Michael Hoskin a moderator at the Second String Sanctuary, talked with
Allan Jacobsen
about his career, comics, the industry and his upcoming writing assigment on the new Marvel comic book series 'Invaders' due out in June.
Allan Jacobsen has been directing the show 'King of the Hill' since 1999, and was an assistant director from the beginning of the show. He's done illustrations for children's books, storyboarded for Walt Disney Television, The Simpsons, and worked in development on Disney's "Team-O Supremo".
Invaders will be a new monthly comic spinning out of events from Avengers #82-84 ('Once An Invader' storyarc). C.P.Smith will be the artist and the team's lineup (at least initially), will consist of "a" Captain America, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Jim Hammonds (the original Human Torch), the female "Human Torch" (introduced in the Avengers storyarc), Union Jack, Spitfire, Blazing Skull, and Thin Man.
Michael Hoskin: First up, what is your relation to Adam Jacobsen who IMDB lists as a director on 'King of the Hill'?
Allan Jacobsen: Well, first of all, I'm not sure what an IMDB is. Adam Jacobsen is my brother. He's what you might call an evil twin--although I wouldn't say it to his face. He's quite cruel and unusual, which can be very surprising given his boyish good looks.
Actually, Adam Jacobsen is a typo. I used to work with another director by the name of Adam Kuhlman who is no longer with the show. I suppose IMDB got the two of confused. We actually look nothing alike. I'm much taller, and Adam drives a motorcycle and carries a homemade wooden lunhcbox. That is the truth.
Michael: Given your success in animation with King of the Hill and the Simpsons, what brings you to comics?
Allan: That's a good question (laughs). I suppose the truest answer is 
that I genuinely love comics. Comics are part of who I am--super-
There was never a time that comics weren't part of my life in one form
or another. I value the medium as an underrated art form, and I have
always wanted to work in the field. It just never seemed financially viable.
Ironically, while I love comics, I absolutely hate the industry that
produces and distributes them. Hate it. I'm not pointing fingers at a
particular person or company here. I find comics to be the least
professional industry on the planet. And I include burger-cheffery.
I should add that Marvel has been nothing but pleasant in dealing with
me since I started sending spec scripts in the past year.
I've enjoyed working with Tom Breevort and Teresa Focarile and their respective assistants. They treat their jobs like a business, which I appreciate, but my experience is that it's rare.
But-- now, let's just use DC Comics for example. Their policy is that they don't accept submissions. They suggest "aspiring professionals" attend the comic conventions. That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Ever. I am not in a hiring position on 'King of the Hill', but I accept phone calls all the time from people interested in working in animations.
I'm certainly not going to tell another professional to meet me at a trade show. It's absurd, and it's insulting. I've watched editors review aspiring artist's portfolios--and this is a true story here--while eating ice cream, dropping chocolate on the pages, and continuing to flip. If it had been my portfolio, I don't think I would have stood for it. Then again, when I was a teenager, I took a public reaming from a notorious writer/artist. He asked me if I would be willing to draw a penis. I thought he was coming on to me. I kept looking to my girlfriend for help. Then he called me an "-------" because I didn't know what kind of trees I'd drawn in the background of my Badger/Nexus samples. Seriously!
Some people think that sort of behavior is a way of thinning the herd--seeing if an artist can "take it".
My wife was a recruiter for Disney for years. She'd have lasted fifteen minutes in her position if she'd ever treated applicants that way--and she'd probably have gotten sued.
I know I'm waaaaay off in left field standing on a soapbox in my underwear here, but as long as the industry continues to conduct itself like a frat house, comics deserve to fail. I see that attitude conveyed online. It's appalling to me that any company takes the public stance of "----" the fans. It's appalling.
Michael: How does writing for comics differ from your other writing experiences?
Allan: It doesn't. I've only just started writing with the intent of being publiched. It took me a long time to realize that writing is my truest passion. I've tended to be so busy career-wise this past decade, that I never seriously considered it.
I've studied the craft for a loooong time. I've written movie scripts, tv scripts, animation scripts, poetry, short stories--you name it, but it wasn't until the last couple of years that my wife and my other writing friends finally motivated me to get my work out there.
I've functioned as an editor for countless friends who were more serious about writing than I ever was. I used to read spec scripts for my wife when she worked in a talent agency. Most of them were awful.
I think my problem was that I valued good writing so highly that I set the bar too high for myself.
