Jeremy Adams and Will Conrad talk Flash Gordon

[00:00:00] Your ears do not deceive you. You've just entered the Cryptid Creator Corner brought to you by your friends at Comic Book Yeti. So without further ado, let's get on to the interview. Hey comics fam!

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[00:02:40] I'll drop a link in the show notes for you and big thanks to arkham forage for partnering with our show I think i'm gonna make jimmy play a goblin gorelock just to get even Hello and welcome to comic book yeti's cryptid creator corner

[00:02:53] I am one of your hosts jimmy gaspero and what an episode I have for you today I mean, I feel like I've been like unbelievably lucky to pass a couple of episodes with some of the guests I've had and today is

[00:03:05] No exception. Um, I have a writer and artist of man caves upcoming Flash gordon comic that is going to be out Believe in july, uh, we're going to talk about that but please welcome to the podcast writer jeremy adams and artist will conrad

[00:03:23] Jeremy will how are you doing today? Go ahead will how you doing? I'm awesome Especially now talking to you guys This is great. Yeah, I'm I'm I'm great Shoot, we were just talking my oldest daughter's birthdays today and you have two daughters the same age

[00:03:42] I know I'm like I have two daughters will will do you have kids? I not kids anymore my friend. Oh man I You're ahead of us. You're ahead of us. I can see that teen agent is coming toward me like a like a rocket ship terrifying

[00:04:06] Yep, I have two daughters uh at jeremy and I were just talking our our daughters are very very We're on the same path in terms of the ages of our kids Yeah, my oldest my oldest daughter is starting 20 this year. Oh man youngest is starting 18 so

[00:04:25] You were like 10? Huh, you were like 10 when you had them Look how good you look come on. You can't have a 20 year old Yeah, I do Wow Well, but I mean that's exciting 20 and 18 but I'm I'm I am like uh, Jeremy. I'm a little apprehensive. Let's say

[00:04:48] It's the best thing in the world. Yeah Yeah, for me it was one of the joys that I have is seeing And the kind of women they are becoming it's it's amazing. That's great. That's awesome Um, well from there turning to

[00:05:05] What we're here to talk about tonight and I've been I'm sure we'll get into a couple other things But so flash Gordon Um, this is coming out through mad cave Yeah, I believe issue Number one is going to be out um I want to say July 26th. Yeah

[00:05:26] Or July 24th Something like that. That would be the wednesday. So it's coming out from mad cave. There was an issue zero that dropped for free comic book day um, I got to read it Um

[00:05:41] Fantastic first issue. It really felt like new and fresh but kind of captured some of the You know, the the touchstones of flash Gordon. Um, I guess I I'd mentioned this before we started recording and I'm always curious when a writer an artist

[00:05:58] Any creator really comes on board for something that has such a long history because to me that seems like a very daunting you know challenge like, um whenever You know, there's like a

[00:06:11] An engagement post on like twitter and it's like what character did you always want to write and somebody'll say something like Batman or the flash or right, you know green lantern, which I know You know, you've done. Um

[00:06:25] And I'm just like I I don't even know where I would begin. So now you have a like flash Gordon originally, you know, um Like a comic in the like a comic strip

[00:06:37] 1934 Alex Raymond it was kind of first created to kind of compete with buck Rogers. Yeah, and um You know, it's it's taken on many different iterations over the years whether or not it's been in comics or a film or television series animated series

[00:06:54] So I guess when when when this opportunity first comes along Uh, how do you kind of prepare yourself to? like Where am I going to begin with? You know doing the back work for the for flash Gordon

[00:07:12] Um, I can just speak for myself like I I had been pitching uh creator own books at mad cave Which they were like no, but no just kidding So I had done

[00:07:21] I was pitching to mike martz and he said he had some licensed material and he and he kind of rattled off And when he said flash gordon, I was like, oh, I'll do flash gordon And he was like Great, okay really? I was like, yeah and so, uh

[00:07:35] I didn't know what I wanted to do at first. I mean obviously none of us do but then I just started thinking about it I really like pulp sci-fi. I really like

[00:07:46] Stuff like edgar. I spro's john carter of mars series and what I like about it is there's a lot of imagination um Packed into a good adventure. You know, it's much more adventure Driven if that makes sense. It's not like a deconstructionist point of view

[00:08:03] That's not how I write. I just like to have fun and and write really, you know strong adventure stories And then when we were talking about artists, I was I you know Will was on a list I they came in with somebody and I was like, uh,

[00:08:17] You know, they're fine But like I would rather have somebody Like will and I had will and one other person and Thank goodness will uh said yes Because they were like, oh well his is very superhero. I'm like, well, this is a superhero

[00:08:32] You know and I was really excited and and I felt like I don't know well I feel like we haven't really talked about it I feel like you had more of the uphill battle because When you're dealing with an ip that Is owned by somebody like king features

