It is an ordinary world for you and I, but for five geeks (Scallywag, girl7, Deadlynightshade, KingofallIsurvey and James_Lake) there is more than meets the eye. Drawn together online by Scallywag’s gaming blog, their world expands suddenly as London comes under threat from fantastical creatures of lore led by the formidable Lord Legend. With the wise and watchful Myth at their side, the five fantasists become heroes in their own story made real.
‘The Interactives’ has been out in the world for a month and it is slowly beginning to make its mark. The graphic novel received its official launch in early August at the Comic Guru in Cardiff. Our glorious leader, and the comic’s writer Peter Rogers, reports that all fifty limited edition cover copies were sold out in a matter of hours, with some folks even returning for seconds.
My introduction to Peter Rogers’ project came in 2009 through Ian Sharman. The two co-founded Orang Utan Comics, where I made my first tentative steps in colouring. David Gray and I were working on issue one of Ian’s ‘Hero: 9 – 5’ at the time, when the invitation came to work on the pitch. Even at a glimpse, the script showed itself to be a little different; it thrust five geeks, imaginative dreamers into the spotlight. These were characters I could identify with, not even mentioning the satisfying potential for geek culture references galore.
The graphic novel has already been covered by a number of reviewers, each commenting warmly on the characters, their story as well as the shiny, shiny art. Broken Frontier notes the commentary of the modern geek’s online world; five people, each with unique interests are never the less brought together by Scallywag’s training games battling dragons only to have their memories wiped the morning after.
The additional pleasure for the London-dwelling readers will be the inclusion of familiar landmarks set as the stage for the story; Nelson’s column, Buckingham palace and Big Ben are amongst the famous icons included in its pages.
The graphic novel was also covered by the Geek Syndicate (who cameo within the book) in episode 187 of their podcast, do check out what the dynamic duo have to say about our book.
If you wish to see what all the fuss is about for yourself, you can download a free fifteen-page preview. If you like what you see, you can grab the book at one of our upcoming conventions like the MCM, or you can order directly from Markosia.
~YZ
