Zack Kaplan Interview - Kill All Immortals

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[00:00:54] Hello, this is Jimmy Gasparo and I am one of the hosts of Comic Book Yetis Cryptid Creator Corner. And I am excited to welcome back this guest to the podcast. And we are going to get right into it. We have so much to talk about. He has been working on some amazing books, in particular with Dark Horse Comics. As we're recording this, the Masterminds trade paperback is going to come out November 10th.

[00:01:22] There's also The Smart Division. Issue number one is out. Issue two will come out. If you're listening to this, it comes out today, September 30th. Only the Savage are left. Issues one through three are out. Issue four comes out October 7th. And it's the, I guess, the third arc of Kill All Immortals. Kill All Immortals 3. Number one is dropping next week, October 7th.

[00:01:49] Please welcome back to the podcast, Zack Kaplan. Zack, how are you doing tonight? I'm good. I'm good. Thanks for having me back. Oh, no. My pleasure. Yeah, you have just been, like, crushing it with these series. You've been working with some tremendous artists as well. Yeah. Steven Thompson for Masterminds. You're working with John J. Pearson on The Smart Division.

[00:02:19] It's Stefano Raffaelli for Only the Savage are left. And then, of course, Kill All Immortals. You're working with Francesco Mortarino. Yeah. Yeah, I'm lucky. Very, very lucky. I'm a huge fan. I mean, I love all of these artists that you are working with. I do want to, like, a special shout out just because I'm such a huge fan of John J. Pearson.

[00:02:46] And I just, like, love what he's done with issue one of The Smart Division. I just, I love the look of it. I love the feel of it. Thank you. Yeah, he's amazing. He's amazing. He won an Eisner a couple years ago for Ron B's Blue and Green. And he's doing some work that's really in the footsteps of Bill Sienkiewicz or David McKean. And if you're not familiar with these artists, I mean, he's a painter. He's not just a comic artist.

[00:03:15] He's hand painting his comic book interiors. And because he's got that flexibility in his style, it gives him the freedom to really do some quite innovative and provocative looks. And it's just gorgeous stuff. Yeah, he's a very talented guy. Yeah, I've met him, I think, at Baltimore Comic Con. I haven't had him on the podcast yet where I got to interview him. But I do want to have him on because his name has come up several times.

[00:03:44] When I just talked to Christian Ward recently for the podcast and they're working on the Ignition Press. The patron, yeah. Which is kind of a wild concept and comic. But let's start with what's coming up. I guess the first new number one for you. This kind of like third arc or third story for Kill All Immortals.

[00:04:14] Number one, as I said, it's out October 7th. So, you know, for any listeners who didn't listen to your last episode or isn't familiar yet with the world of Kill All Immortals. Like what is happening right now with Freya and the gang? Yeah. In number issue. Or the third season. It's like a third season. I use the word season because we really have kind of structured it like seasons of television.

[00:04:42] And so, giving you the recap last on Kill All Immortals. Yeah. It's a family of Vikings a thousand years ago. It's Eric the Red and his four adult children, the infamous barbaric explorer and warlord of the Atlantic Ocean. And he they discover a mysterious form of immortality. And the beginnings of the story focus on Freya, the only daughter of this family.

[00:05:12] And this family has grown into a barbaric billionaire empire, very much like out of secession of the HBO TV show. And she's kind of tired of of of tolerating their their violence and their aggression. And she wants change. And that change ends up bringing them to their most vulnerable state. At the same time, they find out that there are other immortals in the world. And so the in season two, the world opens up and we find that there are other immortals out there.

[00:05:41] And they they're basically at war with these other immortals. Season three is basically us saying, like, how fast and how awesome can we ratchet up this story? We came into it knowing this was going to be the season finale. And so we're putting a ton of new characters into here, really expanding the world. Freya is pushed to the highest stakes that the story's ever seen her pushed. And it's it's it's some fantastic action.

[00:06:11] I think this series, if you're not familiar with the series out there, it is really been become known for kind of two quintessential things. This really kind of heartfelt, complex character at the center of it, very much in the in the footsteps of Erica Slaughter and the the the actions. The action is juxtaposed against this modern billionaire landscape or this kind of ancient world landscape. And we take turns and in the different worlds we are locations we see.

[00:06:40] But the fights are amazing. The fights are just awesome, action packed. And so we're just pouring it all in there. The third arc is awesome. I'm so excited and happy for for what we've got coming. And I can't wait for everyone to check out in a week. Yeah, the this first issue, you're kind enough to send it over and I got a chance to read it in advance.

[00:07:05] And yeah, yeah, for Francesco's work, just like it's absolutely incredible in terms of these fight scenes. And one of the things that I really love about the series, and there's some just excellent work done in this first issue is in terms of the the fighting, just the mix of kind of like Viking weaponry swords, but also, you know, machine guns.

