With the final days of our Superhero/Supervillain kickstarter winding down, we bring you an interview with Bryan J.L. Glass, contributor to The Side of Good / The Side of Evil, a Superhero Flipbook anthology, http://tiny.cc/SoGSoE.

Also, as a note, Bryan has generously donates some Furious memorabilia for a prize pack that all backers at the $20 or higher level (randomly selected by the backers themselves) will be qualified to win once our campaign funds, including:

1. A FURIOUS print signed by Bryan J.L. Glass.
2. A complete set of FURIOUS comics, issues 1-5, signed by Bryan J.L. Glass.
3. An original Furious Sketch autographed by Bryan J.L. Glass.
4: An assortment of Superhero DVDs:

• The Complete Superman 5-Movie Bundle
• The Green Lantern
• The Watchmen
• The Justice League animated Triple Feature

5. An assortment of Superhero related goodies

Now…on to the interview!

eSB: Which side are you writing for?

BJLG: As I’m writing my previously established title character Furious, or “Furia” as she declared herself at the tail end of her first Dark Horse Comics mini-series, it would be easy to perceive her as one of those characters on the edge, in between god and evil, as if the slightest provocation could tip her over the edge into the darkness of villainy. But her journey is far from questionable. Furia is most definitely a heroine, as her path was purposefully chosen to atone for a lifetime of media villainy. The gimmick that sets her character apart from the rest of the super-heroic pack is that Furia’s alter ego is Cadence Lark, a former child star that grew up to become one of those out of control starlets destined to crash & burn before the media spotlight. Yet upon her deepest fall, she receives an experimental drug rehab that not only offered the moment of clarity that she had become a monster of a human being, but also left her with evolving super-powers. She is committed to her atonement along the path of good… but as her powers seem entwined with her emotions, both guilt and anger can trigger the worst from her, her powers recklessly crafting incidents for which the focus of the new media is only too eager to cast her as the villain of her story.

eSB: Please tell us a little bit about the inspiration for your story.

BJLG: My Furious story is entitled: Don’t You Know Who I Am? Playing upon the classic cliché of superstars who presume to be treated according to their expectations. If a genuine super-heroine were to steal the headlines in today’s world, she would not only be the target of fearful local law-enforcement & envious world governments, but would also become a target of exploiters, those looking to capitalize financially, as well as those already in the spotlight seeking to align their own stars with hers. We live in an era where larger-than-life stars like Kanye West see no shame in stealing the attention from others they believe is theirs to take. How might such a superstar react when an actual superhero achieves headlines they believe should belong to them?

eSB: If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would it work?

BJLG: Ever since I was a child, I’ve pondered this question, and my answer has never wavered. Teleportation. One doesn’t need great strength in a fight if one can always achieve the element of surprise. One can always escape as the need requires. But most of all, teleportation would allow me to thwart my greatest enemy, time. I’ve always wondered what that says about me psychologically, as I dislike above all, wasting time in lines or travel.

eSB: Describe your ideal super suit.

BJLG: Definitely not spandex. Nobody wants to see that.

eSB: In your opinion, what characterizes a hero?

BJLG: Selfless sacrifice. Risking everything that one has, all that one is, and willing to lose it for the sake of another, or for a cause larger than themselves—whether choosing martyrdom against the landscape of a greater social injustice or to aid but a single life without any spotlight or notoriety.

eSB: In your opinion, what characterizes a villain?

BJLG: The villain takes what they want regardless of the cost upon another. Yet true villains never revel in their villainy; instead they rationalize themselves into heroes by selfish definition. They’ll exploit another all the while justifying that what they do is for a greater good. They’ll happily destroy the present if they’re convinced posterity will look upon them with favor. The most legendary villains aren’t satisfied with mere revenge. They seek to make their mark upon the world as a hero does, yet without the cost. They see themselves the hero because they truly believe the recognition is deserved.

eSB: What other comic or superhero-related work have you done in the past?

BJLG: Most of my work for Marvel Comics has focused upon the mythology slices of the superhero spectrum: Thor and Valkyrie. With our favorite hammer-wielding Asgardian, I’ve written the mini-series First Thunder, the movie tie-in video game Son of Asgard, the one-shot Crown of Fools, and a Burger King Kids Club mini-series entitled Valor (which was so favorably received, it was almost compiled as a Marvel mini-series itself, but the licensing agreement with BK proved too entangling). I’ve also written an Adventures of Superman story illustrated by Michael (Powers) Oeming. There is a magic that happens when writing tales that humanize characters that are so more than human, so much larger than life; as if our broken humanity can be elevated by bringing the divine closer to ourselves.

eSB: If there was one comic franchise you could work on, which would it be and why?

BJLG: Not a comic franchise, but still the superhero genre to be sure: Electra Woman & Dyna Girl. While we await the new reboot coming from Legendary, it’s quality and ability to capture an audience remains to be seen. Yet the classic incarnation from 1976 Saturday morning children’s TV starring Deidra Hall & Judy Strangis has captured my imagination for the past nearly 40 years. So influential was this old franchise upon my psyche that at the height of the B&W comics boom of the early 90s, my first published series was directly inspired by these Adam West/Burt Ward inspired super-heroines: Spandex Tights: Adventures of the Aerobic Duo—TV fitness instructors by day, aerobicizing evildoers by night!

eSB: Fiction or comics, which is your favorite medium and why?

BJLG: My preference is simply any form of storytelling itself regardless of the medium. I’ve written comics, a novel, short stories, video games, stage plays, screenplays and teleplays… I’d love to write for radio if audio were still a viable option. In the end, I’m committed to making my fiction read as true to the human experience as to make even the most fantastic tales resonate as the truth.

eSB: Please let us know where you can be found on social media.

BJLG: I can be found amidst most of the usual haunts simply by searching for my full professional name: Bryan J.L. Glass at Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, as well as my own website BryanJLGlass.com and my online store BJLGonline.com

eSB: Thank you for allowing this glimpse beneath your alter-ego. We’re looking forward to more super heroics and evil geniuses to come.