POP KILL Q&A with Jimmy Palmiotti and Dave Johnson Dives Into Espionage and Cola-Fueled Violence

"What if dueling soda companies really did hate each other enough to go to war, and what about everyone caught in the crossfire?" Now available from Mad Cave Studios, POP KILL mixes what you love about 60s spy classics with cola-fueled violence for a story you'll have to read to believe. Ahead of today's release, I caught up with Jimmy Palmiotti and Dave Johnson to talk about their inspirations, spies, their collaboration, and cola:

This is definitely one of the most unique spy stories I've read. Where did this idea come from and how did it become your latest comic book release?

JIMMY: The idea for POP KILL came from my partner in crime Dave Johnson. It isn't enough that he is one of the greatest cover artists in the business…no, he has to also be an amazing storyteller, and one day he just called me up out of the blue and hit me with this idea and asked me to collaborate on it with him. How could I say no to this crazy idea? I was laughing at the insanity of it and right away had some ideas to add to his pitch and then we got to work. 

DAVE: Yeah I’ve had the idea of warring Cola companies rolling around in my head for over 20-plus years. At one point it was going to be set in the future and featuring a robot and a girl.  But that changed over time until I finally nailed down this current idea.

What kind of research went into the series and Pop Kill's competing cola companies? I'm sure there's so many real-world stories of corporate espionage over the years.

JIMMY: Little known fact, I worked at an advertising agency in the 80’s where one of their major clients was Pepsi Cola so I was able to take some of that experience and work it into some of the story in parts. As you all know, Coke and Pepsi had their battle going on and to say it was extreme is an understatement. The corporate espionage stuff was easy to imagine at that point since we took it to an extremely silly level which we were then able to ground our main characters in. For all we know, the reality of this might be way more over the top than we created in the POP KILL series, but we gave it a good shot. 

DAVE: I drank a lot of soda growing up. Not so much anymore.

And of course, anyone who loves 007 will love Pop Kill's artwork, story, and characters. Can you two share some of your favorite spy stories and/or films?

JIMMY: My first memory of a movie when I was a child was YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and saw it at a drive-in with my family, and I was hooked. I have been a lifelong James Bond fan and discovered Robert McGinnis’s work from those original posters. My young man's dream in life was to be James Bond but without the fighting. That never happened on the Bond levels, since I found the perfect woman already, but we do manage to travel a lot. Anyway, I have always loved the genre especially when it can be spoofed in a grounded respectful way. POP KILL is just that, but a bit more grounded than a Bond Film and I think at its core is the love story between Jon and Dina that attracted me to the project. 

DAVE: I grew up during Roger Moore’s Bond run but to be honest, Connery will always be the best one. As an adult, I tend to like more reality-based spy/action pics. With real consequences, and characters that aren’t bulletproof. Things like John Wick get a tad too ridiculous for me. 

I was hooked as soon as I saw Dave Johnson's cover art and the entire graphic novel's art pulls you right into the world of Pop Kill from the first pages. Can you talk about the talented team of artists behind the story and collaborating to bring the world of Pop Kill to life?

JIMMY: Some of my friends I have made over the years happen to also be the best artists in the comic book business. POP KILL is a series where the art, I think, is the overall stand-out. Don’t get me wrong, the story is wonderful and fun, but I think it's one of the most beautiful books out there from cover to cover. We scored big time on Interiors getting one of my favorite artists, Juan Santacruz, to illustrate the Pop Klll world. I have been working for the past 20 years with Juan and his work on Painkiller Jane is a standout, but he has taken it up a notch or two with POP KILL. Every single page is stunning and with Brian Reber’s colors and Sean Konots lettering it all came together beautifully. When we are talking about the covers, well, the list is a top 20 cover artist list for everyone in the business. I mean, we have Adam Hughes, Dave Johnson, Dan Panosian, Amanda Conner, Brian Steelfreeze, and more to be announced. With so many books fighting for shelf space these days in comic shops, POP KILL will be a standout for sure. 

What can you tell our readers about Popso, Fizz One, and what they can expect over the course of the comic?

JIMMY: Expect to have fun, enjoy the lush art and location, and be ready to laugh and cringe in places. This is a series not worried about a part two, not worried about it becoming a movie or TV series one day, this is pure comic book - pushing the medium as best we can to give the reader everything we think it wants in a series. 

DAVE: I hope readers realize just how hard it was to come up with not one but TWO names for colas that sound authentic and B aren’t copyrighted, lol. Seriously, that was harder than writing the book. 

It seems like Pop Kill is just the start of more stories in this universe. Can you tease future plans?  

JIMMY: Plans are all based on the response of the audience. We created this world and knew we had one shot at getting it right, so it has a beginning, middle, and end to this story, but…if it did well and the audience wanted more, Dave and I have some ideas for sure. So a POP KILL 2 is in the reader's hands for sure. 

DAVE: Agreed.

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Pop Kill #1 is now available. Be sure to check out the preview pages below and visit Mad Cave Studios to learn more and pick up a copy for yourself:

• https://madcavestudios.com/product/pop-kill-1-cover-a/