[00:08:46] There are a lot of Obligations and rules and hey it can't look like this anymore and it can't look like this and we can't own this We don't own this look from the movie. So you have to do something different

[00:08:57] I just have to write about a square jawed hero that saves the day, you know, like so that to me is pretty easy Will has to make aura not sex too sexy. You know, that was one of the notes. I was like that's her job

[00:09:09] Yeah, so what was that experience like will because you now have to take things you can use things you can't You i'm sure you wanted it to look Recognizable but have that fit within, you know your style well, um for me It was kind of the same

[00:09:28] Mike mike mars came to me He wanted me to do some stuff for for matt cave Like like it happened with jeremy He offered me other other possibilities and when he said flash boredom. I I didn't hear anything else. I said, okay That's it

[00:09:51] And and especially when he said that I would be working with Jeremy Somebody who I already worked like in the past and I loved work with him. I think we have a good chemistry chemistry here um I said, oh man, that's gonna be fantastic

[00:10:07] And I was fortunate enough that Jeremy came to me and said hey man, why do you want to draw? And i'm that's like the open door policy because oh my god, man. Don't don't do that

[00:10:19] Don't go there. Yeah, it's true. It's true because I because in my mind it's like I don't know. I mean The worst thing would be I said this once to kevin maguire and he this is what I said

[00:10:30] I said, I would hate to be an artist and all I did was just draw people talking and kevin goes. That's all I want to do I was like, oh, oh, no, I judged that incorrectly

[00:10:42] But but I would rather have like I'd rather talk to somebody like will and be like, what is it? You want to do and then how can we incorporate that into the story?

[00:10:51] What can we do that would be really really cool in that vein and I always have it in the back of my head because You know Like I said, I'm telling adventure stories and I just want it to be fun

[00:11:02] I want it to be fun for him. So it's like you can tell sometimes when an artist is like I hate this Yeah, but will doesn't do that. Thank goodness. I mean the cool thing about the issue zero was it's

[00:11:15] It's pretty bombastic. It throws you into a story in progress. I wasn't like I'm not um Trying to do an origin story of any type in a way and And we but it was you know that story was born. We had already done

[00:11:30] I already written issue one and they said hey, you have to do an issue zero You have to do like a free comic But as you are saying that the uphill battle is it's not actually an uphill battle. It's

[00:11:45] Um, I have actually more than one style. I have that style that I do for Superheroes and obviously I'm doing something like a superhero A flash born because it's an adventure, but I'm also doing some you know a little more Contained stuff um

[00:12:04] The the main difficulty here was as you said I always wanted to be loyal You know faithful to to the original characters Obviously we have the the 80s movie You know the queen the greatest. Yeah soundtrack ever Ever

[00:12:25] But the characters are a little bit different and I like that But I came to that to the 30s and look into that And and I want to be not as far away from that as possible

[00:12:40] but obviously because of the time that we leave nowadays, you know the demands They said a lot of stuff for example the Ming He he in the character. He has that kind of a fuman shoe look

[00:12:55] Yeah, you know, they said no we don't want that we don't want that because you know, we don't want to stay away from you know Problems and I said okay, uh, so he is an alien. So let's do him an alien

[00:13:13] So I can't keep some of the the facial features but Add enough stuff to show that he's not From any race in the world. He's you know an alien um, and so that's that's what I did and I did that trying to as I said try to keep

[00:13:33] Uh Being faithful to to the original character, you know The the personality The facial expressions and I always try to imagine how he is going to react and you know To act and react and try to make him as

[00:13:55] As loyal as possible to the original characters and and that goes for every other character So I had to to design all of the characters and I I decided to go. I mean they are various Alien races

[00:14:12] So I try to you know convey that giving them different features uh Everything is different and the word the most difficult was like you say you are talking about our aura

[00:14:27] I mean in the in the comic books and the the regional series and everything else. She is a really really Sensual character. Yeah, so I had to try to you know Incorporate that but at the same time

[00:14:41] I can't make her too sexy. I can't show a lot of skin and stuff like that. That's that's the most But you know we do what we have to do Yeah, but you know what still looking sexy will still looking sexy. That's all I'm saying was the goal

[00:14:59] Yeah, I want to say for the free comic book day that issue. Um, I love the look of me You know because I I wasn't sure what changes though there there would be I mean, I'm familiar with the 1980 movie and

[00:15:14] You know some of the old comic strips like a little bit, but I don't have like a vast knowledge of you know Flash Gordon, I think it can be you know a fun character as like I get the point of the adventure serial

[00:15:26] But I was curious as to how everyone was going to look and like how would the world feel but I want to say when that that issue with Ming Ming looks great and it's It's always fun. I think when you you do have

[00:15:40] An alien character and an artist, you know, like you will can really bring out so much emotion And like acting in the face with an alien face And I think that was that was great with Ming's character and that zero issue

