Robert Kirkman: Don't Fear The Reaper
Robert Kirkman is one of the most popular new writers on the comics scene. Whether he’s writing Battle Pope or Invincible, Brit or The Walking Dead, Tech Jacket or Cloudfall he always manages to tell a story that is distinct, realistic, and compelling. Highly prolific, Robert Kirkman is a busy man with great ideas. Luckily he found some time between writing to do this interview with me. Let’s get started…
Mike Storniolo: You have received a lot of positive feedback from Invincible. Would you consider branching out with minis and one-shots based on some of the supporting characters?
Robert Kirkman: Sadly in today’s comic market that would be nearly impossible. It’s hard enough keeping Invincible going. Doing a spin-off would be a lot of fun but really… but it’s not practical. Plus, this way I get to do all the fun stuff in the book. As evidenced by #7, I’m not above doing an entire issue without the main character if it helps the over-all arc of the book. So for now people will just have to be happy with seeing all the supporting characters in the book. Except for William… William will be getting a 12-issue maxi series sometime in early 2005.
MS: With the success of your current ongoing titles Invincible, Brit, and The Walking Dead, do your Image titles have the potential for long issue runs in your mind?
RK: That’s the idea, really. I plan on doing these books for as long as I can. Soliciting Invincible #13 and The Walking Dead #8 in the most recent previews catalogue was a real thrill for me. I like the big numbers. I really hope to at the very least, reach #50 on both the titles. I’ve got big arcs laid out for both books, and would have no problem keeping them interesting well past #50. Brit is a different animal. Two big books a year for a long time is what I want to do. In the end it won’t be much story, the equivalent of four issues a year… but they’re fun to do and that book really lets me stretch out into the realm of wackiness Battle Pope existed in more so than I can in the other two books.
MS: What can you tell us about Reaper, coming out in March?
RK: Reaper is about the deadliest assassin in the land, a dude called Reaper. In the story, Reaper is hired by a mysterious figure to assassinate the dreaded Lord Shirak, a tyrant who has ruled this made up world for hundreds of years. It's really just an excuse to see 64 pages of Cliff Rathburn drawing people getting cut all to shit. Cliff is a hell of an artist and the pages for this book are simply amazing. It's by far the most brutal story I've ever written. I like to think of it as Hard Boiled with swords… but that's because I want people that liked Hard Boiled to buy the book.
MS: You have created a large number of characters in your writing. Are there any crossovers between some of those characters that you have in mind? If so who are/would be some of the characters?
RK: There’s some Tech Jacket stuff coming up in Invincible, but it’s brief cameo-type stuff. Brit and Invincible are really interconnected at this point, with the new Guardians of the Globe being under the same division of the government that Brit works for… and the head of that division has a son that attends the same high school as Mark. We’ll eventually see Brit himself in Invincible, and maybe vice versa but for now it’s all just side character stuff. It’s little things that people who read both books will notice, but it doesn’t make anyone feel left out or like they need to buy both books. Which is how I prefer it.
Mike: The majority of your work has been self-published or under Image Comics. Is there any thing that is keeping you at Image?
RK: Desperation. Seriously though, Jim Valentino and Eric Stephenson are running a tight ship over there. I basically have the same working environment I did when I was self publishing (creative freedom, full ownership, and so on) only I have all the benefits of a larger publisher. All for a nominal flat fee that doesn’t begin to touch the profits I make from simply being a part of Image. It’s the best deal in town… it really is. I’m not saying that because of that one night Jim and I had in Chicago that I don’t want anyone to know about. Besides… they’ve shown me a LOT of support over the last year or so. Especially when you take into consideration that I’m a 25 year old kid from Kentucky that was doing a book called Battle Pope when they found me. Who in their right mind would have supported a guy like me like Image has? Thank God the folks at Image are one step away from the loony bin.
Mike: What can you tell us a little about Sleepwalker, coming from Marvel’s Epic imprint? Are you discouraged at all due to the recent status of Epic?
RK: Well yeah, of course I am. I went from having a guaranteed five-issue run to having one issue published as part of an anthology, with future issues on shaky ground at best. I was very, VERY upset about the whole thing when it happened. The thing is, Marvel isn’t new to this game. They know what they’re doing. I know they had good reason to restructure the line. I certainly don’t blame them. I really can’t complain. I’m getting some more work there now and there should be more on the horizon. They seem to be making it up to me and that’s pretty cool. They certainly weren’t obligated.
