Big City Comics, is the
publishing company responsible for
Ant Unleashed, Dragon Cross,
Tempest, Totem, and soon-to-be
released Omega 1, has had numerous
issues sell out at the distributor.
What sets Big City Comics apart from
other publishing companies?
Publisher/Writer Jeffery Kaufman of
Big City Comics breaks the mold in
more ways than one.
Part of what sets Big City apart is
that it publishes stories that are
typically labeled as high impact
titles. However, it’s not this in
itself that’s rare. These titles not
only contain great plots that keep
you engaged, they’re unique, and in
their own way, relatable. When asked
what the inspiration was behind
specializing in high impact titles,
Jeff replied, “Reality! If I can see
it, if it’s solid or feels funny, I
know I’m going to do it.” Reality is
definitely a theme seen in Big
City’s comics. While the idea of a
vampire itself may be unbelievable,
Tempest, the main vampire character
in the title of the same name,
thinks and feels like we do. He even
walks among us.
Dragons transform into human form
and then back again in Dragon Cross.
Talon, destined to be Messiah,
fights against his destiny for what
he feels is right. It’s a battle
between becoming what’s easy or
becoming what’s good; something easy
to relate to. In Totem, an orphaned
boy deals with everyday problems
even though he is given powers from
the Totem. Finally, in Omega1,
enemies and heroes pat each other on
the back when they fight together.
As Jeff puts it, “I always feel that
team books lack a certain reality
and I’m not talking about the powers
in play. It’s the complete lack of
any realistic relationship. I’ve
said it many times. Characters would
be happy to see each other if they
fight and bleed together. It’s a
military thing I guess.” Big City
not only breaks the mold by doing
something other than typical but
even the heroes that murder to eat
are relatable, which is something
hard to accomplish in high impact
stories.
Jeff has made a transition of sorts
from law to comics. Having graduated
from the University of Tulsa School
of Law in 1996, he now only takes
special cases in the comic book
industry. He is still a member of
fourteen bars across the country.
Jeff says, “I have enjoyed the
transition, but don’t be mistaken:
this is a business and it’s even
more cutthroat at times. I still
represent comic book people pro-bono
and only take a case where I feel
someone really needs my help.” But
would he win a fight against Matt
Murdock? “In a fight, Matt Murdock
would kick my ass. In the courtroom,
I’d kick his. He isn’t as big a
wiseass as I am and if I can get in
front of a jury then I win,” Jeff
stated.
Being in both the comic book
industry and law, I’m sure, is an
adventure of its own. Jeff comments
on his and Mario’s relationship. “We
met at FX in Orlando,” Jeff
explained, “He had a legal issue and
since I do all my pro-bono hours in
the comic book industry things just
went from there.”
Ant Unleashed is a very original
story, mainly due to Jeff giving
Mario Gully “complete creative
freedom.” Mario Gully has been
quoted saying, “I think Ant is
successful and stands apart because
the story is original. Plain and
simple.” In the current story arc,
Hannah, part ant and part human,
tries to walk away from being a
hero. She wants to have a normal
life. Complications arise and she
feels obligated to seek revenge
after her roommate is murdered.
How did Jeff come to the decision to
give Mario such creative freedom
with Ant Unleashed? He says simply,
“Because I’m a moron.” Obviously,
Jeff is no moron and Gully’s
creativity has hit a home run. Many
say Ant is one of their favorite Big
City titles and it continues to sell
out at the distributor. When asked
if he expects his next issue of Ant
to sell out as well, he replied, “I
expect nothing in this industry, but
I know before the book hits the
stands we are already close to
blowing through the extra copies
Diamond ordered.”
In the title Dragon Cross, created
by both Rob Richardson and Jeff, the
world is ruled by dragons that spend
most of their time in human form.
Dragon Cross is the only book
outside of Big City’s main world and
will be the only title not included
in the upcoming 6 issue crossover.
While this book does have a fantasy
feel, it’s a human driven book and
the story is what dominates. Talon,
the first red dragon, tries to deny
his destiny. He has been deemed the
messiah but doesn’t want the job.
