Richard: What is the story of "Ruin"?

Tom Pinchuk: A monstrous overlord conquered the world years ago. He has ruled so harshly in the intervening time that Earth has become little more than a scorched husk and, now, he's facing something he can't conquer: boredom. It's so maddening that he's actually longing for a new enemy to fight.

And it happens that such a challenger appears: a killing machine that was actually created to destroy him and protect civilization. Had it been activated in time, the machine might just have saved the world, but, by cruel circumstance, it "awakens" years too late. Even though there's little left to save now, this thing's tragically devoted to its programmed objectives. It's going to make sure the overlord and all his minions pay for their misdeeds.

Readers can check out a five-page preview at Alterna Comics' website -- www.alternacomics.com . It's coming out this July.

Richard: Who or what is Black Zero?

Tom: Black Zero is the cyborg killing machine I mentioned earlier. He's a hero only by circumstance. Methodically efficient, making death is a science in his hands, and, really, he'd be the villain in any other scenario. His stubborn devotion to his objectives makes him a grotesque version of some knight errant; never wavering from his quest, never compromising his code of honor.

Richard: What is Lord Carnus like?

Tom: Beast, barbarian and a sorcerer, he's as nasty as they come. Innumerable villains have tried to conquer the world, but he's the one who finally did it. He's the monster in every nightmare; warring is the only thing that fulfills him and peace drives him mad.

Richard: How did you create "Ruin"?

I wrote a script; "Maniac" Mike Gallagher penciled, inked and toned it; his wife, "Powerful" Phaedra Gallagher lettered it; and then "Paramount" Peter Simeti, Alterna's guiding force, edited and published the comic.

Among other things, I wanted to do something that really took advantage of comics' freedom to take a story farther than what's allowed for, say, a movie, where you're constantly limited by focus groups, budgets and running times. I think of the classic Moore/Bissette run on SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING and what Garth Ennis is doing now on PUNISHER MAX; both comics got to more unusual and interesting ground once they got past their established premises.

In that vein, RUIN begins where most such stories end. You have countless scenarios where unspeakably evil forces threaten the fate of the world. Of course, you can never see what would happen if the bad guys won, because that would make for one serious downer of an ending. However, I was intrigued by what could be explored from there. So RUIN is a loud, operatic story that explores what I think are some meaty philosophical dilemmas. What does the conqueror do when there's nothing left to conquer? If your life revolves around achieving a goal, what's there to you once that goal's accomplished?

But it's a story that can be enjoyed on several levels. If you're looking for action and spectacle, it's got that in spades. It's got psionic phantoms, bloodthirsty armies and one of the ugliest, most revolting shape-shifters you'll ever see. And I promise you, Mike Gallagher's a talent whose work is going to hit readers like a bullet train. This guy's the total package: he puts out work that's dynamic, well-composed and arrestingly laid-out, with influences evoking Bronze Age greats and the best of Manga. And this maniac's level of detail gives George Perez and Bryan Hitch a run for their money. Be prepared.

Richard: What is the story of "What I Am" from the Alterna Tales anthology about?

Tom: It's about a cruel monster tormenting a city for fun, a self-hating computer programmer and the terrible connection the two have. I can't say too much more without spelling the story out totally, since it's only eight pages, but it stems from the bewildering advance of technology we're all seeing, whether we like it or not. Issues of identity, malevolence and accountability are explored in what I think is a horror more unnerving than the things that go bump in the night.

My frequent collaborator, Kurt Belcher penciled it (and most of the first issue, actually), Henrik Horvath inked it and Peter Simeti lettered it. It's also coming out this July in Alterna Tales' first issue and people can also see a preview for it at Alterna's website.

Richard: Do you enjoy working with Kurt Belcher?

Tom: Very much so. We met years ago in Comic Book Resources' community and have collaborated on about a half-dozen projects since then. He's a really humble guy (I don't know if someone made him humble), and we talk regularly about our projects and any other nonsense that pops up. He's a workhorse with a stark style -- everyone should check out his voluminous gallery at http://kurtbelcher1.deviantart.com/ to see exactly what I'm talking about.

What I like the most about working with him is his uncanny ability to capture what I've envisioned. Collaboration can be a game of telephone a lot of times, with a penciler's visual interpretation differing greatly from the writer's, but he draws things precisely as I describe them. In fact, he'll make a character or a scene look more like what I envisioned than even what I conveyed in the script.

Richard: Do you have to put in long hours working as a writer?

Tom: I probably don't put in as much now as I could if I weren't still in school. I have a daily schedule worked out that balances writing with other obligations. On a productive day, I manage around four hours. I'd say the long hours have more do with waiting and persistence, because a project can take years to go from conception to completion.

Richard: What are "Copperhead" and "Hybrid Bastards" all about?