[00:15:55] Yeah, you had to thread a needle you had a thread a needle because as we know Comic book fans are the most tolerant of change I can't I can't but you know that's I mean that's that that's the task right is to

[00:16:12] You know bring in fans of a kind of bygone era into a book And and do it in a way that like somebody that's an old fan will recognize and enjoy it But also it's

[00:16:28] Even with some of the changes even with the art change and stuff. I don't think we stray That far from who they are as characters, you know, Ming's still merciless, you know

[00:16:38] It's like yeah, and and and that's a that's a huge component of it because I'm not I know as a writer You know, that's not what I do is I I figure these characters exist for so long because there's something about them that people like

[00:16:52] And whatever that thing is I don't want to change that because that's what's gonna get you know That's what's going to propel them into another, you know, 100 years in media. Yeah Thank you

[00:17:04] But Jeremy when you're like when when they come to you and it's flash Gordon, you know, and you don't know what it is exactly You're doing yet

[00:17:13] Well, like what is the process to make sure that like I have this great idea when you have like 80 years of history um What do you have to do to make sure that you know, you're not doing anything too similar to what's been, you know

[00:17:27] Done before like is that like is that a huge job? Is that editorial? It's it's a both and I mean I I I just let my mind wander and like hey, what if I did this and what if I did this and

[00:17:39] And then they'll come back. I'll give you an example I said something about like, uh, I think it was ming's Done And I put that original my original pitch and they're like, yeah, we already did that

[00:17:51] It already happened. They already did a thing with a mean and I was like, oh, I didn't know You know, that was just a run. I didn't know so that was great, but

[00:17:58] There's also things like they they were like really hesitant about me using the word mogo. So I was like, okay cool So we're gonna blow up mogo You know and we're gonna move from there

[00:18:10] Because I don't want to have to sit there and try to think about not using word Um, but it but it sparked a really cool idea and then that like I often go with In my brain with really fun ideas like what's the next thing that'd be cool

[00:18:23] I just push play in my my head a lot of times and just see what kind of adventures come out But it's a both and it's really hard with with characters because it's same thing when I do the flash in dc or green lantern

[00:18:33] There's huge mythologies with huge Holes and pitfalls that I try to avoid and i'm sitting there on you know Looking up the map of mogo. I'm looking up the different alien races and trying to figure out

[00:18:46] Wait, what's their character? I've got like all these old books that I'm like flipping through and trying to get ideas And usually what I do is I kind of have a very macro point of view about the plot

[00:18:57] Like we're going from point A to point B and in between there I just start throwing ideas out and then may and then i'll ask somebody like will and he'll be like I want to see this i'm like great. That is something we can put in you know

[00:19:12] Yeah, the end of that zero the end of that zero issue is phenomenal Um, yeah, but like I just I love how the tension and it builds I love the whole plot device for like, you know for flash to get into the base

[00:19:28] Everything about it really really worked to like amp everything up and I thought that ending was really unexpected and will that Device going off and what happens to the planet? I mean it looks phenomenal

[00:19:40] more than that when I read the thing about um flash like swinging around with the sword I I literally was like I hope he can draw that like I

[00:19:49] I don't really know how to describe it that well and then it was like oh thank goodness. Thank goodness. It looks great. It looks great Yeah, and um for me The last page was the best one. I mean the funniest one to draw and um

[00:20:08] Is there is is it a spoiler if I say what's in the last page? It's been out. I mean I Yeah, I don't think it's a spoiler for the zero issue the free comic book day issue because that's been out

[00:20:20] In that page the last panel the panel word of the Bogo is you know being destroyed if you look at the the the direction of explosion There is a flash symbol there And by the way, we keep calling it mogo and that's the planet in green lantern

[00:20:39] Green Lancer Yeah, I said that too. I was like yeah mogo. I mean I mean mongo. That's what happens when you write to but you put the flat That's amazing. That's great. That's pretty awesome All right, let's take a quick break

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[00:21:39] Unbroken soon launching on Kickstarter and pond coming up with dollah's Stay tuned to this space for more exciting news from the growing bards family Let's get back to the show You mentioned the two of you working together before and I I

[00:21:57] I want to I know that you work together on the flash so we're going from the flash to flash Gordon But it was like Flash Thompson series someday for more people say yeah, oh yeah drawing flash now no Flash Gordon

[00:22:16] So for listeners, um, I think it was flashed 772 and 773 Yeah, that you worked together on on before was that the first time that you would work together on the flash Yeah, I think so

[00:22:30] Yeah, because I that was my first run of comic books. I had done ever I'm fairly new to comic books So I mean in terms of writing not reading I think that happened in utero But uh, yeah, I think that's the first time we work together

