With the launch of Truthful Comics latest title the indie publishing world has a potential powerhouse in it's hands. Backed with witty writing and gorgeous artwork, Project: New Wave has what any comic book needs to succeed; but will it be enough? In this exclusive interview we go inside the mind of the writer of Project: New Wave, Alvaro Corte Jr. See what goes on behind the scenes, how he sees the industry, where he sees Truthful Comics in the next ten years and so much more. 

So Alvaro, when did you get to be the writer of Project: New Wave?

I was at a forum, PR Comix, where I met NW creator Manuel Carmona. He started reading my webcomic Fred Peterson The Mighty Warlord, we exchanged DMs and he invited me to a convention he headed in his hometown.
We ended up finding our we hat a lot of things in common we got to keep in contact in real life.
I ended up writing a draft for him, met at Border's to have our first "business" meeting, and it's gone off since then.

When will your run start?

I'm on since issue 2 and a one-shot that's getting turned into a graphic novel. Manuel's KILLING it with his art!


What made you accept writing Project: New Wave?

First, being the visual medium that it is, seeing Manuel's art. I saw his character designs, the promo art, and the page samples of issue 1.
He's an alumni of the Kubert School, and his artistic influences are pretty much the same that I have, so we have many things in common creatively, I mean, the chemistry is crazy. There'd be times I come up with a plot and he'd tell me he was just thinking the same thing, and vice versa.
After reading the original issue 1 and seeing the art, and getting bits and pieces of the characters info, I put together a draft and full script, and luckily Manuel loved it.
Also, it had been years since I had written anything aside from Warlord and my own properties. Like four years before I had written a hand full of short stories for a zine named CF Comics, and a few things here and there that never got published. So I was looking forward to the challenge of writing something other than my own things and having fun in someone else's sandbox. 

What can we expect from Project: New Wave?

A team book of ragtag orphans that go on these high octane adventures and personal growth. I'd like to hope that there is a good balance between action, fantasy, drama, character development, mystery, conspiracies, essentially the 90s X-Men mashed with the 80s Teen Titans with a dash of big budget action movies and anime.
Manuel is cranking out some serious great art, and colorist Francisco is doing an amazing coloring job. I just happy to be along for the ride writing these stories for this group of characters, and I hope people enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.

Why self-publish? 

It's the right time to do it. Self publishing is easier to do now compared to when I was growing up. Technology and the internet changed everything. We can reach people in ways that weren't available before and without being held accountable to any big company, just to ourselves.
And that way we, as creators, have a say and control over the franchise as opposed to having too many cooks in the kitchen.

How do you separate yourself from the thousands who self publish their books every year?

By making a fun product that we believe in. By thinking outside the box in terms of how to make our comics available and how to promote it.
Again, being independent gives us that flexibility and the ability to experiment and get our creative juices flowing.




To Be Continued...


**Stay tuned for PT.2 of this interview coming in August

Alvaro "Lance Danger" Cortes Jr here. Just thought I'd give my thoughts on the indie comics I've read and why I read indie comics.
When I got into comics, I was like four years old. My father barely knew any English, enough to get by which was good enough I guess. My parents really wan't me to have a grasp on both English and Spanish. My father would buy comics and storybooks that were in English, and he'd read them to me. I learned how to read before I started kindergarten because of that.
One time I was exploring our home when I was about 5 and randomly found all these small mini comics in Spanish, translations into Spanish of Little Lulu comics and other hispanic mini comics. They belonged to my mom from when she was young, and turns out she was an Archie fan.
So, I began reading Archie.
I know he's more well known that most comics out there and is basically an American institution, but I still consider them to be "indie", so I was practically raised on indie comics.
When I was a teenager, that's when I started getting interested in Batman, when Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle were the creative team. It also happened to be when Image formed and exploded. My favorite of the bunch at the time was Cyberforce because I LOVED Marc Silvestri's art on that book and thought it was the best art of his career at the time. I also loved Todd McFarlane's Spawn, which to me had the best coloring of the Image titles and the coolest looking art. Shadow Hawk was another huge favorite of mine, of course, followed by WildCATS, Savage Dragon, and Youngblood.
That kind of opened the door for indies to get more attention and acceptance. I started reading stuff like Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise, Terri S Wood's Wandering Star, Trent Kanugua's Creed, I've always been very open to indie comics because I pretty much started by reading indie comics.
To me, reading indie comics is a personal experience. Sure, there are OUTSTANDING and personal stories that can be done with Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, but, indie comics it feels like the stakes are higher because the characters are beholden to their creators and not a corporation. It's not the same reading Aquaman losing his hand and getting it replaced by a harpoon than reading Rick Grimes losing his hand in The Walking Dead. With one it's like "well, that happened, cool. Status quo will return later on, but that was something cool." With the other, it's "HOLY S*****!!!!!!???!??!?!?! WHAT THE &^&%**()!!!?!?!? HE JUST LOST HIS HAND IN THE ^*&@*))@&*#^#*^ MIDDLE OF THE ^(@^(@&(@& MIDDLE OF A !&(@^*@^(*@^ ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!!!!!"
Over the years I've still maintained a healthy dose of indie and mainstream comics reading, because as a creative myself, I draw inspiration and good things from both. I always found it to be short sighted to be a mainstream or an indie zombie. Sometimes to grow and expand your mind, you have to take in both worlds and that way you can build your own.
Also, mainstream comics help give birth to great indie creators and titles, and can take indie creators and elevate them to a new audience. Humberto Ramos is a great example.
Going from DC, Marvel, then one of the most influential comics on a personal level to me, Crimson. Crimson, along with Joe Quesada's Ash, simply formed and shaped my own creations like The Mighty Warlord. Humberto Ramos is in a status right now that he's considered a legendary Spider-Man artist, but can also do the smaller, creator owned comics and be successful as well. And they have fun with it.
And I think in the end, that's what's important to me. To just have fun and be lost in these 20-22 pages worlds for a little bit, and then go on to create my own, and if I can have fun doing that, too, then I know I am creatively fortunate.
-Lance Danger

