Launching today on Zoop, you can check out Los Ojos, a new comic from creator Trevor Mueller which is pitched as “John Wick meets John Constantine.” Which is two Johns, and potentially two Keanu Reeves characters. Don’t worry, we asked Mueller about this very topic — and several more about the new comic book, which you can check out in our email interview below:
Comic Book Club: This is pitched as John Wick meets John Constantine… Which Constantine are we talking, because depending this is Keanu Reeves meets Keanu Reeves.
Trevor Mueller: Excellent question! Our lead character in Los Ojos is not an exorcist (Keanu Reeves version of Constantine), but he’s also not a magician (comic version). So a little from column A, and a little from column B. The idea was more than he’s a man with guns who fights demons and monsters, and John Wick and John Constantine were easy characters that readers could quickly understand what we were going for. It’s like if John Wick fought the monsters John Constantine fights, but with guns instead of magic.
But I’m not going to lie…if Keanu Reeves wanted to star in a movie version of Los Ojos, I would be 110% behind that!
Seriously though, what’s the appeal of this pitch? Where did the idea start?
The appeal is for fans of supernatural action stories. The idea started from a question we’ve all asked ourselves as children: “If we were to switch bodies, would I see things the same way as you? Would green still be green?” And I took that question further and applied it to the world. Andres doesn’t see people in our world the same way we do. Do demons walk among us, and only Andres can see them? Or is he crazy? You have to read the story to find out.
At the same time, Andres has been thrust into a surrogate father position. He now has to help take care of a kid he helped rescue. And so Andres is forced to ask himself, which is more important: his crusade to rid the world of monsters, or protecting the people he loves and cares for?
Talk to me about your mythology here, since you have demons involved. What did you pull on for inspiration?
I didn’t pull from any one particular mythology for this story. The idea is that the demons reflect aspects of the villains. In one story, for example, Andres fights a shadow demon – who is a child trafficker who has been operating in the shadows. Another story, he goes after a woman who murders married men who cheat on their wives with her. She’s a black widow spider demon, catching these adulterers in her web of lies and deceit. So we put a bunch of different kinds of demons and monsters into the story, and we like to see how Andres deals with them.
What does Francesco Iaquinta bring to the project?
This comic wouldn’t exist without Francesco! His art is so stunning and incredible, and he loves to design these crazy-awesome monsters for Andres to fight. Some times he designs them in advance, and sometimes he designs them on the page. And it’s always a pleasant surprise when I see them come back. Every update from Francesco is like getting a birthday present!
At the same time, he likes the quiet moments. Moments of reflection, where things slow down and we get more insight into Andres view of the world and his motivations behind his crusade. Finding an artist like Francesco was a lucky draw on my part, and we’ve been working together for years!
You switch genres a lot… Why is that? And what was appealing about this sort of action in particular?
A few things drive why I like to change up genre a lot among my stories.
The first is, I have a lot of different interests – and they switch up from time to time. My common denominator tends to be more in theme – I like stories that have a lot of action, adventure, comedy – and themes of found family, overcoming the odds, and letting the everyday person triumph in impossible situations.
The second is, I go to a lot of conventions and meet a lot of fans – and they have a lot of interests in what they like to read. And I want to have something for everyone on my table. Whether you like scifi, comedy, horror, action – or any combination of the above, I probably have something I’ve written that you would be interested in reading.
And the third is, I like to work with a variety of artists. And I always open the relationship with this question: “What do you want to draw, and what do you not like to draw?” This helps me shape the story, characters, setting, and genre to what my artists want to work on. And then they can bring their own ideas to the character designs, world building, story, etc. We become true collaborative partners on projects, and I love the collaborative nature of comics!
What can folks expect from the Zoop campaign?
We’re going to have a bunch of cool rewards. The book (in print and digital), obviously. As well as add-ons of my previously published series, like Albert the Alien (nominated for two Harvey Awards). And the first issue of some new series I have coming out, like Demon City (a horror crime noir), and The Witches of E Wick BLVD (a suburban fantasy).
And we just got word we’re going to have a Zoop-exclusive cover for Los Ojos from my buddy, Ben Templesmith! Only Zoop backers will get a copy of the book with this cover! And we may also make a print version available of it as well, for people who like to decorate their walls with cool art!
And we’re going to have some stretch goals and surprises along the way, too! So please check out the campaign, give us a pledge (if you can), and share with your friends who may be interested in a cool horror action story like Los Ojos!
Los Ojos is live on Zoop today.
