MattBrady
08-04-2006, 08:55 AM
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/Hopecvr.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/hope-nola-000a-cover-front_t.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a> by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean
Last year, Ronin Studios and friends created and developed the first Hope anthology to aid the 2004 Tsunami victims.
At the WizardWorld: Chicago Convention this weekend, the indie comics publisher debuts Hope: New Orleans. This latest collection features a special cover by David Mack and proceeds from this book will go to help victims of the disastrous Hurricane Katrina last year.
We sat down with Ronin Studios’ editor in chief Craig Maloof and Hope editor Thomas Mauer for a chat about doing comics for a good cause.
Newsarama: How did the first anthology, Hope: Tsunami Relief (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=39833), do in terms of contributing to families and victims affected by the devastating tsunami?
Craig Maloof: First off, let me introduce the editor for the Hope: New Orleans book, and who will be able to talk more in-depth with the book then I can, Thomas Mauer.
Thomas Mauer: I'll let Craig reply in more detail about Hope: Tsunami Relief since my involvement in that anthology is very limited (pre-press technician). The Hope anthologies benefit the Red Cross' efforts in the affected areas, though. Even though the Red Cross' Katrina Relief Fund is now closed, the Red Cross still has projects dealing with the hurricane's aftermath, helping people on the Gulf Coast. That's where the money from the sale of Hope: New Orleans will go which premieres at Wizard World Chicago with a special printing for just $10 of this roughly 200 page book with more than 30 stories! (Ronin's tables are in Artist Alley at #3072-3076, btw.)
Memories & Echoes: Remembering World War II is another Ronin charity anthology that I edited last year commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the war. It benefits War Child Netherlands, an organization helping children in former war zones to come to terms with their experiences and grow up to lead normal and productive lives.
Ronin Studios mainly prints through the print-on-demand printer ComiXpress. CP went through a lot of changes last year which forced them to stop taking new orders for a few months. With just the first of three 60-page volumes of the Hope: Tsunami Relief out before the freeze, the targeted release of one volume every month or every other month didn't work out.
When ComiXpress opened its doors again at the beginning of the year, they offered trade paperback printing. (They tested this on Memories & Echoes, actually, and showed from the first proof copy they sent that they know what they're doing.) At this point, Hope: New Orleans was already deep into production and I suggested to Ronin Studios founder Noble Larimer that instead of releasing the other two Hope floppies, we should combine these three issues into Hope: Tsunami Relief. Its release date should be announced in a short while.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/007.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-007-02-TCB.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> CM: With Hope: Tsunami Relief, we obviously didn’t hit the dates that we had hoped. That book ended up swelling beyond any of our expectations honestly. Dealing with a book of that capacity is really hard when you have tons of creators trying to get their stories done, and then you only have a few people working on the book trying to bring it all together. I remember when the Tsunami happened, and Ronin went forward with the project so fast, that the number of people who wanted to do something just poured in, and we were swamped. For us, we had never done something of this caliber, and we learned quickly from it on what to do and what not to do. Of course, creators had to drop out due to time constraints, some creators just disappeared, and so forth, so there was a ton of juggling, trying to find new artists, trying to find inkers, letterers, etc. and for us, we’re not a paying company. None of us who do this get paid, so we’re working in the free time we have to try and see this book through to completion, as well as living our lives, going to our jobs, taking care of our own books, and still trying to run Ronin Studios at the same time. I think what made Hope: New Orleans run so much smoother was the fact that Thomas came in, took charge, and just went to town on the book. It really helped more so then I think anyone can imagine. Concerning on when you should see a release, I would say that we’re hoping for a convention release this year, and the latest it’ll be out is for New York Comic-Con 2007.
NRAMA: From there, word's gotten out about this charity anthology book that you guys first initiated and Hope: New Orleans came about as a result of Katrina. How did you go about sourcing for materials and contributions to the relief anthology?
TM: Two or three days after Hurricane Katrina had wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast and destroyed New Orleans, inker Jeffery LaJaunie (one of the founding members of Ronin) suggested that we do another Hope book, this time to help the victims of the hurricane. People showed a lot of enthusiasm for the idea right away, but no one volunteered to edit. I didn't really want to at first because Memories & Echoes had taken up so much time, but when no one took over the helm, I stepped up.
