Are you ready to fight for your right to party? Or something? Eventually? Then you’re going to love S**tkickers, a brand-new comic book from writer Joey Esposito and artist Andrea Schiavone that hits Zoop today.
In the book, set in the future, a kid named Dylan Jax joins the Cosmic Protection Bureau to kick a** and chew bubble gum. Unfortunately, the CPB is all out of a**-kicking, and he gets relegated to paperwork duty. That is until he makes some moves of his own, dragging his by-the-books partner with him.
The very timely book deals with things like, “how an institution that sees itself as benevolent is quite often the complete opposite,” according to Esposito. And also, it’s pretty funny, too.
To find out more about the book, and what to expect from the Zoop campaign, read on.
Comic Book Club: Hi Joey! Just curious if any corporate experiences you’ve had inspired this particular book in any way?
Joey Esposito: There is some of that in here for sure. Operating within an entity that clearly doesn’t give a s**t about you or the real world as it exists. Humans (or in the case of S**tkickers, Beings) who serve as metaphorical canon fodder for those in charge. All of that s**t. But more so, I think it’s even bigger than that; how an institution that sees itself as benevolent is quite often the complete opposite. And when you’re in it, you can start to believe it, because otherwise, what are you doing with your life? Sometimes it takes something big to shock you awake and see the way things actually are.
More seriously — or maybe less — why S**tkickers as a title? It definitely catches your attention, for sure, but were there any worries about limiting the audience?
Esposito: I think that’s it, really, just a great title and, I hope, offers an immediate idea of what to expect. I’m not too worried about limiting the audience. It’s not gonna be for everyone and that’s okay. If a reader is offended by curse words, I would rather they opt out after seeing the title, rather than trick them into thinking it’s something they’d enjoy, only for them to be offended by the content. Also Google doesn’t work now anyway, so f**k SEO, you know?
Andrea Schiavone: Besides, everyone I personally mentioned the book to by its title has burst out laughing so far, so here’s hoping no one truly has a problem with it.
The idea of being told you’re meant for greatness only to deal with the realities of, well, life is very relatable – how do you keep that sense (or not) as the story continues?
Esposito: For Dylan, it’s a journey of realizing that not only is his perceived great destiny a farce, but also that it’s not actually the badge of honor he thinks it is. It’s learning about the truth behind the CPB and the damage they’ve caused the universe, and perhaps, more directly impacted Skizz’s own life. So I think, hopefully, the emotional hook is kind of that sense of growing up, in a way, realizing that the world isn’t what you thought it was, except in our case, it has cosmic implications and this dude is a moron.
Love Andrea Schiavone’s designs here… What was important to capture for Dylan and Skizz?
Esposito: I think my only real description for Dylan that I gave to Andrea was “has never heard a guitar without distortion.”
Schiavone: …and that Skizz was a “sloth-like creature of some kind”, so I truly had a lot of leeway in terms of designs.
Dylan’s still a late teen at heart, convinced he has to act tough to make it in the world of alphas around him but all he’d rather do is read his comics, jam to some great tunes and live some great cosmic adventure. He’s gangly, unkept and loud. Not really the military type.
Skizz was only slightly harder to figure out, but as was the case with Dylan (thanks in no small part to Joey’s fantastic writing!) I soon discovered she too had a voice of her own. She’s short, yes, but inhumanly resilient. And all sass!
Similarly, I’m always a fan of switching between “old school” and more modern comic book styles… Maybe more of a question for Andrea, but how did you go about tackling that?
Schiavone: That was a fun challenge to tackle for the book, and I can never thank our colorist Sabrina enough for her research and incredible contribution to those pages. In general, the goal was to offer a glimpse into how the Cosmic Protection Bureau likes to sell itself: a Silver Age-esque band of heroes who knows right from wrong and is largely beloved by the public. So, it’s all about sanitizing the violence and overselling the heroics, between bursts of radiant energy and Kirby crackles.
You’re just getting started with the story at the end of the first issue, what can you tease about what’s coming forward?
Esposito: You can expect a lot of cursing, a lot of d**k-blasting, and a lot of really, really rad artwork from Andrea and colorist (and incredible illustrator in her own right) Sabrina Filieri. They’ve found a style that just meshes so well and you get to see them get more in sync issue after issue. As far as Dylan and Skizz, you’ll see just how short Skizz’s fuse is and also maybe Dylan will undergo a rude awakening regarding the very limited worldview he’s got.
Schiavone: Cartoony action, big set pieces and even bigger pyrotechnics, plus the occasional innuendo. But don’t think for a second this book lacks in substance or, dare I say, good feelings. That’s Joey working his magic!
And what can folks expect from the Zoop campaign?
Esposito: SUCCESS! We’ve got issues #1 and 2 available for pre-order, essentially, including campaign-exclusive variant covers by Declan Shalvey and Seth Damoose!!! They’re RAD covers and you can only get them in print from the campaign, plus a bunch of other cool stuff. We’re working on the last issue as the campaign launches, so these babies are done and ready to go to the printer. In fact, you can read S**tkickers #1 for FREE on GlobalComix. If you dig it, maybe you can kick into the campaign and get us off the ground?
S**tkickers hits Zoop today.
Comic Book Club Live Info:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.