MattBrady
11-28-2002, 10:28 AM
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_cover1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_cover1_t.jpg" width="175" height="271" align="right" border="0"></a>Originally presented in Comic Shop News #804
What do you get when you cross a chameleon and a human? A surprisingly sensitive comic that stresses values over violence.
Kameelman, the first book from A1 Oregon Publishing, is the story of Zach Zeigler, a transgenic clone who was the result of a blending of human and chameleon DNA—a blending that gives him the ability to transform himself to resemble someone else... and to assume their feelings and emotions as well.
“This is a high concept property,” publisher Jill Legleiter said. “We want the readers to become involved wit the characters and, just like Kameelman, to understand how it feels to be subjected to social injustice. It’s really all around us, and unless we do something about it, we just take it for granted. For example, everyone at some point in his life has been intimidated by somebody. It might have been by the neighborhood bully at school, by a big brother at home, by the pest at work in the next cubicle, or by a nasty boss who should be flipping his own frying burgers. At the time, didn’t you want to just kick their butt? Buy the first issue and see how well Kameelman handles it!”
Editor-in-chief Rick Legleiter explained how the concept came about. “In thinking about the concept’s development, I’ve closely followed the progress and obstacles to cloning—scientific, ethical and religious. The entire concept is very interesting, with deep implications for man and humanity. But in the case of Kameelman, if the morphing is only physical, the bigger picture and more interesting aspects of cloning are missed. To capture those aspects, Kameelman also assumes the feelings and emotions of the person he changes into. By layering on these emotional and psychological elements, the series can explore social injustice, spiritual, moral and ethical issues. That’s when it really gets good!”
It’s clear that Kameelman is more than an adventure; this is a series with a thematic purpose. “You are right on. The tag line is ‘Heroes Amongst Us.’ That is the theme. Kameelman is a hero with a role and not a hero with a goal,” Legleiter said. “We can be heroes to one another without that even being a goal. It’s just a role we play in our lives everyday. Cutting each other some slack and giving each other a break. We don’t need to be superheroes. Everyone has somebody who gave them a break and helped them find the way—a best buddy, a boss, or maybe a teacher. There was somebody who saw something special inside of you. That’s what Zack and his team is about. They create life bridges in a peer-to-peer setting.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman1_t.jpg" width="175" height="271" align="left" border="0" alt="issue #1, page 1"></a> The series is written by a comics newcomer working under the nom de plume T-Bone. “The original idea for a transgenic clone between a man and a chameleon came from me. To get the project off the ground, we chose to blend newcomers with pros. T-Bone is new to comics writing; his friend Rob hung that moniker on him. Similar to a nickname from childhood, he liked it and stuck with it. His background is business writing and communications.”
A1 turned to a comics veteran to illustrate the series—artist Ron Randall. “There’s a long story as to how he got involved. It started when Ron was at a Portland convention and I saw his work. His art is outstanding – he’s classically trained in proportion, human character design, and sequential story telling. He has great range from fantasy to realism so I knew he could handle the animal and human designs needed for Kameelman. With Trekker, Ron had brought a concept to reality. That told me he knew how to take something raw and mold it. He had the experience.
“Finally I went to Will Eisner for counsel. Following my discussion with Mr. Eisner, it was clear that Ron’s skills and experience aligned with the concept. That sealed it for me.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman2_t.jpg" width="175" height="271" align="right" border="0" alt="issue #1, page 2"></a> Completing the Kameelman team is inker James Taylor. “I think the greatest compliment for an inker is when the inks maintain the design integrity of the pencils instead of trying to make a statement on their own. James did a terrific job of blending right into the Kameelman team.” Guest artist David Hahn contributed the cover colors and design, as well as an alternate ending.”
Legleiter stressed that “this is a team effort across the board—the writing, pencils and inks. It is by design. It stems from our philosophy that the quality of our work gets better when we collaborate as a team. We see the team like a constellation that defines an image but is made up of individual stars.”
Legleiter is already looking ahead to the future of Kameelman. “First, we need to establish a regular consistent flow. This means keeping the books on schedule and with a frequency that respects our fans. We want the fans to meet all the characters and get to know them. We need to keep the pacing balanced with the details as the background for Zack, Dr. Menchin and Sarah is rolled out. We will stay true to our all ages audience—this means characters, settings and action attractive to younger readers and digging deeper into the Kameelman concept for older readers. There will be a mix of exciting and entertaining stories.”
Will A1 Oregon add any additional titles to its offerings in the near future? “While we have considered several proposals, we waited until we had Kameelman underway,” Legleiter said. “Now we are ready to expand our offering. We are looking for mainstream books, regardless of genre. Our web site ( <a href="http://www.a1oregon.com/" target="_blank">http://www.a1oregon.com/</a> ) lists our submission guidelines for candidates to find out how to work with A1 Oregon Publishing.”
