Interview: Luca Baldassarra Sheds Light on SHADOWLINES

War is occurring and it is time for you to choose who you will pledge allegiance to: Neo-Athens or the Utopian Legion. This is the world of Shadowlines as created by writer Luca Baldassarra. Luca took time out of his schedule to discuss the Shadowlines comic and how it ties to the iOS game set in the same world.

Aaron Long: Can you discuss how Shadowlines came to be?

Luca Baldassarra: Shadowlines was essentially the product of daydreaming and opportunity. I was in my last year of my undergraduate in History, and Shadowlines was one of the stories I was working on casually. I was approached by a good friend to create a story line for a game he was creating. Shadowlines was my answer to his request. With the framework of a game in mind I wrote a start to end video game literally overnight. Eventually I would be told that the story line I had written could not be produced in the game format, but my friend was so impressed with the amount of story I had submitted that he suggested we should create a comic. The rest as they say, is history.

AL: The world of Shadowlines has been completely created by you. Can you describe this world?

LB: Shadowlines is an extension of what I had learned about war by studying History in school. War is not the “X vs Y” format majority of people associate it with. Nothing is black and white. Anyone who critically researches any war, major or minor, will realize that each conflict has its fair share of grey areas. That’s what I wanted to establish when I wrote Shadowlines. We have the Neo-Athenians who are on the losing end of the conflict, and as such are motivated by the threat of destruction. On the flip-side we also see the Utopian Legion, an army that has managed to control over 2/3 of the world, fuelled by an ideology and determination. Outside the conflict, we have the secret organization of Shadowlines. The Shadowlines story explores the greys of each faction, and how the characters are influenced by them. You should never know clearly which side is good or bad, I aim to keep it completely interpretive. I feel that by adhering to that idea, I can create a world that will keep readers entertained.

AL: Shadowlines is both a comic and an iOS game. Can you discuss how the story of the comic ties into the game? Is one a sequel to the other?

LB: Like I said previously, the story of Shadowlines was originally intended to be the story of a game. As we moved forward, this was decided not to be the case. The game is loosely based on elements of the comic, however the characters in the comic won’t be appearing in the iOS game anytime soon. I still have the story in game format, maybe one day we can bring that project to light. For now, the game and comic are designed to support one another and offer the reader another form of entertainment.

AL: How can prospective readers get their hands on Shadowlines?

LB: We offer the comics in both digital and print formats on our website. There you can read explanations of the characters, factions, and creative team of Shadowlines. We even offer a PDF of Shadowlines #1 for free to any reader curious at trying something new. The entire creative team of Shadowlines have worked hard to bring it all together and we love to hear feedback from readers.

Visit us at www.shadowlinesgame.com

AL: Any last words for Comicosity’s readers about Shadowlines?

LB: This is my first published comic but will definitely not be my last. This whole experience has been incredible for me as a writer as we have received and continue to receive many kind words, praise, and support from individuals we meet. I am in the works of creating my next ndy comic entitled “Blink”, as well as continuing Shadowlines to Issue #5 and beyond. 2012 is a great year for comics both old and new, so if you enjoy reading comics get out there and explore the creator owned projects alongside your favourite Marvel/DC titles. I hope Shadowlines will be one of those comics!

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