Hot Shot of the Week Companion Feature
Ten Question About Atomika #9 With Sal Abbinati
Russell Burlingame reporting for Comic Related
ComicRelated: So what's the deal with Diamond? What happened that your book--in spite of a loyal following and a decent amount of promotion at places like ComicGeekSpeak--isn't coming out when it's done?
Sal Abbinati: I've tried to get as many issues in the can before I start re-soliciting through Diamond. It's important to me to get the book back on a permanent schedule. In the meantime I've been publishing small numbers and getting the word out through Comic shows and a few of the larger stores. Mid Town, Chicago Comics and the website. I hope I'm not pissing people off too much. Believe me I'm in it for the long haul, I've got 15 amazing covers ready to go and I intend on publishing the 15-issue God is Red story arc Hell or high water.
CR: What collected editions are out there, for those who haven't seen the book before? I see you can pre-order the God is Red trade on the website, but the books aren't actually finished yet...!
SA: I have Issues 1-6 are available in trade right now. Issues 7-9 are only available as single issues at this time.
CR: So is it a little daunting trying to figure out how to depict Hell in a comic? It's been done in a variety of ways by a variety of creators before, but I always feel like something so iconic...you must feeel like it's important to get it right the first time.
SA: I think because it has been done by tons of great artists it's always best to go with your instincts. Draw it the way you see it not someone else's way.
CR: How do you get some of these really spectacular creators to lend covers and things to the book?
SA: Pay them first off, Many are great friends of mine , but never take advantage of that. Ask, and then nag. And nag some more.
CR: Chernobyl looked...well, badass. But also potentially a little evil. How hard is it to come up with a look for a god that's never been mined before?
SA: I'm an old school Marvel guy with Kirby on the brain. When I was drawing the design for Cherhobyl I was thinking of the Destroyer in Thor. My favorite Thor villain. A bit different but Kirby all the way.
CR: That actually brings me to something: When I read about the "old gods" being dead, I immediately flash to Jack Kirby. I can't help it. Have you used any of his New Gods mythology in helping guide how you depict some of these larger-than-life characters?
SA: Yes and no. I always have Kirby in my sub-conscious but I also did a ton of research on Russian Mythology. It is loaded with plenty of great characters well fleshed out and epic. Rich in tradition and timeless story lines.
CR: Similarly, you're working in the comics medium--it's a place where not only has Marvel used Thor pretty much nonstop since Jack Kirby brought him into the universe, but DC and Image have both had their own incarnations of the Norse thunder god. Any new readers ever express confusion about the hammer here?
SA: Not really. I get the Red Star and Red Son comparisons once in a while. I disagree on Thor I think he hasn't been great since JRJR worked on it. If only they would let me work on it. I'd pencil it for free.
CR: What made you decide to be part of Newsarama's free program?
SA: I wanted to get the word out. Money etc is cool but as an artist the main goal should be for people to see the work. The rest will fall into place.
CR: The look of the book has evolved quite a bit since its initial creation. Is that a product of the move from Speakeasy, or something else?
SA: No, Speakeasy was a bad idea. I knew I should have published Atomika by myself all along. I think the book has evolved a bit just from me getting the groove of the character and the material. Speakeasy??...Man they still owe me a lot of money...
CR: I live on St. Mark's Place in New York--where there are a lot of Ukrainian-owned shops and about any product you could ever want--belt buckles, coffee cups, flags, t-shirts--are sold with hammer-and-sickle logos on them. Do you get that stuff in the mail from fans a lot?
SA: I get some pretty cool stuff now and then. Lots of e-mails calling me comrade. I use to get some weird letters from religious types pissed off about the title God is Red.
Click here to check out Atomika #9
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Page last updated on June 21, 2008