[UPBEAT MUSIC] - HELLO AND WELCOME TO "COMIC CULTURE."

I'M TERENCE DOLLARD, A PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT PEMBROKE.

MY GUEST TODAY IS AXEL ALONSO.

HE IS THE CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER FOR AWA STUDIOS.

AXEL, WELCOME TO "COMIC CULTURE."

- THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

- SO AXEL, I'M GONNA ASK YOU A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE AWA STUDIOS IS A NEW NAME FOR ME.

AND WE'RE JUST WONDERING WHAT IS AWA STUDIOS, AND WHAT DO YOU DO AS THE CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER?

- AWA STUDIOS IS A NEW PUBLISHER.

WE FORMED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO.

I RETEAMED WITH WITH BILL JEMAS, MY COLLEAGUE AT MARVEL COMIC BOOKS.

I WAS EDITOR IN CHIEF OF MARVEL COMIC BOOKS PRIOR.

I'D LEFT MARVEL WHEN BILL CALLED ME AND SAID THAT HE WANTED TO TALK TO ME ABOUT A POSSIBLE VENTURE ABOUT STARTING A NEW PUBLISHER.

YOU'LL DO CREATOR-OWNED WORKS.

SO AWA STUDIOS WAS BORN.

WE PUBLISHED OUR FIRST BOOKS THE WEEK OF THE SHUTDOWN IN THE PANDEMIC.

BUT THE FUNNY THING IS THAT OUR FIRST BOOK, "THE RESISTANCE" TELLS THE CREATION OF A NEW SEPARATE UNIVERSE BY J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI THAT IS BORN OF A PANDEMIC.

IT WAS WRITTEN A FULL YEAR BEFORE COVID HAPPENED BY J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI.

PROPHETIC.

SO WE PUBLISH A WIDE RANGE OF MATERIAL THAT SPANS AND BLENDS ALL THE GENRES.

FROM CRIME, TO HORROR, SCIENCE-FICTION, ROMANCE, AND SUPERHEROES.

WE HAVE SOME OF THE TOP TALENT IN THE INDUSTRY.

J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, MIKE DEODATO, GARTH ENNIS, PETER MILLIGAN, FRANK CHO, GREG HURWITZ.

A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE WORKING FOR US.

- I'M IMAGINING THAT STARTING A NEW IMPRINT OR STARTING A NEW PUBLISHER WHEN THE PANDEMIC HITS, THAT'S GOTTA BE A WHOLE LOT OF SITUATIONS THAT DIDN'T COME UP WHEN YOU WERE THE EDITOR IN CHIEF AT MARVEL COMICS, BECAUSE WELL, THERE WAS NO PANDEMIC, UNTIL 2020 IN THIS COUNTRY THAT REALLY, IN OUR LIFETIMES.

SO HOW DID YOU SORT OF KEEP EVERYTHING GOING, EVEN THOUGH THINGS ARE CHANGING IN A WAY THAT ARE COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED?

- I'M GLAD YOU ASKED.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT WE WERE WORRIED.

WHAT WE DID IS WE DECIDED THAT BECAUSE THE NEWER COMICS WERE AT THE STORES, WE DIDN'T WANT TO BE INVISIBLE.

SO WE RELEASED THEM FOR FREE ONLINE AS WEBTOONS.

WE LET PEOPLE READ THEM FOR FREE, ASSUMING ONCE THEY READ THEM THEY'D SEE HOW GOOD THEY WERE.

AND WHEN THE STORES REOPENED, THEY WOULD BUY THEM.

AND WE WERE RIGHT.

WHEN THE STORES REOPENED SOONER THAN WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD, A FEW WEEKS LATER, OUR BOOKS FLEW OFF THE SHELVES.

WE DID VERY WELL.

SO OUR SALES HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD, AND OUR SALES HAVE BEEN TRENDING UPWARD.

WE'VE ONLY BEEN PUBLISHING LIKE A YEAR AND A HALF AT THIS POINT, BUT OUR SALES ARE TRENDING UPWARD.

SO OUR SALES FIGURES, NEW NUMBER ONES ARE TOPPING WHAT THEY WERE IN THE BEGINNING.

SO IT WORKED OUT VERY WELL FOR US.

- IT SEEMS THAT, AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN PUBLISHING MUST COME IN VERY HANDY.

I MEAN, YOU'RE DEALING WITH CREATORS WHO HAVE BIG REPUTATIONS, AND THEY'RE COMING TO YOU BECAUSE THEY TRUST YOU, AND YOUR ABILITY, AND YOUR PARTNER'S ABILITY TO GET THE BOOKS INTO STORES.

SO HOW DO YOU SORT OF SET UP THAT BUSINESS SO THAT YOU'RE MAYBE GETTING YOUR BOOKS THROUGH DIAMOND, OR ON WEBTOONS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT SO THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE COMING TO YOU, YOU'RE ABLE TO DELIVER ON THE PROMISE OF A GREAT IMPRINT?

- WE'RE VETERANS OF THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY, SO WE'D BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK.

IT'S NOT OUR FIRST RODEO, SO WE KNEW HOW TO GET ATTENTION.

