AJ LYNCH is flying high with GUNSMOKE ICARUS

AJ Lynch stops by to chat with Interviews Editor, Andrew Irvin over Gunsmoke Icarus, a new title launching through her debut Kickstarter campaign - now fully funded!

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COMIC BOOK YETI:  Welcome to the Yeti Cave, AJ - thanks for bringing us Gunsmoke Icarus, and congratulations on the successful Kickstarter campaign. How’s everything going back in Rhode Island?

AJ LYNCH: Thanks for having me! Things are going about as well as can be expected, all things considered. I'm happy to represent my tiny little state within the world of indie comics.

CBY: Hopefully this book helps you put your mark on the map. It looks like this is your first created Kickstarter campaign, so extra accolades are in order. What made you decide to go with Kickstarter over Zoop or one of the other crowdfunding options out there?

AL: If I'm being honest, Kickstarter is just the one that I've heard of. When I started getting involved in the indie comics community, I saw a bunch of people posting Kickstarter campaigns, so I just figured that's where I'd go to do mine. 

CBY: Go with what works, for sure - I'm glad to see it came together nicely! Before we dig much deeper, let’s talk about this title; why Gunsmoke Icarus? It’s a bullet-riddled action title, so the first part is clear, but why Icarus? Who is flying too close to the sun?

AL: The name Icarus tends to come with a certain expectation. The original myth represents the idea that hubris and overconfidence are dangerous, and often lead to a huge downfall. The Icarus in my story is a massive Generation ship that carried humanity away from Earth thousands of years ago, only to crash land on the far-off planet of Gaia. The survivors built their home city within the wreckage of the ship, and kept the name Icarus to remind them that the ambitions of their ancestors only brought them so far. 

CBY: A bold challenge to fate naming a spaceship Icarus, but a crash landing is certainly appropriate to its legacy. So you’re credited as the writer, but Dan Rutledge is listed as the creator. How did you two end up collaborating, and what did Dan bring you to work with before you started on the script?

AL: Dan is my best friend, so when I became interested in writing comics, he had the unfortunate fate of listening to me yap about all these crazy superhero story ideas I had in my head. One day, though, he opened up about an idea for an epic space-fantasy story that he had buried in his childhood imagination. His visions for the world of Gaia were really interesting to me, so we decided to work together to make something out of it. While the character narratives and plot that you're seeing in the story is all my writing, Dan is responsible for the setting. The planet of Gaia, the city of Icarus, the native Gaian people you may have noticed in the comic; all of those are Dan’s ideas that we've worked together to refine and improve over the last few years.

CBY: I imagine it's nice to see the years of planning culminate in the book getting the support it needs to see the light of day. I also see Dante Cutler handled the art and lettering, and you’ve got a variant cover provided by Matt Jordan. What went into assembling the creative team for the book? How much was your doing, and what decisions did Dan make around filling the roles?

AL: All of these guys are my friends. I met Dante through another friend when they were working on a webcomic together (shout outs to Broseph), and Dan started talking to Matt through social media. Dan and I shared our ideas with these awesome artists that we had come to know, and the rest is history. They knew about the world of Gaia for a long time before Gunsmoke Icarus began production. 

CBY: It's good you didn't have to bring your artists up to speed, having them around to help the narrative world develop a visual identity. Regarding the art, it sports a bit of a hybrid style, with elements from both western comics and manga (I saw one character in the ensemble who definitely bore a passing resemblance to Piccolo from Dragonball). What other titles serve as primary influences on both the narrative world and the aesthetic style?

AL: Personally, I credit Black Lagoon and Cyberpunk Edgerunners as the primary inspirations for Gunsmoke Icarus. Those stories had a really big impact on me, and I knew I wanted to make that same sort of gritty, high-action story that has a lot to say about things like crime and violence. It's absolutely no secret that Shion’s visual design is directly inspired by Revy, and I like it when people notice it. I left a lot of the visual design in Dante's hands, and he's really into manga. He loves Toriyama (RIP) and Kishimoto, and I think it's really fun to see my more grounded story represented in the fantastical style he likes to draw. 

CBY: On the note of your main characters, Shion and Leon are a no-nonsense pair; ready and willing to fight their way out of any given situation. When building their visual identities and their rapport, what other character pairings provided you with the greatest inspiration?

AL: Well, with Shion being so obviously inspired by Revy from Black Lagoon, it's easy to say that Leon carries some resemblance to Rock, and there's definitely something there, but I wanted Leon to be a more active participant in combat scenarios. The dynamic I'm really trying to engage here is the relationship between V and Jackie Welles from Cyberpunk 2077. Jackie’s unshakable loyalty and endless reliability are cornerstone traits for Leon, and serve as the anchor to keep Shion's hot-headed intensity from flying off the handle. Mostly. 

CBY: Keeping your cyberpunk roots proudly on your sleeve will definitely help as you carve out a distinct space within the genre amongst your audience. As mentioned, this is your first Kickstarter campaign, but can you share a bit about your background in the medium? How did you come to enjoy comics, and what made you decide to get into creating them?

AL: I've been consuming comics and comics-related media most of my life. The first comic I distinctly remember reading was Crime and Punisher, which is a trade of Joe Kelly’s Amazing Spiderman run. I fell off of them as an adult, until a few years ago I met some friends that showed me the ropes about how to get into comics and where to start. I've been a writer for as long as I could write. I used to write short stories and draw stick figure comics during my middle school classes, so I think it's about time I went ahead and made something for real! 

CBY: It's never too late to get started! I also note that Gunsmoke Icarus #2 is on its way. How long a story arc do you anticipate for this title? Is there a definitive end in sight after a certain number of issues?

AL: Gunsmoke Icarus is currently outlined for eight issues. I've written the whole story already, it's just a matter of getting each issue scripted and then produced for you guys to read it. 

CBY: We look forward to seeing it unfold. Beyond Gunsmoke Icarus, what other projects might you have in the works? What are you putting together when you’re not working on developing this title?

AL: As a new writer, I'm always looking for opportunities to get my name on more things. In between working on GSI, I've been submitting to talent searches and comics anthologies. Nothing has stuck yet, but this is just the beginning! 

Dan and I also have some MAJOR plans for the world of Gaia after GSI is done. Trust me when I say, you'll want to get invested now, because we have a long road ahead of us and we can't wait for it all to pay off! 

CBY: I hope the energy and enthusiasm help you carry it all through to completion! We always end with a moment for creators to chat about work unrelated to their own projects. When you’re not working on your own comics, what other comics, films, literature, music, etc., have been catching your attention lately?

AL: I'm a bit late to the party but I just picked up 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello, and I'm really enjoying it. It's cool to see that I'm in good company among some great writers that got their start with gritty crime drama. Apart from that I've been really invested in Death Stranding 2. I loved the first game and Kojima definitely did not disappoint with the second.

CBY: 100 Bullets is definitely a longstanding favorite of mine. AJ, thank you for stopping by! If you have any additional portfolio, publication, or social media links to share with our readers, feel free to share them here.

AL: Thanks so much for having me! The CBY community has been instrumental in kick-starting my career as an indie comics creator, and I can't thank you guys enough. You can primarily find me on Bluesky and Instagram/Threads, and you can read Gunsmoke Icarus #1 on GlobalComix and Comix.One! This linktree will bring you to just about everywhere you can find me: https://linktr.ee/itsajlynch.

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