In No Man’s Land, Szymon Kudrański invites readers into a dreary and ominous world where collapse teeters on the brink.
From acclaimed writer and illustrator Szymon Krudanski (Blood Commandment, Spawn, Punisher), comes an all-new political mystery No Man’s Land, which follows a struggling FBI agent, Kevin Collins, who’s sent out to investigate a murder as tensions ignite between the United States and Russia.
In our review of the new series, we praised its gloomy narrative, saying, “with each page you turn, you can almost feel the ticking of the Doomsday Clock as it approaches midnight.”
Ahead of the release of No Man’s Land #1 on September 17, we recently caught up with writer and illustrator Szymon Kudrański to preview the new comic.
Congratulations on the new comic! In your own words, tell us about No Man’s Land — What is it about, and how did the comic originate?
The Diomede Islands mark the border between the U.S. and Russia. For about three monthseach year, an ice bridge forms, connecting the two. In 1963, the body of a woman was discovered on this frozen no man’s land. Both the FBI and the KGB were sent to investigate, with the shadow of nuclear war looming over them.
I think it was around 2011, while I was drawing new Spawn issues, that I had the TV on just for background noise. There was a documentary about Alaska, and it mentioned a 2.5 miles of ice bridge between the islands, right at the U.S.–Russia border. I immediately thought: that’s the perfect place for a story.
What first drew you to the Diomede Islands and the ice bridge for this story?
Location. right in the middle of the ice bridge runs the International Date Line. The two islands are only a couple miles apart, yet they’re a full day apart in time—even though they can see each other. Two enemy nuclear superpowers facing off, connected by this fragile sheet of ice. It’s symbolic, almost poetic in its precision.
This was also the pathway of the great migration of the first people who came to the American continent. It’s literally where East ends and West begins.
On each island there’s a village—so close, yet so far. A heartbreaking drama for local families divided between two rival systems, separated by this invisible ‘Ice Curtain’.
How did the unique location affect the dynamic between the FBI and KGB agents?
They’re forced to cooperate in an unofficial investigation, because of the high tensionsbetween two nuclear powers on an ice bridge where, technically, there’s no jurisdiction—oreven an official time zone. For either country to take up the case formally, it would have to fall under one side or the other, and in 1963 that was definitely not an option.
To be honest, the main character of this story might actually be the location itself.
What are the central themes of No Man’s Land, and why were they important to explore?
There’s no clear jurisdiction. You hear about international laws, the law of the land, and all those doctrines governments usually agree upon when there’s a conflict of interest. But the icebridge isn’t defined by any of them. Which means a crime committed there… might never even exist in a court of law.
There are still places like this around the world, but this one felt especially significant—and I believe it will play a major role in global politics. Maybe not too far from now.
What kind of research did you do to create the world of No Man’s Land? Were therehistorical events or Cold War mysteries you wanted to echo through the narrative?
I think I went through all the newspapers, from short mentions to full articles, coveringeverything from the 1880s up to the early 2000s. I actually picked out a few and posted them on my Instagram. There were murders, missing people, and a lot of military threats—everyone on the islands was considered a spy.
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Your artwork has a very distinctive style. How did you approach the visual design for No Man’s Land? Were there any specific influences?
In my imagination, No Man’s Land was always cinematic. I saw it play out in my head like a movie, with all that depth captured in the art.
Many of the panels are definitely the result of me trying to pull those moving images straight from my mind.
Are any characters in this comic inspired by real people?
Visually… the only reference I used was for the FBI agent—he’s actually based on my father-in-law! As for the story itself—nope.
Finally, do you have any other projects in the pipeline that our readers should lookout for?
All my titles from my solo initiative One Man Art at Image Comics. Pick up the TPBs of Something Epic and Blood Commandment!
No Man’s Land #1 debuts September 17th from Image Comics.
