NEIL KLEID ON ACTION, OHIO

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

When you think of "Action", what do you think of?

Probably last on that list is Ohio, but it's first for writer Neil Kleid. Action, Ohio is a town and a new webcomic Kleid and artist Paul Salvi have in the mix with this month's Zuda webcomics competition. Action, Ohio debuted in the May competition in first place and has consistently sat in the top threee… But what is Action, Ohio?

It's a secret town of superheroes, a town that served as inspiration for the comic book heroes of the Silver Age. The comics, you see, were a diversion to keep the real world away from the real thing, for as the comics says, "If America thought super heroes were fictional beings, it wouldn't go looking for them". But the smoke and mirrors that hide the town from the public eye begin to falter when a murder asks new questions.”

Kleid is an enterprising name in comics, having broke out from the pack with a 2003 Xeric award for his graphic novella Ninety Candles. He followed up that with Brownsville at NBM, Ursa Minors! at Slave Labor Graphics and several their works. But Action, Ohio is perhaps his biggest work to date – online for everyone at a prestigious pedestal that DC Comics created, and a chance to do a feature-length story if he wins the Zuda competition.

Newsarama: Thanks for talking with us today, Neil. Action, Ohio – what is it?

Neil Kleid: Let's put it this way, Chris: we live in the real world, and in the real world we know that there are no such thing as superheroes.

But what if, Chris, what if I told you that right along I-75, near the Michigan-Ohio border, a small town of superhumans, mysterymen, women, kids and aliens gifted with extraordinary abilities has been hidden from the world since the 1960s? Not only that, what if I told you that the thing that's been hiding this amazing town for over forty years is none other than the public idea of superheroes as fiction, hammered into the popular subconscious back since the birth of the Silver Age and delicately maintained into the 21st century?

NRAMA: I'd say you're lying.

NK: Your comic books are lying to you, people. Superheroes are alive and well, and they're hiding in Ohio.

Action, Ohio is about the real world revelation of this fact and the subsequent consequences and reactions on personal, communal and global levels. It's about one woman's private dilemma and the sacrifices she must make in order to help save the world. It's about the sins of the comic book industry and the secrets it's kept. And foremost, it's about an isolated community of heroes who must struggle to contain it's waking villains, keep a lid on those who would exploit it's resources and ensure that the inhabitants of the sleepy little town that once hid from the citizens of the world don't reach out, ignite and destroy them.

More literally, A B>Action, Ohio is a webcomic created by artist Paul Salvi and myself that appears in this month's Zudacomics competition through May 30. The selection appearing at Zuda is the eight page prologue, narrated by Silver Age comic book man Jack Goldberg, which sets the stage for the continuing series... but those pages will only be seen if readers vote for the comic at www.zudacomics.com/node/438 and add us as their favorite comic.

NRAMA: The two comic creators behind this, Lou and Jack. What are they about?

NK: A bit of history: this strip was originally a Marvel pitch called Marvel, Ohio. It's transformed many times over many years, swapping themes, motivations, characters and artists and while it entertained some editorial interest, it failed to get a green light. That being said, the characters of Jack Goldberg and Lou Kurtz are my homage to the men that had the largest hand in creating the Silver Age Marvel characters - Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. These are men to whom the astonishing, the spectacular, the incredible and the amazing are everyday dreams, lurking around in the background of their minds.

These men BELIEVE in superheroes and, in turn, believe in the town of Action. As such, upon discovering this isolated burg in the middle of America, leveled by sickness and weakness due to the aftermath of the atomic age, their hearts reach out to protect them, do what they can to prevent the Cold War nation from descending on the town to exploit its inhabitants any way they can. They hatch a plan; if they take the general personas inside the town, tweak their abilities and exaggerate them to epic, unbelievable proportions, they might be able to invent secret identities for these men and women, for this town, that would serve to divert the questioning eye of Joe and Jane Public. They construct a fictional facade, convincing the world that superheroes are inventions of paper and four-color ink, existing only in little boxes. And for the next forty years, they do their best to guard that facade with their lives.

NRAMA: Although not seen much in the preview, the lead for this series seems to be a Detective Andrea Bruce. What's she after?

NK: While we did begin our take with the back story, homicide detective Andrea Bruce is our lead, briefly appearing on the last page of the prologue. If you and I don't believe superheroes exist, you can be damn sure Andi doesn't. She doesn't have much use for heroes - hers, her younger brother, was murdered years ago. Since then, the only person she believes in is herself and the innocent children that are taken advantage of throughout the city of Detroit. Boys and girls that could use a hero. So when one of them shows up on a slab in the county morgue, the word 'GENOCIDE COMES' carved into what appears to be an honest to god teenage body made of ice, she vows to bring the boy's killer to justice... and find out just how such a unique kid came to be. Unfortunately, the trail isn't easy to follow and it takes an accident and a group of elderly superhumans to open her eyes and show her that while she may not have any use for heroes, the world does... and the worst thing that can happen is letting the world find them.

