GOING TO THE DOCTOR: ALLAN GROSS ON DOCTOR CYBORG

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

“When your family and friends only survive in your memories – then getting your memories back is their only hope for life.”

Just when you thought you’d have to wait for another Mike Oeming project, Doctor Cyborg: Outpatient offers an unexpected surprise. The graphic novel is due out this June and is solicited in April. And if you can’t wait that long, check out the Doctor Cyborg theme song at: http://www.insightstudiosgroup.com/d...sic/theme.html

Author Allan Gross started this project with Oeming back in 1999. At the time (before Powers or Hammer of the Gods), Oeming was working as a night watchman and trying to get his career in comics jump-started. When Powers took off, Doctor Cyborg was put on hold, however, over the years Gross and Oeming managed to find time to slowly continue work. Meanwhile, net surfers tuned in to the daily strip at the Insight Studios Group www.SunnyFundays.com website. It was “tooncasted” using Steve Conley’s (Astounding Space Thrills) technology worldwide and is currently running on web pages in several countries, including a German translation.

But, the ending was delayed. Now it is finally here and this overlooked gem is complete and ready for prime time through Image Comics.

Gross, working through Insight Studios, has written children’s television, as well as Tarzan for the syndicated newspaper strip and Dark Horse comics. He has also written for DC Comics (Flash, Argus) and a variety of other genres, such as coffee table art books and science fiction stories. Some people might even recognize him as Al, the conspiracy theory bartender in Frank Cho’s Liberty Meadows.

Now he gives us a peak into the head of Doctor Cyborg…

Newsarama: What is the premise of Doctor Cyborg: Outpatient?

Allan Gross: Doctor Cyborg: Outpatient is the story of a man, Malcolm Syberg, and his search for his children. Malcolm is released from a psychiatric institute and fights his own amnesia and the forces he believes to be controlling the world. He is extremely desperate, and willing to sacrifice his life to prove that he’s not crazy. It would be easy to accept that he is cured and that his scattered memories are lies. But for Malcolm, forgetting is not an option!

His search leads him into a variety of adventures that include meeting a strange scarred man, an invisible boy, a Time Tower where scientists have created a futuristic culture, a “Monster Messiah” who has come from space to create a cult of personality, and a genocidal killer working for a government agency so secret they don’t even know what the agency’s name stands for!

As a story, Doctor Cyborg: Outpatient is built on a conspiracy theory and science fiction framework, but at its heart it’s a suspenseful adventure and romance story. Malcolm searches for his identity and the motives of his home nurse, Gem McKenna. The mystery becomes deeper as Malcolm remembers more – and as he gets more emotionally attached to Gem. The closer he comes to the truth, the more he understands his own motivations – and they are at the heart of the shocking ending. It’s the type of story that male readers will enjoy and then hand to their girlfriends or wife and say, “Here, you’ll like this one too!”



NRAMA: Who is Malcolm Syberg, better known as Doctor Cyborg?

AG: That’s a good question. In fact, it’s the question that Malcolm Syberg is trying to answer. The story opens with Malcolm in a mental institute as a severe amnesiac. The only memory he is convinced is accurate is that his children are alive and that he will find them. As the story progresses, his memories continue to be restored. The mechanism by which they return is at the heart of his struggles to find his loved ones.

When the story begins, he is called Doctor Cyborg mainly in jest by the psychiatrist, Doctor Killdeer, who restored him to the point where he could leave the institute. But as Malcolm undertakes one wild adventure after another we find that he truly was a genius inventor of the Cold War, whose memories have been stripped away. But how were his memories erased and by whom?

Like any good mystery, the clues lead in a variety of directions and it really isn’t until you understand what’s at the heart of the character – and human nature itself – that insight comes. In a way, the search is thus a metaphor for self-discovery.

NRAMA: Who are the rest of the main and supporting characters? Tell us about the other cast members such as Doctor Killdeer, Nurse Gemini McKenna, Mick Watting, Genocide Jane, etc?

AG: One thing I really like about this story is the supporting cast. They all came alive for me, mainly because they are based in many ways on real people. Gem McKenna is the home nurse assigned to Malcolm Syberg. She is skeptical of his paranoid and wild accusations at first, but as the evidence accumulates, she slowly starts to believe him. She’s the type who is completely against gun ownership, but carries one for protection nonetheless.