[00:22:45] And you know when you when you get to work with somebody as talented as will Um, I always say that you know artists are magicians I mean the reality of comic books is that they are expressly and I shouldn't express expressly

[00:22:59] But they're a visual medium and I know in my own life as a comic book reader If I open up a book and it does not look good. I put it down

[00:23:07] Uh, you know, it's that quick. It doesn't matter if it's the best story ever written. I do not care You know, so growing up it's like if it doesn't look good then then um

[00:23:18] I don't I don't want anything to do with it and one of the reasons I you know Even mentioned will because I like his art And and to be a professional artist at his level is such a um

[00:23:33] It's such a rarity. It's not many people are doing it With such consistency and talent And I like I'm trying to do my own create your own and like looking for an artist that I'm like

[00:23:44] Man, I want it to look good and you just you begin to realize how how few and far between these unicorns are That do this thing because I can't draw. I can't draw. I can't draw stick figure

[00:23:57] You know, so when I when I see somebody do something like he does. I'm just like I'm flummoxed I have no idea no idea how you would be able to do that and especially with those just to get back to the

[00:24:08] Briefly talk about the the flash issues 772 and 773. That's the heat Somebody just posted something on twitter about looking for an artist that does flames really well And I was like, man, I really hope somebody mentioned will because like that those flames and those heat wave issues are

[00:24:28] Spectacular, and that's not I don't I don't I mean I don't draw either But I would assume that that is not an easy thing to do to make it look So realistic

[00:24:38] Um, but I thought those issues were great. So well, we have to keep learning every every time Um, so when I need a look for reference, I mean to see how things work um

[00:24:51] But to me that's not that the even the the most difficult stuff to do and and What's the most difficult? I need to know this. Yeah, what is it? Believe it or not for me Uh, the most difficult scenes are the quieter ones Shut up

[00:25:10] Yeah, yes, I will explain why um It's easy to take I mean, that's I'm not saying that it's easy to draw. That's not a point It's easy to get a script full of action, you know explosions and and and

[00:25:28] Superheroes doing, you know amazing stuff because it's it's not that hard to make it look good Yeah, if if the artist is professional if if he is has a good creativity And and if you know if he knows He's straight. He can work with that

[00:25:49] You know without thinking too much But when you when you take a quieter scene like Where the characters have to express emotions and you have to build um A setting for example, you have to create any mood or you know Drama or or sadness

[00:26:12] Or a contained anger anger or stuff like that. You have to work with facial expressions You have to work with light and shadow to you know to give that effect You have to to know how to move the camera around

[00:26:27] To you know to convey if he is alone if you know, uh everything There's a lot of stuff that has to happen And you have to do it very very well because it's only that You don't have distractions to your eyes

[00:26:45] You know if I don't do in an action scene if I don't do a character that well You know he is only one part of a big scene

[00:26:55] But if I do, you know quieter scene that like two people talking and I have to to give to the to the reader That expression sometimes it doesn't even have A dialogue So I have to know how to kill that

[00:27:14] To to the reader and that to me is the most difficult and for me. It's the most most gratifying Stories that I do Is those when I when I have to take that task? And I know that I did it well

[00:27:31] I I am very happy with it. Well, I mean listen I get I had complimented all the time for those particular issues of the flash because There is this dramatic moment where heatwave and walley talked to each other about

[00:27:45] You know he has cancer and he's crying and they're like and people just go bananas So the fact he said that's difficult. It's amazing to me because it looks so effortless on the page It's really really drove it home Yeah, and I as I said I actually

[00:28:03] Editors look look me up a lot to those kind of issues Yeah actually I see that makes sense again. Not many people can do that. Not many people can do that

[00:28:17] Will you know, um, you said when you when they first mentioned flash Gordon to you you didn't hear anything else and so Uh, what was your experience with that? Sorry No, I'm sorry. I cut you off go ahead

[00:28:33] No, especially when they told me that Jeremy would be writing it That's what I like to hear No, no, that's too kind No, man, that's that's serious. That's that's really kind. That's awesome

[00:28:47] Um, but what else was what was your experience though with like flash gordon up into that point Like were you familiar with like the movie and the queen soundtrack? Were you familiar with like were you a fan of the the original comic strip?

