Review Fix chats with Scabbards & Gods creator and writer Dan Littlefield, who discusses the inspiration before his independent comic/manga. Littlefield also talks about how crucial the art is to the series and dishes on the future.
Review Fix: What was the inspiration behind the comic?
Dan Littlefield: Since I was a kid I have trained in the martial arts so I have always had an affinity for a well-crafted fight scene. Initially, the idea came from a thought I had about a group of sword fighters who each had a sword that reflected their personality. The big bruiser wielding a claymore, the balanced fighter with flow using a tai chi sword, the leader with a katana possibly the best crafted sword in history. It grew from there and became more about the world they lived in and less about what they had around their belt.
Review Fix: How do these three characters, from three different backgrounds work together to fight evil? What keeps them together?
Littlefield: Without giving too much away both Bayle and Sang owe a debt to Corbin. That is what led them to join him in the first place, but what keeps them together? They have absolute trust in one another, which was earned through many, many battles together.
Review Fix: What were some comics you read growing up? Did they play a role in the
creation of this one?
Littlefield: The main comics I read growing up were Marvel specifically the X-Men. From there I moved to DC with Batman and wound up reading Fables. The real comic fire erupted when I started reading manga with Naruto and One Piece. Superhero comics give a sense right and wrong but in manga no one is born Superman. They train and grow to become all-powerful which is a huge attraction for the reader who grows with the character. All of that came into play when I started creating Scabbards & Gods. My co-writer John Doudican has the same love of manga, so when we started bouncing ideas off one another they were all in the same playground.
Review Fix: How do you think the art plays a role in the series?
Littlefield: Art is key. Period. Without Dave C. Nguyen and Dan Dussault there is no Scabbards & Gods, it would be some pages sitting in a drawer. Dave had never worked on a comic before which we all knew meant Chapter 1 wouldn’t look like other comics. We learned everything as we did it and Dave produced a great first Chapter. When Dan came on in Chapter 2 we really began to hit our art stride. Dan had been working in comics for a while and began working very closely with Dave. The pages became better each week and now that we are in Chapter 3 we feel like it finally looks the way we originally pictured.
Review Fix: What’s your favorite part of the series?
Littlefield: While John might disagree with me, I believe it’s writing the funny the stuff. No one wants to read something heavy and depressing all the time so when I get a chance to do something stupid with Sang or Sam it puts a smile on my face. There is a lot of that currently being featured in Chapter 3.
Review Fix: What are your goals for the series?
Littlefield: Our first goal is to get through the first story arc with Chapters 1-5 so we can print it as a trade and really show it off to people. From there we will begin expanding out into a story that will set the tone for the rest of the series. We’re going to see extraordinarily powerful people and go to some really interesting locations. We have every intention of raising the bar every chance we get with the action.
Review Fix: What do you think needs to be improved upon for the better of the series?
Littlefield: I’m going to go with everything. The art has had the most breathing room to improve over the three chapters but because of the slow process, John and I don’t get to write as much as we want to. That was the initial reason we created two short stories for the website which expand the overall world. We love writing the series and know that we still have a long way to go when it comes to pacing and honing the voices of the characters. We just hope people stick around to give us the chance to develop further.
Review Fix: The first issue sets the scene for the adventure ahead. Without giving anything away, what can readers expect?
Littlefield: The group will expand from 3 to 5, which was our intention from the start. One of the criticisms received about Chapter 1 was that it dumped you in the middle of things, which was the intention. We will backtrack and begin exploring the back-story of the group and see what led them to join a Fallen Corps in the first place. Of course, we will add some bigger villains who are out for blood and mayhem. Tigrus after all has a brother.
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