Doctor Killdeer is the pompous psychiatrist that has allegedly cured Malcolm. Was it just for a mention in the psychiatric journals or does he have a more devious motivation? Then there are the scientists in the Time Tower, whose greatest accomplishment may be ridding the world of outdated encumbrances – like dress shoes and ties. Then there’s the Monster Messiah who may be an alien come to earth to start a cult of natural living. If you start to get the idea that this book is irreverent and that I enjoy poking fun at society, then you’re right! Oh, and of course the “Golf Club” are the power mongers that Malcolm believes rule the world!

But I also like human characters with emotional attachments, like Invisibilly, an overweight kid who gets a chance to be a super-hero. Mick Watting, the guard at the hospital is actually a funny story. He’s a throwaway character, whose name was based loosely on Mike’s name (hence Mick and “Watt” instead of “Ohm”). OK, it was a really bad pun based on my college electrical engineering background, but hey, that’s what writers do to keep themselves amused.

And finally, Genocide Jane is a secret agent who kills at will, but occasionally has a soft side. She actually runs through other strips (such as The Body) which we have run at the www.SunnyFundays.com website. And our fans will be seeing more of her and the other characters as we plan spin-offs into their own strips, particularly Slammer, The Monster Messiah. We’ve already started that one with Matt Cossin, another phenomenal artist (http://www.geocities.com/mattcossin).

If this sounds like a lot packed into a graphic novel – it is! And that’s the spirit – it’s a fun romp, but with an emotional payoff based on these characters. And in a way this is art imitating life, as the production of this story was also a group effort by an amazing cast of characters!

NRAMA: Other than Mike Oeming, who else was involved?

AG: Well, first was Mark Wheatley. Mark is currently creating and publishing Frankenstein Mobster at Image. Of course he’s known for a ton of other projects, like Breathtaker, Mars, The Black Hood, Hammer of the Gods, etc. etc. Mark actually created the high concept for Doctor Cyborg almost ten years ago when I was between jobs and looking for a project. He’s also designed the book, colored the cover and created a great package.



Mark is one of the best high concept guys in the industry and if he wasn’t having so much fun as the “mad scientist” behind Frankenstein Mobster (doing all the writing, art and the much desired screenplay), I’d say he should be running a line of comics for a major company or writing more screenplays. He’s also a fantastic editor and helped me out on this book in transforming it from a series of on-line strips to a complete and focused graphic novel.

And of course I can’t say enough about Mike Oeming’s work. I think what makes Mike’s work so accessible and popular it that he really understands life, emotions and people. He adds so much to a story. I particularly love the cover. He really captures the essence of Malcolm’s search. There are lots of artists who can draw, but the number of storytellers is limited. The fact that Mike stuck with this project shows the faith he has in the material. And he can pick good ones! He’s been a lightening rod for success and movie options, mainly because he attaches himself to great projects and knows how to deliver a story with impact. He has been able to move from strictly doing art to great work as writer because of his natural abilities as a visual storyteller.

And I’ve been lucky that when Mike was bogged down I was able to get Adrian Salmon and Neil Vokes to help fill in. Neil is a true veteran of comics, not to mention one of Mike’s closest friends. I think the work Neil did (penciling) on one of the segments, called The Tapestry (when it ran on the web) is exceptional. It’s a fairy tale tucked into the plot line and Neil nailed it. He’s really reached a new level recently with his work on Parliament of Justice and The Black Forest. I admit it. I’m a big fan of his work. I wanted him to continue the work on Doctor Cyborg, but he was too busy. Fortunately, he came through by introducing me to Adrian Salmon. And Mike definitively seconded the choice, seeing what a talent Adrian was.

Adrian stepped in to work on some layouts and the entire last story arc. His work blends so well with Mike’s that it’s really hard to tell where one ends and the next begins. For example, both are used on the back cover montage and you’d never know who drew what. Adrian is from England, and this book should showcase him to an American audience. And they should also get to enjoy him on future Doctor Cyborg material as well as another top-secret web strip that will be developed for the SunnyFundays.com site!

As if that wasn’t enough, I was very fortunate to have John Staton to do the color work on the book. I think people will be blown away by the depth and feel he brings to the color. John is also a phenomenal talent in the Manga world and his new strip Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will soon premiere on SunnyFundays.com. And then Tim Wallace rounded out the group with the lettering – working above and beyond the call of duty to get the book out in time. Tim’s creative work is also available at the Insight Studios Group (http://www.insightstudiosgroup.com) web pages and I encourage everyone to come check it out and also chat with use at the message board (http://www.comicscommunity.com/boards/insight/) for more information. That’s the beauty of Insight Studios: the collaborations, camaraderie and the long-term friendships and mutual respect. We’re looking forward to an absolutely power packed entertaining year at Insight Studios.

NRAMA: Insight Studios collected the five-issue Doctor Cyborg miniseries as a graphic novel called The Clone Conspiracy. What was that tale about?

AG: Yes, The Clone Conspiracy is the prequel to this book. It deals with the original story that Malcolm is struggling to remember. It takes place in the 1960s when Malcolm and his children were attacked by an anti-technology terrorist. The original series was really a mouthpiece for my interest in conspiracy theory. At the time I was exploring issues like the Dead Sea Scrolls cover up, the Shakespeare Authorship Controversy, and the Government’s Atomic Testing in the West and its affects on the population. So, I wrote stories that touched on these themes and then followed them up with my research in essays called “Cyborgasms”.

Outpatient ties in aspects of conspiracy theory, but is more geared to adventure and romance. However, my plans for Doctor Cyborg include a return to those original roots. The next story line will deal with more modern day conspiracies, including the role of the Federal Reserve in bankrupting our country and the disastrous Government policies that are endangering the health of everyone on the planet. These are terrifyingly real and need to be exposed. From my point of view there is no better way to do that than with a fictionalized story. This can portray the truth more effectively than any author’s rant!



NRAMA: Is The Clone Conspiracy essential reading before one reads Doctor Cyborg: Outpatient?

AG: No, The Clone Conspiracy is not essential reading, however I made sure that anyone who had read The Clone Conspiracy would not be disappointed. In fact they will appreciate Outpatient even more, particularly the ending and the continuity of the characters. However, first and foremost, I wanted to make sure that Outpatient was a complete and satisfying read to newcomers. It also left room for more Doctor Cyborg stories in between the two series, as well as the ongoing stories that will take up where Outpatient ends. And I can tell you that the next stories will really push the limits. While The Clone Conspiracy told the story of the past, Outpatient told the story of an inner search. The next stories will expose the painful truth of the future that is being created by the abuse of power in the world today. There will be no holds barred.

NRAMA: And how is Outpatient connected to the online strips on the Insight Studios website?

AG: Outpatient is a collection of the strips that have run at the website (www.SunnyFundays.com). However, there are some major changes. It’s nice to have that luxury, and I’ve taken full advantage of it to provide a much more powerful and integrated story than was possible when writing an on-line strip. You are forced in a daily strip to tell a story a certain way, often repeating yourself for continuity between days and stories. In a graphic novel this isn’t necessary.

It was really amazing how creating the graphic novel really transformed the story from a group of loosely coupled to adventures to a more gripping adventure story and a highly focused emotion packed journey. It’s been very satisfying for me to watch the progression. Often as a writer you have a good idea of the characters and the plots but it isn’t until you’ve finished a first draft that you really understand your high concept and the true story that you’re telling. The impact is completely different. I guess you could say it’s like the DVD version of the Director’s cut. But that is an understatement.

Of course the most important aspect is that this version contains the final two story arcs (“The Monster Messiah” and “The Athena Gambit”) which have yet to run on the website. Another huge bonus is seeing the artwork in print. Some of the artwork has been updated and modified to take advantage of techniques you can do in a book but not on the Internet. And most important you can see it at a larger size and in high resolution, which makes a world of difference particularly with Mike’s art and the amazing color work.



NRAMA: Speaking of the other strips on the SunnyFundays website. Are they related?

AG: They are related in several ways. First, they are all related in that people who work at Insight Studios (or are associated with Insight Studios) do them all. Second, some of the strips even live “in the same universe”. For example, a couple years ago we ran a strip that Mark Wheatley and I wrote called The Body. Gray Morrow illustrated it. (Mark continued it after Gray’s death). There were crossover characters, such as Genocide Jane. The Body was hugely successful, attracting a wide audience. Like Doctor Cyborg, bringing in tens of thousands of hits a day. The Body will also be back at some point, when Mark has some free time. We’ve already written the final segment of the story arc and once it’s illustrated, that should be collected as well. It features some of Gray Morrow’s best work – and it deserves to see print. We also had fun last Halloween and ran a Halloween Webstravaganza where everyone did the other characters strips. These crossovers were a lot of fun (http://www.sunnyfundays.com/halloween_index.html).

