Article Originally Posted Here: http://www.brianbarrbooks.com/blog/chuck-amadori-innovative-and-real-comic-book-writer
There are many creative people out there in the world of comics, from artists, to colorists, and writers as well. Each of them bring their own skills into the game, with a variety of interests and abilities. As a small press author, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many talented authors online, and the privilege to work with a few. In comics, Chuck Amadori remains the best comic book writer I’ve come across.
Image, Dark Horse, and any other comic publishing house that hosts and distributes creator-owned comics would be wise to hit Google Search and look up Chuck Amadori. The man’s worked hard to contact reviewers and interviewers in order to share his unique, brilliant brand of comics. In a sea of mediocrity where some just piggyback and cover whatever is the hottest fad at the moment, Chuck pushes to do things that are different and reflective of his own creative genius.
That isn’t to say that he shys away from genres that are already established and well-known. Science-fiction, thrillers, cowboy shoot ’em ups, Chuck Amadori has touched them all… but in his own way, the way a writer should. He’s collaborated with great artists like Ruvel Abril, Alexandre Reis, and Marcelo Salaza, who have all brought Chuck’s written words into beautiful panels and covers.
When I was introduced to Chuck Amadori’s work online over 3-4? years ago through the internet comic book community, starting with Pale Dark, I saw a writer who loved mystery and crafting complex, original stories. His writing credits span from science fiction (Pale Dark, Tether) to westerns (Snake). Not only is he a writer, but he’s a talented filmmaker (https://www.youtube.com/user/Neuralclone) and a driven independent comic editor with his own Isle Squared Comics imprint. His work over the years has led to a variety of titles, and it’s amazing how he stays driven to keep it going.
Starting from Pale Dark, an ongoing comic series, I’ve also read Tether, another ongoing series, and Bang Bang Lucita. Pale Dark and Tether are science-fiction stories in their own right, Tether mixed with post-apocolyptic battle arenas, a mad scientist, and a bacchanalian, evil emperor who thirsts for sex and blood. Pale Dark has its share of crazy science, but nothing is more terrifying than Chuck’s Pale Man, a mysterious egomaniac who has a strange obsession with “Subject K”, one of his human lab rats. Pale Dark is my favorite, and after reading five issues, I find that what started as a veiled story about a guy with amnesia in a hellish space prison has turned into an intense space opera with mind blowing revelations, leading to more mystery! As a fan of Tad Williams and George R. R. Martin, I like weird cliffhangers that offer more enigmas to keep me reading, and Chuck’s comics always do this for me. This is why Chuck is so great at long-running comic series.
Chuck’s goals in comics, along with getting his work out there, is to be recognized by publishing houses who can help with distributing his material to a wider audience. As an innovative comic book creator, however, Chuck isn’t the type to just do “anything” to be recognized as a comic writer. The stories he comes up with are unique to him, not gimmicks for attention, and this means that it may be harder to get immediate attention. His stories carry a lot of mystery in a time period where some marketers make the mistake of believing most audiences want stories “spoon fed” to them, where all of the details are sold to them from the beginning. When I read Chuck’s works, I see a creator in the long tradition from Poe to Lynch with his own spin: all the details aren’t thrown on the table in issue one. Storylines aren’t just violent and extreme with no rhyme or reason. There is a fun sense of mystery, and trippy, even scary elements in Chuck’s stories that make you want to read more, that get you excited about unraveling hidden territories. His villains are bizarre, and his heroes are empathetic, tortured by the very secrets you, as a reader, anticipate being revealed.
I’m not really sure how long I knew Chuck before we started working on Empress, which started production in 2013 and has been out for over 2 years. I followed and liked his work, he liked mine, and the rest became history. We’ve really bonded on our Empress project with our artist Marcelo Salaza, former colorist Matheus Bronca, and current colorist Geraldo Filho. Witnessing his writing not only as a collaborator but as a fan, Chuck Amadori is a comic book writer who deserves to be seen in the comic book industry, independent and mainstream. His work ethic, his originality, and his intelligence is what is sorely needed in our modern American comic book industry. With the fall of the Comics Books Code and the widening of comic genre in the English speaking portions of the west, we have the potential to be as diverse in our market as Japan, Italy, France, and other places. Chuck Amadori’s work offers the diversity and innovation we need in a new era of comics. He’s a writer who isn’t weird or violent just to be edgy or cool. He tackles all types of subjects for both young and mature audiences, and approaches things with a smart but balanced mind, and is open to presenting new experiences for readers. Check him out. Any title you read from Chuck is worth it.
Chu
