mindpollution.org

I’m still playing catch-up here and dealing with the sort of to-do list that, in most cases, should earn an appreciative whistle from anyone who glanced at it. To that end, here’s my recent interview with Gene Simmons Family Jewels producer Adam Freeman, who co-wrote the controversial new Top Cow series Genius with EW.com editor Marc Bernardin. The first (and possibly only – depending on how readers vote in the publisher’s “Pilot Season” contest) issue is on shelves now. I’ve read it and was fairly impressed with the story. I’m definitely interested to see how the story develops, so here’s hoping there’s an issue #2.

As always, there’s a link to the full interview at the end of the excerpt I’ve posted here.

Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman's first big comics project, last year's five-issue miniseries The Highwaymen, was one of last year's biggest surprises -- but not for the reasons you might expect.

Despite a massive marketing push by the series'  publisher, Wildstorm, as well as fairly positive reviews of the first issue, in the end the series was widely regarded as a commercial disappointment. After all was said and done, the series' performance left many figures in and around the industry, including Bernardin himself, wondering what the difficulties experienced by The Highwaymen say about the industry as a whole.

Nevertheless, the pair has persevered, and this week marks the release of Genius, their original story about a 17-year-old girl in South Central Los Angeles who unites the region's gangs in a war against the L.A. Police Department.

From the Top Cow solicit for the project:

Alexander, Hannibal, Napoleon, Patton. What if the greatest military mind of OUR generation was born in strife, surrounded by violence and combat since birth? When the gauntlet is dropped, the question isn't "How did 17-year-old Destiny Ajaye unite the gangs of South Central into a killer army and declare war on the LAPD?" No, the question is, "Can anyone stop her?"

This Wednesday, Genius will hit shelves as one of the titles in Top Cow's "Pilot Season" program, and readers will eventually be able to vote on which of the "Pilot Season" projects becomes an ongoing series with the publisher.

I spoke with Adam Freeman about Genius, where the idea for the story originated and the Top Cow program that once again puts a story he co-created with Bernardin at the mercy of comics fans everywhere.

COMICMIX: Can you tell me about the genesis of Genius? What was the spark that developed into this story?

ADAM FREEMAN: It was an idea that Marc had swimming in his head for a while, but I responded to instantly.  I have always been fascinated with prodigies and savants.  I am not a religious or spiritual person by any means, but the idea that someone -- regardless of their walk of life -- could be "chosen" to be the best at something is incredibly cool to me.

CMix: You've mentioned that this will be a "very different kind of comic." What do you mean by that?

AF: Besides the subject matter? A 17-year-old female gangbanger from South Central uses her God-given savant-like military mind to wage war on the Los Angeles police?  Besides that?  Seems a perfect fit in this Secret Invasion/52/Infinite Earth Crisis comic landscape we live in, don't you think?  Unless she killed Captain America.

Head over to ye olde ComicMix for the full Adam Freeman interview on Genius.