Boom – Boom – Boom: 6-Page Sneak Peek Preview of Upcoming CARS Comic Book!
From Boom Studios, a New CARS comic book about how a certain “Bulldozer McQueen” became Lightning McQueen!
Alan Porter, the writer of the 4-part CARS Comic #1-#4 was nice enough to answer some questions …
First, tell us a little about your work bio?
AJP: Publishing software executive by day – Freelance Writer & “Pop Culture Historian” by night. Over the years I’ve managed to publish a couple of books on The Beatles and Batman plus contribute to several others covering topics like James Bond and the works of Terry Pratchett. I’ve also had magazine articles on comics, music and the movies published in Europe, Australia , Canada and the US . In 2008 I developed and wrote GOD SHOP, an online manga for Tokyopop, and wrote “JAMES BOND: The history of the illustrated 007” for Hermes Press. I’m currently writing the new Disney-Pixar CARS comic book series for BOOM! Studios and “STAR TREK: A Comics History” for Hermes Press. You can find information about my books etc. on my website (http://alanjporter.com), and keep up with what I’m working on via my blog ( http://gothamajp.livejournal.com/ ) or on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/gothamajp).
What can you tell us about CARS, the Comic Book?
AJP: We’ve designed the stories in such a way that anyone can pick up an issue at random and enjoy it as a self contained story, yet at the same time it is part of an bigger story. For instance the first four issues are titled “The Rookie” and tell the story of how McQueen became a Piston Cup racer. Issue #1 is about McQueen and Mack meeting for the first time, Issue #2 is about how McQueen got his “big break” with the Rust-Eze brothers, Issue #3 is about his first Piston Cup race, and Issue #4 brings us up to the start of the movie.
Is there a particular age group the comic is for?
AJP: Cars is an all-ages comic. It is written so that, like the Pixar movies, it can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. If you like the movie, you should (hopefully) like the comic.
Were you pretty familiar with the CARS universe?
AJP: I’m a life long gearhead with a passion for all sorts of motor racing, and I also dabble in the occasional bit of competitive driving. One of my first writing gigs was working on the official biography of F1 and IndyCar champion Nigel Mansell, I also write a motorsports blog (http://thespeedblog.com), so it’s no surprise that Cars is my favorite Pixar movie. When the opportunity came to write a Cars comic, it was a dream come true. In fact the day that BOOM! Studios announced they had the Disney/Pixar licenses I started bugging editor Paul Morrissey so much, that he suggested I send him some story ideas just to shut me up. Luckily he, and the great folks at Disney, actually seemed to like my crazy idea about telling the story of how Lightning McQueen got to be a Piston Cup racer. In the stories I have tried to make the racing as accurate as possible, while staying true to the characters and settings of the Cars movie. These are great fun characters to write, and there’s a lot more stories to tell, not just about the racing, but also about the eclectic mix of residents in Radiator Springs. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to tell a few of those stories as well. One of the biggest delights of working on Cars so far has been seeing the artwork come in from artist Albert Carreres. He has not only managed to make the cars really move on the page, but also captures the individually personalities with real style. Some of the facial expressions he has used are terrific and he has added a whole new dimension to the stories I originally envisaged.
Did you work on the other Boom Disney/Pixar comics? How was this the same or a different experience – in storytelling?
AJP: I would love to work on some of the other Disney/Pixar titles and I have discussed a few ideas with Paul Morrissey. At least one of those proposals is currently sitting at Disney for their approval, so fingers crossed I may ended up playing somewhere else in the Disney/Pixar Toy Box at some point soon. The main difference working on Cars compared to other comics I’ve done is that the central characters are basically large static objects. Even when they are moving on the track, they will look static on the printed page. You can’t use obvious body language clues (like throwing arms in the air), so character and emotion has to be described more subtly. You also have to be more careful about where the characters are placed in relation to each other and the variety of “camera” angles to use. As I mentioned above Albert Carreres has produced amazing results.
Do you think you will continue beyond the 4 books in this series? Or anything for CARS 2?
AJP: As far as I’m aware the plan is for Cars to be an ongoing series with more four-issue story arcs. I already have another four issue strory arc plotted out and approved and am just waiting hear when it will be scheduled. My next arc will focus on the various characters in Radiator Springs and tell the stories of how they ended up in the town, and perhaps more importantly, why they stayed while the town was going into its decline. I want to know what makes Radiator Springs so special to those characters. As for Cars 2, the only directive I was given was that I couldn’t write anything that would pre-empt or contradict the upcoming movie, but I wasn’t told what would be in the movie beyond the general description that’s already circulating. I guess if I do put something in the comic that impacts what is planned for Cars 2 I’ll hear about it during the approval process.
When will these go on sale? Or when should they start pre-ordering from their local comic store?
AJP: Cars #1 goes on sale in March, with one issue a month after that. Issues #1 and 2 have already been solicited to the comic shops so you should be able to pre-order them now.
On Saturday May 2nd it will be this year’s Free Comic Book Day, when comic book stores around the country give out lots of comics for free. There will be a special FCBD edition of Cars this year that will include an extract from issue #1, some of my original script plus some of the early concept and design art. You can find out more about Free Comic Book Day at http://www.freecomicbookday.com/
AJP: I’m a collector at heart, in fact I have a special room in my house just for my “stuff.” I like to get a few items related to any writing project I’m working on. The evening after I got the call letting me know I had the Cars gig I went out and bought a Lightning McQueen diecast to put on my desk. Each time I’ve written a character in one of the comics scripts I try to add them to my growing collection. The only exceptions are Guido and Luigi, I haven’t written about them (yet) but they are already in the collection as my wife loves those two characters. I must admit it would be really cool if one day they did a die-cast of some of the new race cars I’ve added to the Cars world. Yes I do find them inspirational, to keep me in the Cars frame of mind, I also have a die-cast McQueen in my day-job office, and have the cover of Issue #1 as my background on my laptop. I also have some of Albert’s Cars art as the wallpaper on my cell phone. I will also admit to using the die-casts to plot out moves on the race track when working on a script.
What is the history of BOOM?
AJP: Here’s the official company information – BOOM! Studios is a unique new publishing house specializing in high-profile projects across a wide variety of different genres from some of the industry’s biggest talents. In its inaugural year, Wizard Magazine named BOOM! “Best New Publisher.” Founded by the creator of the TV show EUREKA, Andrew Cosby, and his partner Ross Richie, BOOM! Studios continues to be on the leading edge of comic and graphic novel publishing.
(In fact, at the same time the CARS comic book – INCREDIBLES #1 will also be released).
As promised, here is a sneak peek at the first 6-pages of CARS #1 – as noted by Alan, great artwork by Albert Carreres. Cover art by Allen Gladfelter – CARS #1 is also available in two different cover versions.
Can’t wait! Looks like it’ll answer a few more questions about McQueen 🙂
It’s listed as Disney/Pixar CAR #1 in the Comics (PREVIEW) Guide and as noted, your local comic book store is taking pre-orders for #1, #2 & #3 – Issue #1 coming in March. $2.99 – Full Color (d’uh 🙂 ).
Thanks Paul for the sneak peak and thanks Alan for your work in bringing CARS to the comic book world. Looking forward to seeing the first issue in March and looking forward to many more stories from BOOM.
(And don’t forget INCREDIBLES #1 also).
UPDATED: Link to all the covers here (thanks Todd).
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metroxing
5 February 2009
Advertising, collecting, comics, diecast, Film, Internet, Marketing, Mattel Disney Pixar CARS, Retail, Toys, TV
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