Review Fix Exclusive: Ricardo Pinto Talks ‘War in Heaven’

Review Fix chats with “War in Heaven” writer Ricardo Pinto who discusses the new Madefire book and the effect it’ll have on readers.

The first six-part issues to be released simultaneously for the company, Pinto, also the scribe behind “The Stone Dance of the Chameleon,” talks about how it feels to set a new standard for the company, as well as his working relationship with fellow “War in Heaven” artist Adrian Smith.

For more information on the series, click here.

Review Fix: Can you talk about how “Paradise Lost” played a part in the creation of the series?

Ricardo Pinto: It is a text that has interested me for a while – not least because of the way, politically, that it subtly reverses the traditional view of Satan. I listened to the whole thing being read out on a long drive up north, and it immediately struck me as being something that was likely to inspire Adrian. So I proposed it to him. We could have just done a direct ‘lift’ from Paradise Lost, but then Eve appeared on the scene, and that changed everything.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite part/element of the series?

Pinto: The peculiar and touching contrast that there is between Satan and Eve… they both are so many different sorts of people, and yet, at all times, they ‘touch’ with a strange tenderness.

Review Fix: What was the writer/artist working relationship like?

Pinto: Like hand and glove. Of course, we have worked together before… but it was strange to see how so much of the story that occurs in my subconscious was realized by Adrian’s images rising out of his subconscious (and skill). It’s as if our subconsciouses were talking to each other behind our backs, which, I suppose, is exactly what they were doing.

Review Fix: What do you think you’ve learned during the creation process for this series? How will it benefit you moving forward?

Pinto: It reintroduced me to the joy of collaboration. The child of that collaboration was it’s own creature – clearly bearing the marks of its creators, but, like a child, being entirely, and surprisingly, its own unique being.

Review Fix: For comic book creators interested in Madefire, how can you describe your experience working there?

Pinto: Liam, Ben and the others at Madefire are a remarkable team. When we turned up with our comic, it was designed to be published on paper and, looking at the various digital techniques they have in their armoury, it was hard to see how these could possibly enhance what we already had. They saw what we did not, and surprised and delighted us at every turn. Beyond this, they continued to be responsive to our suggestions and requests throughout. Considering that the whole process was carried out over the Atlantic, it was remarkably smooth and enjoyable.

Review Fix: For those that aren’t into the epic story, how else do you think they’d connect with the content?

Pinto: The epic story is just a frame… the deeper content are the characters, and they explore extraordinary aspects of being human in ways that left me feeling as if we were ‘channelling’, rather than ‘inventing’ them – in my experience, always a good sign! So as long as you are human, I am confident that you will connect to it, even though, like us, you may not entirely understand why.

Review Fix: Madefire books are known for their cool visuals, panoramic panels, killer sound, what surprises do you guys have in store for readers?

Pinto: Primarily the depth of the immersion. When I saw the first builds I literally got goose bumps… Of course I was noticing the way they had chosen to animate this or that – but this was done so skillfully that it entirely became part of the narrative flow. The amazing soundscape somehow captures the feelings of the different spaces, of the varying moods. Like a good film, I believe that you don’t really notice all of these elements, you just get swept away by the experience… After going through it, I have hopes that you will feel as if you have lived through something strange and yet familiar – and that, it seems to me, is how it should be. I don’t think this is like one of those Hollywood blockbusters that wows you with its effects only to leave you feeling blank after all the crashes and bangs are over.

Review Fix: How does it feel to be the first Madefire series to release six episodes at once?

Pinto: It feels right: Liam’s decision to release them all at once simply feels right for this project. That our project was the first to receive this treatment leaves me feeling grateful.

Review Fix: How do you want this series to be remembered?

Pinto: As an experience that lingers like a disturbing yet illuminating dream.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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