WEBVTT 00:00:03.338 --> 00:00:07.051 You are listening to the USDN on the 00:00:07.131 --> 00:00:08.455 DFPN. 00:00:39.957 --> 00:00:40.479 Thanks for watching! 00:01:10.983 --> 00:01:11.665 Hello there, 00:01:11.885 --> 00:01:13.146 and welcome to the United States 00:01:13.165 --> 00:01:13.885 Department of Nerds, 00:01:13.906 --> 00:01:15.066 where we are for the people, 00:01:15.206 --> 00:01:17.709 by the people, and of the people. 00:01:17.748 --> 00:01:18.569 And tonight, 00:01:19.069 --> 00:01:21.210 we are stepping into the twenty-eighth 00:01:21.251 --> 00:01:24.853 century in a world rebuilt on competition, 00:01:25.414 --> 00:01:27.615 spectacle, and survival. 00:01:28.296 --> 00:01:31.099 Civilization cleans to existence under the 00:01:31.138 --> 00:01:33.260 domes of franchise cities, 00:01:33.801 --> 00:01:36.022 where the most powerful currency isn't 00:01:36.102 --> 00:01:37.963 money or politics. 00:01:38.644 --> 00:01:42.426 it's victory our guest tonight donald 00:01:42.965 --> 00:01:45.746 thomas capello brings us into the world 00:01:45.787 --> 00:01:48.989 with powerscape a science fiction saga two 00:01:49.049 --> 00:01:51.549 decades in the making exploring what 00:01:51.609 --> 00:01:55.632 happens when humanity turns itself into a 00:01:55.751 --> 00:01:59.974 game donald welcome to the council of 00:02:00.054 --> 00:02:01.754 nerds how you doing tonight man 00:02:02.748 --> 00:02:03.468 I'm great, man. 00:02:03.629 --> 00:02:04.590 That was a great intro. 00:02:05.411 --> 00:02:07.111 Can I hire you a junior writer? 00:02:07.371 --> 00:02:09.373 It's what I do, man. 00:02:10.495 --> 00:02:11.997 If I'm going to be known for anything, 00:02:12.056 --> 00:02:14.919 it's going to be known for nailing intros. 00:02:16.396 --> 00:02:19.419 Nail intros and a fire intro theme, man. 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:21.099 I forgot. 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:21.780 I was like, oh, man, 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:22.341 I'm bouncing to that. 00:02:22.381 --> 00:02:22.901 That is good. 00:02:22.920 --> 00:02:25.122 Oh, yeah, dude. 00:02:25.462 --> 00:02:27.663 You got to have the good musical intro 00:02:27.864 --> 00:02:30.825 followed by the spoken word intro. 00:02:31.126 --> 00:02:34.268 And that's what I've perfected over time 00:02:34.367 --> 00:02:35.929 is that good intro. 00:02:36.288 --> 00:02:38.450 Everybody deserves a good intro. 00:02:39.070 --> 00:02:39.531 I like it. 00:02:39.570 --> 00:02:44.152 Here's what I perfected product promo 00:02:44.193 --> 00:02:44.832 placement here. 00:02:44.853 --> 00:02:45.252 If you look, 00:02:45.272 --> 00:02:46.933 I'm just going to turn naturally. 00:02:46.954 --> 00:02:48.033 There's the logo. 00:02:48.294 --> 00:02:49.455 There's PowerSkates right over there. 00:02:49.935 --> 00:02:50.835 That's at the end of the show. 00:02:51.055 --> 00:02:54.675 You're jumping the gun, man. 00:02:54.695 --> 00:02:55.736 You're jumping the gun. 00:02:56.509 --> 00:02:56.909 But hey, 00:02:56.969 --> 00:02:59.871 let's do jump in and start right at 00:02:59.911 --> 00:03:00.632 the heart of it. 00:03:00.671 --> 00:03:03.752 This story is set in twenty seven ninety 00:03:03.932 --> 00:03:05.372 eight A.D. 00:03:05.772 --> 00:03:08.354 where Powerball isn't just a game. 00:03:08.713 --> 00:03:10.314 It's the glue holding civilization 00:03:10.335 --> 00:03:10.814 together. 00:03:11.656 --> 00:03:13.915 What was the original spark for this 00:03:13.955 --> 00:03:14.616 concept? 00:03:15.037 --> 00:03:16.197 Was it sports culture, 00:03:16.276 --> 00:03:18.717 social commentary or something else that 00:03:18.758 --> 00:03:21.139 evolved into this world of franchise 00:03:21.179 --> 00:03:23.500 cities and its alien energy sources? 00:03:24.704 --> 00:03:25.965 That's a good question. 00:03:26.965 --> 00:03:28.705 I think it's a little of everything you 00:03:28.725 --> 00:03:29.705 just kind of mentioned. 00:03:31.627 --> 00:03:33.108 This idea started, I think, 00:03:33.147 --> 00:03:33.987 twenty years ago. 00:03:34.207 --> 00:03:36.468 I was traveling. 00:03:36.748 --> 00:03:38.110 I was studying abroad, actually, 00:03:38.150 --> 00:03:39.991 at the Globe Theatre in London. 00:03:41.770 --> 00:03:43.891 I was studying playwriting. 00:03:45.532 --> 00:03:46.673 Shout out to all my friends in the 00:03:46.793 --> 00:03:47.193 UK. 00:03:47.514 --> 00:03:48.614 Yeah, shout out to the Irish. 00:03:48.633 --> 00:03:49.715 Who are probably asleep right now. 00:03:50.734 --> 00:03:51.914 Yeah. 00:03:52.455 --> 00:03:52.694 Yeah. 00:03:52.854 --> 00:03:54.556 And I yeah, 00:03:55.056 --> 00:03:58.877 I basically shout out to my man, Andy, 00:03:58.918 --> 00:04:00.019 by the way, who's watching. 00:04:00.378 --> 00:04:02.240 Yeah, I left that up for you, Andy. 00:04:02.259 --> 00:04:03.480 Welcome to the council, man. 00:04:03.501 --> 00:04:05.201 It's a good man. 00:04:05.222 --> 00:04:05.581 Good man. 00:04:06.181 --> 00:04:06.502 So, yeah, 00:04:06.662 --> 00:04:11.824 I I was I was there basically kind 00:04:11.844 --> 00:04:14.586 of in between, you know, 00:04:14.605 --> 00:04:17.367 the events of nine eleven and black. 00:04:18.108 --> 00:04:21.649 And, uh, I was very aware of, um, 00:04:21.689 --> 00:04:24.211 you know, I mean, there, there were these, 00:04:24.372 --> 00:04:26.012 there was these sports narratives that 00:04:26.072 --> 00:04:28.473 were, we always had sports narratives, 00:04:28.574 --> 00:04:28.733 right? 00:04:28.754 --> 00:04:28.973 I mean, 00:04:28.994 --> 00:04:30.694 in the UK is a whole nother level 00:04:30.735 --> 00:04:32.536 when it comes to soccer though. 00:04:32.555 --> 00:04:33.096 For sure. 00:04:33.255 --> 00:04:33.997 Well, it wasn't, you know, 00:04:34.016 --> 00:04:34.456 what's interesting. 00:04:34.497 --> 00:04:35.677 It wasn't UK sport. 00:04:35.718 --> 00:04:36.877 I mean, definitely UK sports. 00:04:36.918 --> 00:04:37.959 I got to, I actually went to a, 00:04:38.478 --> 00:04:40.079 a hurling game, uh, in, 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:42.401 in Kilkenny and I got to see like 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:43.482 this, this, you know, which is, 00:04:43.502 --> 00:04:44.663 I don't know if you've ever seen hurling. 00:04:44.702 --> 00:04:46.223 It is a, it is a whole other, 00:04:46.603 --> 00:04:47.204 you know, yeah. 00:04:47.704 --> 00:04:48.684 It's really intense. 00:04:48.704 --> 00:04:49.504 It's pretty interesting. 00:04:49.843 --> 00:04:51.925 But it was that combined with kind of 00:04:51.964 --> 00:04:53.805 being outside of America and kind of 00:04:53.865 --> 00:04:56.045 seeing everything from the outside in and 00:04:56.165 --> 00:05:00.105 seeing how like we were there was so 00:05:00.165 --> 00:05:03.226 much of our our mental energy and 00:05:03.307 --> 00:05:05.247 everything we're aware of of what defines 00:05:05.326 --> 00:05:07.408 our culture and society was based on 00:05:07.788 --> 00:05:08.927 these, you know, 00:05:08.947 --> 00:05:10.867 this rhythm of like weekly contests, 00:05:10.927 --> 00:05:12.168 you know, the NFL for sure. 00:05:12.189 --> 00:05:12.588 Yeah. 00:05:12.769 --> 00:05:13.209 Yeah. 00:05:13.348 --> 00:05:13.889 And and 00:05:14.309 --> 00:05:14.569 you know, 00:05:14.649 --> 00:05:18.512 the gladiator kind of arena is kind of 00:05:18.531 --> 00:05:21.475 does hold things together when we are on 00:05:21.615 --> 00:05:22.396 unstable ground, 00:05:22.415 --> 00:05:23.495 when we're on shaky ground. 00:05:23.916 --> 00:05:27.740 And I was sort of kind of playing 00:05:27.779 --> 00:05:29.721 around with the idea of like, wow, 00:05:29.922 --> 00:05:30.122 you know, 00:05:30.161 --> 00:05:31.702 what is it to be system conscious? 00:05:31.742 --> 00:05:34.125 You know, 00:05:34.285 --> 00:05:35.805 when you talk to people and you ask 00:05:35.846 --> 00:05:36.127 them, 00:05:36.547 --> 00:05:37.887 what is the thing that's really holding 00:05:37.927 --> 00:05:38.848 together a society? 00:05:38.928 --> 00:05:39.129 Like, 00:05:39.329 --> 00:05:41.389 you know sometimes you have to bring up 00:05:41.449 --> 00:05:44.170 like what's more important like this this 00:05:44.250 --> 00:05:47.312 you know this um this major cultural event 00:05:47.351 --> 00:05:49.312 we all take part in or like the 00:05:49.372 --> 00:05:51.233 sewage system and everyone's like well 00:05:51.273 --> 00:05:53.014 yeah the sewage system obviously that's 00:05:53.053 --> 00:05:54.574 like a really important thing in our lives 00:05:54.654 --> 00:05:58.315 but but it's very um it it it 00:05:58.396 --> 00:06:01.416 it's secondary right it is not yeah it's 00:06:01.456 --> 00:06:03.177 not really we're not conscious of it we're 00:06:03.197 --> 00:06:05.598 not aware of it and until it stops 00:06:05.619 --> 00:06:05.959 working 00:06:06.678 --> 00:06:06.858 Yeah. 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:07.279 Yeah. 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:08.401 Until it's not there anymore. 00:06:08.440 --> 00:06:08.922 Exactly. 00:06:09.002 --> 00:06:11.704 And so I I started, you know, 00:06:11.725 --> 00:06:14.007 that and also just just sort of seeing 00:06:14.026 --> 00:06:14.588 where we're going, 00:06:14.627 --> 00:06:17.411 like ecologically and that we're on, 00:06:17.451 --> 00:06:19.733 how sustainable is our is everything. 00:06:20.213 --> 00:06:20.954 I kind of was like, well, 00:06:20.995 --> 00:06:22.555 what if we just play this to the 00:06:22.596 --> 00:06:23.658 to its most extreme? 00:06:23.677 --> 00:06:25.298 Like, what if what if we really, 00:06:25.358 --> 00:06:25.620 you know, 00:06:25.660 --> 00:06:28.562 we we we're not able to stop ecological 00:06:28.603 --> 00:06:28.742 change? 00:06:28.802 --> 00:06:30.283 you know, collapse and everything. 00:06:30.524 --> 00:06:33.886 And but we we kind of because what 00:06:34.005 --> 00:06:35.666 I think you are seeing with humanity is 00:06:35.706 --> 00:06:38.949 the capacity to build technology that ten 00:06:38.988 --> 00:06:41.050 years before is like not even imagined. 00:06:41.511 --> 00:06:43.892 And so what if our capacity to build 00:06:43.973 --> 00:06:46.634 technology keeps going the way it's going, 00:06:47.095 --> 00:06:49.656 but we don't learn the lessons of how 00:06:49.716 --> 00:06:51.377 to stay, you know, 00:06:51.516 --> 00:06:52.117 in a livable 00:06:52.398 --> 00:06:52.978 planet. 00:06:52.997 --> 00:06:54.319 No, absolutely. 00:06:54.678 --> 00:06:58.781 And I think why PowerScape did was kind 00:06:58.841 --> 00:07:01.302 of really showcase that to the very 00:07:01.322 --> 00:07:02.343 extreme, 00:07:02.944 --> 00:07:06.346 which from a social commentary standpoint, 00:07:06.526 --> 00:07:09.507 it's kind of like as a person just 00:07:09.588 --> 00:07:11.189 reading it for the first time and going, 00:07:12.269 --> 00:07:12.829 damn, 00:07:13.911 --> 00:07:15.391 I hope that's not the route we're going 00:07:15.432 --> 00:07:15.752 down. 00:07:16.331 --> 00:07:16.812 Yeah. 00:07:16.892 --> 00:07:19.653 It's a very scary thought when the 00:07:19.733 --> 00:07:20.714 government or your 00:07:21.413 --> 00:07:24.819 your your city is like hey if we 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:27.985 don't win powerball yeah your asses ain't 00:07:28.024 --> 00:07:30.810 eating yeah yeah and essentially the idea 00:07:30.829 --> 00:07:32.533 it's scary to think about and then you 00:07:32.572 --> 00:07:34.375 like you kind of look at stuff going 00:07:34.435 --> 00:07:35.197 on currently 00:07:36.271 --> 00:07:38.552 And you're like, wait a damn minute. 00:07:39.855 --> 00:07:40.154 You know, 00:07:40.235 --> 00:07:42.437 that's funny you said that because the I 00:07:42.476 --> 00:07:44.478 think the cherry on top, like I said, 00:07:44.579 --> 00:07:46.180 I held off on this story for twenty 00:07:46.221 --> 00:07:46.882 something years. 00:07:47.581 --> 00:07:49.483 A lot of it was I was not 00:07:49.644 --> 00:07:51.086 in the comic book industry. 00:07:51.146 --> 00:07:53.028 I didn't I didn't know enough people to. 00:07:53.168 --> 00:07:55.069 And it's one of those industries to this. 00:07:55.410 --> 00:07:55.790 Yeah. 00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:56.872 Unless, you know, you know. 00:07:57.850 --> 00:08:00.170 yeah unless you know somebody who knows 00:08:00.211 --> 00:08:03.892 yeah yeah it's very hard to get into 00:08:03.973 --> 00:08:06.134 and to really want to roll the dice 00:08:06.194 --> 00:08:08.815 and try to play in because it's scary 00:08:09.555 --> 00:08:11.036 it's scary and it's i mean it's it's 00:08:11.197 --> 00:08:12.497 just like just like film it's it's 00:08:12.557 --> 00:08:14.117 expensive right it's like if you're going 00:08:14.137 --> 00:08:15.778 to commit to something you've got to oh 00:08:15.798 --> 00:08:17.879 yeah your capital your life your you know 00:08:17.899 --> 00:08:19.581 your energy and uh and 00:08:19.901 --> 00:08:21.081 the people who do it i mean i 00:08:21.122 --> 00:08:22.742 have a huge amount of respect for people 00:08:22.762 --> 00:08:24.403 who have been doing it you know for 00:08:24.442 --> 00:08:25.863 longer than i have i grew up with 00:08:25.903 --> 00:08:27.805 comics comics were kind of like my first 00:08:28.245 --> 00:08:30.185 the first thing that i really sort of 00:08:30.706 --> 00:08:32.927 as the first medium that i really sort 00:08:32.966 --> 00:08:35.687 of started exploring storytelling and i 00:08:35.707 --> 00:08:36.969 think that's why i came back to it 00:08:37.009 --> 00:08:39.210 now is um i'm in a place where 00:08:40.070 --> 00:08:40.490 I, you know, 00:08:40.510 --> 00:08:42.993 we're all seeing the world's just changing 00:08:43.033 --> 00:08:43.893 in so many ways. 00:08:44.313 --> 00:08:47.115 It's really such a great medium to use 00:08:47.196 --> 00:08:48.957 as a storytelling front. 00:08:48.977 --> 00:08:52.900 Because really nothing is off limits when 00:08:52.941 --> 00:08:54.261 it comes to comic books. 00:08:54.562 --> 00:08:55.222 Yeah. 00:08:55.263 --> 00:08:57.284 You can literally tell whatever story you 00:08:57.384 --> 00:08:57.845 want. 00:08:58.184 --> 00:08:59.025 Yeah. 00:08:59.105 --> 00:09:00.988 And there's going to be an audience for 00:09:01.067 --> 00:09:01.148 it. 00:09:01.618 --> 00:09:03.980 yeah and and and there are there are 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.341 layers to stories like i go back and 00:09:06.383 --> 00:09:08.183 i read things now and i'm like oh 00:09:08.504 --> 00:09:10.586 i like oh this was meant to like 00:09:10.726 --> 00:09:13.229 be enjoyed on a short term like one 00:09:13.729 --> 00:09:16.032 one read or oh no this is like 00:09:16.072 --> 00:09:17.413 just in case you want to go back 00:09:17.493 --> 00:09:19.794 yeah tie these together to a greater yep 00:09:19.815 --> 00:09:21.397 and that's what i love about like some 00:09:21.437 --> 00:09:23.619 of the one-shot comic books that you do 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:24.318 get is 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:25.220 Yep. 00:09:25.259 --> 00:09:26.701 We get it in a one shot right 00:09:26.760 --> 00:09:27.100 now. 00:09:27.662 --> 00:09:28.923 And then five years from now, 00:09:28.942 --> 00:09:30.683 they're going to push another one shot 00:09:31.303 --> 00:09:32.985 based off that same first story. 00:09:33.005 --> 00:09:34.966 But it's kind of like the next piece 00:09:35.047 --> 00:09:35.246 of it. 00:09:35.267 --> 00:09:36.947 That's just a single one shot as well. 00:09:37.489 --> 00:09:39.350 You can read them together or not. 00:09:39.429 --> 00:09:41.772 It does not matter because technically it 00:09:41.892 --> 00:09:43.052 is two different stories. 00:09:43.113 --> 00:09:45.754 But if you put both together because it's 00:09:45.793 --> 00:09:47.095 the same characters, right? 00:09:47.475 --> 00:09:47.615 Yeah, 00:09:47.635 --> 00:09:49.177 it's almost it's not necessarily a 00:09:49.216 --> 00:09:50.738 continuation of the story. 00:09:52.312 --> 00:09:53.452 but it can be, 00:09:53.552 --> 00:09:54.854 and it can flow that way. 00:09:55.354 --> 00:09:55.894 Absolutely. 00:09:56.134 --> 00:09:56.294 Yeah. 00:09:56.315 --> 00:09:58.636 And there's a lot of really good comments. 00:09:59.138 --> 00:09:59.498 Yeah. 00:09:59.658 --> 00:10:00.578 It's flexible in the mind and the 00:10:00.619 --> 00:10:01.639 experience of the audience. 00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:02.080 Right. 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:02.740 Like for sure. 00:10:02.780 --> 00:10:03.360 Exactly. 00:10:03.760 --> 00:10:04.042 Yeah. 00:10:04.062 --> 00:10:05.903 So let's, well, 00:10:05.923 --> 00:10:07.543 I just wanted to say real quick, you, 00:10:07.684 --> 00:10:08.764 you put the cherry on top of, 00:10:08.885 --> 00:10:10.386 I think what got this, 00:10:10.447 --> 00:10:12.207 cause it got to a point where like 00:10:12.307 --> 00:10:13.528 for the last few years, 00:10:13.690 --> 00:10:15.071 I just couldn't stop thinking of the 00:10:15.091 --> 00:10:15.390 story. 00:10:16.051 --> 00:10:17.472 That's why I'm doing it is I'm like, 00:10:17.613 --> 00:10:18.432 I literally was like, 00:10:18.734 --> 00:10:20.375 I'm going to go insane because every time 00:10:20.394 --> 00:10:21.576 I go to bed, right. 00:10:22.196 --> 00:10:23.256 It's riding itself. 00:10:23.476 --> 00:10:24.957 And, you know, those are the ideas, 00:10:25.018 --> 00:10:26.519 you know, my mentors have told me, 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:28.421 those are the ones you pursue. 00:10:28.721 --> 00:10:30.783 Go after those ideas no matter where they 00:10:30.842 --> 00:10:31.043 are. 00:10:32.043 --> 00:10:35.105 But I will never forget being in Los 00:10:35.186 --> 00:10:35.525 Angeles. 00:10:35.566 --> 00:10:37.366 I think it was like, I was there, 00:10:37.726 --> 00:10:37.988 you know, 00:10:38.048 --> 00:10:39.928 I lived there for over a decade. 00:10:40.109 --> 00:10:43.291 And I want to say it was like, 00:10:43.431 --> 00:10:45.972 and the Lakers, as usual, 00:10:46.013 --> 00:10:46.734 are in the playoffs. 00:10:47.293 --> 00:10:48.455 And, you know, or no, 00:10:48.514 --> 00:10:49.775 I think it's something like that. 00:10:49.796 --> 00:10:50.557 I think it was the one they went 00:10:50.576 --> 00:10:50.616 to. 00:10:50.636 --> 00:10:50.836 Okay, yeah. 00:10:52.297 --> 00:10:54.798 With Shaq and Kobe was there. 00:10:54.818 --> 00:10:54.899 Yeah. 00:10:54.918 --> 00:10:55.078 Not Shaq. 00:10:55.099 --> 00:10:55.479 I think it wasn't. 00:10:55.499 --> 00:10:56.339 I think it was. 00:10:56.359 --> 00:10:57.899 It was the Orlando, Orlando finals. 00:10:57.980 --> 00:10:58.200 I think. 00:10:59.100 --> 00:10:59.500 Okay. 00:10:59.561 --> 00:10:59.841 Whatever. 00:11:00.061 --> 00:11:00.740 I'm getting into, 00:11:00.780 --> 00:11:01.682 I'm getting into the sports side, 00:11:01.881 --> 00:11:03.962 but anyway, the, I was, I was, 00:11:04.163 --> 00:11:04.462 I was, 00:11:04.822 --> 00:11:05.884 I'm there at a bar with a couple 00:11:05.903 --> 00:11:07.663 of friends and we're eating and this guy 00:11:07.724 --> 00:11:10.206 comes up and he's selling, 00:11:10.785 --> 00:11:12.005 he's selling these jerseys, 00:11:12.547 --> 00:11:14.346 Lakers jerseys, Laker paraphernalia. 00:11:14.407 --> 00:11:14.606 Right. 00:11:14.647 --> 00:11:16.388 And he's got this whole apparatus. 00:11:16.648 --> 00:11:17.609 He looks like a peacock. 00:11:17.649 --> 00:11:18.269 Like it's sticky. 00:11:18.989 --> 00:11:20.149 I've seen those before. 