CARTER ALLEN ON DUB TRUB 2
By Leroy Douresseaux
May 15, 2005 - 13:30
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Candle Light Press just published Carter Allen’s DUB TRUB 2: THE PEACEMAKERS, the sequel to last year’s Dub Trub. We hooked up with Carter for the details:
Would you mind introducing yourself to the readers?
CARTER: My name is Carter Allen. I'm the writer/artist on the Dub Trub series, as well as the artist/co-creator/mad scientist on the Man is Vox series for Candle Light Press. I'm originally from North Dakota, but have called Iowa my home for the last 21 years. Oh, and I have 'My Sharona' on my iPod.
Would you mind introducing the Dub Trub concept and specifically Dub Trub 2: The Peacemakers?
CATER: Dub Trub is a straight-up aliens-invade-Earth epic. Sometime in the near future, a sinister group of aliens called the Voyd invade Earth, their motives only revealed with the simple statement: "Prepare to be destroyed." At first, humanity fights back, but it is soon realized that our present notions of separate nation states must be dissolved and a new, unified force is forged: the Earth Liberation Army. The alliance keeps us in the fight, but ends up not being enough. It's up to the outside assistance of the Kaninian League to keep us from getting totally wiped out by the Voyd.
Dub Trub 2: The Peacemakers starts off with Special Agents Red and Black, the E.L.A.'s top alien butt-kickers, on assignment in what used to be Western Europe. While commandeering some Voyd technology, they come across some top-secret information, information that could tip the scales in the war against the Voyd. Within the information is a communiqué from the Voyd High Command telling of the arrival of a group of warriors called the Peacemakers.
While their intentions of coming to Earth aren't exactly clear, they are viewed as a potential threat to the balance of power. Red and Black, along with their trusty sidekick Rex, are sent to the Land Down Under to intercept these Peacemakers and, if necessary, neutralize them. Along for the ride this time is the Australian resistance leader, Major Tawny Bell. Mix this all together with a good helping of a marauding Voyd sect called the Instectrons, and you have a recipe for high flying adventure.
How did this series come about and why is something that you wanted to do? For instance, why are the leads female?
CARTER: I had done work on several adventure stories in the past. To name a couple, there was "Major Danjer and his Platoon of Doom" and "Nikki Harris: Cybermation Witch," both of which appeared in the anthology Ed #1 way back in 1997. I was always attracted to big, brash action spectacles and felt very comfortable working with them. I was also a big fan of tough, capable female characters in sci-fi: Princess Leia, Wonder Woman, Emma Peel, Wilma Deering, just to name a few.
So, around 2001, I had been working with members of the U of I Dance Team for an art show that I did called "The Dance Chair," and a light bulb went off over my head: why not use some of my models for actresses in a sci-fi adventure comic? After the show had ended, I selected 2 of the ladies to fill the roles of Special Agent Red and Black. We started work in early 2002 and had the first book out in late 2003. DT2 just came out and there are 7 more chapters after that. Hopefully things will start taking off so I have more free time to get them done at a faster rate. I don't like to keep my readers waiting too long.
Are there specific books, films, comic books, etc. that influenced the creation of Dub Trub?
CARTER: Well, right off the bat, I have always looked at this as a merger of James Bond and Star Wars; secret agent daring-do set against a space opera backdrop. Whenever I sit down and plot one of these things out, I use the 007 films as a rough framework and fill it in with aliens, spaceships and laser beams. I’m also was heavily influenced by the film Starship Troopers. A lot of people hated that flick, but I could watch it a million times and never get tired of it. Hell, the leader of the ELA is a tip of the hat to the character Michael Ironside (who is the baddest motor-scooter of all time) played in that film mixed with elements of Nick Fury and M.
Other influences include the entire Marvel Comics run of Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Shogun Warriors, Godzilla, Transformers and DC Comics' Weird War Tales, Unknown Soldier and Sgt. Rock. Other inspirations include 1980's video games, Saturday morning cartoons, the VY series “Buck Rogers,” the 1980 film Flash Gordon and the works of Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone.
Dub Trub is a vibrant wide open universe. Is there the possibility of other writers and artists taking on the series after you're finished or is it a closed deal, a solo project?
CARTER: Dub Trub, as it stands right now, is going to be nine books. They are all laid out, plotted and shot. When they are done, that's it for that series. However, there will be a new spin-off series coming that will be open to other writers and artists. I'm conceiving it as more of an open narrative set in the same universe with a wider palette of characters and situations to work with. It would be pretty cool to have other creators play in the Dub Trub sandbox, creators that “get it.” I've already talked to John Thomas and Jeremy Smith about doing work for it and they are on board. It won't be for a little while, but it is coming.
When you started the series, what about it did you think would appeal to readers? After two books, what about it are they actually embracing?
CARTER: When I was starting this, I wasn't really sure what would hit and what would miss. I kind of figured that space aliens mixed with action babes would appeal to some readers, but I knew that it wouldn't be enough for all readers. There had to be a dynamic and interesting supporting cast of characters to go along with the leads, characters that would give the reader something that Special Agents Red and Black couldn't.
That's where characters like Rex the pilot and Ambassador Roka (played by my dog Max) come in. They add more texture to the landscape. I also knew that the entire focus of the series couldn't be on the exploits of the two leads. There had to other points of view expressed. That's where the “extra” chapter of each book came from. In the first such chapter, which many have said has been the best of the series, was centered on a female grunt on the front lines of the war. I really wanted to show varied levels of involvement in this worldwide conflict. I think, so far, that these are the things that readers have been drawn to. On the surface there is a lot of action and adventure, but there is a heart that beats underneath it all.
What can we expect from Dub Trub 3, as far as you're willing to say without spoiling it?
CARTER: Dub Trub 3: This Dangerous Game, will be ready and out there this winter. I don't want to give too much away, but we get to see some of what makes Special Agents Red and Black tick. We are also introduced a new character that will play a big role in the new series.
Anything you want to say before we close?
CARTER: Watch the skies! More Dub Trub is coming! It's a big, bold world and you are all welcome to come along!
Thank you, Carter. Dub Trub 2 ($9.95, B&W, ISBN: 0-9743147-8-1) and all Candle Light Press books are available through any bookstore that uses Books in Print. In fact, you can find CLP publications at Amazon.com. Comic book stores that order books through Cold Cut Distribution can also obtain your CLP delights.