@@@@ Q&@ with Virgin Comics GAMEKEEPER’s Jeff Parker, Ron Chan, & Ron Randall! @@@@

What’s SHOOT THE MESSENGER? Well, AICN COMICS: SHOOT THE MESSENGER is your weekly one stop shop for comic book news that’s dropped in the previous week. Thanks to Newsarama, CBR, Wizard, etc. for reporting it as it breaks. Click on the links for the original stories. This column cuts the crap to run down all the vital information for those of you who don’t follow it as it comes in, and serves it all up with that special ingredient of @$$y goodness. It’s also the place for interviews, previews, and special reports.

Hey folks, Ambush Bug it’s been a slow news week around here, but we’ve got a Q & @ on tap this week for y’all to enjoy! This time we’re talking with the team behind Virgin Comics GAMEKEEPER: writer Jeff Parker, artist Ron Randall & Ron Chan. These three gents were kind enough to answer a few of our questions about the hardcore action series. Check out my review of the book here and the preview we ran of the book here if interested. But first, let’s get on with the interview.

@: For those readers who missed the original miniseries, what do we need to know about the @$$-kicking groundskeeper at the center of things in GAMEKEEPER VOLUME 2?

Jeff Parker (JP): Brock has old enemies back in Russia, and now they're coming for him as well as the Dragonov Equation. Until they can deal with him personally, they've hired a top notch London based criminal gang to take him on.

Ron Chan (RC): I think the bare basics that will set you straight are: A: Brock and Krista have recently gone through a lot in the protecting of the Dragonov Equation, a formula for cold fusion. B. Krista and Amanda Morgan are Brock's only family, as Jonah Morgan was killed, and his son fell off a cliff in an earlier encounter with Sadic. C. Brock will own you, and anyone else that gets in his way.

@: The Virgin Comics Director's Cut imprint is known for comics seen through a cinematic scope. The first series had a FIRST BLOOD/DEATH HUNT vibe to it. What type of movies would you compare this second series to? Issue one definitely seemed to have a DIE HARD villains meet THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR vibe to me.

JP: I'll take that, thanks! THOMAS CROWN as well as other big caper films are certainly the right lens to view it through. Even ones like KELLY’S HEROES. Maybe even a dash of the recent CASINO ROYALE. The main difference being that Brock is far from being as smooth as James Bond.

RC: I think you're pretty close on the money there, although the art thievery will end with issue 1. We'll get back to Brock by the next issue and hit you with some sweet action. Let's keep going with the Die Hard comparison, because I LOVE DIE HARD. I think Jeff's aim was also to get back to Guy Ritchie's SNATCH/LOCK, STOCK feel, as far as having more quippy banter with the introduction of the Soccer Club.

@: How much input does Guy Ritchie have with this series? Is the original concept his and then he lets you go wherever you want with it or does he have a more hands-on approach?

JP: We interrupt him as he dashes around the globe - also fighting great battles and pulling off major heists - and he reads everything and gives notes and approvals.

@: We've got a protagonist who's a Chechen rebel with solid Soviet military training--not the most common background in fiction. What kind of research did you do to write that believably?

JP: Well first I read what Andy Diggle wrote in Volume 1! And then I brushed up on guerilla warfare and the kind of win-at-any-cost tactics someone like Brock would probably use.

@: A lot of time is spent in this issue fleshing out the squad of professional bad @$$es who'll be stirring up trouble. Will we be seeing more time spent on background for Brock? Or do you think he works better when there's a sense of mystery about his background?

JP: The latter, definitely. We got plenty of his background in the first series, and I think it's more fun to reveal his character through the kinds of actions he takes. I wanted to establish the Soccer Club thoroughly so Brock isn't just going up against nameless guys with guns. I'm hoping readers will actually start rooting for the criminals somewhat so they'll be a bit conflicted when the two forces crash together.

RC: I think everything you need to know about Brock's past is covered in the first series. He's really more of a force of nature than he is someone with a storied past. If you have a feel for how he would act, you know who he is.

@: Describe the writer/artist relationship while making this series. There seem to be quite a few intricate scenes involving steps and procedures in the first issue (in the museum heist scenes). How did you guys collaborate to communicate these scenes so clearly and effectively?

JP: I put a lot of visual reference that I found online in my script. And then if Ron Randall or Ron Chan had any questions, I was right across the room ready to doodle or answer, since we're in Periscope Studio. It's always a neat exercise to engage in when writing something real-world based like this; I essentially have to imagine how I would break into a place and steal something.

