COLISEUM OF COMICS: Kingsway West appears to combine a sense of magic with the old west. In today’s day and age we’re spoiled with so many great creator-owned titles focusing on different time periods, different protagonists, different genres, etc. What can you tell us makes Kingsway West a different, must-read experience?
GREG PAK: Well, I’m preeeetty sure it’s the only book out there with a Chinese gunslinger searching for his Mexican wife in an alternate history Old West overrun with magic.
But why should you care? Because it’s got incredible art from Mirko Colak and Wil Quintana supporting a deeply emotional and ultimately romantic story of damnation and redemption. And we’ve got mind-bending action and dragons and jackalopes. What’s not to love?
COLISEUM: The main character of the title is a man named Kingsway Law, an outlaw on the run after the events of a recent war. What can you tell us about this character you feel we should know? What makes him a better protagonist than most of what we’re seeing nowadays?
PAK: He’s a badass driven by love. That love part is important. Because our hero’s doing his damnedest to find his wife and give up on the violent, brutal world that made him a monster. But what happens when love and responsibility and the reality of the world pull you in totally different directions? It’s a big romantic fantasy world, but the struggles of the heart at the core of this character are totally real and achingly human.
COLISEUM: Can you describe for us your creative process, and what lead you to create this series?
PAK: This story is literally 23 years in the making. I grew up in Texas and always loved Westerns. And then when I learned about the actual history of Chinese immigrants in the Old West, my head popped off. I’ve been working on this story in one form or another for years and am beyond thrilled it’s finally getting out into the world.
COLISEUM: For comic readers unfamiliar with your work, what would you compare Kingsway West to?
PAK: If you liked the big worldbuilding of PLANET HULK, you’re gonna love KINGSWAY WEST. If you like big outdoor adventure like SEVEN SAMURAI and LORD OF THE RINGS, you’re gonna love KINGSWAY WEST. If you dig the mind-bending worlds and complex conflicting empires of PRINCESS MONONOKE and NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND, you’re gonna love KINGSWAY WEST. If you’re hungry for more diverse storytelling in big, fun genre work, you’re REALLY gonna love KINGSWAY WEST.
COLISEUM: Is there anything else you would tell new readers to convince them to give Kingsway West a read?
PAK: I’ve probably said too much already. So I’ll just drop this quote from Doug Zawisza’s 10/10 advance review from Comicosity:
I know I can rely on Greg Pak for entertaining stories, Colak for solid art, Quintana for vibrant, descriptive coloring, and Bowland for masterful lettering, so I had high hopes coming into Kingsway West #1. This creative team met that bar, effortlessly stepped over it, and gave me a story that was thoroughly entertaining and completely engrossing from cover to cover.
And maybe just check out the trailer and the preview!
COLISEUM: Lastly, what is your favorite title you’re reading right now?
PAK: I’ve actually been spending most of my free reading time these days finally digging into Margaret Atwood’s classic novels, including THE HANDMAID’S TALE and the MADDADDAM trilogy. So the book I’m probably most looking forward to right now is her upcoming ANGEL CATBIRD graphic novel.
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