THE AGENTS #1

[MattBrady]

<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentsFINAL.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentsFINAL_t.jpg" width="175" height="273" border="0" alt="The Agents #1" align="right"></a>It’s a… British-inspired manga? Yeah – that’s it. As part of Image’s April-debuting manga-themed titles, Ben Dunn’s six issue, black and white The Agents takes the nightmare scenario of the Cold War, makes it a reality, and then moves things forward a few years. Got it?

Basically, the set up for The Agents is this: Moscow and Washington D.C. are nothing but rubble in the aftermath of a nuclear exchange that on one hand, effectively ended the Cold War, but on the other, created a power vacuum. In Dunn’s scenario (which is one that will bring a smile to the lips of comic readers in the UK), Great Britain climbs to the top of the global superpower heap. To prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again, the government creates The Agents.

<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/theagents2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/theagents2_t.jpg" width="175" height="273" border="0" alt="The Agents #2" align="left"></a>Mixing manga elements and bits of the classic spy and science fiction stories from the 60s, Dunn and writer Kevin Gunstone are hoping to evoke such classic series as Thunderbirds and the James Bond series. The story is something Dunn has been thinking about for a while.

"Basically, I’m big fan of the spy/sci-fi adventures of the 1960s," Dunn said. "The idea was to ask what would the world be like today if all those things that the US and Soviet Union were threatening really happened? It’s a series I’ve long planned, but put off until now.

"My main inspirations for it are the James Bond movies, the Gerry Anderson series – Thunderbirds, UFO, Captain Scarlet – The Avengers and Japanese 1960s science fiction."

The protagonist of the series is Nigel Cord, an agent who’s haunted by his past, and desperately trying to redeem himself in his own eyes. “Cord failed to stop two atomic missiles from blasting away Moscow and Washington D.C. in the late 1960s,” Dunn said.

Though often identified with Antarctic Press, Dunn felt working through Image rather than releasing the series through AP would give the book a higher profile both with retailers and readers.

"Well, basically I felt that it would get more exposure through Image," Dunn said. "And I've always wanted to work for them."

Probably best known to the larger comics market for his work on Marvel Mangaverse, Dunn doesn't really see Mangaverse as having opened the door for new work at other companies, such as at Image, with The Agents.

"I would like to think The Agents was accepted on it own merits,” Dunn said. “Antarctic Press is a great company but I felt a need to see if my work would be accepted on its own merits and not because I can get it published because I am part of Antarctic Press."

<center><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg1_t.jpg" width="140" height="205" border="0" alt="The Agents #1, page 1" hspace="2"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg2_t.jpg" width="140" height="205" border="0" alt="The Agents #1, page 2" hspace="2"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg3_t.jpg" width="140" height="205" border="0" alt="The Agents #1, page 3" hspace="2"></a></center>

<center><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg7.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg7_t.jpg" width="140" height="210" border="0" alt="The Agents #1, page 7" hspace="2"></a><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg8-9.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Image/agentspg8-9_t.jpg" width="200" height="142" border="0" alt="The Agents #1, pp 8-9" hspace="2"></a></center>

[Rich Johnston]

what would the world be like today if all those things that the US and Soviet Union were threatening really happened?

It's called V For Vendetta. It's very good.

[Pharaoh Lad]

I'm really looking forward to picking up this series!

The story sounds really cool, and Mr Dunn's artwork looks fantastic.
I especially love the panel layouts on all the pages shown!

Also great colors by Guru EFX, on the two cover pieces!!!

[The Blue Spider]

<font color=blue>So our capital city is blown to rubble and ashes and thus the entire country is now... gone? Dead? Weaker than Great Britain? An opening of a power vacuum.

I know enough about civics to say that if a bunch of office buildings, the President, the Judicial, most of the legislators, and 100% of every lobbyist, intern, and staffer died along with a bunch of restauranteurs and average citizens in the great city of Washington, DC... our country would suffer a major hiccup for about ten months at most and then elect new leaders and go make 'em work in another city.

well, it wouldn't be that simple, but it wouldn't be the end of the nation. Our federal government is not that powerful. and we still have plenty of nukes.

So we're assuming that the rest of our country is turned into rubble, too?

Or should I just take it as "this would not be the result of this", swallow it, and then declare it fantasy?</font>

[eleven11]

nice idea, i'll give it a look see.

[whoME?]

