Armored: A Haunting Tale of Magic & Monsters!
By Liam McGuire
Feb 16th 2024
Michael Schwarz, a friend of CaptCan Comics, has a new comic coming out called Armored from Clover Press with artist Ismael Hernandez! And you’re not going to want to miss it!
The story follows Andy, a 13-year-old orphan whose parents disappear, leading him to be adopted by an unusual couple who have suffered their own loss. Andy will investigate his adopted parents’ son’s death, leading him directly into a magic set of armor from the 13th century. While gaining magic armor sounds like a blast, it will put Andy in direct conflict with a group of evil creatures looking to gain the suit's powers — all while the armor is haunted by the knight who wore it, Sir William.
We spoke with Schwarz about how Armored came to be, the book's different horror and humor elements, and gaining support from some huge names for the Kickstarter project. Check out our conversation below.
What is Armored about?
Armored is about a 13-year-old orphan named Andy, who is adopted by a couple who lost their son under very mysterious circumstances. While investigating the site of the boy’s death, Andy falls into an old hidden tomb and discovers a strange amulet that ends up being a magical suit of armor. It’s a pretty cool find, except the armor is still being haunted by the ghost of the knight who wore it hundreds of years ago. Andy and the ghostly knight, Sir William, work together to stop the creature that killed his adoptive parents’ son, before it kills anyone else.
What inspired Armored and what made Ismael Hernández the perfect fit for the comic?
It’s hard to know exactly what inspired Armored. I definitely think it was a multitude of things –
binging an old cartoon series called Visionaries while also feeling nostalgic for vacations I took
as a kid to old castle ruins in Germany.
When my editor, Chris Stevens, showed me Ismael’s artwork, I instantly fell in love with his
beautifully hand-painted pages. It has a certain quality to it that feels out of time and unlike any
artist’s work currently on shelves. Since Armored is a horror-fantasy story, he just felt like the
perfect fit to visualize the story.
How important was it to lean into horror for Armored? What bone-chilling moments can readers expect?
In addition to being an avid comic collector, I am also a really big horror movie fan. I’ve been
watching and collecting them since I was a kid, and can’t help but be influenced by the genre.
Much like some of the kid's movies I’ve written, Armored has a few nods to classic horror films
like An American Werewolf in London and Evil Dead. The first five pages open with a monster
attacking a group of children, ultimately leading to the demise of one of them. As the first arc
progresses, it gets darker and darker. If you read Armored, you’ll see strange
monsters, zombies, and a possession or two… okay, maybe a lot.
With that said, there is a lot of humour in Armored, and it comes from the out-of-time knight, Sir
William. I like to compare the series to Stranger Things as I carefully balance the horror with the
Comedy.
How exciting is it to see this project nearing the finish line after its successful Kickstarter campaign?
I couldn’t be more thrilled for readers to finally get the book in their hands. While the Kickstarter campaign was successful; there are a number of comic fans that still don’t know about the series, so I can’t wait for direct market buyers to finally get a chance to get a copy too.
What was it like to work alongside Clover Press?
Working with Clover Press and their publisher, Hank Kanalz has been an incredible experience. When I first started shopping the project around, Hank immediately understood the strengths of Armored and my desire for it to be a single-issue series. I’ve written the first arc with a clear end, but every issue leading to issue 5 has a big cliffhanger. Clover puts out such beautiful books, so I knew when we decided to work together, the quality of the book would be top notch.
What was it like to work with Jae Lee, Nick Pitarra, Chrissie Zullo, and Scott Kolins on doing covers for the book?
Having these massive names in comics agree to provide covers for Armored was a dream come true. It feels totally surreal to know they believe in the project enough to contribute their art. I mean, I have dozens and dozens of their works in my comic collection! And these are just the names for issues 1 and 2. We have a whole bunch of incredible contributors lined up for issues 3, 4, and 5!
Dan Akyroyd and R.L. Stine are two huge names that support the book. What’s it like to get their blessing as they are icons in horror and supernatural space?
Sending the book to them was nerve-wracking. I was so fortunate to work with both of them on R.L. Stine’s Zombie Town, but I didn’t know if they would like the series. At that point, not many people had read Armored, so I had no idea what sort of feedback I would get. When I heard back from them and saw their kind words, I honestly couldn’t believe it. I grew up with both of their vast libraries of work, so to have them support my comic like this is beyond my wildest Expectations.
Are there plans to do more than five issues of the comic?
Absolutely! Ismael is currently penciling issue 6 as we speak and I’m just putting the finishing touches on the script for issue 7. The story of Armored is a big one. While many of the mysteries introduced in issue one are resolved in the first arc, I do leave a few open-ended that I plan on exploring in multiple arcs. It’s going to be a fun ride!
Armored, which had a successful Kickstarter to launch the comic, features covers from several fan-favorite creators including Jae Lee, Nick Pitarra, Chrissie Zullo, Scott Kolins, Matthew Therrien, and Jeff Dickson. The main cover available from Pitarra for the retail release features Andy in his magical knight’s armor, fending off an undead threat.
Orphaned teen Andy's parents disappeared mysteriously. Now, he's just been adopted by a quaint family living in the countryside. What could go wrong? Screenwriter Michael Schwartz (ZOMBIE TOWN, GNOME ALONE) makes his comics debut alongside rising artist Ismael Hernandez, whose fully painted pages '...use colour brilliantly, in both modelling and storytelling' according to industry titan Frank Quitely. Superstar artists Nick Pitarra and Jae Lee provide an instantly iconic covers for the debut issue GHOSTBUSTERS icon Dan Aykroyd says is 'fear-packed, suspenseful...(it) entices us to continue reading more to come."
You won’t want to miss Armored #1 when it arrives at CaptCan Comics on April 24, 2024. Don’t forget to pre-order the series to ensure you don’t miss out on future issues.
Read More