   With the launch of Truthful Comics latest title the indie publishing world has a potential powerhouse in it's hands. Backed with witty writing and gorgeous artwork, Project: New Wave has what any comic book needs to succeed; but will it be enough? In this exclusive interview we go inside the mind of the true mastermind behind Truthful Comics' Project: New Wave, "Mr. Truthful Comics" himself; Manuel A. Carmona. See what goes on behind the scenes, how he sees the industry, where he sees Truthful Comics in the next ten years and so much more. 


So Manuel, when exactly did you came up with the idea for Project: New Wave?

I've been working on this project since the 90's but I finally was able to put my ideas together after joining forces with my brother Alvaro Cortez Ortiz Jr. He's really been a major force behind the development of this project.

Alvaro will be the the main writer on your book from issue...?

He'll be the writer starting on issue #2 and he's already written a one-shot that I've worked on and we intend to fully develop as a graphic novel. 


Why did you decide to let Alvaro write your comic?

Simple, he’s a genius when it comes to writing and I’m not. LOL! No in all seriousness, ideas come easy for me and I can elaborate a story with little difficulty, but turning ideas into a full script is damn near impossible for me. My strength is the art so I’ll stick to the art and let the master do his thing. Quick story, when I first posted some Project: New Wave artwork on a forum Alvaro and I used to be a part of way back when, he immediately gravitated towards the characters so... I approached him about needing help with the writing and being who he is; he immediately agreed to give me a hand. He then proceeded to sent me a full script… all I need to say is I cried tears of joy that day. The rest as they say is history.

Cool! And what's the premise behind Project: New Wave?

Project: New Wave is based on a team of orphans who are put together as a military sanctioned team created for the sole purpose of dealing with threats too big even for the NAVY SEALS or the ARMY Rangers. As the story continues you'll soon realize there's a far more sinister plot running in the background hidden from the World, and even from our young heroes themselves and once they eventually find out; all hell is going to break loose. I hope the readers enjoy the ride as much as we are creating it. 

Is Project: New Wave going to be a long running series or a mini-series?

To be honest I think I’ll be putting them out as long as I can draw, eventually I’ll do an issue or two a year so I can squeeze other side projects as well. I have so many stories I’d like to tell, and time waits for no one. So far I’ve drawn the first five issues and I’m currently inking the 3rd issue of Project: New Wave so there’s gonna be Project: New Wave coming your way very soon. 

Why self-publish? 

Why not? Don’t get me wrong, it must be nice to have a huge corporation pushing your book but the way I see it, self publishing grants you full control of your creations and let's be honest; nobody cares about your project as much as you do anyway.

How do you separate yourself from the thousands who self publish their books every year?

That’s a good question. It’s tough, especially since I’m a bit shy approaching people; I don’t know exactly how conventions are going to work out for me. I do plan on always giving fans a bit extra when they decide to spend their hard earned cash on my books. With each comic book I put out, I’ll be creating new extra content to go along with it, be it information on how I created the characters, character sketches, stickers, interviews just like this one, a personalized letter to the fans; something to show fans I really do care about them putting their trust in me and giving me their money. 

Is Project: New Wave set in it’s own Universe or does every Truthful Comics book share the same Universe kinda like Marvel Comics or DC Comics?

