JOHN LAYMAN
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DF Interview: John Layman unleashes pirates, magicians, monsters and more in his fantasy adventure ‘Bermuda’ By Byron Brewer There's a region in the Atlantic Ocean where planes disappear, ships are lost, and traveling souls go missing... never to be heard from again. And there's an island within this place, mysterious and uncharted, untouched by time and civilization, where all who are lost end up – human or other! Bermuda lives here. She's 16, scrappy, and living on this insane and wondrous jungle island – fighting at every turn to survive – is the only life she has ever known. She can handle the dinosaurs, the pirates, the crazed soldiers, dark magicians, and strange monsters. But the weird new kid who washes ashore just may be the biggest challenge Bermuda has ever faced – as he drags her along on a perilous rescue mission she wants no part of... and he's likely to be the death of both of them! From IDW Publishing comes a fantastic new adventure by New York Times best selling and multiple-Eisner award winning writer John Layman (Chew, Detective) with eye-popping art by Nick Bradshaw (Spider-Man, Wolverine). I sat down with the scribe to do our normal deep dive. Byron Brewer: John, I love that Bermuda is not the name of the locale ostensibly but the protagonist. Beyond the legends of the region, what can you tell us about the genesis of this limited series? John Layman: It came out of some conversations with longtime friend and IDW uber-editor Scott Dunbier (and my old WildStorm boss,) and the suggestion I work with Nick Bradshaw, whose work I’ve always been in love with. Nick and I got to talking, and what I really wanted to do was something really lively and fun and Kamandi-esque, that would be a real spotlight for Nick’s art, an excuse to draw jungles and dinosaurs and pirates and monsters, all sorts of crazy, fun stuff. Bermuda was born out of that. BB: Kudos to whomever fit almost every paranormal plunder associated with the Bermuda Triangle into IDW’s solicitation. In just four issues, are readers going to experience everything from dinosaurs and pirates to sorcerers and monsters? John Layman: Bermuda is a whirlwind. We only have four issues, so it’s a nonstop jaunt across a remote island where everything and everyone whose ever been lost in the Bermuda Triangle ends up, meaning pirate ships, fishing schooners, airplanes, military submarines, all sorts of stuff, for as long as people have been sailing the waters of the area in the Atlantic known as the Devil’s Triangle. BB: Tell us a little about Bermuda beyond her name. Who is this girl? Any backstory that can be revealed without spoilers? John Layman: She’s a girl who was born on this lost island, the island of Trangle located somewhere in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle. Her parents got shipwrecked on the island, and later killed, but not before Bermuda was born (she was named after the island her parents were sailing to). Bermuda, then, is very adept at surviving in this strange and savage jungle land. Our story begins with pampered rich kid Bobby Randolph’s father’s private jet crashes here. Unlike Bermuda, Bobby has no survival skills and is probably doomed to die in this dangerous place—until he meets Bermuda. BB: What can you tell readers about the uncharted island? Is it almost a living entity, like the island on the TV series Lost? Are there other humans there? John Layman: There is a door between worlds that sometimes appears, taking people who travel through the Bermuda Triangle from our world into this. And, as I’ve said, everybody who’s been lost in the Bermuda Triangle ends up here. That means humans, but it also means other beings, strange, alien and dangerous beings who’ve been transported through this dimensional doorway, who’ve traveled to this new world from whatever world they came from. BB: What is your best description and verbal character info (without spoilers) of the boy who washes ashore and begins an adventure with Bermuda? John Layman: Bobby Randolph and his sister Andi crash on the mysterious island of Trangle after flying through a strange, sudden electrical storm. The pilots and adults on the plane are killed, and Andi is kidnapped by a race of aquatic biped fish-people known as the Mers. BB: Any hints at the LS series big-bad? John Layman: The fish-faced Mers are just one of the many dangers Bermuda and her new friend has to face, and these are the most dangerous of all. They are practitioners of blood magic, intent on getting off the island, and conquering the world where the humans come from—that’s our world. Earth! BB: Talk a little bit about the art of Nick Bradshaw. If I am not mistaken, he has done some work on Marvel’s Savage Land in some book (perhaps Avengers or X-Men?) and rendered some fantastic dinosaurs! John Layman: Nick is amazing and every page and panel is breathtaking. I’m lettering the book and I almost feel terrible putting down word balloons and sound effects, because it seems like a crime to cover even a single line. Len O’Grady is doing phenomenal work as colorist, too. I’ve worked with him previously and he’s one of my very favorite colorists. That being said, I’d love to see this book oversized and in B&W as well. The art is simply amazing. BB: John, what other projects in which you are involved can you share with readers? John Layman: I’m doing Chu, the spinoff sister title of my old Image title Chew. The second arc kicks off with issue #6, on sale July 21, the same day as Bermuda #1. Dynamic Forces would like to thank John Layman for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Bermuda #1 from IDW Publishing is slated to be on sale July 21st! 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. MARS ATTACKS RED SONJA #1 - JOHN LAYMAN SIGNED ATLAS EDITION DETECTIVE COMICS #19 FIRST PRINTING STANDARD COVER SIGNED BY JOHN LAYMAN! RED SONJA/CLAW #1 JIM LEE/ALEX ROSS COMPLETE COVER SIGNED PAIR - SIGNED BY WRITER JOHN LAYMAN AND ANDY SMITH! MARS ATTACKS RED SONJA TRADE PAPERBACK ARMY OF DARKNESS/XENA COMPLETE OMNIBUS CHARLIE'S ANGELS VOL. 1 TRADE PAPERBACK XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS VOLUME 1 OMNIBUS TRADE PAPERBACK THE TWILIGHT ZONE: SHADOW & SUBSTANCE TRADE PAPERBACK
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