INTERVIEW: ‘Stone Star’ comic series returns for season two
Image courtesy of comiXology / Provided by Superfan Promotions with permission.
ComiXology, the digital comics juggernaut, is celebrating the wondrous genre of science fiction this month, so they are bringing back some fan favorites for more adventures. Included amongst the offerings is season two of Stone Star, the original series written by Jim Zub and art by Max Dunbar.
Here’s how the story goes: Dail is a young teenager is who ready to compete in gladiatorial contests on Stone Star, a mobile space station. However, unbeknownst to him, there are malevolent forces at play determined to see him defeated both in the ring and in life. The villains may be seeking revenge because of the legacy of Dail’s father, who was a fighter himself.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Zub and Dunbar about season two of their comic. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can fans expect in season two of the series?
JIM ZUB: Stone Star season two explores the past and present of the roving space station arena, how it came to be and how that past has rippled forward to affect our main cast. Dail and Kikanni are determined to be gladiators, but don’t fully understand what it will take to meet that goal and what being in the spotlight of the arena will take from them as well.
MAX DUNBAR: While season one of Stone Star was a bit more focused on establishing the characters and the concept Stone Star as a traveling gladiatorial arena, season two dives deeper into the actual inner workings of Stone Star. We get to know how our heroes fit in as new combatants, and the wide variety of dangers they’ll face as the newest team in the ring.
Were you happy with the reception of season one?
ZUB: Yeah, it’s been great hearing from readers, especially people who don’t normally read comics. The fact that Stone Star is available for Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime Reading members as part of their subscription means we can reach all kinds of new people and get them on board our space-fantasy adventure.
DUNBAR: I am always really happy to hear from readers, and we were lucky enough to have tons of people share with us how much they enjoyed the first five issues. Hopefully they come back to check out what is in store in season two and help spread the word!
How does the relationship work between writing and drawing? How collaborative is your setup?
ZUB: On most commercial projects I would write the script, and then the art team would develop the pages with some input from me. But in this case, Max and I are jamming a lot more with each other, throwing ideas back and forth, inspiring each other and generating a lot more creativity in the process. Max’s skill in design constantly motivates me to dig a bit deeper and bring more personality to the background characters and world he’s generating on the page. It’s a really fun process.
DUNBAR: It is a super collaborative process. In my opinion, the projects that are the most rewarding and fun are the ones that are built from the ground up by the writer and artist as a team. I feel like on Stone Star season two we continued to do that. We discussed early on what type of story we wanted to tell, and Jim made sure to write something that would be an awesome time for all involved.
Do you believe there are many more stories to tell in this created universe?
ZUB: Absolutely. Season two sets up a bunch of future plot lines and teases at some of the larger threats beyond the arena itself. Stone Star is centered on the station, but it’s a big galaxy full of potential.
DUNBAR: For sure. The wonderful thing about Stone Star is it travels from world to world, so aside from all the current storylines that are active in season two, there are endless possibilities for new ones as well.
What were some comic influences when you were growing up?
ZUB: I went through phases of comic reading and collecting, and those influences have definitely had a bit role to play in the kinds of stories I now write. When I was 8 years old I started collecting Marvel Comics and fell in deep in terms of Marvel superheroes and the continuity of the Marvel Universe. In my teens I started shifting over to more indie and independent comics as the black and white boom took hold of the industry.
From there, as I finished high school I had a big manga kick, reading a slew of different Japanese comics as they were just starting to make a splash here in North America. By the time I was in college internet culture started to become a thing, and I discovered webcomics. Many of them were styled after newspaper-style strip storytelling, but they encompassed a lot of different genres and styles. After finishing college I rediscovered superheroes, was impressed by how they’d grown and changed, and the circle was complete.
DUNBAR: I grew up in the ’90s, and I was obsessed with the X-men and Marvel in general. The dynamic, super energetic and detailed linework that really came to the forefront in those ’90s comics had a real impact on me.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Stone Star, season two, is now available from comiXology. Click here for more information.