[00:28:59] Yes, uh, I had uh, obviously not all but I have seen some of the 30s comic book stuff Um, I love the the workout that Alex did Um, I also saw the the 30s movie. Yeah That was black

[00:29:20] I love that movie. I don't actually there were two movies. I saw both of them and they were great And I obviously I saw the the 80s movie that Those are or the experience but um It was so ingrained in my mind that when they said flash gordon

[00:29:40] Yeah To my head say no, I have to do Yeah It's the same same funny the funny thing is um me and jeremy we were talking in another situation with the The med cave people and I said, okay, so

[00:30:01] Let's talk about the music. I said no you can't keep talking about the music Yeah from the 80s movies at all I know I try to put a character from the movie too because I was like this guy's cool They're like nope kind of like

[00:30:18] But again sometimes when you get those constraints they can lead to some really fun Yeah Extra things that you get to do, you know and it's cool because will and I are doing our own version of flash gordon

[00:30:31] And you know, there's there there's a comic strip that's going on right now that has nothing to do with us and mad cave has You know a a a a a younger version of flash gordon. So they're really ours is more of the straightforward comic book

[00:30:45] You know flat like flagship thing and and we're having a lot of fun and and I have A lot of bananas ideas that I can't wait to force will to draw and it's going to be fantastic

[00:30:57] I'm looking forward to it because where that free comic book days you ended like I said, it was phenomenal. I can't wait to see, you know where it goes from there Um, I mean, I really like some of the other stuff mad cave is doing

[00:31:08] You know, they have a tracy out now and flash gordon and I just think they're Yeah, yeah, that's coming too. And I just feel like they're really doing some kind of inventive things to pay, you know, like uh

[00:31:22] Pay their respects to these series and then bringing out new new things with them. Um I mean, jeremy when it's all said and done, you know, you do this run

[00:31:31] What do you think do you hope is like the lasting impression that you've left on the world of flash gordon? Man, that's tough. I mean one of my joys in anything I do whether it's DC or marvel is I like to add toys to the toy box

[00:31:46] I think Though, you know adding to the flash gordon universe is always going to be great But at the same time if I can get people familiarized with this kind of like old school action hero Um, and that they leave

[00:31:59] You know wanting more have a good good feeling about it. I've done my job, you know, because it's it really is reintroducing somebody That most people don't know about, you know, it'd be like me doing the lone ranger or something, you know

[00:32:13] It's like oh, they sort of know but they don't know and it is it's a bit of an uphill battle. I think the way that um I think about it though is this is my chance to channel all my love of pulp sci-fi into something that uh that

[00:32:31] That somebody can just be entertained in a way. It's not only that it's entertaining. It's like anybody could read this It's sort of like when I was reading x-men growing up. It was like anybody could read this

[00:32:42] It's not going to be so violent that you're like, oh take this away. It's not going to be so sexual that you're like Oh my gosh, you're gonna trouble. It's something that like

[00:32:50] The idea that some kid could pick it up and be inspired about something that was always the thing Like when I was growing up, I saw star wars You know between when I was growing up, there were no internet, you know

[00:33:02] It was all like between movies you just guessed you imagined you just tried to play and The idea that somebody might read a flash gordon book and and get like Spark some something that makes them want to

[00:33:14] Read more or or pretend or imagine that that to me is the goal, you know Yeah I have how about you will in terms of is there anything, you know You wanted Jeremy to do to put in like to design, you know your own characters

[00:33:29] I mean do you have that or or spaceship or alien race? Is there Anything that you've had in terms of all the different characters you've worked on that you still kind of want to do to add to some universe We are always talking about

[00:33:44] Jeremy said always that how is there anything else you want to draw? That's all the that's not draw that and and i'm having a lot of Um, whenever I feel like doing something I said I can send I know that I can send Jeremy a note said hey

[00:33:59] What about we can do we doing this? We're doing that and it's a lot of fun. Um I mean The way that we are working on on the flash board to me is very rewarding Because i'm seeing this this world, you know taking shape again and and

[00:34:19] As I said and as Jeremy said I I keep trying to you know to honor What was done before but at the same time in printing some new stuff on it For example all the technology that i'm trying to draw I keep always

[00:34:36] You know holding myself and trying to you know, let's let's do Something technological the way they saw it, you know in the 30s. Oh, that's great. Yeah I love that not not something that is really technological for us. Yeah But something, you know in between

[00:34:58] Um, you look at the stuff and say this has some kind of you know vintage looking to it Something like that and and it's a lot of fun. Uh, it's it's it's not so easy But it's fun and and building on on what Jeremy just said

[00:35:16] For me what I I would be happy is when I started doing it is and Doing the pages I kept thinking, you know The old fans the people that really knew Uh flash Gordon So I can't I keep imagining like a grand a grandfather

[00:35:42] Picking up the book for his grandson and say look this I used to read these when I was young And and seeing that he's new and that as as jerry said that he and his grandson can read together

[00:35:58] So that's that's something that you know, I try to keep thinking about and Always brings a smile to my face That's awesome. Yeah, I I love that idea of being able to have that generational connection with a property like this and that's you know, that's that's um

[00:36:17] Not the easiest row to hoe to have an appeal to You know older fans and bring in a new audience. I mean, but that's a that's You know, it's a noble goal Um to get people reading and I mean, I think that's kind of like the

[00:36:33] Enduring appeal of a character like flash Gordon, you know, there's there's always room for that type of like pulp Hero for a good action story a good adventure story um