For me, it always seemed terribly embarrassing when a writer put out sub-par work.
Needless to say, it's taken me a long time to just decide to put myself out there.
Michael: You've mentioned that you have a Spider-Man story on the way. Where will we see it? As a fill-in? A mini-series? An issue of Spider-Man Unlimited?
Allan: Spider-Man Unlimited. Drawn
by C.P. Smith. He said it was the best
he'd ever worked on, which I truly
appreciated because it was a very
introspective story for me. I loved
that assignment. It's one of the only
opportunities I've had to write in my
own "voice".
I hope readers take the time to digest that one. On the surface it's just a super-villain slugfest, but there's actually quite a bit of substance to it.
Michael: Writing the Invaders must require a lot of research. How well-read are you when it comes to Marvel Comics?
Allan: Yeah. Invaders takes a lot of research, and the GAMS [Golden Age Marvel Squad] guys have been an enormous help. It's fun to have a forum to hash things out. [note: The GAMS message board is in the links at the bottom]
I'm probably better-read with DC. I'm the loser at work who can name everyone in the Crisis On Infinite Earths poster in my assistant's office.
I read and re-read all the Marvel Handbooks when I was a boy---just poured over them for hours because they excited my imagination more than the comics themselves. I'm pretty informed with Marvel, but I abandoned hope in the 90's when the industry boom happened.
I probably know more than I should about comics to qualify as a well-adjusted adult, but I'm fairly well-read in a general sense anyway. I love libraries.
Michael: Knowing how difficult it is to obtain Golden Age comics, especially Marvel's, how well-read are you with the Golden Age super-hero material?
Allan: Compared to the GAMS guys, I'm a lightweight. I have a huge collection of books about Golden Age comics.
My first real comics came in the form of Jules Feifer's "The Great Comic Book Super Heroes". Gosh, I loved that book.
I'm familiar with Golden Age material mostly from seeing reprints of the covers, and reading about the creators. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with the material---my imagination can fill in the holes.
I have a shelf full of DC's wonderful Golden Age Archives, and a bunch of cool reprinted Marvel stuff.
I love the ultra-short story aspects of the older stories. If I could do whatever I wanted in comics, it would probably be that.
Michael: What are your all-time favorite comic books?
Allan: Wow. Ask me any day, and you'll get a different answer.
Moon Knight, Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, Defenders, Avengers, the first couple issues of Coyote, a few Byrne/Claremont X-Men, some of the Miller Daredevil stuff--although that seems to have aged rather poorly for me. Justice League/Justice Society crossovers, Green Lantern, Flash---it's hard for me to narrow it down. I love super-heroes when they're done well, and I love horror.
Michael: What comic books that you're reading now are your favorites?
Allan: Ummm--can I plead the fifth? Let's just say that the comic book industry is not going to be able to sustain itself based on the comics I buy regularly.
I like Hellboy---mostly the short stories. I like JSA. I really like Tom Strong and the League of Extroardinary Gentlemen. Let's see--Astro City--Big Bang Comics--oh yeah, and Paul Grist's Jack Staff! Paul Grist is awesome. I almost feel like we're swiping Union Jack from him! Man, I like Paul Grist. He's probably my favorite.
Michael: Who are some influences on your work, both in and out of comics?
Allan: Well, this one seems to get a lot of sneers in my industry, but I'd have to say Joseph Campbell. Most people know him from PBS or from folks endlessly referencing his book "The Hero With A Thousand Faces".
Citing him is almost cliche', but I swear--most people don't even begin to understand what the man is about. I owe a tremendous debt to Campbell's thoughtfulness.
I read Native American folktales a lot. Huge influences on my work. I enjoy reading about primitive cultures, trying to understand shamanism--things like that. Various myths and folktales. I think I'm a teacher at heart. They say "Those who can't do, teach". That's a load of mularkey. When I'm older, I'll teach. When I've earned the right.
Artistically, it's Alex Toth, but I can't begin to get my work to his level. I hate that.
My favorite single work is probably Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's Daredevil: Born Again. And then Batman: Year One. Both are far superior works to the oft mentioned Dark Knight Returns.
Michael: Will your talents as an illustrater be called upon in the Invaders? That picture of the Big Three Invaders was pretty sweet!
Allan: Thanks! That piece was inspired
by Alex Ross. I actually tried to contact him.
