J. Torres has kicked off an ambitious project: an anthology of Canadian heroes created by Canadian comic pros. True Patriot is that project and features some of the top creators Canada has to offer. Torres recently took time from his schedule to discuss the project, the Indiegogo campaign, and what readers can expect from True Patriot.

Aaron Long: Best to start at the beginning: how did you come up with the True Patriot project?

J. Torres: Basically, for years I’d hang out with certain comic book creators and inevitably we’d talk about Canadian superheroes and how we all have our concepts and how we should do something with them. And well, I decided to finally do something. I asked a lot of the same people I had these conversations with if they’d like to help me put together a Canadian superhero anthology, and True Patriot was born.

AL: You’ve assembled a list of diverse and talented creators. How did your collaborators become involved with the project?

JT: Most were people I asked to contribute. Again, collaborators and other creators I’ve talked to at con after con about doing a Canadian superhero book. A few other folks were brought in by those people. For example, J. Bone recruited Jay Stephens. Adrian Alphona asked Howard Wong to help him write a story.

AL: The collection will be an anthology format. At present, how many stories are slated to be included?

JT: We’ll have a dozen stories ranging from 6-10 pages each.

AL: Now, on to the heroes! Can you discuss some of the heroes who have been created for this project?

JT: It’s a really cool cast of characters. For example, we’ve got Scott Chantler’s World War II hero called Red Ensign. Scott’s known for his historical comics as well as a pulp-y storytelling sensibility, so Red Ensign is along those lines. Then there’s Andy B’s story “Thunderbirch” starring Raven-Girl who is the daughter of the mythical Thundebird. She gives up a normal life to take on her father’s mantle and defend her tribe from supernatural threats. If you know Andy’s work, you know he’s great with the supernatural stuff. Adrian and Howard’s story is similarly riffing off of a Native legend, but this time Ogopogo. Also, it’s a fun and humorous story. Another funny comic is Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks. If you haven’t read her webcomic, do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s on hiatus but there’s over 100 strips archived, and True Patriot will see a brand new Superhero Girl story. Speaking of brand new, there’s also the Family Dynamic story I’m doing with Tim Levins. A few people reading this might remember our short-lived DC series. We’ve got the rights back and we’re reuniting our Canadian superhero family in the pages of True Patriot. So, from that line-up alone, despite the fact that we’re all doing Canadian superheroes, there’s a lot of diversity there, and that’s just half of the book!

AL: Let’s talk about the IndieGogo campaign: how can potential readers get on board and what sort of reward levels are you offering?

JT: Comic fans can head over to indiegogo.com/truepatriot where they’ll find a pitch video, a gallery of art, and my front page presentation for information that will hopefully sell them on the idea. Then they can choose from an initial one dozen perks, including straight-forward “gimme the book” offerings of a digital PDF version as well as a pre-order of the hardcover. You can also get a book plate with an original sketch as an add-on. Or better yet, have yourself drawn in one of three stories! There are only a few of those available though, so they’re really special. You can also get an online portfolio review from one of creators on Skype or Google+. Again, these are limited so people should get them while they can. Now, I say an “initial dozen perks” because we’re only allowed to post twelve at a time. We have other great perks waiting in the wings, but they’ll only go up when others are taken. For example, you can buy the original art of Tom Fowler’s awesome “Val & Hal” promotional piece. (I’ll attach a copy of the image for you.)

AL: Any final words for Comicosity’s readers regarding True Patriot?

JT: Please visit indiegogo.com/truepatriot and if you like what you see, pick a perk or, if you can’t make a purchase, share the link to the page on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or with any of your comic reading friends!