This has me so excited i could plotz!

And Richie, V for Vendetta, while extremely good, didn't close the book on what could happen if the US and USSR did what they could have done.

[Grendel Prime]

[quote]Originally posted by The Blue Spider:
<strong><font color=blue>Or should I just take it as "this would not be the result of this", swallow it, and then declare it fantasy?</font></strong><hr></blockquote>

Or maybe you should go out and buy the first issue and actually read it. Then you can see for yourself what Dunn has planned to explain the second rise of British imperialism. Rather than just relying on a one-sentence plot summary to be the basis of your knee-jerk ranting.

[whoME?]

[quote]Originally posted by The Blue Spider:
<strong><font color=blue>So our capital city is blown to rubble and ashes and thus the entire country is now... gone? Dead? Weaker than Great Britain? An opening of a power vacuum.

I know enough about civics to say that if a bunch of office buildings, the President, the Judicial, most of the legislators, and 100% of every lobbyist, intern, and staffer died along with a bunch of restauranteurs and average citizens in the great city of Washington, DC... our country would suffer a major hiccup for about ten months at most and then elect new leaders and go make 'em work in another city.

well, it wouldn't be that simple, but it wouldn't be the end of the nation. Our federal government is not that powerful. and we still have plenty of nukes.

So we're assuming that the rest of our country is turned into rubble, too?

Or should I just take it as "this would not be the result of this", swallow it, and then declare it fantasy?</font></strong><hr></blockquote>

but this isn't civics class. it's comics. there has to be a level of suspention of disbelief.

i mean, it's a stretch to say the least, but it's not completly impossible.

[NEOHUNTER]

I'm a very big fan of Ben Dunn's work, and from the preview of The Agents mixing James Bond and The Avengers together, this will be one of Ben Dunn's best work ever. :cool:

[The Blue Spider]

[quote]Originally posted by whoME?:
<strong>

but this isn't civics class. it's comics. there has to be a level of suspention of disbelief.

i mean, it's a stretch to say the least, but it's not completly impossible.</strong><hr></blockquote>

<font color=blue>You are entirely correct. There's something I forgot to add to my tirade. It's possible for the story to be good... I am curous to whether it's a fantasy or a science fiction. If it's a science fiction there'll be contrivances and structure to explain the transition from the real world to this different and fictional one.

Or should I just let go?</font>

[The Blue Spider]

[quote]Originally posted by Grendel Prime:
<strong>

Or maybe you should go out and buy the first issue and actually read it. Then you can see for yourself what Dunn has planned to explain the second rise of British imperialism. Rather than just relying on a one-sentence plot summary to be the basis of your knee-jerk ranting.</strong><hr></blockquote>

<font color=blue>Don't you realize that what you have just posted is not an alternative to either of my questions?

</font>

[mario boon]

Hey, what happened to the writer!
Talk to Kevin too, dammit! He was the one whoe had Cap America killed in the Mangaverse!
Kev's a nice guy, give him some publicity too, he deserves it
(and I'm not just saying this because we're supposed to work on a project together as well)

Go buy The agents!! Skip that x-men !!

[Hunter]

[quote]Originally posted by The Blue Spider:
<strong>

<font color=blue>Don't you realize that what you have just posted is not an alternative to either of my questions?

</font></strong><hr></blockquote>

It does, however, ask you to withhold your questions until we have more information, since I doubt there's anyone on this board that can actually answer them. Since, you know, we won't know until the book comes out.

Having said that, I'll shut up, since I've done the same thing in the past. :)

[whoME?]

[quote]Originally posted by The Blue Spider:
<strong>

<font color=blue>You are entirely correct. There's something I forgot to add to my tirade. It's possible for the story to be good... I am curous to whether it's a fantasy or a science fiction. If it's a science fiction there'll be contrivances and structure to explain the transition from the real world to this different and fictional one.

Or should I just let go?</font></strong><hr></blockquote>


for me there is no difference.

Science fiction and fantasy always makes me suspend disbelief. whether the story explains itself or not, as long as it's well told, i'm happy.

now in this case, i totally see why you would ask the question. the explanation of how the story reached it's current state (the point at which issue one, page one, starts) has been given. and to some degree it begs to be challenged. but it think this is going to be a good comic, regardless if the backstory is a little shaky.

in the end, though, try to just let go. if you can't then you can't. but no one will fault you for it because you gave it a shot. well, i won't at least (if that means anything).

