WINterview: Kevin Rubio!

We recently spotted Kevin Rubio doing donuts with a Corvette, in the parking lot right outside our office building.  Well, far be it from us to pass up the chance to strike up a conversation with this interesting man, and here’s what happened:

THWP:  Kevin!  We miss Tag and Bink!  What do you suppose those two rascals are up to today?
Kevin:  Well… they’re dead. But if Dark Horse ever wanted another one I have a Tag & Bink Holiday Special sitting on a drive somewhere.

THWP:  Red 5 Comics published your ABYSS story in 2008.  It was great fun!  What was your experience like, working together with Red 5 Comics?  Are you planning to do anything more with that story and/or those characters?
Kevin:  Both Paul and Scott are great collaborators and everything you could want in editors/publishers (no, I’m not being paid to say that).  Both have a true passion an knowledge of the industry, and do their best to ensure that the artist get to present his vision in the best way possible.  It’s because of Paul that Abyss was a comedy.  I wanted to do a straight action/drama. Paul showed me the error of my ways/hubris. I have another volume outlined, but the industry is in flux and there was such a lag between vol 1 and vol 2 that we lost our audience.  It would take considerable marketing to make the public aware of the comic and I don’t know if it’s within their budget at this time. Its one of the trade-offs when you publish with a smaller company – creative freedom, but no money.

THWP:  Tell us a little about your early days, with George Costa in San Jose?
Kevin:  Someone’s been reading my wiki page. George Costa was a genius. He ran the San Jose Civic Light Opera Hose for 20 years. I believe he started as a choreographer and worked his way up from there. He not only worked with me, but also my father, when he was a dancer in the 1960 touring company of West Side Story. Anyone who knows my father is now sitting slack-jawed. But it’s true, and somewhere there is 8mm film to prove it. If I learned anything from George it was how to deal with volatile personalities. George had an explosive temper and he did not hesitate to display it, even around children. As a result, very little rattles me.

THWP:  It’s been fifteen years already, and people still talk about the internet sensation that was Troops.  Looking back on it all, what still holds up today as your fondest memory from that project?
Kevin:  The genuine joy people expressed when they were working on the project and seeing its progression.

THWP:  What have you been reading lately?
Kevin:  Recently I have been writing on the CN series Ben 10: Omniverse, My Little Ponies: Friendship Is Magic (for which I received an Emmy nomination), and two personal projects: one for Funny or Die, and another action/adventure series.  I’ve also been helping my friend Shant Jordan (producer and FX sup of TROOPS) with his new VFX Company Synaptic VFX.

THWP:  What’s cooking for Funny Or Die?
Kevin:  Can’t tell you. I don’t want to jinx it. We are still in development.  But it’s BIG!

THWP:  Tell us a little about Shant Jordan and Synaptic VFX?
Kevin:  Synaptic is an all-purpose VFX House in Burbank that’s been roughly two years in the making. It was started by my friend Shant Jordan and his brother Shahen Jordan. Both have been working in the FX and animation industry professionally for over 25 years. They are usually the guys you go to when everyone else has failed. After years of working for other companies, they decided to pool their talents and open their own shop. It is without a doubt one of the coolest FX houses in LA.

THWP:  What was the last superhero film you saw that you absolutely loved, and why?
Kevin:  The Avengers – It was just good old-fashioned fun!

THWP:  What was your favorite scene in The Avengers film?
Kevin:  SHAWARMA!

THWP:  Speaking of films, which of the Star Wars movies is your favorite, and why?
Kevin:  The Empire Strikes Back. It has the best character development.

THWP:  What color would your light saber be?
Kevin:  Isn’t that a bit personal?

THWP:  If you had to guess, how many times have you seen Episode IV: A New Hope?
Kevin:  I stopped counting at three digits, but in my defense: I’m old and I saw it when it first came out.

THWP:  Which direction would like to see the live-action Star Wars film franchise go next?
Kevin:  Any direction that poses opportunity for my future employment.

THWP:  What’s happening with Colossor?
Kevin:  Nothing.  But you can see the presentation on Youtube.

THWP:  What’s it like being an honorary member of the 501st Legion?
Kevin:  I still pay $1.80 for a small coffee at Starbucks.

THWP:  If a live-action Tag & Bink film were to be made, which actors would you cast as Tag & Bink?
Kevin:  I’d cast my brothers. They are who the characters’ likenesses are based on.

THWP:  When did you first begin reading comicbooks?
Kevin:  Around 8 years old, I guess.

THWP:  When you were around 8 years old, which comicbooks did you fancy?
Kevin:  Mostly Spider-Man, and Iron-Fist. I also had these two great hardback books: Batman: From the 30′s to the 70′s & Superman: From the 30′s to the 70′s

THWP:  What’s your favorite comicbook of all time?
Kevin:  SUPERMAN vs MUHAMMAD ALI

THWP:  Finish this joke?  Three stormtroopers walk into a bar…
Kevin:  I usually get paid to write gags.

THWP:  What hasn’t happened yet in mainstream comicbooks that you’d like to see happen?
Kevin:  Full-frontal nudity?

THWP:  What is the wildest thing you ever witnessed at a comicbook convention?
Kevin:  This is a family site. Trust me, you don’t want to go there.

THWP:  What’s your favorite comicbook title that’s no longer in print?  And why?
Kevin:  Superman. I know it’s still in print. I’m just not hip to ‘The New 52′ version.

THWP:  What’s happening in 2013 that Kevin Rubio fans should be on the lookout for?
Kevin:  With any luck “fans” will be “… Bothered & Bewildered”, and be up for fortune and glory!  (Yes, I’m being purposefully cryptic)