00:11:20.289 --> 00:11:22.210 yeah horrible but like this is just a 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:24.370 guy walking into a random bar and he 00:11:24.410 --> 00:11:26.811 this is what he does he goes and 00:11:27.130 --> 00:11:28.331 and like i'm like looking at his stuff 00:11:28.351 --> 00:11:29.892 i'm like wow dude this is like an 00:11:30.131 --> 00:11:31.892 operation here and he's like yeah and he 00:11:31.912 --> 00:11:33.393 looks at me he's like yeah man this 00:11:33.413 --> 00:11:35.133 has been feeding my family for like ten 00:11:35.153 --> 00:11:36.852 years like and i'm like yeah yeah and 00:11:36.873 --> 00:11:38.514 then like we look i'm watching the game 00:11:38.894 --> 00:11:40.173 and he's like yeah you know if they 00:11:40.193 --> 00:11:42.034 don't go to the finals i don't i 00:11:42.054 --> 00:11:43.815 don't know how i'm gonna support my kids 00:11:44.375 --> 00:11:44.875 And then he's like, 00:11:45.196 --> 00:11:46.136 you want to buy a jersey? 00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:48.679 I was like, wait, 00:11:48.760 --> 00:11:49.822 is he pulling those on me? 00:11:50.042 --> 00:11:51.724 But I don't think it was Lyon, right? 00:11:51.923 --> 00:11:53.346 Then he goes outside and gets in his 00:11:53.385 --> 00:11:54.567 Lamborghini and drives off. 00:11:54.587 --> 00:11:55.989 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:11:56.028 --> 00:11:58.172 Laker fan, you know, you never know. 00:11:58.251 --> 00:12:00.894 But like, no, I... And it's LA, so... 00:12:02.056 --> 00:12:02.475 It is. 00:12:02.556 --> 00:12:03.235 But but L.A. 00:12:03.255 --> 00:12:05.317 is a great example of like there are 00:12:05.476 --> 00:12:07.977 so many cultural there are so many 00:12:08.077 --> 00:12:10.057 franchises that the Dodgers. 00:12:10.118 --> 00:12:10.258 I mean, 00:12:10.278 --> 00:12:11.479 look at the Dodgers and what they just 00:12:11.538 --> 00:12:12.178 did recently. 00:12:12.239 --> 00:12:12.418 Right. 00:12:12.438 --> 00:12:12.639 Like, 00:12:13.038 --> 00:12:16.039 like how much economic stimulation did 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:18.759 that did that the downtown need from that? 00:12:18.779 --> 00:12:19.080 You know, 00:12:19.139 --> 00:12:21.260 like how much they got to be counted 00:12:21.341 --> 00:12:22.120 on sometimes. 00:12:22.380 --> 00:12:23.361 And so it's weird. 00:12:23.442 --> 00:12:24.621 So they won it this year. 00:12:25.501 --> 00:12:27.504 But that economic growth that's going to 00:12:27.543 --> 00:12:29.424 come into that area is going to last 00:12:29.445 --> 00:12:30.546 the next twenty years. 00:12:30.745 --> 00:12:31.285 Oh, my gosh. 00:12:31.306 --> 00:12:31.485 Yeah. 00:12:31.767 --> 00:12:31.947 Yeah. 00:12:31.966 --> 00:12:32.106 Yeah. 00:12:32.147 --> 00:12:32.366 Yeah. 00:12:32.826 --> 00:12:33.827 And it doesn't take much. 00:12:33.908 --> 00:12:34.107 I mean, 00:12:34.168 --> 00:12:35.609 Atlanta went through the same thing with 00:12:35.629 --> 00:12:36.309 the Braves. 00:12:37.090 --> 00:12:37.730 Absolutely. 00:12:38.110 --> 00:12:41.673 And then it's like, oh, yeah. 00:12:41.693 --> 00:12:41.933 Yeah. 00:12:41.953 --> 00:12:43.235 We're keeping the suburbs, 00:12:44.254 --> 00:12:46.256 keeping the suburbs with something to do, 00:12:46.317 --> 00:12:47.317 I guess, on the weekends. 00:12:47.357 --> 00:12:47.597 Right. 00:12:47.898 --> 00:12:49.619 So especially as much as they charge for 00:12:49.698 --> 00:12:50.119 parking. 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:51.460 Last time I was down there. 00:12:51.701 --> 00:12:51.801 Yeah. 00:12:51.841 --> 00:12:52.061 Yeah. 00:12:53.062 --> 00:12:55.283 So if you combine that pattern with 00:12:55.744 --> 00:12:57.445 literally like energy, right? 00:12:58.145 --> 00:12:58.745 You know, 00:12:59.547 --> 00:13:01.248 what if our oil and gas sector, 00:13:01.307 --> 00:13:01.869 essentially, 00:13:02.509 --> 00:13:04.750 the way we had to distribute what we 00:13:04.811 --> 00:13:06.812 have to live is based on that model 00:13:07.153 --> 00:13:08.594 because it becomes the only model. 00:13:08.634 --> 00:13:09.975 And that's basically what happens in 00:13:10.034 --> 00:13:10.274 power. 00:13:10.294 --> 00:13:10.715 You know, 00:13:10.916 --> 00:13:13.216 that's a good segue of energy when we 00:13:13.256 --> 00:13:15.538 talk about the core energy from your book 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:17.039 and arbiters. 00:13:17.400 --> 00:13:19.142 How did those ideas come about? 00:13:19.241 --> 00:13:20.482 I know you just hinted at it a 00:13:20.582 --> 00:13:21.124 little bit. 00:13:21.783 --> 00:13:22.125 Yeah. 00:13:22.264 --> 00:13:24.407 Tell us about the core energy and the 00:13:24.427 --> 00:13:24.947 arbitrage. 00:13:25.227 --> 00:13:25.488 Yeah. 00:13:25.869 --> 00:13:28.932 Well, the in the story, essentially, 00:13:30.173 --> 00:13:32.976 all anyone knows is that at some point 00:13:33.017 --> 00:13:34.057 a few hundred years ago, 00:13:35.972 --> 00:13:37.854 You know, humanity was underground. 00:13:38.673 --> 00:13:40.695 The surface of the Earth is unlivable. 00:13:41.235 --> 00:13:43.155 And it kind of looks like it's sort 00:13:43.176 --> 00:13:44.255 of game over for us. 00:13:44.775 --> 00:13:46.417 And there was some kind of an alien 00:13:46.517 --> 00:13:47.037 contact. 00:13:47.177 --> 00:13:48.398 There was some kind of extraterrestrial 00:13:48.418 --> 00:13:49.158 contact made. 00:13:50.398 --> 00:13:54.240 And this technology was gifted to where we 00:13:54.299 --> 00:13:56.160 could make breathable atmospheres, 00:13:56.221 --> 00:13:57.520 but hold them in like a pocket in 00:13:57.541 --> 00:13:57.980 the dome. 00:13:58.642 --> 00:14:01.582 And that saves many cities on the 00:14:01.643 --> 00:14:02.102 continent. 00:14:02.763 --> 00:14:05.625 um the stipulation is that there's some 00:14:05.644 --> 00:14:07.546 kind of a diplomatic accord that happens 00:14:07.645 --> 00:14:09.326 we know that we know there's some kind 00:14:09.346 --> 00:14:11.788 of like a diplomatic sort of convention or 00:14:11.828 --> 00:14:14.029 some kind where there's an agreement that 00:14:14.070 --> 00:14:15.350 in order to distribute this energy in 00:14:15.390 --> 00:14:16.731 order to show that we're worthy of 00:14:16.772 --> 00:14:19.133 continuing having this energy we're going 00:14:19.192 --> 00:14:21.315 to uh distribute it in the way that 00:14:21.355 --> 00:14:22.816 khan feel it appropriate that it's 00:14:22.836 --> 00:14:24.797 appropriate and that is through some kind 00:14:24.817 --> 00:14:26.498 of combat or some kind of competition 00:14:26.697 --> 00:14:27.418 Yeah. 00:14:27.438 --> 00:14:28.879 So that kind of reminds me of, 00:14:29.721 --> 00:14:30.321 did you ever watch, 00:14:30.441 --> 00:14:31.481 you watch the Simpsons, right? 00:14:31.501 --> 00:14:32.743 Everybody watches the Simpsons. 00:14:32.763 --> 00:14:33.124 Oh my gosh. 00:14:33.203 --> 00:14:33.703 I grew up on them. 00:14:33.783 --> 00:14:34.465 Yeah. 00:14:34.504 --> 00:14:36.667 So the aliens that are always stopping by 00:14:36.826 --> 00:14:38.467 earth and then kind of watching through 00:14:38.488 --> 00:14:38.788 the lens. 00:14:38.807 --> 00:14:39.109 Yeah. 00:14:39.589 --> 00:14:39.928 Yeah. 00:14:40.149 --> 00:14:42.912 Yeah, exactly. 00:14:42.932 --> 00:14:43.613 And they're just like, 00:14:44.133 --> 00:14:45.594 why don't we always watch this for? 00:14:46.394 --> 00:14:48.135 That's kind of what it gave me like 00:14:48.256 --> 00:14:48.736 a little bit. 00:14:48.897 --> 00:14:50.437 Yeah. 00:14:50.477 --> 00:14:51.078 Yeah. 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:51.940 Yeah. 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:53.341 And they're just kind of like watching and 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:54.522 they're like, yeah. 00:14:55.350 --> 00:14:56.951 why don't we just blow them up? 00:14:57.051 --> 00:14:57.371 Yeah. 00:14:57.552 --> 00:14:57.812 Yeah. 00:14:57.831 --> 00:14:58.692 But they're entertaining. 00:14:58.732 --> 00:15:02.556 Well, and the, the thing that's fun is, 00:15:02.775 --> 00:15:04.638 well, you know, fun to, to, to, 00:15:04.857 --> 00:15:06.620 to make as a story devices. 00:15:06.700 --> 00:15:09.261 They, they haven't been, no one's seen a, 00:15:09.861 --> 00:15:11.663 a, a con alien person, 00:15:11.683 --> 00:15:13.125 a member of the con alien species. 00:15:13.144 --> 00:15:15.527 That's the name of the species that in 00:15:15.567 --> 00:15:16.067 the story, 00:15:16.347 --> 00:15:18.669 no one's seen one in a long, 00:15:18.710 --> 00:15:19.230 long time. 00:15:19.389 --> 00:15:20.010 And in fact, 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:21.961 they went out of their way to sort 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.442 of, they're legendary more than anything. 00:15:25.881 --> 00:15:27.802 And every time you think they're not 00:15:27.822 --> 00:15:28.182 there, 00:15:28.263 --> 00:15:30.163 something happens that kind of reminds 00:15:30.182 --> 00:15:32.283 them, we are here, we are watching. 00:15:32.663 --> 00:15:34.924 Like, don't stray from the game. 00:15:34.985 --> 00:15:35.585 And that's it. 00:15:35.644 --> 00:15:37.066 That's the only role they play. 00:15:39.567 --> 00:15:46.110 I put that in there because I feel 00:15:46.129 --> 00:15:48.551 like that is most of our societies now 00:15:48.591 --> 00:15:50.691 because we all have a camera watching us 00:15:50.750 --> 00:15:51.772 somewhere, somehow, 00:15:52.331 --> 00:15:54.293 and you do just behave differently. 00:15:54.732 --> 00:15:58.057 the internet is forever right yeah yes yes 00:15:58.096 --> 00:16:03.543 it is unfortunately yeah yeah yeah but um 00:16:03.562 --> 00:16:05.105 can you walk us through kind of like 00:16:05.125 --> 00:16:08.467 the mechanics of um the powerball and kind 00:16:08.528 --> 00:16:09.549 of give us a little bit of more 00:16:09.710 --> 00:16:12.192 information about that just like an idea 00:16:12.212 --> 00:16:13.533 of what the game is i know a 00:16:13.573 --> 00:16:15.355 lot of people who may not be familiar 00:16:15.375 --> 00:16:15.797 with it but 00:16:16.336 --> 00:16:18.577 Kind of like give us what Powerball is 00:16:18.717 --> 00:16:19.638 in this comic book. 00:16:19.998 --> 00:16:23.798 Yeah, so the game that humanity is, 00:16:23.859 --> 00:16:25.739 that the humans have come up with to 00:16:25.778 --> 00:16:30.760 essentially save themselves is this game 00:16:30.780 --> 00:16:34.562 that sort of borrows a lot from rugby, 00:16:34.601 --> 00:16:35.501 from football, right, 00:16:35.542 --> 00:16:37.581 from all these different sports before it. 00:16:38.562 --> 00:16:40.822 And every city, 00:16:40.863 --> 00:16:43.144 every franchise city has an arena where 00:16:43.203 --> 00:16:44.083 teams meet, right? 00:16:44.104 --> 00:16:46.966 uh there is a there are two goals 00:16:46.985 --> 00:16:48.726 in the end of the fields uh one 00:16:48.767 --> 00:16:50.629 goal is but what they really are are 00:16:50.668 --> 00:16:52.470 module pipelines they're they're energy 00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:54.871 they are they lead to like uh different 00:16:54.912 --> 00:16:57.614 places if if uh if this the ball 00:16:57.673 --> 00:17:01.155 itself is a piece of the core power 00:17:01.176 --> 00:17:03.658 which is okay yeah yeah for chained 00:17:03.738 --> 00:17:04.939 orbital reaction energy 00:17:05.378 --> 00:17:06.779 That's sort of the name that we have 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:08.780 for whatever it is the aliens gave us. 00:17:09.402 --> 00:17:13.084 And if the home team scores a goal, 00:17:13.403 --> 00:17:16.486 the ball goes down into a reactor for 00:17:16.506 --> 00:17:18.688 the city and essentially keeps feeding the 00:17:18.728 --> 00:17:18.948 city. 00:17:19.367 --> 00:17:21.130 If the away team scores the goal, 00:17:21.809 --> 00:17:24.632 it goes into a shuttle that goes into 00:17:25.031 --> 00:17:25.511 this underground. 00:17:25.613 --> 00:17:26.032 Basically, 00:17:26.053 --> 00:17:27.374 humans essentially travel through 00:17:27.394 --> 00:17:29.434 underground systems because you cannot 00:17:29.474 --> 00:17:30.796 travel outside of the domes. 00:17:30.955 --> 00:17:32.336 You can't travel. 00:17:32.356 --> 00:17:34.137 There's no free roaming on Earth anymore. 00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:36.660 Yeah, you're in your city. 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:37.540 Yeah, 00:17:37.580 --> 00:17:39.301 and you can go underground and you can 00:17:39.362 --> 00:17:40.262 take rails, 00:17:40.663 --> 00:17:43.826 but most cities prohibit travel unless 00:17:43.846 --> 00:17:45.227 you're players, unless you're teams. 00:17:46.929 --> 00:17:50.051 And so now it's been over about three 00:17:50.092 --> 00:17:53.013 hundred years of this game sort of being 00:17:53.054 --> 00:17:54.976 played to distribute the energy. 00:17:56.576 --> 00:17:57.998 And there are kind of two major 00:17:58.018 --> 00:17:59.259 developments, which is one, 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:02.740 we've lost a few cities along the way, 00:18:03.221 --> 00:18:05.563 so that everyone's kind of aware that 00:18:05.583 --> 00:18:07.463 there needs to be sort of some politics 00:18:07.503 --> 00:18:07.963 played here. 00:18:08.084 --> 00:18:10.526 So it's very rare that you lose all 00:18:10.566 --> 00:18:10.865 three. 00:18:11.346 --> 00:18:11.886 I'm sorry, 00:18:11.906 --> 00:18:13.528 there's three core balls in each game, 00:18:13.688 --> 00:18:14.709 essentially, right? 00:18:14.788 --> 00:18:16.028 If you get two out of three, 00:18:16.048 --> 00:18:16.390 you win. 00:18:17.430 --> 00:18:18.671 If you win, you go to the playoffs. 00:18:18.711 --> 00:18:19.771 If you go to the playoffs and you 00:18:19.791 --> 00:18:20.231 win that, 00:18:20.551 --> 00:18:23.473 you get a huge amount of core to 00:18:23.773 --> 00:18:24.454 sustain yourself. 00:18:28.461 --> 00:18:31.684 Essentially, if you lose, 00:18:32.006 --> 00:18:34.450 you have to get something to keep yourself 00:18:34.490 --> 00:18:35.570 going, to keep yourself surviving. 00:18:35.590 --> 00:18:38.455 If you lose too much, your city collapses, 00:18:38.496 --> 00:18:39.917 which has happened to a few cities 00:18:39.958 --> 00:18:40.298 already. 00:18:40.898 --> 00:18:41.420 Yeah, 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:43.001 and issue one that you sent over to 00:18:43.041 --> 00:18:43.241 me, 00:18:43.522 --> 00:18:45.105 it mentions – I think there had been 00:18:45.105 --> 00:18:46.086 – at that point there had been two 00:18:46.125 --> 00:18:48.328 or three cities that had collapsed. 00:18:48.890 --> 00:18:49.371 There's more. 00:18:49.431 --> 00:18:50.050 Yeah, there's a few. 00:18:50.092 --> 00:18:51.614 Well, it was more hinted at, 00:18:51.673 --> 00:18:53.836 but – Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:18:53.896 --> 00:18:54.877 I think there was only like two or 00:18:54.897 --> 00:18:56.220 three actually – That were mentioned, 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:56.780 I think. 00:18:56.800 --> 00:18:58.261 That were mentioned, yeah, yeah. 00:18:58.826 --> 00:19:00.067 Yeah, 00:19:00.247 --> 00:19:02.749 and anyone who can purchase the issue, 00:19:02.769 --> 00:19:04.630 by the way, on our Patreon directly, 00:19:05.150 --> 00:19:06.471 or you can purchase as part of our 00:19:06.510 --> 00:19:07.291 Kickstarter launch, 00:19:08.232 --> 00:19:09.453 there's a map on the back of the 00:19:09.493 --> 00:19:11.255 issue that sort of shows... Yeah, 00:19:11.355 --> 00:19:14.297 the very last page of issue one had 00:19:14.336 --> 00:19:14.916 it on there, 00:19:14.957 --> 00:19:16.157 and I thought that was really cool to 00:19:16.218 --> 00:19:18.220 see, just like... Thanks, yeah. 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:19.701 The collapse of everything, 00:19:19.800 --> 00:19:20.701 and it was pretty cool, 00:19:20.721 --> 00:19:23.182 because you see it from South America up, 00:19:23.262 --> 00:19:25.104 I believe is what it was, and then... 00:19:25.944 --> 00:19:27.846 Just the little pocket cities, you know, 00:19:27.886 --> 00:19:29.449 and there were like few and far between, 00:19:29.509 --> 00:19:29.929 really. 00:19:30.710 --> 00:19:31.090 Yeah, 00:19:31.171 --> 00:19:32.912 because there if you look at the map, 00:19:32.971 --> 00:19:35.115 the the middle of the continent, 00:19:35.134 --> 00:19:36.675 basically everything like south, 00:19:36.715 --> 00:19:38.657 the southeast up to like almost the 00:19:38.698 --> 00:19:40.800 Midwest of America is like desert now. 00:19:41.782 --> 00:19:43.202 uh down and then into like the middle 00:19:43.242 --> 00:19:45.503 of mexico and then and then uh up 00:19:45.644 --> 00:19:47.743 on up north of british columbia and over 00:19:47.763 --> 00:19:50.585 around like alberta it's it's like acid so 00:19:50.825 --> 00:19:52.664 so a lot of the of the of 00:19:52.704 --> 00:19:54.744 the lands are just kind of uninhabitable 00:19:54.984 --> 00:19:56.826 so a lot of this story is really 00:19:56.945 --> 00:19:59.645 rooted in some of the twenty first century 00:19:59.685 --> 00:20:01.807 trends like climate collapse corporate 00:20:01.826 --> 00:20:06.146 control and even media addiction you know 00:20:06.228 --> 00:20:07.867 a year a lot of this is played 00:20:08.167 --> 00:20:08.347 out 00:20:09.048 --> 00:20:10.833 within that very first issue, 00:20:10.853 --> 00:20:12.135 you see a little bit of all of 00:20:12.175 --> 00:20:12.376 that. 00:20:13.182 --> 00:20:13.723 Oh, thank you. 00:20:13.943 --> 00:20:14.344 I'm glad. 00:20:14.644 --> 00:20:15.884 Yeah, it's definitely, I mean, 00:20:15.984 --> 00:20:17.987 all of that is certainly driving the 00:20:18.027 --> 00:20:18.307 story. 00:20:18.346 --> 00:20:20.128 The story is, I have, it's a very, 00:20:20.409 --> 00:20:20.568 you know, 00:20:20.588 --> 00:20:22.230 I have a lot planned with it. 00:20:22.329 --> 00:20:24.791 As my wonderful artist, Stefan Toscheff, 00:20:25.232 --> 00:20:26.614 reminded me, he's like, you know, 00:20:26.794 --> 00:20:27.914 you have a great long version, 00:20:28.015 --> 00:20:28.816 get a short version. 00:20:28.855 --> 00:20:30.096 And I do have a short version. 00:20:30.136 --> 00:20:34.279 That's literally, like, 00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:36.161 I've never met a comic book writer who 00:20:36.221 --> 00:20:38.782 said that, you know, like, 00:20:38.803 --> 00:20:40.265 the hardest thing is cutting. 00:20:41.566 --> 00:20:44.887 There's always a good artist behind a good 00:20:44.948 --> 00:20:46.228 writer saying, dude, 00:20:46.288 --> 00:20:48.910 this is gonna be sixty pages, cut it. 00:20:48.990 --> 00:20:50.971 Oh, Stefan's great, because he's like, 00:20:51.090 --> 00:20:51.912 I just want you to know I hate 00:20:51.971 --> 00:20:52.352 words. 00:20:52.372 --> 00:20:53.593 I'm like, yeah, no, I get it. 00:20:55.713 --> 00:20:57.174 But that's what I love, 00:20:57.234 --> 00:21:00.317 is that it's unlocking so much of what 00:21:00.557 --> 00:21:01.298 I learned in film. 00:21:02.378 --> 00:21:04.280 uh uh of the show and and and 00:21:04.361 --> 00:21:06.782 how you know my whole journey as an 00:21:06.804 --> 00:21:09.666 artist is like you know words are great 00:21:09.846 --> 00:21:12.249 and they're effective but you can overuse 00:21:12.288 --> 00:21:15.732 them right and like anything and uh you 00:21:15.752 --> 00:21:17.114 got to treat them just like you would 00:21:17.134 --> 00:21:20.438 treat you know the a a shot 00:21:20.817 --> 00:21:25.602 in cinematography or like a specific kind 00:21:25.622 --> 00:21:25.942 of lighting. 00:21:26.423 --> 00:21:28.304 It's got to be hard selling and it's 00:21:28.324 --> 00:21:32.166 got to keep the reader enticed as well. 00:21:32.227 --> 00:21:33.127 And it's a visual medium. 00:21:34.068 --> 00:21:34.628 Exactly. 