[00:07:32] Yeah, it's just like it's there's just everything. And yeah, you never like the the two of you like never shy away from the the brutality. But I have always really enjoyed phrase like reactions to this and the the facial acting in this is like incredible, like the close up panels are, you know, outstanding. And, you know, there we it opens up.

[00:08:01] It opens up. They're kind of on a mission to go essentially more or less take out one of the other immortals. Yeah, yeah. And I don't think it's too much of a spoiler. Somebody gets there before them. But yeah, just just the brutality, but also their their reaction to it. And especially in this, you know, third season, which I love that that we're going to call it seasons. It's yeah, so true.

[00:08:22] You if you've been reading this all along, like they've been through like so much and and you give you give a little nod to it in the beginning in terms of, you know, like Frey. I think she has a discussion with her brother at one point about like what they've gone through and and and where they are now and what it is they're trying to accomplish.

[00:08:46] And you you both you and Francesco say so much without it being exposition heavy, like you really just let like the action scenes just kind of like live on that page there. And thank you. Yeah. And there's some for me, I thought some like surprising stuff. I don't want to spoil to the end.

[00:09:06] I just thought just what a fantastic like first issue that you're you're you're on the third season of it and you are just ratcheting it up because anyone who's followed this story along, you would think, well, where can they they go from here? And it really feels like it's bigger. It's badder. It's bloodier. Yeah, that's right. And I think it also really stems from really checking in with how far this character has come.

[00:09:34] I mean, when we first meet her at the beginning of this series, she's basically removed herself from every business dealing that her family has done because she's trying to stay true to her ideal. She's like, I'm not going to lower myself to get dirty. She doesn't consider herself a Viking. She doesn't consider herself a warrior. She she's she's very aloof and withdrawn from the whole thing. Cut to where she is in the beginning of the third season. She could not be in a more different position. She's at war.

[00:10:04] She's hungry for it. She's aggressive. She's come a long way and she's really being tested. And we don't know if we feel good or bad about this. And I really love that kind of complexity. Like, it's very clear where she is emotionally, but you're not sure what like. Is this getting better or getting worse? You know, it's just it's just honest. It's just real. I mean, they've been through so much and she still got drama with her father. She still has a fractured family.

[00:10:33] Her brothers, every little aside that they have a subplot further reveals the cracks and the tension. And yeah, as a writer, I really love to write those moments and give an artist like Francesco the chance to to to show that acting and show that pain and trust that the character reactions to convey that. And I think I think there is a lot of pain in this story. And I love I love that because it just comes from a real emotional place.

[00:11:03] And you really are rooting for her to pull through. And she's she's you can right away. You're like, oh, she's going up against so much more than than it seemed. I mean, there's a big surprise in season two. And we're like, oh, wow, they're not the only immortals. And there's a there's a big a big antagonist. But now we're stepping into the whole the whole landscape. There are many other immortals and we can feel that there's a lot we don't know. And there's a lot that's going to come at us.

[00:11:30] And so it's it's an exciting series. I mean, it's it's fun to write a kind of buckle up series like this. It has. I mean, I would think it has to be. And just your talk about like phrase arc. And it's funny you said that because I was thinking that exact same thing, because like there's part of it. Like when you read a story like this and like the the the art is fantastic and you have these big action scenes and you're like, God, this is fantastic.

[00:11:58] And oh, yeah, there's a sword fight and they're shooting and they're they're doing all these amazing things. And it's it's really fun. It's easy to get like swept up into it. But like I usually read things twice before the podcast, like once to go through and then a second time just to pay a bit more attention to things and reading it the second time and then thinking about like like the first season of Kill All Immortals.

[00:12:22] And I'm like, oh, like, I mean, I really like the kind of that this this side of the character. But yeah, it is it is so different than what you hope for her in season one. Yeah, it still feels like consistent. It doesn't feel like you it's other.

[00:12:44] It doesn't feel like you're, you know, retconning the character or making her something that that she wasn't when you started it. Like it really does feel like seasons of television and a real a real progression, a real a real. I love I love I call it long form, you know, because it's not it's it's done kind of in this kind of episodic seasonal way. And I really love this kind of storytelling.

[00:13:10] And I find that if you introduce a character that fundamentally wants two things and they cannot and two things that are justifiable, like two things that you're like, I totally want this character to have both these things and they cannot have both those things. That's the drama. And so for Frey, she is she's juxtaposed between wanting to be worthy of living an idealistic, ordinary life.

[00:13:39] She wants to be able to be true to her ideals. And she also wants to have control over her life and the world before her. And she is coming to realize that the world before her is full of, you know, tyrants and rivals that will not allow her to keep her more her morals or her her her pacifism or any of this stuff if she wants to go against them.

