Why there are Metal Bands in the Comic Series

I will admit that I'm new to the metal scene. I didn't listen to Slayer until one day someone got very mad at me for "stealing a Slayer title" for my comic book series. (My reaction -- and I apologize to Slayer fans -- was "Who's Slayer?) At the time, one of my comic book titles was called "Reign of Blood". This person accused me of trying to use the Slayer title (I had never heard Slayer, and also, this person was rather drunk at the time.) I looked it up and the Slayer title was actually "Raining Blood"--very different. (But to appease this person, I changed the comic book title to "Rule of Blood".) We got a laugh out of it later. But in any case, that's how I was introduced to Slayer, and I've become a fan of their music and of metal.

I got more into metal music when my husband Mike Naz became a guitarist for local Los Angeles death metal band Enthraller. I became their roadie, "merchandise girl", and videographer (you can find their videos on my youtube page) , pretty much documenting them at every show they played (other than out-of-state tours). I also became a fan of death metal music. I began my "death metal education" with bands like Dying Fetus, Abysmal Dawn, Exhumed, and Grave, bands which Enthraller had played with.

As for putting bands in my comic book series, these came about as a fun and exciting idea. I loved metal music, and it really fit the "atmosphere" of my comic books. When I was "roadie" for Enthraller, I was working on my first comic book series, and my artists needed some ideas or models for some background vampire characters. I thought it would be fun to add the band in the series and turn them into vampires, and it would be a great way to help promote them since their logo was in the comic book. So I had my artists draw them in a scene in the comic book. Then it just went on from there. For the next comic books I began putting friends' bands they had played with, or bands that other members played for, just for fun. For instance, Enthraller's bassist Jorge Torres began playing with metal band Mesmeric, and I actually needed a band for a scene in a nightclub, so I put Mesmeric in. It was at first simply for fun and for promotional purposes, but then it became a way for my to help promote the bands and the metal music I was getting into, and of course, they can now say they've been immortalized in a comic book, whether they continued playing on or not. (Death metal Enthraller and local experimental metal band Death Embraced are currently on hiatus, but metal band Mesmeric is still playing).

I began to meet talented local bands and became exposed to more local music when Angie Gabriel of Metal Invictus asked if I wanted to be a vendor with my comic books at Maidens of Metal II (2013) , a yearly event that featured female singers or band members. I heard bands such as Syrebris, Harlequin,  Insentient, and Mocking of the Trinity, and was blown away by all the incredible talent. I began to go to local metal shows, especially the ones hosted by promoters Metal Invictus (Angie Gabriel, Jimmy Armenta, Cesar Escobar, and Adrian Mejia) and Church of the Eight Day (Daniel Dismal), and got introduced to more bands, and they all became the coolest friends. One band in particular is metal band Madrost, who I have to thank for keeping me awake during my drive to work, and I should have their music as my alarm clock since they energize me for the day! And through Adrian Mejia of Metal Warzone's videos, I listened to more local metal bands. It was at these shows that I became a fan of Black Metal music, after seeing bands like Arachnigod and Highland. And through friends like Andrew Melendez, Anna Hummell and Alix Vallecillo,  I get recommendations for black metal bands to listen to (mostly from the bands they post on FB too).  And of course, I thank my hubby Mike Naz for exposing me to bands like Meshuggah, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Cattle Decapitation and many more, and special thanks to Angie Gabriel and to Silver Gutierrez of Nuclear Blast Records for the awesome CD package (which included bands like Testament) they sent me this year.

I currently watch the bands on youtube, since my current health and mobility issues (I have nerve damage and a nerve/muscle disorder) prevent me from going to as many shows as I would like. So I found a way to support the music I've come to love, and the bands I admire. They are indie artists just like me and we pretty much do the same thing when it comes to promotion and getting our creations out there, and doing what we love. If I can't go to shows, I share their flyers on facebook and their info on twitter,  and I put the band in my comic books (Coming issues will have bands Sacred Ruins, Madrost, Highland, and Arachnigod, and the staff of metal promoters Metal Invictus and Metal Warzone). They've supported me and accepted me, a newbie, into their metal family, and I support them, and this is my way of saying thank you.

So hails to all the metal bands and promoters out there. You've got a fan for life. \m/

Comic Book Series Fan Posts Part 49

A very special thank you to all my wonderful friends and fans, I'm truly honored to receive your feedback, posts, responses and shares on the comic book series and I am grateful for everyone's support! Thanks again! You all rock!

