VODKA O’CLOCK 1536
SUSAN BENEVILLE
WRITER/CO-CREATOR OF “AWAKE”

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AUDIO NOTES:

There was some home construction and air conditioning going on in the background so it’s got a little bit of interference.

“AWAKE” COMIC BY ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT:

SUSAN BENEVILLE is the writer and co-creator of AWAKE, with her creative partner BRIAN HESS. They have a fantastically talented team including color flatter Darné Lang and letterer Jaymes Reed. This is maybe only the second time I’ve seen a flatter credited.

Susan specifically says AWAKE is an “all ages” book as opposed to the distinction of being labeled a “kids’ book.” The characters are complex and the story development is not dumbed down to a particular reading level.

Regn is a young Dola girl (humanoid race) with the mission of going to the planet Gremon in order to awaken the spirit of the planet. It’s something Dola people do.

She’s accompanied by Operi, a big Newfoundland dog type creature, who is her mentor and guide through the process of her initiation. On Gremon, they meet a little canine/wolf type creature that Regn names Bashi.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS:

Something I found remarkable within the page layouts of AWAKE were the use the silent panels and the dynamic color choices. The quiet moments are important to Susan and to Brian.

“I feel in life, as in art, that it’s really important to be comfortable with silence and to allow somebody that you’re with to be silent and be with themselves. And so we felt that it was really important to allow our characters to have that same opportunity and for our readers to share that.” ~Susan Beneville

The series launches in September with bimonthly publication.

We also discussed the process of naming characters and world building.

The story of Regn is basically an initiation. She’s on her first mission. The Dola beings aren’t raised with their families either, so she has been with Operi going through life and taking this journey to a new planet. Susan drew upon her own childhood of moving far away to Alaska.

LINKS:

Twitter @sbeneville

Brian Hess @awakecomic

COMIC PREVIEW:

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.