[00:36:46] I love when those, you know come along and I'm I'm very excited to see uh where flash gordon goes I just want to talk a little bit about the rest of the creative team I think it's being colored by lee louridge and uh taylor s bezitos lettering

[00:37:01] um, so No slouches either of them in terms of filling out the rest of the creative team from man cave I mean the book look the colors in the book look fantastic. It really did I

[00:37:13] Yeah, I mean again to complement your artwork will the look of ming in terms of you know His outfit and features uh, I just think Really fit in give it a different look. Um, yeah, I just really well done by everybody

[00:37:30] Yeah, well, I'm very happy with the visuals on the book really really happy We had a we had another colorist earlier That was you know starting it. He was very good But I don't think that uh his style fit very well with the book

[00:37:47] And so they changed and I couldn't be happier. I mean, it's Very very good And I think the pages came out amazing Oh, thank goodness for you because like like I said it all looks impossible to me

[00:38:02] And I'm always like this looks great people are like no and I'm like, okay, whatever you say. Well, you do it, you know I'm so glad you're you're the director and the dp like you're you know Like you've got a vision for that stuff and I'm so grateful

[00:38:17] Like it doesn't work unless it all works together, you know Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's always like I'm always trying. I mean obviously I respect all professionals And it's not that for example if if you put somebody to color or make the letter

[00:38:32] Uh, and and you don't like it's not that he's not good Maybe it's just the fact that he's not right for that kind of book

[00:38:41] Right. Yeah. Yeah, and when I saw the first pages in colors. I said that doesn't work that that's not the vision that I would give To that book. It's not that it's not good. It doesn't So I I came in and I said, okay guys this this

[00:38:59] I mean the the colors are not bad But this doesn't work this this this and and I really don't like the way You know the colors are matching the lines For that book, I don't think it works and then Jeremy came in. I agree

[00:39:19] I thought it was just me But I The editor said that they were not happy too. So and then they brought in, you know The other the other colors and it was amazing when I saw the first page in color said that's it I mean That's it

[00:39:38] And it's just going to get better and better as that stuff gets streamlined, you know And uh, and I know that the issue zero is going to be available for everybody digitally soon Um, so that'll be definitely it's maybe in the next week

[00:39:54] Hopefully it'll be out so everybody can just read it and catch up and get excited about the series because I didn't It's critical. It's almost critical to read that before you read one I when I when I read the script for issue zero. Yeah Wow Yeah

[00:40:15] It was fun. I mean the the fun stuff too is like what you're saying about the technology Is about Giving it these almost like quaint names like when I call it the unraveler. It's just like yeah, that sounds super cheesy

[00:40:28] But but then you see what it does right and that was always those old movies and those old serials You're like the death ray of doom and you're like, okay, I get it, you know But bringing that to life in a way that you're like you're not necessarily

[00:40:42] It's like it's charming, but it still has stakes, you know. Oh, yeah And I think the end of zero. I don't think anybody saw coming so exactly that's that's why I I I hope everybody can read number zero before they read one

[00:40:58] Yeah, I encourage listeners go and get it get ready for issue one But I I think there's an art to that type of like I mean it was popular in the 30s, but also in the silver age science fiction comics

[00:41:10] There's there's an art to that techno babble. Yeah, almost but not quite does sound like something that exists You know like you you just can't throw anything out there. So yeah, I I appreciated the unraveler It's sort of like in that avatar movie where they're like

[00:41:28] It's called unattainee or whatever and you're like, yeah, okay For the two of you in turn like not, you know, you've worked on many different comic books over the years but Do you have different influences depending on the project you are working on?

[00:41:49] You know, we talked a little bit about looking back at some of the other flash Gordon stuff But is there stuff that you know, either artists or writers that you're like, you know that you get inspiration from when you go into a new project

[00:42:03] Oh gosh, I mean everything for me. I mean I grew up with comic books So You know Frank Miller's stuff is always top of mind like the the masochelli like Born Again series and the daredevil stuff and the batman year one was always huge for me

[00:42:17] And then obviously I was a product like, you know the 90s image revolution hit me right in the right time you know and and and that really affected me but Uh growing up I realized that

[00:42:29] And I never I never noticed who wrote it or drew it. I was just reading comic books And in retro retroactively, I realized that mark groonwald was a huge impact on me Um, the groonwald was huge chuck dixon was huge

[00:42:42] Um scott mcdaniel, uh, you know the the guys from the j li keith giffin and jam demat De Matias and and kevin maguire were really big for me too, but when I go into a project I often think

[00:42:54] I don't know if will's like this like i'll look at old pulp things and I you know I can't tell you how many times like frazetta did a cover for like john carter mars or something

[00:43:05] And that sparked a thousand ideas and there's also a guy called larry elmore that was like I was really into fantasy and And he would do these covers and just those book covers would get me really excited about ideas So I've paperback covers were always like

