Interview for the Mark One Comics website back in 2016.

Some months ago I was occupying the new release station of my regular circuit around our favourite emporium of amusing board games and comical delights – when a cover tugged at the corner of my eye and politely requested the pleasure of its attention. “Lantern City” it said to my eye and my eye (joined by the other one – I actually have two) found its painted cover (featuring what appeared to be a Steampunk fireman in dynamic pose) to be most aesthetically pleasing. I also noticed the appellation of the esteemed Paul Jenkins’ name on the title credits which further encouraged a more thorough examination (Mr Jenkins is an author of graphic literature who has very seldom failed to provide fantastical enjoyment – in the humble opinion and experience of this writer). 

Hmmm…so maybe writing this preamble in faux Victorian style was one of those ideas that seemed so much better in my head than on my keyboard, but having set the scene the it’s fair to say that the combination of the catchy cover, Paul Jenkins, and my soft spot for the Steampunk genre (dating back to Joe Kelly and Chris Bachalo’s noughties beautiful, captivating, and utterly incomprehensible comic series of the same name) was enough to get me to give Lantern City a quick flick through (plus the fact that it’s an Archaia published title – if you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll know what my opinion is of those guys!). I was immediately blown away by the amazing art of Carlos Magno. Honestly, this dude is freakin awesome! His hyper-detailed rendering of Lantern City and its citizens is worth the price of admission by itself.

Lantern City is the sprawling steampunk setting for the tale of Sander Jorve, a poor member of the city’s lower class who is struggling to provide for his wife and son. The city presided over by the Grey dynasty and their harsh rule is enforced with extreme prejudice by the Guard (the aforementioned steampunk fireman looking guys). When a chain of circumstances puts Sander in the impossible position of having to assume the identity of a murdered Guard Captain, Very Dramatic Stuff and constant stress and jeopardy ensue.

Main series writer, Matthew Daley and his 1^st issue co-writer Jenkins manage to introduce and create sympathy for the main characters within a few pages and quickly set up an intriguing dilemma with a cliffhanger ending and before I knew it, my casual leaf through had turned into a full reading of the whole issue (which I still bought, just in case anyone was wondering). 

This led to a seriously fun ride through the full 12 issue run of Lantern City (now available in Hard Cover right here at Mark 1). There’s some amazingly detailed world building here coupled with an engaging story with many unexpected twists and turns. A googleoogle led to the discovery that the setting and series was the brainchild of Trevor Crafts (in conjunction with Babylon 5/Tron actor Bruce Boxleitner) and the comic is just one spoke in a multi-media wheel that includes a novel (‘Rise’), a planned television series, and gaming projects. 

Interested to find out more about the genesis and future plans for this setting and its denizens, I contacted Trevor and Matthew to request an interview. I’d like to thank both of them and Ellen Scherer- Crafts (VP Production & Development, Macrocosm Entertainment) for their time and generosity in making this happen. For more information check out: https://lanterncitytv.com/ 

Trevor  Crafts

How  would  you  describe  Lantern  City  to  someone  who  has  never  read  the  comic  or  novel?  

Imagine  a  world  where  knowledge  is  restricted,  ancient  grinding  technology  surrounds  you  and  soot   fills  the  air.  You  are  ruled  by  the  oppressive  Grey  Empire,  but  you  have  one  chance  to  change  the   world  for  you  and  your  family.  How  far  are  you  willing  to  go  to  be  with  the  people  that  you  love  the   most?  How  much  could  you  change  to  survive?  This  is  Lantern  City®.  

I  read  that  you  first  started  developing  Lantern  City  after  seeing  some  steampunk  props  at  a   convention  –  what  was  it  about  the  steampunk  genre  that  got  the  wheels  turning  in  your  head?  

I  really  saw  this  amazing  imaginative  group  of  people  all  with  their  own  style  and  look.  The  costumes   and  props  that  they  had  designed  were  amazing.  Then  I  saw  the  legions  of  Stormtroopers  and  I   thought,  the  Steampunk  fans  needs  something  like  that  to  rally  around.      

I’m  always  interested  in  how  projects  progress  from  the  initial  kernel  of  an  idea  into  a  fully   realized  world  and  story  -­‐  can  you  tell  me  a  bit  about  how  the  idea  started  and  how  that  initial   conception  progressed  to  what  you  have  now?  

I  had  the  first  idea  on  a  plane  ride  from  NY  to  LA.  It  was  the  core  question  of  the  show  that  popped   into  my  head:  “How  far  would  you  be  willing  to  go  to  be  with  the  person  you  love  the  most?”   Everything  around  the  series  revolves  around  that  question.  I  wrote  furiously  on  that  flight  and  all  of   the  core  characters  and  the  Lantern  were  born.  My  vision  was  very  clear  and  I  have  tried  to  use  that   initial  creative  spark  as  my  compass  for  the  development  of  the  IP  over  the  last  5  years.  Everything  is   going  according  to  plan,  and  there  have  been  some  wonderful  surprises  along  the  way.  

How  did  Bruce  Boxleitner  become  involved  with  the  project  and  what  role  has  he  played?  

Bruce  and  I  met  in  the  Old  West!  Well  on  the  set  of  a  comedy  western  pilot  that  I  was  exec   producing  called  Smokewood,  Nevada.  We  hit  it  off  during  filming  and  I  obviously  knew  his  work  in   epic  series  and  world  builds,  like  Tron  and  Babylon  5.  I  wanted  someone  with  a  strong  SciFi   background  to  join  the  team.  So  I  shared  the  concept  with  him  and  all  of  the  development  I  had   done  and  we  started  honing  the  core  story  together.  Bruce  is  a  co-­‐creator  and  co-­‐executive  producer   of  the  show.  

At  what  point  did  Matthew  come  on  board  and  how  has  he  helped  flesh  out  your  ideas?  

I  had  been  producing  a  few  other  projects  and  one  of  my  DPs  Larry  Langton  introduced  me  to  his   college  roommate  Matt  Daley.  We  hit  it  off  immediately,  and  over  the  years  we  collaborated  on  a   few  projects  together  and  always  snuck  in  some  time  to  chat  about  movies  and  TV  shows.  When  the   opportunity  came  up  to  work  together  it  was  a  no  brainer.  Matt’s  brain  works  in  different  ways  than   normal  humans.  He  can’t  stop  coming  up  with  characters  and  stories,  He  is  one  of  the  key  reasons   Lantern  City  is  the  sprawling  steampunk  mega-­‐metropolis  that  it  is!  

How  interactive  is  the  development  process  between  the  3  of  you?  

Bruce  was  instrumental  in  the  beginning,  and  then  Matt  helped  to  build  it  out  big!  I’m  the  guy  that   makes  sure  everything  stays  aligned  to  the  core  vision  and  world.  

What  level  of  interaction  has  there  been  between  the  different  Lantern  City  parts?  What  I  mean  is,   how  has  Carlos  Magno’s  (amazing!)  art  on  the  comic  influenced  the  design  for  the  TV  series  and   vice  versa?  

It’s  been  a  truly  great  process.  We  had  Section  Studios  create  the  initial  concept  art  for  the  series  so   we  gave  Carlos  a  great  foundation  to  build  on.  But  what  was  awesome  and  unexpected  was  how   much  of  a  training  ground  the  comic  proved  to  be  for  the  series.  With  an  unlimited  special  effects   budget  in  comics,  we  were  able  to  soar  to  the  heights  of  Lantern  City  and  delve  deep  into  the   underground.  We  could  really  feel  the  edges  of  the  space  and  know  what  we  could  and  couldn’t  do   when  it  came  time  to  start  shooting  the  show.  We  also  developed  some  great  new  Characters  that   will  now  appear  in  the  show  like  Lizel,  Kendal’s  daughter.  

You’ve  obviously  plotted  out  a  fair  chunk  of  the  history  of  Lantern  City  with  Rise  dealing  with  the   origins  of  the  Grey  dynasty  and  the  comic  set  many  years  later  –  how  detailed  an  outline  do  you   have  of  the  characters  and  events  and  over  what  sort  of  time  period?  