The preview, posted at Big City’s
website, shows him in human form
saying to his brother dragon, “Don’t
speak to me of my responsibility.
Don’t speak of father. You and the
council are at fault. You’re all
blinded by greed and selfishness.”
Readers will see a twist to the
typical vampire story in Tempest. A
vampire/criminal prosecutor
/Catholic named Vlad Tempest is
destined to be the ruler all
vampires. In the book, Tempest must
kill every fifteen days to survive.
Unlike common vampire myths, this
story has vampires living among us.
The beliefs about holy water,
crosses, sunlight and garlic were
all an attempt to divert humans so
that they could walk among us
undetected. The tricky thing with
this book is that the hero is a
murderous vampire, but since he’s
the hero the readers have to like
him. Therefore, the creative
approach taken is that this vampire
feels sorrow, empathy, love, and
even has a conscious while needing
to feed every fifteen days. All of
this makes the story more
believable, relatable, and
interesting. A little secret?
Werewolves are only a transformation
away.
Jeff refers to Totem as their
“Smallville on crack” book. An
orphan named Ian, along with select
others, is bestowed powers from the
Totem. His parents, drug dealers
killed in Columbia, were not good
enough to enter Heaven but were not
bad enough to be condemned to Hell.
Therefore, Michael (Heaven’s
gate-keeper) and the devil came up
with a compromise; powers of the
totem were given to the children of
the parents being held in purgatory.
How the children use their powers
will determine whether their parents
go up or down.
Omega 1 is the “ultimate team book,”
in which heroes and villains from
other Big City Comics titles unite
to rid the world of a weapon of mass
destruction. Jeff is former
military, having belonged to the
82nd Airborne out of Ft. Campbell,
KY. Being former military helps him
to see a missing reality in most
team books. Omega 1 illustrates the
naturalness of an almost friendly
bond on the battlefield, even when
it’s two arch enemies on the same
team. It promises to also be a
gorgeously painted book, with cover
art and illustrations done by Elvin
Cintron. Each issue is taking three
months to finish, guaranteeing the
art to be incredible. In Omega 1,
the government enlists both heroes
and villains alike to work for them.
Let’s face it, if the government
wants to know who you are, they’ll
find out. They do just that, using
their knowledge to force both heroes
and villains into wearing a
bracelet, telling them that they and
their loved ones will not be harmed
so long as they comply. The bracelet
is used to call them in for
government work. Think of the
possibilities. Two arch enemies
could be forced to fight side by
side. A hero could be in the middle
of saving a city when he’s called
in.
In addition to comic books, Big City
has recently released a series of
twelve commercials on YouTube titled
the “Zombie Fest.” Six are rated PG
and five are rated R. “My personal
favorite is “Zombie Fart Girl” but
“Welcome to the City” was well done
too,” Jeff says, adding, “’Zombie
Crush’ was pretty fun but I take a
lot of heat on that one.”
More than just the story lines,
terrific art, and bold commercials
set this studio apart from others.
At Big City, several artists
collaborate, providing input on the
cover art before it gets published.
When creating, they consider one
another’s strong points and then
work accordingly. Artists are listed
first on Big City’s books and
there’s a minimum of three acts of
violence in every book. One of
Jeff’s biggest concerns is that
issues are released on time. Jeff
knows that retailers want monthly
books, so he keeps his books on
schedule. In fact, he will not pay
the creator if their work is not
completed by their deadline. It
seems that Jeff knows how to run the
company in a way that promotes
teamwork and efficiency.
Chris Cross, penciler, has signed on
for the 6 issue cross over “Tainted”
in May/June. It consists of two
issues of Ant Unleashed, Totem, and
Tempest. Keep an eye out for variant
covers done by cover artist/
penciler Alex Saviuk to all titles
in January! Also, Mario Gully will
be doing February’s variants. Tommy
Castillo, artist /penciler/ painter/
inker, will be doing Big City’s
April variants.
Big City will be at FX and MegaCon
in Orlando, FL. They’ll also be at
the New York Comic Con, Wizard
World’s Philly and Chicago, and San
Diego Comic Con. Be sure to visit
our booth if you plan on attending
any of these cons.
