WonderCon ’13: Jason Coffee’s WarHawks

While at this year’s WonderCon we had the pleasure of hearing a rather incredible story about a man, taken in his prime, that was full of creativity and some incredible people trying to make his final wish come true. Jason Coffee was a young writer and creator who had been serving his time in Hollywood, working up the creative ladder. Having worked as an assistant on many Sci-Fi TV series, like Babylon 5 and Roswell, Jason evaluated scripts for the likes of James Cameron and even wrote an episode of the documentary series, The Universe. Unfortunately, despite Jason’s great creative talent and growing success in Hollywood, tragedy struck after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor. Jason Coffee passed away in December of 2008, at the heartbreakingly young age of 33, buried in his Spider-man T-shirt and a hat that simply stated what he was and most wanted to be, a ‘WRITER’. However, before he passed, Jason had a final request. It was a dying wish, if you will, but his family and friends seemed determined to make it happen. His last wish was that somehow, in some fashion, his creative voice be heard. Jason had left behind dozens of unpublished stories and screenplays in his passing, and thanks to his Mother and friends, they have brought one of these stories to the realm of comics.

One of Jason’s stories, entitled WarHawks, embodied so much that fits perfectly in a good comic book, his friends Todd and Wade Carney adapted the movie screenplay Jason had written into comic book format. The Carney brothers hoped to take Jason’s story to a wide audience in the sequential art format, and sought out the help of several great comic creators to do this. Marvel’s amazing artist, Billy Tan (Uncanny X-men, Thor), was one of the first to aid in the cause. Billy Tan designed and drew the cover to the comic’s first issue, while his brother, Mike Chiang, designed the various characters that built up the cast of WarHawks. WarHawks tells the tale of a multi-ethnic army sworn to protect the world against their villainous counterparts, the Maelstrom. It has a very 1980′s GI Joe vibe to it, with uniquely powered and dressed heroes fighting against wicked looking evil villains. Along for the ride and providing interior artwork for the first issue is artist Joel Gomez (Gears of War, Flashpoint: Reverse-Flash), colorist Rex Lokus (Arrow, Uncanny X-men), and letterer Josh Reed (Fathom, Soulfire). Joining Billy Tan on colors for the cover of issue #1 is actually artist Joel Gomez’s wife, the extraordinarily talented colorist, Beth Sotelo (Fathom, Action Comics).

Issue #1 of WarHawks tells the story of Weapon, the WarHawks’ Field Commander, who must stop a pair of the evil Maelstrom’s henchmen as they set out on a terrorizing spree. The problem arises while Weapon discovers himself struggling with his promise not to use lethal force. Headhunter, a former WarHawks team member, joins Maelstrom during this issue, bringing with him the inside knowledge of how to defeat the WarHawks. Meanwhile, Timothy, the wheelchair-bound son of WarHawks’ mad scientist creator Dr. Pendragon (now in a robotic body that resembles a walking tank) becomes the WarHawks’ newest member just in time to face Maelstrom’s next attack.

The series certainly has a tear jerking background and incredibly interesting premise, but it needs one thing to see publication happen: your help. While the friends and family of Jason Coffee have done a lot to make Jason’s story come to life as a comic, and many creators have come together to help, publishing a comic is not easy or cheap. So Jason’s friends have turned to Kickstarter, and in turn fans like you, to help fund this project. You can visit the WarHawks Kickstarter Campaign here to learn more about the comic and how you can help. They have many fabulous incentives to donate, including original artwork and signed copies of the book, not to mention any donation is really helping a rather great cause and comic get published. Check out the campaign’s video below:

As we stated before, DC and Wildstorm veteran comic artist, Joel Gomez is doing the interior art of the first issue of WarHawks. Joel was a former Wildstorm staff artist and assistant to Jim Lee. He has worked on several Licensed comic properties, provided art at companies like Top Cow and Aspen MLT, and done interior pages for events like DC’s Flashpoint and inked comics such as The Flash and Detective Comics. Joel has even provided cover art for the beautiful Brightest Day: White Lantern variants that were published on many major DC titles back in 2010. He is one of the sweetest guys in comics and you can often find him at many west coast comic conventions, signing and sketching away at artist alley. Today he has taken the time to talk with us a bit about WarHawks #1.
Speak Geeky To Me: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us about WarHawks today, Joel. So how is it you first became a part of the WarHawks comic?

Joel Gomez: I first became part of the WarHawks team when Billy Tan referred me to Doug Cohen, Todd Carney, and the rest of the team responsible for putting this together. I spoke with Doug and Todd on the phone about art, comics, Jason Coffee, and bringing his vision of WarHawks to life.

SG2M: So it was a fairly straight forward introduction. But as you work on WarHawks, what does the series mean to you?

Gomez: Working on WarHawks has been a lot of fun for me, I’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more of who Jason Coffee was and his love of comics through his scripts. It’s also been a great collaborative process working with Doug Cohen, Todd Carney, & Wade Carney to bring these concepts to life. It’s been pretty neat to play with these awesome characters Jason has created.

SG2M: While Mike Chiang designed many of the characters Coffee imagined, are there any touches you feel you’re uniquely adding to WarHawks in issue #1?

Gomez: I haven’t had a chance to draw all the characters yet, but I’ve been having a blast putting my spin on how I interpret the characters I have had the chance to draw. Mike Chiang’s designs are a fantastic springboard and allow the artist to really give his/her own take. I think the fact that all of our main characters are cyborgs really allows for artistic license and a personal interpretation of technology. I love the idea of these characters having different/modular body types that reflect some upgrade or mission specific enhancements.

SG2M: Looking at the art of WarHawks, the series certainly seems influenced by concepts like G.I. Joe and many of the 80′s era super teams. Has this effected how you draw the characters and scenes?

Gomez: It’s funny, but as I was learning about WarHawks, it immediately reminded me of some of my favorite cartoon technology-based hero teams like G.I. Joe, Inhumanoids, and SilverHawks for some reason. Maybe Jason and I watched a lot of the same cartoons growing up & maybe it’s why I find the WarHawks so appealing.

SG2M: In what ways is drawing WarHawks different from your work at DC or Wildstorm, if any?

Gomez: Working on the characters from DC Comics and Wildstorm Entertainment is so much different than working on something like WarHawks. I grew up reading a lot of stories & adventures from the characters at DC Comics and Wildstorm. Getting to draw those characters in new stories made me feel like I wanted to celebrate the things I enjoyed reading most about them growing up. Working on WarHawks, I feel is a little more hands on & a more personally rewarding collaborative effort to create amazing adventures & characters for others to enjoy in much the same way.

SG2M: Finally, as the kickstarter for WarHawks nears its end, is there anything you would like to share with those who have supported or are considering supporting the crowdfunding of this comic series?

Gomez: Thanks to those who have supported our efforts in bringing Jason Coffee’s vision to life. Its amazing and inspiring to me to see the energy and support people like Doug, Amy, Todd, Anna, Wade, and the rest of the team have put into making sure we do our best to honor Jason and his creativity. We’d all be so lucky to have such dedication and effort from friends and family. I’m proud to be a part of the team.

Finally, as I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for it, look below to see a stunning 5-page preview of Warhawks! And don’t forget to check out the Kickstarter campaign or the comic’s Tumblr.