OLD SOLDIERS - AN ALTERNATE LOOK AT WW2

Not so long ago, the filmmaker, Kevin Smith, endorsed the ‘Old Soldiers’ comic book on his 'plus one' podcast in order to inform his audience about its initial print run. Which I must admit, is mightily impressive, and one of the main reasons why I would now like to present you with the following conversation I had with its creator, Kevin Stone, who told me what his comic is all about. Please enjoy.





1) What are your own origins, Kevin?   I was sent to earth from a dying planet onboard a rocket ship with a shard of my... Oh! Wait a minute! That's not my origin story because it’s not so grand. Basically, I'm a graphic designer and illustrator with a passion for art, writing, and reading comic books. At art school, I interned at Marvel Comics, and during that time, I got the idea for my own comic. 

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Old Soldiers’?   I've always been fascinated with history and the period surrounding World War II. After all, there are many inflection points in human history and it's rare to see such a cut and dry, black and white moment. During that time, it was quite apparent what the bent of history was going to be and who were the "good guys" and who were the "bad guys". Similar, in many ways, to a conventional comic book adventure featuring a group of superheroes fighting against a group of supervillains. But what if during this conflict, the men behind it were not so black and white, good and bad? What if war can make you do very bad things with what you consider good intentions? What would the consequences of those actions be? What would you do to make something right if you had the power to do so? To what ends? 

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   In the waning days of World War II, a group of soldiers are brought together and eventually changed through a brush with history and a traumatic event. So much so, in fact, that this change echoes throughout their lives and the lives of their respective families. Years later, age and time has changed them even further, but now they feel the need to come together once more to finish what they had started in the past.

4) 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 like to select Jack Kirby to promote my comic. Not only because he enjoyed seeing Nazis getting punched in the face, but it would also mean that I would be able to meet one of the most seminal figures in comic book history.

5) What have you learned about yourself through this endeavor?   I've learned that being successful is more about your own personal definition, rather than any particular financial reward or notoriety. Well, as an indie publisher, I've come to realize that it's more important that someone reads my books and sees how much I’ve grown and improved as a creator, with the hope that one day they would reach out and discuss my work with me. In fact, I'm more excited that it's now out there for people to read using a variety of different platforms. That's my takeaway. Do it for the love, not the bucks or the fame.

And on that note, I'd like to thank Kevin for telling us about his comic book, 'Old Soldiers', before encouraging you to check out his official Website and Twitter pages. Or better yet, why not pick up a copy via ComiXology.