Stronghold – Inter-comics.com

INDIE SPOTLIGHT #008 – STRONGHOLD!

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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!

This time around we are speaking to the creative team behind Stronghold, a new, independent comic from creators Kevin Roberts and Brian Visaggio. It’s a science fiction action-adventure story rooted in the “super-sentai” genre, which you might familiar with from shows such as Power Rangers, Masked Rider, Voltron and Gatchaman/G-Force. Kevin and Brian also take strong influences from manga and anime like Dragon Ball, western comics like Kingdom Come and Sandman, and shows like Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek Deep Space 9 to combine these elements to craft something familiar for science fiction fans In concept but fresh and truly unique in its execution.

I spoke with Brian and Kevin about Stonghold:

Me: Where did the inspiration and idea come from for Stronghold?

KR: I had wanted to do something Super-Sentai (re: Power Rangers/Kamen Rider/etc) inspired for years, I was always drawing up character designs that didn’t have a real story behind them, but I developed them all the same. Then Brian approached me about doing a book like that. A darker, grimmer version of Power Rangers, a show that we liked but we know is still kids’ stuff. So this basically started as our love letter, our homage to that genre of kids shows we grew up on. We wanted something with teams transforming into chitinous armor and piloting giant mecha, while giving it enough of a spin to make it our own, to make it distinct.

BV: Power Rangers. It’s sort of that simple. Kevin and I, along with our friend Martin Krause who helped us to develop the plot the book initially, discovered we all shared a sustained, mutual love for Power Rangers, but knew damn well how poorly the show held up. I initially discussed the idea with Martin, and as Kevin and I had been trying to work out a project to do together, I approached him about the art. I said “Let’s do Power Rangers for grown-ups.” He said “I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life,” or something to that effect.

We really wanted to do a mature story about kung-fu space superheroes who fight aliens, and I daresay we’ve successfully done that.

Me: Which artists and writers have most heavily influenced you both in your work on Stronghold, and in the style and tone of the comic?

KR: I do have a bit of comic background from my adolescent days. Whenever I went with my dad to the pharmacy or the convenience store he’d buy me some comic books (which were only $1.25-1.50) to take home. I was big into Archie Comics’ Sonic The Hedgehog and TMNT series, and I’d grab any X-Men and Amazing Spider-Man I could get my hands on. I was too young to realize how bad the clone saga was (haha) but I loved 90s Spider-Man however I could get my hands on it. But around the time the PlayStation came out (1995 in NA) I stopped reading a lot of comics, I’d pick up a few here and there but I didn’t get into them seriously until college. Most of my influences were from tv and video games. Genndy Tartokovski’s Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack remain near and dear to my heart. Akira Toriyama; Dragon Ball Z (there weren’t any American cartoons with that level of action. It blew me away at the tender age of 11), Ronin Warriors, Voltron reruns, Gundam Wing, Big O, Katsuhiro Otomo: Akira, Hayao Miyazaki; Princess Mononoke, Ninja Scroll. I was smack in the middle of the mid-90s early-2000s anime boom and I was taking in as much as I could. I mean who hasn’t been affected by Cowboy Bebop (Shinichiro Watanabe)? Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid came out when I was 13 and changed my life forever. I mean that series is a part of my identity. Yoji Shinkawa’s art has been a big influence on me, respectively. Japanese cartoons and video games shaped my tweens and teens in a big way, and anythiing Bruce Timm had his fingers in, as far as American cartoons went; Batman, Justice League, etc. There’s one manga I’ve been faithful to since I was 18 and that’s Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond. If you don’t know it, you need it in your life. Inoue’s draftsmanship simultaneously inspires me and depresses me to no end, and it’s a great story about Miyamoto Musashi.

BV: It’s always a fight to figure out who my influences are. I keep wanting to bring some Gaiman in there but it’s never tonally appropriate. I’d say my biggest influences are Mark Waid, Alan Moore, yeah probably Gaiman, Brian Azzarrello, and Brian S. Wood. Wood’s DMZ has been a huge influence, and I’ve always tried to emulate Mark Waid’s remarkable sense of tragedy.

Me: Do you still read/have time to read comics and if so, which comics do you like reading?

KR: Not a whole lot to be honest. Gaming’s my primary hobby and I barely have time for that between working part time and drawing Stronghold. I make time when a game really gets its hooks in but I spend less time gaming or reading comics these days than say, in college. Going to the gym has actually helped; I read comics and graphic novels while doing the treadmill portion of my work out. I’m catching up on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Incredible stuff. I do make a point of it though so I don’t stagnate. It’s good to look at other’s work and study what they did and why they did it. Composition, panel layouts, and I’m currently also doing the lettering so I try to study that too. So comics for me are like 40% hobby and 60% research.

