Outlaw 7 is an intense and incredible fantasy story that combines eclectic elements of everything from Asian pop culture to architectural academia, John Woo to J.R.R. Tolkien. At the heart of Outlaw 7 is a classic story -- a young and reluctant hero must rise to his greatest potential, or his homeland -- and perhaps the entire planet -- will be destroyed. The circumstances he must fight against -- and the world in which he lives -- are like nothing you've ever imagined, but in many ways, Outlaw 7 will be a dream comic for fans of most manga, comics like Battlechasers, and anyone who likes fantastic stories told with a fresh and distinctive art style.
Dark Horse's pop-culture reporter Ivana Fanboy caught up with Lubera on the phone to learn more about the series. Here's a look ahead at one of the coolest projects on the summer comics horizon.
Ivana Fanboy: I've just read the first script for Outlaw 7, and it seems like there's a lot going on in this story. It's essentially a fantasy story with much cooler and more original elements than you normally find in a fantasy story. If you had to explain what Outlaw 7 is about in one sentence, what would you say?
Logan Lubera: If I had to try and put this into one sentence I would say Outlaw 7 is an explosive, energetic story about self realization, redemption and love set against a dark, low-tech fantasy world.
IF: To be a little more specific, who are the Outlaw 7, and what are they set to do in the story?
LL: Well, the Outlaw7 is a group of people thrown together because they use Mana (a source of strange magic split into two types: good and evil) as a way of helping others facing danger or extreme adversity. The only problem is that the use of the Mana is outlawed -- illegal to use on the continent of Kalm.
I wanted to take a classic comic book theme about people who are being hunted, hated or discriminated against just because of their special abilities and place them in a different world. I have always been drawn to this theme. Why do we have to hate or dislike people because they are different? I was brought up to cheer, encourage, and push people who have talents. I really wanted to put on paper what I feel inside.
As to what the group is supposed to do in the story, I will say this: the original team -- Gaston the fierce Dragoon Warrior and leader, Trussel the self-exiled Dwarf King, Kadeone the mysterious Tech witch, Raine the Demon binder, and Shirow the jinxed thief -- have been given the task of rescuing a boy who may save all of Kalm and the entire world. The only catch is this boy does not want or care to be a hero. He is quite content with what he's doing, which I think I will keep that a secret until the book comes out.
IF: There are a ton of characters in this story, and everyone seems very complex ... are the characters you just named the main players? And what should readers know about them?
LL: Wow this is a tough question, I mean besides the Outlaw7 -- or Mana Rogues as
they are officially known in the book -- there are a lot of characters on both sides of this conflict who are really cool, strong or tragic. The main hero and the eyes our readers see through is Bayman Ford. He is a young man who has been told that he might be the world's salvation. For Bayman, all he wanted was to find love -- true love -- and to be happy. Now he must push away fear, guilt and somehow find the resolve to become a hero. One of our favorite antagonists, Magistrate Viggen, is probably one of the cruelest woman I have ever seen in comics. As the readers will find out she will do anything to survive. She is really a dark character. And she is kind of -- I'll put it this way -- libidinous, too. The really cool thing is that after reading about her you realize that the only way she could have survived is by being this sanguinary black-widow-type.
For myself, I would have to say that Giestman Fayde is my favorite character in this story. At first glance he is this mysterious ninja-type secondary character who may or may not be on the Outlaw's side. But, as the story progresses, we reveal a haunted and tortured being who I think will become a fan favorite. I remember when we were writing his history and character breakdowns, my wife was actually crying because it was very emotional. She really likes Fayde, too. As for the rest of the giant cast, I'll leave them to the readers to discover.
IF: Fair enough. In your original proposal for the series, you mention some of your influences for both the story and the look for the series. It's a really diverse and inspired list -- you've got everything from fun pop culture to academic and architectural influences. How do you draw such distinct group of elements together to tell a fantasy story?
LL: Well, for me, creating a comic-book story like Outlaw 7 is actually the best part. A lot of times I will not be able to finish a scene or character breakdown unless I am hit by a smell, sound or vision that inspires me and sort of takes me away from here.
But I have been influenced by and introduced to so many cool elements -- from animé and video games to European comics, music videos, and, of course, novels
and movies. I love fantasy novels and all movies, from "B" movies to the epics. But try and find a comic that has a bit of Robert Jordan, or J.R.R. Tolkien mixed in with Akira Kurosawa, Street Fighter and Star Wars. You would be hard pressed to find anything like that, until now.
