by Mike Collins

Mike Collins: For people not familiar with Zero Killer, can you give them an idea of what the book is about?

Arvid Nelson: Sure, the simple description is that it's the bastard child of Akira and The Warriors. It's set in New York City, present-day, but in this world there was a nuclear war in 1973.

MC: Who was the war between and what were the effects on the rest of the world?

AN: The war started between Israel and her neighbors, and escalated into a global exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the world of Zero Killer, the United States never dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This lead to the Soviet Union having more influence in Asia, which meant the Yom Kippur War -- in 1973, yes -- went very badly for Israel, the exact opposite of what happened in reality.

MC: How did you come up with this timeline that you use as the history of Zero's world?

AN: I think it's one of those stories I've been writing my entire life. When I first learned about the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I thought it was unbelievably horrible. I mean, it *was* unbelievably horrible. But I think you can make a pretty strong argument that the alternative would have been a lot worse.

It's one of those complicated subjects...

But the idea for Zero Killer really gelled during 9-11.

MC: You're a New Yorker right? The opening shot of issue one is really jarring in that you have a still standing but largely destroyed World trade Center. Did you want to immediately let people know that this book takes place in a very different timeline that our own?

AN: Yeah, exactly right. I live in New York City, and that's one of the central ideas of Zero Killer.

It's the complete opposite of our world. Nothing BUT the Twin Towers are left standing. Africa is on top of the world, the United States is on the bottom.

MC: You mentioned that 9/11 really gelled the idea for Zero Killer. Can you go into that a little more?

AN: Sure -- as terrible and awful as 9-11 was and is, about the same number of people as died in the attacks die of starvation in Africa every day. About 3,000 children die of hunger every day in Africa, I think that's an accurate number.

I just don't understand why things like that aren't more widely covered in the United States. The Minnesota bridge collapse is the most recent example -- don't get me wrong, it's a terrible tragedy... But how many people in the United States are aware of the fact that 6 million people in India were left homeless due to flooding at exactly the same time?

So Zero Killer was created, in part, as another way of looking at the world. We have so much to be thankful for.

MC: I think you're right. We Americans seem to be fairly ignorant of the rest of the world. I think it's fairly on purpose.

AN: Yeah, and it's too bad. I believe American and Americans could be such a positive force in the world, if only we paid a little bit more attention!

MC: What can you tell us about your central character Zero?

AN: Zero is a "trash man", he's a bounty hunter who tracks down renegade gang members. The ruined towers in New York City are all inhabited by different gangs, one gang per skyscraper, each with its own distinctive way of dressing, its own culture, and so on.

When people get out of line, Zero brings them in. It doesn't make him very popular.

MC: In a time when there are very few minority leads, was it a concious decision to make Zero African American?

AN: It was conscious, for a few reasons. First of all, it was just a way of making the Zero distinctive, of making him stand out.

I also try to put some distance between myself and my characters, and I'm white.
But really, I wanted to write a black character that's not constantly spouting ghetto slang or acting stereotypically "black". It's amazing to me how negative portrayals of black people generally are. And it's not in line with my perception of reality. Most black people I know don't talk like that. So I'm trying, hopefully, to make Zero a little more "real".

MC: Zero reminds me a bit of the Clint Eastwood archetype. The very quiet, very deadly stranger. Will we learn more about his life as the series continues?

AN: Yeah, we sure will. Zero has a complicated past. We're definitely going to penetrate that Clint Eastwood exterior, especially starting with Issue 3.

MC: The setting of the book is a wild one. A decimated, largely flooded Manhattan island. We see the World Trade Center and the Chrysler Building. What other NYC landmarks might we see?

AN: Pretty much anywhere is fair game, but the Empire State Building will figure into the story soon. Also, if the rest of the story gets greenlit, we'll see The Cloisters, which is in reality a museum of Medieval Art on the northern tip of Manhattan.

MC: Let’s go through some of the factions in the book. Can you give some information on the various gangs, where they reside and where they fit in the pecking order of Zero’s world?

AN: Sure -- roughly speaking, the gangs are divided into two groups, the Downtown gangs and the Midtown. The Downtown gangs have a much worse reputation than the Midtown. All the gangs fight amongst each other.

