Animal Kingdom An Endagered Species In Think Tank Volume 5

by Vince Brusio

Espionage never gets a sick day. Greed never sends an email. The winner takes it all, period, and this is the way the cookie crumbles in real life. So for those who seek to put the brakes on injustice, they know they have to work around the clock. Doing good takes phenomenal dedication. You either push it to the limit, or call it a day and plug into the matrix with the rest of the couch potatoes. In Matt Hawkins’ Think Tank Volume 5 #1 (JAN170669), you’ll see the volume’s once again turned up to “11”  because several key NATO figures have been assassinated by animals. So figuring out this quandry is going to take a lot more than just replenished cups of coffee. Here to explain the madness is Think Tank creator himself, Matt Hawkins, in a PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview that is sure to convert you to the right side of the global equation.

Think Tank Volume 5 #1 (JAN170669) is in comic shops March 1.

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Vince Brusio: Matt, how about giving us a primer for this new installment so that readers can get up to speed? What should we know about the story at this point?

Matt Hawkins: In the last volume Dr. David Loren, our protagonist, had a relationship breakup and got caught in a vicious depression cycle. We do a two page "Story So Far" with art and narrative balloons. I'd suggest people read that!

Vince Brusio: Who are the movers and the shakers in Think Tank Volume 5 #1 (JAN170669)? What new characters pose a threat to the general population?

Matt Hawkins: That's part of the fun of each Think Tank arc: trying to figure out who the bad guys actually are. It's usually pretty clear by the 2nd issue of the arc. It opens with animals being used for terrorist attacks, but who's controlling them is unclear. Ultimately, we realize this is some sort of NATO play between Russia and the West.

Vince Brusio: Give us a glimpse into how you think about writing this book. What lights the fire? How do you blow up the outside world to put yourself into the place you need to be to write Think Tank?

Matt Hawkins: I will usually re-read the previous volumes the day before I need to write this. Then I'll catch up on my military, government and science web sites. That usually gets me in the right mindset. The research for these stories takes months so I've usually got the stories pretty well outlined before I actually start writing. Just need to get in the mood!

Vince Brusio: What if someone told you that Think Tank Volume 5 #1 was sitting on a coffee table inside a lounge area for the next Bilderberg Group agenda. What would you say?

Matt Hawkins: I'd say I hope they don't get any ideas! Most of the ideas I have for Think Tank come from my looking at technology. I see what’s "in the works" and I sit around and think about possible applications for it. I'm sure the government has many people that are doing the exact same thing, I just get paid a lot less to do it.

Vince Brusio: If you were doing a signing, and someone walked up to your booth and said they thought Think Tank played into contemporary conspiracy theories (Skull and Crossbones society, the Illuminati), what would you say about the connections they might draw?

Matt Hawkins: I'd tell them they're 100% correct. Pause for a few seconds and just look at them and see how they react. This hasn't happened to me yet, but I get all the time that people are freaked out by what they've read and really want to know how much of it's true. People either come up and talk to me for 2 minutes, or half an hour. I love the half hour talks, I usually learn something. I remember those people too. I like it when people are into it. The whole point of the Science Class and the extra content I put in the back is to give the reader more. The one thing I hate about comics is how many I've read in less than 5 minutes and never thought about them again. That's 90% of the comics I read. I try and give the reader more. I recognize it isn't for everyone, but the people into it...are into it!

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Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.