[00:14:07] And so you're you're torn because you want to see her take down all these these these people. But at the same time, you don't want to see her reduced to the same violent tyranny that that her father is known for. And you want her to rise above it. And it seems impossible that she can do both those things. And that's just it's it's it's just great character drama. I mean, and so that's our goal is to tell that story as honestly and emotionally as we can.

[00:14:36] And and, you know, amidst all the fights and the worlds and these cool characters and these awesome weapons and everything that we we do, it's fundamentally about asking the audience like. And that's that's inherent to the theme of the whole thing. The whole thing is saying, hey, immortality, billionaires, there are people in the world that just kind of rule and get away with everything and can never be stopped and pass on power and wealth and dominance again and again through their legacy.

[00:15:05] And what are we supposed to do about that? Do we fight fire with fire? Do we take the high road? Do we accept it? What are we supposed to do? And Frey's story is is is a story of discovering the answer to that question, at least for her. Oh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And and the like the entire clan just, you know, just looks great doing it.

[00:15:30] Like, I still love I still love like the character design and like, you know, you have this this this idea behind it. Like you just said of them being, you know, very wealthy, being billionaires and everything. Yeah, they're well dressed. They're stylish. Yeah, well dressed. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. You know, it's a very interesting dynamic. At play when you, you know, you read it as like a fun action story.

[00:15:54] But like when you start to just dig a little tiny bit and think about all these these things and what they may, you know, represent or what it really says about legacy and about power and about money. You know, it's very rewarding to kind of dig into it a little bit and think about these things. I mean, that's what I love to write. I love to write thought provoking stories. Most of the books, I mean, I've written over 15 different series.

[00:16:22] I think at this point, most of them have that kind of thought that I want to make you think I want to start a conversation. This is my most action oriented series I've ever done. So, I mean, it's fun to also give readers that and it's so great to see them respond to it. But it's both. It's both. And it's it's it's very funny. So we can't wait for readers to check it out one week, one week to go. It's going to be awesome. Yeah, I think so. I think it's going to be great.

[00:16:48] You know, the third and I guess final season of and we just dropped just a couple of weeks ago. We had the second volume come out. So, like, if you're listening to this and you haven't gotten it, the first two graphic novels are now out and you can catch up right away and get ready for the third arc. So, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'll have links to everything in the in the show notes for folks to hopefully make it as easy as possible for them to head over to the Dark Horse website and make sure that they're able to tell their local shop. Yeah.

[00:17:17] They get their books from. So I do just want to turn. We mentioned it earlier because I'm a huge John. Yeah. But I want to talk about the smart division because, you know, this seems kind of a detective story. But really, it seems to be you, you know, commenting on AI, which is certainly, you know, as we as we were. Is it timely? A little timely. A little timely.

[00:17:47] I mean, as we record this, there was somebody who used to work for, I think, used to work for OpenAI or Anthropic. Or Anthropic. Just said that, you know, AI is going to try and wipe out humanity by the end of the decade. Yeah. So a little prescient, Zach. Yeah, a little bit. I think my most prescient, timely ever, to be honest with you. I've written a lot of things where I'm like trying to be timely.

[00:18:16] But this is this. And so we also came up with this idea about two years ago. I started this idea two years ago. So when I came up with this idea, it was prior to ChatGPT and Gemini and Claude and all of this. This is all unfolded as we've been developing this.

[00:18:31] So we've adapted the story to keep it feeling fresh, but had no idea that we were going to be releasing this at a moment where everyone's, you know, screaming at the top of their heads how frustrated and over they are with AI. And then we're like, hey, you want to think about AI? Here's a comic book about AI. But I think it's a really important, it's an important conversation. And I think we're trying to look at it in a different way.

[00:18:57] Like there are a lot of AI stories out there that are asking what if AI becomes sentient and kills us all and takes over. And we're kind of looking at it. What about how AI allows us to behave? And what if we start using AI to do bad things? What if we start using it to commit crimes? And so wrapped in this kind of this crime thriller is questions. But then it is also looking at kind of our institutions and what's going on in the moment right now. I mean, this is a crime thriller set in 2026 right here and now.

[00:19:26] And we wanted to give it as much of that feel as possible. Yeah. And it does feel like it does feel very right now. I mean, the other thing I like about it is that and I think part of this certainly is your writing. Part of it is certainly, you know, Pearson's artwork. Yeah. Part of it is. I believe it's lettered by Hassan.

[00:19:57] And Eisner. Eisner winning now. Letterer Hassan. I know how. Yes. Who letters every day? Who letters all my books, by the way. Kill All Mortals. Master. Only the Savage. A ton of books. But yes, he's amazing. He's just absolutely all his accolades are deserved. Like one of the best. But like from the very beginning, this book just has a different look to it. Like some of Pearson's like off kilter paneling.

