Only…  it isn’t a bar, it’s a fantasy Dungeons & Dragons-style world rife with chaos and all sorts of supernatural baddies. And they don’t ‘walk in’ per se, so much as blitz a trail of destruction as only two battle-hardened mercenaries would know how.

But the punch line is… Ah, forget it. You might as well just read the comic, which is bound to be more entertaining than my misguided attempts at humour anyhow.

Written and co-created by Jim Zubkavich, the comic is called Skullkickers, and  the first issue is due out on the shelves of comic book retailers everywhere on September 22nd. A brand new series from Image Comics, it promises to be an action-packed romp through a fantasy landscape that’s equal parts sass and bad-assery.

Skullkickers stemmed from a couple short stories that Zubkavich wrote and Chris Stevens illustrated for Image’s Popgun anthologies, though on the series, relative newcomer Edwin Huang takes on all penciling duties.

Jim himself is a veteran in the field – in addition to his work on the Popgun anthologies, he has written and illustrated his own OGN, titled The Makeshift Miracle, and has extensive writing and editing credits on the Street Fighter titles from UDON Entertainment.

You also might know him as a co-founder and the current Project Manager of UDON.  In addition to promoting his new book from Image, Jim has also been busy with events relating to UDON’s 10 year-anniversary – that’s right, the Toronto-based comic company has past the decade milestone, an event they recently celebrated at the San Diego Comic Con.

Jim was kind enough to field a whole shwack of questions I had for him, both about Skullkickers and a decade of UDON.

The interview is below:

KD: What can you tell me about the world in which Skullkickers takes place?

JZ: Here’s how I described the world of Skullkickers from the story pitch I sent to Image:

“In a backwater fantasy world filled with all manners of magical beasts, poverty, disease and other horrifying threats, it’s a daily struggle to survive. Most people keep their head low, stay in the village they were born and eke out a life as a farmer or simple tradesperson. The only people strong enough to have anything else are protected by sorcerous powers or in the employ of the demonic.

Except for our two protagonists — They thrive by being stubborn and tough as Hell.”

That’s it in a nutshell. It’s a bleak and foreboding fantasy world filled to the brim with monsters and nastiness. Magic is prevalent but if you don’t have access to it, then it’s something to be feared. It’s a place populated with every manner of creature from my favorite fantasy novels and D&D sessions, alongside corrupt feudal governments and warring factions; a place ripe with adventure.

KD: Complete this sentence: Skullkickers is like ____ meets _____, with a touch of ____ and a whole lot of _____.

JZ: Skullkickers is like Army of Darkness meets Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, with a touch of Hellboy and a whole lot of Conan.

KD: What was it about Edwin Huang’s initial art samples that stood out to you and made you think he’d be a good penciller candidate for Skullkickers?

JZ: Edwin’s pencils showed a real solid sense of storytelling and clarity. I can’t tell you how many portfolios I’ve looked at where the art is completely focused on shallow pin-up poses and detail instead of storytelling and a feeling of motion.

Comic pages that can show a range of action and express a variety of emotions are hard to find, especially from a newcomer. Edwin’s samples showed a lot of promise in those crucial areas and that made them jump out from the pack.

KD: Regarding the character design for the two mercenaries — how did you and Chris Stevens initially come up with the look for your protagonists?

JZ: I described a human and dwarf who were heartless mercenaries and Chris really ran with the ball and gave them a distinctive visual look. The weapons and armor are all based on his visual style and an aesthetic that he came up with including the human’s gun, which stands out as an odd addition in a fantasy-based world, but I came up with a fun story justification for why it exists if we end up digging in to that later on.

KD: What has been the coolest part for you about writing Skullkickers?

JZ: It’s been a thrill using my love of fantasy as a genre as the impetus for new stories. Skullkickers is simultaneously a loving homage and a sarcastic poke at the fantasy novels I love. That material is rich with potential and it’s a fun backdrop for characters to kick butt and get in to trouble around. I hope people feel that inspiration in the stories and jump on to see where it all goes.

I have a lot of Skullkickers stories I’d like to tell, bursting with action, adventure and sass.

