DF Interview: Zack Kaplan brings gore and heart, capitalism and transparency, and sick sword and ax fights in ‘Kill All Immortals II’

By Byron Brewer

The Asvalds were once a powerful billionaire Viking family with a source of secret immortality, until the family’s only daughter, Frey Asvald, led her brothers in a principled rebellion to overthrow their barbaric father and end their eternal powers. But when an ancient and supernatural adversary threatens to destroy their precarious empire and kill them one by one, they must band together as a family, survive another deadly war, all while testing their new mortality.

From writer Zack Kaplan and artist Fico Ossio comes Kill All Immortals II, a second volume which continues the journey of this critically-acclaimed saga. I am always up for a Zack Kaplan project, so I sat down with the scribe.

Byron Brewer: Zack, why is now the right time to return to the universe of Kill All Immortals, a realm with more Viking violence and business power than you can swing a “Greenland or Bust” sign at?

Zack Kaplan: Beyond the timely subject matter of billionaires controlling the world these days, I think readers are going to come back for our heroine Frey. Our goal from the beginning of the series was to create an Erika Slaughter-style protagonist that does more than kick ass; she’s someone you can root for and care about. And she’s an emotionally complex character with quite a dramatic story unfolding. She wants to be an ordinary young woman, to do good in the world and be true to her ideals, be free from her family, but she also wants agency in the world, she wants to protect her loved ones, and she can’t do all of that. 

But we also expect there are probably a great many readers who heard the hype on the first arc and didn’t manage to get to it. So, we’re returning with our second season specifically designed for people to be able to jump in right now and pick up the backstory as they go. It’s a new issue #1 out this October, and it doesn’t waste any time getting right back into the excitement. It’s so damn good.

Byron: As a writer and editor myself, I know it is important to always be positive and supportive of your own work or others you are guiding. BUT were you prepared for the first season of this new franchise to have a sell-out debut and BIG reprinting, a critically-acclaimed arc, and an in-demand volume trade? Swinging for the fences first time at bat with this one?

Zack Kaplan: Kill All Immortals is really my first action series ever, and we really put a lot of thought into it to make sure we were giving readers an equal amount of spectacle, world and character. It doesn’t hurt to have stunning visuals from DC rising superstar Fico Ossio and colorist Thiago Rocha, killer letters from Eisner-winning letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and a really badass cover series from Oliver Barrett. Even the logo from Tom Muller brings some heat. So, we went into it strong! We had high hopes it could go the distance, and we’re very pleased by the excitement around the first arc. But we’re taking another big swing here by expanding the world of Immortals, by raising the stakes and by stepping up to the ongoing plate. So we’re hoping to grow the series even more. Now is the time to get in on it!

Byron: Can you summarize the happenings of Kill All Immortals’ first book, keying especially on story threads that will carry over and carry us through Book 2?

Zack Kaplan: I don’t want to give too much away, and the new arc is really meant to be a jumping on point, but the basic gist is this: the Asvald family are an ancient family of Vikings and a thousand years ago, they found a mysterious form of immortality. Today, they are one of the most powerful billionaire families on the planet, living in secret, ruling with barbarism, and doing whatever they must to survive. And after all that time, circumstances in the first arc pushed Frey to challenge her father’s rule. In the process, she altered their empire in major ways, leaving them fractured and vulnerable. And now, an age-old threat has surfaced. And it’s coming for Frey and her family. We join Frey thinking she’s finally gained her independence from violence and war, but the world has other plans for her.

Byron: Introduce (or re-introduce) readers to the Asvald family. What challenges have they met and what faces them in this new season? How does their own dynamic become altered by coming circumstances?

Zack Kaplan: Frey’s father was the central antagonist of the first arc, Erik Asvald, a very brutal and unrelenting warlord who dominates every fight he faces. Thankfully, Frey and her family have pushed him out, for now. Frey has given rule of their corporations to Leif, the more accomplished son. Thor is the murderous muscle of the family, although it’s unknown how he has taken the events of the first arc. And the youngest, Steinn, is still a cad, partying and playboying through life. They’re all quite different! I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say their story as siblings is an evolving one, and they begin the first arc and end it in a very different place. And this new season will only challenge and splinter them further. They’re gonna be put through it. We’ll just see if they can survive it together!

Byron: Any new characters you can spotlight here for us?

Zack Kaplan: Ahh, readers are going to have to come in to meet all the fun new characters, but we have absolutely expanded the world of Immortals. There are some preview pages and new covers that hint at a couple new personalities that will come in. And of course, if anyone read the first arc, they know what’s coming. The last few pages introduce the new threat quite clearly. You know who’s coming next!

Byron: Talk about the incredible visual symphony that is the art of Fico Ossio.

Zack Kaplan: It’s no surprise to see Fico now drawing the Dark Knight in Batman and Robin over at DC. He’s just a master when it comes to mood and movement. And Thiago Rocha and Fico make an excellent pairing. Both of them are leveling up as we continue to explore a mix of modern locales and ancient landscapes, emotional heartfelt drama mixed with intense, violent fights. It’s a lot of visual variety, but it’s a stunning series. I hope the Eisners are paying attention to this visual duo. It’s some great work!

Byron: Zack, what other projects on which you are working can you tell readers about?

Zack Kaplan: Masterminds #1 released August 27 and I am already getting some great buzz from pros and reviewers who had early looks. If you want a Fincher-esque thriller in the vain of Department of Truth meets Squid Games, if you want to see if you are smart enough for the smartest secret society in the world, you are invited to play the game of the Masterminds.

And Mad Cave’s Dark Empty Void is releasing September 25^th in graphic novel form and I cannot wait for readers to experience that in its entirety. Sadly, the series had some delays on the issue releases, something completely out of my control, but I think that led to a lot of readers waiting for the trade. Well it’s coming in a few weeks. It’s a sci-fi horror series about black holes, and if you are enjoying Aliens: Earth, or if you like Annihilation or Arrival, you will love this book!

You can find me online at @zackkaps or zackkaplan.com!

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Zack Kaplan for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Kill All Immortals II #1 from Dark Horse Comics is slated to be on sale October 1!

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