AIPT Comics Mark Russell on 'Polis', Protopias, and 'X-Factor' lost stories
May 25, 2025
01:23:46
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NEWS
- New ‘X-Men Hellfire Gala Vigil’ #1 costume designs revealed
- Marvel Comics Solicitations August 2025!
- Frank Castle returns in 'Punisher: Red Band' #1
- DC GO! is leveling up this July with six bold new digital-first webcomics
- EXCLUSIVE: 'Blink and You'll Miss It' unravels romance and reality this summer
- DC and Gaylord Texan Unite for ‘Universe of Light: Lost in the Pages’ comic experience
- Find Krypto’s Golden Biscuit, win a trip to the ‘Superman’ premiere
- New space opera ‘Red Vector’ announced for August 2025
- Skybound reveals new Act 4 Wally Wood and Hellboy Artist Editions
Our Top Books of the Week
Dave:
- Amazing Spider-Man #4 (Pepe Larraz, Joe Kelly)
- Into the Unbeing (2024): Part Two #4 (Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman)
Alex:
- Absolute Flash #3 (Jeff Lemire, Nick Robles)
- Doom Academy #4 (Mackenzie Cadenhead, Pasqual FerryJoao M.P. Lemos)
Standout KAPOW moment of the week:
Alex - Fantastic Four #34 (Ryan North, Cory Smith)
Dave - Robowolf #1 Jake Smith
TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK
- Alex: We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #3 (Rosenberg, Landini) and Magik #5 (Allen, Peralta)
- Dave: Mr. Terrific Year One #1 (Al Letson, Valentine De Landro)
JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.
- Dave: Absolute Wonder Woman #8 (Stephanie Hans)
- Alex: Martian Manhunter #3 (Shawn Crystal Variant)
Interview: Mark Russell Interview:
- Polis is out this week from AWA, can you tell us what it’s about?
- Polis is part of The Protopias Collection. Could you elaborate on the concept of 'protopia' and how it influences the narrative and themes within Polis?
- How did your collaboration with artist Laci and colorist Marco Lesko shape the visual storytelling of Polis? Were there specific elements you emphasized to bring the floating city of Miragua to life?
- AWA Studios future projects?
- On the reverse side your X-Factor run has also had satirical elements from current events like social media and corporate negligence, are there any other themes you explored in X-Factor I’m missing?
- There’s some new mutants in X-Factor as well, went went into creating them with Bob Quinn?
- Your run on X-Factor balanced biting commentary with genuine emotional depth—was there a theme or character arc you didn’t get to fully explore in the ten issues that you wish you had more time with?
- Out May 07, each issue of Vanishing Point is a standalone story—how did that format influence the way you approached worldbuilding and character development in the first issue, particularly with Jim’s psychological arc?
- The story captures the emotional toll of isolation and obligation in a haunting way—were there any personal experiences or real-world parallels that shaped Jim’s descent or the overall tone of the series?