@’s by BATTLE CHASERS: NIGHTWAR’s Joe Madureira!!!
Russ Sheath here and if you've learnt anything from the interviews I've written for AICN over the last few years, it's that I'm an unashamed fan of the early era of Image comics and in particular Jim Lee's Wildstorm studios. Superstar artist Joe Madureira was already a name in comics, with his run on the #1 selling X-MEN, when he joined a new imprint from Wildstorm; Cliffhanger, with his first creator owned offering, the fantasy / steam punk inspired BATTLE CHASERS.BATTLE CHASERS proved an instant hit as Madureira's anime inspired art stylings combined with a fantasy theme which drew from the best of Saturday morning cartoons, years before LORD OF THE RINGS would make the fantasy genre popular with the mainstream. 9 issues in and Madureira left comics to embrace his other passion, video games and, with gaming studio 'Vigil', Joe bought gamers DARKSIDERS and its sequel, both huge hits with gamers and with Joe's unique and hugely popular art stylings at the core of their success. Returning to comics with hits including ULTIMATES 3, AVENGING SPIDER-MAN and INHUMANS, Madureira has proven that he still has the appeal that made him a fan favorite and 14 years after originally launching BATTLE CHASERS has formed a new company, 'Airship Syndicate', to combine his passion for games and comics with BATTLE CHASERS: NIGHTWAR. A Kickstarter project which exceeded its initial pledge target within the first three days of offering, BATTLE CHASERS: NIGHTWAR promises to bring fans a relaunched comic book series AND J-RPG style game featuring his beloved BATTLE CHASERS characters as well as some great rewards. I spoke to Joe Madureira about the return of BATTLE CHASERS and what fans can expect from this Kickstarter.
RUSS SHEATH (RS): Joe, congratulations on the success of the Kickstarter. We are 19 days into the Kickstarter and at the time of writing you've already hit over $654.000 against a target of $500.000 and you are already offering some great add ons for new pledgers. How's it feel to have the popularity of BATTLE CHASERS ratified in this way?JOE MADUREIRA (JM): Thanks! It's pretty unreal. Obviously, we all hoped it would be successful, but you just never know. Especially since the book hasn't been out in a little while...
RS: What are you most excited about in bringing Battle Chasers back to fans in game format?
JM: The game's awesome because it gives us a chance to expand on the world. The comics were really character driven, and I barely gave any attention at all to the environments they traveled through, and the world they live in. And obviously, seeing the characters fleshed out, moving around in 3D--it puts the biggest smile on my face.
RS: Joe, for the uninitiated, can you tell readers about BATTLE CHASERS, the concept and its history in comics?
JM: BATTLE CHASERS is a sci-fantasy / steampunk (arcane-punk? That wasn't a thing back then) comic series that I started back in 1998 after my run on Marvel's UNCANNY X-MEN. UNCANNY was the #1 book at the time, and plenty of people thought I was 1) nuts for leaving it and 2) nuts for leaving to do a fantasy book, when superhero books were the only top sellers. But, it really clicked with people.
It starts with a young girl named Gully, who's just learned that she's inherited one of the most powerful weapons on the planet from her missing father. Unfortunately, everyone now wants to kill her to get them, and she's forced to leave her home and seek the aid of a party of unlikely heroes--a Fugitive Wargolem, a grumpy old Wizard, and a retired Swordsman. On her journey, she becomes a hero in her own right. I think the book is probably most remembered for its anime-inspired action and character designs.RS: BATTLE CHASERS is a seventeen year old property, which hasn't had a real presence for 14 of those years...what is it about BATTLE CHASERS that you think resonated with fans all these years?
JM: Good lord! Has it been that long?! I think it was just really different. It kind of read like a super-hero comic, but the setting and characters were pretty different from anything out there. Amazingly, 14 years later, there still really isn't anything like it on the stands!
RS: You were doing something that was pretty unprecedented at the time. A fantasy book with manga stylings at a time when that kind of thing wasn't particularly prevalent on the shelves of comic stores. What were your influences in BATTLE CHASERS? Was it a desire to do something different to what the other Cliffhanger guys had done or had it been an idea you'd been wanting to do for a while?
JM: I really was just tired of drawing Superhero books in a modern setting. As a long time fan of D&D and RPG's, I longed to draw something set in a fantasy universe. I was strongly cautioned that those books didn't really do very well, which is why aside from some CONAN comics, and HEAVY METAL magazine, there wasn't much available. But that wasn't at all the style of fantasy I was envisioning. I was going more FINAL FANTASY. Tech vs. Magic. It would allow me to draw whatever the hell I wanted really--robots, airships, swords, guns, monsters, whatever. I could seriously draw monsters, trees and swords 24/7 for the rest of my life and be completely happy. Penthouse apartments, cars, and every day stuff, not so much. It's just not 'fun'. At least not for me.
