When thinking about comic publishers, many people immediately consider the Big Two: Marvel and DC, along with their intense rivalry for the loyalty of readers. However, over the years, the landscape has shifted. A diverse and talented group of indie publishers has emerged, successfully attracting those same readers.
At the same time, there have been opportunities to forge valuable business connections and lasting friendships. This is true for the founders of Paperfilms, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, as well as Coffin Comics founder Brian Pulido (creator of Lady Death) and Crusade Comics founder Billy Tucci (creator of Shi). Their 30-year friendship is built on shared interests, immense talents and a mutual passion for their work.
The passion of this creative team has led to their first collaborative effort with their new title, The Deadly Trio: Doomsayer, Issue 1, which is currently available on Kickstarter. With such a talented group behind it, we felt it was essential to reach out and learn more about this exciting project. Starting with the dynamic duo from Paperfilms—comic veterans Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner. Let’s welcome both of them to GVN Talking Comics!
Amanda’s Beginnings
GVN: Thank you both for sharing a little bit of your time. As a gentleman, I will let the lady lead off (especially since I have interviewed Jimmy previously for his book Rage.) So, Miss Amanda, when did you first take an interest in comic book art, and whose work inspired you to pursue that artistic avenue?
AC: I’ve been interested in comics as a medium since I was little. My Mom and Dad always happily bought me comics, probably because it kept me quiet and occupied. My Dad wanted to be a comic artist when he grew up but was discouraged from it at a young age. Fortunately, my parents always encouraged it in me. They are both artists, and there were always art supplies around the house, so it was pretty easy to do a lot of drawing. I had considered other careers before drawing comics, such as Lion Tamer, Stunt Woman, Action Movie Star, and Race Car Driver. At one point, at around eight or nine years old, I actually thought Superhero was a viable career choice. It turns out that Comic Book Artist was the most realistic choice.
There were a few artists that really inspired me… Frank Miller, Wendy Pini, John Byrne, and a few outside of comics, such as Hilary Knight, and one of my biggest influences, Chuck Jones.
Comics and Advertising
GVN: I believe my sister had the same superhero (or perhaps stunt woman) ambition as you. At least until she jumped off our roof and fell through the top of our mother’s Cadillac Convertible. Thus, ended that brief career. But I digress…You began your career in advertising, as many artists do. How do you believe that your time in this field influenced your perspective on comic work, if at all?
AC: I actually did a few comic stories before I got into advertising, but the comic jobs were few and far between, so I got an advertising job. It was much more steady at the time, and it turns out that the comic drawing influenced my work in advertising. Comic panels and storyboards have a lot of similarities.
Meeting Jimmy
GVN: I see where in May of 96, you worked for Crusade Comics with Billy Tucci on the Tomoe title. Your inker was some guy named Palmiotti. Was that the first time you had worked with Jimmy and how did that working relationship evolve?
AC: That guy and I first met at the Marvel Comics offices. I had an amazing editor, Hildy Mesnick, and she introduced me to Jimmy. Hildy asked me to do the pencils on the then brand-new Gargoyles Comic, and she got Jimmy to do the inks on the covers. That was our first work together. We were friends for several years before I decided he was cute.
Working with Friends
GVN: OK, Jimmy…Your turn. As I mentioned, I spoke to you in 2021 about Rage, which was launching on Kickstarter. In that interview, when discussing Paperfilms and the talent you wanted to collaborate with, you said, “Mainly, I work with people who love what I love and understand that making a comic is a process that takes time to do correctly. I guess all that boils down to I only work with people who have passion and integrity.” Does that sentiment still serve as the foundation for the talent you work with at Paperfilms?
JP: Nothing has changed since then and The Deadly Trio is the perfect example of that put into motion. I not only am friends with the other writers, but have enlisted close buddies and professionals like Chad Hardin, Ben Caldwell and Joe Linsner- each of them having an extensive list of other projects we have worked on together. I have been making comics for over 30 years and the one thing I have learned is that I only have so much time on this planet and working with people I enjoy being around is a key component to the actual work being better and inspiring. Part of the creative process is always taking impute from the people around you and this project is what it’s all about. Now the hard part, trying to convince others to give it a chance.
A 30-Year Friendship
GVN: Your latest project (which you just referenced) is a collaboration between yourselves, Billy Tucci’s Crusader Comics, and Brian Pulido’s Coffin Comics on “The Deadly Trio: Doomsayer.” This project is built upon nearly 30 years of friendship among the participants. Could you share a brief background on how you both became acquainted with Billy and Brian and how that relationship has been maintained over the years?
JP: I met Billy through an introduction of a mutual friend, and we hit it off right away for a number of reasons beside our proximity of living near each other. I saw the energy and love Billy was bringing to his work and that alone was inspiring. I met Brian when we were both hustling in comics and trying to make a name for ourselves. Again, it was the energy and passion he had for his creations that pulled me in. With both of these guys, we hung out and talked comics, and movies and music and we just had so much in common it was inevitable we would work together one day.