Ron Randall (RR): It starts with Jeff being a "visual writer", meaning he knows the anatomy of a comic page well--what will work visually on the page and what will not. How much information you can ask for in one panel, and what can be implied between panels--all that sort of thing. When you start with a writer who knows how to structure a page well, that gets communicated in the script. Most of the time, that's all I need to base my layouts on. Occasionally, there will be a question about staging a specific scene or action. At those times, I am thankful that we share the same studio. I can get up from my desk, walk over to Parker and ask him, "What's your thinking about this?". We'll talk it over, or he'll sketch out something to clarify things.

MacKenzie also keeps a sharp eye out for storytelling clarity and will give good feedback every step of the way. It also helps that Ron Chan has great ideas for staging scenes, too. So, if something isn't working out as clearly as we'd like, Ron will often add something as he's doing the final pencils which helps shore things down.

RC: Jeff has a talent for writing very concise scripts that leave little room for confusion, so we artists just have to fill in the finer details. Also, we have fine editors in Mackenzie and Sana (and original assistant editor Charlie Beckerman). They help us to smooth everything into place, making sure it all makes sense. After Jeff and the editors have their go at the script, it's given to Ron Randall, who very efficiently lays out the scenes with his thumbnail sketches. Working from the foundation that Mr. Randall has built, I then render the finished pages. There are, of course, several rounds of editorial revisions within that process. I think this collaboration effort is working very well, as each of us has our own strengths and ideas to add to the pages and each time the art is sent to the next person, something positive has been added. It's a cool process - hopefully we'll be able to show you some behind the scenes when the trade rolls around.

@: For Mr. Randall: This series has a cleaner, more classical style of art compared to the grittier panels of the first series. Was this a conscious choice/shift of tone or is it simply just the way you draw stuff?

RR: It's the way I draw stuff. I fell in love with comics through the work of some of the classic illustrators who launched the form of adventure comics--Hal Foster's Prince Valiant, Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon.

And I trained under Joe Kubert. So I'm pretty well immersed in a classical approach to storytelling. Clarity, pacing and dramatic punch are what I strive for.

RC: I think both things are true. This story arc isn't as dark as the first one, so I think a more whimsical style fits well with it. Also, I am nowhere near the badass that Mr. Mukesh Singh is, so I wouldn't dare try to emulate his style. Instead, I think going with something a little different was the best direction to head, not only to avoid looking like an imitation, but as I mentioned above, it fits well with this story.

@: Again for Ron: Re-reading this issue, I noticed a lot of panels stacked atop each other that stretch across the entire width of the page. Again, was this a conscious choice to do this book with a more wide-screen lens or just your own personal style?

RR: This was a conscious choice, for a few reasons. The "wide-screen" approach to page layout has been getting pretty broad use in comics for a few years now. It lends itself to certain stories more than others. It has some great virtues--clarity is one. The reader is never confused about which panel to go to next.

It also forces me to try some different camera angles and compositions to fit the story into that form. So I get to stretch my "panel design muscles" in new ways.

Most importantly, though, the whole sensibility behind GAMEKEEPER is a very cinematic one. And these wide-screen panels just seem to support that feeling.

RC: Although Ron Randall handles most of the layout decisions, I'll also input that I think the widescreen panels work very well to keep that cinematic feel that we are aiming for. That, and Jeff loves wide stacked panels.

@: For Jeff, how different is it to write this more realistic miniseries compared to writing the super-heroics of AGENTS OF A.T.L.A.S.? And since I'm such a huge fan, I have to ask: will we be seeing the AGENTS OF A.T.L.A.S. any time soon?

JP: I mainly have to get myself in the right frame of mind, refreshing myself in what the rules of this universe are. Then I consider what every character is able to do, what they would do in any given situation, and turn them loose.

You'll be seeing the Agents in the SECRET INVASION special, running up against the Skrulls in a story called "The Resistance!"

@: Cool! Can’t wait! Since we asked our readers who should play Brock in a GAMEKEEPER movie, who do you think should fill his shoes should he grace the silver screen? I'm thinking Jason Statham (THE TRANSPORTER, SNATCH) would be pretty damn perfect for Brock.

JP: Statham could do the role in his sleep! It would also be a kick to see Clive Owen buzz his head and affect an accent.

RC: That's a good question. Jason Statham definitely comes to mind because of his previous work with Guy, impressive physique, and penchant for butt-kicking. Viggo would be an interesting choice, because he is also an asskicker, and we know from EASTERN PROMISES that he can handle the accent. I also think he may be a better choice age-wise, and he has shown in his roles to have this sort of violent stoicism about him that I think is very Brock.

@: Sounds good to me. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Be sure to check out GAMEKEEPER V2 #1 on the shelves right now.