The Strongarm Horton Heat

By Robert Murray

An Interview with Steve Horton

I recently had a chance to chat with Steve Horton, freelancer for Scrye magazine as well as web comic writer and creator of the new series Strongarm, about his influences, his past works, and his upcoming project. Strongarm, to be published by Image Comics in early 2007, concerns a delivery boy in a futuristic totalitarian society who inherits a pair of biomechanical arms that take over the boy’s body and mind. Besides touching on Strongarm, we also talked about anime, Alex Robinson, and the use of the word ‘sneakily.’

ROBERT MURRAY: Tell us a little about yourself and how you first became involved in writing comics.

STEVE HORTON: I’ve been a comics fan ever since my dad brought home Transformers #9 (the one where Megatron loses his higher brain functions and is controlled by a petty criminal). I’ve been a professional freelance writer for years now, and thought I’d try my hand at comics. I have had several web comics published over the years, but Strongarm is my first printed work.

RM: Who are your biggest influences?

SH: Stephen King is the biggest. One of the best fiction writers in the business, and he’s also great at relating what makes writing good. Check out On Writing to see what I mean. I’ve learned a lot from that book and from his fiction in general. So much so, that when I see a novel loaded with unnecessary adverbs, it drives me nuts! To Dan Brown: “Sneakily” should not be a word!

RM: What comics are you reading right now?

SH: The Walking Dead. Invincible. Anything Alex Robinson does, which means I’ve got a few years wait between projects!

RM: Tell us about the creation of Grounded Angel. Would you recommend web comics as a viable comic format for creators?

SH: The character of Gloria is loosely based on someone I knew briefly in college. That was her AOL screen name. The story kind of sprung up from there. Originally intended for a print publisher, it found its way on to Komikwerks. As of this month, it has a new home over at Graphic Smash.

Webcomics are tough. Only a select few can even make pocket money from it at the moment, let alone a living wage. Right now, the print format is still dominant, but that may change in the future. Right now, it takes a long time to be successful on the web, but the startup costs are so much less than self-publishing an indie book, it’s still worth it.

RM: Grounded Angel and Bryceworld both have distinctly manga sensibilities in both story and art. Are you a big fan of manga? If so, what do you read?


SH: I don’t read much, but I’m still a fan of the form. I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction lately to cleanse the palate while I’m writing Strongarm. In the past, I’ve read and enjoyed Great Detective Conan, Love Hina, Ranma ½, and classic Maison Ikkoku. As far as anime, the classic series Kimagure Orange Road is still my all-time favorite.

RM: Will Strongarm have the same manga feel?

SH: Yes. We’re going more toward manga than traditional American style, because it fills a niche in the standard comic book format. Most manga is in digest format, so hopefully manga fans and Western comic fans who like the style will pick this up, too.

RM: Tell us about Strongarm and what caused you to conceive of the series.

SH: I was on a road trip when the concept of malevolent bionic arms sprung in my head. The co-star, Lyndsey, is based on someone else I knew in college. The story’s taken many twists and turns to arrive where it is today. It’s certainly in a different form from when I started pitching it to the comics companies.

RM: How did you come to work with Dave Ahn? What do you think of his artwork for Strongarm?

SH: I posted ads on Digital Webbing and Deviant Art while Strongarm was in the pitch stage at TokyoPop. Dave Ahn was, by far, the best artist to respond, and he has actual commercial comics credit, which is a huge bonus. He’s really enthusiastic about this project, and it really shows through in the art. He had this idea the other day of tentacles coming out of the arms and wrapping themselves around a policeman. I never would have thought of that, and it’s perfect!

RM: You seem to be diversified in many areas of general fandom. In an ideal scenario, what would be your fandom area of choice (American comics, manga, CCG games, etc)?

SH: Manga. It’s got the biggest audience and the widest demographic. I still go into bookstores and see young girls reading manga, while they wouldn’t be caught dead with a super-hero comic book.

RM: How has your experience with Image Comics been so far?

SH: Nothing but great! Erik Larsen, Eric Stephenson and the rest have been professional and helpful so far. Image is a great place to be.

RM: What comic story would you consider your all-time favorite?

SH: The entire run of Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson, beginning to end, is the best comics story I have ever read.

RM: Who is on your wish list of artists to work with someday?

SH: Good question! Joe Kubert, John Byrne, John Romita Jr., David Macchuzzelli - all the classic artists that are still with us.

RM: What can a neophyte to your work expect from Strongarm?

SH: Hard-hitting action, dark romance, awesome artwork, and a really interesting future world.

RM: What CCG games do you play?

SH: I used to play Star Wars CCG, Lord of the Rings TCG, Fullmetal Alchemist TCG, and many others. I’ve tried dozens. I’m currently retired from active TCG playing, mostly because I have to make my living as a freelancer, and also because I have a 2-month-old son to help take care of.

RM: If you were a cheerleader and had to come up for a cheer to boost Strongarm, what would it sound like?

SH: Strongarm! Strongarm! Don’t look at him the wrong way or he’ll gut you like a fish! Yeah!

Go to ImageComics.com for more information.