After outlining what we want to do with the book on a few comics message boards, dozens of creators signed up at the Ronin forums and emailed that they wanted to participate, self-publishers as well as pros. The Bendis board in particular was a great resource, as were comics news sites such as Newsarama, The Comics Review, Comicon's The Pulse and Silverbulletcomics. I also contacted the people who had worked on Memories & Echoes and friends at Speakeasy and other places. The response truly was overwhelming and it makes me proud of the comics community.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/Godsighs.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-020-05-God-Sighs.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>Pretty much from the get-go, I knew that this anthology needed to be focused on just one subject, that all stories had to revolve either around the hurricane and subsequent flooding, or the affected region in general. A "take what you can get" approach to selecting contributions just wasn't going to work if this book was to strike the right cord with the readership.
After asking for people's opinions, I decided that New Orleans and the Delta as the focal point would be best. The city was hit the hardest and sort of became a symbol of Katrina's destructive force and citizens' perseverance.
Creative teams got free reign what genre to write in as long as New Orleans/the Delta figured into their story. First, I asked writers to let me know what ideas they had to avoid duplication of topics. Then, I also asked for stories with specific topics that should be in the book but hadn't been taken on yet. This really helped to get a wide range of stories that can interest a large audience and make the anthology memorable.
CM: I think Thomas nailed that down pretty thoroughly. The comics industry really knows how to rally together whenever something of this nature happens, and they do what they know how to do, which is write or draw or whatever, so they’re able to just help out in their own unique ways. I think when it comes to charities, creators want to go out and help in whatever way they can. They want to tell a good story that moves somebody’s soul, and then hopefully earn some money that can end up helping out at least one person, if not more. We may not be able to get out there and physically touch lives, saving them from disaster or handing them food, but we’re able to help out regardless and that’s what matters the most to us.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/brotherhoo_100.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-100-21-Brotherhoo.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> NRAMA: For you (and/or any of the creators), were you personally affected by Hurricane Katrina?
TM: Since I'm from Germany, the hurricane didn't affect me physically, but lots of comics friends are from the area. Jeffery and his family live in Lafayette, La. They got through Katrina okay, but in the days before and during the hurricane and flooding, all Ronin members were hoping that nothing would happen to them. Kody Chamberlain is a Bendis board regular and from New Orleans. He was one of the first to sign up for the book, but unfortunately, his schedule didn't work out. There are lots more online friends who were down there. Hoping they'd be okay, Katrina did have an effect on me, after all.
CM: Well, being from Florida, I got a ton of rain and winds, but nothing as bad as New Orleans did. I have family from New Orleans, who thankfully made it out okay, but they lost just about everything they had. We all obviously had friends who went through that, and being part of the 2004 Hurricane Season here in Florida, my heart went out to them in what was sure to be a horrible time for them.
NRAMA: Does working on something like this affect you emotionally and mentally?
TM: There's a great story by Len Wallace and Dave Tuney in Hope: New Orleans called "Pick Up the Phone, Dammit!" It deals with the problem of being too far away from the disaster to go out and help with the cleanup effort, or not having the means to send cash and help the victims. The protagonist's helplessness is what I felt, too, being on the other side of the Atlantic and a struggling student. Editing Hope: New Orleans and lettering lots of its stories was a way out of that. Spending time on something you love to do which will bring joy to others and help those in need is good karma. I think lots of the creators who got involved with the anthology thought so, too, which is why we have contributors from five continents on the book.
CM: While I don’t have a direct connection to this book, other than being Editor-in-Chief of Ronin Studios, just reading this book affected me emotionally and mentally, because you can see the creators’ of these stories just pour their hearts out. I imagine for many, they wrote their stories immediately after Katrina hit, and went with their raw emotions with the feeling of this book. We all obviously react to something differently, so some stories are real tearjerkers, while some are lighter at heart, and some decided to focus on the area instead of hurricane itself. But, I think regardless, I think everyone had a heavy heart while creating this story because of the destruction Katrina created.
NRAMA: For the others, how genuine are they in contributing to a good cause like this? How do you know for sure that these creators are not in it for the sole reason of getting their comics or stories printed? What guidelines were there to make this anthology work?
TM: Denying that people have other motives than just charity to get involved in books like the Hope anthologies or Memories & Echoes would be foolish. I do think that everybody who worked on Hope: New Orleans did so to help the victims of Katrina first and foremost, but the good karma I mentioned before and the networking opportunities on a project like this can't be denied.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/brotherhoo_101.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-101-21-Brotherhoo.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>All you can do is try and make sure that everybody gives one hundred percent. If a story or artwork isn't good enough, you work with the creators to make it better. Failing that, you simply have to cut the story from the book or find a replacement for artists. Sounds cruel since everybody volunteers, but that's the way it works. One thing I told everybody at the beginning was that my responsibility was to the quality of the anthology first and foremost, and that individual creators' happiness had to take a second place. I like to think that people appreciated the honesty. They sure worked extra hard to help make Hope: New Orleans the best it can be.
CM: I have to agree with Thomas on this one. I’m sure people forged new friendships, made new contacts, but that happens during a disaster regardless. People who were in New York City on 9/11 will forever have this bond together for what they went through. Everyone who worked to help out New York City were bonded together, some forging new friendships, making contacts, etc. That’s just a natural part of working on something that’s meant to help others out. However, I think the people who were involved in this book, did so foremost to help those out that were affected by this tragedy. The networking and everything comes as a result of that and the people’s good hearts.
NRAMA: The first volume saw the involvement of Ron Marz (Witchblade, Green Lantern, Sojourn), Mike Bullock (Lions, Tigers and Bears, The Gimoles), Jack Lawrence (Lions, Tigers and Bears, Darkham Vale), Theo Bain (The Gimoles), James Woodward (Fallen Angel), Chris Fason (Hero Happy Hour), Sean O'Reilly (Kade, Ezra, El Arsenal, The Assassin), Dwight L. McPherson (Dead Men Tell No Tales), Mike Fiorentino (Dead Men Tell No Tales), Jessi Embry (Ant, Ezra) and more. Could you give us a list of who's who in this latest anthology, and what stories these creators are telling?
CM: I think Thomas would be more apt at answering this then me. He just loves to recite all the creators to me everyday to show how smart he is.
TM: More than eighty creators worked on 30+ stories in Hope: New Orleans, some of them doing work on multiple stories.
David Mack (Kabuki, Daredevil) did the front and back cover, Michael Lark (Gotham Central, Daredevil) contributed a pinup, Nat Jones (Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer) did another which is the backdrop for Dwight MacPherson's poem "Atlantean Sanguine."
Dwight (Dead Men Tell No Tales, Jim Reaper: Week One, Abra Cadaver: The Afterlife Adventures of Harry Houdini) wrote another story called "TCB" which is a humorous piece about Elvis Presley who comes to help rescue people from the hurricane and flooding.
Chris Yost (New X-Men, X-23, Fantastic Four cartoon, Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon) did a story with future superstar artist Scott Wegener about a shadow-walking woman who spoils a cult's attempt to bring an evil force into the world under cover of the hurricane. They both also worked on different stories in Memories & Echoes, by the way, and now have a horror/comedy called Killer of Demons in the works which Chris shopped around at San Diego.
Russell Lissau (Batman Allies Secret Files 2005) wrote a semi-biographical story about a reporter who's got to do his job in the aftermath of the hurricane. This is the first story in the book and you'll know why when you read it!
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/brotherhoo_102.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-102-21-Brotherhoo.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a>My friends Jose L. Torres, Chris DiBari and Evan Cranston of The Hunger (formerly Speakeasy, now from Markosia. Buy the trade and thank me later for recommending it!) did a one-off story called "Class Clown." This is the only story that could be set anywhere in the US and doesn't have a direct connection to New Orleans or the hurricane. Well, unless you rationalize that the reason the teacher-- umm, sorry. I'm rambling.
Darren G. Davis (Tenth Muse, Legend of Isis, et al.) did a Tenth Muse story with Mike Jungbluth, Bradd Mielke and Johnny Lowe.
Vito Delsante (The Mercury Chronicles) made a collage to go with a desperate prayer that shows the utter helplessness and frustration he felt in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, something that many people will relate to. I sure did.
Sal Cipriano and Marco Dileonardo contributed a Bio Boy story (and I hope Bio Boy comes back to the shelves soon. It was another victim of Speakeasy closing its doors).
Adam Beranek (president of Silent Devil and co-creator of Silent Devil's Dracula vs. King Arthur, Tyrannosaurus West) and collaborator Chris McCarver tell a story tying into their creation Goth Ninja which will come out at a later date. It's a cool power fantasy that should leave readers damn satisfied, that one.
Owen Dunne, creator of the great web comic You Damn Kid teamed up with Ronin writer Grant Chastain and colorist Andy Jewett to do a story called "The Secret Everybody Knows." I'm not telling what that secret is, though. Hehe.
