Creator Interview – Dion Floyd of Urban Sprawl and immortal Kiss
For those you don't know you. Tell us your Background info, where are you from and currently living?
I was born and raised in West Baltimore but now reside in southern Florida.
How did you get into comics and when did you begin writing your books?
I had been writing ever since I was a kid so it was no surprise to a lot of my family and friends I would write a comic book. In the early 90's myself and Kevin L. Patrick created Urban Sprawl and I created Immortal Kiss. A few years later through a mutual friend I met Maurice (Reese) Robertson who gave Urban Sprawl an extra layer and made Naima the focal point of the story.
In 2005 was the first issue of Immortal Kiss published by myself and produced by GI Studios. The second issue was published in 2007 and we did an animated trailer on You Tube for promotion. In 2008 we put out the Urban Sprawl Ashcan which debuted at ECBACC in Philly.
Although writing comics is not my fulltime gig I am concentrating on doing so and also would like to focus on writing screenplays and perhaps one day creating television shows. I have worked in private industry for some 20 years and I have been able to parlay that experience into building Aquaryus Entertainment.
What are your plans for this year?
2012 will see the release of both Immortal Kiss and Urban Sprawl Graphic Novels under the Aquaryus Entertainment imprint, a division of Aquaryus Entertainment Ventures Inc a company I founded in 2007.
Can you give a brief synopsis of both books for those who may not know about them?
Immortal Kiss takes place in Chicago, Illinois. It is the story of two homicide detectives Romanov and Flores who are called to investigate a murder outside The Nocturne, a trendy nightclub. What Romanov and Flores don't know is that Chicago's latest serial killer may be something other than human. Urban Sprawl takes place in the 23rd century. Naima, an African Ninja comes to America to avenge the death of her mentor, Professor Shoji and to find the assassin responsible.
I know these are both a labor of love for you - how is the story progressing and who are you currently working with to create the graphic novels?
For the IK Graphic Novel I will take over the writing as I wanted to include some things that weren't included in the first two issues I wanted to take the story a little darker. Abdul Rashid will return as the artist for the GN.
For Urban Sprawl's first Graphic Novel myself and Reese Robertson will share writing duties for the Vengeance Is Mine story arc. Right now we are looking a new up and coming Nigerian artist who will bear the task of bringing the Urb verse to life on paper.
Self publishing can be an exhausting and costly process. What have you learned over the years that will help you accomplish your publishing goals in 2012?
As far as lessons learned as a publisher, I have definitely learned the importance of making sure your teamwork is able to handle deadlines also it has taught me to make sure that the product is the best it can be before going to print and also the importance of contracts. The Immortal Kiss and Urban Sprawl Graphic Novels are just the beginning for 2012. There will be also some spinoffs from both universes as well as some new titles.
Anything else you'd like to share about what's coming up in the near future?
Naima from Urban Sprawl is making an appearance in Dave Ryan's War of the Independents series in February. This issue (number 2) features appearances from several indie characters such as Andre Batts' Dreadlocks, Chuck D, Flavor Flav and several others. The book is available through Liber Distributor and Diamond as well as your local comic book store.
Visit the following links to find out more:
Graphic Illusions Studios
Interview conducted via Facebook 2012.
"Naima from Urban Sprawl is making an appearance in Dave Ryan's War of the Independents series in February."