[00:20:26] Um, they, there's this one bit early on where it's, it's just kind of almost like a wrapped yeah, wrapped design, like with the car. And then that leads into a scene where Will is basically being Will Bailey, who's kind of like the center of it. We learned in the beginning, um, like working with the FBI and that he's kind of being interrogated about. And then we get, we get into the story in terms of like what led to this point, but the lettering

[00:20:53] and everything on that page is just so good. Like it, it looks, it looks, it's, it looks off. It looks disjointed. It looks like there's, uh, it just goes with the story like so well in terms of trying to get like our own bearings as to what's going on when we see Will and then we meet him in the rest of the pages. It was an ambitious writing choice for sure to have these moments where there's just a

[00:21:19] splash page of a guy sitting at a desk talking with an interviewer and it's like, okay, hopefully this is going to be interesting. Uh, and you know, that's Hassan, that's John and Hassan. Hassan finds a way to make that lettering so provocative the way he weaves the interviewer and Will Bailey's, uh, balloons back and forth. And you feel almost like you have, you have to read it the way it's kind of designed.

[00:21:45] Uh, and so it becomes the static shop becomes very alive and, and tense in the best of ways. So, um, really some, yeah, you know, both of these guys, Hassan and John, very thoughtful collaborators. One of the things I love to work, um, with both of them for, and, um, you know, we, especially, um, you know, John, we put an immense amount of thought into the layouts, into the visual design.

[00:22:11] One of the things I love to do with John is, you know, um, urge him. I'm not, he needs too much urging, but, you know, ask him to, to, to get really creative or off kilter with some of those layouts. And then when I see those, those things emerging, I'll write to them. I'll write, uh, you know, as issues two, three, four, and five go, you'll see some of these visual patterns repeat themselves to create sort of motifs or to create sort of visual iconography or layouts that come back at this, at key moments.

[00:22:40] So you, you feel that kind of repetition and, and, um, it's really, it's, it's a lot of fun. Um, it's a joy to, to kind of write. And I think this, this series, especially being something that's so heady lends itself to that. So yeah, we put a lot of thought into, to making it pop. Yeah. It is just like a, you know, a gorgeous book. Um, I love the colors in it too, especially when, when Will and, uh, the other character

[00:23:09] in it, Stevie, when Will and Stevie partnered together, when Will and Stevie first meet, they first meet at a murder scene and just like the, the, the, the kind of golden light behind them. Like it just all really sets the mood for what it is where, you know, we're, we're getting into. Um, tell me more about, uh, tell me more about Stevie in terms of her look, her design. Like it's just very interesting character. Yeah. Uh, very not what you would expect.

[00:23:36] I think from like, uh, a, a, a story about somebody working for the FBI, like a young undercover agent. Yeah. Yeah. No, I, I think, um, there's a lot that goes into this duo. I mean, we, we've often in marketing and kind of said, this is kind of like an X files meets true detective sort of story. Uh, there certainly is this duo at the center of these two detectives, but they couldn't be more different. And I think we are going for kind of like, you feel like they don't fit in some way.

[00:24:05] And, and so they, they are problematic for each other. They could be good for each other. They could be bad for each other. And I like that sort of uncertainty. And in the pairing, he's Gen X, he's seen 20 years of dysfunction and, um, cold cases and just, you know, institutional decline. And they live in DC and he's over it. He's just practically given up. And, uh, she has grown up seeing the same thing as a young person. And that's why she hasn't given up.

[00:24:33] She's finally, you know, in her early twenties and she's ready to do something about it. Uh, so they see the same world, but they have completely different, um, determinations and, and, and drives towards the same problem, which I think you feel like if only they could connect on that, but they can't cause they're quite different. She embraces technology. He's afraid of it. He's establishment and she's anti-establishment. She goes, she bends the rules. She breaks the rules. She's, she's willing to do whatever it takes to catch bad guys.

[00:25:02] And so she's a really interesting character. And you get the sense that she's hanging on by a threat at the FBI. She wants to work at the FBI because she wants to, to catch bad guys. She's, she's driven by her past to do this. But at the same time, you almost don't know that she should be at the FBI. And, um, I like, again, I like that sort of uncertainty and that complexity. And I like readers to, to, to, to go, she might get fired by the end of this, you know, I don't know. And, and, and, uh, let's stay tuned and find out.

[00:25:32] So yeah, she was, she's an interesting character to write, but I feel I really tried to tap into some Gen Z energy with her. And I mean, she's, she's not judgmental of will, but she kind of, she's speaking truth to wills dysfunction. And she's kind of saying, I see that you've given up. And if you're going to give up, just move out of the way. And, you know, she's, she's, she's ready to be thrown out. She's ready to do what it takes to, to catch bad guys.

