Ten Speed Space Truckin’ In New Amory Wars

by Vince Brusio

Strap in tight, and keep that air sickness bag handy. Cosmic calamity mixed with raucous rock star imagination fuels The Amory Wars: Good Apollo #1 (FEB171289) from Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert, with the new book slated to hit comic shops this upcoming April. Yes, it’s been a while since we last dusted off the debris from the last adventure, but no worries. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, both Sanchez and Echert assure us that the action and art are still “R” rated, and perish the thought of seeing anything resembling happiness.

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Vince Brusio: This is the third installment of The Amory Wars, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen the book listed in the PREVIEWS catalog. How about giving us a primer for the series so that new readers can get up to speed. What should we know about the story at this point?

Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert: Quite a bit has happened in the world of The Amory Wars, but when we catch up with the characters in this installment we find our protagonists having just finished almost defeating Wilhelm Ryan, the universe’s most nefarious megalomaniac, who threatens the worlds with complete dominance. As Claudio, Ambellina, Inferno, and the other key players in the Rebellion revel in their near victory, they stand poised to learn that Ryan is preparing to unveil a new heinous plan for ultimate control—this time, beyond the confines of the galaxy and life itself.

Vince Brusio: Who are the movers and the shakers in The Amory Wars: Good Apollo #1? Are we introduced to new characters? Will we see the return of old familiar faces?

Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert: This series is a cool mix of familiar faces, new ones, and a few surprises that fans have been waiting to see. Claudio, Ambellina, Inferno, Mayo Deftinwolf, and the IRO-bots are all pivotal characters who return in Good Apollo, but we also introduce the writer of the story, a character named Ryder and his love interest Erica, both of whose storylines influence the fiction, for better or worse. We think readers will be particularly excited for the appearance of Ten Speed, a psychopathic flaming bicycle who seems to be a fan-favorite.

Vince Brusio: This series spans 12 issues. That’s a lot of books for a mini-series! The scope must be huge! So how far along are you in the series? Is the timeline finished, and you’re tweaking dialog as you write it day-by-day? Give us a glimpse into where the creative team is in the production of this book.

Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert: The timeline is finished. As of now we have eight issues completed in terms of script and [artist] Rags [Morales] has about seven issues and covers finished art-wise. Emilio is cruising along on colors and we’ve been on the hunt for a letterer to start that process. Once we get into letters, we’ll start fine-tuning dialogue and captions so we don’t step on the art.

As a team, we worked hard on putting together an iron-clad outline over the last couple of years. When you’re creating in a world that’s so expansive, we’ve found it’s always a good idea to go the extra mile before getting into the actual scripts so that nothing gets left out or overlooked. It’s so much easier to work with dialogue and put yourself into the scenes when you don’t have to stress about logistics so much and try to remember every detail in the moment. 

Vince Brusio: What sets the mood for you when you work on this title? What music is playing in the background? How do you transport your mind from the comfort of a couch to the coldness of the cosmos?

Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert: It definitely changes from day-to-day, but we’ve been rocking a lot of sprawling science fiction soundtracks: Interstellar, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Star Wars: A New Hope because our son can’t go 24 hours without listening to it. Though with a two-and-a-half-year-old we don’t have the luxury of spending too much time being transported to another world; we try to sneak in a movie or show occasionally that helps to inspire. Westworld and Stranger Things have definitely had a hand in getting us to that place while working on this story and all the refocus on the Star Wars multiverse over the last two years doesn’t hurt when looking for inspiration. 

Vince Brusio: If you were doing a signing, and someone walked up to the booth to ask you about this series, how would you describe it to this anonymous fan? How would you convey your passion and enthusiasm? How would you explain to him or her that your passion for this work is undeniable when they flip through the pages of Good Apollo?

Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert: If Dune were looking for a bar but had no luck, then randomly bumped into In the Mouth of Madness, who offered a free ticket to see its favorite band, Blade Runner... you’d find The Amory Wars somewhere in that audience. Also, it’s rated R and there are no happy endings.

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.