Jimmy Broxton Talks About Fully Loaded, Coming From Scratch Comics

Locked And Loaded

Writer and artist Jimmy Broxton recently talked to our contributing writer Paul Neal about Fully Loaded, Jimmy’s upcoming four issue series from his Verity imprint through Scratch Comics…

PN: Fully Loaded looks like a fascinating project. Is it something you have had planned and developed for some time?

JB: Thank you, and yes, it’s been in development for a while. A year (more or less) to complete the writing and the art (including lettering and design work), but the actual project goes back a couple of decades. I did an illustration (now lost) of a man on a balcony, looking out forlornly into a futuristic cityscape, pure hard-boiled pulp type stuff. I didn’t develop it, but I somehow always knew I would revisit it, years later, that image, in its new form finds itself in the series.

PN: You have shared some of the art online. I sense there may be some subtle influences from Geof Darrow, Frank Miller and the classic Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner. Would that be fair?

JB: Yes, more than fair, those influences are there, and many others. When doing hard-boiled Cyber-Noir (as I call it) it’s impossible not to be influenced by Blade Runner, I think that film will still be influential 100 years from now. Thematically the story bears no relation to P.K Dick’s work, so it’s more surface level, as it is with the Darrow comparison, quite a number of people have said that.

I think it stems from a drawing I did of a guy falling onto a taxi. It just reminds folks of Hard Boiled, it was a homage of sorts, I love Darrow and Miller, but I don’t draw like them (I wish!). Sin City by Miller is obviously an influence, he is arguably the greatest storyteller that American comics have produced so far, with perhaps only Chaykin in the running to take that crown. Creators who both write and draw are my main influences. I’m less interested in fancy illustrative technique, more about the mechanics of visual storytelling, exploring what can be done sequentially and graphically. I think it was Chaykin who said a comic book artist is, in essence “a graphic artist in service of narrative”, that’s how I feel about the job, which doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate beautiful artwork, of course I do, but only if it’s telling the story, otherwise it’s just decoration.

PN: Without any spoilers, what can you say about your hero and the story you have to tell?

JB: Well, I’m not sure if my main protagonist is a hero. He certainly wouldn’t see things that way. That being said, he is on a quest in the series to do something heroic, something good, for once. He’s definitely looking for atonement. Given that he is 100 years old when we meet him, in the year 2065, it’s safe to say he’s seen a lot of life, and of course death. His past comes back to haunt him, there are many demons he has to confront, and some of his own making. Fully Loaded (There Goes The Future) is a crime story, with a futuristic setting, so it’s populated by some of the least savoury individuals you’d ever want to meet, in a world that is recognisable, but even more fucked-up than ours. My “hero” Carson Blake is set on a path, that requires him to navigate the criminal underworld, for what he hopes will be one last time. He can hope….

PN: You are known as an accomplished artist. Does writing come equally naturally to you?

JB: In comics, yes, I’m primarily know as an artist. But I have always written: my background (prior to comics) was in advertising. I was an art director, which means I was basically an ideas man, both words and images. Scripts for commercials, headlines for ads etc, plus design work of course. It’s all visual communication, it’s all storytelling. I have written some comics, but Fully Loaded is my first full length series. In answer to your question, yes, writing comes just as naturally as drawing, by which I mean, not easily at all. Creating comics is demanding, it’s very labour intensive, especially if you are doing everything yourself.

PN: Will there be any special editions of Fully Loaded? Perhaps variant covers or behind the scenes material?

JB: We are looking at variant covers, but it’ll depend on how the orders go. I’d certainly like to create some, possibly even get other artists involved, a few have been approached. As for behind the scenes material, absolutely. The comics are 32 pages long, no ads, with at least 25 pages of story, going up to 28, part four will be longer, as the page count is growing. The first 3 issues are completed in their entirety, the final issue (around 20 pages completed) is shaping up to be possibly double-sized. Across the series, we will fit in as much additional material as possible, but we are focusing on story. Any future collected editions will feature a wealth of extras, as we have a lot of material to choose from.

PN: At any stage, did you consider making this project colour, if even slightly? Are you a purest as a fan of black and white comics?

JB: I love black and white comics, I love the purity, the directness: colour is so subjective and can be a distraction to communication but handled correctly of course it’s a wonderful aid to storytelling. That being said, I am considering a colour version of Fully Loaded. We have been tentatively approached by a few overseas publishers, and colour might well work better in the marketplace for the territories in question. I’m definitely not ruling it out, as there would be various technical considerations, and a degree of re-formatting, but it can be done.

PN: Should fans of Fully Loaded expect a sequel? Will it surpass your first story? In the same way The Godfather 2 and The Empire Strikes Back improved upon their origins? do you have plans?

JB: I don’t necessarily agree that Godfather 2 and The Empire Strikes Back, as good as they are improved on the originals, but I take your point. The answer will depend on, as you say, the fans. If the series does well, and the demand is there, then absolutely. The first series ends as more of a season finale, rather than a definitive movie type ending. So, the story arc (hopefully) reaches a satisfactory conclusion, but it leaves a lot hanging. It hints at more to follow. Not least of which, why the hell is Carson Blake 100 years old, but still walking round looking only 40, so we have an “origin story” to tell, plus a deeper dive into how the world ends up being the way it is in the first series. We establish from the get-go that a worldwide “event” changes everything in 2025. I’d like to explore that more, plus of course the startling revelation at the end of part 4, about which I can say nothing of course.

PN: If you were casting an actor to play Carson Blake is there anyone you would have in mind?  In a similar vein, as you write his voiceover, is there anyone’s voice in particular you can hear?

JB: This is something we have actually thought about a lot, mainly for amusement, but you never know. We settled on Russell Crowe, although he’d need to shed a few pounds. His voice would also be perfect I think. He can handle humour, but he has gravitas, and that’s what Carson Blake needs.

PN: Where can fans order the Fully Loaded mini-series?

JB: Great question, the book is a Diamond Exclusive and only available from retailers with a Diamond account (including online businesses). I was very keen to do all we can to support comic shops, (the book will not be available from the publisher directly or sold at conventions etc). It’s in this month’s PREVIEWS (Dec 2024) and is available to preorder now, order code: DEC241834

Here’s a link to the online PREVIEWS WORLD catalogue listing:

https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/DEC241834

PN: Apart from Fully Loaded what else could those of us that enjoy your art look forward towards? Perhaps a 2025 sketchbook?

JB: A sketchbook is a nice idea,.I’ve had an art book in the works for a while, I hope to get round to completing that soon. My main focus is Fully Loaded: if it goes well, then that focus will continue with the second series, subtitled: Old World Order. Beyond that, I have a number of projects in the early stages of development, an all-ages magic realist story about an orphaned boy who discovers a secret world of lost/forbidden science, tentatively called ‘A Million Tiny Lights”, a decidedly not all ages erotic sci-fi comedy with the working title of Destina, and a slice of life bittersweet story about a comfortable suburban 50 something lady, who suddenly finds herself single and seriously ill, who is looking for solace and release, maybe even a new beginning following a chance meeting with a much younger man, from an entirely different world on the fringes of the ‘criminal” side of the tracks. It’s called GROW, perhaps some of your readers might get that reference.

For me there’s no shortage of ideas, just hours in the day.