Dynamite Entertainment sent Major Spoilers an early look of Noir #1 by Victor Gishler and Andrea Mutti.
Q: Dynamite is building up quite a stable of both crime and pulp hero books. Tell us about how the Noir miniseries came about.
Victor Gishler: When our story begins, we don’t see Miss Fury for a while, but we feel her influence lurking in the background. So they don’t really come together until Black Sparrow and The Shadow finish their business. Last time we saw Black Sparrow and The Shadow together, they were trying to kill each other. We open the story with Black Sparrow on The Shadow’s home turf, and Black Sparrow is just cunning enough to know she can use The Shadow’s help. After all, what kind of masked adventurer would he be if she couldn’t set a little attempted murder aside when there’s treasure to be hunted. The Shadow is intrigued by Black Sparrow’s unexpected appearance. Sure, he could have dropped the hammer on her right away … but where’s the fun in that? Better to play along and see what happens.
Q: Who is the big-bad in this five-issue adventure? New, or someone one of our stalwarts has seen before?
Victor Gishler: That’s an interesting question because in the first issue, there really is no big bad. Rather, the conflict in the issue stems from the unfolding mystery and the tension between Black Sparrow and The Shadow working together. There is an antagonist figure, but we don’t meet the “big bad” until issue #2 — a very strange boyfriend and girlfriend team. I think I was channeling my inner-Chaykin when I created these characters, and I’m looking forward to unleashing them on Black Sparrow and Miss Fury and watching the sparks fly.
Q: You created Black Sparrow, I believe, in your great The Shadow run. Were you familiar with Miss Fury before working with her? Any favorite stories or plot points from Miss Fury or The Shadow that might rear their heads here?
Victor Gishler: To be honest, I was not familiar with the classic Miss Fury character. My first exposure to her was the Alex Ross cover for Dynamite. I saw it and thought WOW. Then I saw Jack Herbert’s splash with Miss Fury in the bath tub. Rob has been killing it in the Miss Fury book. Mostly what happens in NOIR is all new story. Readers might find it helps get them in the mood to pick up Miss Fury or the Revolution arc of THE SHADOW for the Black Sparrow’s first appearance, but they won’t be lost if they just dive into NOIR #1.
Q: Why is artist Andrea Mutti right for Noir? Are you a fan?
Victor Gishler: Andrea had been sending me samples for a while and saying “Hey, let’s work together.” So when Joe was fishing around for an artist for NOIR, I mentioned Andrea, and it worked out. Andrea is a pro, and one of the things I really appreciate about him is his ability to take all the reference I send him (pictures of cars or guns or strange old towers) and fit the images onto the page just right. And the guy works fast too … which keeps me on my toes.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from this story at series’ end?
Victor Gishler: I’d love for readers to come away with a real appreciation for both Miss Fury and Black Sparrow. Black Sparrow, especially since I created her. I think she ended up being a great character and can either be a protagonist or antagonist, depending on the story.
