EXCLUSIVE! Interview with Michael Nunneley.
This is such an honor to conduct an interview with you. Howbeit, via email, it is nonetheless an honor.
1. Begin with the most obvious question, how did you get into writing/creating comics?
9. With a Superhero mystery comic do you think it needs to be closer to Detective Comics or Nancy Drew or a mix a both? [This was answered by Steve Sellers, the creator and owner of the Blitzverse.]
- The easiest answer is that I was "hired" to create a character called Omen and build a universe around him. I have been writing characters since I was 12 so this was no problem for me - I had tons of material ready to go. But, I was ignorant of how things should be done & I didn't get paid right away because I was willing to wait until the Kickstarter they were going to launch. 3 issues into writing the Omen title they quit and refused to pay me for my work. SO I walked with the rights to my characters, including Omen, and I made lemonade out of the lemons I was dealt. I started my own label and called it "Omen" Comics to spite those that had spurned me. I reworked the Omen title and my other characters to fit in a universe all my own and thus was Omen Comics born in August 2018.
2. Early influences?
- Literary influences would be: JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Greek, Norse, Egyptian & Celtic mythology, Dante Alighieri & John Milton. I spent a lot of time reading up until I was 16. But I also watched a lot of horror, sci-fi and action movies growing up in the 80s & 90s and I must give credit there. A Nightmare On Elm St, Star Trek, Friday the 13th, Alien, Star Wars, Predator, Event Horizon, Pumpkinhead ...Lots of good movies - too many to list here.
3. How did the union of Nunneley and Sellers come about?
- I used to run the Chico Comics Page - an Indie Comics Online Magazine - and Steve Sellers was one of my better review writers. I felt like he understood storytelling and comics and I knew he also did some writing of his own (Blitz). I had created the plot & characters for White Druid/Michael Nero but I just couldn't quite get the character personalities & voice patterns down to a way that I liked. So I asked if he was interested in writing about a punk rock-Sherlock Holmes type of character & a Celtic deity. He agreed and out came White Druid & Michael Nero #1. I was so impressed that I hired him to write another title: Guardians of Elayim.
4. Are you intimidated by the Big Two and their dominance of the industry?
- No. I am not here to compete. I have wanted to make comics since I was 12 years old (1988). I just want to tell my stories & get them out there for people to read because it's a lifelong dream of mine. Success to me is based on doing my best and leaving it all in the ring. I can walk away from a finished project proud, regardless of the outcome, if I can honestly say I did all I could.
5.
We see publishers like Image, Boom, Dark Horse, and Valiant nipping
away at the Big Two, is that what you hope for Omen/Revelation Comics to
catch up to them?
- I'm more hoping for a cult following like Mignola's Hellboy or even something more exclusive like the Jhonen Vasquez's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. I think my biggest aspiration is to have Omen Comics be self sustaining.
6. Are there more titles coming from Omen soon?
- Yes there are! Right now Omen #2 is on Indiegogo to get printed, and White Druid/Michael Nero #2 and Gallows Men #2 are coming immediately after that. But then you going to see 3 more brand new titles within the Omenverse: 1) Guardians of Elayim #1 about time travelers from the Roman Era tasked with protecting the Elayim Tree 2) Dragon Girl/Albino Warrior #1 about a girl with MD who is given a serum that cures her muscular dystrophy but makes her half dragon & her mystical martial arts mentor Pai Lung who is the greatest martial artist to ever live. 3)There are several side stories and back stories that need to be told to fully understand the Omenverse and its characters. Collecting these short stories & mini-series will be a title released only in graphic novel trade paperback form called Dark Oracles.
7. What can we expect from Revelation comics moving forward?
- For right now, Revelation Comics is an imprint label for telling the Blitzverse stories by Steve Sellers. But I hope that it will expand to multiple creators who have their own shared universes. Each new universe would have it's own heading like Omenverse, Blitzverse, etc..
8. Is Blitzverse separate from Omenverse?
- Yes they are entirely separate. I have told Steve that under the heading of The Blitzverse he could have any universe he wanted to have without having it be a part of Omenverse. Mostly because Omen Comics are superhero/horror type of stuff and Blitzverse is more of a light hearted superhero universe.
If so, are there plans for a crossover?
