1. What drew you to comics?
The 1978 Superman movie, directed by Richard Donner and starring Christopher Reeve was my gateway to comics, but they also were a way to bond with my dad. He was a comics fan in his youth, specifically the Marvel Comics of the 1960s, with Kirby & Lee's The Mighty Thor and Everett & Lee's Daredevil as his favorites.
In my early teens, I got into Claremont & Silvestri's The Uncanny X-Men as well as Giffen & DeMatteis and Maguire's Justice League. Then I was there for the Image Comics revolution that led to a love of independent and creator-owned comics, Allred's Madman being a particular favorite and inspiration.
2. Please tell us about your creative process.
My writing tends to come from personal experiences or issues I want to try to work on-- which might sound strange given that all of my comics are science fiction or fantasy adventures. It's just how my mind works. I love the emotions of big, fantastical storytelling. There is so much fun to the genres and styles, but I always need a nugget of something personal or true to me.
Being that comics are a visual medium, my first audience is the artist. I try to write stories that'll excite the person who will be doing the heavy lifting of bringing the story to life. When developing a story with an artist already on board, that means asking them what kind of comic they're itching to draw. If I have a script already and find an artist after, I take their style into account to make the book a true collaboration. I've found that the best comics come out of writing to the artist's strengths and interests.
3. Please tell us about The Once and Future Queen and any other work you’d like to share about. The Once and Future Queen is a modern reimagining of Arthurian Legend with Rani, a young chess prodigy in Portland, OR who discovers that she's the true wielder of the sword Excalibur. Whereas Arthur's adventure was to unite the Britains, she must unite the world against an invasion. Oh, and Merlin is a ghost dressed in a 1950's sci-fi style space suit. The Dark Horse trade collection contains our fist storyline, and it stands on its own, but she only has two members of her roundtable: Gwen and Lance. We have a lot more story and adventures to cover if we ever get the chance. 4. Where can we find more information about your work?
My rarely updated website, djkirkbride.com, has some information, including links to all my comics that are currently available. My twitter name is @djkirkbride, and I try to keep followers in the know regarding my comics work and my cats.
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