Q: What is your background as a writer/editor? How did Bluewater Comics come to be? Given the subject matter of the titles, this must be like a dream come true for you.
I started working in Hollywood when DC Comics came knocking at my door. I never wanted to work in comics but they wanted to double my salary from what I was making at Lionsgate. So I took the job and learned a lot. I have collected comics ever since I was a kid and loved the medium. I was repping artists outside of comics when I was watching the people that I was repping creating their own properties. I thought I could do that and launched my own line of comics. I started with10TH MUSE which launched at the 6th highest selling comic. We have one movie deal under our belt with LEGEND OF ISIS so I am working in the best of both industries.
Q: I just finished reading WRATH OF THE TITANS #1 and I was impressed you not only have a good sequel but that you captured the "feel" of a Harryhausen movie. In this issue you have him fighting the Hydra, which we've seen in JASON & THE ARGONAUTS and on the cover you have the orange Cyclops from THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD. Is he going to face other creatures that were featured in different Harryhausen movies?
We are using a lot of cool characters in all the books. We really want to tell new stories and have a lot of myth characters for our heroes to fight. We have some traditional ones that have been seen before like the Cyclops but we also have Typhoon. Wait till you see what we have coming in BACK TO MYSTERIOUS ISLAND.
Q: What's going to happen with Perseus in the story this year?
Perseus always seems to have a problem or two. Issue #2 we learn that his newborn was stolen by a mysterious person from his past. In the series he will have to fight for the life of his family as well as himself against a couple new bad threats like the Cyclops and Typhoon.
Q: In the issue you also have printed some of Harryhausen's original pencil sketches. How difficult was it getting the rights/Harryhausen involved in this project?
I met Ray at a signing that he was doing up here in Bellingham for his new book. Since he was a major influence for me in creating comics from myths, I gave him a couple graphic novels on ISIS and "10TH MUSE. I spoke with his manager Arnold and asked them if they ever thought about doing comics - and he told me to send him a proposal. Within two weeks we had artwork and stories for WRATH OF THE TITANS and SINBAD. They signed the contracts right after that. I wanted to make this more than a license so we came up with a bunch of cross promotions with other people working with Ray. Arnold set us up with Every Picture Tells a Story to be able to use the original art. Arnold makes working with Ray sort of like a family.
Q: Blue water also has a new SINBAD adventure, SINBAD: ROGUE OF MARS, and a continuation of 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH. Are there going to be any more titles, such as RETURN TO THE VALLEY OF GWANGI?….
We are developing a bunch of new properties with Ray Harryhausen. We are doing BACK TO MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS: KINGDOM OF HADES and a traditional Sinbad story. We are in talks with Arnold and Ray to develop some more. I think Gwangi would be a really cool comic too. We are doing these in phases so we do not flood the market too much.
Q: Will Bluewater Comics be publishing any other titles besides those based on the movies?
We are currently bringing back some of our featured titles as 10th Muse, Legend of Isis, Judo Girl, VSS: Nemesis Rising & Blackbeard Legacy. We also have some new titles like Gearz, Insane Jane Kid Gloves and Ninth Order. The other cool news is we just got the rights to some new sci-fi titles. We will announce those in the next month.
Q: How can readers find the comics?
They can go to comic stores across the US and hopefully internationally but to get more info on the Bluewater books people can go to bluewaterprod.com.