Interview: Cosmic Chaos Abound in 'Djinn Hunter' from Blackbox
Aug 17, 2021
Interview by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Rogue magick, Magehounds, dark sorcerers, mythical creatures...oh my! No, this isn't a dungeon master's narration. This is Djinn Hunter (MAY211301), a new series from BlackBox Comics.
In the following interview, Djinn Hunter writer Jay Sandlin and artist Fabrice Cosentino take us on a mystical ride through the cosmic chaos of their own creation. Discover more below...
Firstly, what is Djinn Hunter?
Jay Sandlin: Thank you for asking such a wonderful opening question! Djinn Hunter, the title of our series—a high-fantasy action-adventure with anime-inspired artwork—is meant to describe our protagonist. Her name is Zara, she’s a Djinn who is a hunter aka Magehound. A Magehound serves the Council of Elemental Djinn by hunting down rogue magick users; dark sorcerers, mythical creatures, and, worst of all, rogue Djinn granting predatory wishes to unsuspecting mortals. These particular Djinn pose the greatest threat to the balance of the realms, which the Magehounds like Zara are sworn to uphold!
Fabrizio Cosentino: Djinn Hunter is a story of action, love, powerful beings, and difficult choices. And of course, wishes. Always be careful about what you wish for - because you could actually obtain it.
This world that you’ve created, already sounds rich just based on the synopsis. Is this based on something or all sprung from your imagination?
Jay Sandlin: The real magick (pun intended) came during the scripting phase. We agreed on a rough outline of the first five issues but diving into the meat of the story is what made the world take off. At its heart, the story is about restoring balance; both to the realms and in Zara’s heart. Zara lost the right to be a Magehound when she refused to turn in one of her targets, a sorceress called Samira. She fell in love with Samira and sought to find a place they could live together in peace, but she was betrayed and imprisoned in a bottle for ten thousand years. That all happens before you meet her in the first issue, so I’m not giving anything away, but I’ll say the story overall took a life of its own during the scripting phase and grew organically.
Fabrizio Cosentino: On my side, I had fun creating everything from zero. I always enjoy creating new worlds and Jay gave me the perfect chance to let my imagination go wild.
What was it like getting those scripts from Jay, Fabrizio? This seems like a story that really requires a firm visual interpretation.
Fabrizio Cosentino: I loved the scripts at first sight. Jay made a great work and it was really easy for me to understand the direction to take for every setting. Of course, my love for painting and backgrounds came in handy. We also worked a lot into characters' designs, so in the end everything was exactly as we wanted.
What made Fabrizio the right artist for the job?
Jay Sandlin: The fact that Dimitrios Zaharakis (CEO of Blackbox Comics) hired him and gave him the job! Dimitrios is constantly on the hunt for new talent, who will work with what book, and he has a knack for it. Seriously, Fabrizio was Dimitrios’ find and I couldn’t be any happier with how he interpreted the scripts and put his own spin on the narrative.
How did you go about depicting a “cosmos in chaos?”
Fabrizio Cosentino: All the worlds we explore in Djinn Hunter are heavily twisted and corrupted by wishes; we focused on the contrast between the "normal life" of these worlds and the devastating consequences of those wishes... so chaos is the only possible outcome. And when you put such powerful beings into this chaos, the result is an even bigger chaos!
How did Djinn Hunter come about as a project?
Jay Sandlin: I’d say it’s based on lots of trial and error. Dimitrios approached me originally about wanting to do a story about Djinn. We went through several drafts and stages of ideas before arriving where we did. When Dimitrios suggested a draft with a female protagonist and more action/adventure guiding the story, that’s when Zara and her adventures through the various realms really took shape. Zara trying to correct the wishes gone wrong by the evil Djinn became the main focus of the story and everything else branched off from there.
Fabrizio Cosentino: I was contacted by BLACKBOX COMICS because they liked my art style combined with my love for backgrounds and fantasy settings. For a story like Djinn Hunter, there was the need of creating a lot of different worlds, so that was essential. I hope I did a good job!
Looking forward, what can readers expect from Djinn Hunter?
Jay Sandlin: Well, that depends. You see, there’s this big baddie named Abyss out there trying to take over the realms. He’s an elder Djinn and former member of the council, before he went rogue. Now he and his minions are running roughshod throughout the realms, granting wishes to unsuspecting mortals which all blow up in their faces, leaving Zara to pick up the pieces. Can the Djinn hunter stop him before it’s too late? And what happens when she comes face to face with her lost lover, Samira, once again? Guess you’ll just have to read to find out!
Fabrizio Cosentino: A lot of action, powerful characters but also deep meanings behind each event. Each of those are carefully balanced to give the reader a great experience. Again, Jay did a really great job with the script. About the art, my main goal as an artist is to create an anime-like art style, but it also tries to be something new and fresh both from the storytelling side and the visual side.
In terms of audience, who is Djinn Hunter for?
Jay Sandlin: The story is an adult fantasy. There’s a heavy level of fantasy violence, blood and guts, but not anything worse than what you’d find in a PG-13 film. Anyone who loves a good anime with engaging characters, magical realms, and lesbian Djinn will find a home with DJINN HUNTER!
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Djinn Hunter (MAY211301) is in comic shops now from BlackBox Comics. Order your copy today using PREVIEWSworld Pullbox. More details below.
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Troy-Jeffrey Allen is the producer and co-host of PREVIEWSworld Weekly. His comics work includes MF DOOM: All Caps, Public Enemy's Apocalpyse '91, Fight of the Century, the Harvey Award-nominated District Comics, and the Ringo Awards-nominated Magic Bullet.