AC: I can’t remember the actual first time I met Brian or Billy, but I do clearly remember them being an essential part of my convention-going life since the ‘90s. Conventions were so raw and pure and energetic back then, and those two just added to it. I did work on Tomoe, as you mentioned before, and she’s one of Billy’s characters, and I’ve done some Lady Death artwork for Brian, but this is the first time we’re all collaborating on something so big and epic. Honestly, I have no idea why we didn’t all work together on a project like this sooner!
Brainstorming ‘The Deadly Trio’
GVN: When collaborating on a project like The Deadly Trio, how did you decide how to delegate the writing responsibilities among yourselves, Billy, and Brian? Did you hold a brainstorming session to discuss the story and its structure? What was your approach to bringing everything together?
JP: All of us threw ideas together when we were brainstorming, and I was able to piece them together and give everyone an outline of where we should go with the story. Then from there, each group wrote their own character and part of the story and after it was all put together and edited over and over till it read smoothly and made the most sense. It was a true Collaboration.
AC: I was lucky enough to be able to do the art on one of the covers, and as far as the story goes, I worked through a lot of the dialogue. This is the first chapter, so I’m still getting used to all the characters, their personalities, their backgrounds, what makes each of them tick, so I think it’ll get even better the more I immerse myself in these characters.
The Story
GVN: If you could, please tell our readers a bit about the story of The Deadly Trio.
JP: At its most basic, it’s about 3 warriors that come together to fight an evil of epic proportions. KALISSA GORE, an evil warlord feared throughout the galaxy, hungers for power, demands submission and destroys everyone in her path. She desires an audience with her God. To make this a reality, all life in the universe must be extinguished in her name.
No one is a match for Kalissa and her vast armies, but there is a DEADLY TRIO who dare the impossible: DORIAN, a planet hopping Mechanic and her best friend, REANN-REANN, a fighter pilot with unmatched skills and GARGA, the cult-leader sister of Kalissa Gore herself!
AC: Each of the Deadlies has their own temperament, talents, and tricks. Yet they work well together, once they can get past their huge differences, and they’re really gonna need to work well together, ‘cause our villain is just the worst.
Working with Adrianna Melo
GVN: You have chosen the artistic talents of Adrianna Melo for The Deadly Trio. How did you decide on Adrianna, and what do you believe she contributed that made her the perfect fit for this book? From what I have seen, her work is extremely impressive.
JP: I have seen what Adrianna has been doing for a while and the exciting part of that is watching her work get better and better with each book she touches. I just felt this was the right time and project to grab her up and get her working. She is one of those adaptive artists that can do anything and creative enough to bring something exciting to each and every page. I like artists that are designers. Adrianna is fantastic at imagining not only the worlds we created on the page, but her emotional reactions of her characters bring the readers into the story that much more. Her storytelling is easy to follow and the flow of her work rivals more experienced artists who have been in the business 10x longer. We made the right choice for the right reasons with her, and it paid off. She is one of a kind.
AC: I would’ve loved to have been able to draw the interiors, but alas, I am not the fastest artist. That’s why I was so glad that Adrianna was able to draw this book. Her art is fantastic, and she totally takes the story to the next level. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Choosing Cover Artists
GVN: Speaking of artists, the list of cover artists for this project is impressive. With all of your extensive talent connections and so many talented artists to choose from, how did you decide whom to approach?
JP: We each chose a few artists… Amanda and I together choosing our group. Amanda was a given being one of the creators, but for Joe Linsner, Chad Hardin, and Ben Caldwell, it was a simple choice. We have been working with all 3 for years now. They each bring a particular style that is unlike the other and for me when creating new characters, that’s the most interesting part- having unique visions.
The Kickstarter Campaign
GVN: The Kickstarter campaign for The Deadly Trio has just launched and has already been a tremendous success. As someone who has contributed to previous Paperfilms campaigns, I appreciate your commitment to providing excellent content and, most importantly, first-class fulfillment for your supporters. When planning the Kickstarter for this project, were there any specific elements the team felt were essential, or did you simply follow the guidelines you as publishers have established for your past campaigns?
JP: We felt the best person for fulfillment on this campaign was Brian and Francisca since they have the better facility of the three of us and a crew that always delivers the goods on time and looking great. My goal is always to do better than the others out there with quality and so on, and us asking the fans to support us, we feel we should always give back best we can.
What’s in the Future
GVN: I have no doubt. This is Issue 1 of this exciting saga. How many other issues do you have in mind for this series, and do you foresee any other projects from this creative team-up?
JP: My hope is we do well enough to do one of these a year till I am in the ground.
AC: What Jimmy said!
That sounds like a promising future for comic fans. We would like to thank Jimmy and Amanda once again for their time and talking about this epic indie team-up. But this not all. In our next interview, we will be talking to Jimmy and Amanda’s other partners in this collaborative effort. Coffin Comics founder and creator of Lady Death, Brian Pulido and Crusade Comics founder and creator of Shi, Billy Tucci. Coming soon to GeekVibesNation.
In the meantime, check out their Kickstarter Campaign.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
