INTERVIEW: ‘Stone Star’ comic finds teenager fighting aliens, robots in gladiatorial arena
Image: Courtesy of ComiXology / Provided with permission.
Stone Star, the new title from ComiXology, is a five-part sci-fi series that has a little bit of everything. From the minds of writer Jim Zub and artist Max Dunbar, the comic follows a teenager named Dail who is pulled into a gladiatorial arena and must fight for his survival.
The actual “Stone Star” is the mobile asteroid where the arena is located. It’s a special world where celebrity culture is rampant thanks to the competition of the fights. Think cyberpunk, think sci-fi, think World Wrestling Entertainment.
ComiXology is a digital comic service that’s part of the Amazon umbrella. Issue #1 of Stone Star is out now on the service, and issue #2 comes later this week.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Zub and Dunbar about their creation. They worked together previously on Champions. Zub is also known for Avengers: No Road Home and Rick & Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons. Dunbar is known for Dungeons & Dragons and Judge Dredd: Under Siege. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired Stone Star?
Dunbar: For me, Stone Star was inspired first by wanting to work with Jim again. I think he and I share a love of fantasy, sci-fi and high-adventure stories. As soon as I read the premise of Stone Star, I knew it was going to be a fun, larger-than-life comic, and I really wanted to jump in and start drawing.
Zub: Stone Star is a mix of fantasy and sci-fi elements I dug into when I was growing up. It was all about creating a really compelling place full of possibilities, so Max and I could go wild with creatures and characters, bringing them together for drama and conflict. The arena is central to everything, but we’re pulled into it as Dail is, discovering the various levels of competition and intrigue that surround it.
Do you have a love for the adventure / sci-fi / comic genres?
Zub: You bet! From pulp Flash Gordon stuff, to Heavy Metal magazine, to Moebius, to anime and Star Wars, I’ve got a pretty deep well of sci-fi and space-fantasy material rolling around in my brain. It’s fun to use a bunch of those influences and bring them together to make something that feels familiar but also has its own twists.
Dunbar: I absolutely love adventure and sci-fi comics and the worlds they take us readers to. I think they encapsulate the quintessential comic book experience, transporting the reader to a faraway place built entirely from imagination. For me, half the fun of a sci-fi or fantasy comic is pouring over the page to discover all the details that flesh out these worlds and bring them to life.
Tell me a little bit about Dail. What kind of character is he?
Dunbar: Dail is a bit of a street urchin, a scrap thief who relies on his wits and his buddy Kitzo to stay alive in Stone Star’s underbelly. He’s a survivor, but he is still idealistic and still has a lot of heart. Ultimately he’s a good person and cares about others. On Stone Star, that type of character is in short supply.
Zub: Max nailed it. Dail is a survivor, but he’s tried to keep his heart from going cold in a place where most people who last don’t allow themselves to be vulnerable.
If you had 24 hours to be on Stone Star, how would you spend your time?
Dunbar: Well, knowing what I know, I probably wouldn’t want to go to the arena. As incredible as it would be to see massive monsters fighting aliens and robots, I’d be too worried about the possibly innocent people caught in the fray. Instead, I think I’d want to check out the bustling marketplaces, with all the bizarre fare they pick up from the various planets Stone Star visits. I would be careful though, Stone Star is a dangerous place even outside the arena!
Zub: Watching the arena would be cool, but I’d probably explore the exotic food and brew stalls. 🙂
How does the collaboration work between you two?
Dunbar: Jim is a fantastic person to collaborate with. In the earliest stages of world-building Stone Star, he would give me general notes on characters and locations and let me run wild with them. Some designs instantly worked; others needed a few rounds back and forth before we settled on something that we both liked. There were even points where design work that I did shaped how Jim ended up writing a character. To me that is true collaboration and one of the best things about working on a creator-owned title like Stone Star.
Zub: Although I had ideas about what Stone Star can be, I didn’t want to close off Max’s creativity. Giving him the broad notes and letting his imagination run wild is the best way to get that momentum. He comes up with amazing visuals, and that inspires me to dig deeper on more cool ideas, and then back and forth. It’s a great mix. I’m pumped to work with Max on just about anything because he really gives it his all every single time. Having Espen Grundetjern enhancing that even further with top-notch colors and Marshall Dillon proving lettering and sounds effects that are just as dynamic as Max’s art makes it even sweeter. Our team is firing on all cylinders.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Stone Star is now available from ComiXology. Click here for more information.
