The Kaptara TPB arrives this week.

Chip Zdarsky talks about the wild and funny Image series, with some Howard and Jughead for good measure.

His latest creator-owned project isKaptara, an extended He-Man riff that he created with artist Kagan McLeod.

Is there anything surprising to you in how its been received?

Chip Zdarsky:Hmm, surprising?

So Im always pleasantly surprised when people like it.

But Im super happy that this found the people that it needed to find, you know?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because its also…every projects different.

So likeSex Criminals, Matt and I didnt think it would last past three issues.

…We had phone calls where we were just like Yeah, were doing this just for ourselves.

Thats not really a comic.

So that was an amazing surprise.

There does seem to be an emotional honesty that exists in both of them.

That…inKaptara, Keith is not perfect.

Yeah, theres the heros journey.

Hes the one running, hes the one being protected.

And a lot of that idea is that hes had troubles in the past.

I was just gonna say that.

You feel like you could be a new person, and in some cases, it is easier.

You kind of become the person you wanted to be.

We tried to make it so Kaptara, there isnt any kind of overt sexism, racism, homophobia.

None of that stuff really exists on the planet proper.

So when that stuff gets removed, what kind of person can you grow to become?

So thats kind of the heros journey…Keith will be a bit more active as it goes on.

But thats not really the focus of character growth, its just a byproduct of it.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

It seems like a lot of this book is just you and Kagan trying to make each other laugh.

[laughs] Theyre so fucking funny to look at.

When Im reading through, Im like Oh shit, the Glomps are Gamergaters.

I was on the floor.

So there was no thought of Gamergaters, or MRAs or standard internet trolls.

Theres none of that in our heads when were doing it.

Theres no concrete evidence that its an MRA throw in, or a Gamergater.

That wasnt our intention.

So they see it and go oh no, clearly this isnt about us.

these guys are shitty little trolls.

Thats not who we are.

Because of course they dont think of themselves that way.

No one ever does.

No, its Poes Law.

I suppose thats whats happened here, but I love it.

Because Kagan made them so perfect that I want to keep bringing them back.

Because theyre just so reviled and gross and theyre so fun to write and draw.

[laughs] Its quite possible.

Youll have to ask Kagan about that.

The face definitely has a Shecky Greene kind of vibe.

Hes so good at drawing these really shitty things from the 80s, like Judith Light pinups and Alf.

So are you gonna sneak Alf in there somewhere too now?

So what do you find most challenging about writing this?

You know, when youre working on something likeHoward the DuckorJughead, the characters are already so fleshed out.

Especially withJughead, those characters are archetypes unto themselves.

Somebody says they need a Jughead-style character, you know exactly what they need.

If I killed off Aunt May in the next issue ofHoward, that would be a big thing.

That would be like, people would be upset, it would be a touching tale.

And you know, youd get press for it.

Itd be a huge thing.

Right, the shorthand.

That being said, you could also do whatever you want, which is amazing.

We could end this all next issue, kill off every character and start with brand new characters.

But the X-Men…

Oh, the X-Men, no problem.

Is it tough to shift gears in the humor?

Thats working ten hour days, six days a week.

Because Im penciling, inking, coloring, lettering, designing, adding jokes here and there.

Its a lot of work for a monthly comic.

Like all the time.

Even though Matts the one who ultimately decides the course of it and the course of the characters.

Id kind of become a de facto editor because I spent all my time with the characters.

When I finish aHowardscript, Im like Okay.

I cant think about Howard any more, but theres aJugheadscript due.

I can go to that.

Its a lot lighter, its more fun, and withKaptaraits kind of the same thing.

Because you were an artist first, do you find yourself micromanaging the art process a little bit?

No, no, its kind of the opposite.

The first time I wrote a script for someone else was for Joe [Quinones] onHowardissue 1.

So it took me a little bit.

I had to step back and go Oh wait, no.

Im not the artist on the book.

And at that point I just trusted Joe.

And its the same with Kagan and with Erica [Henderson, his partner onJughead].

Theyre all so talented.

The other thing is that theyre better artists than I am in so many ways.

Like theres no way I would ever tell Erica how to lay out a page.

There are no instructions for layouts because she delivers stunning, elegant layouts that flow perfectly.

She finds ways to solve problems that I wouldnt be able to come up with.

Yeah, so it makes it a lot easier.

With Joe, hes just kind of overall such a great artist.

There is an art to timing comedy in comic books.

And all three of them are outstanding at it.

And that was my concern when I was pitchingHoward, was well who do I get as the artist?

I wanted to double-check that I had some say in it, and the editor was fantastic.

Because thats the worst thing.

How much longer can I buy this for?

That happened inside of a comic I was reading this week.

Not just when I was a kid.

Yeah, but you know, its [scheduling].

That style is not…thats not comedy, thats giant space action.

I would murder everyone I hold dear to work with Jason Latour again.

Hes amazing at comedy.

And then Rob Guillory and Katie Cook, theyre just known for that.

Theyre known for it.

And to be able to work with them, even in such a limited capacity was amazing.

So everything else has been like Okay yeah, Ill do that because its fun.

And you could always go back to politics.

[laughs] Oh I totally would.

Oh, I miss the newspaper days so much.

I really do, I really do.

Its a different thing.

Youre not slipping anybody column ideas?

Once in awhile I will email the editor-in-chief with like, a dumb idea I have.

Just to get it out of my brain and hopefully into the hands of someone else.

But yeah, its so hard.

I was doing the same things every day.

So going to comics was a good break, but comics is the ultimate in repetitive.

I have drawn Suzy talking to Jon a thousand times, you know?

CZ: Its true.

Yup….[So] has anybody reached out aboutKaptaraaction figures maybe?

At the least I want a plush Cat Tank.

Todd McFarlanes right there.

He is right there.

Like literally right next to you.

I got to meet him finally at Image Expo last year, which is pretty trippy.

And have it not be ridiculous.

Or have it not be that ridiculous.

No no, its like, Well hey, its Spawn.

I live it….Id loveKaptarafigures.

I feel its probably a bit too limited a market for that, but God, thatd be amazing.

Itll probably be a little bit later.

I want to get a bunch in the bank before we solicit it again.

Because it was starting to slow down.

And the Demotivational Orb, right?

Hes called the Vicious Circle…[laughs].

That was so fun.

He wanted to do a big spread.

He wanted it to be three pages.

He wanted to split the last page and have another page full of characters.

Which is just crazy.

It took him so long, and I barely contributed to it.

I think I came with like, maybe ten of them.

And I ended up writing bios for them, for the trade collection.

Oh, thats amazing.

Theres like, over 80 new characters, and they could all conceivably be He-Man action figures.

No, its crazy.

Especially the deep catalogue ones.

So he basically just drew a net and put a wig on it and some lipstick [laughs].

Its just so basic and so shitty.

It made me laugh so much.

Its entirely based on Bruce Timms greatest creation, Netta.

[laughs] To hell with you, Batman.

Any chance of a Cyklowl spin off?

Oh Id love to.

Kagan hides me in every issue.

So Kagan has me hidden in every issue, and Im usually like, naked and terrified.

I will be going back and looking at that as soon as the interviews done.

Thats a fun game.

Lets find naked Chip…Anything else about the next arc that you want to share?

Theres going to be more romance.

Thats the one thing the first volume was lacking.

It was always a surprise or a plot twist.

Oh it turns out this characters gay.

Which is like, its so shitty and cliche and like, negates actual gay relationships.

So there will be giant battles and more kissing.

Looking forward to it!

Kaptara Volume 1: Fear Not, Tiny Alien arrives this week.