JOSH: I think the appeal of "Voltron" was partly... well, the big giant robots and monsters. On another level, though, it was the close knit crew of Voltron's pilots and their distinct personalities that people remember most about the series. In hindsight, let's face it, the stories weren't nearly as complex as we remembered as kids, but the key elements were still there, and I do think they had more heart than their Power Ranger descendants.

We're really working hard on this story, and taking those key elements and fleshing them out into a new, solid story that will keep people coming back for more. On the art front, we have Mike Norton drawing the characters, and I think he brings a unique style to the book, and a very solid sense of storytelling that people will really love. He's been known in small press on projects like Jason and the Argobots and The Waiting Place, so people will be very surprised to see his work on Voltron. Combine that with Clint Hilinski's backgrounds, and it makes for a very cool looking book. Clint's art is very mechanical, very thin, very detailed. Mike's characters have a cartoony edge to them, but convey their expressions very well, and have a very cool design to them. It's a great combo.

What we didn't want to do was make this look like Battle of the Planets. The cartoons were already clones of each other, like Hanna Barbara's "Scooby Doo" formula back in the day. In Japan there's actually name for an entire genre of shows involving groups of people piloting robots that form into big robots. "Sentai" I believe.

Anyway, I wanted this to be cartoony, but I want this to have a definitive American feel, and make it our own. Some fans will show up at conventions with custom made swords and try to take our heads off for forever bastardizing their sacred cow, but I think most are really going to love what we've done. At the least, I think it's much more faithful to the original than the CGI version that ran a few years back.

Oh, and Voltron will actually win without the Blazing Sword sometimes, and we won't use the same stock art every time he forms Voltron. :)

BTC: Any other upcoming Devil's Due projects that you can give us a hint about?

JOSH: The biggest one of all: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers, which we'll have official details on soon.

There's also my own debut as penciler on my creator owned title, Misplaced. Here's the synopsis: No one in her world understood her, so she came to ours. That's the tag line that starts off the story of Alyssa, who's smarter, more creative and physically superior to everyone she knows--and is chastised for it every day. Welcome to Realm 77, a not-so-perfect Utopia where our heroine is constantly beaten down for questioning the status quo and held back from reaching her true potential. When a conspiracy unfolds and the authorities of Realm 77 order her death, Alyssa escapes to our world, settling in with punkers and slackers in the College town of Clifton. Just when all seems to be going well, though, Alyssa's old life comes back to haunt her as strange abilities begin to develop within her.

BTC: Sounds like Alyssa has some secrets. So what's one thing that readers don't know about Devil's Due?

JOSH: That we stole porn from the Wizard magazine staffers' Novemberfest party.

Oh... and we share a building with a law firm that employs a giant, shaved human/hamster hybrid.

BTC: I don't know which makes me giggle more. Okay, one last question. It's been said that knowing is half the battle, so I gotta know... who's the best kisser: Scarlet, Cover Girl or the Baroness?

JOSH: Polly... but don't tell Shipwreck.

My lips are sealed, Josh!

Okay, friends, see ya next week when we once again go Behind The Curtain!

========================================================== During a 10 year run as "Your Man @ Marvel," Bill Rosemann met many of the industry's most talented and cool personalities... including several that still act out Snake Eyes/Stromshadow battles with their action figures. Now living in Miami -- and keeping his eyes peeled for Destro, Bill can be reached at: WilliamRosemann@aol.com.