Jimmy Palmiotti. It’s a name any comic fan should know well. After my self imposed sabbatical from comics, I like to call it the “Dark Days”, one of the first books I fell in love with upon my return was Power Girl, written by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and drawn by Amanda Conner. It’s been 4 years and I still miss that book with that creative team. From that moment on, that group of creators were on my radar and I have followed them on pretty much everything they do.
Palmiotti and Gray have collaborated many times, including recently on Jonah Hex and Batwing and their new Kickstarter funded project: DENVER. Their run on Jonah Hex has pretty much become legendary at this point and their Batwing has surged in popularity. Palmiotti also works quite often with his wife Amanda Conner. Their partnership goes back to the early 90′s and has resulted in some amazing projects, one of which we discuss today: Harley Quinn.
So, let’s get to the goods and hear what Jimmy has to say about DENVER and how the project came to be and how he has succeeded at Kickstarter. We also talk about Harley Quinn and what he and Amanda Conner have planned for our favorite uncorked female. Finally, learn a little about G.I. Zombie and what we can expect when it hits stores this July.
GiC: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us
JP: No problem
GiC: I would like to first ask you about DENVER, your soon to be released Kickstarter funded graphic novel. With over $50,000 pledged, this makes it your most successful Kickstarter campaign to date, right?
JP: That is correct. Was a big success for us. Certainly not one we expected but one we truly are humbled to know that people continue to love our stuff and are willing to back our projects.
GiC: Obviously, it seems like you have got this Kickstarter thing down. Why have you been so successful with it?
JP: We are on a constant learning curve. What I do see is that we keep doing Kickstarters and fine tune them along the way, while keeping the goals at a reasonable figure, trying to make everyone happy. I have a rule that I repeat all the time. Treat others how you would like to be treated. It is a small operation that we have so we try to be efficient as possible.
What is important is front-loading the Kickstarter page with as much information and art of the project and use social media and my past supporters to help spread the word. After that, the works speaks for itself. I personally back anything that I think looks good. I hardly care less if it’s a famous creator. I look at the art and story and make my decision. I think a lot of people do, so visually enticing projects tend to do better out of the gate.
The other thing we love about the Kickstarter process is that we can do what we want with the book. We control it all. That is a double edge sword too. You are the full process for creating the book, managing it, scheduling it and shipping it out to the backers. But, that is also the way we keep 100% ownership of the product. So down the road, we can put any extra copies up on our website for sale (that’s where we have several of our older Kickstarter projects for those who missed them (www.paperfilms.com ). And when people buy it there (and backing on Kickstarter), the money goes to the creators. And if we achieve our goals, we roll those funds onto the next project.
GiC: Where did the idea for DENVER come from?
JP: Justin and I were talking about a few ideas we had and I think I was watching a show on one of the science channels on how cities can be self-sufficient. We were bouncing a few ideas around and we came up with a simple story set in an unusual place, like the last metropolis left in a world covered with water. We had the world building aspect done, but felt it should become a backdrop rather than the main focus. We created Max Flynn, a border patrol guy where his beat is the docks of the city and built the story from there. The book is about the adventure we throw poor Max into and how he deals with it. It’s a mix of drama, science fiction, and at times a bit out of control.
GiC: Having a soundtrack for DENVER is a pretty cool idea. How did that come about?
JP: I met composer Hans Karl a few times over the years and we always talked about collaborating on something together, and when Justin and I were working on Denver we thought about contacting him, to see if he was up for the idea. We pitched him the book, gave him some art and script and the pieces started coming in, about one every other week and we loved them. With digital delivery so easy, we thought it would be a cool idea to do this. My love for soundtracks wanted this to happen badly and we figured out a good plan and budget and went to work. We also were lucky enough to have singer songwriter Carrie Johnson add a track to it as well. She has an amazing voice and we looked at her track as the end credit part of the album. We sure hope people enjoy it.
GiC: Do you already know what your next Kickstarter campaign will be?
JP: We’re looking to follow up DENVER with the second volume of Sex & Violence. It was a big hit for us on Kickstarter and it still is a good seller for us on our website (www.paperfilms.com). We’ve already got the stories and artwork in process and it is coming out great. We’re real excited about the opportunity to tell more different and mature stories. If you were a fan of the first volume, you’ll enjoy the upcoming collection. Sex and violence will be up when Denver is almost all delivered.
Courtesy of DC Entertainment
GiC: Let’s switch gears for a moment and talk Harley Quinn. Comics, like television, seem to go in cycles. Dramas were everywhere on TV and now comedies are back. With Harley Quinn’s sales numbers being so strong, do you think comic readers are finally ready to have fun again?
JP: I think it was all about timing and delivering a product the retailers could get behind and us giving them a book that understands why people love the character. The folks at DC have been brilliant with the way they have been keeping all the books in stock and making sure that if someone comes in and issue 5 is their first issue, they will be able to get the issues before, even if they are 3rd printings. The fans always speak in this case and having a hit like this is refreshing for me on a number of levels since most of my other work just manages to stay afloat. I think , as always, its the right character with the right creator and let them go crazy.
GiC: Poison Ivy and Harley are a perfect pair. Any chances we see her again soon?
JP: Yes, she comes back in issue 7, which is in a few months. She will be helping Harley figure out who has been sending killers after her. Its a really fun issue that will have people talking once more about these two.
GiC: Any other guests from the DCU you can tell us about?
JP: Amanda and I have major plans for the future that we cannot even tease at, but for now, know that we will be having a wedding in the book coming in September. After that…it’s all about chaos.
GiC: Star-Spangled War Stories was recently announced to be coming in July by you and Justin Gray. What can you tell us about the book and G.I. Zombie?
JP: The book is part horror and part war and is something that I feel is a totally original character that we created for the DCU that I think a lot of people are going to love. The title itself is a cross between the CABLE TV series True Detective and Walking Dead, with a lot of machine guns thrown into the mix.
GiC: Any other upcoming projects you would care to discuss?
JP: Just the new Painkiller Jane and 22 Brides series starting in a few weeks’ time. It is coming from ICON and is a mature audiences book on just about every level. The trade for the first series is out now and with this new series, we blow the roof off of a lot of story lines. Literally.
Thanks to Jimmy for taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to talk to us at Geeks In Capes. Make sure that you visit his site at www.paperfilms.com and pick up a few of his awesome creator owned books. Digital copies along with printed, and even signed copies, are available to purchase.
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