For all my crowdfunding pieces, I have stuck to the big boy of the crowdfunding industry, Kickstarter. But there are plenty of other games in town. One of these other platforms is Zoop, which focuses specifically on comics. Among the projects on Zoop right now is The Brothers James, from Brian Level, Ryan Ferrier and Eamon Hill. A crime comic Level and Ferrier began in 2013, the series released four of its five issues, and is now working to fund the final issue and a collection of the entire series. We sat down with Level (Chained to the Grave) to talk about returning to the book, crime comics and another big project he has launching this week.
Matt Lazorwitz: Brian, thanks for joining us. Let’s start simple: What is the elevator pitch for The Brothers James?
Brian Level: So I’ve always framed it quickly as “Identical twin orphans, Jack and John James, terrorize the southern U.S. highways to wrap up unfinished business: Hunt down and kill the bikers that butchered their parents 15 years earlier.”
Of course, things are never so simple …
Matt: You’re using the Zoop platform for your crowdfunding. What drew you to Zoop?
Brian: Zoop had an interesting pitch. They take the burden of a lot of things off of your hands, and in crowdfunding there are a LOT of things to do! Being a super busy dude, that had appeal. After a few conversations that went really well, we were off to the races. They’ve been great dudes. They’ve listened to me get excited and also get neurotic yet still stick by us and the project, so props to them! Haha. Joking aside, they’ve been very good to us and brought a lot to the table as far as preparation and execution of this campaign.
Matt: What’s it like to return to The Brothers James after so long? I have to imagine you’ve grown as an artist. Did you feel like you wanted to go back and redraw the early issues?
Brian: Oh I DEFINITELY wanted to redraw the earlier issues! Haha. But after going back there’s actually a ton of stuff I liked that I did! I’m really proud of this book. Despite growing as an artist, there is a lot of intuition on those pages that I stand by.
Matt: What are some of your favorite crime comics? I’m a big fan, so I am always looking for recommendations.
Brian: Stray Bullets is the GOAT. For real. Everything Lapham does is aces. And avoiding obvious ones like Criminal, 100 Bullets and Parker, I’d also recommend the old Sam & Twitch books from about 20 years ago. Bendis and Andreyko were writing interesting stories in that Spawn world. Heavy stuff. Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron is a weirdo take on the mystery genre, but it’s fantastic. Milligan and Gianfelice’s Greek Street is a banger. As well as Milligan and Fegredo’s Face (Which is more horror than crime, but still …). Lip Hook from David Hine and Mark Stafford. Brisson and Gorham’s The Violent. Rosenberg and Boss’ 4 Kids Walk into a Bank. Charlton and Hollenbach’s Black of Heart. I dunno, I could do this for a long time haha.
Matt: OK, this one’s outside this specific project, but I’m me, so I have to ask: You’re the artist on Batman Vs. Bigby!: A Wolf in Gotham, the Batman/Fables crossover dropping this week. How did you get involved with that project?
Brian: You know, I don’t know! Haha. I got offered the job not long after my stint on Lucifer. I believe Andy Khouri put me in for the job, but I cannot be certain. I was really fortunate to be asked. It’s been a very intense and intimidating job. I’m proud of the work I’ve done on it. I hope everyone digs what we’ve all put together.
Back The Brothers James on Zoop. The campaign ends on Oct. 20.
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of five. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the creator interview podcast WMQ&A with Dan Grote.
