Ethan has no idea that Vincent, his roommate, is the villainous Underlord. Vincent has no clue that Ethan is the superhero called Star Fighter. In their costumed identities, they're mortal enemies, but as Ethan and Vincent they're the best of . . . wait, NO, as Ethan and Vincent they still hate each other's guts. Can comics' ultimate, super-powered odd couple keep their secrets secret and learn to live together in peace? ArchEnemies is high-concept superhero action-comedy-drama times eleven. We had a chance to talk with ArchEnemies creator, Drew Melbourne, about his experience with roommates, superheroes, and more.

Ethan and Vincent are as different as two people can be. Would you consider yourself to be more like one than the other?

Drew: I wish. I'm actually a horrible gestalt of all Ethan and Vincent's worst qualities. I'm an irresponsible slacker like Ethan, and I'm an awkward bundle of nerves like Vincent. On the plus side, I'm super smart and I can fire energy blasts from my hands!

Are either of the main characters drawn from real-life roommates you have had in the past (other than that whole super-power thing)?

Drew: I get that question a lot--mostly from my ex-roommates--but the truth is that there's no "real-life Ethan" or "real-life Vincent" out there. And that's probably a good thing!

Ethan's Ethan because I wanted to write a superhero who was also kind of a jerk. And Vincent's Vincent because I wanted to write a villain who came across as a sympathetic underdog.

"Underlord" equals "Underdog." Get it? Get it? I'm nothing if not subtle.

We've seen the odd-couple scenario before in movies. What made you want to bring the story line to comics?

Drew: Most superhero comics have the same basic premise: "Here's a superhero. Watch him beat up supervillains!" With ArchEnemies, I wanted to tell a different kind of superhero story. The key for me was focusing on a relationship instead of a single character.

The "odd-couple scenario" seemed like a great, quirky way to examine the hero-villain relationship. If I've learned anything from cheesey sitcoms from the mid-80s, it's that being stuck in a confined space forces bitter rivals to work through their differences.

If it worked for Webster and Ma'am, I figured it could work in ArchEnemies too!

After the first few issues it seems like Trish is poised to become a major player in ArchEnemies. What inspired you to bring a strong-willed woman into a (largely) male-dominated genre?

Drew: There was no particular agenda at work. I just like writing smart, funny, interesting characters--be they male or female.

Trish has an important role in ArchEnemies as Ethan's friend, co-worker, and romantic foil. They have a scene together in issue four that's pivotal to the entire series. She's probably my favorite character in the entire book. Trish has been an absolute joy to write for, both in the comic and through her MySpace page, MySpace.com/TrishDarrow.

If you could co-habitate with any superhero who would it be?

Drew: I would choose the little known hero "Captain Keeps To Himself But Cleans Up After Me And Always Covers My Half Of The Rent Man."

Or Hellboy. Hellboy seems like a fun guy...