00:21:35.009 --> 00:21:37.411 And you literally let the visuals tell the 00:21:37.451 --> 00:21:39.232 story and the words just guide it. 00:21:39.853 --> 00:21:41.894 totally totally which has been and that's 00:21:41.914 --> 00:21:44.957 been so fun because you know i i 00:21:45.298 --> 00:21:47.058 i don't think i'm that good of a 00:21:47.358 --> 00:21:49.441 visual storyteller like in terms of 00:21:49.560 --> 00:21:51.883 authoring it so you know i it's been 00:21:51.923 --> 00:21:54.766 a great sort of lesson of like letting 00:21:54.806 --> 00:21:57.167 go of certain things like no it's you 00:21:57.188 --> 00:21:58.989 know you have to let somebody come in 00:21:59.028 --> 00:22:00.770 and take this so does uh your artists 00:22:00.830 --> 00:22:01.750 also do your lettering 00:22:02.491 --> 00:22:04.393 Uh, uh, uh, for this issue. 00:22:04.413 --> 00:22:04.553 Yes. 00:22:04.573 --> 00:22:04.834 Uh, uh, sure. 00:22:04.913 --> 00:22:05.114 Yep. 00:22:05.953 --> 00:22:08.155 Uh, uh, and, and that was good. 00:22:08.195 --> 00:22:08.596 I mean, that's, 00:22:08.796 --> 00:22:10.538 I definitely got a lesson in how that 00:22:10.577 --> 00:22:12.219 explains why he told you he didn't like 00:22:12.259 --> 00:22:13.159 words. 00:22:15.080 --> 00:22:15.740 It was lettering. 00:22:15.760 --> 00:22:17.422 I mean, he's, I mean, Stefan's very, 00:22:17.561 --> 00:22:18.843 very good at, I mean, 00:22:18.883 --> 00:22:19.703 I thought you were going to bring him 00:22:19.804 --> 00:22:19.943 on. 00:22:19.963 --> 00:22:21.045 Could he not join you tonight? 00:22:21.605 --> 00:22:22.425 Uh, no, he couldn't, 00:22:22.465 --> 00:22:23.446 he couldn't make it to, uh, 00:22:23.527 --> 00:22:24.527 he had to, 00:22:24.586 --> 00:22:25.948 I think he had a family matter, but, 00:22:26.608 --> 00:22:28.130 uh, that would always come first. 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:30.090 oh yeah for sure for sure but he 00:22:30.131 --> 00:22:31.711 sends his best and uh you know he's 00:22:32.132 --> 00:22:34.292 he's he's uh he he's really he loves 00:22:34.512 --> 00:22:35.913 he loved the project and specifically he 00:22:35.932 --> 00:22:37.953 had this great moment there i think in 00:22:38.013 --> 00:22:39.914 issue one where he he uh he has 00:22:39.954 --> 00:22:41.316 characters he has a character that keeps 00:22:41.355 --> 00:22:43.856 interrupting uh everybody about you know 00:22:44.017 --> 00:22:45.817 about their brand deal like oh you know 00:22:45.938 --> 00:22:47.898 yeah that's where i was we're about to 00:22:47.919 --> 00:22:50.740 go to oh great yeah continue where you're 00:22:50.779 --> 00:22:52.641 going and i will pick up my question 00:22:52.701 --> 00:22:52.820 after 00:22:52.861 --> 00:22:55.122 Well, what I loved was when I didn't, 00:22:55.261 --> 00:22:56.041 you know, in my head, 00:22:56.102 --> 00:22:57.903 I thought it is kind of an interruption, 00:22:57.942 --> 00:22:59.983 but I didn't really format it that way. 00:23:00.104 --> 00:23:01.443 And then when I'm looking at it, 00:23:01.463 --> 00:23:02.984 Stefan kind of had the lettering in a 00:23:03.025 --> 00:23:04.905 way that this guy is kind of being 00:23:05.145 --> 00:23:06.326 interrupted. 00:23:06.346 --> 00:23:07.846 He's overlapping and he's getting in 00:23:07.886 --> 00:23:10.307 between this really important sort of a 00:23:10.347 --> 00:23:11.528 little mini monologue of another 00:23:11.567 --> 00:23:11.928 character. 00:23:11.948 --> 00:23:13.229 And I was like, oh my God, 00:23:13.249 --> 00:23:13.848 that's brilliant. 00:23:13.888 --> 00:23:15.189 Like he did such great character 00:23:15.209 --> 00:23:16.950 development just with that thought, 00:23:17.049 --> 00:23:17.710 you know? 00:23:17.769 --> 00:23:22.112 And so I'm glad we're here because- 00:23:24.061 --> 00:23:26.324 Love the fact that you let us, like, 00:23:26.384 --> 00:23:28.424 believe that he was going to be the 00:23:28.566 --> 00:23:29.026 actual... 00:23:29.266 --> 00:23:31.387 One of the actual main characters of the 00:23:31.448 --> 00:23:31.928 story. 00:23:32.848 --> 00:23:34.349 Oh, spoilers, right? 00:23:34.369 --> 00:23:35.050 We're doing non-spoilers? 00:23:35.151 --> 00:23:36.050 Non-spoilers. 00:23:36.070 --> 00:23:38.413 I'm okay, I'm okay. 00:23:38.432 --> 00:23:38.753 Yeah, it's okay. 00:23:38.773 --> 00:23:39.773 Because I want people to go back and 00:23:39.794 --> 00:23:40.375 read it, right? 00:23:40.654 --> 00:23:41.134 Yeah, for sure. 00:23:41.154 --> 00:23:41.516 It's all good. 00:23:44.317 --> 00:23:45.378 And it actually, you know... 00:23:46.969 --> 00:23:48.691 He turns out he may not be the 00:23:48.770 --> 00:23:50.772 actual main character that we're dealing 00:23:50.813 --> 00:23:51.053 with. 00:23:51.693 --> 00:23:54.596 Your actual main protagonist is a refugee 00:23:54.736 --> 00:23:56.637 entering this brutal system. 00:23:59.141 --> 00:24:01.383 She can't figure out why she's there. 00:24:01.423 --> 00:24:04.085 She has no real significance in her mind 00:24:04.526 --> 00:24:06.027 for her to be where she's at. 00:24:06.067 --> 00:24:07.107 She's not that good. 00:24:07.729 --> 00:24:09.410 She's brand new to the field. 00:24:10.230 --> 00:24:12.536 She hasn't really been in training that 00:24:12.615 --> 00:24:14.077 long for the Powerball. 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:15.740 So for her, it's like, 00:24:16.001 --> 00:24:19.628 why am I actually here? 00:24:19.788 --> 00:24:20.450 And she's about, 00:24:20.671 --> 00:24:22.213 as the first issue is ending, 00:24:22.233 --> 00:24:22.554 she's 00:24:24.813 --> 00:24:26.532 She's about to step into it. 00:24:26.653 --> 00:24:27.153 Yeah. 00:24:27.192 --> 00:24:29.453 You're about to find out real soon. 00:24:29.673 --> 00:24:30.114 Yeah. 00:24:30.594 --> 00:24:30.854 Yeah. 00:24:31.013 --> 00:24:33.634 And I really appreciate you keying in on 00:24:33.674 --> 00:24:36.315 that is that that is definitely a, 00:24:36.674 --> 00:24:38.494 but it was done really good. 00:24:38.515 --> 00:24:41.096 So props to you and props to the 00:24:41.215 --> 00:24:43.236 artists because it, 00:24:43.776 --> 00:24:47.257 the misdirection is like beautifully done. 00:24:47.317 --> 00:24:49.457 It's well done because you got this guy's 00:24:49.477 --> 00:24:50.377 like, Hey, 00:24:50.417 --> 00:24:52.038 who do I talk about my brand deals 00:24:52.077 --> 00:24:52.218 with? 00:24:52.278 --> 00:24:52.657 All right. 00:24:53.900 --> 00:25:00.490 And like fucking five minutes later, 00:25:00.549 --> 00:25:01.951 it's like a whole nother story. 00:25:01.971 --> 00:25:02.553 And you're like, 00:25:03.523 --> 00:25:05.164 Damn, that's where it was good. 00:25:05.925 --> 00:25:07.646 Yeah, I'm glad you like that. 00:25:07.666 --> 00:25:11.069 That was, loved it. 00:25:11.089 --> 00:25:12.511 Thank you. 00:25:12.731 --> 00:25:13.511 I appreciate that. 00:25:13.792 --> 00:25:19.156 That is, it is, I'm really trying. 00:25:19.217 --> 00:25:20.218 So he is not, 00:25:20.238 --> 00:25:21.838 he's not going away anytime soon. 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:23.059 But definitely, 00:25:23.260 --> 00:25:25.663 I think this whole story is kind of, 00:25:27.784 --> 00:25:30.505 one plot thread is about being young and 00:25:30.565 --> 00:25:32.865 kind of, okay, it's your time to shine. 00:25:32.986 --> 00:25:35.707 And when you realize so much of what 00:25:35.727 --> 00:25:37.688 you thought was a merit-based piece, 00:25:37.768 --> 00:25:41.230 a competitive sort of system is actually 00:25:41.950 --> 00:25:44.090 so much politics and so many things that 00:25:44.211 --> 00:25:44.830 you might not, 00:25:45.010 --> 00:25:46.152 before you're even out of the gate, 00:25:46.172 --> 00:25:47.633 your fate is decided for you. 00:25:48.232 --> 00:25:49.953 And, you know, 00:25:50.594 --> 00:25:53.134 that Kai's character kind of represents 00:25:53.674 --> 00:25:54.556 sort of this, you know, 00:25:55.435 --> 00:25:55.895 you're, you're, 00:25:55.915 --> 00:25:57.676 you're told so much about what your life 00:25:57.737 --> 00:25:58.397 is going to be. 00:25:58.458 --> 00:25:59.317 And it was very, 00:25:59.478 --> 00:26:01.019 very millennial experience. 00:26:01.078 --> 00:26:01.278 Right. 00:26:01.578 --> 00:26:03.160 Of like, exactly. 00:26:03.180 --> 00:26:04.099 And it was one of those where I 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:06.461 was like, man, this dude's overconfidence. 00:26:06.520 --> 00:26:08.102 I'm like, I don't really see this. 00:26:08.281 --> 00:26:08.582 Like, 00:26:09.863 --> 00:26:11.884 like you kind of get that feeling like 00:26:11.923 --> 00:26:14.005 something like he's a, 00:26:14.065 --> 00:26:16.806 he feels like at the center point of 00:26:16.846 --> 00:26:18.426 the story coming in. 00:26:18.446 --> 00:26:19.387 But then it's like, 00:26:20.107 --> 00:26:21.709 you have this other quiet character and 00:26:21.729 --> 00:26:22.269 you're like, 00:26:23.990 --> 00:26:24.391 Yeah. 00:26:24.431 --> 00:26:25.612 Maybe we're being swerved, 00:26:25.632 --> 00:26:27.393 but you really don't get it. 00:26:27.413 --> 00:26:27.873 You know, 00:26:27.952 --> 00:26:30.074 it's literally the very last page, 00:26:30.114 --> 00:26:30.394 I think, 00:26:30.433 --> 00:26:32.996 of the actual story story that you finally 00:26:33.016 --> 00:26:33.655 get the swerve. 00:26:33.675 --> 00:26:34.296 And you're like, 00:26:35.356 --> 00:26:37.377 I like where we're going with this because 00:26:37.458 --> 00:26:39.659 like she like but she gives that energy 00:26:39.699 --> 00:26:42.681 like she she's somebody knows she's meant 00:26:42.701 --> 00:26:45.001 for better and she's going to be better 00:26:45.021 --> 00:26:46.442 than what she thinks she is. 00:26:47.239 --> 00:26:47.519 Yeah. 00:26:48.180 --> 00:26:50.221 Or she's going to be offered to be 00:26:50.260 --> 00:26:51.102 better, for sure. 00:26:51.162 --> 00:26:51.461 Yeah. 00:26:51.622 --> 00:26:52.202 Exactly. 00:26:52.242 --> 00:26:54.203 It feels like something else is pulling 00:26:54.223 --> 00:26:56.665 some strings there for her to get her 00:26:56.685 --> 00:26:59.248 to where she needs to be to unlock 00:26:59.508 --> 00:27:00.628 who she will be. 00:27:01.069 --> 00:27:01.589 Yeah. 00:27:01.630 --> 00:27:04.291 Gela is – so this is Gela Gale. 00:27:04.332 --> 00:27:05.133 Yeah, Gela Gale, yes. 00:27:05.173 --> 00:27:06.814 Yeah, Gela is – 00:27:06.894 --> 00:27:09.057 Gala's a very important character. 00:27:09.217 --> 00:27:12.142 And for sure, there's, she, you know, 00:27:12.201 --> 00:27:12.823 we're kind of, 00:27:13.282 --> 00:27:14.986 I kind of realized as I was planning 00:27:15.026 --> 00:27:16.667 this out, like, you know what? 00:27:17.990 --> 00:27:19.071 I'm new to this too. 00:27:19.311 --> 00:27:20.594 And we're all going to be new to 00:27:20.653 --> 00:27:20.713 it. 00:27:20.733 --> 00:27:21.836 The audience is new to it. 00:27:22.416 --> 00:27:23.017 Um, you know, 00:27:23.137 --> 00:27:24.680 I have this story world set, 00:27:24.759 --> 00:27:25.981 but I'm also like, you know what we, 00:27:26.301 --> 00:27:27.744 I want this to have moving parts. 00:27:27.805 --> 00:27:29.026 I want to kind of, you know, 00:27:29.106 --> 00:27:30.628 just sort of figure it out as we 00:27:30.648 --> 00:27:31.109 go along. 00:27:31.130 --> 00:27:32.030 I mean, I, I know, I, you know, 00:27:32.050 --> 00:27:32.471 I've got, 00:27:32.692 --> 00:27:34.334 I know what franchise cities we're dealing 00:27:34.354 --> 00:27:34.535 with. 00:27:34.595 --> 00:27:34.914 I know, 00:27:35.296 --> 00:27:36.877 I know where we're going to the playoffs 00:27:36.917 --> 00:27:37.598 and things like that. 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:40.300 But I was like, all of us, 00:27:40.340 --> 00:27:41.240 including myself, 00:27:41.560 --> 00:27:44.862 we need a character whose perspective is 00:27:44.882 --> 00:27:46.382 going to be just as new as ours. 00:27:46.781 --> 00:27:47.803 And I was like, you know what? 00:27:47.962 --> 00:27:49.083 A rookie. 00:27:49.123 --> 00:27:50.563 Like, let's put a rookie in. 00:27:50.762 --> 00:27:52.963 And we're really going to kind of learn 00:27:53.064 --> 00:27:54.743 as she learns, really, like, 00:27:54.784 --> 00:27:55.724 what is this world? 00:27:55.865 --> 00:27:58.224 No, I really like that direction. 00:27:58.765 --> 00:28:01.365 Because she's such a fit and main 00:28:01.905 --> 00:28:03.366 protagonist for the story. 00:28:03.406 --> 00:28:04.326 Because she's very... 00:28:05.386 --> 00:28:06.627 She don't know why she's there. 00:28:06.968 --> 00:28:09.069 And those characters to me always end up 00:28:09.210 --> 00:28:11.051 just telling a good story. 00:28:11.511 --> 00:28:14.815 Like, you could feel like, like, okay, 00:28:14.835 --> 00:28:15.776 we got to swerve. 00:28:16.556 --> 00:28:18.397 And you're secretly you're rooting for 00:28:18.417 --> 00:28:19.818 this other character anyway, 00:28:19.959 --> 00:28:21.160 because she's very quiet. 00:28:21.961 --> 00:28:23.442 She's very well put together, 00:28:23.521 --> 00:28:25.042 even though she doesn't know why she's 00:28:25.123 --> 00:28:25.483 there. 00:28:27.464 --> 00:28:28.525 And you can always see they're all kind 00:28:28.565 --> 00:28:30.306 of playing politics against her even just 00:28:30.346 --> 00:28:31.885 in those – Yeah, yeah. 00:28:31.965 --> 00:28:34.386 But I'm like somebody at a higher level 00:28:34.487 --> 00:28:36.728 pulled strings and played politics to get 00:28:36.768 --> 00:28:37.248 her there. 00:28:37.268 --> 00:28:38.588 Yeah, yeah. 00:28:38.608 --> 00:28:40.169 So I'm hoping there's another something 00:28:40.209 --> 00:28:42.689 coming that's going to tell us like – 00:28:42.150 --> 00:28:42.589 Oh, there is. 00:28:43.290 --> 00:28:43.830 Oh, good. 00:28:43.851 --> 00:28:43.990 Yeah. 00:28:46.172 --> 00:28:47.951 I've been reading like comic books, 00:28:47.991 --> 00:28:49.633 especially these types of comic books long 00:28:49.673 --> 00:28:51.192 enough to where I can kind of feel 00:28:51.232 --> 00:28:53.894 like I'm pretty sure I know where this 00:28:53.933 --> 00:28:54.575 is going. 00:28:55.154 --> 00:28:56.934 But if there's another good swerve, 00:28:57.476 --> 00:28:58.756 I'm not going to be mad at it. 00:28:59.844 --> 00:29:00.565 Yeah, well, 00:29:00.684 --> 00:29:02.526 I mean there are definitely swerves. 00:29:03.267 --> 00:29:04.948 I'm a big – I don't want to 00:29:04.968 --> 00:29:05.647 give things away, 00:29:05.688 --> 00:29:08.951 but I guess what I – No, 00:29:08.971 --> 00:29:11.071 let's not spoil anything because I do want 00:29:11.092 --> 00:29:13.473 people to come out and support book two, 00:29:13.534 --> 00:29:17.023 pick up book one because book one – 00:29:16.650 --> 00:29:17.330 If you can't tell, 00:29:17.411 --> 00:29:18.892 I was very excited for book one. 00:29:19.011 --> 00:29:20.692 I thought it was really good. 00:29:21.093 --> 00:29:21.594 Thank you, brother. 00:29:21.733 --> 00:29:22.134 Thank you. 00:29:23.855 --> 00:29:23.996 Yeah, 00:29:24.056 --> 00:29:25.317 issue two is we're in the middle of 00:29:25.336 --> 00:29:25.997 making it right now. 00:29:26.037 --> 00:29:27.057 We've got the Kickstarter. 00:29:27.679 --> 00:29:30.000 We definitely need some resources just to 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:31.701 get it out there, ASAP. 00:29:32.001 --> 00:29:33.522 I would love everybody's support if you 00:29:33.542 --> 00:29:34.584 can. 00:29:34.604 --> 00:29:35.484 I was going to say, though, 00:29:35.505 --> 00:29:36.444 I was going to use it to segue 00:29:36.486 --> 00:29:38.646 it into I think the comics that kind 00:29:38.666 --> 00:29:40.147 of inspired me along the way to make 00:29:40.167 --> 00:29:40.509 this, 00:29:40.949 --> 00:29:44.212 and for sure – 00:29:43.270 --> 00:29:44.352 You know, as I'm writing this, 00:29:44.413 --> 00:29:47.516 I'm definitely Brian Azzarello's One 00:29:47.556 --> 00:29:50.479 Hundred Bullets absolutely kind of had 00:29:50.499 --> 00:29:51.840 that effect on me that you were talking 00:29:51.861 --> 00:29:52.141 about. 00:29:52.321 --> 00:29:53.021 Yeah. 00:29:53.202 --> 00:29:54.423 It was like, you know, 00:29:54.443 --> 00:29:55.684 you get a swerve and you're like, oh, 00:29:55.704 --> 00:29:56.586 that's really interesting. 00:29:56.707 --> 00:29:58.367 And then you kind of get another one 00:29:58.407 --> 00:29:59.128 and you're like, oh, 00:30:00.009 --> 00:30:00.390 Oh, okay. 00:30:00.410 --> 00:30:01.211 So it's going to be this kind of 00:30:01.230 --> 00:30:01.530 a story. 00:30:01.550 --> 00:30:02.611 And then you get another one and you're 00:30:02.631 --> 00:30:06.192 like, whoa, what is going on? 00:30:06.292 --> 00:30:08.153 But he's so good at making the pieces 00:30:08.213 --> 00:30:08.513 fit. 00:30:08.874 --> 00:30:10.734 And he's so good at like showing you, 00:30:11.075 --> 00:30:12.695 if you look back, like we were saying, 00:30:12.715 --> 00:30:14.257 you give it a second or third read 00:30:14.997 --> 00:30:15.156 back. 00:30:15.176 --> 00:30:15.836 You're like, oh, 00:30:15.896 --> 00:30:17.657 he had this plan from the jump. 00:30:17.738 --> 00:30:18.878 This is not, you know what? 00:30:18.999 --> 00:30:21.140 We're getting to a question just like that 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:22.099 here in a few minutes. 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:23.280 There's a question coming. 00:30:23.300 --> 00:30:23.961 That's going to, 00:30:24.401 --> 00:30:25.922 that's very similar to what you just, 00:30:26.142 --> 00:30:27.281 the road you were going down, 00:30:27.301 --> 00:30:27.843 but let's get there. 00:30:27.863 --> 00:30:27.982 Yeah. 00:30:28.643 --> 00:30:28.843 Yeah. 00:30:28.883 --> 00:30:29.884 Yeah. 00:30:29.903 --> 00:30:30.663 We're going to say, right, 00:30:30.684 --> 00:30:33.346 was I definitely that that story certainly 00:30:33.385 --> 00:30:33.987 inspired me. 00:30:34.186 --> 00:30:36.729 And I think what for real totally inspired 00:30:36.769 --> 00:30:39.871 me for this is when I was fourteen 00:30:39.911 --> 00:30:42.113 at a ranch camp in in New Jersey, 00:30:42.212 --> 00:30:43.173 I think around Freehold, 00:30:43.193 --> 00:30:47.457 I I somebody gave me a stack of 00:30:48.458 --> 00:30:49.739 strike force moratorium. 00:30:50.318 --> 00:30:52.200 But I think it's Brian. 00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:53.641 Brian Gillis, I think, wrote it. 00:30:55.298 --> 00:30:56.439 I can't remember his name. 00:30:56.538 --> 00:30:56.898 Oh my gosh. 00:30:57.279 --> 00:30:59.140 It was incredible for me. 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:03.060 I, that series is definitely is directly, 00:31:03.121 --> 00:31:05.301 directly impacted me here. 00:31:05.422 --> 00:31:06.642 Like doing this project. 00:31:06.721 --> 00:31:08.923 It's funny how like just those random 00:31:09.042 --> 00:31:11.423 books can have a lasting impact. 00:31:12.084 --> 00:31:12.624 And it's like, 00:31:12.683 --> 00:31:15.365 it was something that you would pick up 00:31:15.384 --> 00:31:15.944 yourself. 00:31:15.984 --> 00:31:17.525 Like you would never buy it yourself, 00:31:17.565 --> 00:31:19.665 but because somebody gave it to you and 00:31:19.685 --> 00:31:22.007 you're like, yeah, I'll read it. 00:31:22.067 --> 00:31:22.707 And then you're like, 00:31:24.163 --> 00:31:25.144 It's like people giving you a mixtape. 00:31:25.163 --> 00:31:25.605 This is so good! 00:31:26.684 --> 00:31:28.567 I would have never read this on my 00:31:28.686 --> 00:31:28.906 own. 00:31:28.967 --> 00:31:31.368 And that's what I love about indie comics. 