When Rook returns on October 1 with issue #7, the series kicks off a brand-new arc: “The Quest to Save Bloodhound.” Once one of the most respected Wardens, Bloodhound (father of Dire Wolf) has disappeared into madness, forcing Rook and Dire Wolf to track him down before he brings ruin to the world of Exodus. Along the way, readers will also meet Stag, a mysterious new Warden whose arrival promises to shake the very foundations of the Wild itself.
Ahead of the issue, artist and co-creator Jason Fabok spoke with us about expanding the scope of Rook, introducing new Wardens, and the challenges of building an epic world that still thrives on intimate, character-driven moments.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
A New Setting with Familiar Influences
For Fabok, the new arc offers a chance to explore fresh corners of the world.
“With Rook #7, we get to see some different places in the world,” Fabok said. “We’re going up into the northern reaches of the planet where it’s snowy and icy and there’s mountain ranges and it’s kind of more bleak and cold.”
The snowy setting isn’t just cool — it carries personal significance.
“Empire Strikes Back is my favorite Star Wars movie because of the snow,” Fabok said. “And so we get to kind of play with that, but we also get to journey into the planet, into the world engine itself, which is a lot of fun.”
Unlike the sweeping travelogue of the first arc, this story stays focused in one contained environment. Fabok went as far as to compare it to survival horror classics.
” A lot of our influence comes from movies like Alien and Aliens…you’re trapped in a strange place and you’re trying to survive,” Fabok said.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Bloodhound and the Instinct Influence
With new settings comes fresh character insights. First introduced in the debut arc, Bloodhound takes center stage in this new storyline.
“He was Dire Wolf’s father, who’s been driven mad by the instinct influence with his helmet,” Fabok said. “He’s almost like a rabid dog or like a werewolf.”
That premise grew from discussions with co-creator Geoff Johns.
“We really liked this idea of the instinct influence…how the instincts from the animals start to play on the human mind,” Fabok said. “We thought it would be a lot of fun to play with that dynamic in a character where the animal has overtaken the human.”
The result is a character both terrifying and tragic.
“His mind is shattered and it’s primal,” Fabok said. “Dire Wolf and Rook really have to try their best to get through to him, and he could be the key to solving a lot of the problems of this world. It makes for great drama and storytelling.”
The Arrival of Stag (and Other New Wardens)
Issue #7 also brings a wave of new characters, chief among them Stag, who first appeared briefly back in Rook: Exodus #3.
“He’s like a samurai ronin character who wields a katana, bows and arrows, and ninja stars,” Fabok said. “He’s the deer warden and he’s just a lot of fun to draw.”
As such, Stag’s design was born from Fabok’s love of Japanese samurai films.
“I just had this vision for this deer character who had a red helmet and samurai swords,” Fabok said, “You don’t think of deer as an aggressive creature, so it kind of plays on that whole dynamic.”
Fabok also teased the introduction of Matterhorn, a mountain goat Warden who “kind of butts heads a little bit with Dire Wolf and Rook” but ultimately proves to be a vital ally.
“We’re also going to have some other surprises…new characters that will bring new dynamics to the world and to the team,” Fabok said.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Evolving the Look of Rook
As with the story itself, Fabok’s art is in constant evolution. He admits his process is guided as much by instinct as by planning.
“I rely a lot on gut feeling…if I don’t feel it and I don’t capture some sort of feeling, then I can’t publish that page,” Fabok said. Sometimes that means redrawing splash pages late in the process or scrapping designs until they feel right.
Stag was one such character who “just happened,” though Fabok says his look has shifted as he draws him more, adding, “You see that even with famous characters like Batman or Superman —what they look like in the first few pages is different than what they eventually turn into.”
That freedom to change course is one of the joys of creator-owned work.
“With these projects, you kind of have the ability to do that,” Fabok said. “Whereas when you’re on a monthly book, you just kind of have to go with whatever and keep moving on.”
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Balancing Spectacle and Intimacy
Despite the epic scale and sheer “business” of Rook, Fabok insists the quiet moments matter most.
“ I love the talking sequences. I love when there’s some drama and you can really play with that,” Fabok said. Even with characters wearing helmets, he relishes trying to draw emotion, adding, “You’re trying to get across a feeling almost like you could see underneath the mask.”
That attention to small details pays off when paired with the sweeping set pieces.
“The epic scope of the whole world is something Geoff and I have always talked about — let’s really pull back and show the scale of everything,” Fabok said. “But it’s the close, emotional sequences that connect with the audience, and then that allows us to pull back and do the big grand shots.”
Courtesy of Image Comics.
The Rewards of Building a World
Fabok admits the pressure of a creator-owned book can be exhausting, but the rewards outweigh the strain.
“I love doing the creator-owned book because you have so much say in what goes down on the page and the vision,” Fabok said. “Rook is one of those books where I feel like I can give it to somebody and be proud of it. It’s a fully realized world. It’s something you can get lost in.”
Even if it means sleepless nights, he says the payoff is seeing the finished product on shelves.
“When the books come out and people are responding to them, that’s when you know you really did something cool,” Fabok said.
Comic shops and retailers have through September 8 to put in all orders!
Courtesy of Image Comics.
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