- No. the types of stories in the two universes would be too conflicting for a cohesive and fluid story.
- Superhero mystery comic... I'm leaning somewhere between the two. I'm not really aiming for Batman, as that's more Holmesian mystery and a lot more urban. I'm really thinking more in terms of other kinds of mystery outside of superhero comics... things like Fletch, or Veronica Mars style PI stuff, it's just that the mysteries have a lot more in terms of superpowers.
- There may be a dash of Batman, but that's not really the intent. I think you can explore a lot in terms of mystery outside of the usual genres, especially if you dig into other mystery subgenres that haven't been touched as much.
- As far as the status of Blitz, the first issue is written. I can say that the storyline involves the return of an old enemy, who will be uncovering a dangerous old secret the city's been hiding for decades. You will see Blitz's origin in flashbacks, in parallel with the present-day mystery.
What is the creative process of these characters? Does Awosika Tosin have any say in the appearance of the character?
- With the creative process, I created the Blitzverse characters many years ago, and I have a pretty set idea of how they look in my head. That said, Awosika does have room to develop his own interpretation of them, particularly in terms of costumes and how the setting looks on the page.
10. Had your time doing reviews help form the designs and understanding the trends within comics?
- It helped a lot as far as understanding what could be done with comics and how to do it. I learned strategies on marketing, self-publishing and what I would need to prepare myself for if I wanted to work in this industry. I saw what worked and what didn't as far as storytelling in comics. But I owe credit to Terry Mayo & Scott Tipton (who I met during my Chico Comics Page years) for their advice on writing comics & tricks of the trade - their advice has helped me improve as a comic book writer quite a bit. But as far as trends go I can't say that I'm all that knowledgeable. Especially since I mostly read indie comics at the Chico Comics Page - which tend to be more unique.
- A writer pours their very souls into their creations - as do all creators I suppose. To create something is in many ways like having a child - though not quite as intense. It's a laborious process full of ups and downs and nights of doubt, but you are so happy and in love with it when it's over that it's all worth it. Only the creator truly knows & loves the creation and only the creator can nurture and guide it to proper maturity.
12. Would you like to see your characters in a movie? If so, which ones do you feel translate best to the big screen?
- I would love that!! That would be a lot of fun. I think Omen would probably translate best into a live action movie. However I think Dragon Girl/Albino warrior could work well too. But I think animation would work well with Steve's title White Druid/Michael Nero & Guardians of Elayim.
- It will eventually lose some of its luster I think. But there's just too many geeks out there for it to die out now.
13. Are you concerned that print comic books may one day cease to be? Replaced by digital?
- Not really. If demand for printed books stopped it would cut down on my costs considerably. lol But I'll never stop printing Omen Comics for my fans and patrons - plus I want my own printed copies!
- I have never been a fan of variant covers myself. But to be fair I've always been more of a reader than a collector.
Which is better, mainstream, indies, or underground comics?
- That's entirely subjective. But for me, I tend to prefer Indie comics. However we're not exclusive. lol
17. For those that may not have read Omen Comics yet, can you sell them on it? [I mean I am already sold but for those potential new Omenaughts out there.]
- The Omenverse is an amalgamation of mythologies & legends from around the globe seasoned with classic religious literature like The Divine Comedy & Paradise Lost. Then it's skewed by elements of horror, graphic violence & eschatology to a twisted alternate reality where madness is the door to cleansing our perceptions.
18. Where can folks purchase Omen?
- Amazon Kindle, comichaus.com, drawmeincomics.com, comixcentral.com, Indiegogo & patreon.com/OmenComics or physical copies can be obtained by contacting me through my email directly (comicsomen@gmail.com).
19. What new characters are you most excited about introducing?
- I'm really excited to introduce a villain named Mad-Man that you'll meet in Omen #2. He's def going to be a challenge for Omen. I'm also pretty excited about Dragon Girl & the Albino Warrior. That's just flat out going to be fun.
20. Anything else you want folks to know?
- Thank you very much for your interest in Omen Comics. And thank you Bud for the interview. For all of you curious about Omen Comics, send me an email and I'll shoot you a digital copy of your choice for free so you can check us out. Qapla! Slainte! Skol! Nanu Nanu!
Thank you, Michael Nunneley for your time.
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