[whoME?]

[quote]Originally posted by Grendel Prime:
<strong>

Or maybe you should go out and buy the first issue and actually read it. Then you can see for yourself what Dunn has planned to explain the second rise of British imperialism. Rather than just relying on a one-sentence plot summary to be the basis of your knee-jerk ranting.</strong><hr></blockquote>

to this is say:

if creators don't want the buying public to judge their books on one sentence plot summaries, don't give one sentence plot summaries. Don't say: "this person and that person died and this happened as a result and it led to this and then that happened and more people died and then a building fell down and then 10 years pass and here we are at the beginning of my comic book"because if you do that, folks are gonna base their opinion of your comic on that summary and will judge it's value.

Warren Ellis told me (on his forum) once that history in comics, especially finite series, shouldn't exist. Your story starts a point D and ends at point M. there is no point C, B or A and there is no point N, O, P..... at least, not that your readership knows about. those points have to exist to give you a structure to work in, but you never share that structure with your audience.

just food for thought.

[jamesmith]

[quote]Originally posted by whoME?:
<strong>
Don't say: "this person and that person died and this happened ..."</strong><hr></blockquote>
Actuall, what he said was, "...what if all those things that the US and Soviet Union were threatening really happened?" Every large city in the US and former USSR is targeted with a nuke. If there was a nuclear war, there would be no one left to run the place.


Probably wouldn't be a Britain left either, but oh well...


I agree with Ellis, by the way. There's generally no reason to tell your audience your backstory. I don't think Dunn's revealed anything unnecessarily here, though.

[whoME?]

[quote]Originally posted by jamesmith:
<strong>
Actuall, what he said was, "...what if all those things that the US and Soviet Union were threatening really happened?" </strong><hr></blockquote>

i wasn't making reference to Ben's quote, per say, but the assumption that teaser information shouldn't be used to formulate like/dislike opinions about a book. why else do teasers exist but to entice you to buy the comic? and if your teaser info includes backstory, then you're doubly damned.

other than that we are in total agreement.

[samnoir]

I often wonder if more mainstream work like this translates into additional sales for Dunn's stuff that he self-publishes through Antarctic Press. Did AP numbers improve at all after Mangaverse for example?

__________________

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[Studio D Comics]

[quote]Originally posted by whoME?:
<strong>

Warren Ellis told me (on his forum) once that history in comics, especially finite series, shouldn't exist. Your story starts a point D and ends at point M. there is no point C, B or A and there is no point N, O, P..... at least, not that your readership knows about. those points have to exist to give you a structure to work in, but you never share that structure with your audience.

just food for thought.</strong><hr></blockquote>

So if you meet someone as an adult, you should not find out ANYTHING about them before they met you? if history is good in LIFE, why shouldn't it work in COMICS too?

later
don

[Kabukiman]

[quote]Originally posted by Studio D Comics:
<strong>if history is good in LIFE, why shouldn't it work in COMICS too?</strong><hr></blockquote>

And hey, if there are super powered beings in LIFE, why are there in comics?

Comics aren't life. Comics are stories.

[Kabukiman]

[quote]Originally posted by Studio D Comics:
<strong>if history is good in LIFE, why shouldn't it work in COMICS too?</strong><hr></blockquote>

It's like they say about writing good characters. You should know a character inside and out, know everyting about them, know what their favourite color is, etc. and know how they would react in any given situation. The audience doesn't need to know everything, but it helps to write a believable character if the writer knows it.

[whoME?]

[quote]Originally posted by Studio D Comics:
<strong>

So if you meet someone as an adult, you should not find out ANYTHING about them before they met you? if history is good in LIFE, why shouldn't it work in COMICS too?

later
don</strong><hr></blockquote>

a relationship i have with a character in a comic lasts as long as i am reading the comic. i don't need to know everything that happened to that character 30 years ago, unless it directly relates to the story. i don't need to know how a government collapsed in a comic unless the comic deals exclusively with that event. if it deals with an event that happened 30 years after the collapse than it suffices to know that the collapse happened, i don't neeed to know how.

[Bloodcat]

Sooo...

How many issues before Dunn runs off to do some other series?

[OM]

...Once again, as we in Texas have been saying for over 17 years, "If it's Antarctic Press, It's Ben Dunn before!" :-)