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INTERVIEW: Curt Pires Talks About The Darkness Within MEMORIA

By
Matthew Sardo
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INTERVIEW: Curt Pires Talks About The Darkness Within MEMORIA

Memoria, a ComiXology Original, drops on its platform today. The book is a dark tale in the spirit of True Detective and American Rust. Memoria is written by Curt Pires, with art by Sunando C, Mark Dale drops the color, and you will read Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s letter work.

About the graphic novel:
When an aged terminally ill detective and a young burnout are partnered up and saddled with an unsolvable case, they begin to unravel a sprawling conspiracy that points to one thing: The most prolific serial killer in American history. As they further investigate the case, they make discoveries that will force them to question everything and everyone they know.

Pires joined Monkeys Fighting Robots to talk about his new book and the darkness between the pages.

MFR: Memoria is a dark book, talk about where you were as a person writing it.

PIRES: It’s certainly the darkest thing I’ve ever worked on. It could be hard to spend time in that world, but at the end of the day, it’s just a book. The real world, the challenges we face out here are darker than any fiction.

MFR: Sunando C’s art has the perfect amount of grit for Memoria. Why does Sunando C’s style work well for the story?

PIRES: Just a gut instinct really. Sunando’s art has a grit to it but is also just jaw-droppingly beautiful as well. He’s a great storyteller, which I think is the most important thing.

MFR: Mark Dale adds graininess to the color. Did you request that, or was that all Mark?

PIRES: I think early on, we might have talked a bit about the palettes in Fincher films and how I love the sort of green and yellows and browns of those films. But the credit really goes to Mark. He’s a great storyteller with color.

MFR: The crime genre is way older than the superhero genre; how did you find a new lens to tell a story like Memoria.

PIRES: I don’t think of Genre really when I’m creating my stories. I have the idea for a story, which is usually influenced by stuff I like and thinking of how I can put my own spin on things, or push things forward, and then we run from there. I think just looking at crime – there are so many subgenres and different types of crime storytelling, it’s an incredibly diverse space to play in.

MFR: Se7en was a film that broke me as an 18-year-old kid. What crime thrillers had a significant influence on you and your writing?

PIRES: I loved Se7en, but I haven’t watched it as much as I watched Zodiac or Fincher’s amazing GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO adaptation. Mindhunter was an influence too. The films of Michael Mann – Manhunter and Thief. That first season of True Detective. Cormac McCarthy’s stuff. It was important to move beyond these influences and craft something personal to me and unique. There’s nothing worse than a cover band. I think we succeeded.

MFR: Since I’ve watched more than a few films and read more than a few comics, my imagination takes over when I read a comic, adding music and voices to my read. The more immersed I get in a book, the better the experience. Do you think about how people interact with your writing because every interaction is unique?

PIRES: I do think about it. I hope people get what I was going for and feel something. Evoking emotion is really the point of all art.

MFR: There were a few pages in Memoria where there is no dialogue, and the art carries the narrative. What is your thought process with a page with no dialogue?

PIRES: I’m prone to do that in my books. I think it’s important to let the artists tell the story at times. Like silent sequences in a film. There’s an epidemic of overwriting in comics – often with the goal of appearing intellectual or showing off as a writer – that I just find insufferable.

MFR: I was surprised by how quickly the book moved. What was the editorial process like, trimming down the script?

PIRES: Lots of writing and rewriting until I had exactly what I wanted. It’s the hardest part getting everything perfectly calibrated, but once you do, you just know it.

MFR: There was one censored panel. Did you try to push the envelope of what you could show in a ComiXology Original?

PIRES: That was less of a censorship issue and more of a clarity issue. It looked like something was happening, that wasn’t happening, so I just playfully redacted the panel. I think everyone at ComiXology will attest to the fact that I’m constantly trying to push the boundaries of what we can show in these books – and I’m grateful for their seemingly infinite patience in that regard.

MFR: Memoria is a story that will linger with me for a bit. As the writer, does Memoria ever leave your soul?

PIRES: I’ll miss the characters. Those two detectives. Lots of the broken parts of myself ended up in those men. Godspeed.

MFR: Curt, thank you again for talking with me, and best of luck with Memoria.

