Dean Haspiel talks about THE FOX: FAMILY VALUES

Dean Haspiel and I had crossed paths briefly when we were both at Archie and he was working on the first Fox mini-series. Now Dean is back on the fox again with THE FOX: FAMILY VALUES one-shot! Dean was nice enough to stop by First Comics News to let our readers know all about the new Fox one-shot.

First Comics News: Will we see the entire Fox Family, Fox, She-Fox, and Ghost Fox?

Dean Haspiel: THE FOX: FAMILY VALUES one-shot is a family affair. So, we will definitely peek in on all members of the Fox family. Including a hint at someone we haven’t seen in a long time.

1^st: Where are the Fox family in their lives now?

Dean Haspiel: When I was wrapping up “Fox Hunt,” I was thinking about a third mini-series and what would happen next, so I wrote two fully fleshed out story arcs. I then split and went on to produce 4.5 seasons of THE RED HOOK at Webtoon (and Image Comics). When I was asked to pitch something for The Fox back under the Red Circle banner, I thought about where he was a few years later, a story that would honor what happened before but easy for new readers to enjoy and I realized it had to be a day in the life of the Fox family and how each one of them deals with their family curse being a “freak magnet.”

1^st: Is Paul still a freak magnet?

Dean: Paul is a freak magnet against his will. But he has to lean into his curse and buy a lifetime supply of pain relief medicine or get clobbered by what’s to come.

1^st: How is Mae doing, since her injuries at the hands of Iron Fox?

Dean: Mai was the most interesting character for me to revisit. Half her face and shoulder got incinerated during her fight with The Iron Fox aka Mr. Smile. And there’s only a few ways to respond to such life-altering damage, physically and emotionally, and I’m excited for what she has decided to do in order to move forward.

1^st: How is Shinji dealing with being a new hero in a family of heroes?

Dean: Shinji is not so keen on being a superhero. In fact, he’s started to reject it. He’s fully aware of how it impacts his father and mother and wants no part of it. Only, he, too, is blessed with the family curse and has found a way to deal with conflict. Let’s just put it this way, when it comes to Shinji — you mess with the bull and you get the horns!

1^st: Your prior runs featured lots of classic and underused MLJ heroes and villains. Who can we expect to see pop up in this adventure?

Dean: Since my story is a tight 12-page tale, I could only play with a few villains. And one of them evolves in a fairly interesting way. Alas, I didn’t have room to employ any Mighty Crusaders but I hope to be given the opportunity in the near future.

1^st: For new fans who didn’t read the prior stories, is this a self-contained story, or is it a continuation of the prior stories?

Dean: “Mid-Life Pisces” is a self-contained story that absolutely hip-checks what’s happened before in an easy-to-understand way. But I hope new readers will wanna go back and read the other stories after they enjoy a visit with The Fox family.

1^st: Is this a love letter to fans of your prior work on the Fox, or is this the start of something more?

Dean: It’s a continuation of my love letter to Golden Age pulp heroes in a modern setting.

1^st: When does the special go on sale?

Dean: May 18th, 2022! Be there or be square.



        About Author
                        
                                                                
                                    
            
                
               
               
            
            
                
                    Rik Offenberger
                    
                
                

                
                
                    Rik Offenberger has worked in the comic field as a retailer, distributor, reporter, public relations coordinator, writer and publisher since 1990. He owns and operates the e-mail bases Super Hero News service, and his published works in print can be seen in The Comics Buyers Guide, Comic Retailer, Borderline Magazine, and Comics International. On the internet he has worked as a writer and/or editor for Silver Bullet Comicbooks, Comic Book Resources, Newsarama and First Comics News. He was the Public Relations Coordinator at Archie Comics for a decade. He is currently the Editor-In-Chief at G-Man Comics. For TwoMorrows Publications, Rik co-wrote The MLJ Companion with Paul Castiglia and Jon B. Cooke, charting the history of Archie’s superheroes, and for Gemstone Publishing wrote chapters of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to Lost Universes.
                
                
                    
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