I was A Middle-Aged Superhero

This is an article I wrote that was originally penned in the mid-‘80s (when I was in my 30s) and was published by the Comics Buyer’s Guide. I’m republishing it here, with a special addendum/update to further help put the conclusions I drew then into perspective.

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Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons, Wonderama (with Sonny Fox — sorry, a local NY TV program from the late ‘60s), and the wide-eyed innocence of youth? Do you remember tying a beach towel around your neck and transforming yourself into the Man of Steel? Do you remember when you really believe that a man could fly?

I do.

So — given this — you can perhaps better understand what I did a couple of Halloweens ago. Brace yourself — I became (drum roll, please), the Amazing Spider-Man. No, I am not an overgrown fanboy (although I do admit to being a card-carrying Marvel Zombie), since I had been invited to a Halloween party, I decided that I would attend, and — for the first time in several years — go in costume.

Thus, I went down to a local comic shop and bought the last Spider-Man, long-sleeved T-shirt they had in stock. You know it, the black one with the white spider symbol silk-screened on it. Yes, yes, I knew that Spidey had long since abandoned this costume (and it was adopted by the villainous Venom), but who in the outside (dare I call it “real”) world, knew this. If the truth were to be told, most people never knew that the costume changed to black in the first place. I supplemented the shirt with a black turtleneck, black sweatpants, a black, full-faced ski mask, black knit gloves, and heavy black socks. I inserted a pair of thick insoles into a pair of black socks (making them akin to a pair of slippers), sewed the mouth of the face mask shut and (using white medical tape), edged the mask’s eyes and placed a patch of white on the backs of the gloves.

Donning the makeshift costume (along with a pair of curved, mirrored sunglasses worn under the mask), I transformed myself into my childhood hero: the Amazing Spider-Man. To all who could see, I was covered from head to toe in black; with the ominous-looking spider on the front and back of my shirt, as well as the spectral-like white-rimmed, mirrored-eyes, I was no longer the mild-mannered writer, Bob Sodaro, I was Spider-Man, a bona fide Superhero. All I needed to do now was to make my grand entrance.

I determined that this costume was too good to “waste” on just the party, so I decided to make the rounds, and show it off. My first stop was my uncle’s deli. Clad in my new costume, I flung the door open and leaped to the countertop next to the cash register (promptly sliding on its slick surface and falling on my rump). The gal at the register, who I’ve known for years, looked at me and said, “Hello Robert.” Oh well, I said, she knows I collect comics and that Spidey is my hero; so, it was a lucky guess on her part.

My next stop was to a local restaurant I frequented and knew most of the help. I calmly strolled in during a mid-afternoon lull to a chorus of “Hey there, Bob.” “Great costume, Bob.” Bummer, two strikes against me, I thought. After I was there for a while, the owner showed up, I quickly pulled my mask back on and jumped up on the banister behind a booth in my best Spider-like pose. He calmly walked in, glanced passingly at me and said, “Nice costume, Bob.” Grrr, this is getting ridiculous.

Me (as Spidey) & Pop

From there I went across town to another establishment I frequented and knew the help. I walked in and jumped up onto the back of a videogame in the lobby (which was being played by one of the workers), “Ooh, Spider-Man,” the gal playing the game cooed. “Is that Bob?” A co-worker asked. “Yep,” the first gal responded. Ah well.

The last stop of my tour was (naturally), the comic shop I frequented (not the shop where I bought the shirt in the first place). I burst in the door of the shop, shouting “Beware evildoers! Spider-Man is here!” One patron looked passively at me and said, “You clown, Sodaro.” While others laughed and called out my name.

Needless to say, no matter where I went that day, no matter who I saw, either knew right away who I was, or strongly suspected that it was me. Granted, I do have a reputation for being a tad flaky, and pulling some silly stunt or other, but what depressed me was that literally everyone knew it was me! leading me to ask, just how does this work in comics.