[00:26:00] So I think she's really interesting character and I have a great time writing her. And, uh, John did a fantastic design on her and brought her to life in a really kind of cool way. We, we've talked to another podcast about choosing where her tattoos went and what her hair looked like and trying to find the right balance of anti-establishment. Um, but, but not going on, not so hard that, that she's, she's pushing people off. Um, so yeah, she's a, she's a lot of fun to write as a character. They both are.

[00:26:30] And their dynamic is really, really fun to write. I think their dynamic is very interesting. Like I, I think, uh, you know, we see a little bit of the, you know, uh, will, it doesn't like want a partner, doesn't really want to be kind of saddled with this assignment. Um, Stevie right off the bat, she, she doesn't want a babysitter. She doesn't want anybody.

[00:26:52] She pretty much, uh, you know, seems to be very intelligent, uh, calls will out right away. Like she kind of thinks he gets what his deal is. And to Will's credit, um, I think he sees her too and he's not impressed by her. And I, I don't think either of them are at all impressed by the other. I don't, I don't, she says, well, doesn't give a shit. But I don't think she does either being anti-establishment.

[00:27:21] And I love when they kind of have their first meeting and she's like, you're just another mediocre agent that doesn't give a shit in the set. And the other thing, it's like, yo, our system's broken. So guess what lady? Yeah. Another five years, you're not going to give a shit either. Right. You know, you, they're both, yeah, they're speed. They're both speaking a lot of truth and you're both kind of like, well, he's right. Well, she's right. Well, they're both right. And you know, you're both, you're left just feeling like, well, they're both right. But how does this help?

[00:27:50] But they're on the case, you know? So. But they do, they do, they do both come across as, as very intelligent, as, as, as very competent. And it's, it's just very interesting. So. Yeah. To see like where they go. And. I'm excited. Issue two, issue two just came out and it focuses a lot more on their relationship as they're diving into the case. And, and I think you really issue one sets it up. You really get a sense of, of who they are.

[00:28:20] You get a little more sense of their past. You get a little more sense of, of, of where they're not going to work and where they could work. And, and so, yeah, I look, that's, you know, one of the important things of any thrillers, you got to kind of fall in love with the detectives that you're going to spend time with. And I think we want to see them succeed. And they also are really set up to fail. They're set up to fail because this is an impossible case. They're going up against an AI crime app that can predict their every move.

[00:28:48] And the more they investigate, the more you feel like this, how are they supposed to overcome this aspect of it? The aspect that at every turn, the, the, the, every, every piece of evidence they find, the killer knows that they're going to find that piece of evidence. The killer knows what they're going to find. That's the whole premise that is that the app is smarter than them. And so it brings out the worst of their instincts and it pushes them further into dangerous territory.

[00:29:17] But, but you also see them connecting through that trauma. So it's a, it's a really great run. I think that ultimately that's where readers, if readers pick up issue two, uh, that's, what's going to carry them all the way through readers are going to come for the provocative kind of style. John's amazing artwork and this duo that you fall in love with. And you're like, I want to see what happens to these two. So, um, yeah. Yeah.

[00:29:43] And I, I also like the, you know, the underlying concept and, and you talk, you mentioned it earlier in terms of when you started writing this, you know, two years ago and the pace at which AI is continuing to develop the apps that are coming out, the programs that are coming out. Like, you know, I'm, I'm an attorney and just from what, you know, every, everybody has a,

[00:30:10] has a service that is trying to sell us AI to become, you know, to run our business better to, uh, do a chronology of medical. I put a lot of this in issue too. I put a lot of that issue too. Yeah. Uh, and it's just amazing. Like this, the, the capabilities in two years that you, you mentioned about having to adjust certain things. And I'm like, yeah, that, that there had to be like a frustrating part of that. Like, Oh, look, I wrote this great thing.

[00:30:37] And then, you know, if you had to adjust something because, Oh, this is either. No, I enjoy reality. I mean, in, in, in, in a year or two, when the trade comes out and we're all living in the apocalypse, that'll feel like I missed, like it went too fast, but no, I, I really enjoy keeping it. Trying to stay current with the, the way we present the story and, and I, we've researched this heavily.

[00:31:01] And so, but I also like what's funny is like, it's almost not a sci-fi story because like, it's so in the moment. It's so right now. I think every moment we bring up AI, we try to, so you're hearing like someone's using this app and maybe it's like, that seems like the one suspension of disbelief, but the fact that we're being bombarded by AI and that AI is being rushed to market without any sort of safeguards or, or, you know, or any thought.

[00:31:31] And it's just all happening to us. And there's really nothing we can do about it at this moment. And what are we supposed to feel or respond or react to this situation? We're all kind of feeling that we're kind of laughing about it. And I feel like that's, that's the best way to like, to have these kinds of hard conversations. We did the same thing with mindset. So mindset was my first book with John. We did that book. Yeah. Was that? Well, I love mindset. Thank you. Yeah.