We  have  plotted  out  the  ruling  arc  of  the  Grey  Empire  dynasty,  from  the  Lantern  City  founder  Isaac   Foster  to  Alan  Hibbert  to  James  Jay  and  finally  the  current  young  ruler  Killian  Grey.  That’s  a  lot  of   history.  We  have  played  a  bit  in  each  generation  of  the  Empire  and  I  think  there  is  an  enormous   trove  of  stories  and  characters  in  each  one.  We  scratched  the  surface  of  the  earliest  history  with   Rise,  and  the  comic  and  TV  series  looks  at  the  current  time  in  Lantern  City,  but  there  is  a  lot  in   between  that  can  be  explored.  

  Is  the  TV  series  set  in  the  same  time  period  as  the  comic  or  is  it  in  the  earlier  period  described  in   ‘Rise’  (or  something  in  between)?  

The  TV  series  is  set  shortly  after  the  events  of  the  comic  series.  Sander  has  been  leading  the   underground  for  some  time,  and  Kendal  is  back  trying  hard  to  push  peaceful  revolution,  and  Killian  is   still  ruling  the  city  with  an  iron  fist,  but  the  story  really  twists  when  3  outsiders  from  our  world  fall   into  the  center  of  the  city  with  no  way  to  get  home.  It’s  a  great  juxtaposition  to  see  how  they  deal   with  this  very  alien  environment  and  how  they  change  to  survive.  

What  is  the  current  status  of  the  TV  series?  Is  it  still  going  ahead  or  is  it  in  development  hell?  

We  have  just  rewritten  the  pilot  and  got  some  good  news  recently,  so  things  are  moving  along   nicely.  

What’s  next  for  Lantern  City?  More  comics?  Novels?  TV?  Games?  

How  about  all  of  the  above!  We  have  created  a  great  maquette  of  the  Lantern  City  guard  that  will  be   available  very  shortly,  and  we  have  been  in  development  on  an  Augmented  Reality  board  game  as   well.  There  are  thousands  of  stories  to  tell  about  Lantern  City  and  Matt  Daley  just  won’t  stop   writing!  We  have  been  working  on  a  short  story  compellation  as  well  called  Tales  of  Lantern  City.  

Was  it  always  the  intention  to  tell  stories  across  multiple  media?  What  was  the  thinking  behind   that  decision?  

What  I  love  more  than  anything  else  is  building  worlds.  With  a  place  as  big  as  Lantern  City,  that  has   so  many  characters  and  corners  of  the  city  that  we  haven’t  even  seen  yet,  we  have  an  amazing   opportunity  to  utilize  not  only  different  media,  but  different  storytelling  styles.  You  can’t  tell  every   aspect  of  the  story  in  a  1-­‐hour  show  or  an  issue  of  a  comic,  but  with  multiple  formats  we  have  that   option.  It’s  very  important  for  us,  that  every  story  we  tell  is  additive.  We  don’t  want  anyone  to  do   any  homework  to  enjoy  Lantern  City.  You  can  pick  up  Rise,  or  watch  the  show  or  read  the  comic  or  

play  the  game  and  enjoy  them  on  their  own,  but  the  power  comes  in  when  they  are  combined  to  see   a  real  360  degree  view  of  the  amazing  Lantern  City.  

Matthew Daley

How  did  you  first  become  involved  in  Lantern  City?  

I became involved in Lantern City back in the spring of 2012. Trevor and Bruce were looking for a reliable writer that understood the world they were building and had a love of genres. It was a natural fit from the beginning.

What  appealed  to  you  about  the  project?  