You know what I mean, how do guys like Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Robin, and other, who only sport those dinky little masks (and, by the way, how do they stay on?), get away with not being outed? I have no trouble recognizing people when they put on a pair of sunglasses. Further, how does Oliver Queen get away with having such a stylish beard and mustache without people questioning that Green Arrow does as well? And don’t even talk to me about how Clark Kent gets away with just his eyeglasses as a disguise. I wear glasses, and everyone recognizes me with or without them (or when I change the style of them, as I do every couple of years or so.

Once I had a gal come up to me in a dimly lit, smoky bar and ask if I was Bob Sodaro (which I then was, and still am). I responded that I, in fact, was, and she told me that we were in second grade together, and not only had she recognized me, but she stated that I hadn’t changed at all since then (this, in spite of the intervening 30 years, and that I was probably twice as tall as I had been the last time she saw me, plus I was now over a hundred pounds heavier, moustached, bearded, wore glasses, and my hairline was in a full retreat up my forehead. I — of course — had not a clue as to who this gal was; when prompted, I eventually did recognize her name, if not her.

In spite of this incident (that I was recognized in full costume), I still believe that a man can fly. Nevertheless I do not fully understand how people never quite figure out who these superheroes are. (Personally, since this incident, I’m more inclined to believe John Byrne’s line of thought as expounded in Marvel Comics’ comic The Star Brand. That is to say, that superheroes’ secret identities aren’t discovered more often within their respective storylines is because it would not only ruin a nifty story, but that the writer simply doesn’t want it to happen.

However, while this doesn’t really inhibit my enjoyment of superhero comics, I am a touch more critical of plot holes that simply ignore things that are (or would be in real life), glaringly obvious. If only other writers would consider how certain events would look if the story was told outside comics, perhaps they would improve their storytelling.

As for me, I believe that this year I’ll stay home for Halloween.

Addendum

It is now 30 years hence from when I originally penned that article, and I’m in my 60s. This article is even more relevant today than when I originally wrote it, as we have recently came through a two-year pandemic/lock-down where whenever I was out in public, I was fully masked, and yes, people I knew still recognized me, so, clearly, nothing has actually changed, and while I still believe in heroes (especially the colorful, mask-wearing ones) I’m still not completely convinced that the entire masked-wearing gerne actually works; especially when being fully-masked (as many of us were during the pandemic) were still recognizable to those who knew us. Still, it is fun to pretend.

 

Mr. MiSoki are the comicbook socks you should be wearing!

If you are into comicbooks and sartorial splendor as far as your footwear is concerned, then you just might want to consider checking out Mr. MiSoki brand socks.

That’s right, you read that correctly “Mr. MiSoki” (clearly a play on the iconic Mr. Miyagi character played by Pat Morita in the Karate Kid films) is what you could expect from a comicbook-based sock company. As it turns out, Mr. MiSocki was started by a pair of guys who really love socks and design.

What Mr. MiSocki has done is combined flashy socks, innovative marketing, cool graphics, and entertaining comics. The company sells a box containing two pairs of flamboyantly decorated pairs of socks packaged with a comicbook. Currently the company produces six separate comics, along with 12-gloriously eclectic socks; and what could be more fun than that?

The comics themselves are 6" x 3.5" 22 page full-color comics that tell the story of a pair of matched socks and their efforts to stay together. In the first comic, they become separated, and work to become matched upo once again. the comic is written by Munish Taneja, and illustrated by A. T. Pratt.

According to the company’s website, Munish Taneja, the company’s CEO, has spent several years in technology product management and business development. He currently works at Google as a Mobile UX lead. Funky socks have always been a unique obsession for Munish and he wanted to apply the versatile skillset he developed throughout his career to create something that would bring joy to people's lives.

A. T. Pratt, the CCO (Chief Creative Officer) is a multi-disciplinary cartoonist, illustrator, fine artist, designer, and self-publisher. Each project he creates aims to tackle words and pictures in new and exciting ways, incorporating handmade additions like pop-ups and foldouts in his comics, and now with socks leaping from the flat comic page into real life!

Welcome to Halloween

 Recently (just today as I pen this post). I've had yet another short story of mine posted on the internet. The story is Halloween-Themed, and was posted to a Facebook site entitled, Writers Unite!  

I had joined the site a year or so back, and in the intervening time I've has three short stories published by them in three separate anthologies (A Western, A Fantasy, and a Romance story).

