Mike Kennedy has been quietly working in comics for nearly ten years, building his skills as a writer on some titles that may have been below the average reader's radar. That all changed however when Dark Horse comics announced that it would launch a series based on the fan-favorite Lone Wolf & Cub set thousands of years in the future from the original with Kennedy at the helm. A furor arose on comics message boards across the Internet as readers worried that the memory of their beloved comic would be defiled. Now that the first arc in the new Lone Wolf 2100 is being collected, many of these fears have been laid to rest. We sat Kennedy down to answer a few questions about the reaction to his new series, about his work in the video game industry, and more.

Adam Gallardo: How long have you been in comics and what was your first gig?

Mike Kennedy: Unofficially, I've been in comics since 1993, writing an "illustrated novella" called That Chemical Reflex that only saw limited printing and distribution. It had artwork by Dan Brereton and Ken Meyer Jr., which certainly was key to getting whatever attention it had managed, and I'll be grateful to both of them for that forever. The first "official" gig was at the invitation of Chris Warner to help him out with Ghost back in 1999. We were pretty good friends, and he thought Reflex was okay, so he asked if I'd be interested in co-writing for a bit, and I said sure. That turned into some solo issues of Ghost, Ghost/Batgirl, a few Star Wars gigs, and eventually Lone Wolf 2100.

AG: How did you come to write Lone Wolf 2100?

MK: Randy Stradley was the editor of Ghost, so he was familiar with my stuff. Francisco Ruiz Velasco and I had been working up some other project ideas to pitch since working together on a few issues of Ghost, and even though none of them caught Dark Horse's immediate attention, Randy offered us Lone Wolf 2100 instead. Seemed like serendipity to me -- I love Samurai drama and science fiction, and have been a fan of the original Lone Wolf and Cub since it first hit the states in '87. Francisco and I worked up a proposal to flesh out the basic concept Randy handed us, and I guess Dark Horse liked it.

AG: What was your approach to the book?

MK: I didn't want to do anything even remotely similar to Koike's original. I knew manga fans were the most rabidly fanatic types out there, and that series in particular was held with religious fervor by most of them, so I wanted to stay as far from any comparisons as possible without loosing sight of the core connection. We came up with a pretty contained universe full of politics, technologies, and theological issues quite unlike those of feudal Japan. The similarities, however, are in how alien each world is to our own world today -- in the midst of these completely foreign situations are recognizable individuals with identifiable reactions and attitudes. Koike's series was told with total confidence of knowledge in the era. Ours needs to be told with equal confidence of knowledge in our fictional, futuristic era.

AG: For those unfamiliar with the book, could you recap what the story's basic concept is?

MK: An advanced "Emulation Construct" (an organic android) is fleeing from a large military-industrial corporation, which wants the little girl he is traveling with. According to the corporation (Cygnat Owari), this EmCon (Itto) murdered the girl's father, who had been researching a cure to a genocidal disease threatening the planet. They believe the girl (Daisy) might contain an even deadlier disease, but Itto believes she might in fact contain the cure. Together, they travel across a variety of futuristic settings, some ruined and frightening, others futuristic and hopeful, all the while avoiding the various forces Cygnat Owari throws at them. Somehow Itto must keep Daisy out of their grasp, perhaps even uncovering the conspiracy hidden within their ivory towers...

AG: Were you worried about the almost cultish love people have for the original by Koike and Kojima?

MK: Absolutely. As a fan myself, I could imagine how skeptical I would have been hearing that some American wanted to "do a sequel" or something. Which is why we wanted to make something that was clearly not a sequel or retelling at all, but rather an original series that merely shared the spirit of the original. I think Francisco and I were both petrified of doing the first signing at ComicCon this past year, but thankfully the turnout was all positive. And from what I understand, Koike himself is very pleased with what we've been doing, and that alone is all the affirmation anyone could ask for.

AG: What did you think about the way people were attacking the book before they had even seen a page of it?

MK: It wasn't completely unexpected, but I was surprised by the venom and immediacy of it, people dismissing it sight-unseen. One always hopes for an open mind in an audience, and in the long run I think we got one. There are so many instances of "re-interpretations" or "homage" books that turned out great, it's a shame that some people will close their minds based on some bizarre principle. Adam Warren's Dirty Pair is a fantastic example of how this sort of book can be incredibly worthwhile. Perhaps in the long run people will think Lone Wolf 2100 ranks right up there beside it.

AG: Now that people have seen the book, do you get the sense their opinions have changed? Did you sway them?

MK: Well, I don't know if anyone was swayed, per se. The really closed-minded probably stayed that way and never picked it up. But it seems those that did were pleasantly surprised, and that's incredibly encouraging. The response through the mail and at the conventions has been wonderful, and hopefully the opinions will grow stronger and more favorable with each consecutive issue. I certainly think the book is getting better as it grows into itself.

AG: You mentioned that you're a fan of the original series, what other comics influence you, and what comics are out there that you think are cool?

MK: I'm a huge fan of anything by Brian Azarello, Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Wood, Bryan Hitch, Brian Bolland ... It used to be you had to be from the UK to make a splash in comics, now it seems you just have to be named "Brian"... Seriously though, I'm addicted to Azarello and Bendis's stuff, as any self-respecting comic fan should be. 100 Bullets, Alias, Hellblazer, Powers, etc., are the finest examples of storytelling in the medium. Good pulp noire has always been my drink of choice. Mark Millar's Authority is also some of the best stuff I've ever read. I've also been a big fan of Chuck Austen's stuff (going way back), Chris Warner's stuff, Joe Kelly... I should stop before the length of the list dilutes itself. Lets just say I'm easily humbled.

AG: What has it been like working with Francisco? Do you have a lot of contact with him?

MK: It has been the worst kind of hell you could ever imagine. And of course I am kidding. He is amazing! I'm always floored by each new page or sketch he sends. We don't communicate too regularly during production, but when we do get together for brainstorming, it is like wildfire. We both seem to understand each other's ideas, and draw even more inspiration from them. It is astounding how prolific he is, too, considering the fact that he pencils, inks, and colors the entire book himself. Yeah, okay, maybe the schedule might slip a week or two on occasion, but it is always worth it when you see the finished product. If I can work with Paco on one thing or another for the rest of my life, I will die a happy, happy man. He makes people want to read the story. (I seriously can't imagine anyone reading the story "despite the art"...)

AG: Could you tell me a little about your involvement with video games? Maybe how they relate (or don't) to comics?

MK: I've been in video game development for about 11 years, mostly as an artist/animator. This was always the day job to the writing gigs on the side, and it has been a wonderful, wonderful place to make a living. I'm now a Creative Director at Namco, working on a new project having just finished Dead To Rights. The role involves not only art directing the team, but overseeing the story and character development, casting and directing the voice-over talent, and ensuring a certain style to the overall narrative of the game. And while it doesn't often relate to comic-writing in terms of industry crossover, they both draw on certain abilities to pace and build a story in an engaging, dramatic presentation. There is the occasional direct relation between the industries, such as writing the Dead To Rights graphic novel released to supplement the video game, but those kind of crossovers aren't a built-in assumption. That was just a case of fortuitous available resources and ensuring franchise continuity. You'd think we would see more such crossovers since both industries draw from the same audience pool, but at the moment it still seems that neither industry fully understands the other. But that seems to be changing.

Lone Wolf 2100: Shadows on Saplings a 104-page trade paperback written by Mike Kennedy and illustrated by Francisco Ruis Velasco will be available in comics shops February 19, 2003. This book is full-color and collects Lone Wolf 2100 #1-4.