Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • The Complete Dick Tracy Volume 8

      Andre Lamar
      July 25, 2011
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • SIngles Going Steady 10/19/2016: Three's Company

      Andre Lamar
      October 23, 2016
      IDW, Image, Marvel Comics, Reviews, Singles Going Steady, Valiant
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Interview: Simon Spurrier and Discovering Where Narratives Lead You

      Andre Lamar
      May 19, 2016
      Boom! Studios, Indie, Interviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • Spitting Out Osamu Tezuka's "Swallowing the Earth"

      Andre Lamar
      June 29, 2016
      Columns, Comic Book G-Forces, Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Classic Interview: Walt Simonson Pt.1 - From Geology to Comics

      Andre Lamar
      June 26, 2015
      Big Two, Interviews, Marvel Comics
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Don McGregor on "Killraven,” Part Four: How Much of Yourself to Put Into A Book

      Andre Lamar
      February 21, 2013
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • DEADLY CLASS is Coming to SyFY

      Andre Lamar
      May 15, 2018
      Image, News, Press Release
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Apollo' is Great with Facts, Less Great with Mythologizing

      Andre Lamar
      June 25, 2018
      Books, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: If I win Powerball, I will buy Amazing Fantasy 15
  • DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Interviews

Com.x to launch ‘BlueSpear’

Andre Lamar
June 22, 2011
Interviews

 

As a spinoff to Com.x’s impressive graphic novel 45, Andi Ewington and Eddie Deighton will treat readers to an encore with the July release of BlueSpear.

45, which debuted last summer, tells the story of James Stanley, a reporter who interviews 45 different beings with Super-S abilities. Halfway through the book, James travels to Tokyo and interviews Akira Tomikawa, the brother of Yuji, aka the BlueSpear. From Akira’s interview it’s revealed that Yuji received mysterious powers from the sea as a young boy, after he nearly drowned during a fishing trip. Now as an adult, he wields the legendary Spear and protects the streets of Shinjuku. 

Andre Lamar caught up with Ewington, Deighton and Cosmo White (the artist of BlueSpear) to learn more about Tokyo’s mysterious hero. 


Andre Lamar: Out of the 45 powered beings who appeared in 45, why did you decide to create a story arc based on BlueSpear? 

Andi Ewington: It was a shared realization of Eddie Deighton and I — midway through the editing phase of 45. BlueSpear struck us as one of those characters with seemingly endless avenues to explore. We’d throw development scenarios at one another until, eventually, we hit upon a cool mini-arc that was mentioned within the pages of 45. 

Lamar: What’s the plot in BlueSpear?

Ewington: Okay, I’ll try and do this without giving too much of the game away. The main story arc follows a crack XoDOS squad led by the voluptuous Lotus as they attempt to procure the legendary Spear carried by the BlueSpear. But this is just the beginning of a far bigger operation. What do XoDOS want with this spear and what will it take for them to obtain it? As a subplot, we see the origin story of BlueSpear and hints of the subsequent strained relationship between Yuji and his brother, Akira.

Lamar: In 45 we never learn the full extent of Yuri’s powers or what his spear is capable of. What are Yuji’s abilities and what can the Spear do?

Ewington: This is part of the attraction of BlueSpear as a character — he’s a constantly developing entity. As the reader, you discover what BlueSpear can “do,” just as “we,” the writers did. He’s able to absorb a multitude of marine and aquatic forms and abilities to use as his own. The spear he wields also has a history of its own, which further extends his powers, but I don’t want to say anymore on that matter for the time being — it’s enough to think of it as you would Wolverine’s claws.

Lamar: Eddie, since 45 was Andi’s brainchild, what were your responsibilities for BlueSpear?

Eddie Deighton: Well, after spending an entire year submerging myself in the 45 world, I had a vested interest in pretty much all the characters, anyway, but BlueSpear was one Super-S that we both navigated towards. I’d like to think that, once we’d established the basic premise for this book, we shared equal passion and responsibilities for the project. Andi plotted out the overall story arc for this trilogy and then we both contributed equally on the development of the character, his abilities, the structure of the story and we shared in the writing duties, sending drafts back and forth between us. And, as is usual with most of the Com.x titles, I’ve handled the overall graphic design and lettering of the book.

Lamar: How has having Eddie as co-writer on this project benefitted you?