This is still up on the site and I highly recommend people surf the site. In addition to the strips (and the archives) there are all sorts of goodies, such as extra background and character information on Doctor Cyborg. Also, there are biographies of all the Insight Studios players. On my section you can read some of my “Cyborgasms” – which are just little essays on a variety of subjects. There is also a link to our Discussion Board where all the Insight folk can interact with our readers, which is fun. And of course the new Doctor Cyborg theme song. This was a lot of fun. When Worlds of Westfield approached us asking for a special promotion, I decided to make them a CD that they could use as a giveaway. It’ll have twelve songs I wrote of many years in a band. The Doctor Cyborg song is new. We’re always trying to add exciting things, as well as keep new strips running. Mark Wheatley did this with a theme song for Frankenstein Mobster on the website and got a great response. And of course, we love to help support the distributors and shops in any way we can. So we’ll also be making up posters and prints for them.

NRAMA: What can you reveal about the other strips?

AG: Well, at the moment I’m involved with one other major project called Cryptozoo Crew with an up and coming new talent, Jerry Carr doing the art. It’s about a Cryptozoologist named Tork Darwyn who has a great understanding of unique animals, but can never figure out his wife! And of course there is the Frankenstein Mobster strip and a short Hammer of the Gods story that Mark and Mike Oeming did to help preview the series. There are also other great strips including Marc Hempel’s Naked Brain and Harry Roland’s Trying Times. Marc’s work is always hilarious and outrageous and Harry has taken up where Gray Morrow left off with some dynamic art in the spirit of the great illustrators. You can catch up to all of them through the archives. Another great feature is that the website uses Steve Conley’s Tooncasting software, so that anyone can take the HTML code provided at the page and actually run the strip on their own home page (for free!) if they prefer. Or just bookmark www.SunnyFundays.com and come back every day for your daily dose of adventure or humor.

NRAMA: So, what’s next?

AG: Well, I’m most excited about getting back out to the conventions this year. The whole gang should be at San Diego and Philly and we’re really looking forward to hanging out with the fans. When I published The Clone Conspiracy, I had a great time talking with fans about the story and the strange themes. I really look forward to this and I can’t wait to see what people think about Outpatient. I think they’ll be amazed at the range of story and art contained in this book. Mike really did a nice job, showing quite a range. And I should have some copies of the CD available as well. I’m calling it Doctor Cyborg’s Sonic Cyborgasms. It’s sort of the Ramones meet Elvis Costello. That’s my roots as a songwriter. Fun and angst. Much like Doctor Cyborg: Outpatient!

[morty5]

Oeming is the man, so this might be pretty good

[Neil Vokes]

Originally posted by morty5
Oeming is the man, so this might be pretty good

--Mike IS most certainly so "the man",but i guarentee you'll be saying that about adrian salmon's work as well, very soon ;o)

[GeorgeG]

To be honest, I'd like to learn more about this Cryptozoo Crew title. If they're in Philly this year, I'll stop by their booth & check out what they have to offer.

[Neil Vokes]

Originally posted by GeorgeG
To be honest, I'd like to learn more about this Cryptozoo Crew title. If they're in Philly this year, I'll stop by their booth & check out what they have to offer.

--Cryptozoo is a hoot and a half-al and jerry (who is also our webmeister at www.Theblackforest.net ) are having a lot of fun with this title-do come check them out

[Allan Gross]

Thanks for the interest in our new book. Artist Jerry Carr and I will be at Philly with brand new (and even better!) Cryptozoo Crew ashcans. The response to the first one - and the online strip at www.sunnyfundays.com has been amazing - we've had comic shops ask us when the book is coming out and fan letters from (yes, believe it or not) women. Don't worry guys - Jerry still will be drawing nice Tara pinups for you at the booth - but you'll be able to give the book to your girlfriends and wives (or both!) and they'll like it too.

And I should have the Doctor Cyborg CD out then too as well as signed prints. The book will have to wait 'til San Diego. I really love the cover Mike did and I think the hordes of Oeming fans will REALLY get a kick out of this book since it covers a wide range to topic. I'm always amazed by how expressive Mike's art can be. And the work Neil did is gorgeous. He's still mad at me for having him draw a "loom". But when you take his work with the gorgeous coloring job John Staton, it's gonna create something eye-popping!

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone one at Philly. Hopefully by then we'll also have news on more Doctor Cyborg stories and who and how we'll be publishing Cryptozoo Crew!

-allan