HOW TO GET INTO DIAMOND, HOW TO PUBLICIZE THE BOOKS, AND GET THEM SEEN IN THE MEDIA AND ALL THE REST.

SO IT REALLY IS THE RESULT OF MANY, MANY YEARS IN INDUSTRY BY MYSELF AND BILL, BILL JEMAS, WHO WAS THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF MARVEL.

SO HE HIRED ME AT MARVEL IN 2000.

SO THE THING IS WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE DOING ABOUT GETTING THE BOOKS INTO STORES.

AND AGAIN, MY ROLODEX IS DEEP.

I HAVE A LOT OF RELATIONSHIPS BUILT OVER 20 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS.

SO I TALKED TO PEOPLE I WANTED TO WORK WITH AND TRUSTED TO GET INVOLVED.

BUT OUR COMPANY'S BUILT ON A SIMPLE THEORY.

IN COMIC BOOKS, CREATORS HAVE TWO CHOICES.

EITHER THEY CAN GO TO WORK FOR HIRE, MARVEL AND DC WILL GO WRITE A BOOK OR DRAW A BOOK, ABOUT A CHARACTER THAT THEY DON'T OWN FOR A RELIABLE PAYCHECK.

OR THEY CAN BET ON THEMSELVES AND DO CREATOR-OWNED, SOMETHING THAT THEY CREATE FROM SCRATCH AND OWN, ON THE HOPE IT WILL SELL ENOUGH THAT THEY'LL GET PAID DECENTLY.

BUT THERE'S NO GUARANTEES.

NOW IF HAVE A KIRKMAN OR MARK MILLER, YOU DO REALLY WELL IN CREATOR-OWNED.

BUT IF YOU'RE NOT, YOU MAY NOT BE BRINGING IN THE MONEY YOU WANT, WHATEVER YOU NEED TO SUPPORT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY.

ESPECIALLY FOR ARTISTS, THIS IS A BIG THING, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DECIDE, DO I WANT TO DRAW DEADPOOL OR ROBIN FOR A STEADY PAYCHECK, OR CREATE YOUR OWN BOOK WHERE I MAY NOT SEE A CENT?

SO WHAT OUR THEORY WAS THAT WE COULD GIVE CREATORS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.

WE COULD OFFER THEM THE CREATIVE FREEDOM OF DOING CREATOR-OWNED WORK, WORK THAT THEY CREATE FROM SCRATCH AND THAT THEY HAVE A STAKE IN, AND THE STABILITY OF WORK FOR HIRE.

WE WOULD PAY THEM A COMPETITIVE RATE TO DO THAT WORK.

SO WHETHER THEIR BOOK PERFORMS OR NOT, THEY WILL STILL GET PAID.

IF IT DID WELL, THEN THEY WOULD GET THE BENEFITS THAT COME WITH THAT.

SO WE TOOK ALL THE RISK.

WE'LL FUND THE BOOK, WE'LL DO ALL THE WORK, WE'LL PROVIDE THE SERVICES TO YOU.

PUBLICIZING IT, PROMOTING IT, AND SELLING IT AS IP POTENTIALLY.

AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS A PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE INTRIGUED BY THAT.

- IT'S FUNNY.

IF YOU TRAVEL THE COUNTRY AND YOU'RE ON THE HIGHWAYS, THE FAMILIAR SIGNS OF THE FAST FOOD CHAINS ARE AN EASY CHOICE, BUT GOING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND LOOKING FOR A LOCAL RESTAURANT COULD ALWAYS BE A BIT RISKY.

SO IN THE WORLD OF COMICS, I'M IMAGINING TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO LOOK BEYOND THE OFFERINGS OF MARVEL OR DC, IT'S GOTTA BE A BIT OF A CHALLENGE.

AND YOU'VE GOT SOME GREAT CREATORS WORKING WITH YOU.

AND IT'S JUST FASCINATING TO ME THAT YOU ARE PROVIDING THEM WITH AN INFRASTRUCTURE WHERE NOT ONLY CAN THEY AFFORD TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO, BUT THEY CAN HAVE THAT LONG RANGE FINANCIAL STAKE IN THAT.

SO WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH THESE CREATORS, HOW DO YOU SORT OF PITCH THAT TO THEM?

BECAUSE IT SOUNDS GREAT TO ME, BUT I'M IMAGINING THAT THERE'S ALWAYS THAT HINT OF DOUBT.

BECAUSE YOU KNOW, MCDONALD'S ALWAYS LOOKS BETTER THAN THAT LOCAL RESTAURANT.

YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOOD OR NOT.

- PRETTY MUCH WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS WHETHER IF IT'S AN ESTABLISHED CREATOR, LIKE STRACZYNSKI, ENNIS, OR CHO, I HAVE A LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.

A MUTUAL TRUST FORGED OVER MANY YEARS.

WITH YOUNGER CREATORS, A LOT OF THEM ARE VERY INTRIGUED BY THE PROSPECT OF A, WORKING WITH ME AND MY REPUTATION IS GOOD.

AND B, KNOWING THEY'LL HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND MY EDITORIAL TEAM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR WORK IS AS GOOD AS IT CAN BE.

