Tim O'Shea over at Silver Bullet Comics: "TO: Why did you pick Jon Proctor to be the artist on this project? What qualities/elements does his style add to the overall tale?

"LY: Jon's aesthetic is very taut, you know? You can look at a drawing of his and see the tendons and sweat. And, c'mon, his color sense is unparalleled in comics, so for a color book, you want that guy on the hues."

Ambush Bug over Ain't It Cool News: "My love affair with pretty much anything AiT/Planet Lar has to offer continues. This is a company that can’t seem to publish anything but great, fresh, and entertaining reads. You may know Brian Wood from his gritty work on Vertigo’s DMZ or his wonderful LOCAL series, but THE COURIERS is one of his earlier works that stands on its own as original, fun, and pumping with energy from the first to last panel. Set in the near future, New York is a war zone. Urban Mercenary Courier is the most dangerous job there is. And Moustafa and Special are the best of the best. If you loved films like SMOKIN’ ACES, DOMINO, and TRUE ROMANCE you’ll love this series of OGNs. In fact, this series has just been pegged to be adapted to film. And reading each of the three installments, you can see why Hollywood has come a callin’. Not only are each of these OGNs packed with a surefire adrenaline rush, the stories are strong, full of character and tiny details that make this property stand out as something original and different.

"In Volume One, we’re introduced to Moustafa and Special, the world they live in, and the rules they abide by. One of these rules is broken in this story as they agree to transport a human being from point A to point B. A touching and heartbreaking story unfolds as the Couriers must transport a little girl through a maze of bullets, explosions, and bad guys. Volume Two: DIRTBIKE MANIFESTO is an extended chase scene that is about as intense as anything you’ve ever read. And Volume Three: THE BALLAD OF JOHNNY FUNWRECKER takes a trip back in time to when Moustafa and Special first met. These three volumes would make an amazing trilogy on film. They read quickly, not due to lack of content, but because your pulse is pounding so much that you can’t help but race from one panel to the next as a frantic pace. All three are littered with intricacies that show that both writer and artist had a blast putting these stories together. And I had a blast reading it. THE COURIERS is a special kind of comic. One that will appeal to all… especially readers of this site. Seek out these issues and thank me later. You can be one of the cool ones who said that they read this obscure series of OGNs before they become cinematic adaptations."

Johnny Bacardi, on the new version of Giant Robot Warriors: "And the truth in advertising award goes to....AiT/Planet Lar! This is indeed an account of Giant Robot Warriors, and the people who put them together- and as is so often the case from the House that Lar Built, it's a fast-paced high-concept action film on paper. First published back in the dim and distant days of 2003, it's being re-presented now partly because (I'm assuming here, only Uncle Lar knows for sure) of artist Kelly's elevated profile these days via Local and other projects, and because the political climate is a tad more conducive to this sort of thing. Plus, it's a quality work, and deserves another chance to find its audience. Moore, who's a better writer than he gets credit for, keeps everything moving along at a brisk clip with some snappy dialogue and a disinclination to stop and ponder all the ramifications of the events. I wish his political satire had a bit sharper edge, but it's acceptable as is and for some twisted reason I liked the depiction of the Bush-like President (who is, of course, not what he seems) as a deranged Clint Eastwood type who stands tall even when missiles are whizzing by his head. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to our real Pres (well, perhaps the deranged part) but this version stands out by its deviation from the standard portrayal. Kelly's art is a lot looser and more cartoonish here than what I'm accustomed to, but it has a vitality and energy that doesn't always manifest itself in his more accomplished current output. The brand spankin' new wraparound cover points out the difference between Kelly then and Kelly now. Its political satire roots keep GRW from becoming another Transformer-esque fanboy wank, and if you're looking for a solid "popcorn GN" you could do much worse than to check this out. A-"