When Corey, Alvaro and I created our own comics we didn’t know each other so we all have our own Universe BUT after discussing this topic with them we decided that yes; they all live on the same “Planet Earth” in present day and will indeed cross paths with each other eventually... some sooner than others. ;)

So where can fans get their very own copy of Project: New Wave?

At first, I was trying to get Project: New Wave in as many comic shops as I could but then I realized that what I’m really looking for is a true connection with the audience; and for them to be become true fans. I want to meet them in person, I want them to see who I am face to face and make a connection; there’s something about a face to face that buying online will never replace; you can't replace human interaction. I want to hand them their comic book  sign it for them, talk with them, look them in the eye and thank them personally; I choose that over mass distribution.

I like the way you put it. So what’s in store for our brave heroes? What can we expect from the 
Project: New Wave crew?

I can guarantee you one thing, you’ll see growth in these characters, you’ll see them evolving and growing as normal human beings would. I see the story ending one day, they aren’t immortal; all good things must come to an end… just not yet. But I want the fans who give them a chance to get familiar with them and see what makes them tick, to know how they’d react in a specific situation; I want people to love these characters like I do! 

To Be Continued...


**Stay tuned for PT.2 of this interview coming in August

1. How did the idea for Fred Peterson: The Mighty Warlord came about?
​It came about because of my love of super hero comics. Specifically the "every man" style of super heroes.
The biggest inspirations for Warlord was pretty much the "teen books" of the 90s done by DC Comics, specifically The Ray and Robin (Tim Drake version).
And to a lesser extent, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Raynor), Nightwing, The Fly (Impact Comics/DC Comics) and Spider-Man.
Originally the world of TMW was set in a fictional city called Cult City, and was like that since his conception when I was in Junior High School.
But after watching the special features of the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie on DVD, I was inspired to move the story to Puerto Rico instead, where I was living in at that time.

2. Who has had the biggest influence on your comics career, and how has that person influenced TMW characters?
It's pretty much a tie, really.
Joe Quesada inspired me to draw. From the first time I saw his artwork on The Ray mini series in the 90s, I knew I wanted, I NEEDED to draw comics. His art was unlike anything I had seen at the time. His art eventually introduced me to Mike Mignola and Alphonse Muccha. After The Ray he was on hit title after hit title, Batman: Sword of Azrael, designing "AzBats" for the Knightfall/KnightsQuest/KnightsEnd stories, X-Factor, and Ninjak.
Then he co-creates Event Comics and starts cowriting Ash and that eventually led to the most influential comics in my life, his runs on Daredevil.
his art style is the most predominant in my art and character designs, I always look to his Daredevil and Art of Marvel art book for inspiration.
And to echo my partner in crime, Manuel, Todd McFarlane also is a HUGE influence. When I fist started taking Warlord from "just a character" I created, and realized that I was falling in love with the character and the small world that was starting to form around him, I wanted to become the Puerto Rican Todd McFarlane.
Aside from his spectacular artwork, which I discovered through Spawn at the time, reading his interviews, I saw a new light to creating. Aside form being a great artist and creator, he was a very smart businessman.
 I tried to stylize the comic design after Spawn and wanted to model my website after his website and pretty much somehow follow his business model.
To this day I admire his business sense. He made mistakes along the way that cost him, but, he kept at it and came out even stronger than before I believe, so that makes me admire him even more. He's on the verge of breaking the indie comics record in a few months, shattering Cerebus long reign at 300 issues. And I'm not too far in chasing PR's longest running comic, Turey El Taino which had 36 issues, and I'm wrapping up chapter 25 soon.
In terms of writing, Christopher Priest is my all time favorite writer. His run on The Ray, the ongoing series version of the 90s, pretty much modeled my writing style.
If Joe Quesada was the artist that made me need to draw comics, Christopher Priest was the writer that made me need to be a writer. Me made heroes more relatable to an extent I had not read at that time.
My current favorite writer that I feel has been influencing me also is Scott Snyder. His Detective Comics run that was collected into the trade The Black Mirror is my all time favorite Batman story. And his epic run on Batman with Greg Capullo is now my favorite Batman run ever.
3. What tools do you use to create and what makes them the “right tools” for you?
I use anything I can get my hands on, I love to experiment. My go to is Maxon manga paper for webcomics. With mechanical pencils for the layouts and a combination of micron pens, brush pens, and Manga Studio for inking and toning. I color with Photoshop CS2.
For sketching I have a lot of sketch books, pens, art pencils, markers, prismacolor color pencils, Touch markers, crayons, Chinese markers. I have an associates degree in fine arts, so I really like to get my hands dirty with just about any medium I can use. Lately I've been doing more fully digital work after starting my Cartooning degree at SVA.
Using various tools is right for me because I like to keep challenging myself as an artist, I like to get out of my comfort zone, so when I feel I'm getting too comfortable with one way of doing things, I try to change it up to keep challenging myself, and more importantly, to keep things fun and keep myself from burning out.
4. What element of your work gives you the most personal satisfaction?
Making something out of a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen. Making something that putting out on the internet, now means that I can put something out there that, for better or worse, is going to be floating out there forever and eventually outlive me. It's my anchor. I get the personal satisfaction that will all the things that has happened, that's happening, and what will happen, I have this little comic that has stuck with me for half my life now pretty much.
It's that intangible element of feeling I left something behind that makes me feel good about this comic. 
5. What has been the most rewarding thing about TMW?
It has opened many doors to collaborate with other great people. Through TMW I met Manuel, eventually Corey, the third pillar of TC.
I've written for other indie studios because of my work on TMW. I've also helped inspire other creators to do their own thing, and at the end of the day, that's what's most rewarding to me. To help inspire others to create their own thing. Whether it was "wow, that's kind of cool, I want to do something like that", or "man, that sucks, I can do WAY better", I want to inspire and motivate people the same way I was inspired by my favorite creators.
6. What is your elevator pitch for TMW?
TMW is about a regular college kid that discovers that he's a hero, and he really doesn't want to be. It turns his life upside down and he starts to grow up not just as a person but as a person that's maturing into adulthood and all the problems, victories, and losses that comes with growing up and on op of that being a time displaced hero destined to save the world.