[00:43:21] Super rad to me, you know the promise of what was inside was was amazing. Oh, that's awesome. Happy you will Oh, yeah, I mean depending on the project Sometimes it's it's a character. I already Worked on or I saw some stuff done in the past

[00:43:39] I always try to go back and see What was done and see what I could take and and and and you know Make it my own without you know, I don't like to copy anybody but I always like to to to drink on what other Other artists did

[00:43:59] Or for example if i'm doing a story that is You know more more dark and Needs more shadow so I go to an artist that I know that can do it well and see How he handles some of the stuff

[00:44:17] And see what I can take and learn from that so, um, it's it's basically that Especially when you get a character that was Drawn a long time ago. So I like to go there and see what was done What what was not done?

[00:44:33] What and I look at it and say yeah that this guy could have done this So that's what I'm gonna try to do So I always look into what was done and who did it and and you know Artists that are doing something

[00:44:50] Similar to what i'm trying to achieve So that that's how I approach it, but I am very very careful not to go into the same direction you know because Influence is good, but it's it's only good if you don't Let it Take away your your freedom create

[00:45:16] Yeah, wow That makes a lot of sense will it's awesome It's funny. Jeremy mentioned frank frezetta who I think worked on the worked on um flash gordon from like in the you know early fifties, but I've seen some frezetta flash gordon pinups which are like

[00:45:37] I mean I first was that a thing I ever saw I think the thing I think the first thing probably any of us ever saw was a conan A conan thing. Yeah, and then he had done a bunch of john kardermars

[00:45:47] And and then it just it's so evocative and there's so much cool movement and it was like this weird Place between like I could see this in a museum, but it's also fantasy So I won't see it in a museum, you know, and and I love that

[00:46:02] You know, there's a lot of artists whether there's comic book artists or sci-fi fantasy artists that like they get a short drift You know, they don't they don't we all get put into boxes in the creative field. It's really weird

[00:46:14] But I'm sure will experiences this too. It's like, oh, you're a superhero Artist, that's all you can do and it's like no I can do so much more I I get it like I write animation. It's like, oh, you can't write live action

[00:46:25] Then even when you do live action, you're like, well, you can't write comic books. It's like I can write You know, so it's weird. It's weird But I think about that with frasetta and some of those guys like they're considered high art now

[00:46:38] Like if you had a original frasetta, holy moly, you'd be rolling Yeah Yeah, absolutely Yeah, that that that always amazing um, I remember once uh, I love a guy called norma rockwell Yeah I always loved his work and I remember once I was in the university

[00:47:02] And they asked us The teacher said, okay, you can bring some work from artists that you admire and I have a big big book From norma rockwell And I I brought that when I got to the you know With a teacher and he looked at those saturday posts

[00:47:23] And sure this is not art I said what? It's this is commercial job It is not art really So you mean that the the system chapel is not art right? Is that a commercial job? Right Are you insane?

[00:47:45] Yeah, all of those paintings that were done in the past That they they portrait that not art at all Yeah Because that's crazy by somebody It's crazy, especially some of the norman rockwell that like that's that's insane. I said, okay um, I'm done with you

[00:48:07] But what what is art for you? I mean Yeah, hey, yeah, yeah And that's the way I feel about frasetta. I mean, yeah You look at one of his paintings. I said and there are some crazy people. This is not art because it's fantasy Yeah

[00:48:22] Yeah, you do it then It's like, yeah. Yeah. No, it's amazing. It's amazing Yeah, um Well, I I don't want to keep either of you too much longer. I really appreciate your time talking about flash gordon

[00:48:35] Jeremy, I do want to say that um out of I've done 120 of these Well 120 of these have come out in terms of the podcast but um, I think you have one of the coolest backgrounds in terms of all of your books and uh

[00:48:50] Well, it's cool. I think I see a I think I see like a 1966 batmobile back there That one's from the superpowers in the 80s and what was fun is um, you know

[00:48:59] I have two daughters and we were living in an apartment for uh a long time like 14 years and we just moved and so now I have like a small

[00:49:07] Like location that I can put things and I have like posters of some of my movies here. Check it out So like here's this in kevich, uh did this great poster for this batman movie that I had written

[00:49:19] And it's just just freaking awesome. And you've got some super sons and some other cool things, but I'm telling you having my Not having it stuffed under the bed And like, yeah, I told my wife like just give me this little space. This is my please, you know

[00:49:34] It's so great stuff on the wall. Yeah These are all the buttons from 1989 I wore all of those on my jacket to go see batman Like the first in line in my hometown theater. I had like every I was I'm such a nerd man

[00:49:50] Such a they interview you for the paper. No, no they didn't but I I had this giant thush buster Not accounting for the fact that my bladder was probably this small and like halfway through the movie. I'm like, oh my gosh