Each of those stories appeared in print, whereas, this most recent story appears only online, as stated, in the Writers Unite! Facebook page. 

 To locate this Spooky tale, one need to go to Facebook, log into the Writer's Unite! page, and find the WU Witching Hour post, then navigate to the WU! Witching Hour Part Six which is where my story resides. My story is entitled "Cat Got Your Tongue", which is the final story of the set.

Hope you enjoy it.

Welcome to the Bizarrechats of Michael F. Housel, Author of the Abstract, Amazing and Arcane: : ROBERT J. SODARO: GRAPHIC GENIUS FOR HIRE!

Welcome to the Bizarrechats of Michael F. Housel, Author of the Abstract, Amazing and Arcane: : ROBERT J. SODARO: GRAPHIC GENIUS FOR HIRE!: In my worldly estimation, Robert J. Sodaro  is a genius, a man with an aesthetic eye when it comes to mapping, editing and polishing any pro...

Romance is in the air!

So here I am, Some 40+ years writing professionally and I'm — quite honestly — having perhaps one of the best years ever. I have several projects in print, as well as several more awaiting publication. 

This past week I just finished off laying out a book project for a new client, and am starting on the layout of a magazine for one of my longest-running clients. I have three prose short stories out for publication, five comicbook scripts in various stages of production. I'm getting set to launch a comicbook Kickstarter with a new publisher, as well as brand new offer to script a one-shot (with the possibility of sequels). 

Still, none of that is what I really want to write about today. As of the 1th of this month (just two days ago as I type this, 8/15/22) I'll have my third (yes, third) prose short story out in print with Writers Unite (a Facebook group to which I belong). The anthology Writers Unite: Dimensions of Love, is a two volume set of short stories.

My story, entitled The Way Back appears in the second volume of the set, and I'm very excited to have it appear in this set as penning a romance story is so far outside the type of writing I've been doing for the past four decades. 

Over the years I've written ad copy for radio, print, direct mail, and the web; I've written marketing material as well as technical and procedure manuals. I've worked as a journalist, done hundreds of interviews, written reviews of films, books, comics and more. Still. This romance story is honestly one of the coolest things I've ever written. Hopefully others will enjoy not just my story, but the full run of stories in the series.

The anthology is available on Amazon in both print and ebook editions, the links for both editions are below. (The links will lead to both version of each volume.)

Writers Unite: Dimensions of Romance, Volume One:

https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Unite-Anthologies-Dimensions-Love/dp/B0B92R1MDV/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1660659855&sr=1-1&fbclid=IwAR3FkDE2NbLHLgVwRRkwCo94GYu9zr8PieM2xo6oHnuOWMrSiAfTw9Qp_JA

Writers Unite: Dimensions of Romance, Volume Two

https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Unite-Anthologies-Dimensions-Love-ebook/dp/B0B8QKWQ93/ref=sr_1_1?crid=282ELDNTBFQ33&keywords=Writers%20Unite!%20Anthologies%20Dimensions%20of%20Love%20Volume%20two&qid=1660659890&s=books&sprefix=writers%20unite%20anthologies%20dimensions%20of%20love%20volume%20two%2Cstripbooks%2C52&sr=1-1&fbclid=IwAR1bcj5sJ17_tNeMiPp-7w61oE8acP7UzZmjtoE82khV4e7CPGTcqp0j58w

As an aside, a second romance story of mine has been posted online over here:

https://bardsy.com/stories/story-reader/?story_id=3682&utm_source=pocket_mylist

John Romita, Sr, Gerry Conway, Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy, & Me!

So here is a bit of my own personal history in comics.

Back in 1973 (when I was just a mere lad of 18) I attended my first or second NY Comic Con. For context this was shortly after the release of Amazing Spider-Man #121 when Gwen Stacy died at the hands of the Green Goblin. While at the show, I wandered into the Pro room to find to John Romita (Sr.) doing sketches and signing autographs. (No lines, no charge, just JRSR sitting at a table signing for the kids.) 

