Interview: Royden Lepp Rockets Into Volume 3 of RUST

This May, Archaia Entertainment will release the penultimate volume of Rust by Royden Lepp. Volume 3: Death of the Rocket Boy continues to tell the tale of the rocket boy with a mysterious past, Jet, and the Taylor family, who are trying to keep the family farm alive. Lepp was kind enough to discuss the upcoming volume with Comicosity, and what readers can expect from the next installment of Rust.

Rustv3-1Aaron Long: Thank you for your time, Royden! It’s been awhile since readers have visited the world of Rust. Jet was in a fairly rough spot at the end of volume 2, can you discuss where we find him at the outset of volume 3?

Royden Lepp: Well first we get to look back into his past again and get a closer look at the event that made him defect from the military. THEN we get to catch up with him back on the prairies and I’ll just say that the danger has not yet passed. Oz is stuck on a train headed away from the farm, and Jet’s foe is not finished with him.

AL: The Taylors have had a run of bad luck for seemingly quite awhile. In volume 3 will things turn around for the family? Or is the outlook on the farm still very bleak?

RL: Volume 3 Is definitely a kind of calm before the storm. Before things start to look up for the Taylor family, they’re going to get worse. This volume is building up to the next and most exciting book in the series.

Rustv3-2AL: There are ominous forces still hunting for Jet, can you discuss what he will be up against in this penultimate volume?

RL: I probably can’t say without spoilers. But readers will get a clearer picture than ever as to who is hunting Jet and how they’re doing. The biggest things Jet faces in this installment are his own internal demons.

AL: Jet seems to be in desperate need of a home and a family. Does he feel he’s found peace, or the potential for peace with the Taylors?

RL: We’re definitely seeing Jet’s desire to stay with this family. We started to see it in the last volume and Jet’s motives are becoming clearer, specifically who he’s running from and why.

AL: With volume 3 complete and Volume 4 in progress, has your creative process changed during the creation of Rust?

Rustv3-3RL: It definitely has. Rust used to be drawn on paper, it’s now created 100% digitally. It makes the production much faster and easier to alter. I’ve also learned what methods of page creation work best for me. For example I need a change of pace frequently, after doing 4 or 5 layouts in a row, I need to do some final line pages. After final line I really need to loosen up and thumbnail pages with loose sketches. It ends up that I work in a loop and draw through the book in small chunks or scenes and fit them together in the end. It’s been a fun process.

AL: Do you have any teases for Comicosity’s readers regarding Rust Vol. 3?

RL: This Volume is my personal favorite so far. I love the whole story of Rust, but Vol3 has some moments I’ve been eagerly waiting to share with readers. I don’t even mind if new readers just pick up Vol3 and read it first (but you’ll enjoy it way more if you start from the beginning ) 🙂

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