KD: Let’s talk about UDON Entertainment’s 10th Anniversary, which happens to be this year.

To commemorate a decade of UDON, you guys came up with the idea to put out an anthology titled VENT collecting the art and stories of a wide range of UDON artists, past and present. (Fans at the San Diego comic con were lucky enough to catch a sneak preview hardcover version of the book, but the rest of us will have to wait until it hits the shelves of local comic retailers on September 15th).

Where did the idea for VENT come from?

JZ: VENT is a project that we’ve bounced around at UDON for the last 3 years. We’ve wanted to create a showcase for our artists and let them run wild, but finding the time to do that while juggling other projects and publishing was tough. Hitting the 10 year mark as a company helped finally make it a reality.

KD: Does the launch of VENT as per UDON’s 10 year anniversary mean the launch of a new anthology series, or is it purely a one-off collection at this point?

JZ: We’re hoping the sales and interest from fans will make it a new series, not just a one-off. All of us are eager to see how well the book does once the softcover regular edition hits stores in September. Based on that, we’ll know where we go with it from there.

KD: On your blog, you talked about your contribution to the book, a pin-up from a story concept called ‘Silverspark’.

You mentioned that it combines your interest in “traditional stage magic/sleight-of-hand with faerie folk and mystery” – could you tell me a little about your interest in stage magic, and that that might play into a story about ‘real’ magical folk?

JZ: Back in Grade 5-6, before I wanted to get in to art/writing, I was obsessed with stage magic and sleight-of-hand. I learned some magic, practiced quite a bit and did some performances for friends/family from time to time. Even after my focus changed, that love of the craft has always stayed with me, even while my actual skills for it atrophied. Taking that as a source of inspiration for a story seemed natural.

The term ‘magic’ can mean two very different things when used to describe sleight-of-hand or actual supernatural occurrences or creatures. Even when people know that a stage magician is tricking them, it’s a way to describe something they can’t understand. If someone had a solid grasp of sleight-of-hand, they knew the tricks and understood the methods, it isn’t really “magic” any more. There’s nothing unexplainable about it for them. The rush of the unknown is lost… unless they find something more behind it, which is where the fae angle comes in. Magic in the story is a symbol for the unknown, the unexplainable and a feeling of discovery and wonderment, whether that’s stage illusion or actual mystical conjuring.

KD: Ten years is (obviously) a big milestone for UDON. What are you personally most proud of achieving with UDON in that time?

JZ: It may sound odd, but I’m really proud that when fans meet us at conventions they’re shocked by how small and tight knit a company we are. The fact that our artwork and related products are big enough to make them assume that we’re a huge group of artists speaks highly of our quality and ability to deliver for major clients.

I’m also proud that in an industry not known for stability or loyalty we’ve gone 10 years with a great group, moving forward and growing without losing a sense of where we’ve come from.

KD: In another ten years from now, what would you ideally like to be able to say UDON has done?

JZ: It’s hard to image a decade from now in any aspect of my life, but I’d like to see UDON fully developed as a place where our artists can work on major commercial projects alongside their own original creations, fulfilling both sides of the creative equation.

You can find Jim Zubkavich on Livejournal, Blogspot, and deviantART. You can also find more about UDON Entertainment on their official website.

-Written by Kevin de Vlaming

The parameters for this award would include:

- ability to render epic-level fight sequences skillfully and with non-clichéd flair.

- uniquely imaginative portrayals of characters of extraordinary and/or otherworldly origin.

- demonstrated comfort with gratuitously graphic content, though never to the point where the violence and/or sexuality overwhelms the subtext.

- bonus points for sequences involving mass evisceration.

With this checklist in mind, absolutely the first name that would grace my shortlist of contemporary Canadian artists would be Eric Vedder.

Vedder, who resides in St. Catherines, Ontario, is the author, artist and creator of Aardehn – a dark fantasy/sci-fi webcomic of epic scale.

Aardehn, which launched in February of 2008, chronicles the adventures of Celeste – a demon hunter who is herself marked by darkness and carries a burden of prophecy.

Prominent secondary characters include Aveenda, a fiercely independent elf currently held in captivity, and the demonic Lady Skar – as delightfully twisted and sadistic a villain as one could hope for, really.