While wearing my über-cool Spidey T-shirt (with art by JRSR), I eagerly held out my convention book. For John to sign. Looking up from his last drawing, he spotted my shirt, smiled and reached out past a couple of other fans, for my book and asked who I would like for him to illustrate for me. "Gwen Stacy." I said. 

"I can only draw her head," He replied.

"OK, that's fine with me." I responded.

So he drew her face. Upon completing the sketch and autographing it, I reached for my program book, to take it back, only John wasn't quite done with it. He then drew a big word balloon, and wrote "You did it Gerry C.!" And then handed back to me.

I laughed at the cool moment. (Remember, Gerry Conway was the writer who famously wrote the story in issue #121 of Amazing Spider-Man where she died.)

About an hour or so later, I was back in the pro room to see who else I could get an autograph from, and lo and behold who was there, but none other than Gerry Conway himself. Knowing I simply couldn't pass this moment up, I turned to John's autograph in my program booklet, and handed it to Gerry as I asked for his autograph. 

"Sure kid," He said taking the booklet from me. Then when he noticed the page he was asked to sign, he did a double take and laughed, then he too autographed the page, adding "Yeah, and I'm glad I did!"

Needless to say, this was an even cooler moment for me. 

I still have that booklet with both autographs in it. 

A week or so back I attended TerrifiCon at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. where Gerry Conway was one of the guests. I hadn't crossed paths with Gerry in nearly 50 years, but I again couldn't pass up this moment. I went up to his table and said. "Gerry, you certainly don't remember me, but I hope you remember this." And I showed him the photo of the page from that old convention book that was on my phone.

"I absolutely do remember that!" he exclaimed, then he asked if he could take a picture of it off my phone, which I agreed to letting him do. I then got to chat with him for a few minutes to tell him how much I always enjoyed his writing.

A little later in the show John Romita, Jr showed up to sign autographs for the fans, and I — once again — wanted to share my 50-year-old story. So I approached JRJR's table and got his attention, saying "50 years ago I got your father's and Gerry Conway's autograph, and this is how they signed my book." showing him the photo on my phone.

As can be expected, JRJR also loved the story, and I entreated him to also take a picture of my phone and send it to his father (who had never seen the response autograph that Gerry had gifted me with.) Which JRJR did. 

To both of them I then related the story how, when I showed up to see the 2nd Andrew McCarthy Spider-Man film my friend, Shawn, who worked at the theater, told me "You're gonna hate this film." To which I replied, "Why, because Gwen dies in it?"

Have you already seen the film?" he asked. 

"No." I said, "She died when I was 18 and I'm still not over it!"

Here now is that autograph that JRSR and Gerry did for me back in 1973, when I was 18.

Honestly, it is probably the coolest thing I own.

Call me "Storyteller" Part the 2nd!

For years  I've been referring to myself as (alternately) a Journalist and as a storyteller. While both are true, a more accurate descriptor would be that, even as a journalist, my best articles were, in fact stories. 

Part of this reason is that, where my own learning has taken place, I've always been better at learning/remembering something if it was related to me as a story, rather than simply as a fact (probably why I was always better at English than Math). Needless to say, I've always been able to spin a good yarn. 

A short while back, in an earlier post, I shared a few links for some print stories that I had written. Well, since that time, I have penned a few more stories that reside online, and I would like to share those links with you now.

First up, is a story of a slightly different genre than I've been writing in, this one a romance story. This was in response to a writer's prompt in the attempt to get the story included in an anthology. Unfortunately, the story didn't make the cut, but it still is readable online, here. The story is entitled Good Morning Cupcake, and is the tale of a woman approaching 50 who is a widow, and on the cusp of a relationship with an older male friend whom she has known professionally for well over a decade. Part of my reasoning for making the couple older, is that so many "love" stories are about young teens or 20somethings, and I really just wanted to write a story about an older couple (finally) finding true love.

illustration by Carl Morgans

The second story Night of the Owl, operates on more familiar ground, as it is the backstory of a Golden Age superhero whose adventures I've been chronicling (along with others) in InDELLible Comics. Those of us who are working on stories for InDELLible are playing in a sandbox of Public Domain characters that were once published by Dell Comics back in the '50s & '60s. These comics and prose anthologies can be found on Amazon. We've written a bunch, and more are on the way.