[00:32:00] And I mean, that was, that was suddenly we were all addicted to our phones and we're all doom scrolling on smartphones. And it hadn't been that way five years ago. And we all kind of were hearing about these algorithms that were controlling our every action. And we were all kind of like, so I guess we are all being controlled, huh? And it was like, yeah, okay, well, here's a mind control book that talks about our phones controlling us. And you kind of have a laugh at this almost satirical absurdist premise that is completely what's going on in real life.

[00:32:29] And so I really, I love to have a story that reflects so much the reality of what we're experiencing and kind of says, Hey, enjoy this great fun story, this thriller. But also these are about two characters kind of saying, what are we doing about this thing right now that we are all literally going through and we're all literally having this sort of like conversation with friends and spouses and people like, so AI is taking us over now. Like what's going on? Should we be worried?

[00:32:59] This is kind of crazy. Like, um, we're all being bombarded by it in our workplaces. So yeah, it's topical. It's topical. We don't, John and I don't, John and I don't have the answers, but we, we think it's, it's fun to get people thinking about it. So yeah. Yeah. I just thought it was a great first issue and you thought it looked great. It just, you know, the three of you, uh, tremendous work in terms of, uh, the creative team on it.

[00:33:27] So, and well, uh, and so now we're going to just make a hard turn and writing completely. And now for something completely different, I think as Monty Python would say only the savage are left. I think issues one through three are out. Issue four is, is going to come out. It comes down a week. I think it's kill all immortals. They might come out at the same time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, yeah, I got it.

[00:33:55] I got a chance to, to take a look at this. This is kind of, it's, uh, you and Stefano, uh, Raffaele. This is kind of your, you're not, I guess not quite, uh, not, not quite zombie, but kind of like a mutating virus type of situation. And, um, yeah, very interesting. I thought a very kind of like interesting take on it, especially the first issue that

[00:34:23] your character Oakland and her father, and there's kind of like a reveal with her dad at the end of, uh, of issue one, along with Ryder, who is our, our other, uh, young guy main character. But yeah. Yeah. Um, so, uh, I mean, it's just such an interesting slate of books. Like when you, you look at all of them, there's like, because I mean, uh, the smart division that we just talked about is, is atmospheric. It is moody.

[00:34:53] It is a detective story. It's, it seems very character driven and kill all immortals also character driven, but high action, really bloody. And it's really slick looking like it just looks slick. Right. And now we have, uh, only the savage savager left and it's, it, it starts off. It is just disgusting.

[00:35:22] Like right off the bat. It is, it's just grimy. It's grotesque. Grimey and dirty. And it just does not let up. Also in terms of, um, Oh, I was going to mention who, who colored it. It was. So my, the colorist on only the savage or left is the same color son, kill all the mortals and masterminds. His name is Tiago Rocha. And I've become, I've become addicted to working with him just because he's so versatile and so amazing.

[00:35:50] So he does three and three completely different styles across the three books. Yeah. And I mean the color palette for only the savage are left. I mean, it, it, it looks like the comic is sick. Yes. I mean, not right. I mean, you can say like, Oh, sick. You're like, Oh, that's so sick in a cool way. But no, no, no. It looks like it has a disease. It's looking infected. It looks infected. It looks infected. Yeah.

[00:36:18] We went for, that was our, I mean, that was in our creative color palette. Yeah. We were like, it's yellows and greens and browns and grays and blacks. It's so good. I don't think there's any, I don't think there's any blues or purples in this, in this, uh, at all. And the only red is like just blood. So it's, um, yeah, yeah, it is. Um, I like to walk a fine line on the one hand. I really like big high concept ideas, you know?

[00:36:45] So you're, you're, you're going to see me doing different series again and again. And it's like, okay, here's a monster apocalypse book, you know? Okay. Oh, here's a, um, kill all mortals is like, you know, these are all big ideas, but I like to find my own way to do them. I liked all, I liked that. You could say there are a lot of different zombie apocalypse books out there. This is, this is a crowded genre, but you know what? Only the Savage Left. It's, it's unique.

[00:37:13] I can't think of one that's like that one. And, and I think that's really important to me as a, as a storyteller is to come wherever I go into sub genres is to, to, to stay unique and, and true to the thing I want to say and what I want to explore as a storyteller and what I want my collaborators as we, as we develop it together. And so, yeah, this is a, this is a monster apocalypse book about the amount of savagery in the world.