Ewington: As far as I can see, Ed’s been the glue on every Com.xproject that has been put out. Just because his name isn’t down as a writer/creator on every title, doesn’t mean he’s not without considerable writing talent. I’ve read plenty of scripts by the man to know he’s got a phenomenal ability to capture a scene, and it was that talent that shone through when we edited 45 together. It was inevitable that we would take a turn at co-writing. We are very synchronized in our writing processes and it’s rare to find someone you are just on the same wavelength with. Watch out, this could be the start of the next great writing partnership.

Lamar: From what I’ve seen, the visuals in BlueSpear emphasize a maritime adventure set in Tokyo. How were you able to pull this off?

Cosmo White: I tried to give the artwork a sort of Saturday morning cartoon adventure feel; a cathode ray tube glow. I wanted to remind myself of watching the old Filmation Tarzan whilst eating a Marathon — if I’m not dating myself a bit by saying that. And Eddie and Andi obviously enjoy using really evocative environments — nightclubs and neon-lit cities; underwater scenes, which lend themselves well to that approach. I had neon and seawater in mind as constant themes with the coloring.

Lamar: The illustrations also appear more anime-inspired than American. Was this a conscious decision since the story is set in Japan?

White: Partly a conscious decision – and partly not… it was more a conscious decision not to be too traditionally superheroic; as 45 itself was notable in the non-traditional methods it employed to tell a story. As much as I love the standard stuff, there’s already plenty of it out there, so I think it’s good to be a little different if an appropriate story presents itself.

Lamar: With BlueSpear being the first of three books based on the 45 universe, what’s your vision for this trilogy project? 

Ewington: We’ve planned a storyline that picks up with different characters, and seemingly differing scenarios. But don’t let that fool you — these individual threads and players are all entwined pieces of the same puzzle. This allows us to reintroduce some of the cooler superheroes from 45 without making it feel contrived. 

Lamar: When can we expect the two remaining books?

Ewington: Maybe 2012 sometime for X and 2013 for Skyline; I don’t want to rush these things. Each storyline can be read as a stand-alone experience. That’s the beauty of the 45 universe; you don’t have to go deeper if you don’t want to.

Lamar: What did each of you enjoy most about working on BlueSpear?

Ewington: I could say working with Ed, cre
ating and developing the story, but I think he would agree that without a shadow of a doubt receiving those finished colored pages from Cosmo had us beaming from ear-to-ear.

Deighton: Well, first and foremost, I’ve enjoyed seeing my own words translated into print for the first time in a Com.x book, but it’s always a joy to receive new pages from artists and drop them into sequence, then add the dialogue. It’s great when you pull all these separate components together and you can see it working as one coherent creative entity. 

White: I really enjoyed the underwater bits. It was also a pleasure working from such a lucid script, and receiving such thoughtful and helpful comments throughout the process from Eddie and Andi.

BlueSpear will debut this July at Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Andi EwingtonAndre Lamar

Share On:
Tweet
ADVANCE REVIEW: Dark Horse Presents #2
Incorruptible Volume Four

About The Author

<a href="http://comicsbulletin.com/byline/andre-lamar/" rel="tag">Andre Lamar</a>
Andre Lamar

Andre Lamar is a writer for Comics Bulletin

Related Posts

  • This The Last of Us Fan Film is Infectious

    Andre Lamar
    August 19, 2013
  • Tina Alexander Tells us How it Should have Ended

    Andre Lamar
    April 24, 2012

Latest Interviews

  • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

    Daniel Gehen
    June 8, 2020
  • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

    Mike Nickells
    March 4, 2020
  • Simon Roy

    Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

    Mike Nickells
    January 29, 2020
  • Interview: V.E. Schwab on revisiting Red London in The Steel Prince

    Stephen Cook
    March 13, 2019
  • Interview: David Foster Wallace and Hellblazer, words on Wyrd with writer Curt Pires

    Stephen Cook
    February 27, 2019
  • “The Night Has Teeth” An Interview with Sarah deLaine, Artist of Image Comics’ “Little Girls”

    Jason Sacks
    February 26, 2019
  • Interview: Caitlin Kittredge talks the future of Witchblade

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2019
  • Interview: Andy Nakatani and the Future of Weekly Shonen Jump

    Daniel Gehen
    December 19, 2018
  • INTERVIEW: Todd Matthy talks robots, princesses, and bridging the divide with storytelling

    Stephen Cook
    September 13, 2018
  • INTERVIEW: Gallaher & Ellis discuss THE ONLY LIVING GIRL

    Daniel Gehen, Thea Srinivasan
    September 7, 2018
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders