JOE CASEY
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DF Interview: Joe Casey brings iconic cyber super-soldier back to comics in ‘Dutch’ By Byron Brewer The legendary '90s super-soldier returns for an all-new adventure! An enemy from the past has forced Dutch back into the belly of the beast! But will his former teammates welcome him back? Or will a cybernetic kill team get to him first? It's balls-to-the-wall action in Dutch, from the team of writer Joe Casey and artist Simon Gane. As soon as I learned of the three-issue miniseries, I contacted and chatted with old friend and Dutch scribe Joe Casey. Here’s what he told me about the book. Byron Brewer: Joe, for the uninitiated, can you give readers the background story of the character called Dutch as created by Chap Yaep? Joe Casey: Dutch was the cybernetically enhanced super-soldier member of Team Youngblood back in the early 90’s, as part of the original Image Comics shared universe that was being built at that time. So that’s the easy answer that addresses the character’s publishing history. Now, there’s also the behind-the-scenes stuff… due to some unfortunate past business deals, the entire Youngblood concept has been legally separated from that same shared universe, almost like they’ve been erased from that early Image continuity. Luckily, Dutch -- by being wholly owned by Chap -- escaped that fate. Byron: What happened in his recent non-issue issue, Dutch #0, and how will those threads connect to your coming miniseries on the character? Joe Casey: An enemy from his past came back to haunt him. In the new miniseries, Dutch is going to haunt that enemy right back. With extreme prejudice. Byron: What are some of the differences in the character that Dutch fans will notice, the early character back when as compared to your iteration today? Joe Casey: Well, he’s thirty years older than the last time we saw him. He’s a little rusty, both figuratively and literally. But as readers saw in the #0 issue… not so rusty that he can’t still kick some ass. Byron: Tell readers what you can about the enemy that seems to be pulling the strings in this adventure – anything you can hint at outside of “read the book”. (LOL) Joe Casey: If you read #0, it’s all right there. And readers who remember the first few issues of Team Youngblood will have a pretty good idea who it is and how this whole retcon will work going forward. Byron: Wait! The poor ‘90s super-soldier has “a cybernetic kill team” after him as well?! Joe Casey: Indeed he does. But, y’know, that’s what happens when you have a questionable past. Byron: Why was now a good time to resurrect Dutch as a book lead? Joe Casey: Well, the original material that was reprinted in the #0 issue came from the Image! anthology series from a year ago. [Image Comics Publisher] Eric Stephenson had asked me to contribute something and I figured that someone should do a strip that acknowledged the history of Image Comics. Since Youngblood was no longer available, Dutch was the next best thing. Once I had reconfigured Dutch’s backstory to “free” him from any Youngblood continuity (so I could tell the story I wanted to tell), both Eric and I realized there was more material here worth exploring. So, with Chap’s blessing, we were off and running. Byron: Talk about the art of Simon Gane. And also that vibrant variant cover from Dutch creator Chap Yaep! Joe Casey: Nathan Fox’s work in the #0 issue is a tough act to follow, but when Eric suggested Simon, I jumped at the chance. I’m a huge fan of Simon’s work and he is killing it on this book. I love the collaboration and I can’t wait for readers to see it. And, yeah, Chap drawing his creation for the first time in decades is like the cherry on top. Byron: Joe, what other upcoming projects in which you are involved can you tell us about? Joe Casey: My latest creator-owned series, Junior Baker the Righteous Faker, is about to wrap, to be collected soon by Image. And I’m also writing the new Kneel Before Zod series debuting in January from DC. As for Dutch, believe me when I tell you, this is just the beginning. Things are just going to get bigger from here. Dynamic Forces would like to thank Joe Casey for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Dutch #1 from Image Comics is slated to be on sale Feb. 14, 2024!
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