Old School RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons had these beautiful painted covers, but inside was this sometimes amateur, but always weird black and white art. They sparked my imagination more than much of the more recent, polished art. Like the games themselves, they did what great fantasy should always do – make it feel like anything was possible.
Then there was the Satanic Panic. In the 80s, religious fundamentalist tried to convince parents to that D&D would literally corrupt their souls. Just as the comics industry did in the 50s with the Comics Code, the games industry caved to them, and many RPGs lost their edge.
The goal of Chaotic Neutral was to capture both that sense darkness and wonder, creating a more inclusive comic and role playing adventure that readers and players can enjoy today. Our tagline is…they said fantasy roleplaying games were dangerous, and they were wrong. But now? What if they were right?
What should we expect from the series?
Well first, you can expect not only a 48 page comics story, but also a full length adventure module in the same book. To me what makes this project so unique is that you can literally play D&D (or your other favorite RPG) in the same world that the story takes place in. You get to answer the question “What If…” for every character and story beat.
As far as the comics story, it focuses on the characters that are usually forgotten in most fantasy stories. Instead of knights and wizards, the protagonists are farmers, blacksmiths and even a princess that’s supposed to be saved instead of doing the saving. After the adventurers they’ve hired are killed, they’ve got to descend into a dungeon and stand up to the Satanic cult that’s been terrorizing the town themselves.
In addition to the comic and adventure, Ryan Browne (Curse Words, God Hates Astronauts) is also creating a special, satirical mini-comic model after the religious “Chick Tracts” meant to scare parents and kids away from playing D&D. We want the book to feel like it’s an artifact of the 80s, and poke fun at that hysteria, and there’s no one in comics funnier than Ryan.
The reward I’m most excited about are monster trading cards, though. Each has RPG stats for a monster on one side, and art on the other by one of nine superstar comics artists – Max Dunbar (Dungeons and Dragons), Jeremy Haun (Red Mother), Maan House (Godkillers), Jeff Johnson (Boondocks), Tom Neely (The Humans), Dan Panosian (Slots), Jim Rugg (Street Angel) Tim Seeley (Money Shot) and Kyle Strahm (Spread). It’s a killer group of artists I’m honored to be associated with.
As soon as I saw Chris’ work I knew he was perfect for this book. I lured him into our partnership by recruiting him as a player for the weekly D&D game I’ve been DM’ing for years. One of the best things about roleplaying is the collaboration between player and Game/Dungeon Master in telling the story. Our collaboration mirrors that. And he hasn’t held the characters I’ve killed in the game or the book against me.
What are your future plans?
I’m hyper focused on making sure Chaotic Neutral hits its goal and Chris’ work gets the audience it deserves.
But, I’m also really proud of MISKATONIC, my Lovecraftian crime/horror book from Aftershock Comics about one of the first female FBI agents investigating supernatural horror and J. Edgar Hoover’s Red Scare in the 1920s. It’s illustrated by artist Giorgio Pontrelli, with colors from Pippa Bowland, letters from Thomas Mauer (who also lettered Chaotic Neutral) and Dave Sharpe, and covers by the amazing Jeremy Haun and Nick Filardi. The first trade is out now, and there’s a giant-sized special coming out later this year.
October will also see the print release of DRACULA: SON OF THE DRAGON with artist Salgood Sam. It’s a mix of horror and historical fiction from Dark Horse Comics and Comixology Originals, which was originally funded on Kickstarter.
