Dinosaurs (Sauridians...sorry) and spaceships! A winning combo!
About a month ago, the gang from Jackedup Tales got to hang out at the TULSA COMIC EXPO and meet a lot of awesome artists and writers from the surrounding areas. None of them made a bigger splash than a bigger than life walking dino carrying a crazy looking space-age gun!
This was none other than KELVIN; one of the main characters in the upcoming Darkhorse Comic, REXODUS! Now, mind you, being a writer and big fan of cool titles, I was hooked already. But the artwork just jumped off the pages, reeling me in deep! I decided that I just had to know more! So, after talking to a few people, I got an interview with Mark Steele, the co-Executive producer of the project and got a little inside.
(Pictured above with Kelvin from REXODUS, creators Paul Wizikowski and Eric Lee with Sierra Hahn and Chris Tongue of Dark Horse Comics)
BDC: Mark, I have to admit, once the title REXODUS sank in, it hooked me hardcore! But I have to ask, which came first, the name or the story?
Mark Steele: Co-Creator Paul Wizikowski originated the title REXODUS-which we agree- is awesome. But, in this case, the story came first. The original nugget was 'why dinosaurs in space?' The answer was simple and compelling: dinosaurs didn't die, they left! From that point, we crafted a mythology and the moment of dinokind's departure from earth - the REXODUS - practically named itself.
BDC: Some people don't understand the hard work, patience and perseverance it takes just to get a project like this off the ground. So, how long have you been working on REXODUS? Who is responsible for the genesis of REXODUS?
Mark: About six years ago, two members of the Steelehouse core team, Eric Lee and Paul Wizikowski, came to us (Steelehouse owners Mark Steele and Kevin Anderson) with the core idea of a ragtag Serenity-like crew of space dinosaurs. We see a lot of ideas, but this one grabbed us immediately. At the time, the story and characters were aged down for a younger audience, so we brought James Farr on to the team to take what Eric and Paul had done and skew it older. James took a phenomenal pass at it and, from that point, the Creative Development team of the five of us developed the REXODUS world for several years before pulling the trigger on a final script. We, then, contracted pencilers, inkers, colorists and the like to finish the product to our liking before ever approaching a single publisher.
BDC: If the artist wasn't involed in the creation of the idea, how did this team pull together?
Mark: Artists Jon Sommariva (who penciled every issue so far) and Sean "Cheecks" Galloway (who did the initial character designs) were not involved in the creation of the idea. Fortunately, one of the property's creators, Eric Lee, is an accomplished artist as well as Steelehouse Lead Animator. He was able to put significant visual flesh to the characters and concepts within REXODUS first. Having Eric in-house allowed the Development Team to push, pull and tweak the designs with feedback before we chased artists with more experience in the comics arena specifically.
BDC: Is this the first published comic for this creative team?
Mark: This is the first foray into comics for the Steelehouse development team, but not for the key writer and artist. James Farr has several comics to his writing credit including "Xombie: Reanimated", "Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave", and "Coil". Artist Jon Sommariva has worked on titles ranging from "Star Wars Tales", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Go Boy 7".
BDC: How did you get the green light from Dark Horse Press? They're arguably one of the greatest independant comic publishers of all time. I had thought with the loss of the Star Wars franchise and what little I had noticed of them that they were on the down turn. But, I hear this is part of a 30% increase in their sales over the past few years.
Mark: As a complete newbie to the comics space, it was vital that Steelehouse finish REXODUS to the point we were artistically satisfied. That gave us a tremendous edge when courting publishers. Our Pac-Man fan film we procuced a few years back landed us agency representation in LA, and that agency was strategic in getting REXODUS in front of the right suitors. Of everyone who expressed interest, it was Dark Horse who really stood out as the brand who would champion REXODUS and do their best to make it something much larger in the entertainment space over time. We are thrilled and extremely satisfied to have Dark Horse on Team REXODUS!
BDC: Tell us a little about REXODUS.
Mark: They didn't die. They left.
64.9 million years ago, the earth was ruled by dinosaurs - a species far more
advanced than their fossil record would ever reveal. Leveraging the power of lava as
their primary fuel source, the dinosaurs’ civilization grew unrivaled for millions of years.
That is, until the BLACK BLOOD arrived.
With the power to not only consume, but control any living organism, the Black Blood
quickly swept the earth’s surface, driving the dinosaurs into retreat and eventually
forcing them to vacate the planet altogether.
So began Operation REXODUS - the departure of the earth’s original Kings. Climbing
aboard a fleet of magma-driven ships, the last surviving dinosaurs ventured out across
the stars, there to settle a brand new world. A brand new planet.
Never to return back home - or so they thought.
64.9 minutes from now, career paleontologist (and human) Robert Dixon will make an
earth-shattering discovery. A discovery that will not only rock the foundations of modern
science, but bring the worlds of both human and dinosaur crashing back together with a
vengeance. A discovery that will place his daughter Amber in danger’s path - and on the
adventure of a lifetime.
REXODUS tells the story of how teenager Amber Dixon and young dinosaur Kelvin
Sauridian are thrown together into a world and a future neither understand.
Suddenly rescued from the Black Blood by a ship not of this earth, they bond over the
shared loss of their fathers and band together to survive a trip aboard the spaceship
Scavenger - piloted by a suspicious and motley crew of dinosaurs led by Kelvin’s instant
rival Master Sergeant Tork. Their arrival (and very existence) wreaks havoc on the
already volatile and dangerous planet of Terros Secundus. The survival of the Black
Blood, the rediscovery of Earth and the revelation of Kelvin’s esteemed heritage all
converge to put the Dinosaur and the Human race on a collision course. Kelvin and
Amber must work together to attempt to defeat a common enemy. Otherwise, both of
their species risk extinction.
BDC: From what I've read, this is going to be an amazing story. The art pops off the page and the characters grow on you quick. I can't wait to read more!