00:31:32.250 --> 00:31:33.391 Nothing against DC, 00:31:33.451 --> 00:31:34.632 nothing against Marvel, 00:31:35.011 --> 00:31:36.413 but there's just something about 00:31:36.513 --> 00:31:40.017 storytelling in indie comics and watching 00:31:40.116 --> 00:31:42.919 that artist's or that writer's dreams come 00:31:42.939 --> 00:31:44.881 true on pages and, you know... 00:31:46.221 --> 00:31:47.741 yeah that to me is yeah i am 00:31:47.801 --> 00:31:50.721 really heartened to see how it feels like 00:31:51.222 --> 00:31:53.143 because the big dogs went off to play 00:31:53.262 --> 00:31:55.544 in in movies uh there's kind of a 00:31:55.584 --> 00:31:57.604 vacuum that i can see people look like 00:31:57.624 --> 00:31:59.105 their eyes are lighting up and we're all 00:31:59.125 --> 00:32:00.265 kind of like oh we might be able 00:32:00.305 --> 00:32:02.546 to fill this with so it's it's been 00:32:02.586 --> 00:32:04.625 a really fun year for comic books when 00:32:04.665 --> 00:32:06.047 it comes to that because there's been a 00:32:06.227 --> 00:32:06.626 lot of 00:32:07.790 --> 00:32:10.614 Small players hit big this year. 00:32:10.795 --> 00:32:12.336 Um, yeah, 00:32:12.355 --> 00:32:14.097 the key is the key is can we, 00:32:14.157 --> 00:32:15.920 can we get funding systems that keep it 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:18.343 consistent so we can tell long stories, 00:32:18.462 --> 00:32:18.683 right? 00:32:18.723 --> 00:32:20.726 So that it's not like we burn out 00:32:20.786 --> 00:32:21.707 after a few issues. 00:32:21.747 --> 00:32:22.847 Cause we just ran out of money. 00:32:22.867 --> 00:32:25.111 I I'm really into, um, 00:32:25.571 --> 00:32:27.693 the cloud scape comics collective up here 00:32:27.794 --> 00:32:28.414 in Vancouver. 00:32:28.797 --> 00:32:30.638 a really great group of people, 00:32:30.679 --> 00:32:32.400 and they're really good at supporting 00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:33.260 artists, you know, 00:32:33.520 --> 00:32:35.542 and that's sort of their goal of like, 00:32:35.563 --> 00:32:36.804 we're trying to create communities where 00:32:36.824 --> 00:32:37.183 it's like, 00:32:37.463 --> 00:32:39.346 you're not just making one fun thing. 00:32:39.365 --> 00:32:40.666 I mean, you know, it's definitely, 00:32:41.288 --> 00:32:42.409 there's a pro-amateur, 00:32:42.648 --> 00:32:44.510 pro-am sort of aspect. 00:32:44.530 --> 00:32:45.811 Yeah, I know what you mean, yeah. 00:32:46.352 --> 00:32:47.252 There's a professional, you know, 00:32:47.272 --> 00:32:48.373 for professional objectives, 00:32:48.413 --> 00:32:50.074 like those are the kind of efforts of 00:32:50.153 --> 00:32:50.374 like, 00:32:50.534 --> 00:32:52.115 like where we're trying to find ways 00:32:52.194 --> 00:32:53.476 where, you know, we're not, 00:32:53.556 --> 00:32:54.836 it's not just like I do two or 00:32:54.875 --> 00:32:56.797 three pieces of this thing and we're done. 00:32:56.837 --> 00:32:56.998 Like, 00:32:57.077 --> 00:33:00.259 how can we make sustaining continual? 00:33:00.298 --> 00:33:01.079 Yeah. 00:33:01.240 --> 00:33:02.701 And that's really kind of what has 00:33:02.760 --> 00:33:06.583 inspired me over the last few months of 00:33:06.663 --> 00:33:08.624 doing this type of stuff is it only 00:33:08.663 --> 00:33:10.243 took one person asking, 00:33:10.565 --> 00:33:13.246 because I had the idea of like, Hey, 00:33:13.326 --> 00:33:14.747 I'm just going to put a post up. 00:33:15.634 --> 00:33:17.140 and see if any indie creator, 00:33:17.461 --> 00:33:18.845 or any creator really, 00:33:19.086 --> 00:33:20.229 I didn't care if it was an indie 00:33:20.249 --> 00:33:20.790 guy or... 00:33:21.673 --> 00:33:23.354 you know, somebody from Marvel or DC, 00:33:23.374 --> 00:33:23.814 just like, hey, 00:33:23.874 --> 00:33:24.954 I'm just going to post like, hey, 00:33:24.974 --> 00:33:26.695 if anybody wants to come on the podcast 00:33:26.736 --> 00:33:27.696 and promote their work, 00:33:28.857 --> 00:33:30.679 I will provide the platform for that. 00:33:30.838 --> 00:33:31.538 You can come on. 00:33:31.558 --> 00:33:32.880 We can talk about your work. 00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:34.760 We can talk about your story. 00:33:35.662 --> 00:33:37.363 But I just want to do that. 00:33:37.403 --> 00:33:37.702 You know, 00:33:37.722 --> 00:33:39.124 I wanted to talk to comic creators. 00:33:39.144 --> 00:33:40.204 Good on you for it. 00:33:40.424 --> 00:33:41.305 Yeah, for sure. 00:33:41.326 --> 00:33:44.406 And then it kind of like for me, 00:33:44.467 --> 00:33:46.068 it kind of blew up from there with 00:33:47.169 --> 00:33:49.471 like people were contacting me like, hey, 00:33:50.471 --> 00:33:52.011 Can I come on with my Kickstarter? 00:33:52.051 --> 00:33:52.892 I'm like, yes. 00:33:53.731 --> 00:33:55.593 And now it's like a few times a 00:33:55.653 --> 00:33:57.614 month I throw up my thing like, hey, 00:33:58.693 --> 00:34:00.095 I provide this service. 00:34:00.474 --> 00:34:01.394 I want you to come on. 00:34:01.414 --> 00:34:03.296 I want you to talk about your Kickstarter. 00:34:05.217 --> 00:34:06.998 I will do what I can to help 00:34:07.057 --> 00:34:09.338 you meet your goal at the end of 00:34:09.378 --> 00:34:09.739 the day. 00:34:09.778 --> 00:34:13.500 I will provide you this stuff and this 00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:15.121 is all I need from you basically. 00:34:15.778 --> 00:34:17.760 And it's great because then maybe we all 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:20.702 find each other and we start to be 00:34:20.762 --> 00:34:23.242 able to pull together those funding 00:34:23.282 --> 00:34:23.943 models, right? 00:34:24.384 --> 00:34:24.943 Exactly. 00:34:25.324 --> 00:34:26.204 Yeah. 00:34:26.224 --> 00:34:29.706 And that's a huge service for that, right? 00:34:29.786 --> 00:34:30.626 It gives me content. 00:34:31.146 --> 00:34:34.429 It helps you start preparing for your 00:34:34.469 --> 00:34:36.010 Kickstarter that's about to go live. 00:34:37.431 --> 00:34:38.992 And I just love talking to you guys 00:34:39.052 --> 00:34:41.992 who care and are so passionate about your 00:34:42.052 --> 00:34:42.594 projects. 00:34:43.570 --> 00:34:44.431 What's better than that? 00:34:44.471 --> 00:34:48.396 Getting to talk to somebody who – it's 00:34:48.436 --> 00:34:49.958 about the money because you want to get 00:34:49.978 --> 00:34:51.079 your project funded. 00:34:52.721 --> 00:34:54.563 But you care so much about the project 00:34:54.643 --> 00:34:57.065 anyway that you'll find a way no matter 00:34:57.106 --> 00:34:58.327 what to get the project funded. 00:34:58.728 --> 00:34:59.449 You know what I'm saying? 00:34:59.708 --> 00:35:01.851 You actually give a shit about what you're 00:35:01.871 --> 00:35:02.592 trying to put out there. 00:35:03.317 --> 00:35:03.577 Yeah. 00:35:03.817 --> 00:35:04.036 Yeah. 00:35:04.056 --> 00:35:05.077 Oh, yeah. 00:35:05.137 --> 00:35:05.297 Yeah. 00:35:05.697 --> 00:35:07.659 And the passion is there for sure. 00:35:07.780 --> 00:35:10.360 And I think Mark Millar said it best 00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:11.981 a while back at a convention where he 00:35:12.001 --> 00:35:12.621 was like, hey, 00:35:12.681 --> 00:35:14.824 Marvel and DC are like nine percent of 00:35:14.844 --> 00:35:15.284 the market. 00:35:15.844 --> 00:35:16.003 Right. 00:35:16.063 --> 00:35:18.226 He was like, it's there. 00:35:18.266 --> 00:35:19.186 It's all there. 00:35:19.226 --> 00:35:20.507 It's up for grabs right now. 00:35:20.547 --> 00:35:20.766 Right. 00:35:21.588 --> 00:35:23.449 He would know he's done work for both. 00:35:23.768 --> 00:35:23.929 Yeah. 00:35:23.989 --> 00:35:24.608 No, just about. 00:35:24.628 --> 00:35:24.789 Right. 00:35:24.869 --> 00:35:25.090 Yeah. 00:35:25.210 --> 00:35:25.789 Yeah. 00:35:25.829 --> 00:35:26.590 Sure. 00:35:26.670 --> 00:35:28.371 I think he just so he just rushed 00:35:28.391 --> 00:35:29.452 through a book, actually, 00:35:29.472 --> 00:35:30.492 which kind of upset me. 00:35:31.362 --> 00:35:34.443 He rushed through Vatican City. 00:35:35.324 --> 00:35:36.605 It should have been a five or six. 00:35:37.826 --> 00:35:38.626 Just my opinion. 00:35:39.065 --> 00:35:39.567 I love him. 00:35:40.387 --> 00:35:42.967 He's a fantastic comic book writer. 00:35:43.047 --> 00:35:44.809 He uses some really fun stories. 00:35:44.829 --> 00:35:45.989 I feel like the big publications... 00:35:46.088 --> 00:35:47.210 I'm sorry, we're just in Alabama. 00:35:48.563 --> 00:35:50.585 But he kind of rushed through it. 00:35:50.664 --> 00:35:52.867 It only ended up being like a four 00:35:52.907 --> 00:35:53.547 book series. 00:35:53.567 --> 00:35:56.949 And was it under Marvel or DC or 00:35:56.969 --> 00:35:57.309 was it? 00:35:57.548 --> 00:35:58.010 No, no. 00:35:58.090 --> 00:36:01.050 It was under Dark Horse, I believe. 00:36:01.070 --> 00:36:01.652 Oh, okay. 00:36:01.672 --> 00:36:02.351 It was Dark Horse. 00:36:02.391 --> 00:36:02.751 Okay. 00:36:02.771 --> 00:36:03.072 Yeah. 00:36:03.612 --> 00:36:04.833 And it was called Vatican City. 00:36:04.893 --> 00:36:06.994 It's about vampires and Vatican City. 00:36:07.514 --> 00:36:09.255 And vampires want something hidden 00:36:09.335 --> 00:36:10.456 underneath Vatican City. 00:36:10.797 --> 00:36:12.038 So basically the world's ended. 00:36:12.057 --> 00:36:13.518 The only thing alive right now is 00:36:13.559 --> 00:36:14.079 vampires. 00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:15.280 They have taken over the world. 00:36:16.221 --> 00:36:18.342 And the thing they need is in Vatican 00:36:18.402 --> 00:36:18.663 City. 00:36:18.702 --> 00:36:21.844 And the only survivors of this apocalypse 00:36:21.885 --> 00:36:23.347 is inside Vatican City. 00:36:23.407 --> 00:36:25.068 So they're trying to basically convince 00:36:25.528 --> 00:36:28.150 humans to retrieve it for them for 00:36:28.190 --> 00:36:28.891 immortality. 00:36:29.847 --> 00:36:30.927 Oh, wow. 00:36:30.947 --> 00:36:31.909 So it was, like I said, 00:36:32.289 --> 00:36:33.791 premise on fire. 00:36:33.851 --> 00:36:34.813 Perfect Mark Miller story. 00:36:34.833 --> 00:36:35.213 I was going to say, 00:36:35.233 --> 00:36:36.333 it's one of those ideas where you're like, 00:36:37.034 --> 00:36:38.076 I wish I came up with that. 00:36:38.135 --> 00:36:39.056 God damn. 00:36:39.077 --> 00:36:39.898 Dude, it's Mark Miller. 00:36:39.918 --> 00:36:40.838 The dude is like. 00:36:41.320 --> 00:36:42.380 You're just so mad. 00:36:42.740 --> 00:36:44.342 But he kind of rushed it because he 00:36:44.362 --> 00:36:45.724 wanted to go off and work on this. 00:36:45.784 --> 00:36:48.146 I think it's a DC project he's working 00:36:48.248 --> 00:36:48.427 on. 00:36:49.047 --> 00:36:50.190 And it's going to be like a TV 00:36:50.230 --> 00:36:50.990 series or something. 00:36:51.510 --> 00:36:53.152 So he had other reasons to kind of 00:36:53.231 --> 00:36:55.974 rush through stuff because bigger fish 00:36:55.994 --> 00:36:57.394 were coming in and he wanted to wrap 00:36:57.454 --> 00:36:58.416 up what he was doing. 00:36:58.916 --> 00:36:59.836 But it was one of those where I 00:36:59.856 --> 00:37:00.217 was like, 00:37:00.496 --> 00:37:01.577 if you could have gave us at least 00:37:01.838 --> 00:37:04.119 one, maybe two more issues of this book, 00:37:05.699 --> 00:37:07.862 it would have been like top notch, 00:37:07.882 --> 00:37:09.583 like some of the top tier Mark Miller 00:37:09.603 --> 00:37:09.943 stuff. 00:37:10.003 --> 00:37:11.063 But he didn't give that to us. 00:37:11.103 --> 00:37:12.925 So therefore, I loved it. 00:37:13.164 --> 00:37:14.186 Sorry, Mark Miller, but 00:37:15.364 --> 00:37:16.666 You hit, but you didn't hit. 00:37:17.106 --> 00:37:18.429 You rushed it. 00:37:18.449 --> 00:37:19.730 At least that's how I felt about it. 00:37:20.871 --> 00:37:22.393 I have no problem with it, Mr. Miller. 00:37:22.594 --> 00:37:23.434 I have no problem with it. 00:37:23.494 --> 00:37:25.036 No, I'm just kidding. 00:37:25.137 --> 00:37:25.536 I would tell him, 00:37:25.577 --> 00:37:27.599 and I think he would understand. 00:37:27.739 --> 00:37:29.682 He seems like he would be very open 00:37:29.702 --> 00:37:29.983 to go. 00:37:30.262 --> 00:37:30.563 You're right. 00:37:30.583 --> 00:37:31.925 I, for one, welcome our overlords. 00:37:32.485 --> 00:37:34.989 Yeah, I – 00:37:36.389 --> 00:37:37.170 I, well, I feel like, well, 00:37:37.431 --> 00:37:41.132 even he is pinched by- Timelines and 00:37:41.172 --> 00:37:41.313 money. 00:37:41.353 --> 00:37:42.934 Timelines and absolutely timelines, 00:37:43.474 --> 00:37:44.695 money and budget. 00:37:44.715 --> 00:37:48.518 And so it should make us all feel, 00:37:48.938 --> 00:37:49.978 I mean, it's very, 00:37:50.039 --> 00:37:52.161 it's been a very liberating kind of few 00:37:52.181 --> 00:37:53.882 years for me as an artist because- 00:37:53.981 --> 00:37:55.443 you know i used to just beat myself 00:37:55.483 --> 00:37:56.824 up for never being able to get certain 00:37:56.844 --> 00:37:58.784 things done and then at some point a 00:37:58.804 --> 00:38:00.806 few years ago i was like oh that's 00:38:00.846 --> 00:38:02.726 why i couldn't get it done i couldn't 00:38:02.766 --> 00:38:05.028 get the money you know and you just 00:38:05.068 --> 00:38:07.429 kind of realize how big of a role 00:38:07.449 --> 00:38:08.851 that plays in everything oh yeah 00:38:09.324 --> 00:38:11.965 everything oh yeah yeah well i mean i 00:38:11.985 --> 00:38:13.144 mean again it kind of speaks to a 00:38:13.204 --> 00:38:15.005 lot of what's in this story the idea 00:38:15.085 --> 00:38:16.346 of the you know the illusion of 00:38:16.385 --> 00:38:19.527 merit-based of a merit-based society and 00:38:19.706 --> 00:38:21.208 and how much of it actually is actually 00:38:21.228 --> 00:38:23.407 dictated of things happening off the field 00:38:23.728 --> 00:38:25.489 even though like you said on the field 00:38:25.929 --> 00:38:27.909 like if they don't get this energy they're 00:38:27.929 --> 00:38:30.309 going to die but you literally and they're 00:38:30.329 --> 00:38:31.690 already critically low 00:38:32.344 --> 00:38:34.905 going into issue two they are critically 00:38:34.945 --> 00:38:38.208 low yeah they're on a losing streak yeah 00:38:38.228 --> 00:38:39.630 exactly let's let's let's explore that 00:38:39.670 --> 00:38:41.932 some more so let's talk about the the 00:38:41.972 --> 00:38:43.733 team that you have on this book a 00:38:43.773 --> 00:38:46.436 little bit so the visual and world design 00:38:46.496 --> 00:38:48.498 of powerscape is massive we got energy 00:38:48.538 --> 00:38:51.101 domes engineered athletes alien 00:38:51.141 --> 00:38:51.981 technologies 00:38:52.822 --> 00:38:55.364 how did you and i'm sorry if i'm 00:38:55.385 --> 00:38:56.585 i'm going to keep forgetting the name of 00:38:56.606 --> 00:38:58.467 your artist and i apologize to him stefan 00:38:58.487 --> 00:39:01.451 tochev stefan tochev phenomenal artist i 00:39:01.490 --> 00:39:02.891 really like what he's doing on the book 00:39:03.253 --> 00:39:05.155 yeah just finished how did y'all because 00:39:05.195 --> 00:39:06.356 it's just the two of you right 00:39:09.076 --> 00:39:11.318 Well, no, there's also Rashid Banda, 00:39:11.538 --> 00:39:14.081 who has been instrumental in a lot of 00:39:14.101 --> 00:39:15.942 the environmental art concept designs. 00:39:16.603 --> 00:39:17.923 Much of the story world sort of 00:39:17.963 --> 00:39:18.664 aesthetics. 00:39:19.324 --> 00:39:21.746 Stefan has been creating the characters 00:39:21.766 --> 00:39:22.947 and their looks and their feel. 00:39:23.208 --> 00:39:25.289 He's been creating a lot of logo designs 00:39:25.349 --> 00:39:28.432 and just doing like, you know, I mean, 00:39:29.653 --> 00:39:30.054 he gets, 00:39:30.193 --> 00:39:31.996 a lot of this story was preserved in 00:39:32.056 --> 00:39:33.717 my notes through character profiles. 00:39:33.737 --> 00:39:35.498 Yeah, I have a notebook over here. 00:39:37.179 --> 00:39:38.900 like yeah yeah yeah right yeah yeah yeah 00:39:38.920 --> 00:39:40.643 that really is your story i'm working on 00:39:40.682 --> 00:39:42.844 something behind the scenes and it's just 00:39:42.884 --> 00:39:45.186 like very nice i i write it all 00:39:45.226 --> 00:39:47.047 down and eventually i need to transfer it 00:39:47.086 --> 00:39:49.268 over to an excel spreadsheet or something 00:39:49.349 --> 00:39:51.110 and just yeah oh yeah get it all 00:39:51.170 --> 00:39:53.331 organized i'm a scrivener fan just so you 00:39:53.351 --> 00:39:55.393 know i'm i'm a big fan okay shout 00:39:55.413 --> 00:39:55.914 out to scrivener 00:39:56.673 --> 00:39:59.936 sponsor this guy please uh yeah and i 00:39:59.956 --> 00:40:03.219 i uh i uh i definitely um yeah 00:40:03.239 --> 00:40:05.202 i i uh so stefan really came up 00:40:05.222 --> 00:40:07.523 with a lot of their their their looks 00:40:07.543 --> 00:40:09.206 their profiles their a lot of their 00:40:09.266 --> 00:40:11.126 characterization like you know visually 00:40:11.146 --> 00:40:14.489 and i like because everybody is very very 00:40:14.590 --> 00:40:18.233 different like from the coach to i guess 00:40:18.353 --> 00:40:19.375 the one guy is like i don't know 00:40:19.394 --> 00:40:22.117 what he is um almost like the manager 00:40:22.157 --> 00:40:22.717 he looked like 00:40:23.769 --> 00:40:26.010 It's sort of an assistant coach. 00:40:26.092 --> 00:40:26.711 Mel C. Yeah. 00:40:26.791 --> 00:40:27.112 Okay. 00:40:27.132 --> 00:40:27.431 Yeah. 00:40:27.512 --> 00:40:28.472 Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:40:28.532 --> 00:40:29.873 That was, that was the funds, uh, uh, 00:40:30.114 --> 00:40:31.534 uh, idea that, 00:40:31.574 --> 00:40:33.034 that he's kind of greasy looking, 00:40:33.054 --> 00:40:33.275 you know, 00:40:33.295 --> 00:40:35.436 you almost look like a politician a little 00:40:35.476 --> 00:40:35.677 bit. 00:40:36.097 --> 00:40:38.137 My original sketches from like two 00:40:38.157 --> 00:40:39.778 thousand one, two thousand two. 00:40:39.858 --> 00:40:42.561 I had him basing him off Malik Sealy. 00:40:43.001 --> 00:40:44.822 And then I was like, I was like, 00:40:44.981 --> 00:40:46.182 and then, and then I, you know, 00:40:46.222 --> 00:40:46.762 it was, it was, 00:40:46.802 --> 00:40:47.664 it was a little outdated. 00:40:47.684 --> 00:40:49.103 It wasn't working for who the character 00:40:49.143 --> 00:40:49.445 was. 00:40:49.605 --> 00:40:49.824 And, and, 00:40:50.344 --> 00:40:51.746 And I mean, you know, rest in peace, 00:40:51.786 --> 00:40:52.327 Malik Sealy. 00:40:52.507 --> 00:40:53.146 Like, amazing. 00:40:53.186 --> 00:40:54.989 But anyway, yeah. 00:40:55.028 --> 00:40:56.449 But then Stefan kind of took him and 00:40:56.489 --> 00:40:58.110 made him this character. 00:40:58.130 --> 00:41:00.012 And I was like, oh, that's, yeah, 00:41:00.052 --> 00:41:01.233 that works a lot better for what we're 00:41:01.253 --> 00:41:01.353 doing. 00:41:01.373 --> 00:41:02.574 So if you're a WWE guy, 00:41:02.635 --> 00:41:04.436 he almost reminds me of Paul Heyman. 00:41:04.715 --> 00:41:05.416 Yes, I can see that. 00:41:05.577 --> 00:41:07.777 Absolutely. 00:41:08.358 --> 00:41:09.420 He is a lot like Paul Heyman. 00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:10.019 He actually is. 00:41:10.079 --> 00:41:10.280 No, 00:41:10.300 --> 00:41:12.001 and that was the vibes I got from 00:41:12.021 --> 00:41:12.081 him. 00:41:12.101 --> 00:41:13.322 I'm like, dude, this almost feels like, 00:41:14.844 --> 00:41:16.063 Paul Heyman a little bit. 00:41:16.083 --> 00:41:19.365 I like him because he was shooting it 00:41:19.405 --> 00:41:20.746 straight with the rookie. 00:41:20.867 --> 00:41:21.748 When he realized, 00:41:21.987 --> 00:41:23.208 what are you doing with this book? 00:41:24.228 --> 00:41:25.309 He's like, I'm not snitching, 00:41:25.349 --> 00:41:27.451 but he's like, 00:41:27.490 --> 00:41:29.411 I can see you're a cultured person who 00:41:31.193 --> 00:41:34.215 is willing to expand not only her mind, 00:41:34.255 --> 00:41:38.197 but I can appreciate him for not 00:41:38.336 --> 00:41:38.978 snitching. 