There's a whole lot of Ronin creators who donated their time and talent to work on this book as well. Too many to list here, but let me just mention a few and: Ronin founder Noble Larimer (Future's End, A Noble Life), Thommy Melanson (Varied Scaries editor at Ronin), John Schlim Jr. (Narwain's Fiendish Fables creator, Arcana's Dandelion), Ryan A. Brandt (Marcus Midnight, Leesway editor at Ronin), Rich Leazer (The Coroner, and letterer of countless projects), Diana Greenhalgh (Alias' Victoria's Secret Service inker), Jeremy Dale (Absolute Zeroes), Victor Cabanelas (the busiest artist at Ronin), Steve Zegers (Woof!), Jason Roth (inker of countless projects including WRECKS - the only mecha book that's got me hooked. News about that soon), Jesse Hansen (inker/assistant editor on Memories & Echoes and Hope: New Orleans, as well as inker of the upcoming Illegal Immigrants), and many, many more.
Oh, yeah, and I lettered a bunch of the stories.
CM: The list of creators, both known and unknown, just astounds me every time, because it’s a clear cut sign of how people just want to help out in a time of tragedy, and just want to come together to help everyone out. We’re most fortunate that David Mack and Michael Lark created artwork for this book, and that creators like Christopher Yost and Russell Lissau were able to write something for this book. But, the sheer number of creators and the talents they have can’t be ignored or denied. They took time out of their busy schedules to put together a book that’s great in quality.
NRAMA: How committed is Ronin Studios to this? I mean, will there be a new anthology for every major disaster that happens in the world? Things like this take a lot of planning, time and commitment on the part of the publisher and the creators involved...
CM: For me, I just became Editor-in-Chief at Ronin Studios two months ago, and during that time I’ve had to assess and re-assess books we’re working on and the general direction of where we want to go. However, Hope is an anthology that I hope to continue to do each and every year. Our first anthology went to the Tsunami Relief, this one going to New Orleans and the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. I’ve started to plan out our next anthology, but it’s too early to say what it is. I do know I’m aiming for a San Diego or Chicago release, but it’s something we’re working on.
TM: While it's impossible to do an anthology for every catastrophe in the world, Ronin will continue the Hope line of charity books in the future. Our motto is that help will be needed in the affected areas even a year or two down the line, so we don't need to rush production and risk quality just to have a book out two months later. Ronin isn't limited to the Hope charities, though. As mentioned before, last year, we released Memories & Echoes. Then, there's another anthology that's still tied up at the publisher who signed the book. It was the first charity anthology Ronin did and hopefully, it'll be out soon. Craig can tell you more about it.
CM: Talking about Memories & Echoes for a minute, Thomas did an amazing job with that book, and I could see us doing more books like this if people wanted to continue to do them. I’m still hoping to get Memories & Echoes distributed through Diamond one day down the road because I think it was a great collection of works. The first book Ronin ever did, and was the jumping off point for the creation of Ronin Studios, is an anthology of works done for ACTOR and CBLDF. It’s been in the works for a few years now, as we’re just waiting for the release of the book now. I wish I could talk more about it, but we’re kind of in a holding pattern, waiting for the publisher to give us the go ahead.
NRAMA: What's next for Hope then?
CM: Thomas… Thomas… Thomas, wake up!
TM: A number of Hope: New Orleans stories weren't done in time for the Wizard World Chicago printing of the book and they'll be collected in a companion issue. If things go as planned, the companion should be ready for Baltimore in September.
The Chicago printing of the anthology is a limited run to give people a first taste. We're looking into getting the book into Previews and doing a bigger print run so that people can get the book at their local comic shops and support the cause that way. Actually, the book has the potential to appeal to the mass market, so getting it into normal bookstores would be a dream come true.
Since Hope: New Orleans is self-published with the help of creator contributions (that's how far their dedication goes!), money is unfortunately quite tight. While printing costs are pretty low, we still need starting capital to do a large enough print run to actually make a difference, get the book into as many people's hands as possible and make tons of money for the Red Cross' Katrina relief effort. We're discussing a money drive to raise the funds, so if anybody is out there who's got experience in this sort of thing, please email me at tom.mauer.1977@gmail.com . If people want to kick in to help the cause, they can email me as well.
The next release after Hope: New Orleans will be the above mentioned Hope: Tsunami Relief. After that, the sky's the limit!
CM: What’s next? A nap for Thomas. And then, more Hope.
