Ian Flynn talks about the MIGHTY CRUSADERS

The Mighty Crusaders are very near and dear to me. It was with great excitement I learned that the Crusaders were returning to Archie. Even more exciting is that Ian Flynn will be writing the series. He had an incredible on Sonic and developed a huge fan following. Although it is several months until the Mighty Crusaders launch this December, Ian was nice enough to stop by First Comics News and let our readers know what to expect from the upcoming series.

First Comics News: On the cover we see Firefly, Comet, Darkling, Shield, Web Steel Sterling and Jaguar. Is that the complete team or just the core team?

Ian Flynn: That’s the active team, but the Mighty Crusaders are more than just that. Other veteran heroes are involved, and even more heroes operate outside of the team. It’s a big, exciting super-hero world out there!

1^st: I have to ask about three characters hard core fans will want to know about. Any chance we will see The Fly, Young Joe Higgins or Lancelot Strong?

Ian: It won’t be a young Joe Higgins…

1^st: Is this an all new start or a continuation of the New Crusaders?

Ian: We’re focusing on the current adventures of this incarnation of the team. Fans of the New Crusaders will get some answers though; a bit of closure.

1^st: The New Crusaders had a cartoony feel, while the Dark Circle line has had a more Vertigo feel. What type of storytelling are you planning for the Mighty Crusaders?

Ian: I’m aiming for a familiar “cape book” feel and a bit of the direct-to-home animated movies we’ve seen so much of lately. The team loves super-hero stories, so we’re producing the book we want to read.

1^st: The Mighty Crusaders in some shape or form have been around since the Golden Age of comics. How much history do fans need to know going in to Mighty Crusaders #1?

Ian: Zero. We get you up to speed in the first issue and you take off from there. You’ll jump right in, get a feel for the characters, and get to know them as the first storyline unfolds.

1^st: Will there be hidden “Easter Eggs” for long term fans?

Ian: I’m sure long-term fans will be going “how are they going to approach this” throughout and be pleasantly surprised.

1^st: You did an amazing job building a Universe with Sonic, What type of Universe do you have planed for the Mighty Crusaders?

Ian: Something truly epic! I’d love to weave the sci-fi and mystical elements all together into one giant cosmos. But first thing’s first – we’ve got to start small to go big.

1^st: Are Riverdale and the town of Red Circle in the same Universe?

Ian: There was a town called “Red Circle.” Past tense.

1^st: Any chance we will see the Crusaders cross-over with the Super-Teens?

Ian: Maybe not in this book but….

1^st: What makes the Mighty Crusaders so cool no true comic fan should miss the first issue?

Ian: This is a super-hero comic for fans of the genre. It has all the action, drama and spectacle we’ve loved for years but with zero baggage. It’s just a good “cape book” – nothing more satisfying than that!

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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