It's not often we see creative teams stick together for extremely long runs these days. It's even rarer when they stick together for 100 issues. Next month we'll see the return of 100 BULLETS. Sort of. Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, Trish Mulvihill, Clem Robins and Dave Johnson are all back for an eight-issue miniseries focusing on one of the characters from the series - Lono.

We had the chance to talk to Brian to see what we could find out about the series.

CV: Did you approach Vertigo about doing a mini or did they approach you?

Brian Azzarello: Kind of both actually. They approached me about doing something for Vertigo's twentieth anniversary. At the time, Eduardo [Risso] and I had been discussing this book here and the synchronicity was there.

CV: Was it easy just jumping back into this world after a few years, getting the gang back together?

BA: Oh geezus man, it was too easy. [laughter] Way too easy, writing this kind of stuff.

CV: Aside from Lono, will there be another familiar characters?

BA: No. There's new characters. It's Lono interacting with an entirely new cast.

CV: Lono's fate was sort of left open to interpretation after getting shot and falling out a window. What made you decide to finally clarify that he survived?

BA: I thought it was pretty clear that he did. [laughter] He definitely made it 'away.' What happened after that, that was open to interpretation. He wasn't there. He felt out the window. Did he just crawl away someplace and die? Or did he actually survive? He survived.

CV: The solicit mentions Lono working "on the side of the angels" in Mexico. Is he having a change of heart or is something else going to be going on?

BA: Well, I don't put too much into solicitations anyway but if it says he's working on the "side of the angels," doesn't that sound like he's had a change of heart?

CV: Yeah, but there could be something else going on.

BA: It's been four years since we've seen that character last. A lot can happen in four years.

CV: So it will be like four years has passed in the comic?

BA: Yeah. Four years later.

CV: Have you considered other 100 BULLETS series in the future, maybe a prequel with the Minutemen?

BA: Hmm, let me finish this one first. [laughter] Have we considered it? Sure, we've considered it. I'm not going to say, "Yes, we're going to do another one." Let's see how this one does.

CV: Well, have you at least considered it - tossed the idea around?

BA: Oh yeah, we've tossed the idea around. We toss a lot of things around. Right now, this is the one we're focusing on.

CV: How accessible will the miniseries be to readers that haven't read or finished the original run of 100 BULLETS?

BA: Absolutely accessible. You don't even have to know anything about that other book we wrote. This is an entirely different animal. There's no mention of any of the events from 100 BULLETS at all.

CV: This is probably the question you don't want to hear but any updates on the 100 Bullets show at Showtime?

BA: I can't do an interview without hearing that question.

CV: I gotta ask! People wanna know!

BA: I know they wanna know. I wish I had a good answer for you but I don't. It's still up in the air. Maybe if they got me more involved I'd be able to give you a really definitive answer.

CV: Maybe if they hear that in every single interview, people are asking…

BA: I know. I did a convention this passed weekend. Everybody that came up for a signature asked me about that. It almost got to the point where I just wanted to put a sign on the table that said, "Here's the update on the 100 BULLETS television series: " And it'd just be blank.

[laughter]

CV: Do you have any other Vertigo or DC projects being announced soon? I know if you do, you probably can't mention anything but...

BA: Then why would you ask me that?

[laughter]

BA: There's always something. Will I be doing something else? Sure. Are we talking about it? Yes. Is there anything definite? Not yet.

CV: Okay, that's good enough.

BA: You know, I have a mortgage. I gotta keep working, you know?

CV: Yeah. And we want you to keep working. Thanks a lot. We're all excited about this.

BA: It's really something else. I was doing corrections on the third issue this morning and I was like, "Wow! What are we creating here?" This is different. This is not what you expect.

CV: That's great.

BA: Being able to write this, it's exciting for all of us. I hope they excitement translates.

CV: Well we're excited so I'm sure it's all in safe hands with you guys.

BA: Groovy man.

100 BULLETS: BROTHER LONO #1 is on sale June 19, 2013. Make sure you pick it up and read 100 BULLETS if you haven't already!

Azzarello seems so awkward to interview sometimes ahaha.

I love me some Vertigo

Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

@mucklefluga: It's actually pretty great. There was a lot of laughing.

Ha those are some of the greatest covers I'v ever seen.

@jonny_anonymous: Ya gotta love Dave Johnson!

Yes!

BB

Oh right, that's cool. I guess you do these over the phone/skype then?

@g_man: So good it deserves a avatar change

@jonny_anonymous said:

Very few can match Dave's covers and bah, I was going to use that as an avatar.

BB

Haha to slow Billy boy

Never read 100 Bullets though I've heard about it. I know Azzarello from his Superman, Joker, Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman stuff.

@jonny_anonymous:

Well mine looks better :p

It's his magnum opus.

BB

Can't wait to read this.

@billy_batson: I just wanted to get the Brother Lono part in

@g_man I just got to have a little Q&A session with Brian too. At Big WOW Comics Fest last week in San Jose I went to the panel with him and Lee Bermejo and the moderator never showed up so everyone was like......ok what now? So it was an hour long Question and answer session, I was in the front row and they answered like 6 of my questions. It was so awesome dude. Brian and Lee were both really cool and insightful but realistic and funny. It was cool.

@savagedragon:

What did you ask?

BB

@billy_batson: I asked things like how much lee-way does he give his artist on scripting action scenes, how did him and risso come up with charachter designs, how much did risso know about the story, lee bermejo feel like nolan stole his joker design, did brian azzarello feel like wonder womans history was good enough to keep or had any place in influencing his story, how does he feel about marvel charchters, and does he have problems with his DC editorial staff or had any problems with them in the past or at Vertigo. Stuff like that, it was cool felt like a reporter/journalist being able to ask him all that when he wa sup on teh stage.

OH YEAH! I totally needed a reason to work my way through those 100 issues again and now I have just that! Cannot wait for Azzarello to be back at Vertigo! It hasn't been the same the last few years.

It took me a few issues to get into 100 Bullets but once I was it was a very rewarding read. I'll definitely have to check this out.

He did a mini, Spaceman, just last year.

BB

Answers dude, ANSWERS?

@Billy_Batson

Yeah, I heard that. Its sitting in my amazon wishlist since then, but I heard mixed things about it. Did you like it? How does it compare to other Azzarello stuff?

YES! A sequel to my favorite comic book series starring my favorite character from the series. Plus a possible prequel series. I want to seemore Wylie Times.

Oh yes, yes yes yes! Gawd yes I can't wait for this! So darn impatient now.

I can't say since I haven't read it yet but I bought the deluxe edition a few weeks back.

It's a spin-off not a sequel >:p

BB

@billy_batson: Well isn't it after 100 Bullets?

@supermanjohnathankentjr:

Yes but they're not related to each other.

BB