There are a few very specific genres that’ll live on in perpetuity, and the spy thriller has to be one of them. Various reoccurring tropes aside, there’s something exciting and sexy about a lone agent on the run. Enter Scarlett Couture: The Munich File, a new espionage thriller from creator Des Taylor that’s due out next week (April 2).
Published by Titan Comics, this second volume features five chapters in the ongoing series. But what exactly is Scarlett Couture all about? Well, it’s the blending of two very popular elements: Ms. Couture is the world’s most glamorous fashion model who also happens to be the most lethal badass on this here rock. In the newest chapters, she’s on her second mission and is targeted by a syndicate with plans to create the world’s most powerful criminal empire. Time for her to slay in more ways than one.
Ahead of Scarlett Couture: The Munich File, I asked Taylor for some insight into the book. That includes doing it all from writing to drawing,to what we’re in store for in this latest collection and even the sonic inspiration for Scarlett Couture’s adventures.
Courtesy of Titan Comics.
AIPT: With Scarlett Couture out April 2, what can fans be most excited about?
Des Taylor: Apart from readers having all five episodes in one volume to keep them happy, the book has a look at some of the variant cover artwork that wasn’t used and a look at where I want to take Scarlett and her gang for the next adventures. It’s been a fantastic ride so far but I still have more stories to tell.
AIPT: You’ve done a lot of amazing pinups and covers, but I’m curious how you approach sequential storytelling like you do in Scarlett Couture.
DT: One of the best compliments I’ve ever had was, ” Your art looks like it’s from an animated show that doesn’t exist.” I’m a visualizer so I pretty much have a picture in my head of how I want the page to play out as if the reader was watching an animated feature. It starts from sketching out one main panel, and then fitting the other pieces together around it.
Courtesy of Titan Comics.
AIPT: You’re clearly a fan of spy thrillers. Do you have a favorite Bond film?
DT: Goldfinger! The most important Bond film. Without it, you wouldn’t have the ingredients that future Bond/Spy films need to make them great. Retro-modern gadgets, the Bond car, the henchman villain, the grand sets, and obviously Honor Blackman. My favourite Bond Girl. Nowadays, it’s arguable that Mission Impossible has taken over Bond’s title as the main spy franchise.
AIPT: Am I nuts for thinking there’s a kind of Kim Possible vibe with this series?
DT: Yes. You should seek help. LOL.
Courtesy of Titan Comics.
AIPT: As the artist and writer, I’m curious about your process. Do you script out everything first, and are you changing things visually that may not have been in the script once you start working out a page?
DT: First of all, I lock myself away (Or go to the nearest Costa coffee shop) and write the plot. Without the plot, I can’t visualize what’s going to happen in the story.
I then spend hours researching. What caliber of guns do they use? Where in Argentina is the team at the beginning of the story? What is the inspiration for Klassbank (BCCI)? What martial art is best for close-quarters combat? Stuff like that.
Then, I set out to work on the main action panels and key scenes. Once the pages are all done, I put them all up on my Wacom screen…and stare at them, adding or editing panels that suit what I feel each character should be saying or reacting to…and then I do the script and lettering.
Finally I read it, then edit it. Read it again and again until it reads fluently, then I send it all over to Vidal (my brother) to go over.
The dream is for somebody to jump in and take over the writing duties in future books.
Courtesy of Titan Comics.
AIPT: If Scarlett Couture was a song, what would it be and why?
DT: The Ocean’s Eleven soundtrack. The way Danny Ocean stares at her as she enters the room is how I picture men reacting to her as she walks into her office building every day.
Two songs that I played continuously throughout drawing the book:
“007 and Counting” by John Barry.
So sexy, especially when I needed inspiration for drawing Scarlett.
And for the action scenes, one track was always stuck in my head: “The Chateau” by Rob Dougan.
Courtesy of Titan Comics.
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