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Cary, thanks for stopping by.

No problem man, glad to be here.

Let's get right to the heart of the matter, what is 48 about?

48 is a story about clones, plain and simple. It's about the struggles they face after being born into a dystopian society that has no place for them. Some people hate and fear them, some people want to exploit them, and still others simply want them to go away. It begins with the escape of the clones, and a mysterious murder that puts two down on their luck cops on the trail of the killer, with the escaped clones caught in the middle.

OK, now give us a look behind the curtain, who are Cary Kelley and Geoff Mosse and what brought you two together for this story?

I'm a pretty simple guy really. I work offshore in the Gulf of Mexico on diving vessels and in my spare time I read and write comics, as well as spend time with my family and just enjoy life. I like sports, computers, and movies, and try to maintain a drama-free existence as much as possible.

Geoff and I met while working for a small internet comic company three years ago. Geoff mentioned at one point that he was an artist and was looking to get into a project with the right script, so I sent him the first draft of 48 and he was onboard immediately. After that it was just a matter of tossing ideas back and forth and getting the characters fleshed out visually and we were in business. When the company in question folded up, Geoff was very enthusiastic about signing on to continue the book at Paper Dragonz and we have been at it ever since.

What motivated you to write this story, are you drawn to controversy or do you have a stake in cloning somewhere?

Well, I think everyone walking around right now has a stake in cloning, they just don't realize it. The medical benefits alone from medical science being able to grow someone a new heart or liver are simply incredible.

I've always been a huge fan of classic science fiction. I grew up reading Isaac Azimov and Ray Bradbury, as well as watching to old black and white Flash Gordon and Mystery in Space stuff. That kind of story was always darker, showing you the worst science fiction could visit upon us if we didn't listen up. That's what I think about when I hear "science fiction". Star Wars and Star Trek are great stories, but to me they are just a different kind of story altogether. Now Bladerunner, that's pure science fiction as good as it gets.

I would be lying if I said didn't love a little controversy now and again, as I've been a debate minded person from early childhood, but the impetus for the story didn't come from there. I was injured in the summer of 96, and couldn't work during a really heavy season offshore. Instead, I sat on the beach working my keyboard, turning out fifteen or twenty short stories and enough poetry to fill a book. In 2003 Wizard ran a writer's contest in conjunction with Top Cow, and I needed a script. I dug back into my story files and pulled out two that I thought had legs, and one of those ended up being 48. We were seeing Dolly the cloned sheep in the media at the time, and the stem cell debate was really raging, so my frustration with that entire debacle went into the story as well. I guess you could say 48 has been growing inside me for over a decade in one form or another. It finally found a way to get out.

One of the hot issues in regards to cloning people is the question of whether or not a clone could be considered human. Care to step out and give an opinion on this thought? Do we see this played out at all in the series?

Oh you will see it, have no doubt. I would like to think we do a good job of portraying both sides of the argument at different points in the series as well.

As to my personal opinions, first I have to say, I'm a realist. I don't consider cloning to be a matter of "if", but of "when". It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that there have already been viable clones produced at some level of research, and I'm a big proponent not only of the research but the technology. I think cloning technology could extend the human lifespan exponentially, and give people a quality of life unseen on this planet. So I consider cloning to be a good thing. On the flipside of that, it has to be something done with conscience and ethics. It would be far too easy for us to slide into using clones for slaves, or to consider them less than human and use them in that way.

So, for me, if you grow a liver, it's a liver. If you grow a person, that's a person, and they should have the same rights as anyone else. I don't see how you can deny one living person the same rights as any other simply on the basis of DNA. Based on that argument twins would fall into a grey area as well.

Interesting, I think I know where you're going in regards to Twins, but could you explain that a bit more for anyone who might not know what you're referring to?

Sure thing! What I was referring to was identical twins by the way, not fraternal twins as fraternal twins don't share the same DNA. The point I make here is, if we set up laws to discriminate against people on the basis of having the same exact DNA as someone else, this could place identical twins in the same category as clones because they share the exact same DNA, as a clone and his or her original would. To me that right there should totally squash any kind of DNA discrimination. If a clone is brought to maturity, he or she should be given the same rights as anyone else walking the Earth.

I'm really ready to see this in my hands. When can we expect to have this first issue out for everyone?

48 #1 is available right now for pre-orders at Order 48. The issue will be available for sales on June 26th, and will of course actually debut at Heroes Con in Charlotte North Carolina the last weekend in June.

Without a Diamond solicitation, how can people who are interested in this work get a copy? What’s the chance on this being in Local Comic Shops?

We're trying like mad to make that happen. I have been in contact with several of the major national stores and I'm working to get the books stocked in those stores as soon as possible. We will be submitting the book to Diamond, I just don't feel too optimistic as far as their anti-indy numbers game goes.

What made you decide to publish this yourself? Did you have an extra pile of money somewhere that you weren't using and you thought this would be a good way to spend it?

Self publishing is a means to an end. It's the road that gets me where I want to go, and that's having my work out there and available, being able to tell my stories. Probably not the cheapest way to go about it to be honest, but I make a decent living working offshore, so I can afford to bankroll it to a certain degree. We're taking it slow, not trying to come out with fifteen titles a month, so I think we stand a pretty good chance at longevity. Making comics is just something I have always envisioned myself doing. Now I get to see that dream come true. It doesn't get any better than that!

What were some of the biggest obstacles you've had to overcome to get 48 this far?

Production, mostly. 48 has forced me to become a letterer, which I never intended to do, as well as a paste up guy, again not something I aspire to. It all comes down to being able to do as much as you possibly can yourself so you can keep costs down. Another thing we ran into was an adoption proceeding my wife and I didn't plan on that set our entire company back by about six months. Looking back though, it was for the best. It forced us to make cuts in what we were doing and has allowed us to focus more on the stuff we have in production. Ultimately, the net result is more time spent on fewer books, and that translates into a winning situation for everyone.

If this sells well, are their plans for a TPB or a color reprint?

There will for sure be a trade version collecting the first four issues of 48 into one volume. As a fan I can't stand getting part of a story and not being able to get the rest. It just kills me. So I won't start something I can't finish. If you see a limited series from Paper Dragonz begin, you'll see it end.

Where can we find out more about you, Geoff, and 48?

It seems like we are all over the place these days! I have a daily blog, In Other Words, where I talk about upcoming stuff, as well as just general every day mundane minutia. I also write a column over at Silver Bullet Comics Merely This And Nothing More, that comes out every Monday, so folks could check that out. Geoff The Fenian, and I Cary Kelley, both have Myspace accounts, so that's yet another place to find us, and of course there the site that ties it all together, Paper Dragonz.

Can you tell us anything more about Paper Dragonz? Are there any other books or projects coming out in the future that we should know about?

Wow I could go on forever! We do have a ton of stuff coming out in the near future, but we aren't going to be one of those companies that operate on an "if a few are good, a few more must be better" plan. Right now we're putting 48 #1 out. In November we are going to bring out a horror tale called Bullet Time by Steven Forbes and Dave Simons, and a dark superhero story called Fallen Justice. Steven Forbes and I wrote the story and the art will be done by Harold Edge. Bullet Time will be a 5 issue limited series, and Fallen Justice will be 6 issues. Both books will be full color as well, so they will be quite a departure in both genre and look from what we have in 48. We will of course be continuing the rest of the 4 issue limited series on 48 as well, which will hopefully complete around this time next year and be available in trade paperback format. Right now that's all we have confirmed on the slate so we have time and people to commit to the books and get them out as the best package possible.

Cary, thanks for taking the time to share this with us and good luck with 48