Tag: Mike Norton

Spotlight Interview with Comic Writer and Artist Rafer Roberts, Co-Creator of Grumble

Spotlight Interview with Comic Writer and Artist Rafer Roberts, Co-Creator of Grumble

Hi Folks, Welcome to another spotlight interview.

Recently we spoke with comic writer and artist Rafer Roberts who is the co-creator and writer of the comic Grumble which is published by Albatross Funny Books.

Rafer spoke about what has come before and what is on the horizon for Grumble. The collected second volume subtitled, “Raising Hell in the Garden State” is coming to shops and will be available digitally in February. The third arc, called “Memphis and Beyond the Infinite” starts in March. Be sure to check with your LCS about pre ordering.

This book is definitely one of our favorites. The concept is fantastic and the art, dialogue, and creative execution is just wonderful. Mike Norton is the co-creator and artist, Marissa Louise is the colorist, and Crank! is the letterer on Grumble.

You can listen to our conversation below or read the transcript below that, or you can go crazy and do both.

 

Pop Culture Squad: Let’s talk about the plot of the second arc of Grumble that has just concluded. We spoke at the end of the first arc, and you warned me that this one would take place in different parts of New Jersey. What was your reasoning behind bringing the story to the Pine Barrens?

Rafer Roberts: Well, I grew up in New Jersey. So, that whole second arc is basically a love letter to the state that formed me. I grew up on the shore, which is why the first part starts in Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore. But the state is not that big, and we would drive around and get lost and go into the Pine Barrens.

You hear the urban legends, like the Jersey Devil, and there was an albino asylum down there. I mean it’s somewhat offensive in the stories of roaming bands of albinos in the woods. Continue reading “Spotlight Interview with Comic Writer and Artist Rafer Roberts, Co-Creator of Grumble”

Preview Reviews for the week of 9/4/2019: Battlepug #1 and Going to the Chapel #1

Preview Reviews for the week of 9/4/2019: Battlepug #1 and Going to the Chapel #1

Welcome to the latest installment of Preview Reviews.  This is where we give advanced glimpses at some of the comics that will be coming out this Wednesday.

A reminder for you. Here at PopCultureSquad, we are decidedly Anti-Spoiler.  We feel that ruining someone’s experience with something for the sake of getting a scoop or clicks is the wrong thing to do. Therefore, we have decided to publish this column, as necessary, with mostly spoiler-free reviews of upcoming issues.  Hopefully, the information that we share with you will increase your excitement for these books.

This week we have TWO preview comics. The first is the debut of Battlepug by Mike Norton and Allen Passalaqua, published by Image Comics. The second book is the premiere issue of Going to the Chapel by David Pepose and Gavin Guidry from Action Lab. Both of these books have been eagerly anticipated and are featured in our New Number Ones column for September.

You can find Battlepug and Going to the Chapel at your LCS on August 28, 2019. Continue reading “Preview Reviews for the week of 9/4/2019: Battlepug #1 and Going to the Chapel #1”

Spotlight Interview with the Creators of Grumble: Mike Norton and Rafer Roberts

Spotlight Interview with the Creators of Grumble: Mike Norton and Rafer Roberts

Hey! Welcome back to our special feature Spotlight Interview column. When we are fortunate enough to get to talk to creative professionals, we love to bring those conversations to you folks.

Last month on March 24, 2019, we were able to get together with the creative team behind the hit comic series Grumble, published by Albatross Funnybooks.

We interviewed artist Mike Norton, and writer Rafer Roberts at their tables on the floor at C2E2.  The pair have previously worked together on Valiant’s Archer and Armstrong.

Mike is a veteran comic artist, having also done work for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Devil’s Due. He is also well-known for the multiple award winning webcomic BATTLEPUG that he both writes and draws. Last year, he published a collected edition of his web comic strip Lil’ Donnie which is a satire of a certain orange infant that resides in a big white house.

Rafer is a writer and artist who has done a lot of work for Valiant, including Harbinger Renegade, and also wrote Modern Fantasy that was published by Dark Horse.

Grumble is a comic about a guy that magically gets turned into talking pug, and with his companion Tala, is on the run from multiple entities that are out to get him. It is fun and action packed. The writing and art are top notch, and the colors by Marissa Louise and lettering by Crank! make this an excellent book all around.

Pop Culture Squad: Where did the idea for Grumble come from?

Rafer Roberts: It started with Mike.

Mike Norton: I’ve always got pugs on the brain. That is not like a hidden thing about me, but I really was longing for a “Howard the Duck” sort of thing. I love those adventures with a character that you can sort of relate to, but it’s a completely alien sort of creature. I don’t know how it happened in my head, but one day I said out loud to the other guys in the studio, “What if John Constantine was Howard the Duck?”  Everybody hates John Constantine, but what if people didn’t want to be around him, not because he was bringing the devil or he was dangerous, but he was just an asshole. Continue reading “Spotlight Interview with the Creators of Grumble: Mike Norton and Rafer Roberts”