What do you get when you cross a chameleon and a human? A surprisingly sensitive comic that stresses values over violence.
Kameelman, the first book from A1 Oregon Publishing, is the story of Zach Zeigler, a transgenic clone who was the result of a blending of human and chameleon DNA—a blending that gives him the ability to transform himself to resemble someone else... and to assume their feelings and emotions as well.
“This is a high concept property,” publisher Jill Legleiter said. “We want the readers to become involved wit the characters and, just like Kameelman, to understand how it feels to be subjected to social injustice. It’s really all around us, and unless we do something about it, we just take it for granted. For example, everyone at some point in his life has been intimidated by somebody. It might have been by the neighborhood bully at school, by a big brother at home, by the pest at work in the next cubicle, or by a nasty boss who should be flipping his own frying burgers. At the time, didn’t you want to just kick their butt? Buy the first issue and see how well Kameelman handles it!”
Editor-in-chief Rick Legleiter explained how the concept came about. “In thinking about the concept’s development, I’ve closely followed the progress and obstacles to cloning—scientific, ethical and religious. The entire concept is very interesting, with deep implications for man and humanity. But in the case of Kameelman, if the morphing is only physical, the bigger picture and more interesting aspects of cloning are missed. To capture those aspects, Kameelman also assumes the feelings and emotions of the person he changes into. By layering on these emotional and psychological elements, the series can explore social injustice, spiritual, moral and ethical issues. That’s when it really gets good!”
It’s clear that Kameelman is more than an adventure; this is a series with a thematic purpose. “You are right on. The tag line is ‘Heroes Amongst Us.’ That is the theme. Kameelman is a hero with a role and not a hero with a goal,” Legleiter said. “We can be heroes to one another without that even being a goal. It’s just a role we play in our lives everyday. Cutting each other some slack and giving each other a break. We don’t need to be superheroes. Everyone has somebody who gave them a break and helped them find the way—a best buddy, a boss, or maybe a teacher. There was somebody who saw something special inside of you. That’s what Zack and his team is about. They create life bridges in a peer-to-peer setting.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman1_t.jpg" width="175" height="271" align="left" border="0" alt="issue #1, page 1"></a> The series is written by a comics newcomer working under the nom de plume T-Bone. “The original idea for a transgenic clone between a man and a chameleon came from me. To get the project off the ground, we chose to blend newcomers with pros. T-Bone is new to comics writing; his friend Rob hung that moniker on him. Similar to a nickname from childhood, he liked it and stuck with it. His background is business writing and communications.”
A1 turned to a comics veteran to illustrate the series—artist Ron Randall. “There’s a long story as to how he got involved. It started when Ron was at a Portland convention and I saw his work. His art is outstanding – he’s classically trained in proportion, human character design, and sequential story telling. He has great range from fantasy to realism so I knew he could handle the animal and human designs needed for Kameelman. With Trekker, Ron had brought a concept to reality. That told me he knew how to take something raw and mold it. He had the experience.
“Finally I went to Will Eisner for counsel. Following my discussion with Mr. Eisner, it was clear that Ron’s skills and experience aligned with the concept. That sealed it for me.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/preview_kman2_t.jpg" width="175" height="271" align="right" border="0" alt="issue #1, page 2"></a> Completing the Kameelman team is inker James Taylor. “I think the greatest compliment for an inker is when the inks maintain the design integrity of the pencils instead of trying to make a statement on their own. James did a terrific job of blending right into the Kameelman team.” Guest artist David Hahn contributed the cover colors and design, as well as an alternate ending.”
Legleiter stressed that “this is a team effort across the board—the writing, pencils and inks. It is by design. It stems from our philosophy that the quality of our work gets better when we collaborate as a team. We see the team like a constellation that defines an image but is made up of individual stars.”
Legleiter is already looking ahead to the future of Kameelman. “First, we need to establish a regular consistent flow. This means keeping the books on schedule and with a frequency that respects our fans. We want the fans to meet all the characters and get to know them. We need to keep the pacing balanced with the details as the background for Zack, Dr. Menchin and Sarah is rolled out. We will stay true to our all ages audience—this means characters, settings and action attractive to younger readers and digging deeper into the Kameelman concept for older readers. There will be a mix of exciting and entertaining stories.”
Will A1 Oregon add any additional titles to its offerings in the near future? “While we have considered several proposals, we waited until we had Kameelman underway,” Legleiter said. “Now we are ready to expand our offering. We are looking for mainstream books, regardless of genre. Our web site ( <a href="http://www.a1oregon.com/" target="_blank">http://www.a1oregon.com/</a> ) lists our submission guidelines for candidates to find out how to work with A1 Oregon Publishing.”