The third story is an original piece that I penned while officiating a flash fiction story writing exercise at a comic con several years back. (To be sure, my piece wasn't so much entered in the contest I was proctoring, as it was done to pass my time while the actual contestants were writing their stories. My story sat around all these years with no where to go, until I discovered this website where I could post it.

Currently I'm writing more short stories, and just may wind up posting them online in one of these two sites. So, keep your eyes open as there is more to come, so stay tuned!

Just call me "storyteller"

I was first published in 1981. An article I wrote about Steve Ditko's Spider-Man which appeared in issue #5 of Amazing Heroes. My second professional published  article appeared in Marvel Preview, also in 1981. My first professionally published piece of fiction appeared in a Marvel Year in Review in the late 1980s/early 1990s (it was a short essay about either an imagined origin to the X-Men or the Avengers — I forget which as my writing partner (John A. Wilcox) and I submitted both but the editor only used one). 

(Prior to both of these, I had actually been previously been published in the newsletter (both fiction and non-fiction) from my local library, where I was working at the time.)

My first solo fiction piece was a comicbook entitled Agent Unknown which was published by Renegade Press in 1987. That particular comic lasted three of the six planned issues (the B&W implosion of the late ‘80s killed it). it wasn't until 2006 that I once again had a piece of fiction of mine published, this time in the comicbook series, Psychosis (Guild Works Productions). 

In between that first published article in Amazing Heroes and the publication of Agent Unknown (Renegade Press). I had literally hundreds of articles published. since then I have had hundreds more published, as well as a few books, and, well a handful of fiction short stories (both illustrated and prose. 

As I pen this piece, it is the beginning of March, 2022, and already I have had an article and three fiction pieces published online. An Illustrated story and a prose piece both slated for publication, as well as written a script for a second illustrated piece. I have more stories and articles in me, and I haven't slowed down. 

The best is yet to come. 

New Amsterdam & "Defund the Police"

 If you've ever railed against the "Defund the Police" effort, I strongly recommend that you stream the NBC TV show New Amsterdam The Crossover (Season 2 episode 12). If you've never seen the show, that shouldn't be an issue, as the bit I want all'y'all to see occurs sporadically throughout the episode, with it occurring at the 5:13, 13:51, 22:15, and 28:43 marks).

The sequence in question is between a psychiatrist from the hospital is interviewing and then doing a ride-along with a police officer patient of his. What we witness is their initial consultation in his office, and then a pair of incidents where two separate homeless people with psychological issues are causing two disturbances outside public places.

In the first one, the officer essentially forcefully confronts the individual, and then man-handles them to remove them from the public place. In the second the shrink interjects himself into the incident, and manages to deescalate it before it becomes explodes into violence (The officer has drawn her sidearm).

After the second incident, the psychiatrist and the officer are sitting down on a bench and the psychiatrist explains that THIS is what is meant by "Defund" the police, as the officer simply was neither equipped, nor properly trained to handle that type of situation.

"You’re doing your job. You’re doing what your supposed to do. But Officers aren’t equipped to handle a mentality unstable person who isn’t committing a crime. That’s not your job, That’s my job. That’s a social worker’s job."

The entire sequence was not only well-written, but well-performed, and (to me at least) clearly explained what is meant by "Defund". It isn't "eliminate" it is simply putting resources in their proper perspective, and giving proper training to those involved.

Watch New Amsterdam Season 4 Episode 12 Online

Yi Soon Shin: The Fallen Avenger

This piece is another in a longer line of older articles/interviews of mine that appeared elsewhere. I am re-posting it here to not only refresh it, for those who may have missed it the first time around, but in an effort to consolidate my online work under my own imprint. This interview was conducted back on May 13^th, 2015 with Onrie Kompan.

Given that this article is over seven years old, not only is the Kickstarter that Onrie talks about over, but some of the links from the original interview no longer work. 

