Crystal Fractals Q&A: Pedro Maia on 'Redorik,' Indiegogo

Two versions of Maia's cover art for the 'Redorik' series.

Where comic books are concerned, it's a two-part medium; defined as equally by its script as it is its art, truly great comics meld the two together to create a fantastic experience for readers. We feel Redorik is one of those stories, where Howard Wong's knack for storytelling marries and bonds perfectly to the artistry of Brazilian artist Pedro Maia. This week we chatted with Pedro about his work on the first issue of the series, his inspirations and influences and his hope to finish what he, Derrek and Howard started.

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Redorik artist Pedro Maia

Andrew Ardizzi: Every artist has their influences, works that inspired them or a specific artist they try and pattern themselves after. Growing up, and even now, who are some of your influences in the comic book industry?

Pedro Maia: To be really honest I draw inspiration from every good artist I've seen, and there are lots of them in the industry! Some of them I can't even name, but I do recognize their work easily. But if I had to pick one, that would be the amazing Adam Hughes.

AA: Where do you think those influences come out, or are clear in your work whether it's on The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles: Prelude to Evil #1, Hollows, Bloodwork or in your work with us on Redorik?  Are you even consciously pencilling, inking or colouring in those styles when you work, or is it more that you've been exposed to all these different styles throughout your life and you've organically evolved your own style as you've grown as an artist?

PM: That's a hard question, because I don't believe I have developed my own style yet. I'm still trying different things and sticking with the ones that work for me. But still, there's a long road to go.

Pedro Maia's inked cover for 'Redorik'

Although we're taking a bit of a day off today from the hard campaigning we've been doing to complete the Redorik graphic novel, we thought still offer up a small little bonus for our fans. Feast your eyes on this alternate cover to Redorik as drawn and inked by Pedro Maia!

Where the full cover obscures that fellow in the background, the inked version reveals his complexion a little more. I wonder who he is?! Secrets, secrets. :)

Take care everyone!

-Andrew

Who is 'Redorik's' Justin Henderson?

Pedro Maia's 'Redorik' cover

For the last few weeks the Crystal Fractals team has been hard at work campaigning to finish Redorik through Indiegogo. It's a book we're really passionate about and we would love to have the opportunity to finish it soon.

But the question you're likely all asking is, what is a Redorik? Who is Justin Henderson? And why is he going crazy on the cover? Well, to answer those questions, here's the little bit we can disclose about Justin Henderson/Redorik and his immediate world.

Justin is a rather normal young man, with rather normal experiences. He's a high school senior at the fictional Laurier High School, and is a member of the school's swim and diving team. His birthday is January 3rd, his best friend's name is Al, and he has a crush on a girl named Jessica Summers. The three of them have been friends since they were kids, almost as long as Justin has been bullied by the school's resident jerk, Mark. His life takes a turn towards the positively weird though once he begins to have a recurring nightmare narrated by a dark, creepy voice that calls out his name as he leaps from a diving board straight into an empty pool. If the nightmares weren't bad enough, he's begun to hear the same voice in his thoughts while he's awake; almost influencing him or goading him to act a certain way like an evil Jiminy Cricket. This is Justin's life in a nutshell, and it takes a dramatic turn in the first issue when he accepts Al's offer to take a job from his uncle. It's at that meeting where, ironically enough, all of Justin's child-like clowning around comes to an end.

'Redorik' Preview!

I know we promised a chat with Redorik artist Pedro Maia this week, but he's run into a busy stretch with one of his other projects. We still wanted to feature his work though, so we've decided to preview the first six pages of Redorik! How cool is that? By now you're familiar with the cover for the series, so let's just jump into the meat and potatoes of the book!

Crystal Fractals Q&A: Howard Wong chats 'Redorik,' Indiegogo campaign

Howard Wong

Last week I chatted with Crystal Fractal Comics Publisher Derrek Lennox about the Redorik series and the ongoing Indiegogo campaign to complete the series as a 96-page graphic novel. This week I caught up with the series' writer Howard Wong, who chatted about his work, his storytelling processess, social media and crowdfunding campaigns and the prospect of finishing Redorik.

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Andrew Ardizzi: You're mostly known for your work on After the Cape, and have obviously written Redorik for Crystal Fractal Comics. For those unfamiliar with your work, what can you tell fans about you, your work and how you approach writing as a whole.

Howard Wong: My first published comic was After the Cape, a mini-series I created with Marco Rudy and was published by Image Comics/Shadowline. I was nominated for a Shuster award for it, which was very humbling. It’s a dark tale about a retired superhero who finds himself struggling to make ends meet in the city he once protected with his life. He’s feeling lost in a world he thought he once knew, while failing at raising his family. He turns to alternative means to do so, which resulted in him making hard life choices. It continued with a tragic end in the second miniseries, After the Cape II, which concluded that story arc. I’ve also contributed to short stories such as Grunts: War Stories from Arcana Comics, which was nominated for Comic Buyer’s Guide Fan Favorite Graphic Novel. The story is titled, Iron Snake and tells the harrowing backstory of Lt. Kiko before he joins up with the squad from the regular miniseries. More recently I contributed to Shattered: The Asian American Comics Anthology, with a story titled Master Tortoise and Master Hare. It’s a retelling of The Tortoise and the Hare, where instead of racing they use martial arts. I wrote this with the intention of showing how the same age old story can have an Asian take and still have the universal appeal and understanding like that of the original. No matter if it’s a full-on miniseries or a short story for an anthology, the approach is the same. You look at where you want to take your story and find the best way in getting there:

'After the Cape' #1 cover image

Do you take a direct approach or one that weaves its way to your destination?

Will it be full of simple or complex paths?

