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THE WORK - THE WORLD IS A BIG STAGE FOR OUR SUPERHEROES

The Work Have you ever wondered what it would be like if superheroes were real, and that secretly, behind the scenes, they were being manipulated by a dubious faction that used their actions for their own benefit? Oh! You haven't? Then it must be just me. Me and my pal Andrew who created a comic book about real-life superheroes being manipulated by a dubious faction. Andrew, it's now over to you.


Logo - 120 x 90


1) What are your own origins, Andrew?   I was born, raised, and currently live in Toronto, Canada, and I’ve been an artist pretty much my entire life. We all draw and scribble when we’re kids, and I was one of those that never really stopped. I went to a college here in Toronto called Max the Mutt College of Animation, Art and Design (great name, right?) for illustration. Through that, I learned how to bring all of the crazy thoughts and images in my head to life!

The Work2) What inspired you to create, ‘The Work’?   I’ve always been fascinated by the art of storytelling and the ability to engage and communicate with all sorts of people. Whether it be movies, TV, novels, comics, or any other medium, I just eat it up. The Work sprouted from the way I saw geek culture effect and penetrate these forms of media. At the time I was thinking about a way to tell a story about superheroes that I hadn’t seen before. 

To me, it’s very hard to create a new and original superhero because all of the best ideas have already been done. I thought it would be interesting to tell a story about what would happen behind the scenes of a world with superheroes instead of focusing on the superheroes themselves. It was an opportunity where I could make a really fun and meta comic that satirizes the whole genre, and to a certain extent, the entertainment industry in general.

3) In your own words how would you describe this story?   The Work is a buddy-cop style story about two people named Scarlet and Conner and the work they do as Agents for a secret society made of the 1% called The Party. On the surface, their world is like any other comic book universe where super heroes fight super villains. But secretly, these heroes and villains are employed by The Party as a means of entertainment. Scarlet is a new Agent that struggles with getting her hands dirty in the business as Conner pressures her to assimilate. 

The Work Art
As I mentioned before, it’s a bit of a commentary on the entertainment industry. What if the super-powered community was like combat sports (wrestling, UFC, etc) and all the fights were fixed? What if someone wanted to make a big budget comic book movie production but the actors had real powers and they were actually going to level a city block? 

It’s a fun and twisted story that draws from some of the things that happen behind the scenes of making movies, comics, and competitive sports, dipped in a nerdy super hero coating!

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   If I had to pick one song, I think “Sequoia Throne” by Protest the Hero best encapsulates the essence of The Work. A bit obscure, but they’re a prog-metal band from Whitby, Ontario (east of Toronto). The song is fast-paced, has moments of aggression and beauty plus is lyrically about nerdy stuff like aliens, monsters, and how at the end of the day, people are the scariest villains. It’s something that reminded me of The Party’s sinister machinations behind the larger than life capes and cowls. 




Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
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?   I’d go with either Stan Lee or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson because they’re two of the most entertaining, fun, and engaging figures around. 

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour?   I’ve discovered truly, how much work goes into making a comic. I’ve always wondered whether or not I’d be able to create a comic totally by myself, if I just sat down and put the time and work in... and it turns out that I can (with a bit of help from colour flatter John Siozon). Now that I’ve discovered that I CAN do it, the question of SHOULD I do it arises (he says jokingly). Comics are usually created by a team of creators for good reason. It can be a bit of a mental and physical strain on a single person and learning to adjust the pace of production, so I don’t end up burning out is something to be worked on.

There’s also a new appreciation for how well a team can collaborate and create this synergy on a good book. It can be easy if there’s one person creating a comic in a way -- there’s a singular vision and there’s one person working to achieve that. It’s amazing when you can find a whole group of different people on the same wave length and they produce something great together. 

Andrew Kwan Logo
7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   I love creating art and telling stories. It’s always been pretty simple with me. I love what I do and do what I love. Being in an environment where I get to do something I’m passionate about is the type of environment that breeds good work and I think that it shows because people seem to be enjoying the stuff that I do and these positive vibes feed back and forth, on and on and on. 

8) If ‘The Work’ had a motto, what would it be?   “Get’er done”. I think it’s a universal motto that I follow myself and it seems pretty fitting. The work that the characters do? They gotta get’er done. The work that I need to do? Just gotta get’er done! 

DBH Collector's Box (Subscription Box) - 468 x 60

And on that note, I'd like to thank Andrew for telling us about his comic, The Work, before directing you towards his facebookdeviantart, and bigcartel pages. And while you're at it, don't forget to pick yourself up a copy on gumroad.com.

THE WORK - THE WORLD IS A BIG STAGE FOR OUR SUPERHEROES THE WORK - THE WORLD IS A BIG STAGE FOR OUR SUPERHEROES Reviewed by David Andrews on April 29, 2016 Rating: 5

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