|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
Riding the Koni Wave
KONI WAVES is the story of Koni Kanawai, an ex-cop in Honolulu, Hawaii who worked her way through college as a dancer at the Apanapana Ballroom. When a drinking problem gets her booted from the force, Koni starts her own detective agency. With the aid of Pete - her surf buddy, Krystal - a colleague from her dancing days, and Huko - the owner of her favorite watering hole, Koni encounters a series of supernatural events that leads her to discover a dark side of her island not seen in the usual tourist spots.
With the buzz of Arcana's newest release KONI WAVES starting to trickle around the web's comics and entertainment news outlets, and the release of its own Shockini line of figures from Shocker Toys, JXM caught up with one of the masterminds behind the book, Mark Poulton, to discuss the origins of Koni and his love for comics.
Make sure to check out the Exclusive Preview of KONI WAVES Issue #2 below!
Koni Waves
JXM: Why should readers pick up KONI WAVES? What separates it from other books on the market?
Mark: I really don't think there is anything like it out there at the moment. It's just a fun, nostalgic book. Every issue is a self-contained adventure. It's a throwback to those fantastic black and white non-superhero books of the 70s with some good girl art thrown in. Plus, there's Puea! He's the tiki monster causing havoc in the first issue. I think he's the break out star of the series!
JXM: How was the idea for KONI WAVES conceived? Was there any specific inspiration? What part did the rest of the creative team play in the development of the idea?
Mark: Koni was conceived by me, Stephen Sistilli, and Dexter Weeks back in the Summer of 2001. We had wanted to get into comic books and were deciding on what type of character to do. Steve and Dex definitely wanted the character to be female. Steve is a huge fan of Modesty Blaise. Dex and I are horror fanatics so we kind of combined the two ideas. We added the Hawaiian spin on things, because Dex is Hawaiian. We wanted to use his knowledge of the islands to our advantage. Plus, we thought it offered an exotic alternative to the super-hero books on the market.
JXM: What are your plans for Koni Waves in the future? Are future series and/or specials planned once this series is complete?
Mark: We have already begun work on a Halloween Special. In my opinion, it's by far our best work. I think with each issue we are getting better and definitely improving as a team. Besides the Halloween Special, we have plenty of ideas for future KONI WAVES stories. The possibilities are endless.
Process
JXM: What is the process that you share with Stephen and Dexter when working on KONI WAVES? Is the story and visuals worked out collaboratively?
Mark: It's definitely a group effort. We'll get together and brainstorm ideas for stories. After we have something that all of us like, I will write it up and then Steve will lay it out. Steve, Dex, and I then go over the layouts and decide if there is anything missing. While Steve works on penciling the pages, I begin dialoguing the story using the layouts as my guide.
JXM: How much guidance and input is given to Stephen when approaching a page, in terms of layout, storytelling, and design?
Mark: I leave it up to Steve. Like I said, we go over the layouts as a group, but I trust Steve's ability to tell a story visually. He has over 20 years experience doing storyboards. Dex probably gives more input in far as how the pages look, because he shares a studio with Steve. That allows for them to bounce ideas off each other all day.
JXM: Being that KONI WAVES is a black and white book, was having it in colour ever a consideration? Why was the black and white format more appropriate than colour?
|
|
Mark: We felt black and white suited the nostalgic horror vibe we were going for. However, doing the book in colour has always been in the back of our minds. We think doing the book in colour makes it more competitive. It's something we have talked about a lot. We want to give KONI WAVES the best chance possible of succeeding so with that being said, starting with the Halloween issue KONI WAVES will be in colour!
Mark Poulton
JXM: Tell us a little bit about your background as a writer. Before KONI WAVES, what education and/or experience did you have in writing?
Mark: I took some writing classes in college with an interest in writing screenplays. In 2001, I optioned my first screenplay. It was a teen-comedy called Gimme Back My Stuff! Honestly, I didn't think the script stood a chance. It was semi-autobiographical and heavily laced with comic book references. However, a small production company took an interest in the script and just loved the comic book/pop culture banter in it. They had a bit of a comic book background as well having produced the live-action "Fist of the Northstar" movie. It seemed like a perfect fit. Unfortunately, after a couple of years in development the script was dropped by the company. I still think it would make a great movie one day.
JXM: Has writing in comics always been one of your ultimate aspirations? Personally, what is the appeal of working in comics over other mediums?
Mark: I've always wanted to work in comics. I've been a huge fan of the medium for 20+ years collecting Spider-Man, G.I. Joe, Justice League, and many others. Originally, I thought I wanted to be an artist, but I think taking the writing electives in college helped me realize I was a better writer. As far as the appeal of the comics medium over others: for me, it's been the ability to actually make the product. Having spent 2 years working on a screenplay and never seeing it made was crushing for me. With comics it's so much easier to make the product. You see so many people producing comics out of small studios or their homes every year and the end product is very professional. Arcana publishes the book for us, but KONI WAVES is created in Steve and Dex's studio by us.
JXM: As a writer, who are your influences and what are some of your inspirations?
Mark: Probably the biggest influence on my writing has been my love for Spider-Man. I absorbed those comics as a kid. The main character in Gimme Back My Stuff! shares my love for Spidey. I think even though it was played for laughs, my love for the character and medium showed. Besides Spider-Man, I've been influenced by Larry Hama's run on G.I. Joe, Keith Giffen's Justice League, and Rob Liefeld's library of great characters. They always had such a great energy to them.
JXM: What would you hope to accomplish in the comic book industry five years from now?
Mark: Five years from now, I would hope KONI WAVES is still going strong. I want to see me, Steve, and Dex helping Arcana Studio grow. They have been absolutely great to us and I would hope we could return the favour. I'd also like the chance to work on some of the characters I grew up reading: Flash, JLA, G.I. Joe, and the Extreme heroes. Obviously working on Spider-Man is definitely one of my goals.
Check out an Exclusive Preview of Koni Waves Issue #2!
|
|
|
|
We'd like to thank Mark for taking out the time to chat with us. We wish you all the success! Mark can be reached at the KONI WAVES Message Board.
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
| |
