Review Fix Exclusive: Tony Deans Talks ’Spring Heeled Jack’ #4 and More

Review Fix chats with “Spring Heeled Jack” creator Tony Deans, who discusses the fourth issue of the nifty independent comic book series that pits Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his mentor against a baddie they’ve never quite encountered before. Discussing everything from the creation process behind the tale, as well as the emotional and physical toll the creation process takes on a writer, Deans gives us an inside look at one of the cooler independent comic book series in the industry today, as well as his future in the industry.

Review Fix: What has this journey been like for you?

Tony Deans: Stressful yet in the end rewarding. I don’t think it’s any secret just looking at the release pattern of the comic that getting the art completed has raised problems in getting this book out there and for my debut comic I would have liked to have had a much easier ride. Although the first two issues went out fine, the third and fourth one required me to have to search for artists to fulfill what others had agreed to do contractually. It’s hard to keep momentum going when the majority of readers don’t know if they’ll ever even see the final issue come out and I’m proud that I ensured that they could. I have to say that I can’t help but feel somewhat lucky that all the artists who stepped up to the plate were able to keep the tone of the comics and make the transition much easier for readers. When all is said and done, though, I couldn’t be happier with many of the reviews that the series has received and to actually be able to say I have had a comic book published. It makes you feel pretty proud of yourself.

Review Fix: What has changed since the series began?

Deans: Well aside from the artwork I would honestly have to say not much. The entire comic was planned before I wrote it and the scripts were pretty much completed by December of last year. For all the fans who have enjoyed the series so far, they can continue to expect the same standard of writing that they have gotten and in many ways the new artists allow for more expression of certain aspects that were not present in the first three books. In terms of myself as a creator, I’m a little bit more wise to how things work in the comic industry, wary about the fact that people sign contracts they may not live up to but also I’d say I’m a better writer. Confidence breeds success and so to know that reviewers think you might have talent makes you aim bigger and better.

Review Fix: What makes this issue special?

Deans: This issue is special because it’s the end. If you’ve read the other ones, don’t leave yourself hanging. Of course that’s not the only thing, I think that fans of the series will find that this issue is where it really all comes together. Things that might not have made sense will now and you’ll finally be able to put together all the references and clues in Spring-Heeled Jack and figure them all out. The historical element of the series really comes into its own in this one and I think fans of Arthur Conan Doyle will be pleased. On a personal level, the last few pages in my opinion are the best in the entire book. I won’t say much more about them because I don’t want to spoil it for any readers, but I will mention that they capture a gamut of emotions effectively and really make an impact on the reader.

Review Fix: How do you want this series to affect people now?

Deans: I would like them to be horrified, to laugh and to really enjoy the book. I find many comic books either take themselves too seriously or not serious enough. They might be so completely bleak that you really don’t want to carry on reading from page to page because you just can’t take any more of it all. People like Alan Moore (who I’m not comparing myself to obviously) raise the medium because they know that art should be like life in that it has a range of emotions. Works like Watchman have plenty of funny scenes in as well as serious scenes and I’ve tried to learn from that formula and include it in the series. If somebody can not just read Spring-Heeled Jack but experience the journey that the characters undergo and not want to stop reading until they reach the end then I’ll be happy.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why should someone read this issue?

Deans: People should read this issue because I honestly think it’s a well-crafted end to a very warmly received comic that will satisfy a wide range of tastes. I won’t lie and pretend that this will elevate the medium to new heights but what it is, is a story where the comic is contained within itself. You don’t need to buy a tie-in or know the character histories and so you can just approach Spring-Heeled Jack looking to read a good story. It also has a ton of references so anybody who is a fan of Victorian era London or of Arthur Conan Doyle will find plenty of things that will make them smile. It’s a neat comic that has a story to tell and is able to do so without getting cluttered or messy.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Deans: Well my whole journey has showed me that as a comic book writer you need to be realistic. Unless you know a bunch of artists who are willing to really believe in a project and work on a backend deal (and let’s be honest very few people do) then realistically you can only get one four issue mini-serious out there a year. As I mentioned in our last interview my next project Hylox is currently in negotiations with two publishers who are quite noticeable on the indie scene. All that is left for my artist to finish the first issue so they can make their final decision. All the scripts are written for Hylox so I have been considering going the Graphic Novel route for my third comic which I’m in the process of researching and writing but you won’t be hearing about that until at the very least 2017. Personally I think that once you have three comics out there you can establish a “brand” so to speak and start making inroads to a higher level of comic creating. I’m a third of the way there already and I hope that the stories I have to tell are able to reach as wide an audience as possible. That’s the dream.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 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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