The Chrysler Building is controlled by the Black Cats, and Empire State is controlled by the True Bloods. The Disciples and The Riffs control the Twin Towers. The Jokers control the Pan-Am building, the present-day Met Life building.

These are some of the bigger gangs, the more powerful ones. There are lots of smaller, petty gangs that inhabit the smaller buildings.

MC: What kind of economic system does this world have?

AN: It's feudalism -- the gangsters are the nobility, who rule through force or the threat of violence. Beneath them are the artisans and craftsmen who grow food, fix and build things. Then there are the outcasts, who live on the lowest levels of the towers -- the people too sick with radiation poisoning or whatever illness to be productive.

So the towers are literally social pyramids. The gangsters live on top, the outcasts on the bottom. It's easy to move down, virtually impossible to move up.

MC: Are there any plans to explore the societal aspect of this world?

AN: Absolutely. You'll see it starting in Issue 2.

MC: Aside from the gangs and people like Zero, there are other survivors. What role do they play in the story? Will there be a larger supporting cast?

AN: Yeah, there's a militarized, bastardized version of the United States government called JOCOM. They exist in large, underground complexes. And then there is Africa. Like I said, Africa was never hit by the nukes in 1973. So it's undergone a renaissance.

We will definitely see some more cast members appear in Issue 2! Lots of surprises in store.

MC: Talk a bit more about JOCOM if you can. They are really sort of a malevolent, almost shadowy force right?

AN: That's right. They're very sinister. Completely militarized society. They swoop down into the towers in helicopters and kidnap people for unknown purposes. The people they kidnap are never seen or heard from ever again.

MC: I liked the scene in issue one where the technologically advanced chopper scares the hell out of everyone.

AN: Glad you did! There's more where that came from in Issue 2.

MC: So in Zero's world JOCOM is still actively creating new technology while the rest of the US is decimated?

AN: Exactly. And since there are no ethical constraints on research, they've come up with some really bizarre, horrific technologies.

MC: And is it safe to assume we will be exploring that as the book progresses?

AN: It is. Again, we'll learn the full extent of it should the entire series be greenlit, but there will be more than a good taste in the first six issues.

MC: On the Zero Killer site there is mention of “La Via”, a religion that has sprung up in the ruins of Manhattan. Can you talk a bit about that?

AN: Sure, it's a syncretic religion, a combination of Voodoo, Santería and Pentecostal Christianity. It's polytheistic, with "Jah" and his son "Esuchristus" at the head of the pantheon.

MC: We know that NYC is largely destroyed. What can you tell us about the state of the rest of the world? Will Zero travel outside of Manhattan?

AN: No, not really. I want to leave certain things up to the reader's imagination.

MC: What can readers expect in the next few issues of the series?

AN: Expect to learn a lot more about Zero's character, what motivates him beneath that cool exterior. Expect to learn more about the power dynamics of the world of Zero Killer, and some of the weird technologies that have been developed.

There will be a lot of action, too.

MC: I was really impressed with Matt Camp's art. Tell us a bit about him and your working relationship...

AN: Matt and I go waaaay back, Rex Mundi, my other comic, came out at the same time as Shadows, a comic Matt drew. I had been searching for an artist for Zero Killer for a long time, and I just happened to meet up with Matt at a comic book convention in New York.

I very nearly smacked myself in the head when he showed me his portfolio. He was perfect for Zero Killer! It was right under my nose, all along...

MC: I know that the series is scheduled for an initial six issues. What are the chances it will continue beyond that?

AN: It all depends on sales. I hope it does well, because I feel great about the writing, and the art is turning out better than I ever dared to dream!

MC: What kind of feedback have you gotten so far?

AN: It's been really good. I think people are waiting to see what happens in the next issue, and that's exactly what I wanted. Issue 2 is when the story takes off.

MC: What else is coming up from you Arvid?

AN: Well, this month something I wrote for DC is coming out -- JSA Classified #29, the first of a three-issue miniseries.

I'm also writing Kull the Conqueror for Dark Horse, it's an adaptation of a Robert E. Howard character.

MC: Is there anything I didn't cover that you would like to touch on?

AN: Just the website, I guess! www.zerokiller.com There's lots more information there!