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As Americans, we tend to think that all the really cool historical stuff happened here in America, or (at the very least) to Americans. Well that isn’t so much the case, as is evidenced by Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender published by Onrie Kompan Productions in 2013. If you missed it, that lushly rendered hardbound graphic novel that was a compilation of the four-issue limited series told a historical accounting of one of Korea’s most celebrated heroes, Yi Soon Shin. It was Yi Soon Shin who defended his country from a Japanese invasion in the year 1592. The epic story was filled with fully formed characters, internal deception, political intrigue, and some of the most spectacular battles scenes that you are every likely to see in comics, and depicted a magnificent rendering of an amazing battle which took place on the open sea and on land between the massive invading forces of the nation of Japan, and the (much smaller and not as well-equipped) Korean forces.

Kompan is now running a Kickstarter to help fund a follow-up story arc with Yi Soon Shin: Fallen Avenger. We recently caught up with Onrie Kompan who filled us in on why an American audience has gone positively Gaa-gaa over a 16th Century Korean General.

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Robert J Sodaro:  As Americans, we tend to think that all the really cool historical stuff happened here in America, but the story of Yi Soon Shin clearly takes place in Korea. Can you give us a bit of the background about the story behind Yi Soon Shin?

Onrie Kompan:   Yi Soon Shin is literally Korea’s version of Batman. He’s one of their most profound heroes and not for just any reason. Yi Soon Shin defended Korea from an invasion from Japan. Imagine hordes of Japanese samurai were beaten 23 times in a row against Yi Soon Shin who was literally outnumbered 10 to 1 against them. He’s the man!

RJS:  What caused you to pick this story to tell in comicbook format?

OK:  I wanted to show that more could be done in comics aside from superheroes; but beyond that, I wanted to show that real heroes actually exist and are just as cool (if not cooler) than superheroes because they are real. Comics felt like the perfect medium to show this.

RJS: Do you think that we as Americans are interested enough in a war story between Korea and Japan that took place in the 16th Century?

OK:  The American audience is always hungry for new stories! They always have been and they always will be. And let’s be honest, we’ve heard it all already. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it’s really difficult to stay fresh these days when it comes to storytelling. I was willing to venture out of my comfort zone to discover the story of Admiral Yi. And despite how crazy I might sound when saying this, I believe that one day people will be so into this series that they’ll praise it the same way they do Star Wars or Game of Thrones. I just hope I’m alive long enough to see it so I can cash in on it!

RJS:  What is it, do you think, that is it about this story that makes it so compelling?

OK:  It’s the greatest underdog story never told! It’s a human story about a man who sacrificed everything for what he believed in — a man who was an incorruptible force that stood before the face of evil—and won! You couldn’t make this kind of stuff up because it ACTUALLY happened. The whole world deserves to know about this!

RJS: Do you believe that history (either Korean or American) can be taught through comicbooks?

OK: People always ask me that and the real answer is, I don’t know. I didn’t make this comic to educate people. I made this comic for the same reason all creators make comics — because they want to entertain.

We try and avoid the word “history” wherever we can because that is an automatic turn-off for a lot of people. History itself is fascinating to some but to many others, it can be boring.

But to answer your question, if a first-grade teacher brings Yi Soon Shin into a classroom, there is a good chance that they will lose their job. This is a story about war and war is ugly. People ask why there is so much blood and gore in our comic and the reason is because well…it’s war.

Our story is about how real people dealt with war and how others used war to their advantage so that they could manipulate people and have their way. Like I said, it’s a human story. This is what people do during times of war. It’s every man for himself. What sets Yi Soon Shin apart from the entire cast is that he’s the only character in our book that is trying to protect people. Everyone else is in it for themselves.

RJS: Comics are essentially known for superheroes in tights. Do you honestly believe that the medium can expand beyond this and be taken seriously by the mass market?

OK:  I think we’re seeing that happen today. Look at all the superhero movies out there and how they are marketing knick-knacks towards both kids and adults. Gillette is now selling Avengers shavers. I bet nobody saw that coming back in 1962.

 

RJS:  As a rule, more people have seen even one of the big-budget superhero movies than read all the comics on which it was based, why do you think that comicbook movie ticket sales don’t translate into comicbooks sales?

