John Charles Talks Technofreak Apocrypha Live On Kickstarter

Freak Out

Technofreak is a UK indie comic created by John Charles with an established fanbase, published in the US. Earlier this year, Tripwire’s contributing writer Paul N. Neal took time out to ask John a few questions about Jon Sherlok and Maurice…

Technofreak has been a great success for you. Could you perhaps say which has been the best selling issue?

It has to be issue #1. We printed a thousand of them and have none left. It was reprinted in the US by American Mythology, but I don’t have sales figures for that edition. It’s in the Australian graphic novel, from Puppet Theatre too, as are the other three issues of the comic. I still have stock of #2, 3 and 4. We have moved on though, as we sell the collected edition too, which contains bonus stories and pin-ups as well as issues #1-4.

Fans of TechnoFreak may be aware there is a crossover comic planned with a fellow creator. Can you give an update about how Jon Sherlok meets Kent Menace?

Oh, Kent Menace vs TechnoFreak is already out in America. It’s blast. I plotted the whole trans-Atlantic cross-time caper. Kent Menace creator Scott Braden scripted part 1, which focuses on Kent Menace, then I scripted and even drew part 2. Tom Newell inked a lot of my section. Part 1 is by the amazing Frank Fosco, with colours by Courtland Brugger. The comic rules, and part of it is even set in my local pub! There’s a back-up strip too, by me, Mike Walters and Andy Lambert. Track it down. It’s from Scott’s Brilliant Enterprise LLC.

I believe you have a cover to share with your fans. Could you say what issue of Technofreak it is planned for use on?

Oh, I don’t just have one cover, I have three… These are the three covers you can choose from for TechnoFreak Apocrypha #1, all by established 2000AD professionals: Frazer Irving, Clint Langley and Steve Yeowell.

If Technofreak was a made into a Hollywood movie, who would direct it, play Sherlok and voice Maurice?

Great question… Ridley Scott, please, or Guy Ritchie! As to Jon Sherlok, I wasn’t sure, but co-creator Barry May came up with Ralph Fiennes. If we could get Christina Hendricks to be Loretta, that’d be cool. Maurice would be voiced by actor chum Pascal Gerrard, who speaks Franglais brilliantly, and would be a full-sized animatronic robot cat for me. He’d probably work well as CGI, but someone should really make him! If anyone in Hollywood is listening, please contact me about this. I want to see a TechnoFreak movie before I die!

To quote Creedence Clearwater I heard it on the grapevine you may be working with Clint Langley. is that true?

The mighty Clint Langley is drawing an eight page strip for us, and his work on it is stunning! Clint executed the whole thing in tonal B/W and let me have the privilege (and fun) of colouring it. It totally rocks and is worth the price of admission alone. He’s done us a cover too, in a Heavy Metal style. The strip is written by Mark Spencer, who is an English teacher, so the grammar, spelling and punctuation should be perfect. I have checked his spelling of the word ‘Arseholes,’ and it’s fine. The story features Jon Sherlok, Maurice and Loretta and is set just after Jon’s return from death in issue #4 of the main TechnoFreak comic.

(It was Marvin Gaye, wasn’t it?)

Are there more crossovers that you would enjoy doing with TechnoFreak? Perhaps  TechnoFreak v Judge Dredd, or even Aliens. What would be your dream?

There are no immediate plans, but it’s worth thinking about… Judge Dredd would be so cool. (How about it, Tharg? Tom Newell on art with me on colours…) He’s my favourite comic book character and would work well with our generally humorous approach. Not sure about Aliens. All a bit repetitive. Loved the first two movies, mind… We could probably have some fun with Batman. Maurice would really take the piss out of him, while Loretta would fall in love with Bruce Wayne and probably shoot Batman in the face. TechnoFreak/X-Men? I’d do that one! Hellboy? Sin City? (Come on Frank, let’s play!)

Apart from TechnoFreak and your story for Tripwire recently, you are a busy 2000AD colourist. Can you say what work you have worked on recently or what the current challenge has Tharg set you?

My last gig was a Judge Dredd story for 2000AD, which was nice. I have just been assigned a new series, Pandora Perfect, which suits me as I like working with bright colours, and it’s an all-ages strip. It’s five ten page episodes, so a good chunk of work. Story by Roger Langridge with art by Gary Welsh, who is a new name to me. His art is lovely, and fun to colour.

Please can you tell the world who else is working with you on TechnoFreak Apocrypha? Are there other creators you can mention?

Well, we have covers by the aforementioned Clint Langley, Steve Yeowell and Frazer Irving. Strips by Clint, Tom (TechnoFreak and 2000AD) Newell and Mike Walters, who won 2000AD’s Art Stars in 2022 and has since drawn extensively for 2000AD and The ’77. There’s Adrian Bamforth, and an exciting newcomer, Colombian artist, David Escobar. Emily Edwards, Antonio Valjean, Andy Lambert, Clara de Rambures. Vassilis Gogtzilas, illustrator David Lytteleton, cartoonist Adrian Tooth and graffiti artist SP Zero. That’s just the artists. We have Mark Spencer, Alan Holloway, Christoff Rodriguez, Barry (TechnoFreak) May and Kevin (Future Primitive) Gunstone on writing duties. Colours by Tate Arroyo-Acosta, Me, Clara and Adrian Bamforth, and lettering by Rob Jones, Nikki Foxrobot and Andy Cullyer.

Are there any titles you would you love to provide variant covers for?

I’d love to do more Dredd covers, I love him and a Mega City. Maybe Iron Man. I always had a soft spot for Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.S., mainly because of the amazing work Travis Charest did on some of them. Batman would be cool, but it’s kinda all been done for me. Maybe something odd, like DC’s House of Mystery?

I really think a John Charles Sketchbook would be something worth considering. Include published covers, sketches, TechnoFreak development ideas, Iron Man etc. (Just name the copyright holder and you are legal) …Your Transmetropolitan piece etc., etc.

Actually, that’s a neat idea. Some of my best stuff is in my sketchbooks, and I have several unpublished finished pieces of Marvel and DC characters. Give me some time and I may just put that together. Thanks for the thought!

If you did a sketchbook, I gather online you occasionally draw friends in it during a social pint. Would you be tempted to include any of them in a potential John Charles Sketchbook?

I do that quite a lot, but I think I’d stick to comic book stuff. I’m slowly documenting the population of Guildford, and a few tourists, with my slightly dodgy portraits. It’s like painting the Forth Bridge.

What else do you have coming out?

As well as the anthology Technofreak: Apocrypha, the ‘regular’ comic, TechnoFreak #5 is in the works, but is probably a year away from publication.

People can sign up for the kickstarter here which launches this week here