I recently caught up with my buddy and occasional collaborator Patrick Hickey Jr., who has a new project he’s incredibly excited about: Red Dead Revolver, based on the awesome Western-themed video game. It’s not just any comic, though, as you’ll discover in the interview below.
BRETT WEISS: What inspired you to choose Red Dead Revolver as the focus for this comic, and what unique aspects of its development story are you most excited to explore? Is this a one-off issue? Do you plan on covering other video games in this manner?
PATRICK HICKEY JR.: The story of Red Dead Revolver is an amazing one, full of twists and turns, and I felt like I needed another way to connect audiences to my video game journalism. Like my Minds Behind the Games books, it delves into the development cycle and the history of the game’s development, mainly how it was a game Capcom had no idea what to do with, as well as how damn good Angel Studios was before (and after) their merger with Rockstar.
This story appears in my Minds Behind the Shooter Games book. However, that book, despite performing well in the marketplace, was a victim of a sad realization that many gamers don’t want to read “real books.” They see black and white photos and a ton of text and get turned off. They want something fun, something they put on the coffee table and something they can pick up and read quickly. Despite the fact my books are chapter-based and easily accessible, the fact that they were released through an academic publisher hurt their mainstream appeal as well. It sucks when you know you have killer content that wasn’t presented to the proper audience, so I felt the need to figure it all out in another way.
After writing seven video game books in six years, I started my own comic book company, Legacy Comix. After the death of Ed Piskor earlier this year, who did an amazing job telling the origins of Hip Hop History and the X-Men in comic book form, I felt this was a fitting tribute to his work and a way for me to combine my two major creative loves, comics and games.
My hope is that this is just the beginning of telling stories in this manner. I just need the audience to come out and support.
WEISS: How did your experience as a video game journalist and author of the Minds Behind the Games series influence the way you approached writing this comic?
HICKEY JR.: I knew I had killer quotes, but writing a comic book script and an article are two different beasts. Luckily, I have 30 single-issue comics under my belt the last two years, and I was able to condense and tell a story here that works wonderfully in 24 pages. Add in excellent sequential art by Joshua Adams and two variant covers, and it’s got something for everyone.
WEISS: The comic is told through the perspective of Dominic Craig, one of the game’s developers. How did you decide on him as the lens for the story, and what parts of his story resonate most with you? Are there fictional elements to the story?
HICKEY JR.: There are zero fictional elements to this story. It is Dominic’s story to tell because I felt he had the most insight, and considering how well we worked together on other chapters in my books, it was a no-brainer. From his breaking into the industry to his efforts on the game, he’s incredibly kind, relatable and honest—the type of person you’d want to hear a story from. This I feel makes his view of the development cycle perfect for a comic.
WEISS: How closely did you collaborate with artist Joshua Adams and variant cover artists Valentin Quinones and Brandon Bentfeld to visually capture the atmosphere of the Red Dead universe while staying true to the real-life story of the game’s creation?
HICKEY JR.: I not only wrote the comic, but I’m the Editor-In-Chief and Owner of Legacy Comix. Every single page has my blessing. I hired Josh, Val and Brandon for their respective roles. If the book fails, it’s all on me. The whole goal was to bring this story to life and connect gamers and comic book fans the same way a sports fan will watch an ESPN 30-for-30 or someone will watch an episode of a Netflix documentary. I think we’re on our way to doing that.
WEISS: Given Red Dead Revolver's place in gaming history as a precursor to the Red Dead Redemption series, what do you hope readers and fans of the games take away from this behind-the-scenes look at its development?
HICKEY JR.: That this game almost never existed and was marred by uncertainty and failure before becoming a success on the Xbox and PS2 and before helping, in its own way, to provide the identity to one of gaming and Rockstar’s most successful titles. Can you seriously imagine Rockstar without this series? Maybe, but I can’t.
Red Dead Revolver
Written
By Patrick Hickey Jr.
Letters,
Pencils, Inks, Colors and Cover by Joshua Adams.
Variant
Covers by Valentin Quinones and Brandon Bentfeld.
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