You might know him as one of the administrators on Freedom Reborn, or you may have stumbled upon his work in the superhero comic The Honor Brigade, but we here at FRP2 know him best as Zapow, the lawyer and friend of Dr. Manbot! Although he’s not active on the Freedom Force side of things, he still happens to pop up from time to time to make sure everything is running smoothly. So while we have his attention, FRP2 shines its spotlight on Zap to see what’s in the future for Toyboy and his friends.

FREEDOM FORCE

You’re probably one of the oldest members still around in the community today. How did you come to learn about the game Freedom Force, and how did you help to expand its community?

I had been an avid gamer and comic book reader for years. When I saw an ad for FF in PC Gamer, I just about died. Until then comic book based games were either vaporware or crap. To see a good one actually coming out was amazing.

Once I had the game, I found the Irrational boards and made some friends there. There came a time when the Irrational boards were constantly down. I forget the exact problem the IG boards had, but a bunch of us decided to start Freedom Reborn as an alternative. Together, we supported FR both financially and through care-taking, which most of us still do to this day.

A name can usually set off some minor indications about a person. How did you come up with your forum name?

Originally, I wanted the name Kapow at the IG boards but someone was already using it. I settled on Zapow instead. I felt that an onomatopoeia would be a good name for a comic book video game message board. It makes me think of the old Batman TV show with the POW! and CRASH!

Many of the newer members may not know it, but at one time, you were an FXer. What got you into it, and is there anything else you did that involved modifying Freedom Force?

To be clear, I wasn’t a true FXer. I was a nif switcher, which is taking existing nifs of different FXs and switching them to make new combos. I’m not an artist at all, and I lack the skill to create something new like MikeB7 would’ve. That said though, I still felt like there was something I could contribute to the community.

At one point, I tried my hand at skinning, but again, I’m not an artist; so I left that to people with actual talent.

If I recall correctly, your Teen Titans mod was one of the big projects that involved FRP and possibly sparked its creation. How hard was it creating the mod, and what was your inspiration for it?

That mod took a lot of work from a great bunch of talented people. I’m truly grateful to everyone that contributed to make the TT mod happen. It was a big project because, for the most part, everything had to be custom made. Skins, meshes, FXs, voice packs, maps, objects… even custom scripting tricks that were totally new!

The biggest problem was scripting. It was the most important job with the most work, and we went through a series of scripters before Lude stepped up and finished it.

My inspiration for the mod was the Wolfman/Perez era of Teen Titans books. Those were some of the greatest comic stories ever.

The community has lasted and adapted for quite a while now. Are you surprised that Freedom Force continues to have such dedicated members?

I’m not surprised by the dedicated fans still playing and modding the game. IG made a near perfect set of tools for comic book lovers to create their own adventures using their favorite superheroes. I can’t think of another game like it.

I’m constantly amazed by the new things the talented folks in our community do with FF. I wish I had more time and talent to contribute as well, but I’m happy to ensure that these folks have somewhere they can showcase their work.

Finally, if FF3 were to be announced, do you think it could draw in a bigger audience this time around? If so, what are some changes you’d like to see implemented into the game?

I can’t really say if a new FF game would be bigger this time around. Superheroes are clearly a much more accepted part of modern culture these days. And superhero video games have become more common and higher quality. I guess it would depend on the platform. It couldn’t be strictly PC. You’d need xBox, Playstation and Wii versions.

I’d like to a see a character creator with the power and ease of use like that of City of Heroes or Champions. I love our skinning and meshing people, but it would be great if a untalented fool like me could make a cool looking character without them!

WRITING/COMICS

You created a comic a while ago that goes by the name Honor Brigade. What was the inspiration behind this miniseries, and why did you choose to self-publish it?

My inspiration came from superhero books like Justice League and Teen Titans. I self published because I had a story to tell, and I wanted to do it on my own.

Assuming that Honor Brigade was your first project, how difficult was It for you to learn all the conventions of a typical comic, and were you pleased with the outcome? Did you have any outside help?

The learning process continues still! I learn something new every day. I read as much as I could about comic creation beforehand but really most of my learning was on the fly. Trial and error play a big part. You need to make mistakes to learn. Learn by doing.

Each book I’ve made has been better than the last simply because I’ve learned new things along the way. I have to say my newest book, Toy Boy, is leaps and bounds beyond Honor Brigade #1. I’m very pleased with how things have progressed.

I didn’t have much outside help at first, but I do now have some pro friends I can go to for advice.

In an earlier spotlight, C6 told us how enjoyable it was to work with you. Did you have a similar experience, and what was it about C6 that made you want to collaborate with him?

I really had a good time working with C6. He’s such an amazingly talented artist. As a skinner, he’s fantastic, but I think he really shines with a pencil and pen. What people don’t realize is that not only is he very good, but also he’s also incredibly fast when doing stuff like pin-ups. I’ve sat next to him at conventions and watched him crank out these beautiful pieces in no time flat.

My only regret in working with C6 is that he’s in Canada and I’m in the USA. All communication was through e-mail. I really wish we had been able to sit in the same room and work out pages together. I think we could have done better. The odd thing is that every artist I’ve worked with to date lives somewhere else and usually another country entirely.

