First Comics News: How was Summit Comics created?
Daniel Kalban: Travis Gibb has a comics creator discord, and one day, one of the guys on there, CJ Hudson, asked whythere isn’t an indie, creator-owned and shared, superhero universe out there. A lot of us thought it was a good idea, and pretty soon, we got together and started planning this universe. And we moved fast, I think we basically hit the ground running when it came to organization and creating.
1st: What does “Creator-owned shared universe” mean?
Daniel: It means that while the universe is a shared superhero universe, each creator owns their character outright. We do have a built-in mechanism for if characters are added into the universe or if creators leave. If the creator leaves, their character is theirs to do as they please. But together, we build a strong foundation.
1st: Why do you think Summit Comics will succeed?
Daniel: We are being very organized and careful with our planning, as well as building up a great and diverse roster of stories and characters. The fact that you come into the ground zero of this universe, with no prior reading required, helps both us creators and readers enter these stories. It seems to be a winning formula so far this campaign!
1st: Are you writing any comic books at Summit Comics?
Daniel: I’m writing Vesper for Summit, which is about a former super soldier sidekick who is now a vigilante for hire as well as a secret agent for the agency known as V.I.G.I.L.E.
1st: Do you have any ideas for any new characters?
Daniel: I actually was spitballing a new character concept the other day to the group, and so far, they seem to like it. It’s early stages, though, so I’m gonna be somewhat cagey about it for now.
1st: What is important about “American Dreams”
Daniel: In addition to being a Jewish-led story and an immigrant one, it uses the history of the turbulent Gilded Age to be a mirror to today’s society. And it does seem like when I write these stories in advance, they always appear to be very timely. For example, the new arc of American Dreams deals with those fearmongering about this with powers, who in this universe comprise a lot of immigrants who were affected by Edison’s experiment going haywire.
1st: Why does the Jewish immigrant decide to become a superhero?
Daniel: Essentially, because it’s the right thing to do.
1st: Who is the main villain in “American Dreams?”
Daniel: That would be the delightful engine of chaos and evil known as Aleister Crowley. He’s a fictional take on the infamous occultist, and he definitely has ill intent for Liberty/Jake, New York, and the world. But outwardly, he can portray himself as the “right kind” of immigrant, which of course plays into the fact that Liberty/Jake, who is a Jewish immigrant, would be considered the “wrong kind” by uupper-crustsociety. He is wonderfully fun and terrifying to write.
1st: What is the story in “Knightwrath?”
Daniel: Joe Sutton, who has low self-esteem, is kidnapped by evil mercenaries and experimented on. He is turned into the raging monster Knightwrath and turns to a life of nighttime vigilantism. But the low self-esteem remains.
1st: How does Joe Sutton react to becoming a hulking brute of fury and destruction?
Daniel: He decides to protect people. He just still suffers from low self-esteem and similar issues, even when transformed (it takes a while to build up self-esteem once it’s been destroyed). However, he can still be pretty cocky when in his Knightwrath form.
1st: Why should people read “Chutzpah?”
Daniel: To support Jewish creators and Jewish storytelling, especially in this age of rising antisemitism.
1st: Who has supported your comic career the most?
Daniel: My parents.
1st: If you could recommend one comic book that you have not worked on, which one would it be and why?
Daniel: Kat Calamia’s Like Father Like Daughter, which is a great take on the superhero parent-child relationship stories out there.
1st: What do you have to say to the fans of your writing?
Daniel: Thank you all so much for your support over the years. I got a lot planned, with Summit and otherwise, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/summitcomics/pinnacle-1
“Summit: Pinnacle #1 is now live on Kickstarter. Featuring over a dozen stories from two dozen creators, the issue serves as the launchpad for the wider Summit Universe.”
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