Q & A with Ian Healy

Ian Healy has brought us a number of cool superhero novels in his Just Cause universe. He's coming out with a new one in april, JACKRABBIT. I interviewed him about the book.

Tell us - what is 'Jackrabbit' about?
Jackrabbit is a tale about how the fate of the entire world rests on the shoulders of a couple of seventeen-year-old kids and how they respond to an unimaginable threat. When a nonhuman god and his minions from beyond the realm of human imagination invades both the dimension known as Gods' Home and the Earth, it violates the most basic, sacred laws of the deities. It falls to the only two gods who still have the ability to summon Heralds, the God of Rabbits and the Goddess of Bluebirds, to select their Heralds and send them off to save the world. If they fail, it means the end of not only the Earth, but of the domain of human gods as well.

To readers of what comics will it appeal?
Jackrabbit certainly has some very cosmic qualities to it that would appeal to readers of Thor or the New Gods. On the other hand, the lop-eared hero himself is very grounded and almost self-aware that he's a character in a story. For people who like the goofy fun of the Amazing Spider-Man, or Blue Beetle, Jackrabbit will seem familiar and comforting to them.

Where can we find the book? 
Jackrabbit will be on sale at all online retailers in both ebook and print formats on April 1, 2014. Before then, you can sign up for the Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to win one of three signed ARCs https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/81665-jackrabbit or you can preorder the ebook editions from Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/jackrabbit and Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/406990

How do you think superheroes work out in prose, and why did you decide to take a stab at it? 
I think superheroes work just fine in prose, because the stories have to be about real, believable characters. Just because they happen to have superpowers doesn't mean the stories have to lack in other aspects of reality. I strive to make my superhero tales about people first and foremost, and their powers are just special effects or tools. Most of my stories could be re-edited to happen entirely without any kind of powers and still work.
I've wanted to write superheroes since I was a kid. Now, at least, I have an idea of what I'm doing.

Who is your favourite comic book hero, and who's your favourite creator?
I think my favorite hero of all time has to be The Question (DC), who wasn't defined by his lack of powers so much as he was by his insatiable curiosity. A close second would be the Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (Ted Kord version) partnership. Those guys had the best friendship I've ever seen in comics, and the sheer wackiness of the situations they got into never failed to bring a smile to my face.
My favorite creator is Alan Moore, because with Watchmen, he showed me that comic books could be about far more than just heroes punching bad guys. He made me want to write stories that were as powerful as his.

What is it about superheroes that appeals to people so much and why are there so many comic book movies now?
Superheroes are the contemporary equivalents of the legendary heroes of old like Hercules, John Henry, Paul Bunyan, and Wild Bill Hickock. Humans always dream of characters far more powerful than we are. It gives us something to strive toward.
The main reason there are so many comic book movies now is because the first few made mad money. Studios only care about the bottom line. If Christopher Nolan's Batman movies had tanked, or the Avengers had tanked, I promise you there would be virtually no superheroes on the big screen now. Eventually the wave will crest, like it did in the '90s with the Joel Schumacher Batman films, and then superheroes will be absent for awhile (Until somebody of influence picks up a copy of Just Cause and realizes that it would be a phenomenal movie!).

For more information about Ian Healy go to:

 Twitter (http://twitter.com/ianthealy), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/authorianthomashealy), Scenic http://www.ianthealy.com, and  Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/author/ianhealy)

Cosmos # 1 Free Preview.

This is a cool preview...It sets the stage for the big Advent Comics event Cosmos, introducing main players like Neo (who lives in the 49th century and has a very cool costume),  Genesis (who reminds me of Adam Warlock / Him) and the Outcast.
The main theme seems to be a lot of destruction on a galactic scale, but with superhero stories you know rebirth will be just around the corner as well.
The art is very professional, with a Ivan Reiss feel to it. The story has a Jonathan Hickman kind of feel and scale to it, with a lot of interesting threads being introduced which will be sure to lead to interesting stories.
Pick up this preview here.

Argo 5 # 10

Another fast moving quality comic featuring Argo 5. The art for this one has been done by several great artists like popular Warrior Nun artist Ben Dunn. We follow Argo 5 as they try to stop villain Charles Monroe from using a mysterious artefact. They end up battling several cool looking superheroes that reminded me of Hanna-Barbera cartoons. I especially dig Solar Condor.
Blue Dynamo shows again why he is my favorite of Argo 5, his dialogue is always real and fun.
I think especially artist Scott Jones did a great job and I'm going to see if I can find more of his work.
Good old-fashioned quality superheroes!
Pick up the book here.

Bounty Hunter # 0

Darren Walters is Bounty Hunter, a hero faced with an invasion of colorful characters from other dimensions. This plot serves as a good way to introduce many stars from other independent comics such as:  Ben Dunn's Warrior Nun Areala, Nigel Flood's Celtic Clan, Dave Ryan's Orcus and Math Mathonway.
He's recruited into the awesome War of the Independents, so we will see more of this character and see him interact with other independent heroes.
There's a lot of wild energy in this book, which makes it a cool comic to read because it has an enthusiasm that is contagious. The dialogue is pretty enjoyable and fun. I did think the plot moved a bit too fast, new elements introduced a bit too fast. Combined with the original art style it harmed the readability a bit, unfortunately. Perhaps a cleaner art style would have been more appropiate.

Mighty Titan # 2

Of course a lot of interest for this title comes from the character having cancer. Since I recently had to face the fact a close relative was diagnosed with this terrible disease made this comic impact me pretty hard. But there is more to it than just this original plot. The art is very professional and the fact Titan is a father with kids is just as original as the fact he has cancer.
In this issue we see how he deals with the diagnosis given him next issue and we see more of the mysterious villain lurking in the shadows. The conversations seem all so very real, which is no surprise because writer Joe Martino had to face cancer himself. I feel for Titan and his family. His condition had me care for his fate like no regular villain could ever hope to achieve for him.
This comic does everything a comic should do. It entertained me, made my laugh, made me cry and even gave me some comfort.
Give it a shot. For more info go here.

SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR NEW SUPERHERO FICTION BLOG

I love superhero prose... But there aren't many sites that feature that anymore. What I want to do is publish a blog with all-new superhero fiction.... Written by you?

I'm looking for short stories, about 2000 words maximum featuring superpowered heroes or costumed vigilantes. I want stories that embrace everything that makes superheroes cool: secret identities, awesome powers, evil villains.

I don't like pastiches or exact copies of known villains, neither am I looking for fan fiction.

There's no pay involved but I will be sure to include a bio and a link to any books or sites you want promoted.

You can contact me at jvdsteen@hotmail. Tell me about the story you want to tell and I will tell you if I am interested.

Advent Comics Handbook

I've loved sourcebooks ever since I first picked up a copy of a Marvel Universe Handbook. What a way to get to know a superhero and the universe he lives in.
This one introduced me to the Advent Comics Universe, which seems to be quite an interesting one. Among my favorite characters I count Rann Darklight and Savior.
The art is pretty mixed with some artwork looking like it was made with the Hero Machine software and some just looking amazing (for instance Michael's page).
All in all it is a pretty professional package with amazing coloring work and an interesting read. I will be sure to look out for some more Advent Comics.
Check it out here...