Memoria is available now on ComiXology.

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Review: ONE-STAR SQUADRON #1 -Superheroes at Affordable Prices!

By
Zac Owens
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One-Star Squadron Russell DC Comics

“Life is largely a rotation of indignities.”

The Heckler, a forgotten superhero of the 90’s, delivers this line with a wry smile. That seems to be the moral of the story, in DC Comics’ One-Star Squadron. And if you have any doubts about life’s indignities, a quick flip through these pages will show you that the Heckler is smarter than he looks. Writer Mark Russell (The Flintstones, The Wonder Twins, Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles), artist Steve Lieber (Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen), colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Dave Sharpe present us with a hilarious, depressing, and moving story about being past your prime and feeling kicked to the curb in DC Comics’ One-Star Squadron #1.

About One-Star Squadron (from DC Comics):

Who you gonna call? One-Star Squadron! Meet DC’s superhero team where heroism meets capitalism. This ragtag group of heroes led by Red Tornado is here to provide service with a smile. All you must do is send a request via their on-demand hero app and they’ll answer any call. Whether it’s a children’s birthday party or an alien invasion, no job is too small or too big!

One-Star Squadron Russell DC Comics

Writing

Too often, comics have had a tendency to ignore some of the less exciting details of a character’s life. We haven’t seen Superman make payments on his mortgage, or watched the Flash beg the Justice League for an advance on his next paycheck. Until now. With One-Star Squadron, Russell is writing a comic that’s about exactly those kinds of nitty-gritty details. He wants to know how Flying Fox or Black Condor feel about no longer being in the spotlight. He wants to see what they have to do to make ends meet.

But all of One-Star Squadron also has a subtle meta flavor to it as well. G.I. Robot and Powergirl aren’t on the Justice League because they aren’t that popular with real-world fans. We see Red Tornado pull up a Wikipedia page to figure out who Gangbuster is, just like readers of this comic will probably be doing. And when Red zones out, thinking about a time he ran into Superman, it’s Minute Man who snaps him back to reality. “Are you in a flashback?” He asks. “Are you even listening to me?” Russell has a ton of fun blurring the line between the DC Universe and the real world.

Art

Lieber has a fantastic knack for visual comedy. At times, he makes scenes feel monotonous. We see three panels, side-by-side, of Red Tornado picking a chair up off of the ground. The perspective never changes, and you can feel Red’s tired resignation in how he moves. But elsewhere, Lieber makes this comic almost seem like a sitcom. When Minute Man and Red Tornado are having a discussion, every panel shifts back and forth between the two of them. We see Minute Man deliver his line, we see Red’s tired response, we see Minute Man getting angry, then Red looking even more tired. It’s the visual equivalent of banter. Lieber creates movement and humor by bouncing us between these two characters who couldn’t be more different from one another.

Lieber also gives this issue an overdose of emotion. Every character wears their heart on their sleeves. We see big smiles, dramatic frowns, and eyes filled with fury. It feels cartoony, often funny, but it’s there to do more than just get a laugh. When we see Gangbuster show up to HEROZ4U, he’s a shell of a man. His whole body almost looks like it’s wilting and his face is full of an intense sadness. Then, Powergirl shows up to say that she’ll watch the shop while Red Tornado tries to help out. She’s smiling from ear to ear. Immediately, we feel even more sorry for Gangbuster. Not only is he depressed, but he’s surrounded by people who don’t seem to care.

One-Star Squadron Russell DC Comics

Coloring

Colorist Dave Stewart is a master of mood. He tends to give every scene an unmistakable ambience. So it’s interesting to see how flat Stewart’s colors are in this issue. The red of Red Tornado’s skin is just as bright, whether he’s standing at someone’s doorway in the middle of the night or in a fluorescently lit office space during his lunch break. Stewart is actively fighting against mood or ambience in One-Star Squadron. There’s already enough depression lurking in the writing, Stewart is the happy painted face on the outside. And the bright colors do an incredible job of making it feel like these characters are burying their feelings of inadequacy. Gangbuster is one of the only characters who we see dimly lit, without any vibrant colors to off-set his depressing demeanor. He’s the only character who’s willing to be honest with himself about where he’s at in life.