How I develop my Characters and their Personalities

To build a character,  I first look at their zodiac signs, and research the negative aspects of each sign. For instance, if one of my characters is an Aries, I look at the worst possible traits of that particular sign.

I also base them on personal experiences and personalities of people I’ve known or met, but I won’t say who, or when. ;-)

Sometimes if I’m especially affected by a personality type, it becomes inspirational and I can develop a whole new character in minutes. It really depends if I’m inspired or not. I write more from feeling than I do from just creating a character for the sake of it. I have to be fully inspired by it.

Some characters are minor players in the background, so I don’t really develop their characteristics fully (since I kill some of them off), but I write about them or include them just enough to make them part of the story. They become the motivational driving forces behind the main characters.

There are days when I really struggle coming up with a new character, and there are times when I could write for days straight about a character and become so focused on them. I have to be in the right mood, with the right music. There are times when I’m so uninspired by my surroundings, it could take a while to come up with a new character. Mood and setting are everything to me when I write.

Much of the characters were developed in my original vampire trilogy novel (“The Guardian, Revenant, and Dominion”—the original novel, not the graphic novel version), the one I turned into a comic book. Gabriel (Book 1) is by far my favorite character because he is so evil, and from there I was able to come up with more characters based on his personality and motivations (He is a serial killer so it was easier to come up with other serial killer Guardian Angels). But their personalities had to be different and distinct. Janos (Book 2) was by far the most complicated character I had to develop, because his personality was so intense. The original novel dealt deeper into his life, and it is much harder to convey all of that into a comic book. Which is why I try to give glimpses of how my characters interact and what motivates them to do what they do in the comic series. It’s hard to fit an entire novel into 24 pages, but I try to include what stands out the most about their personalities and how they came to be who they are.

I also threw myself into the comic book series (Book 3)  because of course, I always wanted to be in a comic book series (my character is also part of the original novel). My character is by far the hardest to really write about and develop, because I’m basically writing about myself, so it becomes rather personal. So I tend to develop the other characters around me a lot more. Who says I never put a 100% of myself in my work? lol!

Each comic book is written when I decide where I want the characters to go—whether I want to kill them off so the story can continue in a new direction or as a reason for another character changing or doing something, or I find that I create another character because of a backstory or an incident. it really depends, and if it makes sense in the story. But that’s how my mind works—I am constantly thinking about where I want to story to go, why my characters do what they so, and what’s next for them. It also depends on where I am at any point in my life. Like the time I was taking martial arts, a comic book will have more martial arts in it. If I’m traveling or if I’m in certain atmospheres and places, the story will reflect it, and not only that, it will reflect the people I meet in certain situations. I could meet someone only once and build an entire character around them. It depends on how they make me FEEL.

So that’s my process in a way. I know, I’m rambling. But you all get it.

Character Profile: Jeromos

Prince Jeromos Dracon is Janos’s right-hand man and chosen heir because of his royal blood and supposedly loyalty. But Jeromos is rebellious, power-hungry, and an alcoholic, whose hard drinking was caused by his horrible disfigurement by Cameron and his passion for the Author Ms. Price, who he kidnapped to turn into a vampire and who he believes sees him as a hideous monster. Jeromos is lustful, arrogant, fearless, and wanting leadership and power.

Jeromos wants to become leader and has the potential to become a very dangerous contender. He has some very powerful advantages—he is considered the “healer” as he has managed to find a serum for the virus that is killing off the Vampire Guardian Angels, and the reason he kidnapped the Author is that he has found that, as the “creator” and discoverer of the Vampire Guardian Angels (supposedly in biblical texts),  her blood has healing and restorative powers, so he is hell-bent on keeping her for himself as she can also heal him. This alone would make him leader, but he feels it is his right to be leader since he is of royal blood, as an ancient Estonian Prince. The Vampire Guardian Angels already see him as stronger and more effective than Janos, and they are slowly abandoning Janos to follow Jeromos. And as long as he has the author, the Vampire Guardian Angels will follow him.

But Jeromos is blinded by passion and alcohol, which can make him reckless. Despite this, he is confident and charismatic and has built up a formidable army and is ready to challenge Janos’s rule. And he does not hesitate in being ruthless to his enemies.

