2. What attracted you to the Torsobear project?
Nic Wilkinson (Letterer on “Some Assembly Required”, marketing brain): The chance to work with such a talented group of creators, and to expand the world of Toyburg. The intrusion of bleak noir storytelling into the bright colourful world of the the toys caught my imagination right away. The exuberantly brilliant ideas that Brett Uren has for every aspect of Toyburg and The Playtime meant I had to get involved in this project by hook or by crook as soon as I heard about it. When I got to read the script for “Some Assembly Required”, on page one, I was captivated; by page 3 I was in tears; by the end of 8 short pages I’d been so emotionally shaken up and down that I felt like I’d been through The Playtime! I had to letter it!
Jake Young (Writer on “Sour In The Sweet”): I stumbled on the original short by accident one night. I really enjoyed the contrast between the child-like environment and the gritty storytelling. I began to wonder what other citizens of Toyburg might be like and came up with G.I. Jay. That’s the really neat thing about the project. There are so many possible stories to be told in this setting. I’m very happy to be a part of this book.
Randy Haldeman: I remember reading the original short in Outre, and I’ve been a fan of Brett’s work with Kuzimu. I have been fascinated by the stories he has told and I was honored when he asked me to take part. Getting to work with all of these great small press creators is definitely a dream come true, and the world of Torsobear is the best place to realize that dream.
Brockton McKinney: I had read the original 8 page short Brett did for the Outré’ anthology and really fell in love with it. When I heard he was looking to expand that universe, I signed up immediately. That and the fact that Brett threatened to blow up my cat if I refused.
Glenn Møane: I’m an editor of the digital comics anthology Outré, where the original Torsobear story first appeared. It was a joy to work with Brett then and seeing his story come to life, and it ended up being the most popular feature in that particular issue. When Brett asked if I wanted to help him out on this book I couldn’t resist. Given the book’s size and the number of pitches received, it gave me more and invaluable editorial experience. I also got to flex my creative muscles by writing an 8-pager set in a fantastic world where anything can happen.
Cy Dethan: When Brett first approached me about submitting a proposal for the anthology, he sent what was one of the most jaw-dropping plot bibles I’d ever seen. By the time I finished reading it, I already had the bones of a story in mind, and a full script was hammered out not long after that. Sometimes, when you read something that’s so obviously the result of genuine enthusiasm and deep understanding, you’re reminded of all the reasons why you’re writing in the first place. That was the experience I had looking through Brett’s Torsobear material, and that’s why I needed to contribute to it.
Kieran Squires: I think most people used to always think about what would happen if their toys came alive when they weren’t around. I know I did and Toy Story kind of answered that question…in a nice way. After reading the original short by Brett Uren my mind flashed back to those thoughts I used to have and I realised that this project was going to make them real, in a way Toy Story just couldn’t. I answered the call to arms and was lucky enough to be selected to contribute to the project as both writer and artist.
Frank Martin: I was attracted to Torsobear by the drastic extremes in tone compared to the subject matter. The visuals are so light and warm, but the stories are dark and dirty. Its a great contrast.
Janos Honkonen:Â I love settings that take a totally ridiculous concept and then play it straight – without that mood that’s halfway between being arch and apologetic. Serious stories in an absurd world, that just fascinates me, and that was what the first Torsobear story offered. The whole concept was deliciously twisted. Also, you know the romanticized bullshit idea of an inspiration working in a way that “story just comes to you” – well, that exact thing happened here. I wrote the pitch during one lunch hour, and it took me two afternoons to finish the actual script, with edits. After having written a novel for years and honed certain texts for quite a while, that was definitely a pleasant surprise.
Grainne McEntee: Having worked with creator and Toymaster Brett Uren previously, when he invited us into his world, how could we possibly refuse? The man behind the surreal and wonderful graphic novel Kuzimu and the supernatural tale of The Vale is set to ignite the independent comic book scene with this crazy creation of toys gone bad.
Check out the Torsobear Kickstarter!
Find out what toys these writers and artists would be if they lived in Toyburg!
