Mundi Digitalis
Rex Mundi is now available as a digital download from Dark Horse! Actually, it has been for some time. I guess for me comics on paper will always feel more… real. Or something. But I'm getting used to absorbing them from a cool, glowing screen. The best part is you can get the first Rex Mundi book in digital format for about half the cost of the print version.
I mean – you could get it for "free" from Bittorrent, but then you'd be stealing from me. And you wouldn't want to do that! At the very least, wait until I move into a mansion with a bowling alley, an oxygen chamber, a ferris wheel, and laser turrets…
Mmm… laser turrets…
Click on through to buy, Dear Reader…
The Curse of the Neocortex
A friend of mine sent me a great article, "Uncomfortable Questions: Was the Death Star Attack an Inside Job?". It perfectly captures the "I'm just stating facts here" lunacy of 9-11 conspiracy theories. The best part is the shameless plug for the author's "book" and for Jar-Jar Bink's campaign for the Imperial Senate at the very end. I don't think most 9-11-was-an-inside-job theorists are actively dishonest, but it doesn't even matter when they're after your money.
It only goes to show how disparate facts and inconsistencies can be used to construct a version of history that actually seems plausible, at least, until you start thinking critically. The truth is, reality is always a little messy. There are always going to "questions", lots of them. I mean, are we to believe Franklin Roosevelt allowed Pearl Harbor to happen? There are people who actually think that!
Anyone who's read Zero Killer (all six of you) knows I'm not the world's biggest fan of the second Bush administration. So I'm not apologizing for any of the things that happened as a result of 9-11.
But I like to think I'm something of a black belt in conspiracy theories. They're so much fun, a kind of living science fiction. And having delved into the subject pretty deeply, I'm here to say they are all, indeed, fiction. The few exceptions are very obvious and very well documented, like the attempt of the Ku Klux Klan to infiltrate the US federal government in the 1920s. Aside from those glaring instances... garbage.
For whatever reason, conspiracy theories have changed from a provenance of the far right to the far left since World War II. In the early 20th Century, "the Jews" were a popular bête noire – they still are. Hell, Hitler made a career off of that one. The Bahá'í Faith is the subject of lots of conspiracy theories in Iran; it's often denounced as an evil plot by, you guessed it, those scary Jews. But nowadays it's more about spooky militarists assassinating presidents from grassy knolls and planting thermite bombs in skyscrapers.
But I don't think conspiracy theories are popular because people are stupid. It's sort of the opposite, in fact. We humans are so clever, we can convince ourselves of anything. It's our pesky neocortex, the "highest" part of the brain, that does us in. Denying evolution, or global warming, 9-11, the Kennedy assassination, Jesus had kids... if you're determined to believe something crazy, your higher brain is actually going to aid you in your lunacy. After all, making connections is what intelligence is all about. That's what the neocortex is hardwired to do.
So in some ways, I guess I admire conspiracy theorists, for their intellectual... creativity. It's just a shame all that mental horsepower isn't being used more productively, because I absolutely agree with the 9-11ers on one thing: there are a whole lot of problems with the world.
Zero Killer: Reference for an Ass-Kicking
Zero Killer, a comic of mine that finally came out in collection last July, is set in an alternate-present where the United States never dropped atom bombs on Japan to end World War II. So things are ever-so-slightly different: there was a global nuclear war in 1973.
Zero, the main character, practices a martial art born in the cell blocks of Riker's Island. Apparently this martial art actually exists, but I don't know very much about it. No one does, except for the guys who practice it, and they're not too keen on sharing.
You fight barefoot, like Zero, using your toes to jump up and grab the rim of toilet bowls, shower rails, whatever, to get a height advantage on your attacker, and then you use quick strikes to vulnerable areas like the eyes and throat (nice!). Or so I'm told. I believe it's different from "52 Blocks", an American-born martial art that's been getting some of attention lately.
That's the extent of my knowledge, so I used Kempo, a martial art I'm more familiar with, to choreograph the fight scenes. Later on, when Zero gets his knives, he uses Arnis, a Filipino style similar to Escrima.
The actions scenes in Zero Killer would not have turned out as well as they did without the help of my friend and professional fight choreographer, Kenny Burgin. One day we climbed onto the roof of our apartment building in Queens – in 100º heat and 90% humidity! – to take reference pictures for Matt, the artist. There's a big difference between knowing how to fight and making a fight look good. Kenny really schooled me, and I'm in his debt.
Click away for larger images and descriptions of the simulated brutality!
Arvid @ Comic Geek Speak
The lads at Comic Geek Speak were kind enough to interview me yesterday about the Zero Killer trade paperback, which is coming out in August. I had a swell time, we discussed everything from World War II to Euro board games.
Titans of the comic book industry!
The Dark Horse 100 front cover for Zero Killer #1
When the first issue of Zero Killer came out, some time during last geological epoch, Dark Horse decided to make it a Dark Horse 100 title.
"What is Dark Horse 100?" you ask? Why, it's a promotional contest for comics retailers. They enter for a chance of getting 100 ultra-rare front covers of a particular title, in this case, Zero Killer #1.
Matt Camp really outdid himself for this. It's a beautiful drawing of Stark, just before she gets jumped by the Black Cats at the opening of Zero Killer #1. It's a wrap-around, too! The back is just as cool as the front. You can see a small version of the entire thing on the Zero Killer site, right here.
Anyway, I just bought a few of these online; I try to have copies of everything I've ever done. One of the places I ordered from was Titan Comics in Dallas, Texas. When the copy arrived in the mail, there was a nice little note on the inside packaging from Erin, the shipping manager over there.
No – thank you!
Gee! Erin, thanks so much! The two-year delay in between Issues 3 and 4 was just bruuuutal. But it's heartening to know there are people out there who actually care about ZK.
The good news is we're gonna be doing a collection. If sales are good enough, I might even do another series. So there's hope.
As soon as the ZK collection is official, I'll announce it here, and from subway platforms and street corners everywhere.
Arvid Nelson (me!) is a comic book writer, responsible for Rex Mundi and Zero Killer, among other things. I live in Northampton, Massachusetts with my lovely wife. more...Coming Up
- Feb. 15: Dejah Thoris #10