Interview: Jason Pharos, Creator of The Convictor

The Convictor: Hunters Moon is currently live on Kickstarter and over 250% funded. Jason Pharos, creator and author recently filled me in on the project. Our interview is below.

Check out the Kickstarter: HERE

Indie Comix Dispatch: Jason, thank you for taking the time to do an interview! I’ve been following your development on The Convictor, really impressive progress! Tell us about yourself first, how did you become an indie comic book creator?

Jason: You’re very welcome, thank you for being interested in what we’re doing and in The Convictor!

Let’s see, I’m married to a fantastic woman and I’m a father of 5, I’m an avid martial artist, and I work in the Homeland Security field for the last 20 years. I have always been an artist as long as I can remember, drawing anything, and everything that struck my fancy as a child. Most bordered on the ridiculous and absurd. Superheroes caught my interest very early on in the 70s (yes, I’m old) and it just grew from there. I really turned my full attention to drawing DC/Marvel heroes around the age of 10 and it kinda stuck. I drew them all until I realized I could create my own, then I went pedal to the floor creating my own “universe” of heroes, villains, worlds, and materials. Around the age of 12, I created who I feel is my flagship character, The Convictor. His creation was influenced by many different genres and characters. He was my guy, I drew him for years. I made ashcans for personal enjoyment, for my friends, even had a weekly strip in a middle school newspaper and in my high school art room. Eventually, my art fell to the wayside because I had a fulltime job, then a family, and all of life’s other encroachments. Flash forward 20 years and I barely drew anything. The Convictor was never truly far from my mind though. My son who was 23 at the time encouraged me to get back into drawing The Convictor, he was always a huge fan. So at 46 years old, as part of a Bucket List, I decided it was time to give The Convictor and my 12-year-old self the comic they both deserved. So here we are.

ICD: So, break down The Convictor for us? What can you tell us so far?

Jason: As I often like to say, The Convictor is a normal man with supernatural abilities. That in and of itself is a bit of a misnomer. Matt Rocklin (The Convictor) is definitely more human than human. He was born with what I like to refer to as a “super-trait” or “meta-trait”. He does not have superhuman abilities per se, but he was born with this trait, the trait of Indomitable Will. He was gifted this trait for unknown reasons by an unknown source. Matt is a character forged by a life of tragedy and loss, but yet he prevails. Born and orphan and raised in the system until adulthood, he joined the Army and became a decorated Ranger during the war in Afghanistan. Losing his Ranger team of friends and brothers in a botched operation in the mountains of Afghanistan, he was thought to be Killed In Action like the rest of his squad. Gravely wounded, he was rescued by a Ninja Clan operating on the Afghan border. Taken back to Japan to rehabilitate, it was there he found a family he had long missed. Taken into the clan as a brother he learned the ways of the Ninja and began a new life, as a brother, son, and husband. This was all taken from him in one night of blood and chaos. Once again, Matt lost everything. The difference this time was, he will make those responsible pay. He will commit himself to an ancient ritual he didn’t fully understand to seek vengeance. The Convictor was born. Years later he is still seeking retribution against the wicked and the evil. Fighting rogue ninja clans, terrorist cells, supervillains, and thugs. All in the name of Retribution and Justice….Until Hunters Moon.

ICD: You’re in the middle of a Kickstarter Campaign, how’s that going?

Jason: We are about 9 days out from the finish line. Our campaign is going exceedingly well. Nick Lee, Dennis Valencia , and I couldn’t be more pleased with its progress. We just crossed our 3rd Stretch Goal and are looking at the 4th one at $4500. We have amazing backers!

ICD: What Kickstarter perks are you most excited about?

Jason: I personally am simply excited to get The Convictor: Hunters Moon into as many hands of fans as I can, it amazes that folks are resonating with a character I created over 30 years ago. Our most popular tier was definitely the Dennis Valencia commission tier, which sold out within the first 10 minutes of launch. Amazing. Another tier I personally like is the Feel Like A Monster bundle, it really gets you the top line of perks, especially with the cover variants and the virgin cover books.

ICD: What has surprised you the most about Kickstarter? Any words of advice for other indie creators?

Jason: How quickly we funded. We knew we would fund during the life of the campaign but to fully fund in under 90 minutes was amazing to us, especially as first-time creators and for our first Kickstarter. We absolutely know that’s because we have a truly awesome fan base and followers. We couldn’t have done it without them for sure. The best piece of advice I can give is this, love your creation, love the world they inhabit, if you truly do, it will translate to your fan base. They will love your creation because you do. Your passion will become theirs.

ICD: Will the Convictor be an on-going series? Or do you have an end in mind?

Jason: The Convictor stories are told in a novel format, I do not number them, although they do have an overall arc order, they are also self-contained. Much like a Bond film if you will. There will definitely be more Convictor books coming, Lots of stories for the Ninja-Vigilante to be told. To answer your question, yes there is an end to The Convictor arc. His story is very much a tale of loss and love, tragedy and redemption, pain and sacrifice. That’s all I can really say outside of spoilers right now. He has arrived and there will be plenty of material for fans of The Convictor.

ICD: Let’s talk indie / self published comics, who are you following right now and who do you think others should be following?

Jason: I am a huge fan of anything coming out of Konkret Comics, Homebrewed Hereos, Burlap Comix, and Wingless Comics, and Snowyworks right now, I consume so much from these amazing creators. I definitely think every person reading this should seek out these creators and support their amazing books and content! You can find them all on Instagram.

ICD: What’s one piece of advice you give to other new indie comic creators?

Jason: Best piece I can give, as I stated earlier, LOVE YOUR CREATION, but also relish in others creations as well. There is so much available to indie lovers right now, so much amazing support and content being created. It is definitely Indies time to flourish. One other thing I can say is listen to your peers, constructive advice is everything. I have a group of peers that I lean on often and that is key, support each other.

ICD: Where can people find your work and how can they support your kickstarter?

Jason: You can find me on Instagram @the_convictor or on Facebook @ConvictorComics. On the web you can get us at ConvictorComics.com . My team you can get Dennis Valencia @drvalenciadesgns (instagram) and Nick Lee @nickleecolors (instagram). The Kickstarter you can access the link in our instagram bio, my teams Instagrams bios, or via our website at ConvictorComics.com. Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview, I truly appreciate it.