00:41:40.005 --> 00:41:41.867 Yeah, yeah, no, well, 00:41:41.907 --> 00:41:43.086 it's like you were saying, right? 00:41:43.126 --> 00:41:44.266 What's the reason she's here? 00:41:44.367 --> 00:41:46.268 You know, Mel plays a big role, 00:41:46.387 --> 00:41:47.648 and he's trying to look for something 00:41:47.688 --> 00:41:48.068 different. 00:41:48.949 --> 00:41:50.509 Not just for them to win, but, 00:41:51.309 --> 00:41:52.969 you know, as we'll see, 00:41:53.730 --> 00:41:55.710 Mel is very – Mel's ahead of the 00:41:55.731 --> 00:41:56.951 curve usually on everything. 00:41:57.291 --> 00:41:57.951 Yeah, 00:41:57.990 --> 00:42:01.672 he seems like he's – I don't want 00:42:01.693 --> 00:42:03.353 to say he's playing both sides of the 00:42:03.393 --> 00:42:03.733 ball, 00:42:04.393 --> 00:42:06.074 but he may be playing both sides of 00:42:06.094 --> 00:42:06.534 the ball. 00:42:07.594 --> 00:42:09.835 And I got a feeling like – 00:42:10.554 --> 00:42:11.795 There are characters like that. 00:42:11.835 --> 00:42:13.617 There are characters out here playing both 00:42:13.657 --> 00:42:14.157 sides of the ball. 00:42:14.177 --> 00:42:14.338 I mean, 00:42:14.398 --> 00:42:15.538 you can kind of feel that from the 00:42:15.679 --> 00:42:17.440 athlete to some perspective. 00:42:17.460 --> 00:42:18.740 The coach is kind of like. 00:42:19.320 --> 00:42:20.782 Yeah. 00:42:20.842 --> 00:42:23.284 I don't really think she's one track, 00:42:23.344 --> 00:42:23.824 it feels like. 00:42:23.844 --> 00:42:25.985 She's very one track. 00:42:26.766 --> 00:42:27.987 Yeah, Kana is. 00:42:28.007 --> 00:42:28.186 Rich, 00:42:28.246 --> 00:42:30.208 I really think she's very Chun-Li in 00:42:30.248 --> 00:42:31.168 appearance, you know? 00:42:31.469 --> 00:42:33.090 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:42:33.130 --> 00:42:34.652 But she feels like she's very one track 00:42:34.711 --> 00:42:36.172 mind, and that's the game. 00:42:37.101 --> 00:42:39.083 Yeah, she's so, uh, yeah, I mean, uh, 00:42:39.103 --> 00:42:41.083 uh, the, the executive, the, the, 00:42:41.204 --> 00:42:43.485 the power structure as we're going to see 00:42:43.525 --> 00:42:44.224 is kind of, 00:42:44.525 --> 00:42:46.385 there's a public private partnership 00:42:46.425 --> 00:42:46.905 happening. 00:42:46.985 --> 00:42:47.905 That's running the city. 00:42:48.347 --> 00:42:50.547 Uh, the franchise is run by Kena, 00:42:50.786 --> 00:42:51.967 who's the executive coach. 00:42:52.327 --> 00:42:53.489 And she's a former player, 00:42:53.608 --> 00:42:55.090 and she's kind of worked her way up 00:42:55.130 --> 00:42:55.730 the ranks. 00:42:55.911 --> 00:43:00.974 And she's probably done all this cutthroat 00:43:01.054 --> 00:43:04.076 sacrificing for – You can tell because of 00:43:04.096 --> 00:43:05.936 the way her character is portrayed. 00:43:06.538 --> 00:43:08.998 She's very one-track mind on the game for 00:43:09.018 --> 00:43:09.699 a reason. 00:43:09.980 --> 00:43:11.041 Yeah, and she's jaded. 00:43:11.081 --> 00:43:11.940 She's really jaded. 00:43:13.322 --> 00:43:15.824 I can't imagine in this society what it 00:43:15.844 --> 00:43:18.185 took for a female – 00:43:17.684 --> 00:43:19.746 to get to the position she is in 00:43:19.865 --> 00:43:21.286 i don't know how the you know the 00:43:21.387 --> 00:43:25.309 infrastructure right no yeah yeah but it's 00:43:25.329 --> 00:43:26.610 just one of those i know for a 00:43:26.670 --> 00:43:29.592 female coach in general in what seems like 00:43:29.612 --> 00:43:32.414 a male dominated sport i'm like it would 00:43:32.474 --> 00:43:33.454 almost be impossible 00:43:34.315 --> 00:43:35.956 Yeah, I mean, this is definitely, 00:43:36.297 --> 00:43:38.099 in this story, it's all genders. 00:43:38.159 --> 00:43:40.380 I mean, everybody's on the field. 00:43:41.161 --> 00:43:42.242 There are, I mean, you know, 00:43:42.282 --> 00:43:44.324 I'm a big, I'm a big, like, 00:43:44.545 --> 00:43:46.567 I was a Tisha Penichero fan when I 00:43:46.586 --> 00:43:48.389 was, like, from WNBA. 00:43:48.429 --> 00:43:50.510 And I used to get my ass kicked 00:43:50.530 --> 00:43:52.532 by girls playing basketball, like, 00:43:53.032 --> 00:43:53.673 in Venice Beach. 00:43:54.034 --> 00:43:56.255 So, like, I'm a big proponent of, like, 00:43:56.556 --> 00:43:58.916 you know, it's closer than we think, 00:43:58.956 --> 00:43:59.297 you know. 00:43:59.378 --> 00:44:03.260 And I think that especially for this, 00:44:03.360 --> 00:44:03.940 because, you know, 00:44:03.980 --> 00:44:05.842 these are metapowered people. 00:44:06.902 --> 00:44:08.322 And they've been genetically engineered 00:44:08.762 --> 00:44:10.304 not just to win games, 00:44:10.385 --> 00:44:12.085 but to market themselves. 00:44:12.126 --> 00:44:13.626 Because in this, this is, you know, 00:44:13.686 --> 00:44:14.746 seven hundred years later, 00:44:15.208 --> 00:44:17.128 the superhero is a mythical archetype. 00:44:17.548 --> 00:44:20.750 And so they're all inhabiting the sort of 00:44:20.889 --> 00:44:22.851 look of a superhero archetype. 00:44:22.871 --> 00:44:25.811 Yeah, everybody very much has that, 00:44:26.512 --> 00:44:27.972 look at me, I'm a superhero. 00:44:28.012 --> 00:44:29.693 And it also explains why the rookie was 00:44:29.753 --> 00:44:31.313 asking about his endorsement deals. 00:44:31.333 --> 00:44:33.914 He's like, look at this. 00:44:34.233 --> 00:44:36.375 It's all to keep the butts in the 00:44:36.414 --> 00:44:36.735 seats. 00:44:37.114 --> 00:44:38.494 It's to keep people engaged. 00:44:38.614 --> 00:44:40.516 But then it's really cool because then you 00:44:40.556 --> 00:44:43.217 have your main protagonist or who will be 00:44:43.257 --> 00:44:44.456 the main protagonist, I think, 00:44:44.476 --> 00:44:45.396 in the next issue. 00:44:46.077 --> 00:44:46.958 She just looks like us. 00:44:47.795 --> 00:44:48.076 Yes. 00:44:48.295 --> 00:44:49.898 It doesn't look like anything special, 00:44:50.378 --> 00:44:51.699 but I got a feeling she's going to 00:44:51.739 --> 00:44:52.659 be very special. 00:44:53.039 --> 00:44:53.179 Well, 00:44:53.199 --> 00:44:55.641 there's certain people who just have a 00:44:55.681 --> 00:44:56.402 feel for a game. 00:44:56.422 --> 00:44:57.163 They understand. 00:44:57.943 --> 00:44:59.925 They know that it's not about what they're 00:44:59.945 --> 00:45:00.606 doing right here. 00:45:00.666 --> 00:45:02.668 It's about if they have to figure out 00:45:03.047 --> 00:45:04.909 what's the game behind the game. 00:45:05.329 --> 00:45:06.110 I'm tracking that. 00:45:06.150 --> 00:45:06.570 I'm tracking. 00:45:06.590 --> 00:45:07.911 That's what I was thinking too. 00:45:07.952 --> 00:45:08.172 I'm like, 00:45:08.231 --> 00:45:09.353 I got a feeling she's going to be 00:45:09.393 --> 00:45:11.474 this brilliant mind for the game. 00:45:12.563 --> 00:45:14.164 Yeah, I don't want to give away much, 00:45:14.204 --> 00:45:15.364 but you're- I don't want you to give 00:45:15.385 --> 00:45:16.425 it away, but- I mean, maybe I'm just, 00:45:16.485 --> 00:45:17.766 I also could just be bad at serving. 00:45:17.786 --> 00:45:19.208 This is the chairman's thoughts, okay? 00:45:19.288 --> 00:45:22.789 They're not Donald's thoughts. 00:45:23.670 --> 00:45:25.251 I also have one that I want to 00:45:25.271 --> 00:45:27.193 give a shout out to, to Cindy Long, 00:45:27.472 --> 00:45:28.434 who's also working on the book. 00:45:28.474 --> 00:45:29.894 She's our graphic designer. 00:45:30.255 --> 00:45:31.115 And Cindy kind of, 00:45:31.516 --> 00:45:32.956 the press releases in the beginning, 00:45:34.097 --> 00:45:35.518 the playoff lineup, you know, that's all, 00:45:35.559 --> 00:45:36.340 that's Cindy's work. 00:45:36.679 --> 00:45:37.579 That was really cool too. 00:45:37.599 --> 00:45:38.760 I really liked that added touch of that. 00:45:38.780 --> 00:45:40.121 Yeah, totally. 00:45:40.242 --> 00:45:40.782 That was really cool. 00:45:41.322 --> 00:45:41.923 Yeah. 00:45:42.083 --> 00:45:43.625 And then I'm sorry. 00:45:44.065 --> 00:45:44.364 No, no. 00:45:44.405 --> 00:45:44.605 Go ahead. 00:45:44.625 --> 00:45:45.445 Go ahead about the roster. 00:45:45.686 --> 00:45:45.766 Well, 00:45:45.786 --> 00:45:47.007 I was going to say the roster is 00:45:47.047 --> 00:45:50.068 a collection of literally I have these 00:45:50.110 --> 00:45:51.771 guys drawn out in a notebook from two 00:45:51.791 --> 00:45:52.451 thousand two. 00:45:53.052 --> 00:45:55.353 And I have you know, 00:45:55.373 --> 00:45:56.594 they don't look exactly the same. 00:45:56.614 --> 00:45:58.956 They've been definitely we kind of put his 00:45:58.996 --> 00:45:59.295 input. 00:45:59.576 --> 00:46:00.516 We have been changing them. 00:46:00.737 --> 00:46:02.217 And then there's a couple of new ones 00:46:02.237 --> 00:46:04.019 that I've introduced chemically enhanced. 00:46:04.659 --> 00:46:06.021 Yeah, they've all, they've all, yes, 00:46:06.460 --> 00:46:08.242 there's, yeah, the, the shiver tank, 00:46:08.362 --> 00:46:09.362 right? 00:46:09.463 --> 00:46:11.405 The culmination of your training, uh, 00:46:11.545 --> 00:46:13.766 is you go into this genetic tank and 00:46:13.846 --> 00:46:14.726 you, you, 00:46:14.766 --> 00:46:16.728 you get a power unlocked and you kind 00:46:16.788 --> 00:46:17.989 of can't plan what it is. 00:46:18.309 --> 00:46:18.409 You, 00:46:18.449 --> 00:46:19.929 nobody really knows what it's going to be. 00:46:20.291 --> 00:46:21.610 It might be something really good for the 00:46:21.630 --> 00:46:21.831 field. 00:46:21.891 --> 00:46:22.831 It might be useless. 00:46:22.911 --> 00:46:23.572 It might be awful. 00:46:23.592 --> 00:46:25.594 It might disfigure you, but, and if you, 00:46:25.713 --> 00:46:26.534 and if it doesn't work, 00:46:26.574 --> 00:46:27.755 you're kind of like, they're like, ah, 00:46:28.056 --> 00:46:28.275 you know, 00:46:29.255 --> 00:46:31.797 best luck out there kid and so it's 00:46:31.858 --> 00:46:33.039 soon in the story we're going to meet 00:46:33.099 --> 00:46:34.500 somebody who went through that direction 00:46:34.860 --> 00:46:36.041 where it actually just didn't work for 00:46:36.081 --> 00:46:38.121 them and they're and they're they're kind 00:46:38.161 --> 00:46:39.443 of you know they're one of us now 00:46:39.503 --> 00:46:41.423 you know and what that's like and stuff 00:46:41.603 --> 00:46:43.726 and uh yeah i'm i i don't want 00:46:43.746 --> 00:46:44.885 people thinking it's just kind of like 00:46:44.925 --> 00:46:47.088 sports sports sports right yeah no no 00:46:47.268 --> 00:46:49.429 there's a lot of real deep stuff happening 00:46:49.548 --> 00:46:50.869 in just even the first part of the 00:46:50.889 --> 00:46:52.070 story yeah thank you 00:46:53.791 --> 00:46:55.693 And but how do you balance the spectacle 00:46:55.753 --> 00:46:58.036 of this sci fi action with the 00:46:58.096 --> 00:46:58.856 philosophical, 00:46:58.896 --> 00:47:00.538 emotional core of this story? 00:47:00.557 --> 00:47:01.498 Because it's a lie. 00:47:01.559 --> 00:47:03.101 I mean, you get the sci fi elements, 00:47:03.121 --> 00:47:04.681 you get a little cyberpunk element, 00:47:05.222 --> 00:47:06.784 but you're telling a story, 00:47:06.864 --> 00:47:09.246 a deep story in this book. 00:47:10.126 --> 00:47:12.728 what you mean it's not deep as yet 00:47:12.748 --> 00:47:14.007 but you can tell it's about to go 00:47:14.047 --> 00:47:15.768 to a deep place as you're getting more 00:47:15.809 --> 00:47:18.150 toward the end of issue one that there's 00:47:18.170 --> 00:47:19.809 going to be some deeper elements come into 00:47:19.869 --> 00:47:21.530 play in it so how did you kind 00:47:21.590 --> 00:47:22.951 of balance all that out because you could 00:47:22.971 --> 00:47:25.331 have went just pure sci-fi and said we're 00:47:25.351 --> 00:47:27.132 going sci-fi and we're not going to give 00:47:27.172 --> 00:47:29.492 you anything else yeah i mean 00:47:31.132 --> 00:47:36.476 So I I definitely there is a there 00:47:36.516 --> 00:47:39.400 is a big vision and a message. 00:47:39.460 --> 00:47:41.161 I think I kind of want to I 00:47:41.181 --> 00:47:42.282 don't want to say I want to give 00:47:42.322 --> 00:47:43.963 a message here so much as ask a 00:47:44.003 --> 00:47:44.443 question, 00:47:44.844 --> 00:47:47.786 ask a question and take a few hundred 00:47:47.826 --> 00:47:48.987 issues, you know, 00:47:49.688 --> 00:47:52.909 maybe to answer it and or to see 00:47:52.949 --> 00:47:54.331 if we can answer it right and just 00:47:54.351 --> 00:47:54.931 see where it goes. 00:47:55.351 --> 00:47:56.873 And I think first and foremost, 00:47:57.474 --> 00:47:58.534 it's really about keeping it, 00:47:58.835 --> 00:47:59.876 keeping it about the characters. 00:48:00.476 --> 00:48:02.916 and knowing that characters are people and 00:48:03.018 --> 00:48:04.637 that there isn't anyone here who's like, 00:48:04.759 --> 00:48:05.018 you know. 00:48:05.099 --> 00:48:07.000 That's what you really nailed in issue one 00:48:07.039 --> 00:48:09.880 is letting it be known that they are 00:48:09.940 --> 00:48:10.521 still people. 00:48:11.126 --> 00:48:11.507 Yeah, 00:48:13.188 --> 00:48:15.690 there are people who do awful evil things. 00:48:15.811 --> 00:48:16.831 There are people who do evil things. 00:48:16.851 --> 00:48:16.931 Yeah, 00:48:16.952 --> 00:48:17.992 we meet one of those in the story 00:48:18.012 --> 00:48:19.594 very early on, one of the players. 00:48:19.994 --> 00:48:21.476 Yes, yes, yes, yes. 00:48:21.856 --> 00:48:22.356 Yeah, 00:48:22.496 --> 00:48:24.177 I think that's Troy you're mentioning. 00:48:24.197 --> 00:48:25.219 Troy, yeah, yeah. 00:48:25.318 --> 00:48:26.579 Troy is messed up. 00:48:26.599 --> 00:48:30.382 Troy is a messed up guy, yeah. 00:48:30.402 --> 00:48:32.003 I had to stare at that scene for 00:48:32.485 --> 00:48:34.106 a couple of minutes to figure out what 00:48:34.126 --> 00:48:34.626 was going on. 00:48:34.646 --> 00:48:35.827 What was happening, yeah. 00:48:36.208 --> 00:48:37.748 That's Troy's fan tribe. 00:48:37.768 --> 00:48:39.090 I was like, what the hell? 00:48:40.130 --> 00:48:41.311 hell is going on here? 00:48:41.512 --> 00:48:43.612 I was like, oh, 00:48:43.693 --> 00:48:47.876 that's what's going on here. 00:48:47.976 --> 00:48:50.117 All the K-pop guys have their own little 00:48:50.398 --> 00:48:51.237 fan tribes. 00:48:51.338 --> 00:48:54.501 I was like, yeah, okay. 00:48:54.521 --> 00:48:55.701 I'm so glad you said K-pop. 00:48:56.021 --> 00:49:01.965 That's immediately having lived in Korea 00:49:02.005 --> 00:49:03.467 for many, many years. 00:49:04.166 --> 00:49:06.228 There are some characters in the story. 00:49:06.329 --> 00:49:08.150 There's some that are hardcore. 00:49:08.170 --> 00:49:09.811 They will kill for their idol. 00:49:11.451 --> 00:49:13.092 There are some characters in the story who 00:49:13.132 --> 00:49:13.413 will. 00:49:15.054 --> 00:49:17.275 That is going that that that's that's in 00:49:17.295 --> 00:49:17.916 there that we got. 00:49:17.956 --> 00:49:19.878 We got things planned like that for sure. 00:49:20.018 --> 00:49:22.260 I mean, yeah, I mean, you're doing it. 00:49:22.300 --> 00:49:24.041 You're doing it. 00:49:24.481 --> 00:49:24.943 Thank you. 00:49:25.043 --> 00:49:25.262 Yeah. 00:49:25.362 --> 00:49:27.005 Celebrity worship is called like it is. 00:49:27.065 --> 00:49:27.844 You know, it is. 00:49:27.864 --> 00:49:30.387 It's very real and it can be very 00:49:30.547 --> 00:49:31.208 scary. 00:49:31.568 --> 00:49:31.989 Absolutely. 00:49:32.009 --> 00:49:32.088 Yeah. 00:49:32.489 --> 00:49:34.030 And it can be it can be very 00:49:34.110 --> 00:49:35.371 economically productive. 00:49:35.572 --> 00:49:37.393 too right it can be very it can 00:49:37.413 --> 00:49:39.673 be that as well yeah and and and 00:49:39.735 --> 00:49:42.635 so i uh i i really want um 00:49:42.675 --> 00:49:44.978 no matter what my rule is um i 00:49:45.038 --> 00:49:47.219 don't think of anyone as pure evil i 00:49:47.259 --> 00:49:48.679 think of definitely there are going to be 00:49:48.719 --> 00:49:49.880 conflicting interests there's going to be 00:49:49.940 --> 00:49:52.702 antagonists protagonists but you know 00:49:53.262 --> 00:49:55.603 everybody has a side of them that is 00:49:55.804 --> 00:49:57.925 you know you know there is something good 00:49:57.945 --> 00:50:00.126 and pure but but the world's kind of 00:50:00.206 --> 00:50:01.547 done this to us and put us in 00:50:01.568 --> 00:50:03.708 this this uh this system where we i 00:50:03.728 --> 00:50:05.010 mean we we put ourselves 00:50:05.510 --> 00:50:06.911 literally they put themselves in the 00:50:06.952 --> 00:50:09.494 situation they're in in this world whether 00:50:09.534 --> 00:50:10.835 it may not have been the current 00:50:10.876 --> 00:50:13.657 generation living there but their previous 00:50:13.699 --> 00:50:15.900 generations are the reason why we're at 00:50:15.940 --> 00:50:17.722 this point we're at in the comic book 00:50:18.257 --> 00:50:19.117 Yeah, 00:50:19.197 --> 00:50:21.099 and that brings the other side I wanted 00:50:21.119 --> 00:50:21.398 to say. 00:50:21.458 --> 00:50:23.500 So, you know, Kena is the coach, 00:50:23.539 --> 00:50:25.420 like I was saying, and that's sort of... 00:50:26.422 --> 00:50:26.961 Ironically, 00:50:26.981 --> 00:50:28.422 it's kind of the private sector side is 00:50:28.463 --> 00:50:29.143 the franchise, 00:50:29.224 --> 00:50:32.264 but then the Benton family runs the public 00:50:32.304 --> 00:50:32.505 side. 00:50:32.545 --> 00:50:33.925 They run the city. 00:50:34.065 --> 00:50:35.367 They're part of the city commission, 00:50:35.726 --> 00:50:37.128 and the city commission is technically 00:50:37.268 --> 00:50:40.150 under the franchise team, but Benton, 00:50:40.349 --> 00:50:41.710 Alroy Benton, who is the... 00:50:41.891 --> 00:50:42.992 He's the mayor magistrate. 00:50:43.032 --> 00:50:44.211 We'll meet him in the next issue. 00:50:44.572 --> 00:50:46.012 He is sort of... 00:50:47.034 --> 00:50:48.114 he's so well he was the one that 00:50:48.134 --> 00:50:49.974 was making announcements in the beginning 00:50:50.014 --> 00:50:51.456 in it toward the end of the story 00:50:51.615 --> 00:50:53.295 in the press release he made he yeah 00:50:53.315 --> 00:50:54.356 he was the one that wrote the press 00:50:54.376 --> 00:50:56.697 release and troyle is is uh is his 00:50:56.737 --> 00:50:59.378 son and uh uh so troyle's a you 00:50:59.518 --> 00:51:00.818 know that's why he's called necro baby 00:51:00.978 --> 00:51:04.460 right is he's yes and uh the the 00:51:04.659 --> 00:51:07.260 the benton family is kind of like this 00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:09.882 the opposite of kena where they did not 00:51:09.922 --> 00:51:11.503 have to work to earn anything and they've 00:51:11.543 --> 00:51:13.864 sort of they've inherited the bones of 00:51:15.925 --> 00:51:18.206 of what is left of British Columbia and 00:51:18.887 --> 00:51:20.409 Washington State, essentially. 00:51:20.929 --> 00:51:23.532 And they sort of, you know, 00:51:23.572 --> 00:51:25.733 they've been very good at keeping 00:51:25.773 --> 00:51:27.695 themselves sort of leveraged in a power 00:51:27.715 --> 00:51:29.516 system where even though they don't 00:51:29.556 --> 00:51:30.838 technically have anything to do with 00:51:30.878 --> 00:51:31.599 playing the game, 00:51:32.739 --> 00:51:35.762 they control enough of the things you need 00:51:35.782 --> 00:51:36.643 for your society. 00:51:37.422 --> 00:51:40.306 including the power structure and the 00:51:40.326 --> 00:51:41.827 power network and the power grid, 00:51:41.847 --> 00:51:44.949 that they have to be invited in the 00:51:44.969 --> 00:51:46.010 room on the decision making. 