GVN Talking Comics Interview: Writer Nate Cosby from Linney Incorporated’s ‘Alter Ego’

When it comes to creating, Nate Cosby has done it all. Among other things, Nate is a writer, editor, packager & producer. He founded LINNEY INCORPORATED with the principle that the best ideas win. Nate has proven that when it comes to great comics, they come from the collaboration of great creators. This is shown through his work with the teams on Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Cow Boy, Flash Gordon, James Bond, Agents Of Atlas, Red Sonja, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, Buddy Cops, World War Hulk, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane with more to come. One of his latest projects is a collaboration with artist Jacob Edgar called Alter Ego. This comic comes to Kickstart on March 14th. In recognition of this, we recently hooked up with Nate to discuss his career and his latest book. So let’s welcome Nate Cosby to GVN’s Talking Comics.

GVN: Thank you for giving some of your time, Nate.

NC: Hey, thank you for your interest in Alter Ego!

Beginnings

GVN: As is normally the case for those creators that we haven’t had the fortune of talking to before, lets cover a bit of your history. When did you take an interest in writing (comics specifically) and who were the creators and writers that you enjoyed and led you to that path?

NC: I’ve wanted to write comics since I was nine. But writing can be pretty difficult for me, as a full-time producer and editor…there’s only so much time to come up with stories! So, when I make time to do it, I really try to bear down and make it personal, something that I care about, and shape it into a story that I would want to read.

The creators of some of my favorite comics very much paved the path that led me to creating Alter Ego with Jacob Edgar. To name only a few, there’s Kurt Busiek & Brent Anderson’s “Astro City,” Chuck Dixon & Tom Grummett & Scott McDaniel (among MANY other great artists) on “Robin and Nightwing,” Mark Waid & Humberto Ramos on “Impulse,” Darwyn Cooke’s masterful “DC: The New Frontier,” Don Rosa’s perfect “The Life & Times Of Scrooge McDuck” and Jeff Smith’s “Bone.”

Diverse Storytelling

GVN: After hearing your inspirations, it certainly makes sense that your list of projects is so diverse, with just about every type of genre reflected. From Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Flash Gordon, James Bond, Agents of Atlas, Red Sonja, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, Buddy Cops, World War Hulk, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and one of my favorites, Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse (Big fan of Chris Eliopoulos). How did you develop your creative writing muscle to handle such diverse characters and genres so easily? (At least it appears easy on my end).

NC: I just like good stories. And to make a good story, I learned to be curious and empathetic. For me, James Bond and Thor and Mary Jane and Cow Boy aren’t very different…they’re all people, put in difficult situations, and they gotta figure out what to do. So for each one, I ask questions about the particular situation, and I try to empathize with the people. Genre conventions aren’t scary things to me; they’re helpful “boundaries” to have in place while building a world. But at the end of the day, regardless of the genre, I just approach everything with curiosity and empathy…and glad you liked Cow Boy! I’ll tell Chris (he never believes anybody likes him).

Alter Ego

GVN: (Laughs) I KNOW that can’t be true. But by all means, tell him. Your recent project is a collaboration with artist Jacob Edgar called Alter Ego, which is coming to Kickstarter. Can you give our fans a quick synopsis of what Alter Ego is about?

NC: Alter Ego is about one guy that’s two superheroes. By day, he’s the smiling superhero Whiz-Bang! At night, he’s the growling vigilante, The Black Dog. And no one suspects that Whiz and Dog are the same person. The only problem is, when you fully dedicate yourself to being two completely different people…who are you, really? It’s a story about identity, and doing the right thing, even when no one’s watching. Plus, we’ve set it in the glitzy, grimy Golden Age of Hollywood, and heightened it with sci-fi and magical threats all over the place!

Working with Jacob Edgar

GVN: It sounds so excitably different. As I mentioned, you are working with Jacob Edgar on Alter Ego. Had you worked with Jacob before and did any of his work surprise you as you received his pages? Perhaps a different perspective than you had imagined?

NC: Jacob and I first collaborated on a western called “Fantastic Bandits” (that we hope to work on again someday!). I love working with Jacob because he’s so thoughtful and collaborative, not afraid to try new stuff and not afraid to push back when he has a better idea than me. We speak a LOT about our shared influences for the project, particularly the visual touchstones…humongous Jack Kirby art, striking Darwyn Cooke sequentials, expressive Mike Wieringo body language. But the most exciting part was when we found a mutual love of Gene Kelly movies, particularly Singin’ In The Rain. Jacob’s interpretation of Gene Kelly’s body movements have been a big part of our story, because we’re writing about one guy that’s three different people, that all carry themselves in a different way. It’s been a treat to see Jacob explore that particular element, starting with one character and then building an entire world around him.

Covers

GVN: Once again, that marvelous versatility is present for all to see and read.  You have an impressive collection of artists doing variant covers for your project (including Mr. Eliopoulos). Who did you have to bribe to get such talent? 😉

NC: Sometimes, all you have to do is ask!  I’ve been SO lucky to work with some of the greatest comic artists on the planet, and when it came time to cast cover artists, Jacob and I wanted people whose works we love and admire…people that helped shape our childhood love of comics (Phil Hester/Klaus Janson), pals who’ve set the standard for modern cover excellence (Declan Shalvey), painters with an incredible eye for beauty (SOZOMAIKA), artists drawing the best superhero stories (Wilfredo Torres), and of course, coming up with a crazy concept and talking one of my (grumpiest) best friends into drawing it (Chris Eliopoulos).

Kickstarter

GVN: Your Alter Ego Kickstarter campaign will launch on March 14th. What can fans expect to see when they go there? (Along with a great book)

NC: We’ve got the entire first chapter finished, so you’ll be able to check out entire sequences and get a taste of the full adventure! And fans will be able to take the pick of which cover they’d prefer. We’ll also be offering each cover as a comic-sized print, so you can pick and choose your favorites! And throughout the campaign, we’ll be sending updates from the entire creative team (me, Jacob, color artist Kike J. Diaz and letterer/designer Rus Wooton), taking you behind the scenes and showing the creative process that goes into making something of this size and scale.

GVN: Sounds like another successful Kickstarter in the works. Thanks again, Nate for talking with us. Before I let you go, do you have any other projects you want, or CAN talk about and where can our fans follow you on social media or the web?

NC: Pretty much concentrating on Alter Ego at the moment. You can follow the entire Alter Ego team on Twitter: @NateCosby, @jcbedgar, @KikinhoJ, @ruswooton. Thank you again for your interest!

The Kickstarter campaign for Linney Incorporated’s Alter Ego starts on March 14th. You should check it out here.

Martin

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.