DF Interview: Jordan Thomas tells a particularly personal tale in his coming British crime story, ‘Mugshots’

By Byron Brewer

Brighton, UK. 2008. The kidnapping of a young woman sets in motion a chain of events that will set con artists, gangsters, killers and corrupt police on a collision course in this tale of family trauma, betrayal, murder and revenge that threatens to bring the city's whole underworld down.

From Mad Cave Studios comes Mugshots, a chaotic crime story by writer Jordan Thomas and artist Chris Matthews. I caught up to scribe Jordan Thomas and discussed his coming comic.

Byron Brewer: Jordan, you and Chris Matthews, artist on your coming book Mugshots, hail from the south of England, very near the city in which this crime story takes place. Tell us about Brighton, real AND imagined here, and why its choice as your locale?

Jordan Thomas: So, I was born in Worthing about 15 minutes drive from Brighton and it’s a place I spent a lot of time as a kid and an adult. After my parents separated, my dad spent a lot of time living there and he was involved in a lot of bad stuff, so I’ve seen first hand a lot of the things that go on in the Brighton criminal underworld. This made it a natural choice for the story.

Byron: What was the inspiration behind Mugshots? Has this been a long-burning idea for a book?

Jordan Thomas: I grew up around this world of drugs, violence and crime, which I suppose has always given me a special interest in crime and gangster stories. Writing crime stories is something that comes very naturally to me and I could probably just work like this for the rest of my life without a problem.

Also, when Chris first approached me about us making comics together, we had a bit of back and forth about the genre and a crime story appealed to him and what he felt like he wanted to do for his first foray into comics.

Byron: Introduce readers to John Bannan. Who was he, who is he as we meet him in May, and what challenge(s) face him upcoming?

Jordan Thomas: John Bannan has never had a normal job; he’s always been a criminal since he was a kid. This was who he was always going to be. He’s that guy that knows everyone and everything that is happening in the seedy side of town. He’s a fun guy but also dangerous and cutthroat but he does love his niece, Grace. He’s been away from his home for a good few years after falling foul of the local crime and Grace being in danger is about the only thing that would bring him back, and that is how our story starts, with Grace being kidnapped.

Byron: Talk about Bannan’s family and other characters important to this comic. I take it that since he is described as a “loving uncle,” some other family member(s) are a part of this chaotic crime scenario?

Jordan Thomas: I already mentioned Grace, but then we have a very complicated relationship between John, his sister and her husband, Alan. Something very bad happened in the past that has tainted all their lives and John blames Alan for it, whereas Alan resents John for making him feel like a failure as a husband and a father. This tension permeates the whole of the story and leads people to make some very bad decisions.

Byron: Events in Mugshots seem to cascade into endangering the structure of Brighton’s underworld. Can you tell readers about that structure? When we start out, who is at its head, etc.?

Jordan Thomas: Harry Woods is the head of crime in Brighton, but as our story starts he’s under pressure from the Albanian mob that are beginning to encroach on his territory. At the same time, Harry’s son Ian has been trying to push them towards more legitimate businesses, which Harry knows is sensible but also ruffles his feathers as he’s an old school guy who doesn’t want to ask permission, if he wants something he takes it, if someone crosses him he hurts them. That doesn’t really gel with being a respectable businessman. So everything is already very on edge when the bomb of Grace getting kidnapped and John Bannan returning to Brighton goes off.

Byron: Mystery is also a part of this comic. Will there be a setup where readers, if they follow certain clues and avoid red herrings, just MAY be able to figure out whatever solution is sought in the story… or at least a part of the story?

Jordan Thomas: Yes, I think so. I worked really hard on the script to have it all connect and make sense. I put the idea together for this a few years ago and so have had a lot of time to go back over the scripts with fresh eyes and make little tweaks so everything is there for the reader to see if they are looking hard enough. Those are the kind of mysteries I like. Not ones with mad twists that aren’t earned.

Byron: Discuss the awesome art of Chris Matthews.

Jordan Thomas: Chris and I met when we were around eleven-years-old and he’s always been the most talented person I know. His work on this book is beyond beautiful. Which is even more impressive when you consider this is going to be his first published comics work. I’m really happy with the script but I know that the real selling point is Chris’ stunning art. That’s what people are seeing online and saying, “This looks incredible! I have to buy this series.”

Because we’re such close friends, it has made the creative process a real dream. We can discuss things. Make changes. If he has a question about anything, he just sends me a voice mail and we go back and forth and ensure that every panel in the book is as good as possible. I genuinely believe that we’ve made something very special here and I hope people check out the series so they can be immersed in Chris’ stunning art and hopefully a gripping story.

Byron: Jordan, what other upcoming projects in which you are involved can you tell readers about?

Jordan Thomas: I have a whole bunch of things lined up that I’m very excited about, but…none of it has been announced yet so I can’t say anything. Well, I can see it’s a mix of my own ideas and some IP work with some very cool characters. Also, I’m currently hard at work scripting the next two books Chris and I plan to make, which we’ll be starting to pitch around in the coming weeks. So, non-stop.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Jordan Thomas for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Mugshots #1 from Mad Cave Studios is slated to be on sale May 8!

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