00:51:46.570 --> 00:51:49.331 And so that's sort of the background 00:51:49.693 --> 00:51:51.273 tension that's happening throughout the 00:51:51.773 --> 00:51:55.637 story is Benton and Kena are kind of, 00:51:56.117 --> 00:51:56.378 you know, 00:51:56.737 --> 00:51:58.278 they have to play this outward dance to 00:51:58.318 --> 00:51:59.599 everybody where they're working together 00:51:59.639 --> 00:52:00.141 for the city. 00:52:00.161 --> 00:52:00.701 Yeah. 00:52:00.721 --> 00:52:02.242 But very clearly they're trying to screw 00:52:02.262 --> 00:52:02.543 each other. 00:52:02.563 --> 00:52:03.063 At odds. 00:52:03.483 --> 00:52:03.742 Yeah. 00:52:03.784 --> 00:52:05.184 Someone's trying to become the big dog. 00:52:05.224 --> 00:52:05.364 Yeah. 00:52:05.405 --> 00:52:05.525 Yeah. 00:52:05.864 --> 00:52:07.387 So earlier I cut you off a little 00:52:07.407 --> 00:52:09.492 bit because you're getting towards some 00:52:09.592 --> 00:52:10.213 Easter eggs. 00:52:11.862 --> 00:52:13.043 And I wanted to stop you because I 00:52:13.063 --> 00:52:14.445 had a question about that. 00:52:14.505 --> 00:52:16.485 And now we're at that point where are 00:52:16.505 --> 00:52:18.487 there any hidden Easter eggs or lore 00:52:18.527 --> 00:52:20.929 details that you're particularly proud of 00:52:20.949 --> 00:52:22.849 that fans should be on the lookout for 00:52:23.250 --> 00:52:25.190 when they back this on Kickstarter later? 00:52:25.692 --> 00:52:26.592 Oh, boy. 00:52:27.733 --> 00:52:28.193 Yeah. 00:52:28.353 --> 00:52:28.612 Okay. 00:52:28.753 --> 00:52:31.795 Look for... Watch for background stuff. 00:52:31.994 --> 00:52:33.715 So the next couple issues is going to 00:52:33.735 --> 00:52:34.637 be the game itself. 00:52:34.797 --> 00:52:36.557 We're going to watch the game happen. 00:52:36.617 --> 00:52:36.918 I mean, 00:52:36.958 --> 00:52:39.960 we get just enough sampling in issue one, 00:52:40.039 --> 00:52:40.880 which is like... 00:52:42.039 --> 00:52:44.802 fucking brutal part of my language but oh 00:52:44.842 --> 00:52:47.244 that was brutal yeah yeah but it was 00:52:47.284 --> 00:52:49.969 like poetic justice as well because you're 00:52:50.009 --> 00:52:52.130 like I'm not so I'm not gonna give 00:52:52.150 --> 00:52:55.195 it away but yeah I'm not someone who 00:52:55.215 --> 00:52:57.438 wants to sell it on on on violence 00:52:57.518 --> 00:52:59.159 right but I did kind of want to 00:52:59.199 --> 00:53:00.340 immediately be like 00:53:00.942 --> 00:53:01.762 You know, stakes. 00:53:03.143 --> 00:53:05.063 So here's what was great about it. 00:53:05.083 --> 00:53:05.603 The story, 00:53:06.284 --> 00:53:07.885 there's nothing that leads you to the 00:53:07.925 --> 00:53:10.525 point to believe that Powerball is 00:53:10.646 --> 00:53:11.146 violent. 00:53:11.246 --> 00:53:15.487 I mean, there's hints about it, 00:53:15.527 --> 00:53:19.110 but there's nothing that you can't see 00:53:19.150 --> 00:53:22.050 nothing until the game actually kicks off. 00:53:22.431 --> 00:53:25.152 And then it's almost immediate in your 00:53:25.172 --> 00:53:25.432 life. 00:53:26.407 --> 00:53:26.668 I mean, 00:53:26.688 --> 00:53:29.192 it's it's twenty eighth century medical 00:53:29.231 --> 00:53:29.773 technology. 00:53:30.012 --> 00:53:33.157 So, like, you can repair almost anything. 00:53:33.699 --> 00:53:36.202 But I think about what's as much. 00:53:36.583 --> 00:53:38.545 But it's just that pure I figured, 00:53:38.606 --> 00:53:40.447 you know, with alien technology and stuff, 00:53:40.487 --> 00:53:41.489 we're at that point where. 00:53:42.351 --> 00:53:44.472 Things can be regenerated and people can 00:53:44.492 --> 00:53:45.373 be repaired. 00:53:45.472 --> 00:53:46.833 In theory, it could be. 00:53:47.514 --> 00:53:51.635 But A, it's not an exact science. 00:53:52.016 --> 00:53:52.996 So that's an Easter egg. 00:53:53.737 --> 00:53:54.717 It's not an exact science. 00:53:55.038 --> 00:53:58.559 And B, 00:53:58.579 --> 00:54:00.639 what does that do to you psychologically 00:54:00.659 --> 00:54:01.139 as a person? 00:54:01.161 --> 00:54:01.920 Yeah. 00:54:02.440 --> 00:54:03.581 you're being, you know, 00:54:03.621 --> 00:54:05.061 that the whole city's kind of going to 00:54:05.081 --> 00:54:06.382 throw you out there and you might just 00:54:06.402 --> 00:54:07.822 get chopped up and then they patch you 00:54:07.842 --> 00:54:09.043 up and they do throw you out again. 00:54:09.543 --> 00:54:10.684 And, you know, 00:54:10.704 --> 00:54:12.045 I'm really interested in the effect. 00:54:12.085 --> 00:54:12.806 Cause I've seen that, 00:54:12.905 --> 00:54:14.786 I think up close with, with athletes, 00:54:14.806 --> 00:54:15.726 with myself, you know, 00:54:15.766 --> 00:54:17.387 my own injuries and things of like how, 00:54:17.407 --> 00:54:17.447 um, 00:54:18.588 --> 00:54:19.969 The body keeps score, right? 00:54:19.989 --> 00:54:22.909 And the body absorbs what happens. 00:54:23.050 --> 00:54:24.369 And yeah, 00:54:24.449 --> 00:54:26.971 how that really changes who you are and 00:54:26.990 --> 00:54:27.690 your personality. 00:54:28.110 --> 00:54:30.371 That was actually a major reason why I 00:54:30.411 --> 00:54:31.652 loved Strike Force Moratory. 00:54:31.692 --> 00:54:31.871 Sorry, 00:54:31.952 --> 00:54:33.293 I don't want to go throw you off 00:54:33.313 --> 00:54:33.813 from your question. 00:54:33.833 --> 00:54:34.052 No, no. 00:54:34.072 --> 00:54:34.293 I mean, 00:54:34.333 --> 00:54:36.233 this is why I influenced you to write 00:54:36.253 --> 00:54:36.614 this book. 00:54:36.634 --> 00:54:36.914 Yeah. 00:54:37.634 --> 00:54:39.255 Well, we got to reference back to it. 00:54:39.295 --> 00:54:40.155 Please reference back. 00:54:40.315 --> 00:54:41.775 Everybody should go should go read it. 00:54:41.876 --> 00:54:43.777 I mean, I mean, Strike Force Moratory. 00:54:43.797 --> 00:54:45.458 What's so cool about it is they you 00:54:45.478 --> 00:54:45.557 know, 00:54:45.597 --> 00:54:47.739 it's an alien invasion and their people 00:54:47.759 --> 00:54:49.079 get turned into superheroes to fight the 00:54:49.139 --> 00:54:49.519 aliens. 00:54:49.579 --> 00:54:52.501 But that they're with the process of it. 00:54:53.001 --> 00:54:55.043 It you're only you are now only going 00:54:55.063 --> 00:54:56.284 to be alive for up to a year. 00:54:56.923 --> 00:54:58.766 And then by the end of your year, 00:54:58.827 --> 00:55:01.710 you burn up and you spontaneously combust 00:55:01.730 --> 00:55:03.170 in this awful death. 00:55:03.452 --> 00:55:07.655 So you can see how when the clock 00:55:07.697 --> 00:55:08.197 is ticking, 00:55:08.476 --> 00:55:10.420 when people are approaching the year being 00:55:10.500 --> 00:55:12.302 up, the characters are like... 00:55:12.862 --> 00:55:14.242 the trauma is there, you know, 00:55:15.702 --> 00:55:17.704 and they can't really execute things as a 00:55:17.744 --> 00:55:19.264 team all the time because of it. 00:55:19.784 --> 00:55:22.806 And I'm really interested in that because 00:55:22.865 --> 00:55:25.567 I think in every, you know, everything, 00:55:25.586 --> 00:55:27.407 so many efforts of every aspect of society 00:55:27.427 --> 00:55:29.509 I've seen of people trying to, you know, 00:55:29.568 --> 00:55:31.349 get together and organize and do things. 00:55:31.969 --> 00:55:34.291 um uh it is so hard for us 00:55:34.391 --> 00:55:35.652 all we you know we really if we 00:55:35.692 --> 00:55:38.833 don't confront the self first we kind of 00:55:38.954 --> 00:55:41.875 useless in a collective effort and uh uh 00:55:41.894 --> 00:55:43.396 i think that that's you know something i 00:55:43.436 --> 00:55:45.737 kind of want to explore in that and 00:55:45.777 --> 00:55:47.257 yeah i guess that would segue to a 00:55:47.297 --> 00:55:49.139 couple i would pay attention to ad boards 00:55:49.559 --> 00:55:51.940 add background yeah perhaps i would say so 00:55:52.000 --> 00:55:53.641 i always tell people when i'm reading a 00:55:53.681 --> 00:55:55.621 comic book i pay attention to the 00:55:55.702 --> 00:55:56.802 background art 00:55:57.693 --> 00:55:59.554 Because there's always stuff hidden, 00:55:59.934 --> 00:56:00.795 not everywhere, 00:56:01.175 --> 00:56:02.655 but you never know where you're going to 00:56:02.715 --> 00:56:04.516 find a little piece of something. 00:56:05.056 --> 00:56:07.077 Yeah, that's like a little Easter egg. 00:56:07.398 --> 00:56:09.619 That's why it's like, oh, 00:56:09.639 --> 00:56:11.119 I read that comic book in five minutes. 00:56:11.159 --> 00:56:11.800 I'm like, that's cool. 00:56:11.820 --> 00:56:13.900 It took me thirty because I was literally 00:56:13.940 --> 00:56:14.802 studying backgrounds. 00:56:14.822 --> 00:56:17.123 Yeah, I'm that person, too. 00:56:17.163 --> 00:56:18.322 That's how I feel like a page. 00:56:18.382 --> 00:56:21.065 A page should tell like an entire story 00:56:21.125 --> 00:56:21.844 in and of itself. 00:56:22.905 --> 00:56:23.985 And Stefan and I are on a really 00:56:24.005 --> 00:56:27.027 good page with that, pun unintended, 00:56:27.068 --> 00:56:32.311 where it's its own three-act structure in 00:56:32.371 --> 00:56:32.831 the page. 00:56:32.952 --> 00:56:35.414 And each one ends on a cliffhanger in 00:56:35.434 --> 00:56:35.994 a way. 00:56:36.213 --> 00:56:38.996 And I really enjoyed that as I read 00:56:39.076 --> 00:56:43.239 volume or the first issue was that it 00:56:43.278 --> 00:56:45.581 felt like multiple stories playing out all 00:56:45.641 --> 00:56:46.740 at the same time, 00:56:47.442 --> 00:56:49.182 but they all made sense and all 00:56:49.202 --> 00:56:51.364 corresponded and all led to the same 00:56:51.405 --> 00:56:51.784 place. 00:56:54.695 --> 00:56:58.438 So you nailed that. 00:56:58.460 --> 00:56:58.900 You nailed it. 00:56:58.920 --> 00:56:59.900 I mean, we'll see how it goes. 00:56:59.981 --> 00:57:01.063 I mean, it might be bumpy, 00:57:01.083 --> 00:57:03.726 but the major Easter egg is the map 00:57:03.746 --> 00:57:04.226 for sure. 00:57:04.266 --> 00:57:05.288 The other franchises, 00:57:05.809 --> 00:57:07.632 I've thrown some characters on the 00:57:07.692 --> 00:57:10.175 Instagram that are from other teams. 00:57:10.215 --> 00:57:11.536 I haven't announced what the teams are 00:57:11.556 --> 00:57:11.757 yet. 00:57:12.387 --> 00:57:13.889 But we got the teams. 00:57:14.289 --> 00:57:15.429 We know who we are. 00:57:15.469 --> 00:57:17.010 We got a lot of the roster lineups. 00:57:17.030 --> 00:57:17.891 We got almost all of them. 00:57:18.391 --> 00:57:21.514 And I am leaving some room for the 00:57:21.534 --> 00:57:23.315 Kickstarter if anyone has any idea for a 00:57:23.375 --> 00:57:24.856 character that they think would be a 00:57:24.896 --> 00:57:25.277 player. 00:57:26.277 --> 00:57:29.858 I'm open to a cameo character as well. 00:57:30.480 --> 00:57:32.141 I'm glad you just led us there because 00:57:32.201 --> 00:57:33.742 we're going to talk about the Kickstarter 00:57:33.782 --> 00:57:34.061 now. 00:57:34.402 --> 00:57:34.682 Oh, cool. 00:57:34.742 --> 00:57:35.023 Thanks. 00:57:35.583 --> 00:57:38.844 So issue one is complete. 00:57:38.885 --> 00:57:40.425 Getting ready to start the campaign for 00:57:40.545 --> 00:57:41.027 issue two. 00:57:41.646 --> 00:57:44.509 Yeah, stores are in BC right now. 00:57:44.528 --> 00:57:46.650 I'm hoping to get some some hard copy. 00:57:46.869 --> 00:57:47.170 I'm sorry, 00:57:47.210 --> 00:57:49.192 hard copies are in stores in BC right 00:57:49.231 --> 00:57:49.391 now. 00:57:49.972 --> 00:57:51.833 It's available on the Patreon for digital 00:57:51.853 --> 00:57:52.634 download as well. 00:57:53.414 --> 00:57:54.735 I'm sorry to cut you off there. 00:57:54.755 --> 00:57:56.456 And then yeah, 00:57:56.615 --> 00:57:58.056 So are we playing in like a six 00:57:58.137 --> 00:57:58.898 issue arc here? 00:57:58.918 --> 00:58:00.079 Are we playing in a light? 00:58:00.298 --> 00:58:00.478 Hey, 00:58:00.498 --> 00:58:01.981 we're going to go until the good Lord 00:58:02.001 --> 00:58:03.322 says we ain't going no more. 00:58:04.262 --> 00:58:05.324 My original plan. 00:58:05.364 --> 00:58:07.005 Well, on terms, I, 00:58:07.025 --> 00:58:08.487 I got to think in stepping stones. 00:58:09.086 --> 00:58:12.170 Um, I've, I've got, um, I've got, uh, 00:58:12.469 --> 00:58:15.032 six issues planned out right now for a 00:58:15.052 --> 00:58:15.393 graphic. 00:58:15.432 --> 00:58:16.594 Not what I'm trying to do is try 00:58:16.614 --> 00:58:18.394 to get to a six issue graphic novel, 00:58:18.896 --> 00:58:19.936 uh, copy done. 00:58:20.376 --> 00:58:22.259 I think that's always a good place right 00:58:22.298 --> 00:58:22.498 there. 00:58:22.559 --> 00:58:23.639 You get six issues, 00:58:23.739 --> 00:58:25.481 you do a hard copy or a trade 00:58:25.521 --> 00:58:27.621 paperback, an omnibus, 00:58:27.643 --> 00:58:28.943 whatever you want to call those. 00:58:28.963 --> 00:58:29.643 I'm sorry. 00:58:29.704 --> 00:58:32.965 I was just going to say, 00:58:32.985 --> 00:58:35.847 I always appreciate when that's done 00:58:36.548 --> 00:58:38.731 because you get to do it all five 00:58:38.751 --> 00:58:39.351 at once. 00:58:39.371 --> 00:58:41.152 Absolutely. 00:58:41.172 --> 00:58:42.753 There's something satisfying about reading 00:58:42.833 --> 00:58:46.016 a five to six issue trade paperback. 00:58:46.056 --> 00:58:47.396 It's very satisfying. 00:58:47.637 --> 00:58:49.356 yeah and my hope is people are you 00:58:49.376 --> 00:58:50.958 know are into it enough that they'll 00:58:51.018 --> 00:58:52.518 they'll they'll they'll uh they'll 00:58:52.538 --> 00:58:54.438 definitely want to um help help us get 00:58:54.478 --> 00:58:57.059 that and and achieve that um i am 00:58:57.079 --> 00:58:59.280 a big fan of floppies for the sake 00:58:59.360 --> 00:59:01.940 of i i just love the days of 00:59:02.159 --> 00:59:04.541 i can't you know i feel like netflix 00:59:04.621 --> 00:59:08.842 really ruined the anticipation aspect 00:59:08.882 --> 00:59:09.882 storytelling where it's like 00:59:10.342 --> 00:59:11.943 i can't binge this i gotta wait for 00:59:11.963 --> 00:59:14.347 them to make it and i yeah i 00:59:14.547 --> 00:59:16.548 i sort of i i i want to 00:59:16.588 --> 00:59:18.190 do that with this one as well um 00:59:18.431 --> 00:59:21.775 i on terms of my long-term story i 00:59:21.815 --> 00:59:23.896 mean yeah there's i mean i there's ten 00:59:23.936 --> 00:59:24.998 volumes planned really 00:59:26.105 --> 00:59:27.666 I don't know if we're going to I 00:59:27.686 --> 00:59:28.907 don't want to be the obnoxious writer 00:59:28.947 --> 00:59:29.507 that's like, oh, 00:59:29.527 --> 00:59:31.010 but I could write a hundred of these 00:59:31.030 --> 00:59:33.833 because there's I think I'm going to 00:59:33.893 --> 00:59:37.016 always check in with my with my with 00:59:37.056 --> 00:59:39.097 my audience. 00:59:39.538 --> 00:59:39.778 Yeah. 00:59:39.878 --> 00:59:41.721 And like, well, in the audience as well. 00:59:41.840 --> 00:59:42.902 And, you know, 00:59:43.362 --> 00:59:44.603 how are we feeling about this? 00:59:44.664 --> 00:59:45.824 Should I get to the end? 00:59:46.164 --> 00:59:47.266 I know what my ending is. 00:59:47.326 --> 00:59:48.447 I know where I want to go with 00:59:48.547 --> 00:59:48.628 it. 00:59:49.007 --> 00:59:50.509 seeing that's the signs of a good writer 00:59:50.528 --> 00:59:51.969 is you have you know your beginning you 00:59:51.989 --> 00:59:53.971 know your middle you know you're in i 00:59:54.010 --> 00:59:55.692 don't think you should really execute a 00:59:55.751 --> 00:59:57.994 story until you actually see the ending in 00:59:58.014 --> 00:59:59.434 your head not that you not that you 00:59:59.474 --> 01:00:00.775 know exactly how you're going to get there 01:00:01.175 --> 01:00:03.958 but i mean but to have that idea 01:00:04.237 --> 01:00:05.358 you know where you want to go 01:00:06.320 --> 01:00:07.440 You know where you want to be at 01:00:07.460 --> 01:00:08.041 this point, 01:00:08.201 --> 01:00:09.460 and you know how you want to start 01:00:09.481 --> 01:00:10.440 it. 01:00:10.762 --> 01:00:12.021 Sometimes along the way, 01:00:12.041 --> 01:00:13.943 things will fluctuate and change. 01:00:14.262 --> 01:00:15.762 Your ending may even change, 01:00:15.822 --> 01:00:17.003 but you know how to get there. 01:00:17.443 --> 01:00:18.844 Yeah, and I should have meant that. 01:00:18.923 --> 01:00:20.684 I'm not somebody who has the right to 01:00:20.724 --> 01:00:22.686 lecture anybody about how they want to do 01:00:22.706 --> 01:00:23.226 storytelling. 01:00:23.405 --> 01:00:24.726 In my experience, 01:00:25.246 --> 01:00:27.347 when I was able to see the ending 01:00:27.666 --> 01:00:28.367 is when I was like, 01:00:28.487 --> 01:00:29.288 I can step on the gas, 01:00:29.327 --> 01:00:30.188 and I can get this done. 01:00:30.268 --> 01:00:31.989 And it would come out, 01:00:32.009 --> 01:00:32.568 and it would write it. 01:00:32.849 --> 01:00:35.630 I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Gilbert. 01:00:36.070 --> 01:00:37.951 he pray love i think and her yeah 01:00:37.971 --> 01:00:39.510 mantra of wanting to go back to the 01:00:39.851 --> 01:00:42.092 to the greeks who believes that the 01:00:42.172 --> 01:00:43.751 thought is sort of you know is using 01:00:43.811 --> 01:00:45.393 us as a vessel and that you know 01:00:45.413 --> 01:00:46.753 when you remove yourself from it and you 01:00:46.793 --> 01:00:48.092 just kind of let it do its thing 01:00:48.373 --> 01:00:50.273 it really does you know magic can happen 01:00:50.434 --> 01:00:52.393 and uh i'm doing that with this story 01:00:52.474 --> 01:00:54.514 i think in in my own process in 01:00:54.534 --> 01:00:55.755 a way it's teaching me a lot about 01:00:55.815 --> 01:00:57.916 my own you know what how much should 01:00:58.036 --> 01:01:00.697 i get so much anxiety goes down when 01:01:00.737 --> 01:01:01.657 you realize like 01:01:02.797 --> 01:01:05.057 Just trust whatever the hell is coming out 01:01:05.077 --> 01:01:06.018 of your fingertips right now. 01:01:06.179 --> 01:01:07.398 Just trust whatever is happening. 01:01:09.199 --> 01:01:10.740 Without spoilers, 01:01:11.061 --> 01:01:13.641 why can people expect from issue two? 01:01:14.202 --> 01:01:15.483 So, yeah, as I said, 01:01:16.864 --> 01:01:19.324 issue one ended with Lone Twin City, 01:01:20.244 --> 01:01:21.204 what's left of St. 01:01:21.244 --> 01:01:24.327 Paul and Minneapolis essentially becoming 01:01:24.327 --> 01:01:25.067 – 01:01:24.806 --> 01:01:27.909 uh uh the beacons they're called uh they 01:01:28.028 --> 01:01:30.349 are they're about to start uh over the 01:01:30.409 --> 01:01:32.771 first uh core ball and issue two is 01:01:32.831 --> 01:01:35.512 definitely uh the game and we get uh 01:01:35.813 --> 01:01:37.393 it is a it's a straight up almost 01:01:37.472 --> 01:01:40.315 non-stop action issue uh we will learn 01:01:40.355 --> 01:01:43.275 more about uh about our main characters 01:01:43.295 --> 01:01:46.217 and where she comes from uh what's 01:01:46.257 --> 01:01:49.259 happened in the past um uh and then 01:01:49.318 --> 01:01:51.179 our you know our issue after that is 01:01:51.300 --> 01:01:53.240 the conclusion of the game and then after 01:01:53.260 --> 01:01:54.202 that's the aftermath 01:01:54.461 --> 01:01:56.463 uh uh and we kind of learned how 01:01:56.923 --> 01:01:59.525 how uh you know how how the behind 01:01:59.545 --> 01:02:01.987 the scenes political system of this city 01:02:02.027 --> 01:02:03.969 sort of handles a game and how do 01:02:03.989 --> 01:02:05.271 you react to a game and what are 01:02:05.291 --> 01:02:07.012 all the decisions that are made afterwards 01:02:07.193 --> 01:02:08.873 and and then how do you prepare yourself 01:02:08.893 --> 01:02:10.474 to do it again as a team especially 01:02:10.494 --> 01:02:11.695 when you all kind of hate each other 01:02:12.036 --> 01:02:15.079 which you definitely got those vibes in 01:02:15.119 --> 01:02:16.920 issue one then they were just there to 01:02:16.960 --> 01:02:17.862 do what they got to do 01:02:18.442 --> 01:02:20.463 yeah for sure yeah I mean I mean 01:02:20.884 --> 01:02:23.324 most professional situations devolve into 01:02:23.364 --> 01:02:25.907 that it's like I just all right let's 01:02:25.927 --> 01:02:26.907 just do it with the thing we need 01:02:26.927 --> 01:02:28.528 to do together here I need about forty 01:02:28.568 --> 01:02:31.871 million this year and then I don't care 01:02:31.891 --> 01:02:33.431 yeah I've been I'm fascinated like that 01:02:33.452 --> 01:02:35.393 with pro athletes because you know when 01:02:35.413 --> 01:02:37.074 they're in the moment playing you'll see 01:02:37.114 --> 01:02:38.514 them like you know they're fist bumping 01:02:38.534 --> 01:02:40.315 they're not in each other and then like 01:02:40.356 --> 01:02:41.476 later on they'll be like oh yeah I 01:02:41.516 --> 01:02:42.757 hate that guy I never liked him here 01:02:43.117 --> 01:02:43.818 It's like, wow, 01:02:43.858 --> 01:02:46.141 like like the the the ability to 01:02:46.260 --> 01:02:49.684 compartmentalize to that extent is I think 01:02:49.724 --> 01:02:50.065 it does. 01:02:50.505 --> 01:02:51.045 I mean, 01:02:51.065 --> 01:02:52.447 if you look at it from the big 01:02:52.547 --> 01:02:54.409 umbrella perspective, right, these guys, 01:02:54.429 --> 01:02:56.010 they play together, they win together, 01:02:56.050 --> 01:02:56.931 they eat together. 