NOW, I REACHED OUT TO A YOUNG WRITER NAMED JOHN LEES WHEN HE STARTED.

HE DID A BOOK CALLED "HOTEL."

IT'S BEEN A REAL SENSATION.

IT'S IN THE SECOND SEASON RIGHT NOW.

THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE IP OUT THERE IN HOLLYWOOD.

AND AGAIN, HE GOT ALL THE SUPPORT OF OUR TEAM, OUR EXPERTISE.

SO HE JUST NEEDED TO WORRY ABOUT WRITING THE BOOK.

THE KEY THING I TELL PEOPLE IS YOU JUST WORRY ABOUT CREATING A REALLY GOOD STORY.

WE'LL WORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE.

AND IT WORKS, 'CAUSE IT'S SIMPLE.

IT'S SIMPLE, THERE'S NO TRICKS THERE.

YOU'RE GONNA GET PAID TO DO YOUR WORK, WHETHER IT PERFORMS OR NOT.

AND IF IT PERFORMS EXTREMELY WELL, YOU'LL GET PAID EVEN MORE.

AND YOU GET THE SATISFACTION IN CREATING SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH.

YOU KNOW, I WAS EDITOR IN CHIEF OF MARVEL FOR EIGHT YEARS, AND THEN BEFORE THAT AN EXECUTIVE EDITOR FOR LIKE 10 YEARS.

AND I THINK IT WAS A FUN JOB IN MANY, MANY WAYS, BUT THE THING IS YOU'RE ALWAYS DEALING WITH CHARACTERS THAT HAVE EXISTED FOR DECADES.

SO YOU'RE ALWAYS FILLING THE SILHOUETTE OF A CHARACTER IN MEANING.

OR THERE'S CAPTAIN AMERICA OR THE HULK.

YOU INHERIT A TOY, SOMEONE ELSE'S TOY AND YOU PLAY WITH IT.

IT'S SO MUCH MORE SATISFYING TO LOOK AT A WHITE SHEET OF PAPER IN THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY AND CREATE THE TOY.

TO CREATE THE ENTIRE CHARACTER, CREATE THE WORLD FROM SCRATCH.

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT.

WE SPAN AND BLEND GENRES ALL THE TIME.

WE HAVE A BOOK THAT'S ABOUT GANGSTERS AND GHOSTS.

A BOOK THAT, IT'S A FEMINIST SCI-FI WESTERN.

WE HAVE A LOT OF WIDE-RANGING MATERIAL BY WIDE-RANGING CREATORS.

- AND I'M GUESSING THAT VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CREATORS GIVES AWA A VERY OPEN PALLET.

I MEAN, BASICALLY WHATEVER IDEA COMES, AS LONG AS YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO WORK, YOU CAN PUT THAT OUT THERE, 'CAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE THE PRECONCEIVED NOTION OF LET'S SAY DC BEING THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OR BATMAN.

IT'S SORT OF THAT OPEN SLATE OF CHARACTERS.

NOW, THE ONE QUESTION I'M GONNA ASK IS AS THE CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, HOW DO YOU HELP THE CREATORS REFINE THEIR CONCEPT?

I MEAN, I'M SURE THE IDEAS ARE GOOD, THEY'RE PROFESSIONALS, BUT CAN YOU OFFER THEM ANY SORT OF ADVICE OR SUGGESTIONS TO MAYBE POLISH THE IDEA, OR MAYBE SEE SOMETHING THAT THEY MISSED AND MAKE THE BOOK A LITTLE BIT BETTER?

- PART OF THE JOB IS YOU'RE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE FOR THEM.

YOU'RE THE FIRST HONEST READ, HONEST COMMENTARY BEFORE THE AUDIENCE.

SO YOUR GOAL IS, SOMETIMES I FIND A BABY IN THE BATH WATER.

SOMETIMES THERE'S A REALLY GOOD STARTUP, A GOOD SETUP, BUT THE FOLLOW THROUGH IS NOT, IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A MENTOR.

SO IT'S MY JOB AND MY CREW'S JOB TO COME BACK WITH WITH RELEVANT NOTES AND THEN SEE IF WE COULD AGREE ON WHAT THE STRATEGY WILL BE.

THEN THERE'S OTHER OCCASIONS WHERE SOMEONE JUST COMES IN WITH A FULLY FORMED IDEA.

LIKE GARTH ENNIS CAME WITH "MARJORIE FINNEGAN, TEMPORAL CRIMINAL."

WITH A FULLY-FORMED IDEA, I LOVED IT.

THERE WASN'T MUCH FOR ME TO SAY, APART FROM "LET'S DO THIS."

BUT SOMETHING ELSE, I'VE HAD A FEW THINGS WHEN PEOPLE PITCH ME SOMETHING AND I LIKE THE SET UP.

WE HAVE TO DISCUSS IN-DEPTH WHERE THE STORY GOES AND WHAT THE POINT OF THE STORY IS.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IF WE AGREE THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.

AND THE RESULTS OF THOSE HAVE BEEN SOME REALLY GOOD SERIES AT THIS POINT.

- AND NOW YOU SAY THE WORD "SERIES."

