Review Fix Exclusive: Brão Barbosa Talks ‘Jesus Rocks’ and ‘Happy Anniversary’

Review Fix chats with independent comic book writer and artist Brão Barbosa, who breaks down his two titles “Jesus Rocks” and “Happy Anniversary,” as well as his hopes and goals for the future.

A fan of Bruce Timm’s work as a kid, Barbosa’s unique art style and penchant for solid storytelling make him a multi-faceted double threat in comics.

Review Fix: What did you read as a kid?

Barbosa: I was always curious about superheroes. I spent many hours of my childhood watching the X-Men cartoons, Spider-man and sure, Bruce Timm’s Animated Series for DC, but I can’t remember reading many superheroes comics as a child. Of course, I read the classics like “Watchmen,” “The Dark Knight,” “Red Son,” “Wolverine” by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, but I had never had the habit of reading the periodic stories. So, by the influence of my grandpa, I read a lot of Disney and the Brazilian “Mônica’s Gang” by Maurício de Sousa. That’s maybe why I’m more a conversation/relations/everyday stories reader/writer than a superhero one.

Review Fix: For people who haven’t read them, what are your stories about? What makes them special?

Barbosa: As I said above, I like reading and writing about the “plus” that ordinary life may have more than fantastic things. I think I chase the opportunity of planting the doubt “could it happen to me?” or “could I be one of those characters?” in the readers mind.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration behind “Jesus Rocks”?

Barbosa: “Jesus Rocks” tells the life of Christ if He were a rock star. And these two worlds have always been part of my universe. So, when a friend of mine wrote what became the initial idea of “Jesus Rocks,” we talked and he let me adapt it to comics.

Review Fix: What about “Happy Anniversary”?

Barbosa: Unlike JR, “Happy Anniversary” was totally born in my head. I was wondering what wold be the consequences a crazy/deep/insane/blind/selfish/vindictive love could have if taken to its ultimate consequences.

Review Fix: How do both accomplish different things for you?

Barbosa: I have a special affection for “Jesus Rocks” because it was through producing it that I could see it’s something I really can do and like doing it. And “Happy Anniversary, My Beloved” I can feel a huge progress in my storytelling and drawings ability. Also, the comments about both of them give great pleasure and makes me wanna keep going.

Review Fix: How would you describe your art style?

Barbosa: I seek transfer as much emotion I can to the drawing table. That’s my biggest concern. And I go for it every day. Also, I like having a positive and fun view of everything. I think this leads me to a simple trace and some unusual drawing solutions.

Review Fix: How do you want these stories to be remembered?

Barbosa: Sure.  I want to bring moments of entertainment and fun for those who are reading my stories.

Review Fix: What are your goals for these series this year?

Barbosa: I’m working on some titles that I’m dividing tasks. In some, I’m writing- I’m drawing others. But I can promise good stories with all of them.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Barbosa: I’m also developing an idea for a story much longer than the others I’ve made. And because it’s something different than I have done, I’m being careful with language to do a good job.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 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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