Well, it's coming.
In the spring of 1990, I got interested in creating my own super hero. I had just gotten back into comics at the time. I had stopped when I was 12 and when I became 18, I couldn't help but notice all the cool shit I had missed out on.
I was hooked and hooked forever.
Soon, came the day I wanted to give back. It came in the form of Todd McClain. His first name was THE DESERT KNIGHT. He was a young hero in Texas doing his best to learn on the job. I very soon realized that I knew nothing about Texas and pulled a Marvel, I used my own hometown as the backdrop for his adventures. After a couple of name changes, Todd fights crime as Red Knight.
I'm proud of the fact that the details may have changed over time, but the character hasn't. The series is my love letter to super hero comics and all the crazy shit that can happen in their universe. This truly is MY UNIVERSE.
RED KNIGHT #1 is currently at the printers and is on target for a July 20th release. I want to thank JC Grande. His art is incredible. It's the way I've always pictured this series looking. I also wish to thank Mike Federali for showing me how easy self publishing comics has become. I mainly want to thank my amazing girlfriend, Lindsay Mays. You put up with so much. You edit, you letter, you understand how to deal with printers, you are perfect and I love you. Thanks.
I hope everyone reading this buys RED KNIGHT. It's a longtime goal realized and I have so much to say with this character. With your help, I could write this character for the rest of my life.
I know what a dream come true this is for you.... have I told you that I'm so proud of you and happy for you? You're the shit, Justin!
ReplyDeleteNo, you haven't told me that. It's really nice to hear. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've read the comic, but I'm unsure as to why he's "red" and why a chess knight theme. Are you going to elaborate on that in future issues?
ReplyDeleteAlso, does the character concept connect to Norfolk in any special way, or is Norfolk just an arbitrary setting? Is there a reason why only Norfolk could produce a Red Knight, or would any city have sufficed?
ALso, where is McClains 'located' in real life? I swear I've seen that building around. Behind Doumars somewhere? :-/
Oh, and I liked how you used the empty Dynasty Buffet building in issue #1. The outside was real, the inside was fictional. It's an alternate universe, but I recognize it. Spotting the landmarks (like the Naro in #4) is one of the most fun things about the series.