IS THIS SOMETHING WHERE YOU'RE HOPING THAT THE CREATORS ARE GOING TO COME TO YOU WITH SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST ONE ARC OR ONE STORY FOR THESE CHARACTERS?

- YES.

- YOU'RE HOPING THAT THIS IS GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE EXPANDED INTO YEARS AND YEARS OF PUBLICATION?

- EVERY STORY WE DO HAS A POSSIBILITY OF MORE CHAPTERS.

I MEAN, "HOTEL," WHICH I JUST MENTIONED, IS ALREADY ON A SEASON TWO.

"YEAR ZERO" HAD A SEASON TWO.

WE'RE WORKING ON SEASON THREE NOW.

NOW "THE RESISTANCE" HAS A VOLUME TWO.

SO ALL OF THE STORIES WE DO, WE DO THE OPEN POSSIBILITY OF THE SEQUEL AND MAKING IT INTO A FRANCHISE.

BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ONE.

THERE ARE STORIES I'VE DONE, LIKE "OLD HAUNTS," WHICH IS A MOVIE, NOT AS TV SEASONS.

THE STORY'S DONE.

THE STORY'S OVER WHEN THE STORY'S DONE.

NOW, I SUPPOSE IF PEOPLE SAY "WE LOVED IT SO MUCH," MAYBE YOU CAN GO BACK AND REVISIT IT, BUT THERE'S NO PLAN TO AT THE GATE.

BUT FOR THE MOST PART, "AMERICAN RONIN," "DEVIL'S HIGHWAY," "YEAR ZERO," "THE RESISTANCE," "E-RATIC" THEY'RE ALL PLANNED AS SEASONS.

A SEASON OF TV, SO TO SPEAK, TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER SEASON.

IT TELLS A FULL STORY WITH ENOUGH LOOSE ENDS AND INTRIGUE TO BRING YOU BACK FOR A SECOND SEASON.

- AND THIS IS REALLY A FASCINATING APPROACH THAT YOU'RE TAKING.

I THINK THANKS TO STREAMING SERVICES WE'RE USED TO SEASONS OF A SHOW AND WE KINDA BINGE IT, AND THEN WE WAIT EAGERLY FOR THAT NEXT STORY ARC TO COME THROUGH.

AND BY SORT OF ADOPTING THAT TERMINOLOGY FOR COMICS, ARE YOU FINDING THAT THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO REACH PEOPLE WHO MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TRADITIONAL COMICS READERS?

- WELL, OUR SALES ARE GOOD AND WE'RE OFF TO A GOOD START, SO I WOULD SAY YES.

I MEAN HONESTLY, WHEN I WAS AT VERTIGO WORKING ON CREATOR-OWNED BOOKS LIKE "PREACHER" AND "A HUNDRED BULLETS," I WOULD SAY WITH A CREATIVE TEAM "PREACHER" WOULD MAKE A REALLY, REALLY GOOD CABLE TV SHOW.

IT'S TOO CRAZY FOR NETWORK, BUT LIKE THE "SOPRANO'S," IT COULD BE A REALLY GREAT CABLE TV SHOW.

NOW YOU SEE IT ON TV, AS WELL AS "THE BOYS."

SO A LONG TIME AGO I SAW THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING ADVENTUROUS GENRE WORK, GOOD STORIES THAT COULD LIVE BEYOND THE COMIC BOOK PAGE ON OTHER MEDIA.

LET'S FACE IT, A GOOD STORY COULD BE ANYTHING.

A BOOK, A MOVIE, A CARTOON, A TV SHOW, PROSE, ILLUSTRATIVE FICTION, WHATEVER.

IF IT'S A GOOD STORY, IT'S A GOOD STORY.

SO I VIEWED IT LIKE THAT BACK AT VERTIGO.

AND WHEN I WAS AT MARVEL, ONE OF THE THINGS I ENCOURAGED WAS DOING SEASONS WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL BOOKS.

THE WRITER WOULD COME ON TO DO A SIGNIFICANT ARC OF THEIR CHARACTER'S LIFE.

A STORY THAT MIGHT LAST 6, 8, 10, 12 ISSUES, AND THEN SOMEONE ELSE WOULD COME ON AND DO ANOTHER SEASON.

IT MAY PICK UP ON SOME THREADS FROM THE PREVIOUS WRITER.

BUT MAYBE NOT, MAYBE IT DIDN'T.

- NOW, YOU MENTIONED WORKING AT MARVEL.

AND I'M JUST GONNA GO BACK AGAIN.

THIS IS SORT OF THAT SEASONS CONCEPT.

YOU'RE AT MARVEL AT THE TIME WHEN THE INDUSTRY IS CHANGING FROM BEING THE INDIVIDUAL ISSUES TO BEING MORE LIKE, I GUESS THE PHRASE IS WRITING FOR THE TRADES.

WHERE THE EXPECTATION IS THAT AFTER YOU DO SIX ISSUES OR MAYBE A YEAR, THAT IT'S GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, PRINTED TOGETHER IN ONE VOLUME SO THAT YOU CAN GO TO A BOOKSTORE AND PICK UP A COLLECTION OF "SPIDER-MAN" OR "X-MEN" AND READ THROUGH AN ENTIRE STORY.