Last September, Aardehn was officially added to the Transmission X roster of high-quality webcomics.

Outside of Aardehn, Vedder works on concept and character art for videogame development companies, and has worked as a penciler on various titles from Udon Comics.

In fact, recently he was drafted to share penciling responsibilities on the latest Darkstalkers miniseries from Udon, the Night Warriors – a job which Eric was particularly (and understandably) excited to work on.

Eric was amiable enough to do an interview with the Fabler about Aardehn, Darkstalkers, and beyond.

That interview….(dramatic pause, for effect) is below:

KD: What have been some of your most prominent influences with Aardehn? I would guess that you have some pretty distinct influences in anime/manga – would that be totally off the mark?

EV: You guessed correctly. I’ve been a huge fan of anime/manga for quite some time and they have totally influenced Aardehn. The first anime I watched was Akira and it opened my eyes to a whole new world. Here we had violence, swearing and slight nudity all in a cartoon format… I loved it! Then I saw Ghost in the Shell. Well, that was it. I collected anything I could get my hands on that had Masamune Shirow’s artwork on it.

Following that was Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura and Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. Two phenomenal manga’s that completely influenced Aardehn’s art and storytelling style.

KD: Aardehn seems as much of an epic adventure in high fantasy as it is an experiment into different artistic styles.

Can you tell me a little about your decision to use Aardehn as a testing grounds of sorts for your art?

EV: From the get go, I made the decision that Aardehn would be where I grew as an artist (hopefully).

Basically it comes down to the fact that I appreciate all art styles and if the mood strikes me to play with other styles, then I wanted to use it in my crazy world. It’s also a way for me to help break through my many bad habits and barriers that have grown stubbornly over the years. I always feel I can do better or rather should be doing better, so this keeps me trying new things and I find that’s the best way to learn.

KD: Aardehn is definitely not a G-Rated comic. If the violence/glimpses of nudity you’ve had in the comic prior weren’t enough of an indicator, this a point you certainly drove home with your January 25th update (featuring what we’ll call the “uninvited tentacle” scene).

Were you wary at all about posting that particular update/was there any consideration of portraying it differently?

EV: Ah, the infamous tentacle scene. This page definitely gave me pause and posting it made me feel a little uneasy. I struggled with other ways to portray it or perhaps take a completely different approach but in the end it felt right. I had to establish how unflinchingly creepy Lady Skar was and hint at some of her bizarre powers.

Having said that, I can now limit how many times, if ever again, we see that same scene. A simple shot of her arm unraveling should be enough to let the viewer know what’s coming next.

KD: How early on in Aardehn’s conception did you make the decision not to censor the more graphic elements of the comic?

EV: I loathe censorship of any kind. Let me decide what I want to see, read, hear and ingest. That’s basically my thought process when it comes to comics as well. Years before it was on paper, I knew I wanted Aardehn to be un-censored.

However, I will say I feel that there is a time and place for all things and over-doing anything will just turn out poorly, in comics and in real life.

KD: Can you give any hints as to where the tales of Celeste and Aveenda will be heading in the coming year?

EV: Think dragons, archers, aliens and spaceships… ok that might be too vague. Over the next year, we’ll see Celeste grow into much more of a leader and we’ll learn how Aveenda is connected to her and to many others.

I have a long story to tell so hopefully people stick with me.

KD: You officially joined up with Transmission X last September, adding Aardehn to the TX Comics stable of high-quality webcomics.

What are some of your thoughts on working with Transmission X this past year, and on working with a webcomic artist collective in general?

EV: Joining Transmission X was a huge moment in my life. It also made Aardehn seem more real. Those guys are all professionals and really force you to think and act like a pro more and more. They really challenge me to be better as an artist and as a person and I’m so stoked and grateful to be moving forward along side them. We have big plans ahead so make sure to check out the new website and the new store!

I think working in a collective can only make your comic better. Also, you are part of team to a degree and a lot more gets accomplished this way. I really think more people should try hooking up with other artists and help promote each other, especially in the beginning stages of your comic/art career.

