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Fanbase Press Interviews the Creative Team of ‘Rags’

The following is an interview with Trent Luther, Brian Ball, and Luigito Tuerel, the creative team of the upcoming indie comic book series, Rags. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Luther, Ball, and Tuerel about their shared creative process, the inspiration for the series, what they have in store for readers, and more!


Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of your creator-owned comic, Rags!  For our readers who may be unfamiliar with the story, how would you describe its premise?

Brian Ball: The general premise is that a zombie plague has caught the state of California offguard. Regina, to get to safety, drives through the small town of Paso Robles with her fiancé Sean. After a spouting match leaves Regina literally pants-less, her quest is to find a nice, clean pair of trousers before the zombies get to her.

BD: What inspired you to tell this story, and who are some of your creative inspirations?

BB: The inspiration came from a drunken night of Left4Dead2 with Trent and I. A few months later, I had decided I was going to pick up writing again, and Trent suggested that I go with a storyline I had come up with during that gloriously fun night. The rest just grew from there. Most of my inspiration comes from the Japanese market. Kentaro Muira of Berserk fame. Akira Toriyama for his love of puns. Also, Street Fighter and other video games, too. People with a keen eye will see I’ve attempted to sneak in some Easter eggs from some of my favorite games in there.

Trent Luther: Long nights playing a zombie game and a complete lack of maturity. My inspiration isn’t directly related to zombies, but R.A Salvatore is my main inspiration.

BD: Why do you feel that readers will gravitate towards this comic, and what do you hope that they will take away from it?

Brian: I hope that they gravitate towards the story and overall humor, but I REALLY hope that the appreciate Luigito’s artwork. I really can’t believe how well he’s been able to bring this story to life and, honestly, even if you don’t like the story overall, you can at least see the amazing talent this guy has.

TL: It’s hard to say what will make them gravitate to our comic. I’m hoping for its different spin a zombie outbreak. Take away how to make light of not-so-fun situations

BD: How would you describe your creative process in working together on this series?

TL: Brian just makes a joke, then it just takes off running.

BB: My process hits in a few phases. First phase is just general basic plot. I like to keep it simple. In the case of Rags it was simply Regina hunts for pants. Phase 2 is the idea phase; this is where Trent and I really hash out the finer details. I also allow outsiders to give their input when the time comes. Phase 3 is where I start putting the guts together, tying things out. I usually place my blinders on here and ensure that nothing from the outside influences the direction of the story. Here, Trent is the brain and I’m the tool, I put the words to paper and get things moving. Phase 4 is getting things over to Luigito and letting him work his wonderful magic bringing my words to life.

Luigito Tuerel:  Brian emails me the polished script, then I work on the layouts/sketches for the pages and covers. We then discuss it, which one works or what could be added on the scene to make it work and how could we tell the story better.

BD: How did you determine your artistic approach and style for Rags?

LT: I wanted the style to be ragged and gritty, at the same time keep the protagonist eye catching. For me, it’s cool for her (Regina) to be the only one with color. It’s like seeing a flower in concrete cement; you don’t know how and why but it’s keeps on living despite of its situation.

BD: Do you have a specific number of issues planned for the series?

BB: We have enough content to go on until the story’s full conclusion. But if there’s not a huge desire from people to see it, we’ll stop releasing the comic publicly but continue to release via Patreon if there is still support there.

TL: Hard to say. So far, it’s been a bit like a long hall with a lot of doors we keep opening.

BD: Are there any upcoming projects on which you are currently working that you would like to share with our readers?

BB: For now, it’s just Rags. We’re putting our efforts into making sure issue #1 is clean and ready for release. My major concern is that I may end up rushing things, and I would much rather take my time and release a good piece of work that everyone can enjoy.

LT: I’m finishing up the second chapter of Rags, and the third chapter of Rags will be the next project for me.

BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Rags and your other work?

BB: We have the Facebook Page and the Patreon for those who want things such as exclusive variants, and merchandise. And for those who wish to follow the progress of the comic but are skeptical of it, you can check it out on our website.  We’ll release one page a week there. For physical copies, they’ll be available at IndyPlanet. Digital releases I’m going to lean on ComixCentral, and as soon as I figure out ComiXology’s formatting guidelines, we’ll be posting the complete first arc there.

LT: You can add me on Facebook, “Luigitot Teruel.” I post most of my work there.

TL: Our Facebook page, Patreon, and twitter. When I get time, I like to make posts on various sub-reddits and albums on Imgur.

Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief

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