue is called The Rise of Balloon Boy and kicks off the second major arc of the comic. We’re building up to a grand finish, one that is really going to hit home!
Me: Hypothetical question now, who would win in a fight: Ak Girl, Wondervixen and Hyper Rob or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Rob: This is a tough one- The Ninja Turtles all have fantastic skills and would put up an excellent fight. I like to think Vibes would pull off a few mind tricks and they’d make peace over some pizza!
So, you can check out and download the story here, follow Rob and his foxy exploits on twitter here, plus check out this awesome fan made song in a tribute to the story here!
See you all next time!
For more comic views and reviews follow Robin on Twitter at @Hulksmash1985
Posted on April 10th, 2014
Category: INDIE SPOTLIGHT, NEWS & VIEWS, PREVIEWS & UPCOMING RELEASES, REVIEWS
Tags: AK Girl, Comic Reviews, Hyper Rob, Indie Spotlight, Kickstarter comics, Reynard City, Rob Turner, Robin Jones, Wondervixen