HOODIE - THERE IS NO LAW

Let he who is among you without sin be the first to cast his stone. Well, that is unless the stone in question is actually made of real stone! In that case, leave the stone alone and pick up a comic book instead. Preferably the following comic book created by my mate Julian, called 'Hoodie'.





1) What are your own origins, Julian?   I come from many places and am many things, yet my existence is primarily the yin and yang of what I was given and what I chose to be. I was given a farm in Northern Florida, purchased between Reconstruction and the Great Migration, and devoted my life to two things: Martial Arts and the Law. One was real and the other not.

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Hoodie’?   We have a distorted view of reality. We believe in a force called “The Law”, which we confuse with justice and morality, whilst we don’t believe in “super” heroes or monsters. We’re all just people, the law is what the law is, and any imperfections will naturally pass away as we evolve (as all things do) towards perfect justice. This is not just a lie, but a carefully constructed façade designed to maintain the status quo. Hoodie is designed to plant another seed of doubt in ripe minds that wouldn’t otherwise be reached.

3) In your own words how would you describe this story?   Hoodie is the story of a little girl who witnesses her brother’s lynching and the subsequent acquittal of the guilty party, simply because her unarmed 15 year-old brother somehow constituted a threat. Ten years later she sees the same man, as he casually walks into her martial arts studio after her family has been relocated by a mysterious, seemingly benevolent group. Obviously she tries to kill him but is stopped, and this sets in motion approximately half of the events that push her down the path towards what is commonly referred to as vigilantism.

The story is meant to be the first in a three part series that establishes the origin of the character, “Grey Hood”, as she avenges her murdered brothers, the second of whom is her twin and alive when the story begins. Individual stories were based on missions that the secret society sends Grey Hood on, which is another three part series involving a terrorist act contemplated by the society.

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   'Dead Souls' by Nine Inch Nails. The lyrics for this song perfectly match the anguish Lilly experiences as she relives her brother’s murder, added with the guilt that her testimony as a six year-old failed to lead to his conviction. Furthermore, this song was on the soundtrack for the film, 'The Crow', which heavily influenced this work and provided a model for the tone and impact we’d like to have, even if our work is of a more political nature.

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Brandon Lee. Brandon didn’t simply portray Eric Draven (from 'The Crow'), he became Eric Draven, despite his untimely death creating a perfect mirror image to the events that inspired James O’Barr’s epic tale of righteous vengeance. He understood, and he understood because he had the death of his father to draw on. He also remembered how his father was treated by Hollywood, and initially by his mother’s (Linda’s) family. He understood the similarities between the Chinese feelings about the Japanese, and the feelings in the black community about the white community. He also remembered his father’s student, Jesse Glover. Ultimately Brandon Lee would have understood, and he would have been able to articulate it better than any of us.

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour?   As a writer I normally find the bulk of these lessons come from processing how your work is received. Still, seeing a story come to life visually, and matching the illustrations to the images in your head, is an illuminating, though technical process. Even with good artists and excellent writing there are a lot of changes and critiques that are necessary. With the best artists you find that at times their interpretation is better than your original idea, and the tally sort of evens itself out. Julian however, has far more points in the improvement column than the critique column and that is simply unheard of in this industry.

7) If ‘Hoodie’ had a motto, what would it be?   “There is no law in this country”.

And so on that no-nonsense note, dear reader, I'd like to thank Julian for telling us about his comic book, Hoodie, before directing you towards his official website.