01:02:57.492 --> 01:02:59.135 They necessarily got to like each other. 01:02:59.155 --> 01:03:00.195 But at the end of the season, 01:03:00.255 --> 01:03:01.297 if they did well enough, 01:03:01.817 --> 01:03:03.199 independent of how their contract is 01:03:03.219 --> 01:03:04.920 structured, they have built in bonuses. 01:03:05.400 --> 01:03:08.182 So it behooves all of them to play 01:03:08.222 --> 01:03:09.844 well together and to try to go out 01:03:09.903 --> 01:03:12.146 and meet these objectives that are going 01:03:12.166 --> 01:03:13.887 to get them their big player bonuses at 01:03:13.907 --> 01:03:16.248 the end of the year. 01:03:16.309 --> 01:03:18.070 So it makes sense to that perspective. 01:03:18.675 --> 01:03:19.474 Yeah, for sure. 01:03:19.815 --> 01:03:23.356 And that's valid, right? 01:03:23.396 --> 01:03:25.197 And it's justified because that's the 01:03:25.237 --> 01:03:25.936 system they're in. 01:03:28.077 --> 01:03:29.438 And that's what a lot of this is, 01:03:29.478 --> 01:03:30.617 is like, you know, 01:03:32.338 --> 01:03:34.039 I see no difference a lot between the 01:03:34.059 --> 01:03:36.159 professional sports system and, you know, 01:03:36.298 --> 01:03:37.018 oil and gas. 01:03:37.079 --> 01:03:38.699 Like, I'm kind of like, yeah, this is, 01:03:39.179 --> 01:03:41.559 I feel like everyone's incentivized to 01:03:42.820 --> 01:03:45.840 sort of get certain things for their 01:03:45.920 --> 01:03:47.541 region, for their constituents, 01:03:47.601 --> 01:03:48.021 for their 01:03:48.521 --> 01:03:50.603 for their corner of the world. 01:03:51.123 --> 01:03:53.545 And it's all sort of bumping along. 01:03:53.585 --> 01:03:55.887 And everyone kind of has a moment 01:03:55.927 --> 01:03:56.806 sometimes where you're like, 01:03:56.867 --> 01:03:57.628 why are we doing this? 01:03:58.108 --> 01:04:00.048 And someone maybe tries to change it. 01:04:00.389 --> 01:04:02.331 And then that whole thing collapses on 01:04:02.371 --> 01:04:02.570 them. 01:04:02.630 --> 01:04:04.811 And then you have to make a choice. 01:04:04.871 --> 01:04:06.873 Like, it seems impossible to change this. 01:04:06.893 --> 01:04:07.574 So then what do we do? 01:04:08.474 --> 01:04:10.876 And we're definitely, hopefully, 01:04:11.175 --> 01:04:13.938 that's the sort of themes we're going to 01:04:14.458 --> 01:04:16.659 explore in the future. 01:04:16.900 --> 01:04:17.681 No, 01:04:17.701 --> 01:04:19.543 I'm excited to see what's coming up next. 01:04:19.563 --> 01:04:21.324 But coming up next with you is I 01:04:21.344 --> 01:04:22.447 want you to walk me through your 01:04:22.487 --> 01:04:23.887 Kickstarter rewards. 01:04:24.268 --> 01:04:26.652 I know you've already I stopped you 01:04:26.711 --> 01:04:27.092 earlier. 01:04:27.132 --> 01:04:28.634 You're getting a little ahead of ourselves 01:04:28.673 --> 01:04:28.893 here. 01:04:28.934 --> 01:04:30.056 You're trying to show off your cool 01:04:30.076 --> 01:04:30.695 T-shirt. 01:04:31.336 --> 01:04:34.119 You already brought up the cameo. 01:04:34.139 --> 01:04:37.003 What else can people expect when they back 01:04:38.601 --> 01:04:42.264 yeah so for sure um um my what 01:04:42.304 --> 01:04:44.027 i'd like to do is pair the uh 01:04:44.186 --> 01:04:46.188 uh the first issue with the second issue 01:04:46.510 --> 01:04:48.612 uh definitely you know digital downloads 01:04:48.931 --> 01:04:51.195 uh uh with with discounts right so that 01:04:51.215 --> 01:04:53.097 it's cheaper to purchase so there people 01:04:53.117 --> 01:04:54.398 will be able to catch up and get 01:04:54.498 --> 01:04:55.880 issue one as well as issue two 01:04:56.380 --> 01:04:58.762 absolutely absolutely um i'm also uh 01:04:59.001 --> 01:05:00.882 definitely uh i got it got a bunch 01:05:00.943 --> 01:05:02.925 of a batch of uh issue one to 01:05:03.025 --> 01:05:05.186 mail to everybody those they're not going 01:05:05.206 --> 01:05:06.927 to come at the same time because issue 01:05:06.967 --> 01:05:08.969 two will be done later but uh i'm 01:05:09.010 --> 01:05:11.010 happy to you know unless we might be 01:05:11.050 --> 01:05:12.072 it might be cheaper to have to do 01:05:12.092 --> 01:05:14.434 it as as i say with everything going 01:05:14.494 --> 01:05:14.773 on in 01:05:15.389 --> 01:05:16.650 with the Canadian post right now, 01:05:16.690 --> 01:05:17.351 it's probably going to be easy. 01:05:17.371 --> 01:05:18.632 Yeah. 01:05:18.672 --> 01:05:19.532 Well, the tariffs too, 01:05:19.552 --> 01:05:21.432 that the tariffs are kind of, uh, yeah, 01:05:21.452 --> 01:05:21.793 that too. 01:05:21.853 --> 01:05:22.554 I forgot about those. 01:05:22.634 --> 01:05:23.253 Yeah. 01:05:23.273 --> 01:05:23.414 Yeah. 01:05:23.695 --> 01:05:26.556 Uh, but, but for sure, I mean, uh, 01:05:26.576 --> 01:05:27.856 uh, within the next few months, 01:05:27.876 --> 01:05:29.318 I'll definitely, uh, we'll make, 01:05:29.338 --> 01:05:31.059 we'll make two issues for sure. 01:05:31.358 --> 01:05:32.619 Throw in a t-shirt. 01:05:32.780 --> 01:05:33.320 Uh, 01:05:33.360 --> 01:05:36.282 we have a sneak preview splash page from 01:05:36.402 --> 01:05:37.782 issue two at that. 01:05:37.842 --> 01:05:39.163 I'm that I'm, uh, uh, 01:05:39.182 --> 01:05:42.125 working on making as a poster that, uh, 01:05:42.144 --> 01:05:42.724 I didn't see that. 01:05:42.925 --> 01:05:44.025 I seen you had posted that. 01:05:44.507 --> 01:05:46.628 yeah yeah yeah and that will be colorized 01:05:46.648 --> 01:05:48.329 that'll be that'll be finished and set to 01:05:48.349 --> 01:05:49.769 go uh that's where it's at right now 01:05:50.349 --> 01:05:52.869 and uh be happy to we will we'll 01:05:52.889 --> 01:05:54.391 definitely send that as part of bundles as 01:05:54.451 --> 01:05:57.512 well uh uh the t-shirts as well we've 01:05:57.532 --> 01:05:58.751 got we've got a white version we've got 01:05:58.771 --> 01:06:00.913 a black version and we have uh 01:06:03.813 --> 01:06:04.653 Uh, uh, uh, what else do I have? 01:06:04.733 --> 01:06:06.554 Oh, we've got a credit lists for sure. 01:06:06.614 --> 01:06:06.775 Right. 01:06:06.795 --> 01:06:08.034 If you want to be, uh, on, on, 01:06:08.074 --> 01:06:11.076 uh, on the credit list of issues, please, 01:06:11.115 --> 01:06:12.516 by all means, we would love that. 01:06:12.536 --> 01:06:13.317 We would appreciate that. 01:06:13.336 --> 01:06:14.817 We want to want to reserve a space 01:06:14.856 --> 01:06:17.097 of a page to thank our, our, uh, 01:06:17.137 --> 01:06:18.717 not always think that's really cool. 01:06:19.277 --> 01:06:19.597 Yeah. 01:06:19.617 --> 01:06:20.298 But our Kickstarter. 01:06:20.418 --> 01:06:20.719 Oh yeah. 01:06:20.818 --> 01:06:22.278 I mean, I, you know, 01:06:22.358 --> 01:06:23.619 all of this stuff is a labor of, 01:06:23.860 --> 01:06:25.440 I can't do any of this alone, 01:06:25.500 --> 01:06:26.119 you know, and if it's, 01:06:26.179 --> 01:06:27.701 I'm happy to say there's a few kit 01:06:27.721 --> 01:06:29.420 starters out there that are getting mailed 01:06:29.440 --> 01:06:30.922 to people to say the chairman in the 01:06:30.961 --> 01:06:31.282 back. 01:06:32.275 --> 01:06:34.818 Oh, nice. 01:06:34.838 --> 01:06:35.778 That's how I do all of them. 01:06:35.818 --> 01:06:35.938 Yeah, 01:06:35.998 --> 01:06:37.440 I don't I don't ever use my real 01:06:37.460 --> 01:06:37.760 name. 01:06:38.802 --> 01:06:39.822 I just like Yeah, chairman. 01:06:40.242 --> 01:06:41.063 Nice. 01:06:41.143 --> 01:06:41.503 Okay. 01:06:41.603 --> 01:06:43.186 And the stretch some of the stretch goals 01:06:43.206 --> 01:06:45.768 we have is variant covers for sure. 01:06:45.788 --> 01:06:50.371 But also we I already have about I've 01:06:50.411 --> 01:06:54.335 got a playing card game for this for 01:06:54.474 --> 01:06:56.077 that's based on Powerball itself. 01:06:56.405 --> 01:06:58.045 yeah i've seen that was mentioned in the 01:06:58.065 --> 01:07:00.927 um in the kit starter home page was 01:07:00.967 --> 01:07:04.547 like you had a card game yeah um 01:07:04.987 --> 01:07:07.708 i i debated kind of i mean because 01:07:07.829 --> 01:07:09.028 i've i've got a whole bunch of it 01:07:09.068 --> 01:07:10.429 right now but i want to keep play 01:07:10.489 --> 01:07:12.250 testing it uh it went through one play 01:07:12.289 --> 01:07:14.471 test and it did pretty well uh i 01:07:14.490 --> 01:07:16.851 want to do another one uh and maybe 01:07:16.891 --> 01:07:18.373 probably another one after that too just 01:07:18.413 --> 01:07:20.992 really rock solid it yeah to turn that 01:07:21.012 --> 01:07:22.173 into a verb to rock solid 01:07:24.797 --> 01:07:29.143 But once that is there, yeah, 01:07:29.583 --> 01:07:31.425 if we can get the Kickstarter to that 01:07:31.445 --> 01:07:32.106 stretch goal, 01:07:32.547 --> 01:07:37.514 I would give definitely pledges that went 01:07:37.574 --> 01:07:38.394 over a certain amount. 01:07:40.036 --> 01:07:41.297 yeah I definitely want to give the cards 01:07:41.356 --> 01:07:43.918 to people as well and that is something 01:07:44.018 --> 01:07:45.900 I I think will be really fun because 01:07:46.380 --> 01:07:48.420 we already have so many characters and and 01:07:48.601 --> 01:07:51.802 and it's essentially it's not about it's 01:07:52.204 --> 01:07:54.565 it's essentially three to three six to six 01:07:54.625 --> 01:07:57.067 actually I think and and you know or 01:07:57.106 --> 01:07:58.628 seven to seven just like the game of 01:07:58.668 --> 01:08:01.248 the comic book itself but sort of three 01:08:01.268 --> 01:08:02.989 to three lined up in college the play 01:08:03.030 --> 01:08:03.530 Powerball 01:08:05.311 --> 01:08:05.791 I guess. 01:08:05.831 --> 01:08:06.112 Yeah. 01:08:06.172 --> 01:08:07.652 Basically get more number points. 01:08:07.733 --> 01:08:07.932 Right. 01:08:07.952 --> 01:08:10.373 But every card has a variation that is 01:08:10.454 --> 01:08:11.873 based on the character's power. 01:08:12.373 --> 01:08:13.275 Oh, that's really cool. 01:08:13.655 --> 01:08:13.875 Yeah. 01:08:13.914 --> 01:08:15.275 What they can do, what they can't do. 01:08:15.735 --> 01:08:16.296 And yeah. 01:08:16.315 --> 01:08:17.596 And you, and you do it three times. 01:08:17.617 --> 01:08:18.657 And if you win two out of three, 01:08:19.127 --> 01:08:20.268 right? 01:08:20.747 --> 01:08:21.488 You win the whole thing. 01:08:22.170 --> 01:08:24.230 Arbiter bots are kind of these, like, 01:08:24.612 --> 01:08:26.073 joker cards almost, that, like, 01:08:26.092 --> 01:08:27.014 if you get all three of them, 01:08:27.054 --> 01:08:27.713 the game is over, 01:08:27.734 --> 01:08:31.056 you win no matter what. 01:08:31.077 --> 01:08:31.637 That's really cool. 01:08:31.658 --> 01:08:32.519 Yeah, it's been fun. 01:08:33.319 --> 01:08:35.501 Shout out to Runtime Data, 01:08:35.560 --> 01:08:37.762 which is the group that helped me develop 01:08:37.783 --> 01:08:38.743 the game. 01:08:38.764 --> 01:08:39.003 Sorry. 01:08:39.024 --> 01:08:39.685 That's really cool. 01:08:39.885 --> 01:08:41.586 No, no, I was just saying, I'm like, 01:08:42.027 --> 01:08:43.427 that's some really cool, like, 01:08:43.467 --> 01:08:44.189 stretch goals. 01:08:44.208 --> 01:08:46.911 The Kickstarter as a whole, I mean... 01:08:47.618 --> 01:08:47.878 Thank you. 01:08:48.099 --> 01:08:48.720 I'm keeping it. 01:08:48.840 --> 01:08:49.761 I'm trying to keep it simple. 01:08:51.542 --> 01:08:51.902 Simple, 01:08:51.942 --> 01:08:55.725 but there's a lot going on as well. 01:08:56.404 --> 01:08:56.685 Yeah. 01:08:56.886 --> 01:08:58.087 But it's not overkill. 01:08:58.127 --> 01:09:00.769 I know some campaigns are just like 01:09:00.868 --> 01:09:02.630 overkill the hell, you know? 01:09:03.173 --> 01:09:05.253 yeah i mean i i i love i 01:09:05.293 --> 01:09:06.814 love doing the merch i love i love 01:09:06.854 --> 01:09:08.534 kind of like making things that are 01:09:08.734 --> 01:09:10.654 building around the story but i also i 01:09:10.694 --> 01:09:11.836 want to i want to keep it to 01:09:11.855 --> 01:09:13.576 the story and i also don't want to 01:09:13.595 --> 01:09:16.176 overextend myself right to where it's 01:09:16.197 --> 01:09:18.837 crashing down a little um uh but it's 01:09:18.877 --> 01:09:20.417 been i mean it's been it's been i've 01:09:20.497 --> 01:09:21.978 loved and everybody's response has been 01:09:22.018 --> 01:09:23.478 wonderful so far i'm really i'm really 01:09:23.518 --> 01:09:26.078 grateful that uh people are responding the 01:09:26.097 --> 01:09:28.298 way they are with it and uh i 01:09:28.378 --> 01:09:28.819 am um 01:09:29.467 --> 01:09:31.128 Yeah, 01:09:31.429 --> 01:09:33.050 we're just looking for a few thousand to 01:09:33.090 --> 01:09:35.252 essentially get us over the hump for issue 01:09:35.271 --> 01:09:35.591 two, 01:09:35.891 --> 01:09:37.873 and then that'll set us up nicely for 01:09:37.913 --> 01:09:38.333 issue three. 01:09:39.395 --> 01:09:40.735 I really want two and three to be 01:09:40.775 --> 01:09:41.956 like boom, boom, right? 01:09:42.015 --> 01:09:42.777 One after the other. 01:09:43.516 --> 01:09:44.578 That's always really cool. 01:09:44.898 --> 01:09:48.159 I really enjoy when I see a Kickstarter 01:09:48.320 --> 01:09:49.081 seed its goal, 01:09:49.140 --> 01:09:51.162 and they kept it simple from the stretch 01:09:51.203 --> 01:09:52.082 goal perspective. 01:09:52.523 --> 01:09:55.465 That way they have capital going into the 01:09:55.484 --> 01:09:56.286 very next issue, 01:09:56.326 --> 01:09:57.766 and they can just start it right away. 01:09:58.127 --> 01:09:58.828 I always enjoy 01:09:59.787 --> 01:10:01.828 seeing it done that way especially when it 01:10:02.548 --> 01:10:05.109 more than exceeds expectations and just 01:10:05.128 --> 01:10:07.710 being able to go all right thanks to 01:10:07.750 --> 01:10:09.569 everybody i have this much capital and i 01:10:09.590 --> 01:10:12.730 can now just immediately start issue two 01:10:12.890 --> 01:10:15.850 or three in this case yeah and i 01:10:15.871 --> 01:10:17.252 mean even if even if it you know 01:10:17.271 --> 01:10:19.372 falls short it is my first time trying 01:10:19.431 --> 01:10:21.131 all of this so i'm i'm expecting a 01:10:21.152 --> 01:10:22.393 bit of an uphill so did you not 01:10:22.432 --> 01:10:24.073 kick starter for issue one 01:10:25.054 --> 01:10:25.673 No, no. 01:10:25.734 --> 01:10:26.835 Issue one is, is all me. 01:10:26.875 --> 01:10:29.975 I, I just, I, um, I, I, 01:10:30.076 --> 01:10:30.655 I funded it. 01:10:30.796 --> 01:10:32.317 I, uh, I wanted to, 01:10:32.896 --> 01:10:35.217 I didn't want to start all this on 01:10:35.238 --> 01:10:37.800 a Kickstarter because I kind of wanted to 01:10:37.920 --> 01:10:40.360 earn the currency and just earn, earn, 01:10:40.440 --> 01:10:40.621 earn. 01:10:40.680 --> 01:10:41.881 I wanted people to see that I'm serious 01:10:41.900 --> 01:10:43.862 about making a natural following for it. 01:10:44.242 --> 01:10:44.643 Yeah. 01:10:44.882 --> 01:10:45.082 Yeah. 01:10:45.162 --> 01:10:45.743 And it was great. 01:10:45.762 --> 01:10:47.123 You know, I, um, I just, 01:10:47.224 --> 01:10:48.463 I just don't look at my, my, 01:10:48.604 --> 01:10:49.685 my bank account too much. 01:10:49.904 --> 01:10:50.185 Uh, 01:10:52.475 --> 01:10:54.056 but you know what we were talking about 01:10:54.077 --> 01:10:56.177 this before we went live is, yeah, 01:10:56.198 --> 01:10:59.119 there's a lot of really good print places 01:10:59.380 --> 01:11:01.961 in and around you. 01:11:02.001 --> 01:11:03.902 Yeah, no, I mean, well, the, the, 01:11:04.322 --> 01:11:05.863 the print shops are, 01:11:07.083 --> 01:11:08.704 everything's going up quite a lot. 01:11:08.845 --> 01:11:10.645 And so it's tough to get it all 01:11:10.805 --> 01:11:10.926 out. 01:11:11.166 --> 01:11:12.726 Uh, but I'm learning a lot of, 01:11:12.787 --> 01:11:14.467 I've been talking to a lot of, uh, 01:11:14.488 --> 01:11:15.229 vets out here. 01:11:15.248 --> 01:11:17.710 Uh, uh, you know, I, uh, 01:11:17.750 --> 01:11:19.211 Jeffrey Ellis is one that comes to mind 01:11:19.230 --> 01:11:19.690 right now. 01:11:19.711 --> 01:11:20.671 Uh, John Anderson. 01:11:20.832 --> 01:11:20.912 Um, 01:11:21.377 --> 01:11:23.537 guys who have been doing comic publishing 01:11:23.557 --> 01:11:24.158 for a while. 01:11:24.639 --> 01:11:26.720 And they're really good at like, you know, 01:11:27.300 --> 01:11:27.720 it's like, 01:11:27.739 --> 01:11:28.820 I've already had a couple of moments where 01:11:28.841 --> 01:11:30.322 like, come here, come here, look, 01:11:30.341 --> 01:11:31.002 look at this page. 01:11:31.042 --> 01:11:31.181 Like, 01:11:31.202 --> 01:11:32.302 do you really need the page to look 01:11:32.323 --> 01:11:32.682 like this? 01:11:32.722 --> 01:11:34.184 You know, like just realizing how, 01:11:34.604 --> 01:11:34.804 you know, 01:11:34.863 --> 01:11:36.404 without just cause I wanted higher 01:11:36.465 --> 01:11:36.925 quality, 01:11:36.984 --> 01:11:38.926 I stumbled into like my first batch was 01:11:38.985 --> 01:11:40.127 like, you know, 01:11:40.146 --> 01:11:42.108 the shit looked like a travel catalogs, 01:11:42.427 --> 01:11:42.627 you know? 01:11:43.307 --> 01:11:44.548 And I was like, Oh wait, yeah, no, 01:11:44.588 --> 01:11:46.050 I don't like that as a reader. 01:11:46.109 --> 01:11:46.390 I don't know. 01:11:46.409 --> 01:11:48.011 Very high gloss page. 01:11:48.371 --> 01:11:49.692 Yeah, and I'm just like, oh, 01:11:49.712 --> 01:11:50.372 what am I doing? 01:11:50.391 --> 01:11:52.412 Here's what I'm realizing, guys. 01:11:52.432 --> 01:11:53.154 Don't get me wrong. 01:11:53.173 --> 01:11:55.534 Those look absolutely beautiful. 01:11:55.555 --> 01:11:56.435 Oh, yeah. 01:11:56.615 --> 01:11:57.655 Absolutely stunning. 01:11:58.095 --> 01:12:00.158 But it increases the price of the book 01:12:00.198 --> 01:12:02.359 to like ten to twelve dollars a pop. 01:12:02.719 --> 01:12:03.559 It sure does. 01:12:03.658 --> 01:12:05.701 And so I'm just sort of realizing how 01:12:05.761 --> 01:12:07.921 much I have to – I'm not good 01:12:07.942 --> 01:12:10.023 at being budget conscious when it comes to 01:12:10.023 --> 01:12:10.943 – 01:12:10.342 --> 01:12:11.904 So, I mean, if you look at what, 01:12:12.283 --> 01:12:14.345 like, Marvel, DC, Image, 01:12:14.365 --> 01:12:15.185 and all those guys do, 01:12:15.246 --> 01:12:18.207 they do a very high-quality cover and back 01:12:18.247 --> 01:12:20.630 page with a nice press board, 01:12:21.210 --> 01:12:23.570 and then the inside is your standard page. 01:12:24.072 --> 01:12:25.131 Yeah, which I like. 01:12:25.212 --> 01:12:27.713 Texture-wise, I like that, actually. 