KILLER STUNTS, INC.
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Comicscape - May 25, 2005

Your eyes and your ears do not deceive you this is COMICSCAPE'S second interview in as many weeks. My short-notice interview with Bruce Campbell delayed my talk with Scott Kinney, creator of KILLER STUNTS, INC. from the new publisher Alias Enterprises (no relationship to the great Bendis comic or the annoying Jennifer Garner show). Alias publishes creator-owned comics, similar to the Image model. KILLER STUNTS, INC. tells the story of Billy Andrews, a daredevil Hollywood stuntman fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be approached by an old friend from the business along with a government agent about putting his skills to work bringing down terrorists. Before the first issue was even in the shops, there was already talk of a film adaptation and a video game. Unfortunately, no deal has been sealed as of yet, so Scott was scant with the details. But, the first issue of KILLER STUNTS, INC. is already out and it only costs $0.75. How the hell can you pass that up?

"So, Scott, what do you think of the reviews of the first issue of KILLER STUNTS, INC.?" I asked.

Scott answered, "The positive ones outweigh the negative, but there have been a couple of negative reviews. They're mostly just somebody's opinion and you have to expect that. Some may be negative, but you can't let that hold you back. My approach to writing the comic was to entertain myself."

I said, "I think the goal of art really shouldn't be just to entertain the artist. There's really something to be said for offering something constructive to the rest of the world."

"I will admit that just about anything I write is going to be derivative because I'm highly influenced by the TV, movies, and comics I watched and read when I was growing up. I'm writing to please myself, but all my writing is influenced by things I took in. When I wrote KILLER STUNTS, INC., I was like 'How come you don't see movies as good as DIE HARD anymore?' So, I'm not trying to do anything like Alan Moore. He's a guy that you could say 50 years from now could be held in high regard like Mark Twain. There are very few comic writers that will be called literary geniuses. I'm trying to write something that will entertain. I'm hoping that what I write pleases people and that they want to read the next one. The books I end up rereading I consider classics. I reread Frank Miller's stuff a lot, as well as Marv Wolfman and George Perez's TEEN TITANS; John Byrne's FANTASTIC FOUR; and Chris Claremont's X-MEN. I would love for people to want to reread my stuff some day."

I said, "I think a lot of people think that really thoughtful work can't be entertaining and vice-versa, but I've found that doesn't have to be the case."

Scott answered, "I don't want anyone to roll their eyes, but I don't know that anyone writes scenes consciously that makes people roll their eyes. I think there could be a whole book written on how bad scripts get written. I've done stuff in graphic design that's gone into committee and seen what terrible things happen. They go into board rooms with development executives and vice-presidents that say 'we need some more gags'."

I said, "I talked about that in my review of CONSTANTINE a while back. A lot of people accused me of being irate because there were changes made from HELLBLAZER, but as I said then: Stanley Kubrick didn't make changes in THE SHINING because there was some development executive over his shoulder going 'We need to add a kid. Kids are really in right now. And what about a cute dog?'"

"Right now we're in the heyday of comic book adaptations. KILLER STUNTS, INC. isn't even a superhero comic. Even if the comic to film thing implodes, there is still a lot of potential for comic book movies even if superheroes crash and burn. We're already in for another five years just with what's in the pipeline," Scott said.

"I say bring them on. I love seeing comic adaptations," I said.

"Well, what excited me about Neal Adams originally because he drew Batman and Superman like they could be real people. Alex Ross picked it up a notch. I could visualize Superman being real. That's why the adaptations are so cool because you want to see them visualized. Burton's Batman was cool, but you weren't blown away by Michael Keaton as Batman, but Christopher Reeves as Superman was great," he said.

I continued, "What's great about the Marvel movies is that Avi Arad has so much influence. Because Time Warner owns DC, the parent company has more influence. Marvel's free to cut deals with whomever they want."

Scott said, "Well, Avi Arad is the quality control and the regulator. He may well go down in history as being as influential as Stan Lee because he shepherded so many characters to screen. But, I hope DC has an era coming. They have to try to please the fans, but transcend them and reach the kids that don't even know that Batman is a comic."

I said, "It's funny, because superhero properties are very popular right now, but comic sales don't really reflect that. I mean, a few years ago, Marvel was saying they were going to move away from comics and develop similar characters in other mediums. Obviously and thankfully, that didn't come to pass. But, that they would consider such a thing is telling."

Scott said, "Well, comic characters have always thrived in other mediums. Comics are a breeding ground for ideas by guys that don't have a hot agent and it's presented in a way that's easy to get. You can give an agent a script, and he's going to hand it off to someone to read it and take notes. But with comics, they can flip through in a few minutes and determine whether they're interested. Comics are a unique medium and a lot of kids read more comics than books. When I was a kid I spent a lot of hours and money on new comic books. Comics get squeezed out for kids, but as idea presentation, they're gold."

"Can you tell us anything about the KILLER STUNTS, INC. movie that's in the works right now?" I asked.