Character Profile: Detective Costa

Detective Sebastian Costa is a morally-driven human cop with a personality similar to Cameron, determined to do good. At first skeptical about the existence of the Vampire Guardian Angels, he was in the beginning suspicious of Ms. Price, but soon found out they were real and, as he fought to save her from them, he and Ms. Price grew close. 

Costa is a brave detective, but he is easily frustrated and impatient, temperamental, and cocky, and at times unsure of how to handle himself  in situations involving the Vampire Guardian Angels so he always tends to look to Cameron for guidance and even help. But he cares about doing the right thing as much as Cameron does and wants to protect humans, especially the Author, Ms. Price, who he was dating. He fights to retain his own humanity in a world taken over by Vampire Guardian Angels and finds himself often overwhelmed. 

He becomes even more determined when Ms. Price is kidnapped by Jeromos, and he fears the worst for her, which drives him to do anything and everything to find her. He wants to become a better fighter and knows that Cameron may not always be there, and puts pressure on himself to take the initiative and control of situations.

Character Profile: Joseph

 

Joseph is a selfish, insecure, self-absorbed young man who still suffers from grief and trauma from the death of his mother, and from Cameron turning him into a Vampire after killing his mother when he was a young boy. He is hell-bent on revenge against Cameron, who accidentally killed his mother, Christina, when Cameron suddenly transformed into a Vampire Guardian Angel after being bitten in Heaven and falling back to Earth. But Joseph was not aware that he was a reincarnated Guardian Angel, called "The Killer of Angels" for his power of light that could send Angels to their deaths and resurrection back in Heaven.

Joseph still cannot find himself to forgive Cameron, and his anger is so great that he is contemplating joining forces with whoever can destroy Cameron, even if it means finding an ally in Gabriel, who is still vengeful about what Joseph did to him but he hates Cameron more, or by leading the Vampire Guardian Angels himself. In the process, Joseph finds his desire for power growing. But he knows he is inexperienced and still young and that no one takes him seriously, and he is resentful of that, and it makes him insecure and more determined to prove himself. He also wants to be more powerful than Gabriel and Cameron, and resents Cameron’s pleas for him to “stay good”. Like Janos and Gabriel, Joseph is so traumatized he can no longer feel much human emotion, and Cameron is determined to make Joseph hang on to what little empathy he has left.

Joseph is highly intelligent and unlike Janos and Gabriel, he is not reckless and impulsive. He plans before he acts. He knows he has incredible power that he still needs to learn how to use, but is undecided whether for good or for evil. He is ambitious and intuitive and also very secretive. He watches and learns, and tries to find vulnerability. He finds ways to use people and situations to his advantage. He sees himself as a better leader and no matter how difficult, he is focused on that goal and on gaining the respect of all the Vampire Guardian Angels. He is actually fearless, courageous, and willing to find ways to achieve his goal. He can be stubborn and confrontational, and likes to be in charge and does not want to be told what to do. Deep inside is a brooding passion for a challenge and he seeks to discipline that energy and make it work for him, which makes him a formidable contender for future leadership.

Character Profile: Gregory

Gregory Adamson is one of the first Vampire Guardian Angels on earth, bitten by an Earth Vampire and unable to get back to Heaven. He fathers Janos with Countess Elizabeth Bathory, and though Janos is born a stillborn, Janos later reincarnates and Gregory waits until his son is older to tell him about his heritage and convince him to become the leader of the Vampire Guardian Angels and that he must find a way to bring all the angels down from Heaven to take over Earth.

But he soon finds that Janos is a reluctant leader, difficult to manage, and, because he is so blindly dedicated to his quest on finding a leader, he goes as far as impregnating Janos’s girlfriend Leah in order to try to make another “heir” and leader. However, she commits suicide before the child is born. Gregory wanders the earth in anger, and decides to try to make a leader out of Joseph, Cameron’s stepson. But Gregory is killed by a mysterious plague that targets vampires which, it turns out, was a virus sent by his own son Janos.

Gregory is a calculating, greedy, lustful character who is blinded by the need for power and by his desire to fulfill the prophecy and find a leader for the Vampire Guardian Angels. He has a laser focus on this goal and will do anything and everything to find, or even create, a leader. He lacks complete empathy and sympathy for humans and sees them as slaves to be used or eaten, and is relentless and manipulative in getting his way. This shows in his unending stalking and harassment of his son, and his brutal taking of Leah.