01:12:27.774 --> 01:12:27.993 I do, too. 01:12:28.194 --> 01:12:29.994 I like to feel like a page. 01:12:30.055 --> 01:12:30.275 Like, 01:12:31.576 --> 01:12:33.356 combined with the cardstock covers and the 01:12:33.396 --> 01:12:34.438 pages on the inside, 01:12:34.497 --> 01:12:37.119 it has a very distinct smell, and it's... 01:12:38.697 --> 01:12:39.657 refreshing to me. 01:12:39.976 --> 01:12:41.877 It's something about opening it up and 01:12:41.917 --> 01:12:43.557 reading a brand new comic book, 01:12:43.858 --> 01:12:45.399 which especially once you get to like the 01:12:45.479 --> 01:12:49.158 center page is, yeah, dude, it's, 01:12:49.840 --> 01:12:50.680 if you read comic books, 01:12:50.699 --> 01:12:52.140 you know exactly what I'm talking about. 01:12:52.500 --> 01:12:52.920 Yeah, no, 01:12:52.960 --> 01:12:54.201 I know exactly what you're talking about. 01:12:54.220 --> 01:12:55.161 I mean, you know, old, 01:12:55.280 --> 01:12:57.661 old eighties copies of Captain America or 01:12:58.161 --> 01:12:59.261 something, you know, and, and, 01:12:59.362 --> 01:13:01.962 and it just, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, 01:13:02.421 --> 01:13:03.082 it's getting that, 01:13:03.103 --> 01:13:04.722 that memory print from newspaper. 01:13:06.243 --> 01:13:08.024 Yeah, exactly. 01:13:08.126 --> 01:13:08.685 I do like that. 01:13:08.746 --> 01:13:08.985 I do. 01:13:09.086 --> 01:13:09.286 I do. 01:13:09.345 --> 01:13:09.506 I do. 01:13:10.146 --> 01:13:11.988 I try to leave room for, you know, 01:13:12.009 --> 01:13:14.010 there are I'm of a generation that like 01:13:14.050 --> 01:13:14.229 that. 01:13:14.270 --> 01:13:15.891 And there's maybe a lot of people that 01:13:15.912 --> 01:13:16.152 don't. 01:13:16.652 --> 01:13:18.573 And and I'm also kind of, you know, 01:13:18.594 --> 01:13:19.614 I've been out of the party for a 01:13:19.675 --> 01:13:20.274 while, you know, 01:13:20.375 --> 01:13:22.277 and I'm just coming back in like, hey, 01:13:22.317 --> 01:13:22.796 you know, 01:13:23.238 --> 01:13:26.420 and everything is I really love where all 01:13:26.439 --> 01:13:27.600 the different directions. 01:13:27.640 --> 01:13:29.443 A lot of the storytelling is gone and 01:13:29.462 --> 01:13:31.283 a lot of like traditional characters 01:13:31.323 --> 01:13:31.845 getting caught up. 01:13:32.625 --> 01:13:36.487 kind of reconceptualized in ways that are 01:13:36.546 --> 01:13:37.567 really cool. 01:13:37.686 --> 01:13:38.448 I love that stuff. 01:13:38.828 --> 01:13:44.369 I love like the variations and everything. 01:13:45.890 --> 01:13:48.032 I don't want to be like, yeah, 01:13:48.192 --> 01:13:49.893 I'm hip and cool too, you know, 01:13:49.953 --> 01:13:53.154 and do what I'm not, you know, 01:13:53.194 --> 01:13:54.755 and overextend what I'm not. 01:13:54.795 --> 01:13:57.036 So that's another rule for my storytelling 01:13:57.055 --> 01:13:58.796 with all of this is I'm really just 01:13:58.837 --> 01:14:00.557 going to tell the story 01:14:01.278 --> 01:14:03.059 from like a place of what I know 01:14:03.139 --> 01:14:04.118 is real and true. 01:14:04.298 --> 01:14:05.640 And I'm going to stress that it's, 01:14:06.119 --> 01:14:07.041 you know, it's understandable. 01:14:07.060 --> 01:14:07.780 At the end of the day, 01:14:07.820 --> 01:14:11.301 that's really all you can do. 01:14:11.341 --> 01:14:13.203 You don't want to overcomplicate it. 01:14:13.222 --> 01:14:15.003 I always go back to keeping it simple. 01:14:15.844 --> 01:14:16.024 Yeah. 01:14:16.323 --> 01:14:18.385 And I think keeping it simple tells the 01:14:18.444 --> 01:14:19.605 best stories. 01:14:20.440 --> 01:14:21.261 Yes, absolutely. 01:14:21.280 --> 01:14:24.162 Because once you start convoluting stories 01:14:24.881 --> 01:14:26.943 and characters and that kind of stuff, 01:14:27.002 --> 01:14:28.363 it just becomes one of those where you're 01:14:28.382 --> 01:14:28.684 like, 01:14:29.543 --> 01:14:31.845 they tried way too hard on this and 01:14:31.925 --> 01:14:33.125 it's almost unreadable. 01:14:34.064 --> 01:14:35.685 I read a book like that not that 01:14:35.746 --> 01:14:36.246 long ago. 01:14:36.426 --> 01:14:40.506 The premise was amazing. 01:14:41.027 --> 01:14:42.988 And the art, amazing. 01:14:44.161 --> 01:14:44.780 but they, 01:14:45.761 --> 01:14:47.523 some characters weren't fleshed out 01:14:47.563 --> 01:14:47.962 enough. 01:14:48.523 --> 01:14:49.243 Some were, 01:14:49.583 --> 01:14:50.743 you might as well had just flushed down 01:14:50.764 --> 01:14:52.545 the toilet because they got really fleshed 01:14:52.685 --> 01:14:54.326 out. 01:14:54.386 --> 01:14:55.667 And then you're just kind of looking at 01:14:55.707 --> 01:14:55.787 it. 01:14:55.827 --> 01:14:58.809 Like they tried too hard and it shows. 01:14:59.248 --> 01:15:01.029 Yeah. 01:15:01.050 --> 01:15:01.189 Yeah. 01:15:01.250 --> 01:15:01.310 And, 01:15:01.369 --> 01:15:03.490 and they usually self-correct on issue 01:15:03.530 --> 01:15:03.871 two. 01:15:04.832 --> 01:15:06.171 Thankfully in this case, 01:15:07.212 --> 01:15:09.413 issue two was very fleshed out, 01:15:09.533 --> 01:15:10.614 very well done. 01:15:10.635 --> 01:15:11.435 You're like, Oh God, 01:15:11.454 --> 01:15:12.836 somebody finally pulled them to the side 01:15:12.876 --> 01:15:13.296 and said, Hey, 01:15:15.884 --> 01:15:16.945 this ain't it. 01:15:16.966 --> 01:15:18.667 You need to fix this, this, and this. 01:15:19.109 --> 01:15:20.130 And then you got something. 01:15:20.229 --> 01:15:21.692 And thankfully the person listened. 01:15:21.752 --> 01:15:23.014 And when they rolled out issue two, 01:15:23.054 --> 01:15:25.738 you're like, that's what they should. 01:15:25.757 --> 01:15:27.199 That's what issue one should have been. 01:15:27.713 --> 01:15:28.514 Yeah, well, 01:15:28.533 --> 01:15:30.373 and it's so hard when you first start 01:15:30.414 --> 01:15:31.234 executing it, right? 01:15:31.255 --> 01:15:34.994 Because so much of story is like, 01:15:35.414 --> 01:15:38.395 I'll write a whole setup and I'm like, 01:15:39.456 --> 01:15:40.695 what am I even doing with this setup? 01:15:40.735 --> 01:15:42.976 This setup is just for me to understand 01:15:43.016 --> 01:15:43.837 who these people are. 01:15:43.856 --> 01:15:44.957 And now I'm going to cut this thing 01:15:44.997 --> 01:15:46.157 off and I'm going to start it here. 01:15:47.018 --> 01:15:47.337 Yeah, 01:15:47.358 --> 01:15:49.137 that's one of those where you flush out 01:15:49.377 --> 01:15:51.717 off screen and then you bring the story 01:15:51.757 --> 01:15:52.377 back over. 01:15:52.479 --> 01:15:53.378 You storyboard it, 01:15:53.559 --> 01:15:54.719 then bring the story over. 01:15:55.259 --> 01:15:55.418 Yep. 01:15:55.800 --> 01:15:58.122 So much, so much of story structure is, 01:15:58.362 --> 01:15:58.582 is, 01:15:58.862 --> 01:16:01.144 is cut and paste and puzzle making and, 01:16:01.404 --> 01:16:03.645 and it's, and it's fun in theory, 01:16:03.685 --> 01:16:04.487 but when you're doing it, 01:16:04.527 --> 01:16:06.788 it's so nerve wracking because it's like, 01:16:06.908 --> 01:16:07.789 you know, ah, 01:16:09.451 --> 01:16:11.432 you don't want to leave anything out. 01:16:11.493 --> 01:16:13.534 You know, there's always a key thing. 01:16:13.574 --> 01:16:16.597 Like I can't forget this key thing. 01:16:16.658 --> 01:16:19.239 It has to go in this book somewhere. 01:16:19.279 --> 01:16:19.380 Yeah. 01:16:19.600 --> 01:16:20.220 Yeah, for sure. 01:16:20.541 --> 01:16:20.921 For sure. 01:16:21.341 --> 01:16:22.962 And I've seen some people leave that key 01:16:23.101 --> 01:16:25.423 out and you're like, Ooh, I'm like, 01:16:25.484 --> 01:16:27.125 I'm pretty sure there's a point in here 01:16:27.145 --> 01:16:28.426 somewhere that they were trying to make. 01:16:29.027 --> 01:16:29.947 They just never did it. 01:16:30.688 --> 01:16:30.967 Yeah. 01:16:31.228 --> 01:16:32.269 And it's, it's tough, man. 01:16:32.328 --> 01:16:33.550 I mean, you know, Hey, I, you know, 01:16:33.609 --> 01:16:34.689 I might, I might, I might join them. 01:16:35.110 --> 01:16:37.993 You never, you never know. 01:16:38.273 --> 01:16:40.054 I think if you continue down the path 01:16:40.094 --> 01:16:42.095 you're on right now with issue one flowing 01:16:42.114 --> 01:16:44.077 directly into issue two and picking up 01:16:44.216 --> 01:16:45.217 right where it left off, 01:16:45.917 --> 01:16:47.939 I think you're going to be golden, dude. 01:16:48.038 --> 01:16:48.579 I really do. 01:16:48.951 --> 01:16:50.391 Thank you. 01:16:50.412 --> 01:16:50.773 I appreciate that. 01:16:50.792 --> 01:16:56.479 But with this book being a lifelong 01:16:56.519 --> 01:16:58.900 project evolving over two decades, 01:16:59.161 --> 01:17:01.302 what do you want your readers to walk 01:17:01.363 --> 01:17:05.547 away from after finishing the next issue? 01:17:07.292 --> 01:17:08.252 Oh, the next issue. 01:17:09.394 --> 01:17:11.073 Just the first two issues in general. 01:17:11.614 --> 01:17:12.534 Yeah. 01:17:13.216 --> 01:17:14.856 I think I want them to walk away 01:17:14.997 --> 01:17:20.199 with a feeling that, yeah, 01:17:20.380 --> 01:17:23.301 this is about systemic change. 01:17:23.421 --> 01:17:29.185 This is about systemic competition. 01:17:29.284 --> 01:17:31.606 This is about us. 01:17:31.667 --> 01:17:33.228 It's about everything around us. 01:17:33.627 --> 01:17:34.988 It's about everything that came before us. 01:17:35.729 --> 01:17:38.570 And it's about, you know, and that, 01:17:39.551 --> 01:17:40.653 you know, 01:17:40.712 --> 01:17:42.755 I'm not trying to provide an answer for 01:17:42.795 --> 01:17:44.155 that or a solution for that. 01:17:44.195 --> 01:17:46.518 But my hope is it gets them to 01:17:46.557 --> 01:17:48.760 think about solutions for themselves and 01:17:48.819 --> 01:17:50.461 for their, you know, their own backyards. 01:17:51.042 --> 01:17:53.444 And, you know, 01:17:53.543 --> 01:17:56.867 if we all feel like something's like 01:17:57.006 --> 01:17:57.127 the... 01:17:58.408 --> 01:17:59.469 if we all feel like the roots have 01:17:59.488 --> 01:18:00.970 been rotten for a long time in the 01:18:00.990 --> 01:18:03.613 world we live in uh uh you know 01:18:04.194 --> 01:18:06.114 we gotta trust that we have to uh 01:18:06.194 --> 01:18:08.978 accept that it's been like that for all 01:18:09.018 --> 01:18:11.060 of humanity like twenty thousand years ago 01:18:11.180 --> 01:18:12.902 seven hundred years ago seven hundred 01:18:12.921 --> 01:18:14.842 years into the future and uh 01:18:15.894 --> 01:18:18.496 what does that you know what is it 01:18:18.515 --> 01:18:20.356 that we're all missing because i refuse to 01:18:20.377 --> 01:18:21.938 believe that that's just an endless cycle 01:18:22.097 --> 01:18:23.238 and we're just going to keep doing it 01:18:23.798 --> 01:18:26.661 right uh i do believe that there is 01:18:26.860 --> 01:18:28.601 you know an evolution that happens in us 01:18:28.681 --> 01:18:31.064 i do believe we have the ability to 01:18:31.184 --> 01:18:33.704 coexist with you know our planet our 01:18:33.744 --> 01:18:36.606 surroundings with each other uh and uh and 01:18:36.707 --> 01:18:38.608 i i have a my my mother always 01:18:38.648 --> 01:18:39.288 calls it um 01:18:40.208 --> 01:18:42.689 pessimistic optimism. 01:18:43.109 --> 01:18:45.729 I have this pessimistic optimism about us 01:18:45.890 --> 01:18:47.570 as a society. 01:18:47.650 --> 01:18:49.190 I'm pretty sure those things go together. 01:18:49.911 --> 01:18:52.431 No, it's oxymoronic for a reason. 01:18:54.511 --> 01:18:55.792 But it won't make you think about it. 01:18:55.853 --> 01:18:57.292 It is something. 01:18:57.353 --> 01:18:58.932 It is this idea of like, yeah, 01:18:59.212 --> 01:19:00.434 we go through hurt and we go through 01:19:00.474 --> 01:19:03.173 pain and we learn in the worst way 01:19:03.213 --> 01:19:04.354 imaginable, but we learn. 01:19:04.875 --> 01:19:05.034 And 01:19:06.595 --> 01:19:08.395 I guess I kind of want them to 01:19:08.435 --> 01:19:09.735 just sort of like be in that mind 01:19:09.775 --> 01:19:10.855 state for this story. 01:19:10.895 --> 01:19:12.237 Like, yeah, I'm with you. 01:19:12.277 --> 01:19:12.976 Let's see what it is. 01:19:13.016 --> 01:19:15.478 And I will try to deliver that as 01:19:15.537 --> 01:19:16.078 best I can. 01:19:16.137 --> 01:19:18.417 And I'm really looking forward to it. 01:19:18.438 --> 01:19:18.979 I'm excited, 01:19:19.279 --> 01:19:20.899 chomping out the bit about like kind of 01:19:20.918 --> 01:19:22.479 where to go with it. 01:19:22.539 --> 01:19:23.920 I do not want people to think I'm 01:19:24.260 --> 01:19:25.619 telling them what to do with it, 01:19:25.699 --> 01:19:25.940 you know? 01:19:26.121 --> 01:19:27.480 I'm just going to sort of present. 01:19:27.881 --> 01:19:30.261 This is like a reflection, so to speak, 01:19:30.301 --> 01:19:31.082 right? 01:19:31.101 --> 01:19:31.801 We'll see where it goes. 01:19:31.822 --> 01:19:33.882 I like it, dude. 01:19:33.962 --> 01:19:34.842 And, you know, sports. 01:19:37.235 --> 01:19:37.956 No, dude, 01:19:37.975 --> 01:19:39.976 I absolutely love where this is going. 01:19:40.537 --> 01:19:42.099 Gotten to read the first book. 01:19:42.198 --> 01:19:44.920 I'm absolutely in love and just absolutely 01:19:44.960 --> 01:19:48.202 ecstatic for the Kickstarter to officially 01:19:48.242 --> 01:19:48.862 kick off. 01:19:49.542 --> 01:19:51.503 Now that's where we're at. 01:19:52.163 --> 01:19:54.585 Let everybody know where they can find you 01:19:55.006 --> 01:19:57.667 and when your Kickstarter is kicking off. 01:19:58.112 --> 01:19:58.492 All right. 01:19:58.952 --> 01:20:00.773 Kickstarter is due to kick off in about 01:20:00.813 --> 01:20:01.453 three more days. 01:20:01.493 --> 01:20:03.755 So we're probably going to kick off on 01:20:03.774 --> 01:20:04.274 the sixth. 01:20:04.675 --> 01:20:06.036 Are we going to have a lunchtime launch 01:20:06.076 --> 01:20:07.796 or an afternoon launch? 01:20:08.717 --> 01:20:09.877 Most likely, 01:20:10.738 --> 01:20:12.520 I guess it depends on where we are 01:20:12.539 --> 01:20:13.100 on the coast. 01:20:13.159 --> 01:20:15.100 I mean, for me, Pacific Standard Time, 01:20:15.180 --> 01:20:17.202 I'm setting it up to be a lunchtime 01:20:17.221 --> 01:20:17.542 launch, 01:20:17.582 --> 01:20:19.063 which might be an afternoon launch. 01:20:19.122 --> 01:20:20.283 It'll be an afternoon launch for me, yeah. 01:20:20.304 --> 01:20:21.463 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:20:21.484 --> 01:20:22.925 So I'll try to do something like that. 01:20:24.086 --> 01:20:24.985 I might make it the fifth. 01:20:26.126 --> 01:20:28.027 if we, you know, maybe to catch Wednesday. 01:20:29.146 --> 01:20:29.627 Stay tuned. 01:20:29.646 --> 01:20:30.988 I'll definitely, you know, 01:20:31.228 --> 01:20:32.068 definitely no matter what, 01:20:32.547 --> 01:20:33.427 get on the link now. 01:20:34.448 --> 01:20:35.729 Sign up for notifications. 01:20:36.288 --> 01:20:38.149 You can find me on Instagram. 01:20:38.328 --> 01:20:39.710 My name, Donald Tom Scapello. 01:20:40.630 --> 01:20:41.329 You can find me, 01:20:41.350 --> 01:20:42.930 you can find Powerscape itself on 01:20:42.970 --> 01:20:45.650 Instagram, powerscape underscore comics. 01:20:46.771 --> 01:20:47.971 Same thing on Blue Sky. 01:20:48.792 --> 01:20:50.474 uh powerscape universe i think uh 01:20:50.493 --> 01:20:53.016 powerscape underscore universe but if you 01:20:53.037 --> 01:20:54.920 find me on blue sky you can you 01:20:54.960 --> 01:20:57.443 can click to the powerscape uh social 01:20:57.462 --> 01:20:59.425 media as well we also have a patreon 01:20:59.926 --> 01:21:01.067 uh which hopefully is here in the link 01:21:01.087 --> 01:21:03.890 too yeah so i went through and updated 01:21:03.970 --> 01:21:05.853 all all the links to thank you 01:21:06.453 --> 01:21:09.876 this story with uh his uh blue sky 01:21:10.015 --> 01:21:12.997 instagram and patreon as well as the kit 01:21:13.037 --> 01:21:15.257 starter so if you hit the links below 01:21:15.278 --> 01:21:17.859 the video you will find it or on 01:21:17.899 --> 01:21:20.921 the updated ad that i did for this 01:21:21.001 --> 01:21:23.523 conversation everything is down there in 01:21:23.563 --> 01:21:26.144 the in the the links so yeah 01:21:26.623 --> 01:21:27.024 Thank you. 01:21:27.323 --> 01:21:28.104 Yeah, thank you so much. 01:21:28.463 --> 01:21:30.185 Yeah, and that's, you know, 01:21:30.225 --> 01:21:31.944 you can join as a free member if 01:21:31.965 --> 01:21:32.265 you want. 01:21:32.305 --> 01:21:34.024 You give what you can, of course, 01:21:34.045 --> 01:21:35.586 to the Kickstarter within, you know, 01:21:35.605 --> 01:21:36.605 whatever you're comfortable with. 01:21:37.565 --> 01:21:38.805 And I would just definitely encourage if 01:21:38.826 --> 01:21:39.805 everybody could just share it. 01:21:39.826 --> 01:21:42.247 Just share the Kickstarter as far and wide 01:21:42.266 --> 01:21:45.167 to anyone you think is into sci-fi, 01:21:45.247 --> 01:21:48.207 into sports, into superheroes, metahumans, 01:21:48.347 --> 01:21:49.667 plus sports, right? 01:21:49.927 --> 01:21:52.828 This is really a fun combination of all 01:21:52.868 --> 01:21:53.488 of the above. 01:21:53.996 --> 01:21:55.997 yeah yeah for sure for sure it's that 01:21:56.016 --> 01:21:57.957 is that's my life that's what i so 01:21:58.077 --> 01:22:02.318 i grew up i like it yeah yeah 01:22:02.938 --> 01:22:06.118 all right so civilization may fall but the 01:22:06.179 --> 01:22:10.819 game always goes on donald thank you so 01:22:10.840 --> 01:22:13.161 much for coming on and joining the council 01:22:13.201 --> 01:22:15.981 tonight and for sharing the vision behind 01:22:16.042 --> 01:22:18.362 powerscape man it's a story about power 01:22:18.402 --> 01:22:20.523 performance and the fragile line between 01:22:20.662 --> 01:22:21.262 spectacle 01:22:22.122 --> 01:22:25.286 and survival everybody head over give him 01:22:25.345 --> 01:22:27.806 a like give him some follows go over 01:22:27.846 --> 01:22:30.288 to kickstarter sign in hit that notify me 01:22:30.328 --> 01:22:32.711 bell that way you will be notified when 01:22:32.751 --> 01:22:35.292 this kickstarter launches and as always 01:22:35.332 --> 01:22:39.836 support independent comments and support 01:22:39.855 --> 01:22:40.756 the usdn heck yeah yeah yeah donald 01:22:43.729 --> 01:22:45.550 I want to be the guy to welcome 01:22:45.590 --> 01:22:49.972 you officially to the Council of Nerds and 01:22:50.012 --> 01:22:54.395 let you know that PowerScape is USDN 01:22:54.795 --> 01:22:55.456 approved. 01:22:56.161 --> 01:22:56.780 Wow. 01:22:56.801 --> 01:22:58.001 Thank you very much, Chairman. 01:22:58.201 --> 01:22:59.042 This was a pleasure. 01:23:00.202 --> 01:23:03.362 First order of business at the council. 01:23:04.002 --> 01:23:06.262 I guess, where's the washroom? 01:23:06.403 --> 01:23:07.023 I think I got to go. 01:23:07.422 --> 01:23:12.923 I told you to go before we started. 01:23:13.003 --> 01:23:14.123 This is a pleasure, man. 01:23:14.144 --> 01:23:15.024 Chairman, this was awesome. 01:23:15.064 --> 01:23:16.604 Thank you so much for your support, 01:23:16.625 --> 01:23:17.524 for what you're doing for everybody. 01:23:17.545 --> 01:23:18.404 Absolutely, dude. 01:23:19.024 --> 01:23:19.645 Heck yeah, man. 01:23:20.284 --> 01:23:22.706 I'm honored to be a part of the 01:23:22.746 --> 01:23:23.426 council, for sure. 01:23:24.019 --> 01:23:25.100 Just hang out for a few minutes. 01:23:25.121 --> 01:23:26.963 I'm going to end this and we'll come 01:23:27.003 --> 01:23:27.265 back. 01:23:27.746 --> 01:23:28.126 All right. 01:23:28.206 --> 01:23:28.627 Thank you. 01:23:29.068 --> 01:23:29.287 Peace. 01:23:29.347 --> 01:23:29.970 Everybody enjoy.