FCBD Interview: Cameron Cooke on Wrath of the Titans

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FCBD: Set your project up for those that might be new to your comic book. What can we expect to see in terms of story and art? 

Cameron Cooke (CC): Wrath of the Titans is part of the Bluewater Comics’ offering for Free Comic Book Day. It is a flip book with the Burt Ward, Boy Wonder comic. My comic, Wrath of the Titans, is heavily geared toward the all-ages crowd, but there is definitely something for everyone. In terms of story and art, it’s big, bombastic fun, Greek mythology, and just sheer excitement. Things I love from my comics. The best part about it is that it’s told in story book format, so if the story itself fails, that’s all my fault. The art is fantastic and I just hope my words live up to the art. 

FCBD: What has been your favorite part of book or character to tackle?

CC: I love the story of Perseus and I love Greek mythology in general, so getting to once again delve deep into the heart of Greek myth and tell a story that’s been told before but tell it in my own way was a delight. I’ve also loved that Bubo has been a part of the story. How cool is Bubo? A golden owl made of watch parts? He’s one of the best characters in the story and he’s pretty well-defined in this. Less of a sidekick and more of a hero.

FCBD: Tell our readers why they should pick your book first on FCBD.

CC: It has something for everyone. From the youngest to the oldest, from 2 to 200, this is a comic for you. It’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s a blast, and it’s the preview of a new series that I’m writing, all in the same story book format. You’ll be able to read it today and then read it 20 years later and still have the same fun with it, at least, I hope you will. Plus, you may already think that you know the story of Perseus from Greek myth, but our version is a little more modern day and a lot looser.

FCBD: What’s your favorite part about being able to work in comics?

CC: Telling big stories and not worrying about any kind of budget. Comics is a way of life for a lot of people, and looking at Free Comic Book Day and what it’s done for comics proves that there is no way that comics will ever die. Comics touch people in ways you can only imagine. They can provide an escape while also providing sheer entertainment and also telling a heart-wrenching tale. They can move you emotionally or spiritually and they can tell a solid, single story in 22-32 pages that would take a movie almost 2 hours to tell. That’s why I love comics. There is no holding back when making them and there is no way you can ever know how your story will be felt by others.

FCBD: Many newcomers will be picking up comics for the first time on FCBD—what was the first comic you remember reading?

CC: My first comic ever read was an insert in my local newspaper. Back in the 70s and 80s and probably before, newspapers like the Kansas City Star would do random comic book inserts as part of an advertisement for a company. In this case, Spider-man and the Hulk fought Kraven the Hunter in Kansas City while shopping at the Jones Store. It was hilarious because it was just such a weird comic book that even then I knew that this was strange. But I still have it, I still read it about once a year, and I still cherish it. It set me on the path I’m on today, where I’m now writing and creating my own comics. So I can thank my dad for that every day and every chance I get. After that, I read random X-Men and Superman comics, such as the Death of Superman. That got a lot of people reading comics back in the early 90s.

FCBD: Where will you be for this year’s FCBD? Do you have any annual FCBD traditions?

CC: I will be at Pop Culture Comix in Overland Park, Kansas. That is my tradition. Every year since the beginning of Free Comic Book Day I’ve been shopping at Pop Culture Comix from my favorite comic shop owner, Sid Smith. Once I started writing my own comics in 2008, I’ve been setting up shop at Pop Culture, doing random signings every few months whenever I had a big book, and definitely doing a signing every year on Free Comic Book Day. My first FCBD signing was in 2010, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. So come out and see me and I promise you’ll love being part of the tradition.

FCBD: Looking to the future of the book, is there anything you can tease about what's coming?

CC: Look for more adventures of Perseus within the Wrath of the Titans story books. He’ll be facing off against the Cyclops, against the Minotaur, against a skeleton army, and quite a few other awesome foes. It’s going to be a blast.

CC: Beyond that, I’ve got lots of comics on the forefront. I’ll be doing projects with Viper Comics and Action Lab Entertainment this year as well as a number of other books for Bluewater as well. Including one huge project that I can’t announce just yet. But 2012 and 2013 will be the year of the major announcements for me and for creator-owned comics that I’m doing through various other comics publishers.

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