Here’s an interview Erik Hendrix did with Comic Bloc, which you can READ IN FULL HERE.

Smaller companies face the challenge of creating their brand from scratch.  They have to get their name out there.  That perhaps  is the biggest guy to the smaller guy’s suggest.  He who gets his name out there the best, wins.  In comic terms that isn’t just properties like superman or batman, but names like Grant Morrison, Jim Lee and Brian Michael Bendis.  These people are well-known and their names give the impression of their works before you even read page one.

Arcana Comics are one such company trying to get the same recognition DC and Marvel do for comics.  They’ve done a variety of incredible books, including works like 100 Girls, Kade, and Snow Angel to name a few.  This book I’m looking at today is no exception to the high standards of quality and entertainment Arcana provides.

I had a chance to read Sideshows: Book One by Erik Hendrix and Michael David Nelson.

To quote Hendrix:  “SideShows is about a group of former Circus Attractions who are working hand in hand with the mob in 1950′s Las Vegas and when their boss, “Slick” Mick Carpoli, throws them at the wrong adversary, they end up opening a Pandora’s Box of problems.”

Mark Carpoli sends the sideshows after some greasers that are in town.  A simple message turns into all out war and the action escalates fairly quickly from there.  Hendrix weaves a smart, engaging story.  I love the concept of super powered sideshows and am glad that this will only be the beginning.

What makes this story so strong is the art.  It’s not Nelson’s cleanest work, but the style adds to the seedy nature of the story and gives the story a sense of time and adds layers to the story.  It really draws you in from page one.

I had a chance to talk to Erik Hendrix not only about Side Shows but also a bit about his job as VP of Marketing for Arcana.

JP: In your own words what is Sideshows all about?

EH: I’m the writer, they’re all my words! Ha ha… SideShows is about a group of former Circus Attractions who are working hand in hand with the mob in 1950′s Las Vegas and when their boss, “Slick” Mick Carpoli, throws them at the wrong adversary, they end up opening a Pandora’s Box of problems. The original idea had a single sentence that says it best, though, about the world ~ High rollers, lounge singers, cigarettes, alcohol, and superpowers. Welcome to Las Vegas.

JP:   Why the 1950s Las Vegas? Where does your love of this particular period come from?

EH:  1950′s Las Vegas is just plain magic. I had no real appreciation for Vegas when I was younger, because all I knew was the flash of New Vegas, the over the top strip, full of casinos, alcohol, bright lights, and Broadway-style productions. I was introduced to what Old Vegas was about by my grandfather-in-law, who showed me what Vegas once was, by taking me to the Old Strip (Fremont Street), walking me through casinos, and just talking. In some of the older casinos, they have old slot machines to check out. Most you can’t touch, but up until a few years ago, there was one coin-operated machine, which looked like it has seen action for about fifty years. There’s something about the elegance of those old machines and when you look at old pictures of Vegas, the same elegance is there. I’m not saying everyone went around everywhere in a suit and tie or dresses, but there was something more pure about the gambling experience. Throw in a ton of movies set in Vegas where everything really looked slick, and you have the basis for the setting of SideShows. After the initial idea came around, I did a lot of reading about what was going on in the nation and in Las Vegas particularly at the time… It’s fiction, so I took liberties, of course, but I hope the love of the city and the time period really comes through.

JP: As I stated, the art is really cool.  Notice it’s a little different from your normal style?  Where was the evolution of this?

EH:  Most of the artists I worked with before Michael and I really started digging into SideShows, were very realistic. With SideShows, Michael and I wanted to pull the style back to an earlier time to some degree, while modernizing it. What came out of Michael in the end was a somewhat impressionistic style, mashed with something like what Jack Kirby did with the Fantastic Four back in 1961. The moody style works well for the book.

JP:  Will there be sequels to Sideshows?  Are you and Michael working on other things together?

EH: Yes and Yes… SideShows should be at least three books to get through the complete set of ideas I have for the characters and world. Can’t WAIT to get started working through my notes for book two! As for Michael and I, we have been collaborating for about two years now on various ideas. Some of the books I have coming out from Arcana are co-created and/or co-written with him. He’s a talented guy!

JP:   I asked you why Las Vegas, now I’m asking you why the circus?

EH:   I have always been creeped out a bit by “SideShow” attractions but also very fascinated by them. The thing about them, though, is that most of it’s a gag. You see the Lizard Man these days and he’s a self-made SideShow… tattoos, sub-dermal implants, forked tongue, etc… All great, but thinking about it, what if these people had real abilities? What if the strong guy wasn’t just tossing around foam dumbbells, but could really lift tons? What if the “flea circus” actually had real fleas? What if the guy throwing around “stage magic” was actually a real magician? Crossing the attractions with the supernatural and mystical just seemed to fit.

JP:  You’re not just a writer with Arcana.  Can you explain to me what you do for them and how your role has evolved?

EH: Over at Arcana Comics, my involvement with them has evolved from a creator looking to get my books out into the world into something more. After SDCC 2009, I had a bunch of ideas I was wanting to pitch to various publishers. Arcana’s name kept popping up.  Something about their offerings appealed to me, and within several weeks, I sent one of my ideas over to test the waters.

Maybe it was just perfect timing, but I heard back within twenty-four hours that they were interested in the idea and we worked out some details. By the end of the year, before even the first project was finished up, I had three contracts with them.

THANKS AGAIN AND CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW!