When something is really good, I want to share that find with others. And that’s how I feel about Avatar Of The Futurians #1 by David Miller, which will be available tomorrow at comics stores here in the States.

I’m lucky enough to have a copy of this comic in my possession–it helps to know the creator personally!  The book is fast-paced, well drawn, has excellent dialogue and art, and could easily be produced by DC Comics or Marvel. It’s not–it is self-published, but is professional enough to put some of the “big” comics offerings to shame!

Let me get to the vital statistics right away: Avatar Of The Futurians is a full-color comic costing $3.99 in the U.S. If you’re a fan of Highlander, Harry Potter, King Arthur and, of course, The Futurians, then this series is for you! For more information, you can check out the website for David Miller Studios.

David was recently interviewed by Cliff Biggers at Comic Shop News, a publication available at many comics and specialty shops, in an article appropriately titled, “Back To The Futurians.” I thought I’d share some of that article in celebration of today’s release.

“When I was ten years old, I encountered Dave Cockrum‘s work in the pages of The Legion Of Super-Heroes,” Miller said. “In that one moment I instantly became a fan of comics and of Dave Cockrum and consumed with the desire to work in the comics industry. Dave was my idol and my inspiration.”

So, just what is The Futurians about?

“The Futurians is about our Earth of the distant future about to end. The bad guys of the story escape to their past–our present–to leave the good guys to die. The good guys can only send one agent back in time to confront the bad guys. But they are also able to send genetic ‘time bombs’ into the past that will mutate humans into super-beings,” he said.

“The time-traveling good guy collect the affected subjects and ignites their super-powers, creating the Futurians. Their story arc in the graphic novels introduces the characters, and ends with the time-traveling bad guys being neutralized.

“The Futurians was part of Marvel’s graphic novel/creator-owned initiative of the 80’s. They appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #9. For whatever reasons, the series did not continue at Marvel. Cockrum retained ownership of the characters and continued to publish them with different publishers. Because of the vagaries of the economy and the comics industry in general, I think Cockrum put The Futurians aside to take paying work until the time of his death–although that’s a very simplistic summary of events,” he said.

David had what he calls “a very traditional start in comics.” He apprenticed under Bob Downs, who he calls “a wonderful artist.” Downs was an inker who had attended the very first John Buscema workshop class. At the age of 13, David had begged his parents to attend, so how cool was it to work with a graduate of that class!

When the bust of the 90’s hit, David went into commercial illustration, but that comic urge wouldn’t let go. He self-published Cliff Diver, Professional Teen Cliff Diver, then moved on to Writer’s Block, an anthology I particularly enjoyed. Block was a case of David writing the art, then approaching writers and asking them to fill in the dialogue, the reverse of how this is usually handled in the comics industry. My favorite remains one written by Mark Waid, still one of the best writers in comics today.

“And now I’m doing my dream project: The Futurians. It was Dave Cockrum’s work that inspired me to work in comics. I feel I’ve come full circle and am having the time of my life,” David said.

Why focus on Avatar instead of bringing back the entire group?

“I honestly believe that each of The Futurians could carry his or her own min-series or one-shot,” David said. “I would like to see them developed before having them interact as a team again. That said, the character of Avatar has always been my favorite. He is just bursting with potential. And I wanted the reader to get to know him as a person and not just the big gun of The Futurians.

“Avatar is an immortal who predates Highlander. So, to paraphrase Cockrum, you can do Highlander-type stories with him, you can do superhero-type stories with him, and of course, you can do Futurian stories with him! I liken him to a cross between Highlander and Captain Britain, while basically pre-dating both,” Miller said.

Although David has been both the writer and illustrator so far, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had some stellar contributions by other great artists. “Greg LaRocque has done an outstanding cover for the first issue,” he said. “I met Greg a few years ago and we’ve often spoken about doing something together. The Futurians seemed like the perfect opportunity.

“There are many fine artists who want to work on this project because of their love and respect for Dave Cockrum. Mike Netzer has done a tremendous cover for Avatar Of The Futurians #2, and Joe Rubinstein has come on as series inker with the second issue,” he said.

Why is this a good time to bring back The Futurians?

“The Big Two are currently emphasizing their return to heroic status of their characters (as in DC’s Brightest Day and Marvel’s Heroic Age),” he said. “This is what The Futurians have always been about. There is no need to ‘return’ to The Futurians‘ heroic roots because they never left!”

I highly recommend this comic because The Futurians deserve the best treatment possible, and they get that in Avatar Of The Futurians. Be sure to pick your copy up today!

And here’s a video where David gets up close and personal with us, the fans, as he talks about Avatar Of The Futurians #1. The lengths some people will go to just to sell a comic, I tell you!

Did you like this? Share it:

« »