"Nothing's been signed yet, so I can't say much. The producers have a big action film opening this summer and they get and love the material and want an up and coming action star. But, I've talked to people involved in the stunt business who are interested in making KILLER STUNTS their directorial debut. I would love that, but I'm not going to be the decision maker. What I want in a film is a fantasy world because KILLER STUNTS is not real. Movie sets are boring and stunt shots take hours to set up. The comic is not a literal portrayal. What you want is to create a fantasy world with a ring of truth," he said.

"You seem to have a strong interest in the stunt business and stuntmen in general," I said.

Scott answered, "I researched stuntmen that are legends in Hollywood and looked for the rock stars like John Stewart. During his day, he was... edgy and out of control. People thought he was too dangerous and that he was going to kill himself. I also researched guys that have had films based on their lives like Sam Barret (SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, CANNONBALL RUN, HOOPER). He performed as a stuntman on many pictures and he was larger than life. The 1970s was an era of stuntmen as showmen. Now, people don't even know their names."

"How did you start KILLER STUNTS, INC.?" I asked.

"It started as a self-published black and white comic book that I scaled back and stopped," he said. "There was interest in it as a movie even then when I showed it at San Diego Comic Con. You don't get movie people interested unless there's something there. After that we started writing the screenplay, I used DIE HARD as a model a blue collar character caught in adventure where he can put skills to use. In certain situations, a stuntman can be like a superhero. No normal person has the training to do stuff like that, but in the right situation a stuntman could."

I said, "It's kind of interesting how most mainstream comics are action stories, but they've usually got a science fiction or fantasy angle to them. KILLER STUNTS, INC. is more like a traditional Hollywood action movie than a superhero story."

Scott said, "There have been comic adaptations of films like BLADE RUNNER and TERMINATOR 3 and my approach was 'Why can't you take an idea for a cool action film and make a comic out of it?' Comics today tend to be heroes, cheesecake, horror, etc. But Top Cow has been doing pirate comics and movies like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN paved the way for them."

"What has it been like working with Alias Enterprises, thus far?" I asked.

Scott answered, "I have a great relationship with Alias. They're using the Image model, where creators own their material and pay fees to print and advertise. It's a flexible system that works with both individuals and studios. I think I'm going to pick up more readers because of the $0.75 cover price of the first issue. All I want is for people to give KILLER STUNTS, INC. a shot. Hopefully we'll get sellouts and reorders and let the proof be in the pudding. Most of the reviews have been positive, but a couple have said there wasn't enough plot. But, I only had 22 pages to introduce characters without having a bunch of people sitting around drinking coffee and talking about themselves. I hope I hook people by issue two, and if I can't hook you by then well, I did my best."

"Thanks, Scott."

"Thank you."

DC COMICS

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Al: Hey Kurt, I'll give you a dollar if you buy this.
Kurt: Hey Al, if you give me a dollar, I'll take the camera out of your showerhead.

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Al: Finally, the whole saga of Kurt's mom, collected in one place!
Kurt: I heard that's what they called your baby book.
Al: I heard that's what they called your ex-girlfriends.
Kurt: My ex's, your currents, Romeo.

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Or, HOW TO GET DATES THE AL BROWN WAY.

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Note the title of this arc - "Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go" - and compare to Mark Millar's first KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN arc, "Down Among the Dead Men." I like a good Pogues reference as much as the next guy, but c'mon now.

HELLBLAZER SON OF MAN TP (MR) $12.95

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Al: Hey, remember the Tom Cruise movie of the same name where he played like a gelfling or something? That movie was awesome. By "awesome", I mean sucked.
Kurt: Not every movie can be DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR?, Al.
Al: Have I mentioned that DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? has the best commentary track ever recorded? Yes? Well, you can't mention it enough.

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Kurt: Ah, Triplicate Girl...think of the possibilities. Al could finally be the center of that all-girl gangbang he keeps talking about.
Al: Great, now I gotta finish this one-handed.
Kurt: Okay, pincushion.

LOSERS #24 (MR) $2.99
Kurt: Al Brown finally gets his own title.
Al: I can't believe it took this long for one of us to think of that joke.

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Aw man, this is over? Again? Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop using The Cream and The Clear.

TEEN TITANS GO #19 $2.25
Al: Ripped from the American Idol headlines: Johnny Rancid becomes a pop star, but his voice is so bad it raises the dead! Just like Corey Clark raised Paula Abdul from the dead. Worst-looking zombie ever!
Kurt: Al wept tears of joy when Paula came back. Once Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice tour, he'll die a happy man.
Al: The only reason Anthony Fedorov stayed in as long as he did is that Kurt kept calling and calling and calling. He would doodle "Kurt Fedorov" on his Trapper Keeper while he hit redial.
Kurt: I'm proud to say I don't even know who the hell that is. Good thing I've got you to keep me posted.

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IMAGE

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Platoons of US and German soldiers must team up to fight an "ancient evil" during WWII. Now that's high concept!