<i>For more info, check out the official website at www.ronin-studios.com (http://www.ronin-studios.com/)</i>
Last year, Ronin Studios and friends created and developed the first Hope anthology to aid the 2004 Tsunami victims.
At the WizardWorld: Chicago Convention this weekend, the indie comics publisher debuts Hope: New Orleans. This latest collection features a special cover by David Mack and proceeds from this book will go to help victims of the disastrous Hurricane Katrina last year.
We sat down with Ronin Studios’ editor in chief Craig Maloof and Hope editor Thomas Mauer for a chat about doing comics for a good cause.
Newsarama: How did the first anthology, Hope: Tsunami Relief (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=39833), do in terms of contributing to families and victims affected by the devastating tsunami?
Craig Maloof: First off, let me introduce the editor for the Hope: New Orleans book, and who will be able to talk more in-depth with the book then I can, Thomas Mauer.
Thomas Mauer: I'll let Craig reply in more detail about Hope: Tsunami Relief since my involvement in that anthology is very limited (pre-press technician). The Hope anthologies benefit the Red Cross' efforts in the affected areas, though. Even though the Red Cross' Katrina Relief Fund is now closed, the Red Cross still has projects dealing with the hurricane's aftermath, helping people on the Gulf Coast. That's where the money from the sale of Hope: New Orleans will go which premieres at Wizard World Chicago with a special printing for just $10 of this roughly 200 page book with more than 30 stories! (Ronin's tables are in Artist Alley at #3072-3076, btw.)
Memories & Echoes: Remembering World War II is another Ronin charity anthology that I edited last year commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the war. It benefits War Child Netherlands, an organization helping children in former war zones to come to terms with their experiences and grow up to lead normal and productive lives.
Ronin Studios mainly prints through the print-on-demand printer ComiXpress. CP went through a lot of changes last year which forced them to stop taking new orders for a few months. With just the first of three 60-page volumes of the Hope: Tsunami Relief out before the freeze, the targeted release of one volume every month or every other month didn't work out.
When ComiXpress opened its doors again at the beginning of the year, they offered trade paperback printing. (They tested this on Memories & Echoes, actually, and showed from the first proof copy they sent that they know what they're doing.) At this point, Hope: New Orleans was already deep into production and I suggested to Ronin Studios founder Noble Larimer that instead of releasing the other two Hope floppies, we should combine these three issues into Hope: Tsunami Relief. Its release date should be announced in a short while.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/007.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-007-02-TCB.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> CM: With Hope: Tsunami Relief, we obviously didn’t hit the dates that we had hoped. That book ended up swelling beyond any of our expectations honestly. Dealing with a book of that capacity is really hard when you have tons of creators trying to get their stories done, and then you only have a few people working on the book trying to bring it all together. I remember when the Tsunami happened, and Ronin went forward with the project so fast, that the number of people who wanted to do something just poured in, and we were swamped. For us, we had never done something of this caliber, and we learned quickly from it on what to do and what not to do. Of course, creators had to drop out due to time constraints, some creators just disappeared, and so forth, so there was a ton of juggling, trying to find new artists, trying to find inkers, letterers, etc. and for us, we’re not a paying company. None of us who do this get paid, so we’re working in the free time we have to try and see this book through to completion, as well as living our lives, going to our jobs, taking care of our own books, and still trying to run Ronin Studios at the same time. I think what made Hope: New Orleans run so much smoother was the fact that Thomas came in, took charge, and just went to town on the book. It really helped more so then I think anyone can imagine. Concerning on when you should see a release, I would say that we’re hoping for a convention release this year, and the latest it’ll be out is for New York Comic-Con 2007.
NRAMA: From there, word's gotten out about this charity anthology book that you guys first initiated and Hope: New Orleans came about as a result of Katrina. How did you go about sourcing for materials and contributions to the relief anthology?
TM: Two or three days after Hurricane Katrina had wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast and destroyed New Orleans, inker Jeffery LaJaunie (one of the founding members of Ronin) suggested that we do another Hope book, this time to help the victims of the hurricane. People showed a lot of enthusiasm for the idea right away, but no one volunteered to edit. I didn't really want to at first because Memories & Echoes had taken up so much time, but when no one took over the helm, I stepped up.