I really wanted to collaborate with C6 because he clearly has a great love of superheroes and that translates well into his art. He’s also a very cool guy, and I enjoyed hanging out with him in person at shows. Hopefully someday we can work together again.

I also have written my share of comic scripts in the past few months, and I have found myself to be a FULL SCRIPT writer. What type of scripter would you classify yourself as being?

Essentially, I write my scripts like screenplays. I approach each panel as if I’m directing a scene. I see myself [as] a director and the artist [as] a camera man trying to capture my vision.

Planning, outlining, and the actual production of a script can be quite the energy drainer, no? How did you keep yourself motivated to finish your story?

Yes, a lot of work goes into completing a script. For me the motivation comes from seeing completed books. I press on knowing that at the end I’ll be holding a book I wrote in my hands. That’s a great feeling!

There’s also a great motivation in knowing that there are people out there waiting for your next story. That you have fans. I still can’t wrap my head around that. There’s actually a guy out there with a Toy Boy tattoo on his chest. Crazy.

A difference in depiction is something that can occur between any working pair. Did you and C6 ever run into this problem as you were working together? If so, how did you both usually resolve the issue?

We ran into it at times, but I wouldn’t say it was a problem. There are some things that C6 did differently than I had planned, but they actually turned out better his way. I learned to let him do his thing. He’s the artist. Unless something is critical to the plot, I usually don’t mess too much with my artists.

Recently, you showed off pages of a Toyboy one-shot that you’re working on. Can you give us a little more detail on that project, and when can we expect to see it on shelves physically or digitally?

Toy Boy Special #1: What Happens In Vegas is fun caper story [set] against the backdrop of Vegas pitting Toy Boy against the criminal organization C.R.I.M.E. and a former old flame. It’s an all ages, 32 page color story with a new artist named Jethro Morales.

It will be available in March’s Previews (Order code: MAR10113. Ask your comic shop guy to order it now!) and in stores in May. It will be available digitally also, but I’m not sure yet exactly from where. We’re talking about iTunes and, depending on when it is released, the iPad.

On the subject of Toyboy, to me, he reads like a tamer Deadpool. Was he or any of your other characters inspired or adapted from already established work?

I’m haven’t really read any Deadpool but I’ve heard that comparison before.

Toy Boy is based loosely on Blue Beetle while Lightning Rod has some Booster Gold in him. I like buddy pairings in comics, and Blue & Gold is one of the greatest of all time. While I don’t try to emulate those characters too much, I do want to capture the fun give and take of those wacky friends

A few years back, you showed off another series you were working on called Everday Heroes. Is that series still in production or are you taking a break on it?

Everyday Heroes is on the back burner for now while I focus on fleshing out the Honor Brigade characters a little more with periodic one shot specials. The EH characters will be turning up in the pages of HB however. Lilly made a cameo in a recent Mystery Girl story from the HB trade, and I have other things in the works.

Finally, what tips would you leave with writers that may want to follow your example?

Read constantly, write every day, and always know that you can do better.

MISC.

Every company has a breakout star, and yours seems to be the bouncy Toyboy. What are some other characters you happen to enjoy from comics?

I’m a big fan of the previously mentioned Blue Beetle, both old and new. I’m really digging the recent Hercules book Marvel has been putting out.

If your own comics are anything to go by, you seem to favor a more innocent time. What is it that you dislike about most modern comics in comparison to their earlier incarnations?

I dislike writers using mature subjects in immature ways. You don’t have to show someone’s head being punched off to deal with the issue of death. You don’t need to show a character sleeping around to deal with sex. These types of things are used in comics these days as gimmicks and are never really dealt with in any mature fashion. It just seems dumb to me.

I like to use The Incredibles as a good example of mature themes being handled in a mature way. That movie was full of mature themes like jealousy, longing for the glory days, possible infidelity, etc. Those topics were handled smartly. They were more than gimmicks. The best part? The movie was all ages. Everyone could enjoy it.

Most can at least pick out three words to describe themselves. Which three words would you choose to depict your personality?

Loyal, driven, and passionate.

Music is one way to make a boring event a little more exciting. What type of music do you listen to?

I listen to a lot of different things. Everything from Louie Armstrong to Muse. I’m a huge Barenaked Ladies fan.

Literature is so diverse that almost every topic is covered. What types of books or authors do you often enjoy reading?

I read a lot of sci-fi, fantasy, and thrillers. Elmore Leonard and John Stanford are my two favorite authors.

Finally, if you were given a chance to meet someone that has inspired you, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?

Jack Kirby. I’d love to just sit down and talk to him about working in the early business of comics and his experiences.

So there you have it, the Spotlight on Zap. What did we learn? Well, he appreciates everyone who contributed to the Teen Titans mod, his new Toyboy one-shot will be out in May, and if he had the chance to meet an inspiration of his choice, he’d go for Jack Kirby. Who wouldn’t, I ask you? If you want to grab some of Zap’s toys, check out his fx page (and mod) on FXforce, and also give his Honor Brigade site a browse.