One-Star Squadron Russell DC Comics

Lettering

There are plenty of little details that make Sharpe’s lettering so entertaining. The height of each word balloon on the page gives us a an idea of the energy of each line that’s delivered. When someone asks Hawk for a selfie, he replies “No” in a word balloon that’s near the bottom of the panel. You can practically hear it as a low growl. When Red Tornado has a flashback about the glory days, fighting the Royal Flush Gang, Sharpe places the sound effects behind some of the figures. It helps to show that what’s making the sound is the same thing that’s pushing those characters out of the way. But Sharpe also pulls back on the lettering quite a bit. Rarely do we get special fonts in the dialogue, or flashy sound effects. Sharpe allows us to feel the monotony that these characters are experiencing, by only sparingly changing up the flow and rhythm of the lettering.

DC Comics’ One-Star Squadron is hilarious and depressing all at once. This creative team has delivered a biting, moving, side-splitting series that asks “What happens to superheroes who are past their prime?” Pick up One-Star Squadron #1, out from DC Comics December 7th, at a comic shop near you!

 

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Review: The Storm Begins in DARK KNIGHTS OF STEEL #2

By
Zac Owens
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Dark Knights of Steel DC COMICS Taylor

DC Comics’ Dark Knights of Steel #2 begins with a scream and ends with a whimper. Writer Tom Taylor, artist Yasmine Putri, colorist Arif Prianto, and letterer Wes Abbott set the stage for the chaos that’s coming. But before all hell breaks loose, we witness the quiet, personal attacks that are going to set off the powder keg.

Dark Knights of Steel DC COMICS Taylor

Writing

Issue #1 of Dark Knights of Steel showed us the idyllic, if tense, world of a medieval DC Universe. But issue #2 makes a point of kicking this story into gear. Taylor begins with the final, violent scene of the first issue. But it’s not the violence that makes this story so terrifying. In fact, the rest of the issue feels relatively calm. The House of El mourns their loss, but they also very matter-of-factly discuss retaliation. It’s in that that Taylor finds the true tension of this story. The bureaucratic discussion of war and peace is far more chilling than impassioned duels could ever be. And Taylor also fills this chapter with a general sense of doom. Each character almost seems resigned to the imminent war. They don’t want rampant death, they just know they can’t avoid it. It feels like an all too realistic response to an act of war.

Art

This issue begins in quite an emotional place. But quickly, Putri pushes those emotions to the sidelines. After their initial release of fury and sadness, we see that few characters show how they’re feeling. Instead, Putri shows them with looks of concentration and knitted brows. Clark is one of the few who allows himself to look angry. With this, Putri lends her version of Clark a wide eyed innocence, a youthful energy. He hasn’t become jaded. He’s open and trusting, allowing people to see how he feels. The same can be said of Zala, this world’s version of Supergirl. Putri shows that there’s something different about how the Els grew up. They’ve always been so untouchable that they never learned to guard themselves when danger comes a-knocking. This isn’t to say that the other characters Putri presents aren’t emotive. But they express everything subtly, holding back the true passion of what they’re feeling.

Dark Knights of Steel DC COMICS Taylor

Coloring

Prianto’s scenes, on the other hand, have a very emotive quality to them. It’s part of what tells us what’s brewing under the surface of our more stoic characters’ faces. When Bruce and Clark go into the castle’s dungeons, the scene is lit by the fire of torches. The reddish light gives us a hint of the fury Bruce is feeling. When Zala spars out in the sunlight, the warm yellow glow of the setting matches her face, which is brimming with joy. And when we reach the heartbreaking conclusion of this chapter, the night is cast in a cold blue light. Prianto displays every moment of this comic as a kind of litmus test for each character. Prianto doesn’t just paint with reds, blues, and yellows. He paints with joy, anger, and sorrow.

