Interview With Island 19 Creator Drew Krevi

    I.C.U. caught up with creator Drew Krevi to get the details on his mysterious graphic novel - Island 19 - Now funding on IndieGogo

Your comic, Island 19: A Tale of the Bermuda Triangle is currently In Demand on Indiegogo. For anyone unfamiliar, can you give us a quick idea what it’s about?
  Island 19: A Tale of the Bermuda Triangle, is based on the true events surrounding the 1945 disappearance of NAS Flight 19 over the Bermuda Triangle.You'll follow the exploits of the mission commander of Flight 19, Captain Pete "Crash" Keddel as he may or may not become the inspiration for the classic fictional forever kid-- Peter Pan!
  The old Captain, after undergoing a miraculous physical transformation, must make alliances with other castaways and figure out why there are Nazis in the uncharted island, as the story takes place 6 months after WWII!

​  Can the Captain stop the plans of the Nazis and uncover the many other mysteries of the island as well as save his own skin? That's what you'll learn while on Island 19!!

Flight 19 is an actual historical incident. Did you have any worries about portraying it in your story?
   While of course, I would want to be be respectful to the memory of the airmen that went missing in December 1945, I actually changed the names of the pilots and even the number of those who were lost.  There were 19 lost airmen that day (Along with a missing search plane that went out after them). I broke it down to only 5 pilots to streamline the story.  

  The reason I chose to base Island 19 on a true story, is I feel it adds weight to the drama, as well as many of the other characters that inhabit the island are also based on individuals or groups of people from true events as well!  For example, the natives on the island are the Native Americans that were disappeared with infamous lost Roanoke colony...vanishing circa1590.  There are actually various items on the island that are based on real items of antiquity that contain power.

Some inspirations for the story are pretty easy to spot, but are there any we might not so easily see?
  Oh yes! The great thing about this mysterious island is that very little is what it seems. Nazis? Pirates? Natives? Lost Airmen? Other Random Castaways? A miraculous healing pond? A weapons cache with items from throughout history?  How did these people and items get to the island? Was it chance? Or is someone responsible for bringing them to the island? Speaking of the island, why is it not charted? Why is it only accessible through unnatural means?...a freak electrical storm in this case!
  So, yes. There are a great deal of "inspirations" that lead to an even greater mystery that is actually based on real traditions that most people today believe in. 

You are handling the writing and the art on the book. Can you tell our readers a bit about your background?
  Yes, I'm doing both the writing and art on the book. As a freelance illustrator I have worked with children's publishers, Disney product development and illustration and theme park ride concept art. Before I went into freelance work, I was working as an animator (2D/3D) in the videogame industry for over 12 years. I've animated many licensed characters (Spider-Man, Superman, Robo-Cop, Looney Tunes characters)  for AAA titles for both PlayStation and XBOX platforms, as well as Wii games.  
  As a writer I have been interested in comics since I was a kid. I've also had an interest in screenwriting and even took screenwriting classes at UCLA, but I always come back to comics, as they are more welcoming to the fantastic stories I like to tell!  And, of course, why not draw them if I'm going to write them!?! LOL!  

The art style of Island 19 has a children’s book feel, but it’s definitely not a children’s book. How did you come to this combination of story and style?
  Yes, the style is definitely reminiscent of a children's book feel. I am taking an ironic take on a friendly style that sort of goes off the rails visually.
  People tell me: "Hey Drew, your style looks like Little Golden Books" I say: "Yeah, I agree, but your Little Golden Books never looked like THIS!"

  I guess I like the idea of making the reader feel comfortable, then throw them a curveball that says, "Hey don't get too comfortable!"
  Also, with this particular story, I wanted to give a familiar "Neverland" vibe that we all might recognize...I think that style will bring reader to a place where they feel like they've been to this island before, but then...yeah, the curveball!

Now that the book is fully funded and will definitely be getting out to backers, what do you see in the future for yourself? More crowdfunded comics?
  I really hope I can do more crowdfunded books!  Being able to write and illustrate a single indie book allows me a freedom to tell the stories that interest me and I think others as well.  As a matter of fact, I think it would be difficult to go back to illustrating for other writers...not that there are not other great stories out there to draw, but writing and illustrating for ones self sort of spoils a creator!

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Back Island 19 on IndieGogo

Follow Drew on Twitter: @LightWhereYouGo