First Comics News: How did “Skotus” come into being?
Rob Wolinsky: SKOTUS was an idea I had for a while. Texas Senator Ted Cruz is notoriously made fun of for being the Zodiac Killer, and the idea mostly stemmed from that. I pitched the idea to Nicolò Arcuti a few years back, and the rest is history!
1st: How did you find your team to create “Skotus”?
Rob: Nicolò and I met through an online forum that creators use to try and find work/collaborators.
1st: Why make the President of the United States into a serial killer?
Rob: I always enjoyed shows like House of Cards, Dexter, Scandal, etc. The idea of someone covering up their dirty deeds by being in a place of power intrigued me. The idea of taking that to the next level came naturally.
1st: Will these series reveal the President’s reasons for killing?
Rob: Yes! We have a special issue #0 planned for the Kickstarter which will touch on this some, but further, down the line, it will definitely be talked about in more detail.
1st: Who was Theodore Voyage before he was the President?
Rob: Theodore Voyage was a Senator who ran, and won, the 2020 election (In the story). That’s all I can say for now!
1st: Who are a few of the supporting characters?
Rob: The two most notable ones are Officer Diaz and the Presidents security detail, Gary. Officer Diaz plays a huge roll in helping the President get away with his crimes, where Gary appears to have the opposite effect.
1st: How well does Nicolo Arcuti’s art compliment the story?
Rob: Nicolò is an art god, sent from the heavens! When we first got together on this story, I gave him a few pitches and this is the one he chose.
1st: Besides the killing how do you bring across the President is a psychopath?
Rob: I tried to bring this up slowly over time, talking about his childhood, his Presidential campaign, and a few other surprises.
1st: Do you feel four issues is enough to tell the full story in “Skotus”?
Rob: The first arc is set up to be a four-issue series, but there is a much larger story to tell!
1st: What was “AA Squad” about and why should someone get it?
Rob: AA Squad is the story of a team of misfit time officers and their adventures to save the world. In the year 3000 the Time Mat is invented, a small doormat sized object that when stood on allows you to skip forward small amounts in time (skips tv commercials, microwave timers, etc.). The technology is hacked by a disgruntled Cable Television Provider Employee who lost their job after the creation of the Time Mat and all hell breaks loose. The new Time Mat hack allows users to not only skip forward in time but also backward. Due to the severe backlash from the hack, the TCO (Time Correction Organization) is formed. The TCO has 27 different departments ranging from A-Z and of course, our lowest ranking department, AA. The AA Squad deals with fluctuations in time of the least importance (graffiti, photobombing, etc.), but they soon find out that their missions are much more difficult than meets the eye. Our story takes place at the TCO Headquarters, which is located in the year 3001, at the very last moment in time before the universe is destroyed due to the massive changes in the time-space continuum. The TCO must restore the timeline and save the universe. Follow our foursome as they go from zeroes to heroes, traveling through space and time, finding themselves in unforeseen situations.
AA Squad is a great story for fans of Adventure Time and Dr. Who.
1st: Do you have anything else planned besides “Skotus” now?
Rob: Right now SKOTUS is our main priority, but Nicolò and I have a few anthology projects lined up for 2019.
1st: What do you find most enjoyable about writing?
Rob: I love being able to collaborate with creators all over the world. Being able to create such an awesome project with Nicolò being all the way in Italy blows my mind!
1st: Do you think the events in “Skotus” could ever become a reality?
Rob: Sadly, yes. I think the US political system is kinda wild. Nothing surprises me anymore.
1st: Any final words for the fans of “Skotus”?
Rob: Check out the Kickstarter on February 18th! Mention this interview and we’ll throw in some free rewards!
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