“Pants Optional” is PopCultHQ’s Zoom video interview feature where we connect with individuals within the comic book community. It’s a way to see/hear what creators have been doing during a quarantine, projects which may be in motion during this downtime, and noteworthy events and happenings taking place in lieu of conventions, appearances, and the weekly NCBD grind.
For Episode XX, I spoke with writer Mark Russell. The author, cartoonist, and comic book writer hit the comic scene with the reboot of PREZ in 2015. He was then tapped to head THE FLINTSTONES title at DC Comics alongside artist Steve Pugh, which garnered a Harvey Award nomination for Book of the Year, as well as two Eisner Award nominations, including Best Limited Series and Best Humor Publication.
In 2018, Mark received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for his reimagining of the titular character in DC Comics’ EXIT, STAGE LEFT!: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, also earning Ringo Award nominations for Russell (Best Writer) and for Best Limited Series. Mark has also written for Dynamite’s RED SONJA, THE LONE RANGER: The Devil’s Rope, and IDW’s JUDGE DREDD: Under Siege.
Mark has released two titles at AHOY Comics – the hit series SECOND COMING and BILLIONAIRE ISLAND.
BILLIONAIRE ISLAND TPB
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris Chuckry
Lettering: Rob Steen
Cover Artist: Steve Pugh
Welcome to Billionaire Island, where anything goes – if you can afford it. But the island’s ultra-rich inhabitants are about to learn that their ill-gotten gains come at a very high price.
PREVIEW PAGES
So sit back and hear from Mark as he discusses his BILLIONAIRE ISLAND series, praise he has for his creators, and the second coming of SECOND COMING!
A very special thanks to Mark Russell for taking the time to speak with us at PopCultHQ. Be sure to follow Mark online (links below), go snag a copy of BILLIONAIRE ISLAND (funny stuff!), and get ready for SECOND COMING: Only Begotten Son this winter!
If you are an industry professional and are interested in being featured in our “Pants Optional” segment, drop me a line at tahoejbennett@popculthq.com and let’s see what we can put together!
Writer – Mark Russell
Mark Russell is the author of not one, but two, books about the Bible: God Is Disappointed in You and Apocrypha Now. In addition, he is the writer behind various DC comic books such as Prez, The Flintstones, and Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles. He lives in obscurity with his family in Portland, Oregon.
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Publisher – AHOY Comics
AHOY Comics debuted in the fall of 2018 with the bold promise for readers to expect more from its line of comic book magazines, featuring comic book stories, poetry, prose fiction, and cartoons. The independent, Syracuse-based company is the brainchild of Publisher Hart Seely, an award-winning reporter whose humor and satire has appeared in The New York Times and on National Public Radio. AHOY’s Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer is committed to publishing comics with a (dark) sense of humor with titles like the superhero parody THE WRONG EARTH, the religious satire HIGH HEAVEN, the sci fi spoof CAPTAIN GINGER, the time travel tales PLANET OF THE NERDS and BRONZE AGE BOOGIE, HASHTAG: DANGER and the anthology series EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF TERROR. This summer, the company will publish the highly anticipated SECOND COMING, the satirical comic book series by Mark Russell and Richard Pace in which Jesus Christ resumes His Holy Mission.
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