Lettering

There is a lot of movement in Abbott’s lettering of Dark Knights of Steel #2. The “SHLK” noise of someone’s limb being chopped off actually slices through the air in a jagged, haphazard trajectory. It almost seems to separate the limb from the rest of the body. When the rain douses someone’s pipe, Abbott writes the “TSSSS” noise in the shape of smoke, slowly rising and growing in its font. The “FTT” sound of a flying arrow cuts through the air, and the “THP” of someone catching it feels stationary, like screeching to a halt. Abbott explores how his sound effects can create motion in this comic. His lettering gives so much life and energy to every page.

DC Comics’ Dark Knights of Steel #2 starts setting everything in motion. This creative team hints at some of the doom that’s on its way, like an oncoming storm. But we’ll have to wait and see what the House of El and the Kingdom of Storms next moves will be. Pick up Dark Knights of Steel #2, out from DC Comics December 7th, at a comic shop near you!

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Review: All Such Beautiful Clichés in THE SWAMP THING #10

By
Zac Owens
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The Swamp Thing DC Comics V

There’s one thing that makes DC Comics’ The Swamp Thing such a mesmerizing series. It’s a horror series, but it’s full of beauty and joy. Writer Ram V, artist Mike Perkins, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Aditya Bidikar know that without joy and light, the darkness has no real effect. The Swamp Thing #10 is a textbook example of this approach. You won’t have any confusion around why this brilliant series got extended.

Writing

This is one of the darker chapters of The Swamp Thing. After the final pages of our last issue, it would seem that everything is going to fall apart. Yet V still fills these pages with so much optimism and magic. Even as Levi faces his brother, who is hell-bent on killing him, he isn’t full of rage or revenge. He’s thinking back on the times they spent together as children. And when we get to the twisted ending of this chapter, we see the bad guys still have a few cards up their sleeves. But so do our heroes. For every moment of horror and doom, V adds in a scene of happiness and hope. It’s a beautiful balance that helps readers really feel the stakes of this series.

The Swamp Thing DC Comics V

Art

The exact same thing can be said of Perkins’ stunning artwork. When his characters feel happy, you can’t help but feel it with them. When they feel terrified or furious, the intensity of their emotions gushes off of the page. But it’s in the marriage of these two extremes that Perkins’ art really shines. On one page, we see the quiet, simple scene of Levi and Jacob on a tire swing. We see Levi’s laughing face as he swings out, into the air. But overlaid on the page are three panels of death and destruction. One man stares at the reader, a mix of fear and fury in his eyes. And then we’re back to the boys and their tire swing, now seen as a silhouette against a gorgeous sunset.

Later, amidst the chaos of Mr. Pilgrim escaping the Swamp Thing, we see Pilgrim’s face briefly. He’s a villain. Perkins has previously depicted him as the kind of guy who could get away with wearing a flowing cape, dramatically playing an organ. He’s rotten, and we’ve seen the joy on his face when he’s made other people suffer. But now, he looks quietly terrified. Perkins is empathetic to this character. Instead of a villainous trope, Perkins presents us with a human being. Despite everything he’s done, you can’t help but feel for him. Even if it’s just for a second.

The Swamp Thing DC Comics V

Coloring

Spicer’s pages are truly breathtaking. And he absolutely dives into the double nature of some of his colors. At first, we see his dazzling oranges used as the backdrop to a charming scene of childhood innocence. The orange sunset paints everything in its wake, giving these scenes a golden hue. Later, the same colors are used to show the fires of destruction. And it’s in The Swamp Thing #10‘s bleakest scene that we really see Spicer’s work in its full glory. He strips back the scene, making everything look grey and lifeless. And as hope slowly finds its way back in, so do Spicer’s colors. Spicer has the ability to make everything look gorgeous, while also giving every shade and tint a deeper meaning.

Lettering

Bidikar’s lettering is really something to behold. We see the calm, casual cadence of Jacob talking to the Swamp Thing, in the midst of battle. His font stays the same size, his words are rarely even bolded. He isn’t frightened or desperate. Later, when we see Jennifer Reece yelling at Mr. Pilgrim, her word balloon is surrounded by a thick red border. “You won’t get away with this!” she yells in bold. But her font isn’t huge, her words don’t try and break past the border of her word balloon. Bidikar hints that even as she says it, Reece knows her words are pointless. And later, Bidikar shows us what true desperation looks like. The Swamp Thing gasps for breath, he screams, and the “GNAAAH!” sound he makes barely sits in his word balloon at all. It reaches out far, just as he urgently reaches out for life.