[00:37:39] This is about, you know, um, how much violence we tolerate or accept, um, looking at very different themes than kill all the mortals. Kill all the mortals is much more about power and this is much more about kind of your personal relationship with, with, with peace and violence and, and your relationship with, with the world on a much smaller scale. And, uh, yeah, there's this, this young couple, uh, who's in love and they're trying to, to

[00:38:08] navigate the, this world that's pushing them to be savage and to be monsters. Um, there's a, a, a twist here. There's a virus that turns everyone into monsters, but you can survive if you're willing to kill someone else that's infected. So that breaks free from the kind of walking dead sort of dynamics where all you're really trying to do is, uh, avoid zombies and then fight other mercenary groups here.

[00:38:35] You actually, anytime you get infected, now you have this moral quandary and it opens up, you know, the ability to slowly trans to slowly transform into a monster and then stop. So you have your people in this world that have been partially transformed. Um, so it gives us some other things to play with and, and the story and it, it, it is a beautiful story, but in a, in a very hard and dark sort of way. So, um, yeah.

[00:39:02] I, I, I was thinking it, it, the, only the savager left, it doesn't even get to fully ask the question. Like if you were infected, would you kill another person? Like, I think it gets halfway through the question before the book answers with a yes. Yes. And I just, yeah, really, really, really liked it. And, um, I also like, uh, I mean, there's a great panel or sequence, uh, kind of in the

[00:39:32] beginning with Ryder. And I think Ryder's mother where like Ryder just looks like, like our introduction to him after kind of like the cold open for lack of a better word, like what we see him at the start of things. And then it jumps to like five years later, but like just the look of him, he is just already kind. He just seems like he is not able to handle what he is, is, is looking at.

[00:39:59] And he doesn't seem to be much better off five years later. Yeah. When the story kicks off. Like he, he has been protected and isolated, uh, which is kind of, it seems like the exact opposite of how Oakland has been living the past five years. And it just is a very interesting dynamic. I love Ryder for this quality because it's like, he's a good kid. Like he's a good kid.

[00:40:25] He's the kind of kid that if someone was walking down the hall and they knocked his, his books out of his hands, he would just pick up his books and keep walking and he would just let it go and move on. He, he just says it's not worth it. And maybe that bully's having a hard day. I'm not going to get into it. Like he's a good, he's a sweet kid. This is the kind of kid that stops to help old ladies cross the street. Uh, that kid is not built for the monster apocalypse.

[00:40:52] And so this is a question of what happens when someone who has the sweetest, best intentions and morals is thrust into the world and the world says, so are you ready to be a monster? Now it's easy to say, well, what would happen if he's a Daryl Dixon or he's a, you know, a Rick or something? Okay. Of course, of these guys very quickly were built for the, for this, but, but this is,

[00:41:17] this is not about, this is not about someone who is naturally predisposed to turning into a monster. This is a question about what about someone who's just good and wants to think about the best for other people. And that's, that's something that we should respect and look up to, I think. And that's kind of the very premise of the book is like, there's so much savagery in the world. And so, you know, what is a kid like this to do?

[00:41:44] And he's, he's in love with a girl and he's trying to track her down and, and help her. She is seeing a completely different side of the world. She's been out in this landscape for five years. So she, she has learned to do whatever it takes to survive. She's a badass. And it also makes us wonder if they're going to be able to survive. Their romance will survive because they're so different in the way they see the world and what they would do.

[00:42:11] And then her father comes in and plays this really cool mentor role to, to writer, but he's a, a, a, a monster in and of himself. So yeah, we had a lot of fun. And we were, the whole thing comes across in part like a Western and in part like a, a post-apocalyptic story. And, and it's an adventure. It's got a ton of really cool action and great monsters, great world building. Stefano and Tiago do a great job world building. Hassan is lettering this one too with some, with some great stuff.

[00:42:40] But yeah, it's a very different book than Smart Division and Kill All Mortals. But it's been a huge, a huge hit for us. I mean, it's been really big, big hits. So it's been really fun to watch it unfold. Oh yeah. That's, that's awesome. Um, it, it also, it did make me wish that they made that, um, like with non, you know, big two publishers that, um, uh, we, we got more, um, action figures of some of the characters.

[00:43:10] Like I don't, I don't have a huge, like I don't like still collect action figures, but in my office, I have a couple that I really like and the, you know, kind of like the one, uh, bad guy with the skull, whatever that, the skull head piece. I'm like, yeah, I, I, I'd put him on my desk. I, I, listen, when, when we eventually make the TV show for this, they like making post-apocalyptic monster TV shows. Well, we'll, we'll have to do all that merch.

[00:43:38] I would, nothing would make me happier than to, to get there. So that would be awesome. I, I really liked it. Uh, uh, Oakland's dad, the look of him is clearly like you can see the Western like type of influence, you know, he's, he's kind of like, you know, uh, that, you know, Clint Eastwood pale rider character that's now in a, in a, in a monster apocalypse. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. I thought it was great. Really loved it.

