The following is an interview with Mark Russell (God Is Disappointed in You, The Flintstones) regarding the upcoming release of the critically acclaimed series, Second Coming: Trinity, through AHOY Comics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Russell about his experience in returning to the series for its third story arc, why this installment may be the most impactful with readers, news on his first-ever crowdfunding campaign, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: AHOY Comics will soon be releasing Second Coming: Trinity. While the previous series delved into Sunstar’s origin, what do you have in store for readers in this latest addition to the story?
Mark Russell: Second Coming: Trinity is mostly about Sunstar and Sheila trying to raise a baby that has superpowers. Which goes about as well as you’d think it would. Meanwhile, Jesus is trying to raise a baby of his own in the form of his new church which, as fate would have it, is located across the street from Urban City’s big mega-church.
BD: Your continued partnership with artist and co-creator Richard Pace exudes a rhythm in the storytelling that is truly palpable for the reader. Having worked together for so long, do you find that you’re still able to surprise or challenge one another throughought the creative process?
MR: I think we’re constantly surprised and challenged by each other just by the nature of the story we’re telling. And while telling such a challenging story keeps us from ever feeling like we’ve reached cruising altitude, it does help to feel like you’re in good hands and I think we all have better instincts and greater trust in each other’s instincts, by virtue of having done twelve issues together already.
BD: In a prior interview, you noted that you approach superhero and religious subject matter in comics as “. . . a thought experiment about what’s wrong with the world and what an awful time we’re going to have of fixing it.” In being able to continue with the series into its third story arc, were there particular themes or concepts that you were eager to explore?
MR: This series is more about how, no matter how bad things might get on Earth, we aren’t really ready to give up on it, yet. Having children, starting new projects, all of it is an incredible act of hope and that it’s these acts of hope that matter more than any feelings of despair we might have. But it’s also what provides the stakes for all the poor choices we’ve made. Like once you have a child, you sort of wish you hadn’t endangered the world with all the petty beefs you’ve gotten into with supervillains.
BD: As with all of AHOY’s releases, Issue #1 includes incredible bonus content. What will readers have in store in terms of extra prose stories and variant covers?
MR: I don’t want to spoil the work of other writers, but yeah, when you buy an AHOY comic, you get a lot more than just the comic. So, there will be some funny and cool prose shorts at the end of the comic, as well as a variant cover by none other than Howard Chaykin himself.
BD: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention your upcoming (and first-ever!) crowdfunding campaign for Bunkbed Mishaps. What can you share with us about the premise for this upcoming project?
MR: Bunkbed Mishaps is my first-ever collection of cartoons, so you get my underwhelming artwork, for one. But it also is a very different thing for me, my cartoons versus my comics. My cartoons tend to be weirder and more abstract, so I think people will be surprised.
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell fans who want to learn more about Second Coming: Trinity?
MR: I feel like this is maybe the most emotional series of the story so far. I think it’s also the one where we learn the most about the characters and what made them the way they are. I feel like Second Coming: Trinity is Second Coming hitting its stride, and I think it will really help people appreciate everything that happened before even moreso.
