Say Hello to Martin John

You fanboys have all heard of Grant Morrison, Robert Kirkman and Jason Aaron. Hopefully soon, you will hear the name Martin John in your local comic shop. In this interview, he shares his darkest and deepest secrets...ok, maybe not.

Who the hell is Martin John????

Martin John is a Canadian fellow that likes comics a lot. I make superhero comics for consumption at: http:www.foreignmattercomic.com because I love the creative process and because I am partially insane. 

What is the concept for Foreign Matter?

Think of it as The Isle of Doctor Moureau meets Superman. The first volume is a murder/mystery as allies/friends of this world's superteam start dying, and the first volume ends with a shock! Honestly, it is just German Ponce (my artist), and me having a great time making comics that we would want to read.

What has been your biggest obstacle in publishing your project?

I think this question should be "What hasn't been an obstacle?" I am producing a superhero comic in an industry that is overflowing with superhero comics and has a distribution method that is so restricted and utterly insane that it is enough to drive you mad. So, I guess my biggest obstacle has been getting eyes onto our comic. I consider myself a writer, but here is a list of things that I have (partially in some cases) had to do to produce my book: learn comic lettering, design multiple logos, design a webpage, become a marketer, become a publisher, try and become a distributor, design a graphic novel, learn how to make a graphic novel, learn how to desktop publish, and some other things I am probably forgetting. This is a tough little industry to make a go in.

Have your ever killed someone you really disliked in any of your stories?

No, but I have killed some people that I have really liked. I don't really like killing my characters, it kinda makes me sad. 

Who do you think will be DC’s new gay superhero?

Well, um...Alan Scott (answered this after the BIG reveal). Such a non-issue for me I can't even express it in words. I'll let Karl Lagerfeld from his interview with Vice Magazine do the talking for me: When I was a child I asked my mother what homosexuality was about and she said—and this was 100 years ago in Germany and she was very open-minded—“It’s like hair color. It’s nothing. Some people are blond and some people have dark hair. It’s not a subject.”

Which comic books must you have in your pull list, each and every month?

Mostly creator-owned books. I love Prophet, Brian Churilla's DB Cooper, Rachel Rising, anything new by Richard Corben (Ragemoor is absolutely genius), Peter Panzerfaust, Glory, all the books by Comixtribe, RASL, Chew. I could go on forever. There are so many incredible creators making comics that would appeal to every type of personality.

Will the world end on December 21, 2012?
I don't know. The Mayan calender is cyclical and has restarted many times already so...it seems like a good reason to have a really good End of the World party with fire-breathers, jugglers and burlesque.

Why do you believe in comic books?

This medium is communicates ideas in such a unique way. I love art and I love novels. Comics take those and combines them for me. I also love genre and genre tropes, and comics are steeped in pulp and unique ideas.


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