AMBER LOVE 13-NOV-2013 It’s great to welcome back one of my favorite people in the world, comics writer PAUL ALLOR, to this week’s episode of VODKA O’CLOCK. Paul fills us in on his latest creator owned comic STRANGE NATION and his new franchise work on TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and G.I. JOE. plus Dynamite Comics’ anthology PATHFINDER: GOBLINS.
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Paul was a trooper on this Saturday morning recording. He was feeling under the weather and still took an hour to Skype. To give you some background, I know virtually nothing about TMNT nor G.I. JOE. I was excited to talk to Paul so that I could get a better understanding of why these two franchises have lasted forever and what the secret is to their staying power. Paul said that in regards to the Turtles, each character has distinct and relatable qualities in their personalities.
In his arc on G.I. JOE, Paul takes a deeper look into past Cobra Commanders which has been established as a job not one specific person. The Cobra organization has been around for many generations so it makes more sense that they were run by one immortal. Paul intends to show how each commander handles power differently.
Paul makes working on the intellectual property of others sound stress-free. He said you need study up and make yourself familiar with the characters if you already aren’t. He’s worked with great editors and licensees who have made his experiences with IP pleasant. He has a dream list of titles he’d love to work on but won’t divulge it publicly.
He approaches panel scripts by describing the scenes without over burdening the artists with camera angles and hyper-detailed descriptions of backgrounds unless things are absolutely necessary.
When it comes to Paul’s latest creator owned work with co-creator Juan Romera, STRANGE NATION is available through Monkeybrain Comics on the Comixology app. Norma is a reporter who loses credibility when she reports on a Bigfoot creature. Norma has a sidekick named Jesse Vernon from the Florida swamps. The reason I find Norma relatable is because she has this journalism background but comes across unbelievable things that she wants to share with the world — and yes, I can relate to this. She also feels like an outcast in her family.
COMICS EXPERIENCE is the online workshop and classes about making comics from writing to art to editing. Paul and our friend Rob Anderson are in the midst of a Making Comics class. The workshop subscription gives access to their private forums where all the members can peer review new work, take part in monthly challenges, and find creative teams. Questions can be emailed to “Paul – at – ComicsExperience.comâ€.
Paul and I very briefly get into the discussion of diversity in comics on the heels of Marvel’s news about the new Ms. Marvel who will be a teen girl who happens to be Muslim. My point of view is that not everything will be a hit but you have to give all the publishers who try some credit in attempting to be more inclusive to a broader readership.
LINKS:
Paul on Twitter @PaulAllor
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.