Tom Peyer talks about WRONG EARTH

Ahoy Comics is the newest publisher in town. Tom Peyer will be writing their debut title, Wrong Earth. Tom was nice enough to stop by First Comics News to let our readers know what the Wrong Earth is all about and what to expect from the Dragonflyman.

First Comics News: What is Earth-Alpha?

Tom Peyer: Earth-Alpha is a place where the heroes are perfect, the villains aren’t so bad, and the authorities can always be trusted. If its culture had a founding document, it would be the old Comics Code. It’s a place where nothing can happen that’s so adult, so disillusioning, that seeing it would be bad for children.

1^st: On Earth-Alpha who is Dragonflyman?

Tom: Dragonflyman is a masked crime-fighter. The wealthy orphaned son of two dastardly criminals, he wages a never-ending crusade against people like his parents. He instinctively knows what must be done and can always be counted on to do it.

1^st: On Earth-Alpha who is Stinger?

Tom: Stinger is Dragonflyman’s kid sidekick, similarly orphaned by criminal parents. When not assisting Dragonflyman or tending to his studies, he spends his spare time solving supernatural mysteries.

1^st: Isn’t Dragonflyman worried about endangering the life of a minor?

Tom: It hasn’t crossed his mind. But it will.

1^st: On Earth-Alpha who is Number One?

Tom: Number One is the world’s most narcissistic criminal mastermind. His crimes always have a theme, and the theme is always him.

1^st: What is Earth-Omega?

Tom: Earth-Omega is a place where the good guys are disillusioned and ultraviolent, the bad guys are even more violent, and the authorities are crooked. They must have had the Comics Code at one time because they seem awfully invested in violating it.

1^st: How is Earth-Omega Dragonfly different from Dragonflyman on Earth-Alpha?

Tom: They’re both good people. But Dragonfly is tired of the corruption, the violence, the effort. That weariness causes him to cut moral corners that would horrify Dragonflyman, who has never faced a fraction of the evil that Dragonfly encounters on every patrol.

1^st: What happened to Stinger on Earth-Omega?

Tom: If you expect Dragonfly’s kid sidekick to be alive, you probably haven’t read many comics published after the mid-80s.

1^st: How is Number One different on Earth-Omega?

Tom: He has the same narcissism, but he’s a lot more violent, and gleefully so.

1^st: So the basic idea is Batman ’66 switches places with the Dark Knight?

Tom: It’s broader than that. I would say the basic idea is every super-hero comic published before the mid-80s switches places with every comic since. For instance, you might not have had the full camp super-hero experience if you haven’t read 1965’s The Mighty Crusaders, or a 1958 Green Arrow story.

1^st: With this Wrong Earth switch, who can fit in better, Dragonfly or Dragonflyman?

Tom: It’s extremely upsetting to both of them at first, but they both have ways of getting the job done whatever the odds. Still, you’re right to suspect it’s harder on one of them.

1^st: How can the residents of Earth-Alpha even imagine the level of sadisticness Number One brings from Earth-Omega?

Tom: It’s like they can’t even absorb it. They go straight to denial.

1^st: Are we going to be confined to Earth-Alpha and Earth-Omega, or will the action spill over into other dimensions across the multi-verse?

Tom: We’ll see!

1^st: Is this a mini-series or on-going?

Tom: Like most of our titles, The Wrong Earth is an ongoing series that will come out in seasons. In this case, you’ll get six issues, we’ll take a break, and then you’ll get six more down the road. And so on.

1^st: For anyone still on the fence about Wrong Earth, what makes Wrong Earth so cool no true comic fan should miss it?

Tom: It’s serious, it’s funny, the pictures are amazing. Jamal Igle is the co-creator, and his pencils are full of energy, humanity, and world-building detail. Inker Juan Castro and colorist Andy Troy keep the art at the insane quality level set by Jamal. We have backup stories that look in on our heroes before the switch, by Paul Constant, Frank Cammuso, Gary Erskine and Tom Feister. We have prose short stories and text features, including an absurd routine in #1 written by Grant Morrison. If that’s not cool enough, I give up.

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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