Where you start, is how a story ends. That to me, is the easiest way to start the construction of a good story. Knowing your ending helps define how you’ll resolve the great conflict of your story, which will then allow you to see the different ways at getting to that conflict. So yes, you work your way backwards, but it works. Besides the story, it helps you figure out how your characters will develop and be changed after everything is resolved.

AA: When you're writing, what sort of mental space are you in? Say, for example, do you become immersed within your project, or do you maybe do a little at a time and come back to it frequently?

HW: I have a few things on the go at the same time, but like to focus on one for the bulk of the day. I just find it easier to stay in that writing mode if I juggle my time between projects. It’s not for everyone for sure, but it works for me. Sometimes I create wonderful scenes when I work on something that’s perfect for another story. So I take notes (a lot of notes), which fuels the writing of another story I’m working on from wanting to bring those ideas to life.

Crystal Fractals Q&A: Derrek Lennox on 'Redorik' Indiegogo campaign

CFC Publisher Derrek Lennox

Since 2007, Crystal Fractal Comics Publisher/Founder Derrek Lennox has worked to make his childhood dream of publishing comics a reality. It's not been easy, but no passion-driven quest ever is. The company recently launched its own crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo in hopes of finishing off one of Derrek's more personal creations, Redorik. Derrek and I sat down recently for a short Q&A on Redorik, the creation of the title's main character, the Indiegogo campaign and collaborating with the incomparable Howard Wong on the plot.


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Andrew Ardizzi: Redorik is one of the three solo titles Crystal Fractal Comics has launched that ties into The Crossing books, but it differs in that it features a new character. What can you tell readers about Justin Henderson/Redorik and his significance to the Crystal Fractal Universe(CFU)?

Derrek Lennox: I can’t tell you much about his significance – that would be a spoiler – but I can let on that there is each a direct and indirect connection to the other Crossing books. However, it does stand on its own without having to know much about the rest of the universe. Knowing more just adds to the storytelling. It's a lot like being an adult and taking your kids to watch a Pixar film; there is a lot there for the children, and even more layered on top for the adults.

AA: What inspired the creation of the character?

DL: The roots of this character were developed years ago when I was in high school and felt disconnected. I discovered that many people felt this way. So I wanted to develop a story and a character that could explain how the quest for connectivity – or a sense of belonging if you will – could be influenced to generate a slightly different response. That, and I wanted a dark-ish character that focused on someone in high school with a dual identity.

The original "Redorik" logo, featuring red where the current series logo is purple.

Thanks to 'Jn4nier' for donating to the 'Redorik' campaign!

We just recently started up a campaign through Indie Go Go in hopes of completing our Redorik comic as a 96-page graphic novel, and we're very pleased to have the support of not only the Crystal Fractal Comics family, but from our fans as well.

One in particular, "Jn4nier," donated $35 to our campaign yesterday, purchasing the "Redorik Supporter" perk. Because of their help, we've moved a little closer to our goal, which is spectacular because while the project was nearly on the proverbial backburner indefinitely, I never stopped feeling it was an importance piece of the Crystal Fractal Universe and the totality of its puzzle. To thank "Jf4nier," and anyone else who contributes as a donor to our campaign, we've got a great list of bonuses for fans generous enough to promote Redorik. With the "Redorik Supporter" perk "Jf4nier" will be getting a signed copy of the Redorik trade paperback, featuring all the names of the creators involved with the projects. As a bonus with the perk, "Jf4nier" will also receive a signed comic of his choice from our library, which will also feature the signatures of any creator involved.

Showing our appreciation for fans' contributions is the least we can do, and we hope these perks and the stories we're trying to tell excite you as much they do us. Thanks to everyone, as usual, for your continued support and be sure to check out our Indie Go Go campaign page to learn more about what other perks are available to you should you choose to contribute.

Thanks again everyone, and stay tuned!

-Andrew

Howard Wong (After the Cape) to Write Crystal Fractal Comics’ Upcoming Title “Redorik”

Toronto, Canada (PRnine - August 12, 2008) - Building off the momentum from the 2008 Paradise Toronto Comicon, Canada-based comic book publisher Crystal Fractal Comics announced that it has signed Howard Wong, previously of the acclaimed Image Shadowline series After the Cape, to script the first four issue story arc of its upcoming title Redorik. The series is planned for solicitation in the beginning of 2009.

“We are extremely excited to have Howard on board,” says Derrek Lennox, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Crystal Fractal Comics, “We believe that his unique look at the jaded hero will be the perfect launching point for Redorik.”

Redorik focuses on Justin Henderson, a high school student who can telepathically read the thoughts and emotions of others and teleport to distant locations through a pocket universe. Unlike his peers, who fantasize about having supernatural powers, Justin must learn to come to terms with his new found abilities, in addition to dealing with the death of a friend and trying to determine which of the voices he hears are those of others, and which are his own subconscious. He is unaware of the fact that he is a descendant of Nathanael de Velasquez, a powerful mage whose alias Doctor Twilight is the central character in another eponymous Crystal Fractal title.
In addition to Redorik and Doctor Twilight, Crystal Fractal Comics is planning on releasing four other titles in the coming months: Project Epsilon London Town, Magus Rex, Entropy and Velvet Angel. Like Redorik and Doctor Twilight, all of these titles focus on The Core and The Nine, the key players of the fictional Crystal Fractal Universe.

Crystal Fractal Comics is an up and coming comic book publisher and character licensing company seeking to diversify the industry through the dynamic storylines and characters of its titles. Founded by Derrek S. Lennox, the company aims to become one of the top ten firms in its industry through its online and print comics, toys, and other licensed products. Crystal Fractal Comics is currently headquartered in Toronto, Canada.