Interview by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Throughout the month of December, Get Graphic will be reintroducing you to the creative talent behind AWA's Upshot universe! Utilizing a collection of mini-series, Upshot is less about big, cosmic crossovers and more about building an expanded universe that is driven by themes and engaging storytelling. This means you'll experience every corner of this world imaginable! From the zombie apocalypse and the supernatural to criminal underworlds and high-flying heroics -- the tendrils of upshot are diverse, and the talent behind these titles are masters of the format.
Talent such as artist C.P. Smith of The Resistance Uprising. In the following interview, C.P. shows us his artistic process and gives readers a glimpse (just a glimpse!) into this flagship title.
Firstly, what is your name and where do you hail from?
My Name is C.P. Smith and I'm from California.
How did you get into comic books as a fan?
When I was a kid everyone read comic books.
What can you tell us about The Resistance books? What are they about?
There is a global plague and the survivors develop superpowers. It reads as many small personal stories set on a worldwide stage.
How did you get involved with AWA as an artist?
Quite a few years ago, [Chief Creative Officer] Axel Alonso told me he was going to make a comic book company and he actually did!
What tools do you use to draw?
For The Resistance: Uprising, the main challenge was keeping the 43 named characters clear and with unique faces and bodies. To add to the challenge, the characters didn't have graphic costumes to differentiate them in small panels. To solve this problem, I sculpted the characters from traditional and A.I. generated photography. I used the sculpted meshes for reference and drew, traced, and photo-bashed the pages together in Clip Studio, Studio Artist, and Photoshop on a Wacom Cintiq. The backgrounds were made in Blender and rendered in EEVEE, Unreal or Twin Motion.
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For more from C.P. Smith, be sure to follow him on
Instagram.
The Resistance Uprising, the second volume in AWA's Resistance series, is available now at your local comic shop.
The Resistance Universe: Origins, the next installment in The Resistance series, hits comic shops on December 14, 2022. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox.
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) VARIOUS (A) Various (CA) Razzah
In March 2020, amid Covid-19 lockdowns, AWA launched a bold new universe for the 21st Century with J. Michael Straczynski & Mike Deodato Jr.'s The Resistance, in which "Reborns" gain incredible powers in the wake of a global pandemic. Other creators followed with series such as E-Ratic, Knighted, and The Joneses. Now, for the first time, we are collecting each of the initial chapters in this super-sized collection.
In Shops: Dec 14, 2022
SRP: $19.99
PREVIEWS Page #280
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) C. P. Smith (CA) Rahzzah
Acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski returns the prescient, ambitious world of The Resistance! In the wake of the assassination of their leader, the Resistance is in disarray, disconnected from each other and hunted by authorities around the world - including an army of "reborns" recruited by the American government. To avert decimation at the hands of a fascistic government crackdown, the Resistance must discover the ace up their sleeve, and then the key to unlocking it.
In Shops: Apr 07, 2021
SRP: $3.99
PREVIEWS Page #234
Click to View
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) C. P. Smith (CA) Mike Deodato
Acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski returns the prescient, ambitious world of The Resistance! In the wake of the assassination of their leader, the Resistance is in disarray, disconnected from each other and hunted by authorities around the world - including an army of "reborns" recruited by the American government. To avert decimation at the hands of a fascistic government crackdown, the Resistance must discover the ace up their sleeve, and then the key to unlocking it.
In Shops: Apr 07, 2021
SRP: $3.99
PREVIEWS Page #234
Click to View
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) C. P. Smith (CA) Rahzzah
Acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski returns to the prescient, ambitious world of The Resistance! In the wake of the assassination of their leader, the Resistance is in disarray, disconnected from each other and hunted by authorities around the world - including an army of "reborns" recruited by the American government. To avert decimation at the hands of a fascistic government crackdown, the Resistance must discover the ace up their sleeve,
and then the key to unlocking it. Introducing Weird Willy, the most powerful - and bent - "reborn" of them all.
In Shops: May 12, 2021
SRP: $3.99
PREVIEWS Page #246
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) C. P. Smith (CA) Rahzzah
The Resistance takes an intimate look at a very special species of the super-human race known as The Reborn. Emily Kai
is what is known as a "Moth." She was granted immense power by the global pandemic known as "The Great Death," but
with a caveat: The moment she taps into the power that resides within her, a clock starts and Emily will have only six
months to live. Granted the opportunity to bring immense beauty into the world, but only by paying the ultimate price,
Emily embarks on a harrowing journey of self-discovery that will test her to her core and take her to places way beyond
her wildest imagination.
In Shops: Jun 16, 2021
SRP: $3.99
PREVIEWS Page #277
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) C. P. Smith (CA) Rahzzah
Acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski returns to the prescient, ambitious world of The Resistance! In the wake of the
assassination of their leader, the Resistance is in disarray, disconnected from each other and hunted by authorities
around the world - including an army of "reborns" recruited by the American government. To avert decimation at the
hands of a fascistic government crackdown, the Resistance must discover the ace up their sleeve, and then the key to
unlocking it.
In Shops: Jul 28, 2021
SRP: $3.99
PREVIEWS Page #273
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) C. P. Smith (CA) Rahzzah
Acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski returns to the prescient, ambitious world of The Resistance! In the wake of the assassination of their leader, the Resistance is in disarray, disconnected from each other and hunted by authorities around the world - including an army of "reborns" recruited by the American government. To avert decimation at the hands of a fascistic government crackdown, the Resistance must discover the ace up their sleeve, and then the key to unlocking it.
In Shops: Aug 25, 2021
SRP: $3.99
PREVIEWS Page #263
ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) C. P. Smith (CA) Rahzzah
In the wake of the assassination of their leader, the Resistance is in disarray, disconnected from each other and hunted by authorities around the world - including an army of "reborns" recruited by the American government. To avert decimation at the hands of a fascist government crackdown, the Resistance must discover the ace up their sleeve and the key to unlocking it.
In Shops: Sep 29, 2021
SRP: $3.99
PREVIEWS Page #278
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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.