After outlining what we want to do with the book on a few comics message boards, dozens of creators signed up at the Ronin forums and emailed that they wanted to participate, self-publishers as well as pros. The Bendis board in particular was a great resource, as were comics news sites such as Newsarama, The Comics Review, Comicon's The Pulse and Silverbulletcomics. I also contacted the people who had worked on Memories & Echoes and friends at Speakeasy and other places. The response truly was overwhelming and it makes me proud of the comics community.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/Godsighs.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-020-05-God-Sighs.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>Pretty much from the get-go, I knew that this anthology needed to be focused on just one subject, that all stories had to revolve either around the hurricane and subsequent flooding, or the affected region in general. A "take what you can get" approach to selecting contributions just wasn't going to work if this book was to strike the right cord with the readership.
After asking for people's opinions, I decided that New Orleans and the Delta as the focal point would be best. The city was hit the hardest and sort of became a symbol of Katrina's destructive force and citizens' perseverance.
Creative teams got free reign what genre to write in as long as New Orleans/the Delta figured into their story. First, I asked writers to let me know what ideas they had to avoid duplication of topics. Then, I also asked for stories with specific topics that should be in the book but hadn't been taken on yet. This really helped to get a wide range of stories that can interest a large audience and make the anthology memorable.
CM: I think Thomas nailed that down pretty thoroughly. The comics industry really knows how to rally together whenever something of this nature happens, and they do what they know how to do, which is write or draw or whatever, so they’re able to just help out in their own unique ways. I think when it comes to charities, creators want to go out and help in whatever way they can. They want to tell a good story that moves somebody’s soul, and then hopefully earn some money that can end up helping out at least one person, if not more. We may not be able to get out there and physically touch lives, saving them from disaster or handing them food, but we’re able to help out regardless and that’s what matters the most to us.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/brotherhoo_100.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-100-21-Brotherhoo.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> NRAMA: For you (and/or any of the creators), were you personally affected by Hurricane Katrina?
TM: Since I'm from Germany, the hurricane didn't affect me physically, but lots of comics friends are from the area. Jeffery and his family live in Lafayette, La. They got through Katrina okay, but in the days before and during the hurricane and flooding, all Ronin members were hoping that nothing would happen to them. Kody Chamberlain is a Bendis board regular and from New Orleans. He was one of the first to sign up for the book, but unfortunately, his schedule didn't work out. There are lots more online friends who were down there. Hoping they'd be okay, Katrina did have an effect on me, after all.
CM: Well, being from Florida, I got a ton of rain and winds, but nothing as bad as New Orleans did. I have family from New Orleans, who thankfully made it out okay, but they lost just about everything they had. We all obviously had friends who went through that, and being part of the 2004 Hurricane Season here in Florida, my heart went out to them in what was sure to be a horrible time for them.
NRAMA: Does working on something like this affect you emotionally and mentally?
TM: There's a great story by Len Wallace and Dave Tuney in Hope: New Orleans called "Pick Up the Phone, Dammit!" It deals with the problem of being too far away from the disaster to go out and help with the cleanup effort, or not having the means to send cash and help the victims. The protagonist's helplessness is what I felt, too, being on the other side of the Atlantic and a struggling student. Editing Hope: New Orleans and lettering lots of its stories was a way out of that. Spending time on something you love to do which will bring joy to others and help those in need is good karma. I think lots of the creators who got involved with the anthology thought so, too, which is why we have contributors from five continents on the book.
CM: While I don’t have a direct connection to this book, other than being Editor-in-Chief of Ronin Studios, just reading this book affected me emotionally and mentally, because you can see the creators’ of these stories just pour their hearts out. I imagine for many, they wrote their stories immediately after Katrina hit, and went with their raw emotions with the feeling of this book. We all obviously react to something differently, so some stories are real tearjerkers, while some are lighter at heart, and some decided to focus on the area instead of hurricane itself. But, I think regardless, I think everyone had a heavy heart while creating this story because of the destruction Katrina created.
NRAMA: For the others, how genuine are they in contributing to a good cause like this? How do you know for sure that these creators are not in it for the sole reason of getting their comics or stories printed? What guidelines were there to make this anthology work?
TM: Denying that people have other motives than just charity to get involved in books like the Hope anthologies or Memories & Echoes would be foolish. I do think that everybody who worked on Hope: New Orleans did so to help the victims of Katrina first and foremost, but the good karma I mentioned before and the networking opportunities on a project like this can't be denied.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/brotherhoo_101.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-101-21-Brotherhoo.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>All you can do is try and make sure that everybody gives one hundred percent. If a story or artwork isn't good enough, you work with the creators to make it better. Failing that, you simply have to cut the story from the book or find a replacement for artists. Sounds cruel since everybody volunteers, but that's the way it works. One thing I told everybody at the beginning was that my responsibility was to the quality of the anthology first and foremost, and that individual creators' happiness had to take a second place. I like to think that people appreciated the honesty. They sure worked extra hard to help make Hope: New Orleans the best it can be.