But she's torn - she has to choose between solving her case and opening the lid on a Pandora's Box of evil closed forty years ago, or putting aside her vendetta to help a band of heroes contain their existence and freedoms.

NRAMA: The end of the preview ends with the tease about where are the superhero counterparts in this world – the supervillians. What can you tell us?

NK: I can tell you that they're closer than you think... and, like most popular supervillains, they may not think they're evil. Oh — and some of the heroes may just be villains, too.

Look — there have been grand villains gracing the pages of comic books since Dr. Doom orated his first monologue years ago. There have also been the gangsters, the lackeys, the nihilists, the conquerors and the martyrs. Now, if all of our heroes are based on someone... if the man without fear, the fastest man alive, the sentinel of liberty, the world's greatest adventurers actually do exist.. if all of those fictional do-gooders are hiding somebody, what makes us think that their counterparts aren't based on real people, too? Sure — they could be made up, they could be fictional and complete inventions... but now that you know the Scarlet Wasp, the Science Squad, the Soldier, Action Figure and the Flying Fortress are real, are flesh and blood with the same abilities, the same hopes and dreams... aren't you a little worried that the world-eaters, the despots and the mob bosses are too?

One of the things I love about the classic Goldberg-Kurtz villains is that they have the same very human flaws their enemies do. We can relate to some aspect of their psyche, some bit of their personality helps us step into their shoes... and it's that humanity that tears the facade aside - how can these men and women, these evil men and women with powerful goals and powerful failings not be based on someone with those very real, very human flaws?

NRAMA: Not only are you two doing a comic online, but you're participating in a unique competition to see which one gets financed to go forward for a full graphic-novel length story. What's this month been like for you so far?

NK: It's been extremely intense - the ranking has changed a great deal over the last three weeks and we spend most nights thinking of ways to get more people to vote, more people to support the comic. Composing chain emails, building production blogs and web banners, doing interviews and just generally living our lives for the comic has been exhausting but fun! The nice thing is that we've had a lot of great people key in on the comic and offered support and some nice comments have come our way.

I'll admit that I'm not one for competition and confrontation and thing that are said and done on the internet have a tendency to be taken the wrong way. I've already been taken to task for the way I've aggressively campaigned for B>Action, Ohio and have been called all types of things from 'genius' to 'clever' to 'gloater' to 'whore'.

Look - I'm an indie cartoonist and small press writer; the one thing I know how to do is get the word out on whatever it is I'm working on because if I don't, who will? Even more so when it's in an 'American Idol' style contest where every vote counts. Sadly, I'm sure I've lost a few votes and supporters along the way but what gets me is how personally some people take it. All I can hope for is that people judge our comic based on the work and whether or not they want to see more.

NRAMA: And when does this month's competition end?]

NK: We're done on May 30th but until then you can vote for, rate and favorite ACTION, OHIO at www.zudacomics.com/node/438

You can also check out the production blog at http://actionohio.blogspot.com and friend www.myspace.com/actionohio where you can find early sketches, behind the scenes commentary and web banners, web flyers and promotional materials you can use in spreading the word. Also, once you've voted, please leave a comment and let the team know what you thought.

Sure, this is a great competition and great experience and whether we win or lose, I'm happy to have been chosen to participate. Paul and I got to showcase our comic, a project we're both very proud of, to a large audience who hopefully enjoyed what we had to share. We may win, we may not - but no matter what happens readers haven't heard the last of us and we both hope that they support whatever work we produce in the future.

That being said, we really, really want to win.

[SpaceButler]

Interesting. This could be a great strip!

[caanan]

DAY-amn, Neil... Newsarama! That's pretty big!

You're unstoppable.

And you do indeed have a great comic. If I lose to you, I can deal with that. Cheers!

[neil kleid]

Back atcha, Canaan.

Thanks to Chris and Matt for doing the article - every little bit helps! Wouldnt you know it that the day this goes up there's BIG DISNEY NEWS and the article gets pushed below the fold

There's ONE DAY LEFT TO VOTE! Please head to www.zudacomics.com/node/438 to register, vote for us and add us to your favorites.

and thanks!

[LeeRocker419]

I really liked the comic. Being from Ohio, I have one question. You said it was close to the OH-MI border and on I-75 which would be near Toledo in Lucas county. But then you state several times that it is in Cuyahoga county which would be near Cleveland. So, where is it?