For example I created Ricco Rossovich the gun slinging sheriff and one of the people swept up in the Outlaw's cause because I was at my friends house listening to Depeche Mode and watching The Wild Bunch. He is this cool cowboy who uses Mana bullets instead of lead. I love to do things like that, fusing old and new. Taking inspiration from things like Baroque architecture and mixing them with something like the houses from the old Planet of the Apes movies. Wait till you see the main buildings of Mana City. At the studio we are always trying to take what was or is cool to us -- say, Dungeons and Dragons and Playstation 2 -- then somehow twist and rearrange it into something entirely new and inspired. So now the readers have a Dark Elf ninja, a crusty cowboy and a city that looks like it came from Sam Peckinpah and The Ottoman Empire school of design combined. Yet it all seems to fit, I think. We really want to take readers away from here and transport them to an entirely new and fascinating world.
IF: You're credited with creating the series, and Chris Feric and Craig Yeung are your co-writers. How does the creative process on this book work? Do you start with an idea and bring the other two in for scripting, or is there another way you work?
LL: Outlaw 7 is actually chapter 3 of this giant epic story, but let's start from the beginning. First I came up with an idea for an entire universe. I then bounced this idea off of the others in the studio. After hearing from them what was good and what was just crap, I went off and broke the epic story down into a miniseries or epic chapters. I then wrote out the basic plot for each self-contained epic chapter or title. For example, with Outlaw 7, I would do some drawings of characters, write some history, and plan out the basic story line from start to finish. I always try to create certain quotes or scenes I feel are really important to the story. Then I would take it to Craig and Kris to hear their ideas and input on character development and subplots. Craig and I are both fans of Chinese comics. I love how epic they are. Kris is great at keeping continuity and editing the work for plot breakdowns or missing information. It is really important to me to have those guys' input. At this point I should also say that if not for the never-ending patience of my wife and all the idea-bouncing off her head we do, I would never have finished this story.
Anyway, Outlaw 7 is more than just a self-contained story. It is part of an entire world, and the actions and circumstances that happen in that book will resonate in other stories, too. We really hope Dark Horse fans like this one, so we can tell some more of these stories.
IF: Your art is fantastic and really fun -- what other comics have you worked on? Do you supplement your comics work with any commercial design stuff, or are you diving into comics head-on now?
LL: I am pretty new to all of this, actually. My first job was as an intern at Extreme Studios with Rob Liefeld, I now work at a studio I own with Craig Yeung and Kris Feric and my wife, Lisa. Aside from working in the comic world for Image and Games Workshop we have done a lot of work for TV and Toy design -- everything from Transformers, Beast Machines, Action Man, and Batman Beyond to work on video game design and storyboard work.
We also work on projects that the studio creates including a role-playing game based on Outlaw 7, web comics and a movie script that Craig and I wrote and sold as a property. Our first love will always be comics. All the rest is just a way to pay for that love. Right now, working on Outlaw 7 and the Buffy Oz miniseries is probably the greatest thing to happen to me.
IF: Will the Outlaw 7 role-playing game be out any time soon?
LL: The role-playing game is currently in the final stages of preliminary development. This means that the actual game system is complete and the world development (information on cities, history, etc.) is progressing well. Soon initial game testing will begin and that will allow us to make further alterations to the system and the world. Based on our experience and current progress, a beta version for large scale testing should be ready for mid-August.
IF: Wow. That will be a neat bonus for people who like the comic series. LL: I agree.
IF: Back to the comic: who are your artistic influences? And were you a comic fan as a kid?
LL: As a kid I played a lot of sports, so I kind of missed the boat on collecting. It was not until I was older that I started to read comics. I was instantly hooked on the art of Neal Adams, Jim Lee, Mike Zeck and Micheal Golding. Now I love to look at Brom, the Capcom guys. Kevin Adams, Kumiko Nakayama, Shirow, and a host of European artist like Frezzato, Serpieri and Pacheco. I'm also adding Ramon F. Bachs to my list now. I love his art.
IF: Isn't he great? I think Dark Horse is lucky to be working with him so much.
LL: Definitely.
And in regard to other media, I love to read David Gemmell, Robert Jordan, R.A. Salvatore. And in film, there's John Woo, James Cameron, Ridley Scott and Ang Lee... and I really should stop there!
IF: If you had to nail down one element of Outlaw 7, what would be you favorite thing about this series?
LL: My favorite thing about the series is the human contact -- the feelings and how the characters really seem to connect with each other. There are moments in the book that I think will actually touch a reader's heart or conscience. I am hoping that, for the readers, there will be panels or instances that give them the same feelings I had drawing and writing them. I use the action and adventure as a backdrop for the human emotions. That is my favorite part.
IF: Before I let you go, if you could say one thing to everyone who is going to buy a copy of this comic, what would that be?
LL: Thank you. Thanks for helping me be a kid still. Thanks for giving this bard posing as a jock a place to tell his stories (laughs). Please enjoy this book and always feel free to let me know what you think. I really hope you have fun reading it.
Don't miss the exciting debut of Outlaw 7 by Logan Lubera, Chris Feric, and Craig Yeung. The action-packed first issue of this four-part series hits your local comic-shop starting August 22.