CM: I have to agree with Thomas on this one. I’m sure people forged new friendships, made new contacts, but that happens during a disaster regardless. People who were in New York City on 9/11 will forever have this bond together for what they went through. Everyone who worked to help out New York City were bonded together, some forging new friendships, making contacts, etc. That’s just a natural part of working on something that’s meant to help others out. However, I think the people who were involved in this book, did so foremost to help those out that were affected by this tragedy. The networking and everything comes as a result of that and the people’s good hearts.
NRAMA: The first volume saw the involvement of Ron Marz (Witchblade, Green Lantern, Sojourn), Mike Bullock (Lions, Tigers and Bears, The Gimoles), Jack Lawrence (Lions, Tigers and Bears, Darkham Vale), Theo Bain (The Gimoles), James Woodward (Fallen Angel), Chris Fason (Hero Happy Hour), Sean O'Reilly (Kade, Ezra, El Arsenal, The Assassin), Dwight L. McPherson (Dead Men Tell No Tales), Mike Fiorentino (Dead Men Tell No Tales), Jessi Embry (Ant, Ezra) and more. Could you give us a list of who's who in this latest anthology, and what stories these creators are telling?
CM: I think Thomas would be more apt at answering this then me. He just loves to recite all the creators to me everyday to show how smart he is.
TM: More than eighty creators worked on 30+ stories in Hope: New Orleans, some of them doing work on multiple stories.
David Mack (Kabuki, Daredevil) did the front and back cover, Michael Lark (Gotham Central, Daredevil) contributed a pinup, Nat Jones (Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer) did another which is the backdrop for Dwight MacPherson's poem "Atlantean Sanguine."
Dwight (Dead Men Tell No Tales, Jim Reaper: Week One, Abra Cadaver: The Afterlife Adventures of Harry Houdini) wrote another story called "TCB" which is a humorous piece about Elvis Presley who comes to help rescue people from the hurricane and flooding.
Chris Yost (New X-Men, X-23, Fantastic Four cartoon, Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon) did a story with future superstar artist Scott Wegener about a shadow-walking woman who spoils a cult's attempt to bring an evil force into the world under cover of the hurricane. They both also worked on different stories in Memories & Echoes, by the way, and now have a horror/comedy called Killer of Demons in the works which Chris shopped around at San Diego.
Russell Lissau (Batman Allies Secret Files 2005) wrote a semi-biographical story about a reporter who's got to do his job in the aftermath of the hurricane. This is the first story in the book and you'll know why when you read it!
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/brotherhoo_102.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/general/Ronin/t_hope-nola-102-21-Brotherhoo.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a>My friends Jose L. Torres, Chris DiBari and Evan Cranston of The Hunger (formerly Speakeasy, now from Markosia. Buy the trade and thank me later for recommending it!) did a one-off story called "Class Clown." This is the only story that could be set anywhere in the US and doesn't have a direct connection to New Orleans or the hurricane. Well, unless you rationalize that the reason the teacher-- umm, sorry. I'm rambling.
Darren G. Davis (Tenth Muse, Legend of Isis, et al.) did a Tenth Muse story with Mike Jungbluth, Bradd Mielke and Johnny Lowe.
Vito Delsante (The Mercury Chronicles) made a collage to go with a desperate prayer that shows the utter helplessness and frustration he felt in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, something that many people will relate to. I sure did.
Sal Cipriano and Marco Dileonardo contributed a Bio Boy story (and I hope Bio Boy comes back to the shelves soon. It was another victim of Speakeasy closing its doors).
Adam Beranek (president of Silent Devil and co-creator of Silent Devil's Dracula vs. King Arthur, Tyrannosaurus West) and collaborator Chris McCarver tell a story tying into their creation Goth Ninja which will come out at a later date. It's a cool power fantasy that should leave readers damn satisfied, that one.
Owen Dunne, creator of the great web comic You Damn Kid teamed up with Ronin writer Grant Chastain and colorist Andy Jewett to do a story called "The Secret Everybody Knows." I'm not telling what that secret is, though. Hehe.
There's a whole lot of Ronin creators who donated their time and talent to work on this book as well. Too many to list here, but let me just mention a few and: Ronin founder Noble Larimer (Future's End, A Noble Life), Thommy Melanson (Varied Scaries editor at Ronin), John Schlim Jr. (Narwain's Fiendish Fables creator, Arcana's Dandelion), Ryan A. Brandt (Marcus Midnight, Leesway editor at Ronin), Rich Leazer (The Coroner, and letterer of countless projects), Diana Greenhalgh (Alias' Victoria's Secret Service inker), Jeremy Dale (Absolute Zeroes), Victor Cabanelas (the busiest artist at Ronin), Steve Zegers (Woof!), Jason Roth (inker of countless projects including WRECKS - the only mecha book that's got me hooked. News about that soon), Jesse Hansen (inker/assistant editor on Memories & Echoes and Hope: New Orleans, as well as inker of the upcoming Illegal Immigrants), and many, many more.
Oh, yeah, and I lettered a bunch of the stories.
CM: The list of creators, both known and unknown, just astounds me every time, because it’s a clear cut sign of how people just want to help out in a time of tragedy, and just want to come together to help everyone out. We’re most fortunate that David Mack and Michael Lark created artwork for this book, and that creators like Christopher Yost and Russell Lissau were able to write something for this book. But, the sheer number of creators and the talents they have can’t be ignored or denied. They took time out of their busy schedules to put together a book that’s great in quality.
NRAMA: How committed is Ronin Studios to this? I mean, will there be a new anthology for every major disaster that happens in the world? Things like this take a lot of planning, time and commitment on the part of the publisher and the creators involved...
CM: For me, I just became Editor-in-Chief at Ronin Studios two months ago, and during that time I’ve had to assess and re-assess books we’re working on and the general direction of where we want to go. However, Hope is an anthology that I hope to continue to do each and every year. Our first anthology went to the Tsunami Relief, this one going to New Orleans and the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. I’ve started to plan out our next anthology, but it’s too early to say what it is. I do know I’m aiming for a San Diego or Chicago release, but it’s something we’re working on.
TM: While it's impossible to do an anthology for every catastrophe in the world, Ronin will continue the Hope line of charity books in the future. Our motto is that help will be needed in the affected areas even a year or two down the line, so we don't need to rush production and risk quality just to have a book out two months later. Ronin isn't limited to the Hope charities, though. As mentioned before, last year, we released Memories & Echoes. Then, there's another anthology that's still tied up at the publisher who signed the book. It was the first charity anthology Ronin did and hopefully, it'll be out soon. Craig can tell you more about it.
CM: Talking about Memories & Echoes for a minute, Thomas did an amazing job with that book, and I could see us doing more books like this if people wanted to continue to do them. I’m still hoping to get Memories & Echoes distributed through Diamond one day down the road because I think it was a great collection of works. The first book Ronin ever did, and was the jumping off point for the creation of Ronin Studios, is an anthology of works done for ACTOR and CBLDF. It’s been in the works for a few years now, as we’re just waiting for the release of the book now. I wish I could talk more about it, but we’re kind of in a holding pattern, waiting for the publisher to give us the go ahead.
NRAMA: What's next for Hope then?
CM: Thomas… Thomas… Thomas, wake up!
TM: A number of Hope: New Orleans stories weren't done in time for the Wizard World Chicago printing of the book and they'll be collected in a companion issue. If things go as planned, the companion should be ready for Baltimore in September.
The Chicago printing of the anthology is a limited run to give people a first taste. We're looking into getting the book into Previews and doing a bigger print run so that people can get the book at their local comic shops and support the cause that way. Actually, the book has the potential to appeal to the mass market, so getting it into normal bookstores would be a dream come true.
Since Hope: New Orleans is self-published with the help of creator contributions (that's how far their dedication goes!), money is unfortunately quite tight. While printing costs are pretty low, we still need starting capital to do a large enough print run to actually make a difference, get the book into as many people's hands as possible and make tons of money for the Red Cross' Katrina relief effort. We're discussing a money drive to raise the funds, so if anybody is out there who's got experience in this sort of thing, please email me at tom.mauer.1977@gmail.com . If people want to kick in to help the cause, they can email me as well.
The next release after Hope: New Orleans will be the above mentioned Hope: Tsunami Relief. After that, the sky's the limit!
CM: What’s next? A nap for Thomas. And then, more Hope.
<i>For more info, check out the official website at www.ronin-studios.com (http://www.ronin-studios.com/)</i>