In the late '80s, I placed an ad in the Comics Buyer's Guide: Writer wants to collaborate with artist. Among the responses was a small packet from France that contained comic pages, spot illustrations, and other samples drawn in a most unusual style. The artist's name was Laurent Cilluffo. I was compelled to write something that we could develop together. One of Laurent's samples was an abstract picture of a man in a jumpsuit, with the lowercase letters "fx" emblazoned across his chest. He was floating above a fantastic city, among balloon-like objects that were also airborne. My contribution was the back story: Dave Davids was a scientist who was developing a formula that would allow humans to breathe underwater. Thieves broke into Dave's lab; he resisted. They attempted to kill him with an injection from an untried sample. Instead of dying, Dave Davids is able to float through the air when he holds his breath. Another art sample showed a man sitting on a small seat that had a mini helicopter propeller sticking up from the back. Laurent indicated that the character's name was "Mr. Unknown," but that was later changed to "Mr. Anonymous" (or "Mr. A"), to avoid being confused with the masked editor of From Parts Unknown Magazine. I was again inspired by Laurent's images: John Doe (not his real name) is an anti-social bad boy with a mysterious past. His father had ties to the criminal underworld, but John rejected his old man's violent ways, choosing science and inventing instead of killing. He changed his name, and was accepted at Deco City's Tower of Science, where he continues his mysterious experiments in secrecy. Laurent draws terrific architecture and cities. His art style doesn't really fit the popular definition of Art Deco, but he loves comic strips from the '30s and the '40s (the Art Deco period), and I have been influenced by pulp novels from the same era. I set the story in Deco City, which set the tone for a time and place that looks vaguely like Dick Tracy's world, where the gangsters talk like James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson ("See?"). fx (always lowercase) was originally conceived as a series of humorous adventure stories with an avant-garde flavor. That was how fx, Mr. A, and Deco City came to be... In addition to the story about the museum robbery, we had completed an official origin story for fx and Mr. Unknown (now referred to as Mr. Anonymous). Laurent and his wife, Valerie, adapted most of the comic book story into a short, animated film, complete with voice actors, music, and sound effects. The animated movie is very true to our comic, but we intend to expand the concept into a full-blown series or an illustrated novel; preferably both. The project is now called Deco City, and the city itself plays a major role in the story. At midnight, the blocks, buildings, and railways rotate like a giant clockwork toy. In theory, this was supposed to discourage areas from subdividing into insular little neighborhoods; all of Deco City was to be one big community. However, the idea backfired, and now the city is chaotic, it's people gripped by paranoia and instability. The heroes are now teenagers. There is an expanded supporting cast, which includes the former superhero-turned-scientist who designed Deco City, and who also acts like a pseudo father to both Dave Davids and John Doe. Laurent's artwork has never been better, and it's exciting to see his images and my story with movement and sound. Deco City Lives!

Comments

1. nice work  more please