Inside the Mind of Kurtis J. Wiebe

I’ve been floating around Google to see what kind of buzz is going around about my newest series Grim Leaper that comes out this Wednesday. I’ve been very excited about this series, but also a little bit nervous. I’m pretty new to writing comedy, but I have a lot of faith in my collaborator’s ability to bring it home in the funniest way possible. Aluisio is one talented guy and I’m just lucky to have met him before he’s off doing huge work elsewhere.

So, in the spirit of the week and the excitement I’m feeling, let’ see what the good old reliable internet is saying, shall we? Let’s start things off with my Don’t Miss podcast with Paul Montgomery at Ifanboy.com

http://ifanboy.com/podcasts/dont-miss-grim-leaper-1-with-kurtis-j-wiebe/

Broken Frontier:

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/lowdown/p/detail/this-weeks-must-have-comics-may-30-2012

Imagine how bizarre life could be if you lived the lives, and deaths, of Lou Collins.  Caught in an unending cycle of violent and horrific deaths, only to be reborn in a new body, Grim Leaper chronicles Collins’ search for understanding, and a way to break out of his unceasing curse.   Much to Collins’ surprise, however, he is not the only tragic victim of circumstance, as he meets Ella who is similarly caught in an endless loop.  What kind of romance could be based on such morbid and strange things in common?  Pick up Grim Leaper to find out.

Comic Vine

http://www.comicvine.com/news/10-comics-to-buy-this-week-5302012/144755/

Here’s another new ongoing series coming from Image. Grim Leaper is written by Kurtis Wiebe (Peter Panzerfaust) and drawn by Aluisio Santos, telling the story of Lou Collins, a man caught in a cyclical curse of gruesome deaths, who meets a girl named Ella suffering the same fate. As Image puts it, Grim Leaper is a love story to die for. How cute.

Additionally, every issue of Grim Leaper comes with a back-up story playing off the theme of “love at first sight.” The first back-up is actually written by IGN’s comic editor and our good friend, Joey Esposito.

Newsrama

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/wednesday-watch-must-reads-120528-1.html

It’s not often you hear the phrase “gory romantic comedy” in a comic book solicitation, but that’s exactly how Image is promoting Grim Leaper.

It’s a four-issue miniseries from writer Kurtis J. Wiebe (Green Wake) and artist Aluisio Santos, described as “Quantum Leapmeets Final Destination” — with two doomed souls (seemingly unwisely) falling for each other.

Bloody Disgusting

http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3145402/10-comics-to-feast-on-may-30-2012/

Kurtis Wiebe has our hearts here at BD, and this week his brand new horror romantic splatter comedy begins. It’s about a man who cannot stop dying, a man down in the dumps, a man who has nothing left to live for. That is, until he meets a woman with the same curse. Wiebe is a gifted storyteller and he’s been killing everything in the past year.

Third Eye Comics

The official announcement for Debris came out yesterday. Here’s the release from Image Comics with some links to the articles I put together with various websites.

The future looks bleak for humankind in DEBRIS, the new Image Comics/Shadowline mini-series by the co-creators of the critically acclaimed GREEN WAKE, Kurtis J. Wiebe (PETER PANZERFAUST, GRIM LEAPER) and Riley Rossmo (REBEL BLOOD, COWBOY NINJA VIKING). Earth itself, covered with the detritus of civilization, has risen up against humans, as ancient spirits called the Colossals take physical forms constructed from the debris to wage war against the destructive species.

In the midst of this chaos, a warrior woman named Maya becomes the champion of humankind. She sets out to find the world’s last source of pure water, combatting Colossals along the way as she fights to save her fellow humans.

“I’m very fond of Scandinavian and European folklore, so I injected a lot of those concepts into the monsters that will appear throughout the series,” Wiebe told Comic Book Resources in an April 25th interview. “It’s also very influenced by Native American (Canadian) mythology and even a touch of Mayan for some of the creatures. I like the idea that all these ancient monsters were once part of our world and have returned to end us when we are at our weakest.”

With a look inspired by video games like Final Fantasy, DEBRIS boasts extraordinary creature design by Rossmo and vivid colors by Owen Gieni (AVENGELYNE) that set the comic apart from many other post-apocalyptic visions of Earth.

In an April 27th interview at IGN about the influence of the revolutionary video game series, Wiebe noted that DEBRIS shares the subject of “a world-changing battle against impossible odds, which is a constant theme throughout Final Fantasy.” The IGN feature also included several FF-inspired teasers, showing Maya in battles against various Colossals.

In May, Wiebe also talked about the hotly-anticipated series at iFanboy, where a six-page preview of DEBRIS #1 was posted.

DEBRIS is a monthly four-issue miniseries published under Image Comics’ Shadowline imprint. The first issue will be in stores on July 25. It is available for pre-order now from the May issue of PREVIEWS with the code MAY120516.

IFanboy http://ifanboy.com/articles/interview-kurtis-wiebe-on-debris-plus-exclusive-preview-art-from-riley-rossmo/

IGN http://uk.comics.ign.com/articles/122/1223917p1.html

Comic Book Resources http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38348

So, I’m 33.