[00:50:01] Oh my gosh. I'm like sweating like oh, no, I've been waiting my whole life for this movie. You know Yeah It's it's I mean there's you know, we still have summer blockbusters, but yeah I don't like that. I tried to explain to my

[00:50:17] To my oldest to charlotte is 11. I tried to explain to her like exactly what it was like in 1989 Like you could not look anywhere without batman something. It was just everywhere It was also by the way, we didn't get reserved seats. It was a cattle run. Yes

[00:50:38] Oh, yeah, I had to get there early. I had to wait I had to you know Oh getting Saving my brother's seat in line. Yeah

[00:50:50] Yeah, uh, well this has been great. Um, I I wouldn't be remiss if I didn't say jeremy since I I I have you here Uh, not not just in terms of your background, but just to I my brother and I shout out to my brother bobby

[00:51:04] He's the cryptic creator corners number one most dedicated fan bobby listens to all my episodes bobby and I watched One of the things we would do even after we got married and had our own kids We still get together every wednesday night and we watch a show together

[00:51:19] We've been doing it for over 20 years since we moved out of our parents house. Um, yeah But the first show we watched together was was supernatural And I know you're involved with that but imagine my delight to find out that you

[00:51:32] Wrote the season 13 scooby natural episode, which is one of my absolute favorite episodes of of supernatural and uh, so I That was a dream me and my buddy jim wrote that together and jim and I had done tons of animation and

[00:51:49] And if you look when dean says scooby dooby do we're we're right over his shoulder Uh, yeah totally. Yeah, I mean it was it was one of those things we did we kept thinking they're gonna stop us, right?

[00:52:01] Like like at any point they're gonna stop us and like we never got stopped And the note there were no notes the notes were this is really funny. That was it. It was such a crazy crazy thing

[00:52:12] What was such a I mean, I love the show and bobby and I you know, oh two brothers. They yeah, yeah, totally They hunt demons and we're like hey, well, let's get together and let's check out this new show

[00:52:22] You know that was back in 2004. Oh my gosh. Yeah, you know and we're like You know and uh, we we really liked it. We kept watching it and um

[00:52:31] I loved just how meta they got like the longer it went on the weirder it got they were never afraid to do really You know meta type of episodes and I thought you know

[00:52:42] Super natural and scooby-doo and I really felt like the one thing I loved about that episode so much is that I really felt it could have been more Uh, I really felt it was going to be more like like sanitized like right, right?

[00:52:58] They're not really going to go for it. Like it'll be something right. They'll they'll they'll be a little Thing where we're not really going to go full like animated and I felt like at at no point did I feel like like you know, um

[00:53:15] One of the producers stepped in and put the brakes on and I was so happy Well, I mean again, here's here's another comment about the wonderfulness of artists the guy who um directed the animation portion his name is spike brand and um

[00:53:32] And he he showed us the scene where this person was like Eviscerated and it was like something out of hell razor and we kept thinking like oh my gosh

[00:53:40] They're not going to let us do this with scooby-doo and they're like, yeah, it's great. And it's like what do you mean? It's great, you know It's it's it was so bananas. It was such a that was a life changing experience for me for sure

[00:53:53] Well, I appreciated it and my brother appreciated it and I just hear Uh, yeah, since you're here thought thought thought I'd mentioned it. Um, but yeah, I I think the zero issue was so phenomenal

[00:54:11] In terms of flash Gordon did not expect where it was going that that final page is beautiful um, and I I really am excited for people to get their hands on this So when you're here in this episode, you'll have a few by the time this comes out

[00:54:26] It'll be a few weeks. So make sure you let your local comic bookshop No, July 24th issue number one of flash Gordon and do yourself a favor Make sure you read the zero issue as soon as it's available. I'll put links to mad caves website

[00:54:39] um in the show notes, but uh, yeah I I really loved it. So Jeremy will thank you so much for coming on the podcast I thank big fan and I really really appreciate your time tonight. Thank you It was my pleasure too

[00:54:55] All right. Well listeners July 24th first issue of flash Gordon It's man cave 10th anniversary year and they are really putting out some That's right. They're putting out some fantastic comic books

[00:55:08] Uh, so thank you for listening. Uh, if you pick up flash Gordon, please find me on twitter Uh, let me know that you liked it. Let's talk about it and uh, thanks for listening I'll see you next time. Good night. Good night everybody

[00:55:22] This is Byron O'Neill one of your hosts of the cryptid creator corner brought to you by comic book yeti We hope you've enjoyed this episode of our podcast Please rate review subscribe all that good stuff

[00:55:35] It lets us know how we're doing and more importantly how we can improve Thanks for listening If you enjoyed this episode of the cryptid creator corner Maybe you would enjoy our sister podcast into the comics kate listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts