Josh Howard, creator of the surprise hit and completely sold out Dead @ 17, is at it again with the release Blood of Saints, the second chapter in the saga about zombies, evil cults, secret paranormal agencies, and dead girls in short skirts. James W. Powell recently caught up with the busy Texan to play a quick game of 20 Questions…

1

Why the walking dead?

Not sure. When I came up with the idea several years ago, there was nothing being done with zombies really. They seemed a little under-used at the time…how things have changed. (laughing)

2

We’ve all heard that the original Dead @ 17 series was four years in the making. How excited were you to finally get it published after all of that hard work?

Mixed feelings actually. I had pretty much put it aside and moved on to other things — I never thought much would come of it. Viper had to talk me into doing it; they really saw something in it. After talking with them a few times, I fell in love with it again. [Seeing it printed] was pretty surreal...I'm still not sure if it's sunk in yet. I've wanted to be a comic book artist since I was 11, and I'm 27 now. It was a long wait, but worth it.

3

The first Dead @ 17 mini-series was a smash hit and is completely sold out everywhere. Were you surprised at the book’s success?

Heck, yeah. No one is more surprised than me. I'm blown away! It's a blessing to have my first book ever do so well.

4

The collected edition of Dead @ 17 is due out in May. The collection, originally solicited at 96 pages, is now running at 112 pages but the price of $14.95 is staying the same. On top of that, it contains a number of extra goodies such as the original B & W self published version with notes about the evolution of the story, lots of sketchbook material, some unused cover and promo artwork, and 'official' Protectorate data files featuring bios on all the major characters. What’s your reasoning behind including so many extras?

I love extras myself, especially concept sketches/designs and learning insight into the creation of a comic, TV show, movie, whatever. I just wanted to put together something I would really like to see, and have people get their money's worth.

5

You’ve stated in other interviews that you don’t see Dead @ 17 becoming a regular series but instead a set of mini-series, the second of which is Blood of Saints due out April 14th. Do you have a rough idea for the entire series in your mind already, or are you making this up as you go along? Also, do you write it one issue at a time, or do you start with the whole story, then chop it up into issues, and then hammer out the details?

I don't have the entire series completely mapped out, but I pretty much know how it ends, and the important plot points that lead to it. I like to give myself a lot of room to be inspired or go in a slightly different direction at times. I do write one issue at a time, based on a rough outline I have of the entire series.

6

The ads for Blood of Saints state: “It’s a tale of friendship, destiny, and betrayal set against the backdrop of the eternal conflict between good and evil.” Care to elaborate?

Basically, I see it as a story about these characters and all their ups and downs as they try to live and make sense of their lives. They are caught in the middle of the battle between good and evil, or Heaven and Hell if you will. Nara's just trying to figure out where she fits in with all of it, and if she has control over her destiny or is just a pawn.

7

A lot of readers probably missed the first series and won’t be able to get the trade version until after the first issue of the new series hits the stands. How have you made Blood of Saints new reader friendly? What can new readers expect from the new series?

The new series takes place three months after the last one. I tried to make it as reader friendly as possible. I tried to touch on the story points of the last series where it made sense, plus there will be a write up on the inside front cover catching people up.

8

I’ve read the first issue of Blood of Saints and I have to say it’s off to an even better start than the original. I love the fact that the story is one of teenage angst that revolves around the relationship between the main characters — it just happens to include the walking dead and lots of action. I couldn’t help but notice, however, that the series features another reanimated dead girl. What is it about girls who kill zombies that makes them so sexy?

Thanks! That's good to hear. I don't know what it is that makes girls slaying zombies sexy. However, the new girl, Violet, won't be doing any of that. She's a bad girl — zombies are her friends. Violet is basically plan B for the enemy. They couldn't get Nara, so they go after Violet, who has had a troubled life and will be easier to break. She will be bad news for Nara, and will have a huge impact on the series.

9

Now, Nara, one of the main characters in Dead @ 17, wears some short skirts. I mean, really short skirts. Won’t she catch a cold?

Nara can't catch cold, or ever get sick for that matter…it's that resurrected body of hers…

10

Seriously though, do the girls’ skimpy outfits ever force you to bypass a particular pose you wanted to draw or a certain action scene you would’ve liked to include? You can’t really have Nara jumping and doing spread eagle leg kicks with such a short skirt now can you?

Well, I pretty much got around that by having Nara ditch the skirt in issue 2. But she shows plenty of skin later, so I guess it doesn't matter too much. (laughing)

11

You do your all of your coloring in Photoshop. Do you feel that the evolution of comics is that coloring, inking, and possibly the entire process will one day be done completely on computer?

I hope not. I don't think anything could ever take away the experience of drawing with pen and paper; there are certain things that a computer could never replicate. Computers can't replicate the personality of a pencil line. I don't think anything can take away the tactile sensation of putting pen to paper. However, I'm very thankful for computers, because I can't paint to save may life. I could have never colored my books otherwise.

12

I’m a huge Edgar Rice Burroughs fan and noticed one of your favorite books is A Princess of Mars. How did the work of Burroughs influence you, and who are your other primary influences, both for stories and art?

I love the action-adventure-girl-in-danger-pulp hero aspect of Burroughs work — it's fun and imaginative. Other influences, story wise, would have to be C.S. Lewis primarily. Specifically his space trilogy. Artistically, Bruce Timm and Mike Mignola.

13

Word association time. I’ll give you a phrase, you state the first word that pops into your head:

Nara Kilday — dead

Jessie Garza — hero

Mike Mignola — art

The big two — who? (laughing)

The current state of comics — not good

Independent comics —could be better

14

How have you grown, artistically and in the business sense, since Dead @ 17 was released?

Artistically, I've grown in leaps and bounds. I think there's a pretty big difference in Blood of Saints and the last series. My style has gotten a little more refined, a little cleaner — I'm still not quite where I want to be yet, though. I'm always growing as an artist. Business wise, I've learned that there are some fans that will never, no matter what, deviate from the big 2 superhero status quo...and that is unfortunate.

15

What’s it like going to comic shows as a fan favorite as opposed to going as a fan?

I don't know....doesn't feel too different so far. I feel like I'm still just like everyone else, I was just lucky enough to do a few books. My life really hasn't changed too much. But  I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I've been given and thankful for all the fan support.

16

Give us an example of a day in the life of Josh Howard.

I wake up around noon, unless my son is with me, in which case I'm up at 7 to take him to school. I spend a little time on the Internet, then get to work, which is usually until 2 or 3 in the morning. Of course,  I have to take out time for my son and wife in between then, but that's the routine.

17

How did you get hooked up with Viper Comics?

Viper put out a call for local artists (here in Dallas) and I responded and they hired me...that simple!

18

Prior to publishing through Viper Comics, did you attempt to solicit your story through any other publishers? If so, what was the experience like?

Yeah, I did. One publisher was interested for a while but backed out. I had the chance to talk to them at a con recently and they were kicking themselves for not picking it up.

19

The web site http://www.blueskycomics.com/josh.htm features sketches of what looks to be Nara and Hazy in outfits that definitely won’t be seen in Dead @ 17, such as skimpy bikinis and outer space gear. Other sketches feature completely different characters (The barbarian images look particularly cool.). Are you just playing around here, or do you have ideas for other series?

Actually, those are girls that just happen to look like Nara and Hazy....those are just the kinds of girls I like to draw. But yes, lots of those are ideas for other series that I hope to get around to sometime. I have about 3-4 other projects that I've been working on that I hope will see the light of day sometime. I've got a barbarian story I want to do, a story about the adventures of Eve (yes, that Eve), and I have an idea for a story about a starship crew that I think could be really fun and different.

20

If Dead @ 17 were optioned for a Hollywood production, who would you cast as your main characters?

Well, if it were up to me,  I would cast Scarlett Johansson as Nara, and maybe Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) as Hazy. For Noel Raddemer, Keanu Reeves or Bruce Campbell possibly....that's just off the top of my head.