SO, YOU'RE AT MARVEL AT THAT TIME.

HOW ARE YOU SORT OF WORKING IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, AND WHAT SORT OF INPUT DO YOU HAVE TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION?

- A LOT OF INPUT, BECAUSE I CAME FROM VERTIGO.

THAT'S WHAT WE DID ALL THE TIME.

ALL THE VERTIGO BOOKS, WHETHER THEY WERE LIMITED SERIES OR ONGOING SERIES, WERE WRITTEN FOR THE TRADE.

THEY WERE WRITTEN IN ARCS.

SO YOU TOLD A CHUNK OF STORY THAT GAVE THE READER SOME SATISFACTION, SOME RESOLUTION, BUT NOT ENOUGH THAT THE STORY'S OVER.

SO YOU KEEP GOING AND MOVING FORWARD.

BUT AGAIN, LIKE A TELEVISION SHOW, YOU HAVE A SEASON OF TV THAT'S SATISFYING IN ITS OWN RIGHT, BUT DOESN'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY.

SO I WAS A BIG PROPONENT OF THAT WHEN I CAME TO MARVEL.

IT FORMED THE MARVEL LINE, THE ULTIMATES LINE, THE MAX LINE, ALL THE LINES.

AND SO THE THING IS IT WAS A NATURAL THING FOR ME TO WANT TO DO AWA STUDIOS, AND I'M SHOCKED.

- ANOTHER THING THAT HAPPENED DURING YOUR TIME AT MARVEL IS OBVIOUSLY THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.

AND I'M JUST WONDERING, YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT ALL THESE PLANS YOU HAVE FOR THE AWA IP THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH, ALL THESE GREAT CREATORS.

SO HOW DO YOU SORT OF FIGURE OUT THAT PATH TO GO FROM THE COMIC TO THE SMALL SCREEN OR THE BIG SCREEN?

- WELL, LUCKILY, THAT'S NOT MY JOB, BUT I AM INVOLVED IN IT.

MY JOB IS TO MAKE A GOOD STORY AS A COMIC BOOK AND A GRAPHIC NOVEL, BUT I DO SO WITH AN EYE TOWARD TELLING A GOOD STORY, WHICH MEANS IT COULD BE MORE THAN THAT.

IT COULD ALSO BE.

AND SO WE HAVE OUR STUDIO, WE HAVE ANOTHER DIVISION OF THE COMPANY, OUR STUDIO, AWA STUDIOS, RUN BY ZACH STUDIN, WHO CAME IN AND WAS HIRED RECENTLY.

AND HE'S THE ONE WHO HELPS US CHART THE PATH TO MOVIES AND TV.

WE SOLD "CHARIOT" ALREADY TO WARNER BROTHERS.

IT WAS ANNOUNCED IN DEADLINE ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO IN A BIDDING WAR BETWEEN SONY AND WARNER BROTHERS.

JOSEPH KOSINSKI, THE DIRECTOR OF THE UPCOMING "TOP GUN 2" IS GONNA DIRECT IT.

SO WE'VE ALREADY SOLD THAT.

AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR OTHER IP WE SOLD AS WELL.

AND THAT'S WHERE ZACK AND I TEAM ON THIS.

THAT'S HIS LANE, NOT MINE.

HIS LANE IS, HE KNOWS THAT WORLD, HE LIVES OVER THERE.

HE KNOWS THE PRODUCERS, THE DIRECTORS, THE STUDIOS.

SO HE'S THE ONE WHO'S ABLE TO POSITION THINGS.

LIKE FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE ANOTHER BOOK WE'LL BE ANNOUNCING SOON WHERE HE SENT THE BOOK TO A PROMINENT SHOWRUNNER HE KNEW.

THIS SHOWRUNNER LOVED THE BOOK AND SAID, "I WANT TO DO THIS."

AND THEN THIS SHOWRUNNER HAS THE CLOUT TO BRING IT TO MARKET.

SO AGAIN, HE KNEW THAT HE HAD A STRATEGY, BUT IT WAS ALSO THE PERSONAL CONNECTION.

THE SAME WAY THAT I CAN CALL JOE STRACZYNSKI, OR GARTH ENNIS, OR FRANK CHO, ZACH CAN CALL PEOPLE AND SAY, LOOK, I HAVE A REALLY SPECIAL STORY.

I THINK IT'S UP YOUR ALLEY.

WHEN WE ANNOUNCE THIS AND PEOPLE SEE WHO THE SHOWRUNNER IS AND WHAT THE BOOK IS, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHY HE SENT IT TO THIS PERSON.

WHY IT'S PERFECT FOR THEM.

- AND I'M IMAGINING, TOO, THAT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY NEW STREAMING SERVICES OUT THERE THAT IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOU TO MAKE A SALE SOMEWHERE, EVEN AT A COMPANY THAT MIGHT BE OWNED BY WARNER MEDIA OR EVEN DISNEY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE AN INTEREST IN PRODUCING SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

SO AS YOU'RE WORKING AND SORT OF FEELING OUT THE INDUSTRY, ARE YOU NOTICING ANY SORT OF NEW TRENDS THAT YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO EXPLORE SOON?