DC Comics’ The Swamp Thing continues to be a beautiful and compelling series. Part of the magic of it comes from this creative team refusing to create something that’s monotonal and bleak. Instead, they have created a series that has just as much hope as it has terror. The result is a balanced, poetic, moving series that thankfully is getting a well-earned extension. Pick up The Swamp Thing #10, out from DC Comics December 7th, at a comic shop near you!

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INTERVIEW: OH MY GHOST #1 is Coming Through Kickstarter!

By
Anthony Wendel
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Oh My Ghost is a comic from Web Toons with over 48,000 subscribers. The highly-rated series features the story of Loi, a boy who finds out his new home is haunted by Maya, a ghost with a penchant for snacking. Now the series creator, GhostMaya has launched a Kickstarter to offer the first physical collection of the comics. GhostMaya was kind enough to sit down and tell Monkeys Fighting Robots a little about the project. 

  1. For those who have never read your series before, what is Oh My Ghost about?

Oh My Ghost is a webtoon or webcomic series about the story of Loi who is broke and desperate to find a place to stay. So he decides to rent a very cheap haunted house where he will meet Maya, the ghost, who has no memories of her past and who is afraid of scary stuff, including ghosts. Also, Maya loves to eat and her favorites are ice cream and cake. Yup, you heard it right, this Ghost can eat because logic is useless in my series. 

By the way, Oh My Ghost already has 7 seasons and 700+ episodes.

 

  1. What series influenced you to create Oh My Ghost?

The early seasons of Oh My Ghost were inspired by the series of 90’s – 2000’s anime era, like Chobits, Sailor Moon, Ranma ½,  Dragon Ball Z, Card Captor Sakura, and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Later on, in season 5 and especially in season 6, most of my story was inspired by Bleach and Jojo Bizarre Adventure, Hunter x Hunter, and Gintama. There’s been a shift of genre since season 5, since I like to try action scenes and improve my story as well. Just think of my series as like Dragon Ball becoming Dragon Ball Z and Jojo’s Hamon becoming Jojo’s Stand. Yeah, you can clearly tell that I was influenced by Anime.

I still remember when I was 5 years old, every day at 5 pm, I would peek into my neighbor’s window just to watch anime since my family was very poor and we lived in a slum area here in the Philippines. Since we were poor we couldn’t afford to buy western comics.  

  1. What is the favorite storyline you have written for the series?

I like the season 1 storyline because it has a romantic comedy theme, but my favorite is season 6. The tone of the story becomes darker since there’s a mystery, and murder theme involved. I actually did a lot of research about psychopathy and some real crime cases about murder since the main villain of season 6 has the fetish to kill beautiful high school girls. 

The Villain’s character was influenced by Kira Yoshikage from Jojo Bizarre Adventure, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, and the song “Polly” by Nirvana. Most of my fans and readers didn’t expect who the villain was. Can’t spoil it, better to read season 6 (Season 6 starts at episode 343).

  1. Your stories have featured both comedy and fight scenes. Which do you find easier to create?

To be honest, it really depends on my mood and inspiration. If I get tired of wholesome romance scenes, I will create a comedy episode. Then if I get tired of comedy scenes, I will create an action and fighting episode. 

I think all of them are easy to make, as long as you have an inspiration or an idea. Like when you watch a movie/series then you ask yourself “What if the ending is like this?” or “What if the characters are like that?” or when you listen to music you can relate to. When you walk to a mall and you see a scenario. Sometimes my stories are based on real-life experiences. Also, my mind is full of stories, that’s why my series ended up having 700+ episodes.

5. Why did you decide to go with crowdfunding for the project?

I decided to go with crowdfunding for Oh My Ghost because it is similar to the interview with Rick Lopez (The Power). Lots of creators are tired of giving away their best ideas to companies and I’ve been a Webtoon Canvas Creator for 5 years and hoping to become one of the Webtoon Originals. But I started to lose hope and I feel that I’m not growing anymore and it felt stagnant. So I decided to try self-publishing instead and hope to gain experience as a comic artist. I’ve always dreamt of making my passion for comics my actual job, and with crowdfunding, I was hoping it will fulfill my dream.

