Geek Syndicate Issue 5 | Page 14

Geek Syndicate
that, with the inability to find a publisher who would allow us to tell the stories we wanted to tell together. Hence the decision to make a web comic, frankly - we could publish it ourselves. Once we resolved that we were going to have to do it ourselves, the conversation turned to what we would do, and that, in short order, led to Lady Sabre. We wanted something pulpy, that would indulge our fondness for comics like Terry and the Pirates and the like, and steampunk was something that both Rick and I had been fascinated by and fans of for years, though - if you ask Rick - he’d tell you he’d never actually called it that before. It sort of rolled forward from there. GS: Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Western’s and PIRATES! Lots of genres in one comic. What were your influences when creating Lady Sabre? GR: Uhm... sci-fi, steampunk, westerns, and pirates? I mean, we love adventure serials, adventure stories, and when we settled on steampunk as the genre we wanted to play in, it opened the door to all the others. Technically, steampunk and the western share the same moment historically, even if the history is twisted to suit steampunk. So that was a no-brainer, really. Sci-fi I’d actually rather shy away from, as I’ve never really thought of the comic as sci-fi, per se. GS: What is the attraction of the pulp genre for you? GR: It’s interesting, because a
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lot of what attracts me to the pulps isn’t that evident in Lady Sabre, I don’t think. Our pacing - due to the posting schedule - can be rather drawn out, which is a no-no in the pulps. The flip side is that it allows for more character moments, more examination of who our players are, and that’s something I’ll always run towards. But the sense of adventure and energy in the pulps, of the disregard for convention of both genre and even, in some cases, narrative, both appeal to Rick and I. You can go over the top, and then keep going, and the genre not only allows for it, it encourages it. GS: If you could revive any pulp character who would it be? GR: I’m not sure if there are any I would revive, per se, and I’m not even sure she counts, but off the top of my head, I’d say Modesty Blaise. I always

loved Operator No. 5, and, of course, there’s The Shadow. GS: We love the fact you also post the scripts up with lots of the strips. Is this meant as a how to guide for fans who want to step into the world of comics?? GR: I imagine that people can use the scripts as a tutorial, of sorts, but that wasn’t the primary motive, honestly. Initially, I wanted the scripts present so people would see - at least in part - how the collaboration of comics works. You can read my scripts, and see where Rick deviated, and sometimes even see why he did, where the flaws were in my scripting, for instance. There was an added benefit, which I hadn’t realized at the start, but which I was grateful to know when it was explained to me; for blind followers of the comic, the scripts allow them to experience the story, and anything

Image © Rick Burchett