OR DO YOU THINK THAT THE MARKET IS STILL GONNA BE THE PRINT BOOK, THE DIGITAL BOOK, THE TRADE BOOK, AND THEN EVENTUALLY SOME SORT OF A NEW IP ON STREAMING OR ON THE BIG SCREEN?

- I THINK PRINT IS HERE TO STAY.

AGAIN, LIKE I LISTEN TO ALL MY MUSIC ON MY IPHONE.

I DON'T NEED AN ALBUM ON MY SHELF TO ENJOY MUSIC.

I NEED HEADPHONES AND AN IPHONE, YOU KNOW?

BUT COMIC BOOKS ARE DIFFERENT MEDIUM.

I THINK THAT THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE VALUE TO HAVING A BOOK YOU CAN PUT ON YOUR SHELF, AND THERE'S ALSO BOOKS YOU CAN READ BOTH WAYS, AS DIGITAL AND AS A...

BUT AGAIN, THERE'S SOMETHING SATISFYING ABOUT PICKING UP A BOOK, OWNING A BOOK, HOLDING IT, FEELING IN YOUR HANDS THAT CAN'T BE REPLACED, FOR STARTERS.

THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT OTHER INNOVATIONS WON'T COME ALONG, OR WE WON'T GET BETTER AND BETTER AT TELLING COMIC BOOKS ON HANDHELD MEDIA, WE WILL.

AND ALSO I THINK YOU'LL SEE MORE MOVE TOWARDS ITUNES AND VERTICALLY-SCROLLED COMIC BOOKS.

MY WIFE IS KOREAN AND I'VE BEEN TO SEOUL.

AND THE WAY THAT PEOPLE ABSORB COMIC BOOKS IS VERTICAL SCROLL COMIC BOOKS.

IT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO READ A COMIC BOOK.

YOU JUST SCROLL DOWN, IT'S A NATURAL MOTION.

AND IT'S FORMATTED DIFFERENT, BUT IT'S A VERY SATISFYING READ.

SO I THINK THAT'LL BE A BIG THING IN THE FUTURE.

IT ALREADY IS, BUT IT'LL BE EVEN BIGGER DOWN THE ROAD.

HASN'T QUITE CAUGHT ON IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT IT WILL.

- NOW, I'VE SPOKEN WITH MONICA GALLAGHER, SHE'S A CARTOONIST WHO WORKED ON A WEBTOON CALLED "ASSASSIN ROOMMATES."

AND SHE TALKED ABOUT THE INTERESTING NEW STORYTELLING APPROACHES THAT THERE ARE WHEN YOU'RE DOING THAT SORT OF SCROLLING COMIC, AND HOW YOU CAN USE BLANK SPACES TO SORT OF, YOU KNOW, BUILD TENSION OR TO GIVE A PAUSE TO AN ACTION SEQUENCE.

SO AS YOU ARE WORKING WITH THESE GREAT CREATORS WHO MIGHT BE USED TO A TRADITIONAL BRISTOL BOARD PEN AND INK, OR EVEN WORKING ON A CINTIQ OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

ARE YOU SORT OF THINKING MAYBE, HEY, WE CAN TAKE THIS AND DO IT AS THIS NEW KIND OF SCROLLING COMIC?

- IT'S AMAZING HOW EASILY CREATORS CAN ADAPT TO NEW MEDIA WHEN THEY'RE A CAPABLE STORYTELLER.

EITHER AS A WRITER OR AS AN ARTIST.

DURING THE COVID EPIDEMIC, THE EARLY DAYS, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, YOU KNOW WHAT?

WE SHOULD DO A SERIES OF STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE FIRST RESPONDERS TO THE CRISIS AS A SERIES OF WEBTOONS.

AND I TALKED ETHAN SACKS, THE REPORTER AND COMIC BOOK WRITER.

HE JUMPED ON BOARD, DALABOR TALIJIC DREW IT.

AND IT WAS AN AMAZING SERIES THAT NBC NEWS LOVED SO MUCH, THEY PUT IT ON AN NBCNEWS.COM WHERE IT GOT A HUNDRED MILLION VIEWS.

AND THE THING WAS, IT WAS REAL STORIES OF THE PANDEMIC.

THEY WERE SURPRISINGLY INTIMATE STORIES TOLD IN A NEW FORMAT, AND THE WRITER AND THE ARTIST ADJUSTED LIKE THAT TO TELLING THAT STORY.

AND IT WAS SEEN BY MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY COMIC WE'VE DONE.

NBCNEWS.COM WON A MAJOR JOURNALISM AWARD.

WON A NEW YORK PRESS JOURNALISM AWARD.

OUR FIRST TIME DOING JOURNALISM WON A MAJOR AWARD.

SO THE THING IS, I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS THE ABILITY TO ADJUST YOUR SKILLSET TO NEW MEDIA.

- AND IT'S FUNNY, BECAUSE YOUR BACKGROUND IS ORIGINALLY PRINT JOURNALISM.

I GUESS, IN THE '90S YOU WERE WORKING FOR THE, I BELIEVE THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS.