Oh My Ghost

  1. Your series is already up to 700+ strips. Do you have an ending in mind?

 Since Episode 1, I’ve already had in my mind the perfect ending of Oh My Ghost. Spoiler Alert! It would be a tear-jerking ending. Muahaha *evil laugh* but of course, my fans and readers know that I’m unpredictable, so who knows.

  1. What can fans expect in the upcoming season 8 of Oh My Ghost?

More Adventure, more hints at Maya’s past, more lore, more wholesome stories, and more characters to be introduced. And of course, more stories to tell.

Are you a fan of Oh My Ghost or just hearing about it for the first time? Leave a comment below and let us know. Also, click here to check out the Kickstarter.

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Exclusive Preview: InterPop’s #ZoeMG #2

By
Anthony Composto - EIC
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#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics

#ZoeMG #2 is out now, and Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview of the debut issue, courtesy of InterPop!

About the book:
#ZoeMG #2 kicks off immediately after Zoe’s startling discovery in Denny Goodwin’s apartment. Just why is Zoe’s face among the Nine? Zoe’s search for answers involves a team-up with her brother to break into the EFL, where a flying new Emergent, Kindler, tempts the Ng siblings to join an underground super-powered group called the “Rejects.” As Zoe gets closer to the mystery of the Nine and the shocking events at the conclusion of The Nine #3, she’ll uncover more than she bargained for.

The series is by writer Danielle Paige, artist PJ Kaiowá, colorist Yenny Laud, and letterer Sal Cipriano. The main cover is by Kaiowá, with the first variant by Julian Lopez dropping next week, and the second variant by Adrián Gutiérrez following after.

Issue #2 went on sale digitally this week as a limited edition NFT*. Purchasing this edition will enable you to participate in the latest vote to determine the future of the storyline. There are 500 limited edition copies available, and ten editions of each variant cover.

Check out our preview of #ZoeMG #2 right here:

#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics

#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics

#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics

#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics

#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics

#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics#zoemg interop exclusive preview comics

 

You can read #ZoeMG Issue #1 for FREE here if you need to catch up!

*InterPop sells their Emergents Universe comics (and limited variant covers) as NFTs, and also offers free-to-read versions of the stories that are accessible to anyone and don’t require any purchase. Issues will first be sold as NFTs and then in the following weeks will be released in segments as free-to-read stories. All of InterPop’s comics are available to purchase and read on https://interpopcomics.com/home. 

InterPop is part of the Tezos network, which is a Proof of Stake network that consumes over two million times less energy than Proof of Work networks and is constantly updating to lower its carbon footprint.
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ComiXology Exclusive Preview: .SELF #2

By
Anthony Composto - EIC
-
comixology exclusive preview .self #2

.SELF #2 hits the internet December 7th, but thanks to comiXology, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive six-page preview for you.

About the series:
Nat’s been stolen from, harassed, gotten beat up on her front lawn and had her car blown up with a mysterious stranger inside it. And things are about to get even worse. As the fallout from having the digital backup of herself stolen and spread around the world begins to chase her down, Nat will deal with corporate customer service and come face to face with the copies of herself to try and salvage what’s left in the dumpster fire that is her life.

.SELF is by writer Christopher Sebela, artist Cara McGee, colorist Rebecca Nalty, and letterer Aditya Bidikar. The cover is by McGee.

Check out the .SELF #2 preview below:

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

comixology exclusive preview .self #2

What did you think of the first issue of .SELF? Sound off in the comments!

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INTERVIEW: Peter Albrechtsen And David Barber On Making The Sounds For THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS

By
Ruben Diaz
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killing of two lovers-interview-sound design-film

The Killing of Two Lovers is a film by writer/director Robert Machoian (God Bless the Child), which unveils the story of David played by Clayne Crawford (Lethal Weapon series), his estranged wife Nikki (Sepideh Moafi), and a darkness that consumes one while nearly destroying the other. Sound designer Peter Albrechtsen and mixer David Barber created a rhythm of sounds that pulls viewers deeper into this story.

