DEANNA DESTITO: How did Impossible Jones come about?
KARL KESEL: I literally woke up one morning and knew how I would write Plastic Man. And I am not someone who ever spent ANY amount of time thinking about Plastic Man, so I have no idea where that thought came from. I approached Dan Didio about pitching a Plastic Man idea (without going into specifics) and he said DC wasn’t looking for a Plastic Man idea at the time. So I reworked the idea, mixed in a little Harley Quinn (a character I really loved writing) and the basics for Impossible Jones were there. (The name is a nod to Al Capp’s characters in Li’l Abner— specifically Stupifyin’ Jones, a name I always loved!) Once I started working on IMP with David Hahn, the character really came alive, seemed to start writing herself, going in directions I hadn’t expected. (Which happens a lot.) I like to think the end result is bigger than the sum of her parts.
DESTITO: What is your favorite part about playing in this universe?
KESEL: Hard to say. I have a deep fondness for all the core supporting players— I created Polecat and Captain Lightning in second grade!— and I like the more contained scale of the IMP book. New Hope City only has five or six heroes (counting IMP) so it’s not like you have the Avengers AND the FF AND the X-Men crowding the streets. Plus, as we add villains, I like how that keeps Our Heroes the underdogs. And while IMP has faced at least one extremely powerful foe, the tone of the book is much more street-level— like the early Lee/Ditko/Romita Spider-Man comics. And that’s a tone I really enjoy and feel is full of the most possibilities.
DESTITO: The witty dialogue is definitely a draw, at least for me. How easily do you get into the characters’ heads, and do you base them on anyone you personally know?
KESEL: I can’t say I base anyone’s personality on a real person. Often I’ll cast an actor as a certain character, in my head at least. The Spanish actress Ursula Corbero is perfect for IMP, visually and tonally (as seen in Money Heist), if you ask me. Tom Hanks would have been great as Polecat, back in the day, as would a young Robert Redford have been a perfect Captain Lightning. As for getting in their heads— mostly the characters tell me what they will (or won’t) do. They really do write themselves a lot, revealing new layers, surprising even ME!
DESTITO: What is this current Kickstarter IMP about?
KESEL: Impossible to Love, which (Love Comic homage cover and title aside), is just as fast-paced and action-packed as our other IMP adventures— finds IMP the last hero standing after a brutal battle sidelines all other heroes in New Hope City. She suddenly finds herself a deputized officer of the law without anyone knowing she’s actually a wanted thief, a position she decides to use to find one last HUGE SCORE that can set her up for life. She and Demolition— a bad-boy gun-for-hire with no use for authority— start to cross paths, and she finds herself attracted to him. Unfortunately, she’s also been ordered to bring him in. Complications ensue…
The book will be about 60 pages long, with backmatter and pin-ups, plus we’ll have great Alt Covers by Terry Dodson (he’s still drawing his) and Ty Templeton (a fun IMP-finity cover, already finished)!
DESTITO: Why did you choose Kickstarter for this project?
KESEL: I’ve done all the IMP projects on Kickstarter. It’s a great way to get ideas off the ground and into people’s hands. Plus, the Kickstarter Comics Community is the BEST! Everyone is helpful and looking out for each other all the time!
DESTITO: Any teasers for long-time fans?
KESEL: Well, Impossible to Love is sub-headed “A PROLOGUE” for a reason! This basically self-contained story sets things in place and in motion that will be important in our third IMP arc. An arc that will see IMP’s master plan either come together— or come crashing down! (And between you and me: even *I* don’t know how things will work out yet!)