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Al: I just don't think you should ever need a "primer" for a comic book.
Kurt: When I hear "primer," it makes me about the color of Al's car.
Al: When I hear "training wheels and streamers", it makes me think about Kurt's bike.
Kurt: When I hear that, I just think about Al being on AMERICA'S MOST WANTED...again.

MARVEL

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Al: Final issue! Looks like I picked the wrong week to...oh, wait. This series was awful. Hooray! Note: this is a tie-in to HOUSE OF M, so feel free to not care.
Kurt: Looks like I'll be eating a lot of Ramen this summer. Thanks Marvel.
Al: I had the Official House Of M Checklist enlarged and hung it on my wall because every issue is gonna be so awesome and important!
Triumph: For me to poop on!

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Al: Straczynski and McKone begin their run. Straczynski's generally a good writer, although I think we've all got a bit of a bad taste in our mouths from "Sins Past". He's no Waid though. McKone's pretty cool.
Kurt: You've got a bad taste from J. Michael Straczynski? Dude, do you really want to work in comics that badly? Sick bastard.
Al: It's official: we cannot sink any lower.

FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 6 RISING STORM TP $13.99

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Al: Machine Teen! It's catchy. Previews looked okay, although I call permanent moratorium on labeling flashbacks "THEN" just so you can come back to the present with a melodramatic "NOW". Lame! Hate! Anyway, written by longtime Marvel editor Mark Sumerak, whose writing resume (POWER PACK, MARVEL AGE FF) is thus far unimpressive.
Kurt: Al, the postman brought me your copy of POWER PACK accidentally, along with your copy of HIGHLIGHTS and the summer kids' catalog from Sears. What do you want me to do with them?
Al: Store 'em with your polybagged TIGER BEAT issues.
Kurt: They're only here because you asked me to hide them from the cops again.

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MARVEL MASTERWORKS FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 1 2ND ED HC $49.99

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MARVEL MASTERWORKS INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL 2 NEW ED HC $49.99

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Al: Man, the audience for this one has gotta be smaller than Kurt's manhood.
Kurt: By that he means the audience will be billions instead of trillions. I know you're in awe, Al.
Al: Self-deception is your friend.
Kurt: The voices sing me to sleep at night.

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Any arc named after an INXS song can't be all bad. You know they have a reality show coming out? For real. Apparently it's terrible so it's going straight to some Australian cable channel and we'll probably never see it. Bummer, it sounded funny.

POWER PACK #3 (OF 4) $2.99
Kurt: Al had a joke for this book, but he ran into the bathroom with it as soon as our review copy came in. Dunno.
Al: In my non-defense, it does make me feel pretty creepy that prepubescent Julie Power is in this book at the same time as all-grown-up, blazing-hot Julie Power in RUNAWAYS.

ROGUE #11 $2.99
Al: Wait...we get review copies?
Kurt: Well, I do, sometimes.

RUNAWAYS #4 $2.99

SECRET WAR FROM FILES OF NICK FURY $3.99
Al: Oh God. If you buy this, I'm gonna come to your house and beat you up.
Kurt: Just bring it. I know Nick Fury's no Power Pack, but he still rules all.
Al: You want to lick his eye socket.
Kurt: I...just...GAAH! You really went there! How could you go there!?

SPELLBINDERS #3 (OF 6) $2.99

STORMBREAKER SAGA OF BETA RAY BILL #5 (OF 6) $2.99

ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 1 THE FANTASTIC TP $12.99

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ULTIMATE IRON MAN #2 (OF 5) $2.99
Man, they're just taking their sweet time with this series, huh?

ULTIMATES 2 #6 $2.99
Ultimate Defenders! I am so stoked for this! I love the Defenders. Man, I wish the 616 universe would bring them back. (I know, they are. I meant "I wish they would bring them back and not be kidding about it".)

WOLVERINE SOULTAKER #4 (OF 5) $2.99
Al: Swallow your soul! Swallow your soul! (That's right, in honor of last week's Bruce Campbell interview I am making an Evil Dead reference.) p.s. Wolverine took Kurt's soul and he keeps it under his pillow.
Kurt: I lent it to him after he ruined yours, along with your dignity, your self-respect, and your virginity. He really did a number on you, Al.
Al: Hey! No fair turning this one around, man. You make a comment about making out with Wolverine, you're the perma-butt-for-life of gay Wolverine jokes. Reap the whirlwind.

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Kurt: Al's in the bathroom again, so no joke for this book. Good series, though.
Al: Oh, okay. I guess we can sink lower. Man, with hindsight, the JMS joke seems tame.

X-MEN #170 $2.25

X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG LTD ED VARIANT COVER #5 (OF 5) $2.99
Al: I'm gonna get to the store early and buy all the copies of this so Kurt can't get any.
Kurt: Isn't the Phoenix a little old for you? Aw hell, the girls from THE RUNAWAYS are too old for you, Al!
Al: You're just jealous because I'm gonna be rich when I sell all my variant covers on eBay.
Kurt: Just keep holding on to that copy of YOUNGBLOOD #1, Al! You'll be rich someday!