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Interview

Bobby Nash p2

Author and comics creator Bobby Nash talks about some of his favorite authors and thriller series, and describes how he started in the writing business...

READERSVOICE.COM: I know you’re a fan of Michael Connolly, and named a character Connolly in Evil Ways. But what would be the favorite books you’ve read over the years?

BOBBY NASH: Oddly enough, the character’s name was unintentional. Probably something my subconscious slipped in there.

Favorite books? That could be a long list as some are a series of books. Beverly Conners’ Diane Fallon series is wonderful. Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer series are both great. Alex Kava’s Maggie O’Dell novels are fun reads. J.T. Ellison’s Taylor Jackson novels are good thrillers (as I type this I’m nearing the end of her novel, The Immortals). Van Allen Plexico’s Sentinels novels are incredible. Sean Taylor’s Show Me A Hero short story compilation is good reading too. Stephen J. Cannell’s Shane Scully novels are a fantastic read. Sadly, we only have one more of those coming. I could go on and on, but this list could keep you reading for awhile.

RV: Do you read a lot about the history of Hollywood monster movies and watch a lot of movies for researching comics like Domino Lady vs. The Mummy, or read old comics? If so, what books or magazines have you liked?

BN: I didn’t really watch a lot of movies for research on this project, primarily because there was no time. There was a pretty quick turnaround on this one. Fortunately, Nancy Holder, who wrote the plot, handled most of the heavy lifting. All of those tidbits were already in there when I started. I did a few on-line searches for certain things, but most of it came out of the part of my brain that catalogs all that stuff. 

Pretty much anything I watch or read is some kind of research, whether I realize it at the time or not. It all goes into a cluttered corner of my brain until I need it.

RV: Did your professional writing career start with Lance Star Sky Ranger in 2005, or with Evil Ways, and how did you first get published?

BN: Technically, my first “real” published work happened in 1992 when I started doing comic strips for a magazine. I had stuff come out sporadically between then and 2005 when Evil Ways came out. I’ve been a lot busier since then. Evil Ways was completed in 1999. It took my 5 years and several rewrites before I found a publisher. Sadly, that relationship wasn’t the greatest experience, but Evil Ways did lead me to other work, including Lance Star: Sky Ranger.

Ron Fortier and I were table neighbors at the Dragon Con convention and he picked up Evil Ways for his review column, Pulp Fiction Reviews. He gave it a favorable review, which I appreciated. When he started putting together pulp anthologies for what would become Airship 27, he invited me to write a story because he had enjoyed Evil Ways. I agreed and I’m still doing stories for him. It’s been a great partnership.

Like a lot of other writers and artists I started out making my own comics, then joined forces with others like myself and we published a few things here and there. My first professional comic book writing sale came when I was hired to script the Demonslayer series for Avatar Press. That was in 1999 or 2000, I think. The dates run together a bit.

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-copyright Simon Sandall.