Interview: “WolfCop” Creator Lowell Dean Talks New “Atomic Victory Squad” Comic

 

Coming off the rabidly fan-adored “WolfCop” and upcoming “Another WolfCop,” did you make a conscious effort to deviate from that hair-raising brand of humor and bad-assery?

Honestly, this feels like a very natural progression. WolfCop was partly inspired by my love of comic books and comic book style films and the Atomic Victory Squad is very much in that wheelhouse. On the surface, it’s less dark than WolfCop (which flirted with horror) but believe me, this team of superheroes is VERY messed up. There will still be excessive violence and questionable love-making, rest assured.

The fun and colorful cover art is “udder-ly” amazing! What was the biggest challenge when picking a design aesthetic for your characters? Did you do any mock-ups of the superhero team in other styles (i.e. anime, etc.)?

Like most comic characters, hopefully there will be many visual incarnations as we move forward. Issue #1 is illustrated by Joel Hustak, a Saskatchewan artist who’s work I’ve long admired. For the cover of issue #1, we approached Mike Anderson, another talented artist. What’s been really fun is seeing these characters come to life in the hands – and styles – of different artists! I’d LOVE to see an anime take on the team!

Atomic Victory Squad deviates from the typical mainstream superhero team in almost a “Mystery Men” fashion, and the tagline “They’re Not The Best… They’re The Rest” says a lot. In an increasingly openly imperfect world, what made you decide to focus on a motley crew of “not so super” superheroes?

In comics, many teams are created based on the “superpowers” of each team member, and how they will compliment each other. I created the Atomic Victory Squad roster around personal issues that each team member could represent. As the series goes on, you’ll see that each character reflects issues like race, gender, mental health, addiction… the list goes on. All packaged in the guise of a fun, ridiculous comic book of course!

“Mystery Men” is a fun comparison, but unlike those characters – who each had “weird” powers – the Atomic Victory Squad actually each have GREAT powers like flight, super strength, transformation, etc.. It’s their PERSONALITIES that are holding them back. They barely keep it together as individuals, let alone as a team.

As Triangle Master pensively says, “Don’t Do…Tri”, what made you want to “Tri” the comic book industry? Was your lighter involvement with the “WolfCop” comic series something that made you more fond of the medium, or has making an “Atomic Victory Squad” book been a long-awaited passion project or yours?

This is a long time coming for me. I’ve been dreaming and drawing these characters since I was a teenager. After the WolfCop comic hit shelves, I realized I wanted to get more into comics in a serious way. Emersen Ziffle (the FX artist behind WolfCop) loved the Atomic Victory Squad characters and suggested we crowd fund a comic to get the ball rolling.

 

Given the booming comic book adapted movie industry, do you have any plans to eventually pitch “AVS” as an animated feature or series? If so, which studio/network would be you consider to be the dream home for such a project?

This comic is an important first step to test the waters. Frankly, I’d be overjoyed to see the Atomic Victory Squad wind up as an animated series. I see shows like Futurama and Venture Brothers and Bojack Horseman and I just KNOW the world is ready for this messed up team. I’d love to do is as a more adult cartoon – you know, due to the violence, sex and mature issues they face. A Netflix style series would be amazing.

Does “Atomic Victory Squad” operate within it’s own stand-alone world, or is it part of shared universe… one that may eventually crossover with our favorite not-so-friendly lycan, Lou Garou?

More WolfCop comics are in the works too… and I’d be all for a cross over, or WolfCop appearing in the AVS universe. For starters, when they are assembling the team I’d love to see him make a “X-Men: First Class” style cameo, if you know what I mean.

Judging from the cover alone, “AVS” is far from your typical superhero squad. What inspired the “AVS” concept and characters? Which is YOUR favorite character on the team?

It’s hard to pick a favorite – they are like my children to me- but Invincibull stands out because he’s the leader. He’s the character has been in my brain since childhood. The series is influenced by my love of true blue comic book superhero teams like the Justice League, X-Men, the Ninja Turtles, the Avengers… but I always felt those teams could be a bit weirder. Hence, the Atomic Victory Squad. I know they aren’t real, but they are like a family to me already!

In the new TLDR age, audiences are overwhelmed by so much new content from day to day that they often miss out on potentially “Victorious” content in wordy articles. To satiate the short-attentioned millennial market, how would YOU describe “Atomic Victory Squad” in seven words or less?

The weirdest, craziest heroes you’ve ever seen.

Find more weirdly awesome superhero squad-dom at AtomicVictorySquad.com and stay tuned on how you can help bring this ATOMIC superhero team to life.