BV: My monthly books right now are Starlight, Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman. I keep wanting to get back into X-Men but I haven’t read it regularly for over a decade now. When I was a kid, I mostly read Uncanny X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man, and Tom DeFalco’s Spider-Girl, which I dearly, dearly love, although I sometimes wonder if I learned all the wrong lessons from DeFalco.

I spend a lot of time in trades. I love classic 1930′s and 40′s Superman. It may not be evident from my reading choices but I’m sort of obsessed with Superman; I’ve just never been interested in the main continuity. Red Son, Superman for All Season, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, Kingdom Come, All-Star Superman…these are books I come back to again and again and again.

Sandman, Powers, DMZ, Scott Pilgrim (which is truly, truly remarkable). Lots of stuff. Less than I’d like.

Me: Can you describe Stronghold in a single sentence?

KR: Power Rangers, Battlestar Galactica, and Dragonball Z had a baby and we don’t know who the father is.

BV: People making horrible choices in a terrible situation are surprisingly unsuspicious when a space alien offers to give them superpowers so they can overthrow the government.

Me: What can readers expect to see in the future for Stronghold with issue 4 & 5?

KR: More plot, more character development, some new characters, even, awesome fight choreography, grim but hopeful science fiction that doesn’t abuse the color brown.

BV: Issue 4 and 5 are going to be wrapping up the story’s act 1, dealing with the fallout from the events of The Chains parts 1-3. It’s going to launch the book into the second act where the bulk of the story will be spent. Bodies will be buried. Villains will be introduced. And we get to see what’s outside the cities.

Me: You’ve currently got a kickstarter going for Stonghold, what is the best part of using crowd funding for your projects?

KR: If we get funded I’ll let you know (hahaha) but I guess it’s forced me to network more than have been. Or at least attempt to. And it’s nice seeing people I don’t know giving us some attention, taking a chance on us.

BV: Not going broke funding things yourself. I make pretty much no money, and my wife and I work hard to keep ourselves afloat. We could never do this without help.

Me: Do the pair of you have any plans for future comics/stories together?

KR: We have more ideas that we have time or hands to commit them to paper or computer, honestly. I wish I had a clone who just did all the things I didn’t have time for, but had all my skills and interests.

BV: We have a few different projects on the backburner waiting for Stronghold to end, all of which we’re really excited about. One of them may be the best thing I’ve ever written.

Me: What’s your favourite part about creating comics?

KR: I love to draw, I always have. Comics require a lot of drawing. It’s labor intensive, but as long as you’re not lazy, you can see yourself improving with each book you make. And after I’m done I get a real sense of accomplishment from what I’ve finished. There’s a profound sense of growth and learning that is almost inevitable in making comics.

BV: I honestly don’t know how to answer that. There’s really never been a time in my life where they hasn’t been the impulse to make comics. Never ever. So it’s like asking what your favorite part of breathing is; it’s completely natural and I never really give it a thought as to what about it appeals to me or what part of it I like. It’s just something that I do.

Me: Hypothetical question now, if the character’s of Stronghold came up against the characters from Super Sentai?

KR:Stronghold. No contest. But then they’d team up and become BFFs.

BV: They’d lose due to being vastly, vastly outnumbered.

What you have there is a comprehensive reason to back Stonghold! Brian and Kevin are fantastic gents and fully deserve your support! You can check out the Stonghold website here, donate to their kickstarter fund here, (Which I strongly suggest you do!) also if Twitter is your thing and you wish to stalk the pair of them, then hit Brian up here and Kevin here! Kevin also has his own tumblr, which showcases his art, which can be accessed here!

See you all next time.

Rob Jones is an honourary Yorkie, but for the life of him, he can’t understand why. He writes articles, is attempting to write comics and his life ambition is to own a solid gold Donkey… For more comic news, reviews and the odd bit of sense, follow Robin on twitter @Hulksmash1985

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Posted on May 10th, 2014
Category: INDIE SPOTLIGHT, PREVIEWS & UPCOMING RELEASES, REVIEWS
Tags: Brian Visaggio, Comic Reviews, Independent comcs, Indie Spotlight, Kevin Roberts, Kickstarter comics, Robin Jones, Stronghold

INTER-COMICS PODCAST – EPISODE #039 – POWER RANGERS FOR ADULTS!

By Jack Chambers, Daniel Cole and Brian Visaggio

Click HERE to listen to the Inter-Comics podcast – Episode #039

Brian Visaggio joins the team this week as they look around his Stronghold. They talk news, comics and Brian. Ending on a high as they open the doors to a new kingdom.