David and Nikki are high school sweethearts who married soon after graduation and started a family. Now with four children, David’s music career never took off, and tensions between the couple have led them to a trial separation. Nikki continues to live in the house with the kids while David moves in with his father. David’s in a place he doesn’t understand, and as the confusion and pressure increase, he succumbs to dark intents. The Killing of Two Lovers presents a dark journey into a man torn apart by circumstances he doesn’t understand.

PopAxiom spoke with Peter and David about creating the soundscapes that would express the feelings within David and Nikki.

killing of two lovers-interview-clayne crawford

How did your journey into sound begin?

PETER: I grew up in a household where my dad constantly listened to music. A lot of experimental stuff, classical music, and a lot of Beatles. When I learned to switch on the TV, I started watching many movies. One of the first films that made me think of sound and music in the film was Hitchcock’s Psycho. He was one of my favorite directors who loved to work with sound.

In 1995, I went to the European Film College, a sort of pre-film school based in Denmark. That’s where I realized that I could take everything that I love from music and movies and make sound for movies. Since then, I haven’t stopped. I found out it’s a giant playground for movie magic and storytelling. It’s been 20 years, and it still feels like I’m on the same playground or like a kid at the candy store. But it’s incredibly creative and playful.

DAVID: As a seven-year-old kid, the first time that ship in Star Wars came over my head, that was it. Cinema was a miraculous thing that I wanted to enjoy. At the time, I wanted to be a model-maker.

I was supposed to attend a model-making summer camp, but Prop 13 passed in California, and the funding went away. So, I never go to do that, and the desire to do it fizzled.

But I was always musical. I started with child piano lessons; then, I played saxophone all through high school that migrated into playing bass when we lost our bass player in a jazz band. Music became the thing through college and continued as the nighttime, weekend thing, but then Monday it was back to the day job.

I was in this quandary, and then Lord of the Rings came out. I can even pinpoint the sound when they cut off the hand of Sauron in the opening scene of Fellowship, and the blast goes out over the valley. The sound that went with it took my breath away. Then, the DVDs came out, and they had these brilliant behind-the-sounds things. I became fascinated with what they recorded, how they created the sounds, and how it all came together.

In my music days in LA, I’d worked at Saban Entertainment and met some great people. One of them said I should see a friend who works in audio post. So I took out a sizable loan to buy a Pro Tools system and gave myself a year to see if I could make it work.

How did the two become part of The Killing of Two Lovers team?

PETER: I’d met Robert Machoian on his previous film When She Runs. He told me he couldn’t do this movie without me, which was a lot of pressure, but it shows how much Robert thinks about sound.

I’m in Copenhagen, but I’ve worked on many American indies. I was looking for a sound mixer in LA; that’s where actor and producer Clayne Crawford was based. Someone recommended David and reached out to him. We hit it off.

DAVID: Ryan Coda was the conduit that connected us. Peter and I met a few times at awards shows. But if you’ve ever been to those, it’s like 900 people in a lobby say ‘Hey! Hi! I’m so and so.’

clayne crawford-interview-killing of two lovers
Clayne Crawford in The Killing of Two Lovers

How does Robert approach sound?

PETER: It’s an integral part of how he loves to tell stories. He wanted sound, more than music, to drive the story. The Killing of Two Lovers is essentially a family drama, and you don’t see a lot of those without violin and some music. But Robert didn’t want that. He wanted the sound to tell the inner story of the characters. That was incredible.

Robert’s creative process doesn’t use temp stuff. Instead, he involves the sound early while he’s cutting the film. So he sent me a rough cut of The Killing of Two Lovers and let me try out things and experiment.

There’s a character running down the street in the film, and there’s this symphony of car sounds. Robert wanted the sound to be rhythmical and musical. So, I thought, ‘well, half the movie, the character’s in a car, so let’s use the car as his inner voice.’ So I built a sound collage and sent it over to Robert. It’s a crazy experiment, and I thought, ‘I’m going to get fired.’ I didn’t hear from him the next day or the day after. Five days went by, and I was getting more and more nervous until he wrote me this email saying, ‘Peter, this is amazing! I made a new cut of the film.’ So, what he did was take the sound I created for the opening and shape the film around these sounds, and it sort of became the vocabulary of the film.