KD: I understand that you were a pretty big fan of the Darkstalkers universe prior to being asked to pencil the new miniseries.

What has it been like for you, having the opportunity to work on this particular franchise?

EV: I’ve been a huge fan of Capcom, particularly the Street Fighter series, for years and years now. Going back to the earlier question of influences, the artists from Capcom blew my mind. I would try and draw like them for years and still do!

Kinu was perhaps my biggest influence as her mix of cartoon and life drawing like style resonated within me.

Along comes Darkstalkers with its insanely designed monsters and sexy heroines. I couldn’t believe the characters and being a fan of monsters and women, this game was made for me. Also, not many people know this but, Morrigan was my inspiration for Celeste and yes, she too was originally a succubus.

When Udon approached me to split the penciling duties on the 3 issue mini series, I was shell-shocked. It really was a dream come true for me and was a long time goal of mine. Getting to draw the comic with my good friend Joe Vriens was awesome and made the experience even more special. Needless to say, I was really happy.

KD: Do you have a particular favourite Darkstalker character to draw?

EV: I love drawing Capcom characters in general, particularly the females.

Hands down my favorite character to draw and for obvious reasons is Morrigan. Beautiful and deadly, a perfect combination.

KD: My questions so far have been focused on your experiences as an artist of comics and webcomics, but you also have a strong background in videogame art design.

Can you tell me a little about the specifics of your work in gaming, and what it entails?

EV: Currently I work on a game called Sacred Seasons. I’ve been working with them for over a year now dabbling in almost every aspect of art for it. Initially I was doing character concept art for them, which I then transferred into in-game character art.

As we are nearing the end of our first content update, I’m finding myself doing website design, item and weapon art as well as advertisement art. They are great bunch of really talented people to work with and look forward to continuing on with them.

KD: How do you portion your time between working as a comic artist and your work in the videogame industry?

EV: It’s a bit of a juggling act at times. For the most part the videogame comes first as it’s a full time job. Aardehn is only a weekly update (for now), so the time needed for it is much less and splitting the penciling duties for Darkstalkers provides a little breathing room… but not much!

KD: As a final question, what’s next for you outside of Darkstalkers/Aardehn? Are there any projects that you’re particularly excited for coming up in the near future?

EV: After Darkstalkers, I’m not sure what Udon has lined up for me. Aardehn however, will continue on as scheduled. There is a secret project being released later this year that I’m very excited about but I can’t share with you just yet. You’ll just have to stay tuned!

For more from Eric Vedder, you can check out his website, Aardehn, or his page on deviantART. You can also follow him on his blog or on Twitter.

-Interview by Kevin de Vlaming

I find it interesting, as I’m diving deeper and deeper into the business; I would like to clarify two very major points. I will say that my friends, Riley Rossmo, of Proof, Jim Zubkavich, of Udon Entertainment, and Salgood Sam, of the Sequential blog (and various other cool works), helped me realize this during my adventures in Calgary, to the east in Toronto, and quite recently in the last few hours as I wake up in Montreal, coffee not quite yet in hand, before I write this.

The first note I want to point out is that in all of this is the point of thefabler.com. We are trying to create a place to both enable and maintain Creator Owned Comics. There seems to be muddy lines in “indie” comics, where print on demand, print quality, poor cartoonist artwork, expressionistic visual storytelling, etc, seem to leave a bad taste in some peoples mouths, and for that matter make it relatively difficult to define. In fact these mediums and outlets aren’t low quality at all. I recently purchased a book in a Montreal store (Planete BD), called, “Drowtales: Moonless Age,” by a team of very skilled fabler’s who come collectively all around the globe. Salgood Sam also did a very good job and pointing my nose to some mainstream comic artists and writers, including himself, that create very awesome black comic self published books such as the very rare, “Revolver.” The guys at Transmission-X have created an opportunity where they can tell their own stories in the midst of their more sanctioned works. These in fact help push the boundaries of visual storytelling and can become opportunities for trade paperbacks you may see in the future. Will most of these see the light of the high volume offset press then to the big screen? Maybe not in the very near future, but they do help fuel the passion for this unique industry by everyone from the upper escalon to the outskirts.

