If you aren't reading the IDW's comic Half Past Danger, you should be. The six issue mini-series is a thrilling Indiana Jones-style adventure featuring a super-soldier, ninjas, Nazis, and...dinosaurs? Yes, Half Past Danger could've very easily slipped into silliness, but its creator—writer/artist Stephen Mooney—grounds the Pacific island warfare using deft characterization and artwork.

Mooney (who's got a table at this week's New York Comic Con) has worked in the comics, animation, and video game fields for over a decade, so we thought the Irish creator a prime candidate to discuss the state of digital comics. In this interview we discuss the how technology has impacted the comic book industry, file sharing, DRM, and the genesis of his unusual tale.

How has technology impacted the comic creation process? For example, are pencils shipped to inkers/colorists or is there a faster method now?

In many instances, the traditionally penciled artwork is still shipped to the inker for completion. Far less so than in the past, though. More and more artists are inking their own work, either traditionally or digitally, so much so that many people are of the opinion that inking exclusively as a career is not long for this world.

Then you have the many artists that are completing all of their artwork exclusively on the computer. This streamlines the production process hugely in most instances, and is becoming very popular with publishers and editors for that very reason; more deadlines are met, and more quickly.

What tech do you use in the day-to-day creation process, be it when writing or making visuals?

Plain old Microsoft Word for writing, and Photoshop for any digital aspects, like scanning, cleaning up inked art, and coloring. Illustrator for lettering. That's pretty much it.

As digital comics grow in popularity, do you think the medium will shape how artists create their comics? For example, do you think complex panel lay out (such as what's found in "Ganges") will be forced to make way for a more traditional layout more conducive to tablet reading and Comixology-style Guided View?

I don't really think so. I think the digital aspect is simply a different means of communicating the same basic information. It does afford a few more tricks and flourishes, but I personally see most of these aspects as mere window-dressing. When it comes down to it, the basic storytelling beats have no reason to change. Sure, they'll be pushed and expanded upon; but no more so in the digital domain than the traditional, in my opinion. I see a lot of the digital stuff as bells and whistles; a bit of polish in some ways. I've still to see anything done digitally that simply can't be replicated physically on a sheet of paper, albeit with a lot more work!

I don't think anybody really knows the hard and fast amounts industry-wide, but the kind of numbers being bandied about tend to cite about 10% of overall sales as being digital these days, which is pretty significant, even if it doesn't sound it. The market is certainly growing exponentially though, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were 15 or 20% by this time next year.

One of the benefits of print comics is the ability to sell/trade—you currently cannot do so with most digital comics. As a comic fan and creator, do you see this as a positive or negative?

I think I'd lean towards it being a positive right now. The fact that it's so simple to illegally spread digital material instantly around the 'net makes me glad that there aren't more avenues for digital copies to change hands freely. That said, I've no problem whatsoever in loaning somebody a physical copy of a book or movie, so it could be a tad short-sighted and naive of me to think the same shouldn't be easily doable with a digital copy.

Image Comics now offers DRM-free CBR, CBZ, ePub, and PDF versions of its comics via its website. Do you think this play represents the beginning of a shift in the digital-comics marketplace? And what do you think a publisher has to gain from such a move?

I think Image are well within their rights to do so; and potentially, yes, it'll be a total game-changer. I think many more people will be willing to try the digital version of certain comics now that they can actually own their copies. Many readers (myself included) were a tad dubious about certain digital books that you never truly owned; they merely hung somewhere in cyberspace for you to read when you felt like it. I did mention before that the potential piracy aspect bothered me, but I also strongly believe that if you offer consumers a solid product at a reasonable price that is rights management-free, they will chose to purchase it rather than download it illegally.

Some comics doomsayers believe that digital comics will lead to the inevitable death of print comics and comics shops. What is your take on this? Do comics shops still have value? Personally, I think it's THE place to go to get quality recommendations, especially for non-superhero titles.

Oh, I think the shops still retain enormous relevance and value. Precisely for the reason you cite; personal interaction. The recommendations, banter, and camaraderie that goes with your weekly trip to your local store simply can't be replicated by the digital storefront. That said, the online version offers a service that means you can instantly find a copy of that sold-out or hard to find book, so everybody wins, really. I think it's a great addition to comics, and fortunately seems to be having little to no impact whatsoever on the amount of books the stores are selling. They seem to be two very separate and distinct delivery systems, and at the end of the day more options are better for the consumer. Long may it continue.

Have digital comics made it easier for potential creators to get published? Or is it simply a different type of challenge?

Far, far easier, I would say. Anybody with an internet connection and an idea can theoretically digitally publish their own book now. It's a much more level playing field. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing comes squarely down to personal opinion!

Speaking of ideas, what was the inspiration behind Half Past Danger, which has a wild combination of Nazis and dinos?

The main inspirations were all of the pulp favorites from my youth; the tenets of the Saturday afternoon serials married with the swashbuckling storytelling sensibilities of the likes of Raiders of the Lost Ark and James Bond.

What's next for you once Half Past Danger wraps up its run?

No idea! I'm focusing solely on getting the first series finished and out on time. After that I'll take some time to see where I am. Ideally, a short run on an established character I loved as a kid, and then back for a sequel to HPD.

What do you read when you're in the mood to pick up a comic?

Right now I'm re-reading the Parker graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke and IDW. Just beautifully told and presented stories. I love that hard-boiled, throwback pulpy crime stuff. IDW's trade production values were one of the reasons I wanted to take Half Past Danger there; in order to score one of those sweet hardbacks at the end of the day. I always eventually go back to Batman: Year One; that's my comfort blanket.

That's it for our interview with Stephen Mooney, you can read more about him and his comics on his blog, Half Past Danger, and he's signing comics at this week's New York Comic Con, too.

For more than a decade, Jeffrey L. Wilson has penned gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for a variety of publications, including 1UP, 2D-X, The Cask, Laptop, LifeStyler, Parenting, Sync, Wise Bread, and WWE. He now brings his knowledge and skillset to PCMag as Senior Analyst.
When he isn't staring at a monitor (or two) and churning out Web hosting, music, utilities, and video game copy, Jeffrey mentors, practices Jeet Kune Do, blogs, podcasts, and speaks at the occasional con. He also collects vinyl and greatly enjoys...
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