THE DARKEST KING - FROM DARKNESS, LIGHT

Have you ever wanted to punch your brother in the face just because he's a right asshole? If so, then stand back, take a deep breath, and check out the following interview I did with my brother from another plumber: Tony Scott Astley, who's recently written a comic book about sibling rivalry. Here, check it out...


The Darkest King


1) What are your own origins, Tony?   I read a lot and love all kinds of comic books, so I'm happy to say my origin story is no way as tragic as anything I've ever read. Basically, I come from a very loving family and would say that I'm a hard-working man who had an outrageously, insane idea to write and create a comic book. Or should that be, a stupid idea? You decide, ha!

2) What inspired you to create, ‘The Darkest King’?   My initial inspiration came from my love of detective stories as well as the characters that inhabit this genre. In essence, I wanted to create a cast of cliche characters and then add an extra layer of depth by giving them this huge realistic weight to carry.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   'The Darkest King' tells the tale of two brothers named King, Victor and Kurt, who are pitted against each other while they both follow their own quest for power. Victor King, for instance, attempts to take back the crime-ridden fictional city of Coldwood from the crime lord, Mr. X, while Kurt King, on the other hand, fights to become master of himself in an internal battle that plays out on the city streets, violent vigilante style.

So which brother is 'The Darkest King'? Well, that particular question is presented throughout the telling of this story, a story with a complicated past and a reality that forces even the most honorable characters to act in shades of grey.

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   I'd have to select 'Illusion' by VNV Nation because this song tells the story of people who feel isolated from a world they don't understand. The song is eerie yet beautiful, and I feel that, as different as both Kurt and Victor are, they would both react to this song in the same way I did. It connects.

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 would have to say Christopher Nolan on account of him being such a genius storyteller. Heck, he would be able to pitch it to the public ten times better than I ever could.

6) What have you learned about yourself through this endeavor?   I've learned a lot about stress because making a comic book is very hard work. So hard, in fact, that I now have a lot more admiration and respect for anyone who can create something tangible from nothing at all.

You see, as far as I'm concerned, I'll always be a happy person when I'm writing stories, coming up with ideas, painting pictures, and making music, etc-etc-etc. So anything I can create that has never existed before is what drives me on and keeps me happy. I measure my success in how happy I feel about something I've created, and overall, the experience of creating 'The Darkest King' has been well worth it.

7) If ‘The Darkest King’ had a motto, what would it be?   The story is essentially a tragedy that has a not-so-happy ending, albeit a satisfying one. So an appropriate motto for it would have to be "Ex Obscuris Lux" (From darkness, light).

And on that note, I'd like to thank Tony for telling us about his comic book, 'The Darkest King', before encouraging you to check it out on the official Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Or better yet, why not pick up a copy via clickfunnels.