RS: You could see BATTLE CHASERS influences for a long time following the books release, its influence was everywhere,. From artist Pat Lee and his book WARLANDS to the 2002 HE-MAN & THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE animated series, where characters had these huge swords, like Garrison. Did you recognize the influence BC was having, even back then?JM: There were some that were pretty blatant, so it was hard not to notice. But in general, I just assumed that--'Hey, cool. These artists stumbled on to the same great stuff that inspired me'. I didn't always assume that anything was BC inspired--but maybe some of the anime and games that influenced BC were finally getting noticed and making it into the mainstream.
RS: Tell us a bit about the game and your decision to make it a JRPG vs other gaming formats?
JM: When we started Airship Syndicate, we knew we were either making a Metroidvania side-scroller, or a J-inspired RPG. Once we settled on an RPG, it was simple. RPGs are all about story, combat, and sweet characters. And usually party based. We already had all that covered with BATTLE CHASERS, so it was a no-brainer. I think it's a game that plays to our particular strengths as a studio. Nightwar is a side-adventure that anyone can pick up and enjoy, even if they've never read the comics before. For fans of the series though there will be plenty of fan service, cameos, and other fun surprises. All the characters you know and love are playable--Garrison, Gully, Knolan, Calibretto--and even Red Monika.
RS: You left comics to venture into the gaming world with DARKSIDERS, a very successful game which spawned a sequel. What experiences are you bringing from DARKSIDERS to the BATTLE CHASERS game?
JM: Most of Airship's core team are veterans of Vigil Games and the DARKSIDERS games. I think we probably worked 7 or 8 years on those two games combined, so, you can imagine we have dealt with just about every possible situation that can arise in game development. Good and bad. NIGHTWAR is much smaller in scale, and we've gotten really good at making some slick looking art and fun gameplay.RS: Tell us about your plans for relaunching the BATTLE CHASERS comic book series, which will be launching alongside the game.
JM: The comic is going to pick up right where issue #9 left off. #10 is going to kick off a 3 issue story arc that concludes in issue #12. I'm trying a different approach to the release of the books this time around. I know that my schedule while we are developing NIGHTWAR won't allow me to crank out a dozen books and keep it on a monthly schedule ( which is a challenge for me during the best of times...). So, I'm going to do self contained story arcs. Each arc will have its own conclusion, so that any time between arcs is a little more bearable ( I hope! ) while still pushing the main story forward. If the first arc is well received, I'm positive there will be more, probably in chunks of 3-5 issues per arc. That's the plan anyway!
RS: Can you tell us about the extended rewards you have planned for the Kickstarter, if it exceeds its original target? Which are you most excited about fans experiencing?
JM: We have a ton of great stretch goals. From adding language options, to entire new dungeon sets and new weapons. We ARE funded, but obviously, every dollar we get goes into the game, and allows us to make more stuff. More animated cut scenes, character voices, more monster and dungeon variety. More quests. These are all things that greatly enhance the game, and to do them, we need more money. Most exciting for me, is the new playable hero ( which we are about to hit pretty soon! ). It's a new character that the heroes are introduced to in NIGHTWAR, and he is BAD ASS. He would add a cool dynamic to the team and party make up, so I'd love to make this happen.
RS: Joe, obviously you and the development team at Airship Syndicate have been playing the game as you've been developing it. What's been the most fun aspect of the game for you? Have thee been any pleasant surprises for you guys, as you've been putting it together?JM: I think the dungeons are turning out to be really fun. We were originally going to go with a simple 2D top down map, and the exploration was going to be extremely simple, room-to-room movement. The new 3D dungeons with action, traps and puzzles are a massive upgrade from the original design. I'm also personally enjoying the story bits between the characters. Every time they interact on screen it warms my heart! And of course, the fact that the art is being translated so well! The first time we saw Calibretto rattle to life, we were all jumping around like kids!
RS: Thanks to Joe and the Airship Syndicate team for talking with us. Check out the Kickstarter for BATTLE CHASERS: NIGHTWAR here!
Follow Joe Mad on Twitter @joemadx
Official Battle Chasers @battle_chasers
Airship Syndicate @airshipsyn
Follow Russ Sheath's blog Russwords here and @russellsheath on Twitter.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