As far as the story content, it was my attempt to modernize the old series without crapping on what came before. Fans of the book would have liked it, I think… and fans of my work would have liked it. I was having a blast doing it. Working Sleepwalker was a childhood dream of mine. The fact that it was my FIRST Marvel work never really sat right with me… it always seemed to good to be true. Turns out it was. I WILL some day return to the book… I LOVE the character and won’t let it sit in limbo if I can help it… one day… one day… the book will be back.
MS: Who is one artist that you would like to collaborate with on a book and why?
RK: ONE? I have to name it to ONE? It’d have to be Frank Miller, I mean… the guy’s a legend. It’d be a hoot to work with him if I could actually keep my head about it and not freak out and be intimidated by the whole thing. Frank Miller… that would be crazy. Yeah… it’s gotta be Frank. I’d also really like to work with Erik Larsen, Dave Johnson, Frank Cho, Mike Wieringo, Scott Kurtz, Bob Fingerman, Travis Charest, Geof Darrow, Dave Gibbons, Rob Liefeld, Dave Sim, Walt Simonson, (I could do this all day) Brian Hitch, Frank Quitely, Mark Bagley, Ron Garney, Mike Mignola, Todd McFarlane, Joe Mad, Adam Hughes, Jason Pearson, Cully Hamner, Chris Sprouse, (okay… this is enough, I know I’m forgetting a ton of people but I could go on forever like this) Andy Kuhn, Paul Grist, Edwardo Risso… okay… gotta stop.
MS: Do you have any plans on doing more with Battle Pope and Tech Jacket? Any continuation of the two series?
RK: Yeah… both actually. When is the only question, but I’m pretty sure the answer is not “never.” I know exactly what I want to do with both series... I’m just waiting until the time is right.
MS: Was Image pleased with the responses that Capes received? Is there another Capes mini or ongoing series in the works?
RK: Y’know… I’d really like to spin this and sugar coat it and all that... but I don’t think ANYONE was pleased with the response that Capes received. I don’t know if it was the humor aspect or the wacky covers with dialogue balloons or if it was something else… but Capes did NOT perform well. I loved the book, Englert enjoyed drawing it… and it got some favorable reviews but it just didn’t catch on. I think it’s really hard to do superheroes today when Marvel and DC are doing just about everything you could possibly want in the genre every month. There was a time when “super-hero with a twist” was enough to set you apart from the big two and get the book noticed but with Marvel and DC trying so many new things and really pushing the envelope the way they have the last few years those times are gone.
With Alias, H-E-R-O, Wildcats 3.0, Automatic Kafka (R.I.P.), Sleeper, Runaways, Sentinel, and the likes, Marvel and DC are doing much more than straight superhero stories. As a result… I think Capes was lost.
MS: you’ve produced fun and interesting books with Funk-O-Tron studios in the past few years. Are you developing any more ideas with the studio?
RK: With the studio? I AM the studio! If you mean the artists that fall under the exclusive Studio Funk-O-Tron banner, HELL YES, I plan on working with all those guys until they won’t let me any more. I’ve got new stuff lined up with E.J. and Cory already and if Terry Stevens and Matt Roberts weren’t so busy with other stuff, I’d MAKE time to work with them. More than a studio, or a group of comics pros, I like to think of Funk-O-Tron as a tight-knit group of friends, I love ALL those guys. You can’t find a more talented bunch of up-and-coming artists. The Funk-O-Tron artists blow me away.
MS: Who is one character that you have always wanted to write and why?
RK: No Lie, Sleepwalker. I just love that guy… I know he’s ridiculous but that’s what I love about him. Other than that… Spider-Man, for obvious reasons. Blade because the movies are AWESOME and I don’t see why someone can’t do anything cool with the character in comics. Ghost Rider, Lobo, and The Punisher because I know Tony Moore would love to do them and I know it’d be the best work of his career and I DO NOT want to miss out on that. I’d also like to try my hand at Superman, that’d be fun... I mean... he’s the one that started it all, right? 
MS: Do you have any plans to do another Super Patriot series?
RK: Larsen pretty much said “any time you want” and I haven’t forgotten that. I’m sure it’ll happen sometime. He just got married in the Savage Dragon series and I’m really itching to play around with that… so you never know. I certainly want to do it… but there’s only so many hours in a day, y’know.
MS: And finally about how long is it until you write every single Image book and take over the company?
RK: I’m already ghost writing Powers, Savage Dragon, and a few others. It’s only a matter of time…
You can buy some of Robert’s books over at: http://www.khepri.com/rkirkman.html
To visit Image Comics go to: http://www.imagecomics.com
Discuss this interview on the Feature Fiends Forum!