OK:  I ask myself that very question quite often. Perhaps people see the comics as a lesser version of the movie. Perhaps the majority of comics aren’t as great as we all wish they were. Or maybe the comic book community isn’t inviting enough to new readers because they don’t want to be seen as nerds for reading them. Maybe I’m completely wrong or maybe I’m 100% on point.

The truth is I don’t have the answer to your question. But every time I go to a convention and someone who has never read comics before in their life buys my book, I hope that our work has the power to change their minds and open up that door for them.

And more importantly, I hope that they start by supporting independent comics rather than just jumping on the bandwagon of mainstream. There is a lot of great independent stuff out there that deserves way more attention.

 

RJS:  You mentioned earlier that you hope you can translate Yi Soon Shin into a big-budget film or a TV/Cable series, you have anything like that in the works?

OK: I believe it will happen eventually once we finish our work on the series. Honestly, I see it as a trilogy of movies. Call me crazy but I want Yi Soon Shin to be the next Star Wars. As for when that will happen, I can’t say but I hope I’m around to cash in on it and that I get to play a role in its production.

 

RJS: Tell us a bit about how you went about assembling your team for Yi Soon Shin.

OK: Great question and one I’m always happy to answer. It was really a two-year long process. I spent a lot of time studying trends in comics and looking for art styles that I knew had the potential to stand out.

When the time came to start building out the team, I posted ads on sites like Digital Webbing and Deviant Art and went through a slew of very bad portfolios. I was hoping my idea would attract a big-name artist but even they weren’t interested.

Then one day, I got a submission from Giovanni Timpano, an artist from Italy who was hungry for work. After that, things sort of came together rather quickly. My friend, Alverne Ball introduced me to his colorist, Adriana De Los Santos, and was totally fine with me hiring her to do work on the book. Check out her work on Alverne’s series Virgin Wolf.

Adriana then introduced me to Joel Saavedra who is our letterer. Finally, I realized that after getting rejected by damn near every publisher out there, that I needed an editor to show me the ropes. I became friends with Papercutz’s Jim Salicrup through Facebook and he put me in touch with his good friend, comics’ veteran David Anthony Kraft.

Eventually, we brought on a second artist named El Arnakleus for Fallen Avenger. We wanted to give the book a different feel and his style meshed perfectly with Giovanni’s. I like to say that Gio is my Steve Ditko and that El is my John Romita.

RJS:  Tell us a little about their (and your) backgrounds.

OK:  I’m a Chicago native and Yi Soon Shin is my first entry into comics. I’ve been working on the series for the last five years and have been putting it out myself. Everything from concept to final product has my hand in it somewhere and if you see me at conventions, then you know that I also handle selling it. I’ve sold nearly 40,000 books.

Giovanni Timpano is our artist from Italy. He’s currently working on The Shadow for Dynamite and has an extensive portfolio. He’s worked on GI Joe, Hellraiser and much more. El Arnakleus is heavily inspired by Frank Frazetta and brings his artistic influence to the series. Adriana De Los Santos is our colorist from Argentina, and she turns every page into a painting. Joel Saavedra is also from Argentina, and he letters the book.

And finally, my editor/co-writer David Anthony Kraft is a veteran of comics. At some point or another, he has edited every Marvel Comics character you can think of. He had a very memorable run on She-Hulk and The Defenders (which is soon going to be a Netflix series) and went off to run his own publishing venture called Comics Interview.

Everything I learned about storytelling, production, and publishing is thanks to DAK. I enjoy working with him very much and I respect him immensely. In fact, I respect everyone on my team immensely. They put everything into this book and it’s not an easy comic to work on at all. Our production process is grueling compared to other titles because I demand the best and they are willing to give it to me. No matter what it takes.

RJS:  Are you approaching this story like a “standard” comic (whatever that may mean) or more like a history lesson?

OK:  Curse the dreaded “H” word!

Given all the blood, gore, and sex in our book, I have to say that we’re definitely straying away from this being a boring high school history lesson. That is the one thing we are really trying to avoid. History is boring. Most people don’t want to learn while reading comics. They want to be entertained. That being said, if our book entertains readers enough to get them to do their own research, then that’s an added bonus and we’ll happily take credit for it.