Despite all the flash, dazzle, alternative press, distribution opportunities, blah blah, we may throw your way, our goal is to adhere to your best interests always. I’ll make a point that we’ll do our very best to support and you as creators, small press, fans, and retailers in your path to success. I assure you also that we will probably get it wrong. I say this because it’s important that you, our community knows, that you have a voice and we do, and will continue to listen, to your ideas, suggestions, or even concerns. That’s not to say we can implement the farm, but we will do our very best to remain conscientious of that which we do put in place.

Secondly, there is no secret war between what would be “indie” and mainstream. I want to thank Diamond, Marvel, Red 5, Arcana, and the guy down the street from my house. If you take a hard look at the playing field, you’ll realize that one evidently could not exist without the other. Creator Owned Comics, allow new talent opportunities in the books from mainstream that you may very well read religiously. I’d have to say that one of my favorites so far is “Proof,” by Alex Grecian, and Riley Rossmo. The dedication and passion of these two rising stars is astounding. Marvel closing their open submission policy wasn’t a slap in the face to upcoming talent, but a way of saving costs through economic turmoil, to an industry mechanic that wasn’t functioning as intended. They are right when they say not everyone can be at the top. Otherwise we’d all be there. But don’t give up hope. A friend said to me recently, discover and know what your good at, but let passion drive and define you (okay I interpreted and paraphrased a little. Thanks Jim). To make it to the top takes a complex combination many elements including little luck. Understanding however in your journeys as a cartoonist, a comic artist, a writer, a retailer, an events creator, etc, regardless of your current professional stature, though we can’t all be Scott McCloud’s, Todd McFarlane’s, or Neil Gaimen’s, there is a place for you somewhere in this industry.

As The fabler, we may open a few doors from time to time. Thanks to all you loyal fans that frequent our pages, and for you new guys out there, expect to see some interesting things as even we The Fabler, find our place in this sea of opportunity.

Though I haven’t seen any official announcements yet, the expo definitely felt bigger this year! As I stood at our booth introducing many of you to our new site, throughout the day I felt that I just couldn’t talk fast enough. The vibe was open, and buzzing with activity as there was just so much to see in so little time.

I was invited by Gerald Garcia of Maple Ink Comics, to the drink & draw at the Unicorn Pub. Though we had a few challenges getting enough tables for everyone, it was the perfect place to relax, vent, & most importantly be creative! I’ve heard about these events, but when I sat around the table with Andrew Foley, Fiona Staples, Dan Andrews, Richard Barkman, Kris Chisholm, and many others, I was taken back and reminded as to why comics can be the purest form of expression.

For those of you that missed the CCEE this year, I would encourage you to go. So here are some of our highlights!

Set up across from us was Happy Harbor Comics. There is Owner Jay Bardyla with a better Silver Surfer impression than even I can do!

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Zubkavich from Udon Entertainment. If you are looking to break into the industry professionally. I highly recommend talking to him the next time you get a chance!

Local friends, Blacksheep Studios were launching their new magazine, Vehicle. Vehicle is a great quarterly comics magazine with all artwork provided by the Blacksheep Studios crew!

Red 5 Comics, another local publisher of some great comics like, Neozoic, Atomic Robot, Abyss and more!

Riley Rossmo and Michael Hoskin, were featured this year at the Another Dimension booth! Riley and Alexander have published 18 issues and 2 graphic novels of their comic Proof through Image.

Dale Berry, a self published, self produced comic artist on the novel series Moonlight Cutter, was a guest at the show this year.

Kristpher Chisholm, freelance artist drawing another fantastic creation, sitting next to him, his wife Amy, and George Georgeadis, Designer/Producer at Games Cafe.

Aaron Norell & Jason Brunner of DPI Studios showing off their stuff this year. Also to note their artwork is being featured at Theme Parks in Dubai!

It was a great expo this year thanks to Kandrix Foong and the gang! Though I didn’t have enough time to visit everyone and see everything I wanted to see, I will remember Edward James Olmos (The Admiral himself) as he smiled at me while walking past our booth Sunday morning during our setup. I look forward to next years expo!

~Bruno @ The Fabler