Coat of Arms Comics is a Long Island based indie comic company founded in 2011. It featuring exciting artistic and creative talent. I spoke with President/Founder Joseph Carbone recently to discuss Coat of Arms upcoming projects and titles.
THE EPIC BEYOND: Hi Joe thanks for taking the time to speak with me. For a newcomer to your comics tell me a little bit about the titles you have in production now.
JOSEPH CARBONE: At this time we are in full production of our fantasy comic, “The Chronicles of Mayre”. We like to look at it as “The Outlaw Josey Wales” of high fantasy. The story follows Wolfgang Von Harsack, a young farmer born with the power to control magic, who goes on a lifelong quest to kill the men that raped and murdered his would be wife, Ninfire Lan. The story is very different than most in the genre because “Mayre” takes place on a world where humanity is cast into slavery, the elves of the world are a noble class that have nothing but disdain for the other races, and the dwarven race has been plagued by a horrible curse set on them by the dragons that rule the world of Rhain. “Mayre” is a darker tale then most printed in the fantasy genre and will show a much harsher and grittier version of the human condition.
We also have our super hero title, “The Fierce Force Five” in the works, which we hope to release later this year. In FF5 we are introduced to an alternate
Earth where a small percentage of the populace has developed super powers. However, the power levels in our story are nowhere in comparison to say DC Comics, our heroes would struggle to rip the roof off a car, they would never be able to push a moon out of orbit or anything of that nature. Anyway, the story follows a group of five super powered actors that have used their powers to create the world’s most popular television show “The Fierce Force Five”, the show is one part “Power Rangers”, one part “Baywatch” and it becomes an international phenomenon. With its huge success Hollywood makes it into a feature film and on the day of its release, Hollywood launches one last trailer. In the trailer our heroes face down against an alien known as “Creetor”! Unfortunately, this trailer is intercepted by a real alien race known as the Maz’Choun, and the comical villain “Creetor” looks all too much like a version of their overlord; Creekor The Unchallenged. Anyway long story short, the Maz’Choun thinks humanity is mocking their great king and attacks the Earth looking to battle the Fierce Force Five! The story concentrates on the half powered actors leading a would-be revolution against a superior alien force, and it’s truly an entertaining ride.
TEB: What type of readers will your books appeal to?
JC: Coat of Arms has taken a “no holds barred” approach to storytelling. Our comics are meant to push the industries boundaries and will be akin to tales published by Vertigo or even Epic back in the day. We want to tell stories that are unique in their design and original in their content. So we hope they will appeal to fans of the art form that is the comic book on all levels. WE want to make the best stories, with the highest caliber of art we can on each and every issue. One thing we don’t want is to rehash the same stories that have been common place in comics for decades. That’s one of the reasons we didn’t start publishing with a super hero story. Coat of Arms saw that fantasy is a genre that gets some attention in comics, but not the attention it deserves. Other then maybe Elfquest, Red Sonya or Conan there really aren’t that many wildly known high fantasy stores.
TEB: When and where can we find Coat of Arms Comics available?
JC: At this point if you got to www.coatofarmscomics.com you can find our store front that will allow you to choose to either purchase our comics in printed or digital formats from My Digital Comics and Indyplanet. However once we begin the full roll out our product line we are hoping to gain distribution (we’re looking at you Diamond) and will have a store on Amazon.
TEB: Where would you say you draw your biggest sources of inspiration?
JC: For me as a writer I have to say I’ve drawn a lot on the experiences of playing table top roleplaying games as a kid. They really helped me hone my story telling abilities and even helped create a few of my characters. But I’ve also been a huge fan of westerns and tend to enjoy the way westerns tell stories. In the comic industry I have to say Mark Waid, Stan Lee and Frank Miller are my biggest inspirations.
TEB: What originally made you decide to start a comic book company? What’s your origin story, if you will?
JC: To be honest I’ve always wanted to be a part of the comic book industry, but I can’t draw at all and growing up I had a learning disability that hindered my writing abilities, so I never made the move into comics. Over time I pushed past my own insecurities and just decided this was something I had to do. To be honest it’s a bucket list item that I hope leads to a full time career as a comic book publisher.
TEB: Tell me a little bit about some of Coat of Arms writers and artists. How did you guys come together?
JC: Well so far I’m the only writer the company has at this point. But I met our editor, David Wolowitz when we worked together as video game testers for Acclaim Entertainment, back when they were making N64 games and owned Valliant comics. Our artist I found the hard way, buy searching like mad on line. Currently Julian Aguilera is the core artist on “Mayre” and is based out of California.
TEB: What would you say is the biggest challenge and the biggest reward starting Coat of Arms?
JC: Well the biggest challenge has been making sure the vision of the comics is as good as we want them to be. We’ve had redrafts, reedits, and rewrites and have even had to scrap a full issue and start over from scratch. Creating Coat of Arms has been a lot more work than I’d ever have guessed and we’ve made a few mistakes along the way but that’s all a part of the learning curve. As for the rewards, holding the print copy of “Mayre” 0 for the first time was really unbelievable, seeing months of work and having nothing but a real sense of pride in what you’ve created is awesome.
TEB: Do you have any advice for aspiring young writers and artists?
JC: Just go for it. When someone offers you criticism or advice, take it because it can only make you better at your trade.
TEB: I noticed Coat of Arms has a submissions page. What kind of submissions are you looking for?
JC: We look at submissions as we do the stories we create in house. They have to be entertaining, original and show that the creator can produce the same level of quality we hold ourselves too.
TEB: As an independent comic company, how are you planning to break into a market dominated by the big two?
JC: I’ll be really honest here; today at this moment, I don’t feel I’m in the same market as the big two. I don’t have billions to throw at advertising or an endless team of international superstars to create my products. I’ve got a small advertising budget and the hard work and effort my team puts into everything we create, and that is a humbling feeling. Also I know that I control my own destiny at least for now. If in a few years we’re as big as say Boom! or IDW, I’ll feel truly blessed, but at this moment I’m just happy to have my toe in the water. Once I’m in the ocean swimming with those big two sharks I’ll worry about them a bit more. My biggest obstacle at this point is getting noticed by Diamond Direct. If they take me on as a vender it would really change everything that’s happening to Coat of Arms and really put us on the map.
TEB: Coat of Arms will be at the New York Comic Con this year. What‘s your booth number, and what can fans hope to see from you there?
JC: At NYCC we’re going to be at booth 2151, right across from Microsoft and IGN, so we’re expecting a lot of noise and traffic. We’ll be offering our fans an exclusive limited edition of “Mayre”# 0 that will be in black and white and have a preview of “Fierce Force Five”, along with releasing “The Chronicles of Mayre” issue 1. Plus were going to have a raffle where people will have the chance to win a new Nintendo 3DS XL. Along with signings from me and the artist for FF5
TEB: How can fans of your series help support Coat of Arms? (You know besides buying the books)
JC: There are a few ways that would be a huge help for us. Every comic we sell has a QR Code that leads to the store, so if you have a copy and want to share it with friends they can get a copy at any time with a simple click from any smart phone. We also have a Facebook and twitter account that we are always updating. If people like, or friend us and share the things we post it would be a huge gift to us! That is by far the best way people can support us.
Check out Coat of Arms Comics On: Facebook, Twitter, Or www.coatofarmscomics.com