+++++

Randy Lander, on this May: "The Black Diamond #1 (AIT/Planet Lar) - I was starting to think we’d never see this limited series from AIT/Planet Lar, given that the preview book came out a couple years back. But it’s now being solicited, and it still looks like plenty of fun. High octane driving across a near-future cross-country elevated highway, as a dentist has to borrow his brother-in-law’s 1973 Mercury Cougar to take to the outlaw roads to rescue his wife. All in full color with art by Jon Proctor, of the short-lived but well-drawn Gun Theory miniseries... The Homeless Channel GN (AIT/Planet Lar) - I’ve noticed that the AIT/Planet Lar ad copy has started to become more and more obtuse about what the actual story of their books are, and the promo copy for Homeless Channel doesn’t do much to illuminate what the story is actually about. Fortunately, there’s a handy interview with creator Matt Silady (along with copious amounts of preview art) by Chris Arrant that tells you all you’ll need to know and is a pretty intriguing pitch for the series as well."

+++++

"Maybe I'm a dreamer (but I'm not the only one)." Graeme calls me "comics' least known softie." No one knows what it's like to be the bad man; to be the sad man... behind blue eyes.

Scott Cederlund, of Pop Syndicate, took better part of a week interviewing me about The Black Diamond:

Pop Syndicate: So, how does Larry Young The Publisher get along with Larry Young The Writer? How do the two jobs inform and complement each other?

Me: The publisher and writer sides of my job are pretty well-integrated. I understand that once the comic is completed that only a third of the job is over, and that I have to market and promote the work. It’s an interesting dichotomy, because since comics is a commercial art, as writer I’m 50% concerned about the Art, and as a publisher, I’m 50% concerned about the Commerce. So it’s easy to stay focussed.

Sometimes I have a little friction with some creators who don’t understand that, as a creator myself, I understand exactly where they’re coming from, but as a businessman I have to make sure that 50% Commerce is taken care of, too. But no one knows what it’s like to be the bad man; to be the sad man, behind blue eyes, right? I mean, I’m just happy that I have the opportunity to have these discussions with talented folks and put awesome comics out into the world.

I do have to admit that having Mimi as publisher, too, is wildly beneficial for Larry-the-Writer. I’m just like all the other talent, too, in that I want my stuff marketed and promoted just as hard as everyone else’s, and that if the company gets me a dollar, I’m pissed I didn’t get a dollar-ten, and not grateful that it wasn’t seventy cents. But with a gentle prod from Mimi, Larry-the-Publisher reminds the talent what we went through and the context of the deals, and then Larry-the-Writer nods happily and folds his profits back into the Last of the Independents slipcover or paying for the third Demo printing or something.

I guess I wouldn’t be a publisher if one of the Big Four had twigged to Astronauts in Trouble back in ‘98 when comics were dying, but it was a great time to start something up. Expectations were so low that just putting five issues of a monthly out on time was perceived by retailers as some sort of magical miracle, and we got a pretty high profile pretty quickly. So it’s a nice mix. When I want to exercise my PR skills, I do that, and when it’s time to do some creative, I do that, too. Slow and steady wins the race.

On His Majesty's request:

Me: You saw this, yeah? It's finally coming out. :)

My old college buddy, the improbably-named Rob Lavender: Congratz, Baby! Long time comin. And the art looks GREAT. I wrote a starter comic about cars racing around last year. Such fun!! I love that stuff!!

Me: Yeah, there's something in the air. FOX has a show coming up called Drive about a cross-country car race and the people involved. Sort of a drama Amazing Race. The main character's wife is kidnapped, the clowns, which I'd be more mad about if I didn't know Nate Southard and Shawn Richter, who did a graphic novel called Drive. Good luck getting yours made into a movie now, lads.

But muscle cars are the new zombies. Which were the new pirates. Which were the new ninjas. Which were the new monkeys. If you could somehow do a comic about an undead silverback trained in the East in the mysteries but given charge by the Queen to plunder the Americas in his 1970 Dodge SuperBee, you'd die a rich man.

Rob: That's funny. Print that rant somewhere; it's good.

Me: Clicking send now, baby. My middle name is PRESS ENTER.

Rob: Mine's Michael.