[00:44:06] Cannot wait to see how the rest of the story plays out. And I think if she, like I said, issues one, two, three are out four is going to be out soon. I think October 7th. So yeah. And then we'll have the finale out in November and there'll be a graphic novel next year for it. And, um, right now we're right now we're it's, it's staying at five issues. We're, we're kicking around the idea of doing more. We'll wait and see. So, um, yeah. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I, I, Zach, um, I mean, I don't, I don't know what to say.

[00:44:36] I there's, you have so much going on. But listeners, I'll have links in the show notes to everything, but here, here, here we go. Here's the rundown. If you have not read kill all immortals, you can get the trade for seasons one and two season three, kill all immortals three. Number one is going to be out October 7th. Only the savage are left issues one through three are out. Four is also going to be out October 7th. The smart division issue. One is out.

[00:45:04] Uh, if you're listening to this two is out in the day, the day, the day the episode came out. Uh, I think, uh, smart division two came out today, September 30th. Um, and we didn't really get a chance to talk about masterminds, but that trade is going to be coming out November 10th of 2026. That's Zach and artist, uh, Steven, uh, Thompson. It's a, uh, it's, it's a thriller and it's fantastic. Thank you.

[00:45:32] Uh, yeah, it's something else. Um, uh, I, I think it's, it's also colored, uh, by Tiago Rocha and Hassan. That's me now how I do. Yeah. Yeah. So just so much stuff to, to check out from Zach. And like I said, I'll have links to everything in the show notes. And if you didn't listen to Zach's prior episode, go listen to that and then go buy all those books that we talked about, uh, in that one. Cause I think we talked about, uh, mindset and I think we talked about the earlier seasons

[00:46:02] of kill all immortals. And then I think we talked about, I don't know if it beyond real or dark, empty void. I can't remember which ones. Uh, yeah. If it was back when mindset came out, it could have been metal society forever forward, uh, breakout. That was all, that was a whole. Oh, wait, what's the, what's the one with the kids in the box? That's breakout breakout breakout. Yeah. Probably. We probably mentioned that because I really loved breakout. Uh, but I think we may have talked about dark, empty void.

[00:46:32] So, uh, yeah, there's plenty of stuff to check. Like I said, I've been, I've been writing 10 years now. I've written about, I think 15 different series. So, uh, yeah. Been busy. I really liked dark, empty void. That's you worked with, uh, Christian and that's right. That's right. That was a mad cave. See, cosmic, cosmic horror thriller. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Great. Fantastic. And I don't have it opened in front of me, but I think did Francesco Sagala? Oh, that one. Very good. Very good. Thank you.

[00:47:02] You're on a roll. Yes. That's right. All right. Francisco Sagala. That's right. All right. Well, for comic book yet, he's cryptic creator corner. I'm Jimmy Gasparro. Uh, thank you to Zach for coming back on the podcast. Shout out to my brother, Bobby, the cryptic creator corners. Number one, most dedicated fan. Um, Bobby listens to all my episodes. So, hey, Bob, uh, I hope, I hope you're doing well. Hey, Bob. And, uh, and yeah, uh, thank you so much, Zach. Thank you, Jimmy. Thanks for having me. All right. Listeners.

[00:47:32] Thank you so much for listening. Check out all these books in the show notes. And, um, yeah, I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for listening. Uh, have a good night and I will see you next time. Jimmy is too humble to do this. So as his stalwart writer, I, I wanted to tell you about his new graphic novel, Penny and the Yeti with artist Amber Aiken. What started as a comic short with his daughter that I've known about for ages now,

[00:47:58] and it's evolved and has become one of those annoying can't talk about it in comics things for too damn long. Yes, I'm predisposed to be supportive, but after reading an advanced copy of it, I have to admit it's way better than I anticipated. No shade, but it's really good. Remarkably so. Does it have a Yeti? Yeah. Is it cute and adorable? Yeah. But it straight flies in effectively tapping into the all too familiar family dynamics that

[00:48:24] we all are facing in 2026 and approaching it in a way that doesn't insult the book's target audience. Kids! They are way smarter and perceptive than we adults give them credit for. So I really appreciated Jimmy's narrative approach tapping into his own experiences as a dad and a spouse. I can hear his wife saying, Get off your phone, Jimmy, through the pages. She's going to kill me for saying that. It's hitting shelves on April 21st and I dropped the link in the show notes where you can pre-order a copy today.

[00:48:52] Yeti or not, here we come with Penny, Perry, Fenton, Maxine, and the magical, mythical, magnificent Yeti. On behalf of us both, we appreciate your support. Yo-ho-ho-ho! 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.

[00:49:20] 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 Cave. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Before I jump to the Rings, we'll be back next time. Let's go.