By Byron Brewer

An ancient evil is gathering power throughout the cosmos, and it falls upon the legendary Space Riders to kick its ass! Having disbanded, the crew of Captain Peligro, Mono and Yara must reunite for what may be their final ride.

The cult comic that electrified readers in the brain returns to blast your fragile human psyche into oblivion. From Black Mask Comics and the fertile minds of writer Fabian Rangel Jr. and concept creator/artist Alexis Ziritt comes Space Riders: Galaxy of Brutality!

To get the lowdown on these galactic voyagers, DF sat down with writer Fabian Rangel Jr.

Dynamic Forces: Fabian, what can you tell us about the concept behind the Space Riders and their adventures?

Fabian Rangel Jr.: Space Riders started from Alexis Ziritt hitting me up and asking if I wanted to write a comic using some characters he had created. I had become a fan of his work a few months before when he was doing the covers for Loki: Ragnarok and Roll for BOOM.  I had even hit him up wanting to try and get something going before Space Riders, but it didn't work out. So when he showed me the character designs and asked if I wanted to work together, I was like, yeah! We pitched it to Black Mask once the cover and first five or so pages were done.

DF: Your first entry into this “universe,” Space Riders, was met with success. Had you been thinking “sequel” when the original Space Riders cult comic sensation came out?

Fabian Rangel Jr.: Pretty much. By the time I was writing the second or third issue, I was installing threads that could be picked up later on. Whenever you do a book, there's always the hope that it'll be well received and you'll get to do more. Though I will say I didn't expect people would get it. Like, I thought people would dismiss it as too crazy or silly, and I figured there would be a small group of people who got what we were going for. Luckily, the majority of people who read it, get it.

DF: If you would, for the uninitiated (you know who you are), introduce us to your main protagonists with a little capsule summary of their character.

Fabian Rangel Jr.: There's Yara, a robot refugee from a war torn planet. She's all about the rules, by the book. But she can [mess] you up. Mono is the big mandrill. He's religious. He used to be a killer/mercenary until he ended up in jail and found The Book of the Secret Fire. Now he tries to live a life dedicated to righting his former wrongs. But he'll [mess] you up if need be. Captain Peligro is their patch-wearing, no-nonsense leader. He's kind of an asshole. But that's only because he's been through a lot of sh*t. His gun is called The Ghostmaker. He'll [mess] you up real quick.

DF: What can you tell us about the storyline for Galaxy of Brutality? Am I correct that as issue #1 begins, the Space Riders have disbanded?

Fabian Rangel Jr.: They have and they haven't. I won't go into too much detail, but yeah, they aren't in good shape at the start of this new story. Other than that, I can say that we wouldn't have done more Space Riders if we didn't think we could top the first volume, so expect some crazy stuff to go down in this one.

DF: What can you tell us of the “ancient evil” that is gathering power throughout the cosmos -- in a non-spoilery manner, of course?

Fabian Rangel Jr.: The "ancient evil" was shown slightly in Volume 1, when Satanus has to explain to his boss that the Space Riders prevented him from getting the eye of the space whale. Then later, when Hammerhead reveals why he betrayed Peligro, he talks about a powerful voice in his head. This story deals with that being, and the Space Riders having to pull out all the stops in order to defeat it/save the universe.

DF: Tell us about working on this book with creator and illustrator Alexis Ziritt.

Fabian Rangel Jr.: Alexis created the characters, the name, and the Santa Muerte (the ship). I write up a summary of what I'm thinking for the story, add some new characters, script it, try to make them say funny stuff, and he brings the world to life. Alexis will also throw in some story elements when we talk, or suggest a cool set piece or add something to certain scenes to make them cooler. Space Riders is very much a collaboration.

DF: Fabian, are there any other projects you are working on, currently or in near-future?

Fabian Rangel Jr.: I've got Helena Crash with Warwick Johnson Cadwell coming out through IDW. In April, 'Namwolf with Logan Faerber comes out through Albatross. I'll also be mailing out the Kickstarter rewards for Blood Brothers (Hermanos de Sangre) with Javi Caba in April/May. In July, Dark Horse is releasing The Complete Doc Unknown from me, Ryan Cody and others. In the fall, there's Tarantula also with Alexis through Adhouse. 

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Fabian Rangel Jr. for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Space Riders: Galaxy of Brutality #1 from Black Mask Comics hits stores March 29^th!

For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces, www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces

Fabian Rangel Jr. will team with Javier Caba to bring their series BLOOD BROTHERS to Dynamite! More here: bit.ly/2n1fW65 

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