This time last year I was living in a very surreal place where I had two comics coming out from Image at the same time. Intrepids #3 and Green Wake #2 would’ve been on the shelf, both receiving a lot of strong fan and critical support. I couldn’t have asked for more, really.

Then more happened. I managed to secure a recurring freelance writing job with Sean Megaw from Day 21 Studios, an opportunity that allowed me to quit driving bus and focus on my passion full time. September 1st was the official transition day, one I went into with a good dose of anxiety and trepidation, but it’s pleasantly worked out. There’s always a measure of insecurity with freelancing, never knowing when your next pay cheque is coming in, constantly job hunting for more projects, but ultimately it is the best thing that has happened to me.

Fall rolled along and I had my first appearance in a Marvel title, a Wolverine short that tied into the new Wolverine and the X-Men series. It was a piece in the Marvel Holiday Annual, so it was Christmas themed, where Logan teaches some young pups about hockey and other Canadiana.

Again, it was a pretty surreal moment where I had to take a step back and really appreciate what seeing that story in print meant. Sure, it wasn’t a regular gig with a major character but I’d been specifically asked to be part of that anthology and it was an honour. I was also very happy to see that my contribution was often picked as a favourite among the sites that reviewed it. I’d like to think it was because I included a character with no arms playing hockey.

That’s another story.

2012 came on strong and it was a very busy time for me. With the pending release of Peter Panzerfaust I hit the ground running with PR and Marketing the hell out of the book. I had been disappointed in December by our rather dismal pre-order numbers and had sent an email to Shadowline’s Jim Valentino venting my frustration. Keep in mind, this came a few days after Riley and I had decided to cancel Green Wake so seeing low numbers on a book I was very excited about hit pretty hard. I still did my best, convinced I could turn the sinking ship around and get our numbers up and on a strong track. I did so many interviews and organized the longest list of pre-release reviews ever. January was a blur.

Then, a stroke of luck. The week Panzerfaust came out in February, it was suddenly everywhere. I, to this day, have no idea how or why, but it did and our first issue went bananas. Everyone seemed to be talking about, lots good, some bad (my favourite being a headline review: At Least Whitney [Houston] Missed Peter Panzerfaust) but the word of mouth was spreading.

Fortune continues to strike this little series and our numbers have risen with each issue and that makes me a very happy man. I really believe in this series and I have so much planned for it that I get more excited each time I sit down and plan it out.

Of course, it’s convention season and I had some stellar experiences at each one I attended. In late February I was a guest at the first Image Expo, an event that will always be very special to me. The best memory will always be walking into a conversation between Tyler Jenkins, Fiona Staples and, after a moment, realizing Brian K. Vaughan was very much part of it as well. We talked for a good fifteen minutes and it was all kinds of hilarious and fun.

Emerald City Comicon is always a favourite for me and as this was a mix of convention and holiday for me, it was an amazing trip. I got to stay in beautiful Fall City with some dear friends for four days before the convention and was very lucky to be able to do the Twin Peaks tour with my girlfriend who introduced me to the series when we first started seeing each other.

What happens in Calgary…

The most recent convention I hit was the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. I had a really great time and it was another opportunity to see some of my best friends who live in the area and chat with fellow comic creators. For whatever reason, I was exhausted throughout the weekend and after that trip I realized that I need to slow things down a bit. I’ve been a little overzealous in promoting my career and it’s eventually going to take a toll on my health if I’m not careful.

So, it’s been busy, I haven’t even talked about my amazing experience at Third Eye Comics who flew me and Tyler to Annapolis, Maryland to sign comics. That was also awesome, but I’m getting to the end here.At the end of this month I have Grim Leaper coming out, a series which I am extremely excited about and then two months later I’m teaming up with my Green Wake cohort for a new project called Debris. I did some number crunching in my head and by July 25th, I’ll have written 26 issues of comics from 5 different series for Image

The Day I Met Phil Hester

Comics. I’m really proud of that and it makes me realize I’m not at lazy as I often think I am. I have to give myself a bit of credit for being consistently on time with my scripts and, I feel, always bringing my best game to each and every issue.

This is just my career, and I am more than my career. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and that shows in my ability to be productive and the energy I can put into the important parts of my life. 32 was a great year, it really was, but 33 holds a lot of promise.

I’m moving to Vancouver in August, pulling up the stakes in a city I’ve lived in for 12 years and starting over again. I’ve got some amazing projects being pieced together behind the scenes and I’ve got a happy, healthy relationship with a loving partner.

All the little things that make life grand.

May is a very exciting month for me in 2012. Besides it being my birthday month, I also have Peter Panzerfaust #4 coming out and the launch of my newest series, Grim Leaper. I can’t really put to words how excited I am about the project, but it’s been something that has come together over the last year and it’s very thrilling to see the final pieces in place.

It’s funny how my experiences are infused into stories I write but I only ever really notice it retrospectively. In the case of Grim Leaper, it is clearly the result of my early dating life after being in a long term relationship for nearly 12 years. A lot of my insecurities and total lack of experience are part of what makes Grim Leaper so much fun, and, in places, endearing.

Series artist, Aluisio C. Santos is the perfect illustrator to bring the series to life. I couldn’t have found a more talented and appropriate artist for this series and once the book hits the shelves, you’ll see why. In the meantime, enjoy some of the art that’s been floating around the web for awhile now.