Tom: COPPERHEAD was a cyberpunk gangster mini-series I co-wrote with Kurt, about a rogue scientist who literally hijacks a mob boss' cybernetic body. It was going to come out from one of the larger independent publishers but, unfortunately, someone important who was working on it didn't have priorities aligned with the rest of the creative team. It won't be coming out now, but there are traces out on the internet because we sort of jumped the gun talking about it. I still believe in the story though, and want to see it come out someday, however, it will probably be in another form by then. I've learned a lot of hard lessons from that experience.

HYBRID BASTARDS! is a mini-series I wrote that's set to come out this November from Archaia Studio Press (home of MOUSE GUARD and THE LONE AND LEVEL SANDS, among others). The story is an absurdist take on Greco-Roman myth, particularly the numerous tales involving bizarre creatures and their even more bizarre "conceptions". In the comic, a spell forces Zeus, the king of the gods, to conceive bastard "children" with every manner of inanimate object. Cars, walls, even dirty laundry - - all magically birth these misbegotten hybrid creatures that demand recognition from their furiously embarrassed father.

Believe it or not, that premise is only the beginning. Kate Glasheen's the illustrator and we've had a gas making one seriously messed comic. You'll be hearing more about it in upcoming months, but if you're itching for a peek now, head to http://www.archaiasp.com/ and check out the preview for the book.

Richard: Which comic would you most like to work on that you have not?

Tom: I've got a lot of bigger stories that are too ambitious to get to now. If you're referring to what established comic I'd like to work on, I've always been a fan of Marvel's cosmic characters. However, they all seem pretty well occupied now in the ANNIHILATION imprint.

Richard: What would you like to accomplish in life that you haven't yet?

Tom: I'd like to pull off a handstand properly. Seriously, these two comics at Alterna are my first published projects, so I hope there's a lot more to come. I do have a lot of goals, but I'd rather keep them to myself for now. It's so easy to get ahead of yourself, and if something falls through for some lame reason, you have to explain to everyone whatever happened to "that thing" you were telling them about for months.

Richard: Why do you enjoy writing?

Tom: Pulling the puppet strings of character's lives and controlling their worlds, all while they're powerless to stop me, has endless appeal. Really, I've been writing for such a long time, it's a matter of compulsion for me now. If I get an idea, it doesn't stop bugging me until I execute it. It's not something I get self-conscious about.

Richard: What advice do you have for other writers?

Tom: There are scores of books out there that can give aspiring writers much more comprehensive and eloquent advice than I can. There are two tidbits I've taken from personal experience though. First, anyone who wants to make comics will gain a lot from looking at classical poetry. Comics' enemy is space (as Frank Miller once said), and thus, learning how to convey more with less is paramount. You have to grab the reader immediately, especially if your comic's serialized, and you'll have a better collaboration with the penciler if you only have him or her to draw the interesting parts of a story.

Second, keep things short and don't keep all your eggs in one basket. I can't tell you how many people I've met who have this one idea for a 100-issue epic that's the only thing they work on for years. And then they'll never pitch it anywhere because they're afraid that "someone" will steal it. Putting aside the fact that publishers won't chance such a huge investment (even with proven talent), what usually happens is that the aspiring creator makes only so much progress before getting stifled. They try to run before they learn how to crawl and get overwhelmed with "the trilogy" before even finishing the first story. It's good to dream big - - everyone, including me, has got their ideas for epics - - but if you want to make a career out of writing, it's about telling a story, right now, beginning, middle and end. And if the unlikely chance of "someone" stealing your idea cripples you, then you can't expect to have much of continuing career.

Richard: How do you feel about comic book fans?

Tom: I'd say it's too broad a group to lump all together, especially under the "fanboy" stereotype. I've seen the whole cross-section of fandom, having worked at four Wizard Worlds as one of those orange (or purple) shirt-wearing volunteers. I do wish that whatever audience Diamond's top 100 represents every month had a little more diverse buying habits, since maybe only five books on that list aren't superhero comics from the Big Two. I don't dislike superheroes, but I think a lot of fans keep buying long-running books, even if they aren't enjoying what the current team is doing, just to be completists. And instead, they could be getting more enjoyment out of trying something new.

I also think the definitions of what's mainstream in comics and what's not can be a little topsy-turvy. I remember someone at a convention thinking the books I was reading were "underground", but I really don't think comics like MARTHA WASHINGTON or SHAOLIN COWBOY are that esoteric.

Richard: How can someone contact you?

Tom: They can check out my spot in Alterna's creator contacts page.

Richard: Any last words of advice?

Tom: I took a micro-economics class last year, and maybe it's all obvious stuff, but I got a lot out of applying cost-benefit analysis to my career, my hobbies and so on. I think of the subject almost as a philosophy, because it's so applicable. Applying what I learned there has made me more satisfied with my decisions and I recommend studying the subject to anyone.