Joe Harris and Martín Morazzo return to ‘Great Pacific’ with new Zoop campaign

Zoop is a really great platform for crowdfunding exciting new comics projects. But it’s also very good for revisiting classics and old faves receiving deluxe and/or anniversary releases. Case in point: almost in time for the series’ 12th anniversary, creators Joe Harris and Martín Morazzo are hitting up Zoop for a special edition of Great Pacific.

The aptly-titled Great Pacific: The Completely Trashed Edition is a massive hardcover collecting all 18 issues of the sci-fi adventure saga. (There’s incentives galore, but you’ll have to read on for those.) If you’re new to Great Pacific, or just need a refresher, it follows the young Chas Worthington, who in trying to “make his mark on the world,” brilliantly decides to “solve an environmental disaster twice the size of his native Texas known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Potent and thrilling, Great Pacific is a coming-of-age story with stakes, wit, and insight galore.

The Great Pacific Zoop runs through Friday, September 27. (The campaign has already raised some $2,700 of its $10,000 goal.) Ahead of the Zoop, we spoke with Harris about all things Great Pacific, including how the story’s developed after its release, the collaborative process between Harris and Morazzo, and even a possible future for the story/series.

AIPT: How has your perception of this story changed since it was first published circa 2013?

Joe Harris: In the ten plus years since it’s debuted, we’ve seen some big strides taken to combat climate change, investments in environmental conservation, and more. But so far as the war on plastic goes, it still doesn’t really exist. Not seriously. We find plastic in the Arctic ice. Newborn babies have been discovered with tiny plastic inside. I read a story recently that microplastics have been found in the human penis and the human brain. It’s a scourge. We’ve also seen a rise in the very public billionaire class who take private spaceflights, manipulate markets and who like to fancy themselves altruistic and wanting to build a better world for everybody. These admissions are dubious at best. I wrote Great Pacific as a cautionary tale. Now I think it’s a little prescient.

AIPT: Do you think this story feels decidedly more relevant now in 2024?

JH: We’ve watched the world order teeter in recent years. I thought Great Pacific was relevant back when, but it does feel even more topical now.

AIPT: How do you think this project has influenced or shaped your subsequent work?

JH: It was my first, real “creator-owned” work. I’d published original comics before, with wonderful friends and publishers, but this was the first title I’d ushered through the process, found its artist, publisher, etc. I definitely learned a lot.

AIPT: What do you recall from creating Great Pacific? What was the collaborative process like with Martin Morazzo?

JH: I had first conceived of Great Pacific, maybe a year or two before I’d hooked up with Martin. I found him while browsing through some of the well-reviewed webcomics on DC’s old Zuda platform. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for in a collaborator, but I knew I wanted someone who felt different and special. European vibes, and a special and obvious influence by Moebius. And that’s exactly who I found. We both left it all on the field, especially on the early issues when we were really establishing what this world looked and felt like. I’d give Martin my weird ideas and he would realize these sweeping vistas of plastic and trash with more detail than I’d ever imagined. I call him my brother from an Argentinian mother.

AIPT: Do you have a favorite moment/page here? Has that changed over time?

JH: There’s a scene in, I think, issue #11 where Chas Worthington is stuck waiting for security clearance upon trying to return to the United States. He’s being held in a small airport room with other visitors and immigrants who’ve been singled out for additional security measures. The guard is a real asshole, particularly toward Muslims. Chas sets him straight and stands up like an ally should. Though he did almost receive a full body cavity search for his trouble.

So far as my favorite page goes, I’d say the first appearance of the giant octopus, Yalafath.

AIPT: What can fans/backers expect in terms of rewards or other bonus materials?

JH: We’re putting together a fantastic campaign with Zoop with some awesome rewards, including original artwork, sketches, rare comics and variants, and more.

AIPT:  Is there a future for Great Pacific? Another chapter/story perhaps?

JH: Actually, the biggest bonus of all is the opportunity to unlock a new Great Pacific short story by Martin and I. Producing some new content for this volume is something dear to my heart.

AIPT: Why should anyone support this Zoop campaign?

JH: Because it’s the first time we’ve collected this series. It’s a unique title featuring a fantastic young comics artist in his formative years and is going to be a beautiful production.