It was a bold way to use sound design as something that’s integrated early on with the picture. Robert’s leaving a lot of room for interpretation and creativity. He’s so dedicated and inspiring in the way he directs us. He talks about the emotions of every scene. It’s an inspiring way to interpret those emotions and create a sonic universe that fits with that. It’s a different way of approaching the creative process.

What was the process like of working together?

DAVID: Our collaboration was almost like jazz. It was this feeling that you get together with a band and play music together, not only by how you play on your instruments but how you think about things and creatively do things. You do crazy, creative experiments that work because the band is there.

PETER: David, Robert, Clay, and I were working together to make the sound for this movie about a broken family, and we became a sort of family in the process.

DAVID: We had a great back and forth of complementary ideas — escalating complimentary ideas. That continued through the final day of the mix. It wasn’t that all of the elements came to the mix stage in their space and just needed balancing levels. We were in there thinking, ‘What if we put this here? Oh, if that’s there, then we can put this here.’ I liken it to classical terms where the scenes were movements of a symphony. We did a pass-through quickly to get the pieces in play, but we continued to explore the dynamics.

What’s a dream project for Peter and David?

PETER: What you realize when you’ve done a lot of movies, it’s more about the filmmaker and their vision. How much interest does the filmmaker have in sound? That’s what sets the bar of how creative you can be when you do the sound design. I think a filmmaker like Robert who invites the team into the process is special. The more that the director is open to that collaborative spirit, the more it can move mountains. It can make the sound design process exciting.

DAVID: I echo Peter’s sentiment. The trifecta for me is working on a great project with great people that had ample compensation. So I will take two of the three, and the two will always be great people on a great project.

The Killing of Two Lovers is available on Amazon Prime and Hulu.

Thanks to Peter Albrechtsen, David Barber, and Impact24 PR
for making this interview possible.

Read more interviews from Ruben R. Diaz today!

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Marvel Comics Exclusive Preview: HELLIONS #18

By
Anthony Composto - EIC
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marvel comics exclusive preview hellions

HELLIONS #18 hits your local comic book store December 8th, but thanks to Marvel Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive two-page preview for you.

About the issue:
HELLIONS NO MORE!

ORPHAN-MAKER has committed a horrible crime. As he faces the ultimate penalty, the cracks in the HELLIONS team are on full display. Secrets, betrayals, alliances and loss all come to the surface as the fallout of Orphan-Maker’s actions threatens to end all the Hellions have worked toward!

Plus: The return of a fan-favorite X-character in a decision that will rock the foundation of Krakoa!

The issue is by writer Zeb Wells and artists Zé Carlos & Stephen Segovia, with colors by Rain Beredo, and letters/production by Ariana Maher. The main cover is by Segovia and Beredo. Tom Muller is the designer.

Check out the HELLIONS #18 preview below:

marvel comics exclusive preview hellions

marvel comics exclusive preview hellions

marvel comics exclusive preview hellions

Have you been reading HELLIONS? Sound off in the comments!

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AfterShock Comics Exclusive Preview: CROSS TO BEAR #3

By
Anthony Composto - EIC
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aftershock comics exclusive preview cross to bear

CROSS TO BEAR #3 hits your local comic book store December 29th, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.

About the issue:
Edgar, now firmly determined to track down Jack the Ripper, sets out in pursuit of his prey. But the Ripper isn’t the only one they have to worry about as a grieving Josiah mounts a posse to strike revenge against the men who killed his son…

The series is by writer Marko Stojanović and artist Siniša Banović, with colors by Aljoša Tomić, and letters by Taylor Esposito. The cover is by Banović.

Check out the CROSS TO BEAR #3 preview below:

aftershock comics exclusive preview cross to bear

aftershock comics exclusive preview cross to bear

aftershock comics exclusive preview cross to bear

aftershock comics exclusive preview cross to bear

aftershock comics exclusive preview cross to bear

aftershock comics exclusive preview cross to bear

What is your favorite AfterShock title? Sound off in the comments!

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