By Drew C. • 5/21/09

Declaration Of Independents: Jason Stephens

CosmicBooknews spoke with, Jason Stephens, the Octane Comics creator of Disconnected: Tales of the Sovereign for our Declaration of Independents feature which continues to run throughout the months of May, June and July! Jason was kind enough to answer a few questions about his inspirations, influences, future works and even gives a little advice to aspiring creators!

CosmicBookNews: What made you want to become a writer?

Jason Stephens: All of those writer groupies you hear about!

CosmicBookNews: [Laughs]

Did you always have it in your head to become a "comic book writer" or was it just a writer in general?

Jason Stephens: In all honesty, I never set out to be a writer at all. Although I co-write Disconnected, my heart is in being an artist. I’m really not the type of guy that could plot out a years worth of stories for books like Nova or JSA. When it comes to writing, I’m kind of a hack. Eric Boswell (co-writer) really helps to make my plots more manageable.

Landon’s journey in Disconnected is the only story I have, of my own, to tell for the foreseeable future. We’re having a blast doing it, so I should have plenty of time to develop as a writer and an artist.

CosmicBookNews: What were your influences?

Jason Stephens: I grew up in a small Kentucky town. It’s the same place that has made national news when our sheriff was assassinated and when a man was arrested for a DUI while riding a horse. I think a lot of the humor and caricatures in Disconnected developed from that…which, in some cases might actually reflect badly and further stereotype the South as a whole. Oh well, it’s just a comic book right? [Laughs]

CosmicBookNews: Do you read comics currently?

Jason Stephens: Yes, I’m an unrepentant addict. Wednesdays are when I get my fix.

CosmicBookNews: What's your current favorite title?

Jason Stephens: God, it’s so hard to choose… currently, The Walking Dead is the book that I absolutely can’t go without.

CosmicBookNews: What books do you pick up?

Jason Stephens: Savage Dragon, The Goon, The Walking Dead, Invincible, Green Lantern, JSA, Dark Avengers, Thunderbolts, Cable, X-Force, Daredevil, The Punisher, Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Kick-Ass, 2000 AD, The Boys, Jersey Gods… I know I’m forgetting some really fantastic series, so just believe me that if it’s good, I probably buy it.

CosmicBookNews: Who's your favorite writer or writers?

Jason Stephens: In no particular order, Robert Kirkman, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Brian Bendis, Eric Powell, Andy Diggle, Rick Remender, Jason Aaron, Garth Ennis, and Warren Ellis.

CosmicBookNews: Artists?

Jason Stephens: Jack Kirby, Erik Larsen, Chris Bachalo, Mike Wieringo, Frank Quitely, Brian Bolland, Tony Moore, Steve McNiven, Ryan Ottley, and Charlie Adlard…really this list could go on and on…

CosmicBookNews: What inspires you?

Jason Stephens: My kids. I know that seems like a hokey answer, but they really do. My daughter, Lauren, is six now and she has a lot of insights into what is fun when you’re at that age. If I ever do a children’s book, she’ll definitely have a lot of input. My son, Landon, is 9 months old. Not only did I steal his name to use for the main character in our book, but he also thinks I’m hilarious. They remind me to not be so serious all the time.

CosmicBookNews: How did Disconnected come about?

Jason Stephens: I had the germ of this story in my head for quite a while. It was a pretty simple premise. What would it be like for a hero to fight crime in a small rural town? No tall buildings, dark alleyways, or any of the usual backgrounds exist where I’m from. Then, I roped Eric into helping me turn it into a full-fledged comic. We had no idea what we were doing, and you can really see the jump in quality between the first and second issues. We’re actually planning on going back and redrawing and coloring the first issue before we collect it in trade.

CosmicBookNews: What would you like our audience to know about Octane Comics?

Jason Stephens: Comics are fun and you should punch anybody in the face that tells you differently. I want people to know that if they pick up something from Octane Comics, they’re in for a good time. Excitement, laughs, drama, and violence…what more could you ask for?!

CosmicBookNews: What can we look forward to in future issues of Disconnected?

Jason Stephens: Issue #3 is all out action. We’ve got the main Disconnected story, a 6-page premiere from Martin Brandt II of Grim Crew Publishing. He’s got a mini-series coming out about a new superhero and he’s going to show him off to the world first in our book. Also for issue #3 we are working on having tons of pin ups from up and coming artists. There’s nothing cooler than seeing one of your creations interpreted by someone else.

CosmicBookNews: What advice can you give to aspiring creators?

Jason Stephens: Do it for the right reasons. Make comics because you love the medium, not because of the possible financial gain.

Oh, and get on twitter. You can make a lot of good connections are find tons of great advice from fellow creators.

CosmicBookNews: Are you working on any projects that you may want us to know about?

Jason Stephens: Currently, I’m doing the art for a story in the Dead Future anthology from Grim Crew Publishing. It was written by newcomer Matt Martin, so we’re happy to do the visuals for his first published work.

We’ve got a short Disconnected story that will be appearing in FnA Comix next anthology, A Pretty Penny.

That’s all on top of continuing Disconnected: Tales of the Sovereign and doing pin ups for Fantasy Art Comics’ superhero series, Fierce.

CosmicBookNews: Sounds great, Jason. Thanks so much for your time!

Jason Stephens: Thank you!

Disconnected: Tales of the Sovereign can be purchased at either Drivethru Comics or Indy Planet. And be sure to read the CosmicBookNews Disconnected review!

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