I was going to pay for the painting myself so
Invaders #1 would have an awesome, iconic
cover, but he wasn't interested.
My services as illustrater may, in fact, have
some direct impact on Invaders, but I'm still
working that out with Tom.
I've done tons and tons of character design for
Invaders--villains and costume updates/variations.
It's nothing CP (our series penciller/inker) is
obligated to follow, but I think it's important for
him to know what I'm thinking.
Design is key in comics. Probably my second favorite thing in the world is character design.
Michael: What is the current objective of the Invaders? What are they taking arms up against, and what are they willing to do to achieve their goals?
Allan: Aw, man! Don't ask me that! That would ruin it!
It's all in issue #1. Tom has been very clear that he wants the parameters all nailed down in the first issue.
For the record though, they're not actually taking up arms against anyone--they're taking up arms to defend civilization from a new, pervasive threat that grows out of---well, an old pervasive threat. :-)
By issue #2 you'll see---there is nowhere that the Invaders can't go. Nowhere. Nothing can stop them but their own moral compasses.
Michael: Given that the team is comprised of old-timers from the Golden Age with a few "legacy" heroes, what exactly does being an Invader mean? What traits must a character possess to be an Invader in this incarnation?
Allan: Well, it will probably evolve over time, but initially being an Invader means you're somebody that Dell Rusk (revealed to be the Red Skull in the pages of Avengers) hates. Either that, or he thinks that including you in the team is going to hurt someone else who he hates.
Beyond the initial set-up, I consider Invaders (the series) an opportunity to dust off the under-valued Golden Age characters and their successors. I probably won't be introducing very many "new" heroes for a while, since we have such an extensive backlog of existing characters.
Michael: How would you say your take on the Invaders differs from the V-Battalion? After all, both involve Golden Age heroes still waging war 60 years later.
Allan: I really like the V-Battalion
conceptually, but Citizen V/Zemo
and all the body swapping really
makes my head spin.
As far as how Invaders and the
V-Battalion relate, hmmm----do you
remember the ALl-Star Squadron?
If you do, Invaders is like that. The
V-Battlaion is one component---one
group of allies that work within the
broader Invaders structure.
Michael: How well will the Invaders interact with other super-heroes? Will their methods be seen as controversial by some?
Allan: I'm sure their methods could be viewed as controversial, but it depends on who's writing the other super-heroes. I hear Warren Ellis is doing Iron Man. I anticipate that he'll probably disembowel more people than we do.
Personally, I'm not one to consider wanton violence heroic. I love horro, but the horror genre and the super-hero genre are distinct in my mind.
Our guys are heroes--their fighting to preserve life. They're involved in a war, sometimes people die, but we're not celebrating death. That might be the biggest difference between my approach, and say, the Authority or Ultimates. Violence isn't "cool" in the Invaders universe, it's sad. Heroism and self-sacrifice are more interesting to me.
Michael: Chuck Austen has referenced the team battling a threat connectd to the Red Skull. Will the Red Skull's forces be the regular antagonists of the Invaders, or will we see themtackling all manner of villains?
Allan: We'll see a variety of menaces if the book lasts, but the backbone of the series is a threat that is related directly to the Red Skull. Something you've never seen before---at least not in it's current form.
Michael: You mentioned that we'll be seeing a lot of Atlanteans in the Invaders. Any familiar faces among the masses?
Allan: No. Not at first, anyway. Part of the fun is creating Atlantean soldiers. If things work out like I want, the Atlantean forces will be somewhat prominent in the series. It's sooo hard to fit it all in when we're dealing with a small initial run.
We have an Atlantean ambassador who might be popping up from time to time because I love the breathing helmet I designed for him.
Michael: You've alluded to the Invaders leading their own army. Where do they recruit from?
Allan: Think of the main cast members as
symbols of the soldiers who will follow.
These are American, Britons, Atlanteans,
and a bunch of others that we'll slowly
"recruit".
The Invaders want the world, man.
Michael: When they're not waging war,
what will the Invaders "down time" be like?
Allan: Boring. :-)
Nah. That's some of the best stuff. That's
where we get to do character interaction.
They have a really cool base of opreations,
and there will be a lot going on there. I don't
want to say too much about it. You'll see.
Michael: How unified are the Invaders? Is the whole team on the same page, or are some of the members unsure of their objectives?
Allan: As of issue #1 the main cast will be pretty much on
the same page. The threat is going to be explicitly spelled
out. They all react to it differently, but they all agree that
something has to be done.
