Interview: Bryce Carlson Prepares to Pull a HIT at BOOM!

This September, prepare yourselves for a HIT. BOOM! Studios will be releasing HIT from the creative team of Bryce Carlson and Vanesa Del Rey. The duo will take readers back to the pulpy 50s to follow a squad of police officers tasked with dealing with the worst L.A. has to offer. Carlson was kind enough to take some time to discuss the new series with Comicosity, and what readers can expect from HIT.

Aaron Long: Let’s start at the beginning….how did HIT come to be? Has the idea been kicking around in your head for awhile?

BOOM_HIT_001v1_ABryce Carlson: I’ve always had a deep fascination with the Crime genre. Detectives, grisly murders, crime syndicates—you name it. But what always stuck out to me were the stories where you found out that the people who were supposed “good guys” weren’t so good. And so when I heard a true story about the LAPD having hit squads back in the day, I couldn’t shut my brain off. The idea was burning such a hole in my head that it gave me the gumption (probably too much) to pitch HIT to Ross Richie even though I had no idea how to pitch an original series at the time. And for some miraculous reason, Ross dug the pitch and decided to take a chance on me. That was 2009. I spent the next couple years having way more fun researching than any sane person and then enjoyed about six months of fun creative development with Ross, Matt Gagnon (Editor-in-Chief), and Eric Harburn (Editor). HIT has been brewing inside of me for a long time so I’m happy to finally share it with the world.

AL: Hit follows a secret police squad tasked with taking on the worst of the worst. Can you shed some light on the characters and setting we’ll be seeing in HIT?

BC: 1955, Los Angeles—a complicated time where mid-century post-war utopia shares a bed with a darkness spreading through the heart of the city. Even though Mickey Cohen, the most notorious criminal in L.A.’s history, is behind bars, there’s still police corruption, gangsters getting off scot-free, and blood in the streets. Things are getting worse before they get any better.

HARVEY SLATER. He’s our guy. Hollywood Homicide detective solving murders by day, unrelenting hitman delivering the swift hand of justice by night. I’ve always described him as being a tough son of a bitch with a strong jaw but what’s most intriguing about Slater is that he comes from a broken home, which continues to find a way to manifest itself in his adult life.

When he’s on the job, Slater’s tracking down killers with his partner Joe “Sticky” Stickelman. But when he’s off the clock, he’s with the hit squad: Porter McKnight, Sid Overstreet, and Jimmy Gomes. Sticky and the hit squad couldn’t be more different and that’s pretty much the duality of Slater’s life in a nutshell.

Bonnie Brae is that beautiful girl from your past that you know is bad news, but you just can’t seem to help yourself. She’s the best thing to ever happen to Slater and the worst thing all at the same time.

AL: HIT sounds like a full-on pulp noir. What about this genre and the setting of the 50’s appeals to you?

BOOM_HIT_001v1_BBC: HIT is absolutely a full-on pulp noir. Longtime fans of the genre are going to be stoked and first-time offenders are going to get an introduction that will hopefully send them off on a Crime spree. I fell in love with this kind of stuff when I was a kid so it’s pretty mind-blowing to have a chance to contribute to a genre I’ve been in love with for so long.

When it comes to Crime, it’s all about the characters. You can’t trust anyone. Each person is just as capable of helping you as they are of screwing you over. That’s real life. There’s an honesty to the genre that you don’t always get in other fiction. I love seeing someone fight a huge battle for a seemingly small reward, someone who’s willing to lose it all just to make things right. And I love seeing someone find out they’re not as smart as they think they are. But mostly, I love seeing this world of characters that exists right under our noses, invisible to the naked eye.

The ‘50s and ‘60s are my favorite periods of American history. I’m pretty sure that’s where I belonged. Things were simpler. The cars were gorgeous. People talked to each other. At least, that’s how I’ve over-romanticized it in my head.

AL: As the Managing Editor of BOOM! Studios you’ve seen many worlds come together from scratch. What has it been like to see Vanesa R. Del Rey pull the world of HIT together from a writer’s perspective?

BC: Oh man, Vanesa is unbelievable. People aren’t ready. Honestly, I can’t believe that this is her first comic book. Between her raw talent and already refined execution, she’s one of the best new artists I’ve ever seen. What she’s been able to do with this world, especially since she’s not a native Southern Californian like myself, is remarkable. Sure, she nails the architecture, the clothing, and the cars but it’s how well her style captures the feeling of the era that really takes it to the next level.

From a writer’s perspective, she’s inspiring. Here’s a perfect example. When Vanesa turns in inks, I go through and tweak the dialogue before we send the pages to the letterer because a lot of the time, she captures the moment even better than I originally imagined. She’s a wonderful collaborator and a phenomenal storyteller so it’s been pretty much a writer’s dream working with her.

AL: Has your time as an editor influenced your writing style? Do you find yourself approaching the project as an editor at times and as a writer at others?

BC: Editing has definitely influenced my writing style—mostly because I can’t ignore the editorial approach. That’s why when I turn in a first draft it’s actually a second or third. But even though I take the time to edit myself, I absolutely need an editor because I’m often times so close to the material that even my editorial eye will miss something. It’s difficult to look at something objectively when you know every little thing about it.

Right now, I find myself approaching ideas, hooks, and characters like a writer. When it comes to approaching things like story, structure, and pacing, I have more of an editorial eye. Adjusting dialogue to better fit a page: full-on editor mode. But when I come up with a better line to end an issue with, the writer hat’s on. So to answer your question succinctly, I’m a fully functioning schizophrenic.

AL: Any special teases or spoilers for Comicosity’s readers regarding HIT?

BC: SPOILERS: people die.

Seriously though, here’s a list of a few things that you’ll encounter in issue #1: cigarettes, bourbon, sex, Hollywood, guns, suits, vodka, sharks, goons, gunshot wounds, marijuana, shotgun shells, tears, money, Santa Monica, robbery, meat hooks, cars, heroin, underwear, Downtown Los Angeles, garrote wire, blood, handcuffs, and a dead maid.

For more teases, sneak peeks at art, and insights to the creative process of HIT, check out the Facebook page that we have set up: https://www.facebook.com/hitcomicbook

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