   To answer this question first I need to talk about how I discovered indie comics in the first place. I've always been a superhero fan, be it on TV, movies, action figures, you name it; indie comics weren't even on my radar. Even when I bought my first comic books, I bought Batman, Wolverine and a few other mainstream books. Fast forward to 1992 and a comic book is published and promises to change superhero comics forever, that comic was Spawn! That was my introduction to an indie comic book... and what a ride it was. I collected the series from issue #1 - #100 and a few year later found issues #101 - #200; now I have to find issues #201 - #300. I fell off and I've never gotten back on the train but I feel it's about time to jump in. 

   After Spawn came Sam Keith's The Maxx, Dale Keown's Pitt, Eric Larsen's Savage Dragon, Rob Liefeld's Youngblood and Supreme, Jim Lee's Wildcats... yeah, I was very much an Image Comics fanboy! Then came the "second coming" of Image Comics... Cliffhanger! Three of the hottest artists in the comic book industry joined forces to create magic as they say. J. Scott Campbell's Danger Girl, Huberto Ramos' Crimson and Joe Madureira's Battle Chasers were completely different in theme, settings and styles yet they had one thing in common; they were the creme of the crop of the comic book world at the time. These kids came out the gate guns blazon' and took the comic book world by storm! Each property could've been made into a blockbuster movie or tv series, they're THAT good. I for one purchased each and every one of those books and even today, all those years later; I still read them at leafs once a year. Even now, I still haven't found many series that compare to these ones in quality and readability; those series are timeless in my humble opinion. If you haven't read them don't hesitate, go to your nearest local comics shop and purchase a TPB of any one of those series; you won't regret it. 

   After Cliffhanger came one of my all time favorite comic book series, Marc Silvestri's The Darkness! Still can't believe that comic book series hasn't been made into a movie. Then came Silvestri's Witchblade, Michael Turner's Fathom, Jason Pearson's Body Bags, Greg Capullo's The Creech and so many more. My point is the more I bought comics the more I bought Image and the less I bought the "Big 2" (I did follow Wolverine for quite a bit and became a super fan of the Kubert brothers, but that's a topic for another day). 

   Now to the original question, why do I read indie comics? I read indie comics for many reasons, for example indie comics for the most part focus on the story and characters rather than gimmicks and "events" that lead nowhere except an empty bank account. Another reason is that indie creators that work on their own project work as hard as they humanly can to put out their best, in part because they're representing themselves when they go to a convention; not a corporation. And last but definitely not least, when you buy an indie comic book you're buying into the vision of the creator rather than a marketing team who keep putting out regurgitated ideas and masking them as ALL NEW. When you buy an indie comic book you're supporting someone who's put their everything into this book, someone who's probably in financial debt right now because they used every penny they had to print their books; that alone makes me want to buy a book from indie creators... if the book turns out to be great that's a bonus! 

   Comics nowadays have become (for the most part) nothing more than useless reboots, gimmicks and pointless events that not only diminish these characters we love so much, but also clutter the market with fluff; making it even harder for indie creators to get noticed by the casual fan. Now granted, publishers do this type of thing because fanboys keep buying but I have hope because more and more I see readers moving away from the "big 2" and into a much larger world of indie comics, I hope this trend continues.

​-MC