All we want to do is make a great comic series so I wouldn’t say our approach is standard either. We work using the classic Marvel method. DAK and I work scene-by-scene so that we get the most out of everything. It’s a very challenging book to work on but one that has taught me a great deal about comic book production. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it despite the challenges I’m faced with.

RJS:  You already have one story arc of Yi Soon Shin out, and now you are working on a second arc. Do you see this going onto more multiple arcs?

OK:  Yi Soon Shin is a trilogy and right now we’re gearing up to wrap up the second arc. After that, we’re planning one more arc that will conclude the entire series. Eventually, if the opportunity arises, I’d like to do a prequel trilogy about what happened prior to the war so that readers can get more insight about the origin of Admiral Yi. But we’ll cross that path when we get there. Right now, our focus is on finishing the trilogy we started!

RJS:  Will you attempt to mine Korean history for more comicbook stories?

OK:  Korean history is very expansive and there are a lot of wonderful stories but I don’t believe in genre mining. Like I said, history can be boring and if it’s approached without passion, readers will get bored. My job is always to entertain my audience first and I believe the best way to do that is to venture towards topics that pull my own interests. I don’t like the idea of being categorized as a genre writer either. I’m willing to write anything so long as there is a story to tell, even if it’s about superheroes.

RJS:  How is the series selling?

OK:  To date, we’ve sold close to 40,000 books without a publisher or distributor.

We decided to use conventions to reach our customers directly and while our sales at shows, Amazon, and select retailers have been great, the truth is that it’s impossible to make money when we’re in this position.

Our funding recently fell through for reasons unrelated to the book’s success but I’ve come so far with Yi Soon Shin that I have to see it through to the end for the sake of all the readers that have supported our series over the years. Therefore, we launched a Kickstarter initiative to keep this series alive and finish what we’ve started. We invite everyone to join the fight and help us win this battle!

RJS:  When can we expect future issues?

OK:  Yi Soon Shin: Fallen Avenger #4 is the issue we’re currently working on. It’s going to be a 48-page book with no ads in it. This is the book we’re focusing on for Kickstarter and folks can be a part of it by funding the Kickstarter. As far as what to expect from this issue — expect it to be bloody, brutal and the Greatest issue of the series yet. Why? Because in this issue, Admiral Yi is going up against a Japanese armada of over 333 ships with only 12 ships at his disposal. He’s been beaten, bloodied, and broken and now he’s pissed. Readers are going to learn from this book why he is such a great hero.

Fallen Avenger is really a homage to Frank Miller’s Daredevil: Born Again arc in the sense that both stories feature protagonists who have been broken but are unwilling to accept defeat.

RJS:  Where can fans get their own copies (are you selling online, is it stocked in stores, are you attending cons, and if so, can you give us your schedule for the year)?

OK:  We invite everyone to check out our webstore. I will personally sign and ship your books around the world. As far as conventions go, I will be attending Motor City Comic-Con, Phoenix Comic-Con, NY Special Edition, SDCC, Wizard World Chicago, Baltimore Comic-Con and NYCC. I will also be doing a few store signings in both Chicago and New York. The rest of the time, I’m going to be focusing on production as well as my next few projects.

RJS:  What’s next for you?

OK:  I recently launched Freedable Comics which is a site I co-created to help independent creators like myself get their work out there. The beautiful thing about Freedable is that we collect data from our readers and provide creators with this information for free so that they can learn more about their demographic. It’s a free tool for creators to help aid them in their creative endeavors and it’s also free for readers.

I am also finishing up a 144-page graphic novel that I’ve been working on since 2011. JM DeMatteis is the editor for the book, and it features artwork from some of the finest artists in comics. We’re working on the final segment of the book right now and then we’ll be shopping it around to publishers. I’m hoping to get it out later this year or at the very latest, sometime in early 2016.

I’m also working on a third project with a Chicago-based artist that I’ll hopefully be able to announce sometime later this year and I’m trying to get my foot in the door with a fourth project from a more well-known publisher.

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Yi Soon Shin, and all artwork associated with the character, is © & TM 2015 Onrie Kompan Productions. All rights reserved.