There are a few clashing personalities, but that just makes
it fun. The group is made up of friends, lovers, and guys
who want to kick each other six ways to Sunday.
Michael: Will we see any stories involving the character's
backgrounds like Jim Hammond's ties to the V-Battalion,
Union Jack's ties to the Knights of Pendragon, etc.?
Allan: Yes. The more the book goes on the more we'll be dealing with that peripheral material. Union Jack is still a Pendragon. Hammond is still in charge of the V-Battalion. At least as far as he's concerned, anyway.
Michael: Now that Jim Hammonds will be a member of this Invaders team, will he remove himself as head of the V-Battalion, or will he stay n and use the organizations resources to supply the Invaders team with intel, and will the Invaders team work with the V-Battalion or work alone?
Allan: That depends on how the V-Battalion feel about what the Invaders are up to. I'd like the V-Battalion to be a part of it, but they're Fabian's [Nicieza] guys. If Thunderbolts ever comes back I may lose the V-Battalion.
I'd very much like to bring in Roger Aubrey because of the direct ties he has to Union Jack and Spitfire. There's a lot of history to deal with there, and a lot of bitterness.
Michael: If Hammond is leaving the V-Battalion, who will take over as their leader? Citizen V? Or will you just leave Nicieza to stwe over that one?
Allan: Well, I never said Hammond left, did I? :-)
Michael: Besides the characters you already
mentioned as being on the team, will other
Golden Age characters join the team or make
an appearance from time to time, or will this
be the core team for a while?
Allan: This is the core team. Depending on the
way things turn out, I'd like to use a lot of characters.
I'm toying with stories that directly involve
Blue Dimaond, Jack Frost, Red Raven, Aarkus,
the Destroyer, Nomad, and Makkari--but not
necessarily in that order.
Michael: Will there be any occassional flashback stories from the second world war?
Allan: Yes. Given time! I need a series, not a limited series! The way things are these days, everyting is a limited series! I'll write it as long as they let me.
Michael: With the Whizzer dead, what are the chances of Makari taking his spot on the Invaders?
Allan: Slim. We already have a speedster. I know everyone is going to get mad at me, but the name Whizzer is a bit too silly for me to take very seriously. Bob Frank is awesome, and he'll be there if we do period stories, but I'm not eager to pass on the name of "Whizzer" to anyone in the near future.
But I do have ideas for an arc revolving around Makkari, and a Bob and Madeline Frank "legacy" character is not out of the question. Besides Nuklo, I mean, who I think is already dead.
Michael: What are the odds Namorita will become an Invader?
Allan: Not bad. Especially if the book continues or if Marvel ever takes Namor away. I'm going to be very disappointed if they take Namor away.I think we owe it to the original series to keep as many of the "Big Three" around as we can.
Michael: What do you have to say to all those people out there on the fence when it comes to buying Invaders?
Allan: I'd like to make a joke, but I'll spare you.
The fact is, if you're on the fence that means you're already somehwhat interested. I don't want to have to "win" people over. If you don't want to read it, chances are you won't enjoy it anyway.
But if you think you might be interested in a series featuring some of the greatest (and most underrated) characters in existence, I suggest you buy issues #1-3. It's a complete story. If you read that, you'll know if you want to buy more.
If everyone stays on the fence, then we're already cancelled, and you can pick 'em up in the forgotten mini-series bin for 50 cents each. That's why I'm working so hard to get exposure for this book. We're a long shot---an obscure cast and an unknown writer---but damn, we're good!
Tell your shop owners, tell your friends. If we can kick butt on sales for the first few issues, we may have enough momentum to make a year. If we make a year, then we've got time for people to find us.
I already know the ending to issue #12. It's going to have huuuuuuge ramifications on the characters for years to come. But we have to sell well, or we'll never know.
Michael: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions!
Allan: No problem! Thanks for your interest!
I would also like to thank Allan as well. He's a great guy, and I wish him the best and hope this new Invaders series will be very successful.
If anyone wants to know more about Marvel's Golden Age characters or the Invaders, check out the links below.
And if you want to discuss the Invaders or any Marvel Golden Age characters, visit the Golden Age Marvel Squad Message Board at the Second String Sanctuary Comic Book Message Boards and the Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Message Board and Captain America Message Board at Comicboards.com,
-Lightning Strike
GAMS Member #32
