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Lion Forge Has Noble Intentions

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by Vince Brusio

In the Catalyst Prime universe, one man walks alone, absent of his identity. If you were to gauge his threat level, it would be “ultraviolet.” The greatest danger imaginable. He is to be handled with the greatest of care because this man has mastered brainwave projection. He has the ability to relocate matter, both organic and inorganic.  His powers grow with every encounter. So there is no static data to rely on when monitoring his daily activities. It makes for a fun assignment. It makes for an even better reading. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, we talk with writer Brandon Thomas and artist Roger Robinson to discuss the individual you’ll come to meet in Lion Forge’s Catalyst Prime: Noble #1 (MAR171903), due in comic shops this May. Hang on tight. The ride’s about to get bumpy.

Catalyst Prime: Noble #1 (MAR171903) is in comic shops May 3.

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Vince Brusio:  What can you tell us about the movers and shakers in Catalyst Prime: Noble #1 (MAR171903)? Who are the main characters, and why should we pay attention to them? What makes them engaging? What makes them bleed?

Brandon Thomas: Astronaut David Powell was one of the team of five astronauts who took on the suicide mission of destroying the Icarus2 asteroid before it could collide with Earth and annihilate all life on the planet. The team succeeded, but as a result of the explosion, David gained the ability of telekinesis, the means of moving matter with one’s mind. David also lost his memories. Now, back on Earth, David is travelling throughout the world, taking on different identities and jobs, helping people while his powers grow. Fighting to stay alive and out of the reach of The Foresight Corporation and its CEO, Lorena Payan. Hoping to one day remember his life, his name, and the mysterious woman and young boy in his memory flashes. His wife and son. David’s wife, Astrid Allen-Powell, is now on a mission: to get her husband back. To put her family back together. 

Vince Brusio: Is this title more or less a self-contained series, or should readers expect to see moments when characters or plot lines from other Catalyst Prime books will intersect with this book’s turn of events?

Brandon Thomas: All of the Catalyst Prime series are self-contained, so any reader can enjoy one, or three, but if you read all of the titles, there's a reward of a bird's eye view of the world.

Certain characters cross titles, and the event introduced in the Free Comic Book Day one-shot Catalyst Prime: The Event connects three titles because of which characters survive the mission to prevent Armageddon. 

Part of the fun of a superhero universe is the option to travel throughout its roads, territories, and shadowy corners, and discover interesting points of convergence, so readers will have the choice to take on a small trip or a world-spanning journey.

Vince Brusio: So how does the team of Brandon Thomas and Roger Robinson work things out between themselves? How do you guys edit? How do you compromise? How do you work as a creative team?

Brandon Thomas: One of the best things about comics is that sense of teamwork and collaboration you get when the right people are gathered together in the right room. Roger has a ton of experience as a working artist, and I've been a lifelong fan of his since his Batman: Gotham Knights run, so being able to work with him has been amazing so far. We also share the same birthday, live about twenty minutes away from each other, and he has a son named Brandon, so clearly it was meant to be. 

There was a lot of talking at the beginning, so I could get a nice sense for the kinds of things that get him really excited to draw comics, and if there were any specific things I could do in the actual scripting that gave him the whole picture, without boxing him in completely. By the time the script got to his desk, the Lion Forge editors and I had gone back and forth on everything several times. But it's always been important to me that any artist I work with feels fully invested in what we're doing, and has the space to make those contributions that turn a good book into a great book.

Having a blast thus far, and personally, I think Roger has been criminally under-appreciated for too many years, so my very selfish goal is to be part of changing that with Noble. His work is on another level, and jaws will drop when people see it. Can't wait!

Roger Robinson: It's been a treat collaborating with the very talented Brandon Thomas on Noble. He's a very visual and passionate writer. There's a vibe that you feel when reading his scripts, where you can visualize and feel what the characters are experiencing emotionally and physically. He makes my job easy to visualize the storytelling and drawing the pages. 

After reading the script, I usually send Brandon my layouts to see if we're on the same page with the storytelling, working out the beats and tweak where it's needed to make it just right. It's a very collaborative process. Once I've finished drawing the pages and turned them in, I always get an email of excitement from Brandon. In big caps, expressing how jazzed he is seeing the pages and our collaboration. 

I'm very fortunate to be collaborating with Brandon on a book such as Noble. I think people will see all the hard work that Brandon and I put into this book.

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Catalyst Prime: Noble #2 (APR171852) Available To Pre-Order!

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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.

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