Coming in October from Titan Comics, Death Sentence presents a very unique question: What would you do with super powers, and six months to live. Thanks to the terrifying G+ virus, this is exactly what happens to three very different characters: every-girl Verity, struggling musician Weasel, and media personality Monty. I was able to sit down with writer Monty Nero to talk about everything from where the idea came from, the versatility of the series' central idea, and what the future holds fro the story after the initial six issues.
First off, well done on a fantastic first issue. What was the genesis of the idea?MN: Thanks man! It was all happened when my wife was three months pregnant. Everyone kept telling us that our life would basically be over as we'd known it. So it felt like I only had six months to do something creative. The books all about what you'd do if you only have six months to live - what the point of your life is. Of course, when we had our daughter she was a wee angel, slept through the night after six weeks - and all these dark warnings proved unfounded!
How much freedom is (artist) Mike Dowling given as a collaborator? Is his vision in line with yours?MN: Well Mike's a genius. He's brighter than me, funnier than me, and a much better artist than me. So I always listen to what he says and any ideas that he has. He brings the whole thing to life, with the acting and the lighting, and the storytelling in a way I never could. But I am precise with my plotting and my script. Each page and scene has a rhythm to the panel layout and a reason why its the way it is, and if he wants to change it then there needs to be a good reason - a better way of doing it. I think it's happened twice in five issues that he added a panel or something. I'm a lot more relaxed about how he composes the panel itself. I just explain what's happening and why, what has to be put across in relation to the dialogue, captions, and the surrounding scenes, and let him figure it out. A good artist can draw anything as long as you haven't tried to do too much in one take. Ninety five per cent of the time what he sends me is twice as cool as the pictures in my head. He's a brilliant collaborator, and a lovely guy too. I feel very lucky to be working with him.
Were the powers always an aspect of the story, or did they come through the drafting process?MN: Good question. The focus was always on the characters and how they'd deal with six months left and an enhanced ability to do what they love. So painting, music, comedy - that kind of thing. i focused on them all as real people, with real loves and hopes and weaknesses. So the story feels funny and vibrant and exciting and real, but with a lot of underlying fear and foreboding too. Like life. When you add powers to that mix, it makes for a really fresh feel. There's a mix of deeper themes and very kinetic dynamic action. Which are the two things I love in a story. It really escalates. You won't believe what we just did in issue 5. Mike's pages are more epic than Peter Jackson. Just awesome.
You get the feeling you are only scratching the surface with the first issue. How big is this world you've created?MN: Huge. I could write Death Sentence for the rest of my life. There's a hell of a lot of story packed into every issue, maybe twice the number of ideas and funny moments than most comics you'll read. And if you pay attention to the peripheral details in each panel, you can figure out a lot of the back-story too. You can read between the lines. But these six issues focus like a laser on Verity, Weasel, and Monty. So much so that I cut a very cool character from the first arc who'll turn up much later. Everything he does ties in with what you're reading now, because it was written at the same time. So that's gonna be sweet to come back to.
The characters are what I enjoyed most about the first issue, especially Monty, who I feel will become the villain of the piece. Who was the most fun to write?MN: Haha! Yeah. That's an interesting one. There's a lot of me in all of them. My best qualities and my worst. I guess Monty's the most 'fun' because his language is so wildly amusing and rich. But Verity's the most satisfying because she's the closest to me morally and the heart of the story. But then Weasel's a brilliant challenge - he's such an amoral dick but you still like him somehow. That's really fun to engineer. All the music business satire and groupie shagging is a blast to write. Christ! It's like choosing your favourite child. I'll say Verity, because she's the closest to me.
Sorry for putting you on the spot like that. Does Death Sentence have an end point, or do you see yourself working in this world indefinitely?MN: The characters have a definite end point, but the virus and the world is ongoing. It's such an interesting proposition - enhanced abilities but just six months to live - that you can apply it to any type of narrative and get a fresh story. Whether its Star Wars or Good Will Hunting, applying these principles gives you something new to write about. Death Sentence meets Star Wars? Now that is an interesting prospect. Hopefully, JJ Abrams is reading this. Anyway, thank you for your time. MN: Thanks, man!
Death Sentence is released on October 9th from Titan Comics.