This week, Legendary Comics takes you to A Town Called Dragon, a new 5-part comic book mini-series from Judd Winick and Geoff Shaw where the last known dragon egg hatches in a small Colorado town. I recently had a chance to catch up with Judd, who talked about the birth of his modern-day dragon story, a non-traditional hero, and he teased what's coming up in future issues:
Thank you for talking with me about A Town Called Dragon today. Was this an idea you've been working on for a while or was it something Legendary brought to you?
Judd Winick: I had been kicking around the idea of basing it around the last dragon and then the last dragon egg. And then I was stuck for the longest time, but a little node if inspiration came in for this element of Northern Exposure meets Jaws, but with a dragon. That's when everything clicked. The dragon eggs are indestructible, this is the last one, and several centuries ago, they couldn't destroy it, so they took it to the end of the world to make it someone else's problem.
What can you tell me about Cooper, who appears to be the series' hero?
Judd Winick: I wanted it to feel like a guy who's done. Washed up isn't quite the word because he has a job and he's happy doing his thing, but he's a hero. He's had several opportunities to make his mark and it didn't work out. That brought him right where he needs to be now.
I really enjoyed the artwork of Geoff Shaw in the first issue. Can you talk about your process working together on this mini-series?
Judd Winick: It's like casting. I'm the director, but Geoff handles the people. I gave very general ideas, but told him to mess with it and go ahead with what he wanted. I want Jeff to bring what he brings because it's collaborative storytelling and we're both doing this. I'm extremely lucky. Geoff is going to be a superstar. He comes up with extremely interesting and original designs, and is great with acting. Every character gives great performances and weight.
With issue 1 now available, can you give our readers a tease of what they can expect from issue 2 and beyond?
Judd Winick: In issue 1, we've got ourselves a baby dragon. That dragon is going to get a lot bigger a lot quicker. The story has a small quality in the first couple of issues, like Alien, and then we turn into a monster movie. That's the fun of having something that starts small and gets bigger and bigger. Issue 3 is crazy!
This story is only meant to last five issues, but are you interested in exploring this world further?
Judd Winick: I'd say we can, but we don't have to. It has an absolute beginning, middle, and end. We play for keeps in a lot of ways, which is what attracted me to this. That said, there's a lot of places we can go, but we don't have to. If people really dig it, these ideas are germinating in my head and can take route.
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"EVERY TOWN HAS ITS SECRETS. THIS ONE BREATHES FIRE.
Legendary Comics transports you to A Town Called Dragon. On the surface it seems like your average all-American tourist trap, but this snow-covered town hides a burning secret. After centuries of lying buried within the depths of an icy mountain, the world’s last dragon egg finally hatches – endangering modern life as we know it. Now an unlikely group of dangerously unqualified, ordinary citizens must band together, battling the elements – and each other – to slay this menacing creature.
In issue #2 (hitting stores in October), enter the town of Dragon, Colorado — a mountain community desperately trying to exploit their fantastical folklore in a hopeless attempt to lure in tourists. But the town's true legend is greater than they could possibly imagine...
When a German excavation team accidentally unearths the world's last remaining dragon egg, an ancient beast is born, destroying everything in its path. Now this menacing creature threatens to wipe the entire town off the map. How can one group of ordinary citizens stand against a monster when they can’t even stand each other?
A Town Called Dragon
# of issues: 5
Written by: Judd Winick
Art/Cover: Geoff Shaw
September 24, 2014 / 56 PAGES / $3.99"
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