AND THEN ON A LARK, YOU APPLIED FOR A JOB AT DC COMICS FOR THEIR VERTICAL LINE AS AN EDITOR.

SO HOW DO YOU SORT OF, YOU KNOW, TAKE THE SKILLS THAT SEEM TO BE FOR ONE MEDIUM, AND MOVE IT INTO, YOU KNOW, FROM NONFICTION NEWS AND SORT OF INTO COMICS, AND STILL HAVE EVERYTHING KIND OF WORK FOR YOU?

- WELL, THE MAIN THING FOR ME IS WHEN I WAS A JOURNALIST, THE MOST SATISFYING STORIES FOR ME THAT I WROTE WERE STORIES THAT TOLD A NARRATIVE WHERE A CHARACTER TOOK A JOURNEY AND HAD AN ARC.

SO EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NONFICTION, THERE WAS AN ARC TO THE STORY, THERE WAS MEANING TO THE STORY.

IT WASN'T JUST THE REPORTING THAT SOMEONE WAS SHOT ON THE CORNER OF THIRD AND BRANDON, OR GETTING QUOTES FROM PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THEY SAW.

IT WAS TELLING THE STORY OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST TENNIS BALL PLAYER, OR A PIMP WHO HAS 5,000 PATENTS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

LITERALLY, A GUY IN OAKLAND IS AN INVENTOR PIMP.

A BLIND BOXER, YOU KNOW?

I ENJOYED WRITING THESE STORIES BECAUSE THEY WERE ABOUT FASCINATING PEOPLE AND THEY TOLD REAL STORIES.

SO THE THING IS WHEN I SHIFTED TO COMIC BOOKS, ONE OF THE THINGS I DID WAS I BROUGHT A LOT OF MY JOURNALISM BACKGROUND INTO COMIC BOOKS.

BECAUSE I WANT TO SAY VERTIGO, MANY OF THE BOOKS WERE SUPERNATURAL BOOKS BY NEIL GAIMAN AND JOHN NEY RIEBER.

THEY WERE FANTASY, DARK FANTASY.

THEY DREW FROM MYTHOLOGY AND THE PANTHEONS OF OF DARK FANTASY.

AND THAT'S NOT MY BAG.

I READ CRIME, AND HORROR, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE.

SO FOR ME, IT WAS ABOUT FINDING THE WAY TO BRING THAT STUFF INTO MY BOOKS.

AND I DID THAT AT MARVEL AS WELL.

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DID AT MARVEL WAS A BOOK CALLED "TRUTH, RED, WHITE, AND BLACK" WHICH SAID BEFORE STEVE ROGERS GOT THE NEEDLE IN HIS ARM, THERE WERE GUINEA PIGS.

THEY WERE NOT WHITE MEN.

IT WAS A PLATOON OF BLACK SOLDIERS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO UNCLE SAM WOULD HAVE TRIED THE DRUG ON.

HE WOULD NOT HAVE TRIED ON A WHITE PERSON.

AND THIS IS BASED ON HISTORY OF TUSKEGEE EXPERIMENTS WITH SYPHILIS.

SO I SAID, THIS IS HOW IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

I SPOKE WITH ROBERT MORALES, OUR JOURNALIST AT VIBE, AND KYLE BAKER, A CELEBRATED CARTOONIST.

AND THE TWO OF THEM SAID, "WE BUY THAT AS WELL."

THEY WROTE A BOOK CALLED "TRUTH, RED, WHITE, AND BLACK," WHICH TOLD THE STORY OF THE FIRST CAPTAIN AMERICA, A BLACK MEN NAMED ISAIAH BRADLEY, WHO WAS A PART OF A PLATOON OF SOLDIERS WHO ARE GIVEN THE SERUM WITH GRAVE CONSEQUENCES.

AND ISAIAH WAS, IN FACT, THE FIRST PERSON TO SUCCESSFULLY WEAR THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE.

IT WAS A SEISMIC BOOK.

I GOT LOTS OF HATE MAIL WHEN I DID IT AT THE TIME, BECAUSE IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO.

IT WAS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL BEST-SELLING BOOK, AND IT SHOWED UP IN "FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER" TV SHOW AT THE END, THE FINAL EPISODE.

ALMOST CRIED, COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.

THERE HE IS, ISAIAH BRADLEY, MY BABY ON TV.

EVERYONE HATED ME.

EVEN PEOPLE AT MARVEL SAID, "THIS IS LAME.

I DON'T GET THIS, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"

AND I SAID, I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE IT'S REAL.

BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY THE REAL HISTORY WOULD'VE PLAYED.

YOU FOLLOW ME?

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT COMIC BOOKS REFLECT THE WORLD THE WAY IT REALLY IS, AND TELL THE STORIES OF OUR HISTORY AND WHERE WE ARE NOW.

YOU KNOW, AT MARVEL, I WANTED OUR BOOKS TO BE DIVERSE.

I WANTED OUR CHARACTERS TO LOOK LIKE PEOPLE YOU SEE ON THE STREET AND THE DIVERSITY.

I'M HISPANIC, MY WIFE IS KOREAN, YOU UNDERSTAND?

SO HAVING BLACK, HISPANIC, ASIAN CHARACTERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.

TELLING STORIES ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD IS IMPORTANT.

IF I WERE A CHIEF AT MARVEL, THERE WOULD BE STORIES ABOUT CREEPING FASCISM.

THERE'D BE STORIES ABOUT CHILDREN IN CAGES ON THE BORDER.

THERE'D BE STORIES ABOUT AN INSURRECTION IN THE STATE CAPITOL.

I WOULD'VE WENT AWAY FROM THAT.

BECAUSE OF THE RESPONSIBILITY TO WRITE ABOUT THAT, AT LEAST AS METAPHOR.

I BROUGHT THAT ASPECT OF THE REAL WORLD IS IMPORTANT TO ME TO BRING THE REAL WORLD INTO THIS MEETING.

AND I'M DOING IT A DIFFERENT WAY AS WELL.

- IT'S FASCINATING BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE EARLY COMICS, YES, MOST OF THE CHARACTERS ARE GOING TO BE WHITE, BUT THEY ARE WRITTEN BY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF JEWISH WRITERS AND ARTISTS WHO ARE LOOKING AT EITHER THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE OR THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE FASCISM THAT'S RISING UP IN NAZI GERMANY, AND THEY'RE WRITING BOOKS ABOUT IT.

AND IT'S FASCINATING THAT WE SEE, UNFORTUNATELY WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT THREE MINUTES LEFT AND I DON'T THINK THIS IS ENOUGH TIME TO DIG INTO IT, BUT IT'S FASCINATING THAT THERE'S A SEGMENT OF THE AUDIENCE THAT DOESN'T WANT COMICS TO TELL STORIES THAT LOOK AT THINGS THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE.

AND THERE'S CLEARLY WRITERS AND ARTISTS WHO HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF, YOU KNOW, VISION IN THE WORLD AND WANT TO TELL A STORY THAT REFLECTS IT.

SO, YOU KNOW, I'M IMAGINING AT MARVEL, IT'S GOTTA BE A TOUGH BALANCING ACT BETWEEN GIVING THE READERS WHAT THEY WANT AND GIVING THEM WHAT THEY NEED.

SO HOW DO YOU SORT OF THREAD THAT NEEDLE AND MAKE SURE THAT THE STORIES ARE GONNA HAVE A GREAT SUPER HEROIC IMPACT, BUT ALSO GET THE SATISFACTION THAT YOU WANT OUT OF IT AS A WRITER OR EDITOR?

- I DID IT FOR A WHILE AT MARVEL, BUT IT GOT TO A POINT WHEN I REALIZED THAT I WAS A BLUE STATE EDITOR AND A RED STATE COMPANY.

AND AGAIN, THE THING IS THAT I'M HAPPY NOW BECAUSE WHAT I'M DOING NOW I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A CORPORATE OVERLORD.

I CREATE, WITH MY CREATORS, BOOKS THAT SPANS GENRES, THAT TELL STORIES ABOUT THE WORLD TODAY.

I MEAN, "THE RESISTANCE" BOOK IS A UNIVERSE BORN IN A PANDEMIC, WRITTEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED, THAT EXPLORES CREEPING FASCISM IN THE WAKE OF THE PANDEMIC AS PEOPLE, FEARFUL OF WHAT'S HAPPENED, LOOK FOR SCAPEGOATS, AND OPPORTUNISTS RISE TO POWER TO FIND SCAPEGOATS.

YOU UNDERSTAND, IT SOUND LIKE THE WORLD WE'RE IN?

SO AGAIN, THE BOOKS I'M DOING NOW, I'VE GOT A BOOK ABOUT A SOCCER MOM WHO CHANNELS HER INNER "PUNISHER."

A ZOMBIE BOOK WHICH TAKES A LOOK AT THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE THROUGH THE EYES OF DIVERSE CHARACTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

BECAUSE IF THE DEAD START TO WALK AGAIN, AND YOU ARE A MUSLIM WOMAN IN AFGHANISTAN, YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF A YAKUZA HITMAN IN TOKYO, OR AN INCEL IN MINNESOTA.

YOU CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THIS.

SO IT'S A WAY OF LOOKING AT THE WORLD THROUGH THE PRISM OF A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE.

AGAIN, IT'S RELEVANT.

- AXEL, I'M SORRY THAT WE GOT INTO THIS SUBJECT A LITTLE BIT TOO LATE IN THE SHOW.

WE ARE OUT OF TIME.

I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR SCHEDULE- - LET'S DO THIS ANOTHER SHOW.

- I WOULD BE HAPPY- - LET'S REVISIT THIS, ALL RIGHT?

YEAH, WE'LL REVISIT THIS ANOTHER SHOW, I PROMISE YOU.

I'D LOVE TO TALK ABOUT.

- WELL, THANKS AGAIN FOR GIVING THE TIME TO US TODAY.

THANKS EVERYONE AT HOME FOR WATCHING "COMIC CULTURE."

WE WILL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON.

[UPBEAT MUSIC] - [ANNOUNCER] "COMIC CULTURE" IS A PRODUCTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT PEMBROKE.