There were a number of things that appealed to me about the project. First off, I knew immediately that Lantern City was going to be an enormous canvas and if I were a painter I’d be a muralist! I love that it has an historical feel to it. I studied History as an undergraduate student and loved the opportunity to create a fictional world with a deep sense of history. I was excited to develop characters to inhabit this world. All of the bells and whistles of world building are useless if you don’t populate that world with interesting characters. I liked being able to incorporate interesting socio- political elements into the world without ever reaching the level of preaching or teaching; there are realities to this world that contemporary readers will recognize as parallels to our world. Finally, I liked the idea that this was going to live in different mediums. I like working in multiple mediums and it’s always a pleasure to work different muscles in creating something that fits well for television vs. comic books vs. traditional novels and so on. This project would afford such an opportunity.

Are  you  pretty  much  able  to  go  in  any  direction  the  story  takes  you  or  is  there  a  project  ‘bible’  or   timeline  already  developed  that  you  need  to  stick  to?  

There is flexibility within this world, though there are rules and a history that must be respected. We’ve worked on a project bible since the beginning and while it has changed somewhat, the core is the same. An important thing to keep in mind while creating a world is to have rules that you stick to but that you aren’t restricted by those rules. That might sound contradictory, so I’ll use an example. George R. R. Martin has created a world in Game of Thrones where “nobody is safe” (i.e. any character can die). This means that readers/viewers are always on edge and there cannot be favorites. For him, he had to decide this from the first book and stick with it, meaning Ned Stark had to die, even though most series would follow his journey.

Carlos  Magno’s  art  is  incredible  –  how  did  you  guys  find  him?  

Carlos worked on two previous BOOM! Studios’ series and Trevor and I both loved his work. His level of detail is second-to-none. We made a wish list of artists to work with, which included Carlos, and fortunately for us, he was available. The series wouldn’t be the same without him.

Paul  Jenkins  was  credited  as  co-­‐author  on  the  first  issue  of  the  comic  but  not  on  any  of  the   subsequent  ones  –  was  he  always  just  going  to  be  on  board  for  the  first  or  did  something  happen?  

Since I had no previous comic book writing experience, it was determined from the get-go that I would co-author the first issue. Paul came on board and was incredible to work with. Essentially, he taught me how to write comics. He had an opportunity to write a different series and had to take it.

Had  you  written  any  comics  previously?  

No, though years ago I used to submit story ideas to both Marvel and DC when they had open submissions. I was naïve, for sure! I should have sought out artists and developed my own projects, but life is all about learning from mistakes.

What  do  you  enjoy  most  about  writing  for  comics  vs  writing  for  other  media?  

I love being forced to be economical. Most readers are drawn to the story and the art (though they’ll lean more toward the art) and a writer must put his/her ego in check because there’s a good chance someone cares less about your words than they do the artist’s work. A writer does have a great responsibility though, in shaping the story and developing the characters and making sure readers feel like they’ve gotten their money’s worth. Writing for comics is akin to writing/directing a film. You’re crafting the story and helping to determine the visual language of the story.

Writing comic books is also highly collaborative, whereas other creative arts don’t always lend themselves to such collaboration. It’s a true team effort and constantly rewarding.

Is  your  involvement  in  the  project  primarily  around  the  comic  books  (and  the  Rise  novel)  or  are   you  actively  involved  in  the  other  aspects  as  well?  

I am and have always been involved in all aspects of the project. It’s been an incredible journey and it’s important for me to contribute when necessary and step aside when need be.

Will  there  be  further  Lantern  City  comics?  

There are many unexplored phenomena in Lantern City…while there are no guarantees, there is no shortage of material.

Is  there  a  particular  character  or  part  of  the  Lantern  City  world  you’re  most  excited  to  develop   further?  

There is mention in Rise and the 12-part comic book series of The Last War, which was a sprawling war that nearly destroyed the world in which Lantern City takes place. I would love to write an epic Steampunk war series. That’s a dream series to develop.

As far as characters, I’m excited to incorporate characters from the comic book into other mediums. Most especially, Lizel and Terna. It will be a fun challenge to view the world of Lantern City from a woman’s perspective.

What  would  you  most  want  people  who  haven’t  read  the  comic  or  Rise  to  know  about  Lantern   City?  

That they’re missing out by not having read the comic book series and Rise! And that it is an intriguing world that continues to grow.