Interview: Jeff Parker on Oni’s Meteor Men

Meteor Men

Meteor Men


Jeff Parker is the popular writer of such comics as Aquaman, Batman ’66, Thunderbolts, X-Men: First Class, and many others. He’s also writing an upcoming graphic novel from Oni, Meteor Men, featuring a teenager and an alien invasion. Westfield’s Roger Ash talked with Parker to learn more about Meteor Men.

Meteor Men preview page 1.

Meteor Men preview page 1.


Westfield: What’s the genesis of Meteor Men?

Jeff Parker: Besides James Lucas Jones and Charlie Chu following me around town until I agreed to write a book to come out at Oni?

Westfield: The solicitation for the book reminds me of classic Steven Spielberg movies. Was that an inspiration for Meteor Men?

Parker: It’s very much a partial inspiration, but it diverges pretty hard at one point- we start with the connection between our main character and an alien visitor, and then it quickly starts blowing up in scale and seriousness.

Meteor Men preview page 2.

Meteor Men preview page 2.


Westfield: What can you tell us about the story and who are the main characters we’ll encounter?

Parker: Our main character is Alden Baylor, a sixteen year old who has had to grow up too fast. His parents were killed in a car wreck three or four years earlier, leaving him in an old farmhouse out in the country. His uncle moved in to help out, and he’s a great guy but never planned to have kids and really doesn’t have a lot of parenting ability. So Alden has had to take on a lot of responsibility and make big decisions as a teenager.

When the book opens, Alden is letting lots of people in the area come out to view the Perseid Meteor Shower which is when the big event happens that brings new creatures to Earth. And our other main character is the alien that he meets, who doesn’t seem to have a name but comes to be protective of Alden. As Alden tries to understand his new friend and why he’s here we begin to learn this isn’t the invasion scenario we’re probably expecting or used to. In a way, it’s much worse.

Meteor Men preview page 3.

Meteor Men preview page 3.


Westfield: You’re working with artist Sandy Jarrell on the book. What can you say about your collaboration with him?

Parker: Well the whole thing wouldn’t work without Sandy. He’s one of the best artists I know at getting across young characters in a believable manner – Sandy really remembers what it’s like to be a kid, or a kid transitioning into young adult, and that’s the spine of the story. He’s also no slacker at drawing alien creatures doing incredible things and depicting huge abstract concepts like the kind of space travel they use. The story is very simple and complex at the same time, and not many artists could pull that off.

Sandy’s art is very Alex Toth-influenced, it’s just a gorgeous book.

Westfield: What makes this a good story to tell as a graphic novel rather than a miniseries?

Meteor Men preview page 4.

Meteor Men preview page 4.


Parker: It all builds to a very definite and kind of startling ending, it really works best as a big single piece than broken into issues.

Westfield: Anything you’d like to say about other projects you’re working on?

Parker: Everything else is big over the top action lately, like Aquaman, Batman ‘66 and Flash Gordon. And some stories in the new Angry Birds book from IDW. A lot of good summer reading with a ton of good art. Have you seen Evan Shaner’s work on Flash Gordon? It’s amazing. And Paul Pelletier is still kicking butt on Aquaman.

Meteor Men preview page 3.

Meteor Men preview page 5.


Westfield: Any closing comments?

Parker: I mainly can’t wait to see the reaction to Meteor Men. It’s a book that doesn’t do the thinking for you, so it’s your call as the reader to interpret why characters make the choices they do. Very proud of it.

Purchase

Meteor Men GN

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