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5 Q-Squared

Five Quick Questions with Chris Dickens

1) What's the book, Chris?

The series is called Vigilante Project. It was created and written by me and my best friend Phil. Our main character is Alvin Gentry a normal college student with something of a dark past. When his kid sister is kidnapped, raped, and murdered, Alvin becomes obsessed with tracking down the person responsible, and risks everything to save another little girl being held by the same man.

2) Where can we get it and how much is it?

We released a preview edition a few weeks ago and it is available on Indy Planet for $3.00. http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6315

The next issue debuts at WonderCon in March, but it will also be available for print-on-demand through Indy Planet. We sell copies in our online store as well at http://vigilanteproject.storenvy.com/

3) What's Really Cool about this book?

I think that the coolest part is that Alvin truly is an ordinary guy. We have heroes like Batman and Iron Man who don't have super powers, but they have super bank accounts, or they're geniuses. Or you have guys like The Punisher who aren't super-powered, but have tons of military experience, special forces training, and unlimited access to guns and ammo. Alvin has no special training, no money, and no experience. This is like grabbing a random guy off the street and asking him to be a hero. It takes time, training, and you're going to screw up. The learning curve is steep and Alvin stumbles... a lot.

Another cool aspect of the book is Alvin's love interest Rebecca. Rebecca is an amputee which is something that you don't see very often in comics, and she's based on an amazing woman named Sarah Reinertsen. Sarah is a world class triathlete and motivational speaker sponsored by Nike and Oakley. Furthermore, Rebecca is considerably older than Alvin and she's married, so their relationship has a certain tension to it as well.

Another thing that is cool is the fighting in the book. Alvin is an MMA fighter at first, but even when he goes on to train Kung Fu, the techniques and the fighting in this book are very accurate, and we try to depict it in a way that adds grit and reality. It was important that we get the fighting right, and as a result we've gotten a lot of compliments on the fight sequences.

Finally, and I know that sounds kind of lame for an action comic, but I think that the relationships between the characters is pretty cool. The relationship between Alvin and his kid sister is touching, and it's the driving force behind his actions. Then you have the relationship between Alvin and Father Contreras who is the priest character that he confides in and goes to for advice. I don't want to give too much away but Father Contreras has his own motives and his own agenda in dealing with Alvin, and that affects their interaction. A friend of mine said it was like Pulp Fiction in that everyone is connected, and along the way you find out how.

4) What did you enjoy about (working on) this?

More than anything I enjoy working with my friends. Team Vigilante Project is amazing. We have a great group of like-minded guys that are extremely talented and love what they do. I am very lucky to work with such a great team. Other than that, I enjoy seeing my vision and ideas coming to life. A lot of people have ideas, but how many are able to hold that idea in their hands, and to share it with the world? I love being able to show my family, friends, and fans what goes on in my head, and to bring them into our little world.

5) What's next for you?

More Vigilante Project. We're putting out books at least once per quarter, and we're in development as a cable TV series so that's promising. We're working on a new graphic novel called Operation: Party Pooper. It's a story taken directly from our childhood. Phil's ex girlfriend was having a birthday party and she and her friends planned to come and toilet paper our houses. So we set up this elaborate counter attack with water balloons, water hoses, and super soakers. We called the plan Operation: Party Pooper and it was awesome. The book is about the events leading up to the big showdown, and then of course the showdown itself. We hope to have done by the end of the year.