Spirit of the Amazon: Tag-Team Interview

By J Hues

Preamble

This interview was a real team effort. Vinicius Tavares, VP New Business for NW Studios, publisher of Spirit of the Amazon, took my questions and translated them back to the native Portuguese to get the creative team involved in answering them. Vinicius then compiled all of the responses he received and compiled the responses you'll read below.

One of Vinicius’ partners, who helped collaborate on this interview is Richard Bilda, VP Business Development & Operations, and of course Orlando Paes, the brainchild behind Spirit of the Amazon. I thank all of them for their honesty and thoroughness in responding to my queries. I learned a lot about this property and it only made me that much more interested in helping this company get a far sDon’t forget to reserve the first issue of Spirit of the Amazon at your local retailers. It’s in the current Previews under NW Studios.

For my take on the first issue sample I was sent, check out a recent edition of my column ‘Rolling With The Punches.’ Look for it toward the bottom at the Post-Match Wrap-Up.


J. Hues: When did the 'Spirit of the Amazon' series begin in Brazil?

Vinicius Tavares: SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON was originally launched in Brazil in 1998.

JH: Your press releases indicated it is the second best-selling title in Brazil, behind the X-Men. What (if you can say) are the estimated sales figures of Spirit in Brazil?

VT: Our debut issue sold 18,000 comics, and that is actual sales - not the number of issues printed. The following issues sold at the same level. That put us at #2 in the market at that time, behind X Men!

JH: So what was the inspiration that led to the creation of Spirit of the Amazon?' What is the overall goal or intent of the stories you will be telling in this series?

VT: The inspiration for SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON came in 1978 when Orlando Paes Filho (writer and creator of Spirit of the Amazon) was 16 years old. Terrified by man’s violent actions towards nature he wrote a fiction novel called Blue Planet (Planeta Azul), which later inspired the series of comics named SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON. Orlando has the copyright for the comic dated 1978 as proof of his enduring vision for the story/theme of Spirit of Amazon.

More than a comic book, we want Spirit of the Amazon to be seen not as “boring ideological crap” about how greedy and reckless human beings are, but instead to make readers reflect a bit on important stuff, provoke their minds, and instigate their thoughts about the world while we change their way of looking at things!

The story is a criticism of today’s capitalism in an intelligent and dynamic comic book about six under-cover extraterrestrial beings who face a long and terrifying battle to protect the earth from its tyrant leaders.

The following is a synopsis of Spirit of the Amazon:

    Forget GreenCrap, Peaceful-and-No-Action Petitions and Nonsense Rhetoric Speeches! The only way to face environmental damages caused by corrupt CEOs and their reckless corporations is to counter-attack using their own rules: schemes, financial scams and the use of force!

    NW Studios invites you to follow the story of a group of extra-terrestrial warriors who have embarked on a secret mission NOT to rescue damsels in distress but to battle against the dark side of today's rotten capitalism!

    Because instead of your “little brother’s” comic book you deserve a clever, complex and mature reality-based plot that will blow your mind…

JH: Talk a bit about this environmental focus of the title, including some of the organizations that you indicated have supported it? And why did you decide to create a title with such a strong ecological slant?

VT: Spirit of the Amazon is the materialization of a dream. It is a way of expressing our discontent with today’s man’s oppression against our planet. As I mentioned earlier, the idea came to Orlando as an opportunity to provoke readers to reflect on important issues of today’s world - not only environmental abuses, but also political and ideological matters.

Drawn and written by Brazilians, Spirit of the Amazon relies on the support of the University of Sao Paulo (the most important and traditional university in Latin America) and SOS Amazonia. (a non-profit organization engaged in supporting the world’s largest rainforest.) Through inputs from their respectful doctors, researchers and activists, these two institutions collaborated with the development of the story, providing Orlando and his crew with relevant and updated information about politics, law and environmental issues. The outcome is an intelligent plot that in a thrilling and action-packed way explores what we call the “bad side” of today’s capitalism: corruption, drug trafficking, environmental abuses, corporate scandals, and diverting of public funds just to name a few…all of them forms of these undesirable outcomes of the system.

SOS Amazonia will receive 2% of revenues. Note that this 2 percentage points are payable on sales, not profits, which ultimately represent a much bigger cut of our profits.

JH: Are the Spirit of the Amazon issues coming to the USA all-new, original stories, or reprints (translated and updated) of the original Brazilian issues? And if they are all-new stories for the US, are there any plans to reprint or collect (and translate) the original issues?

VT: When we first decided to bring Spirit of the Amazon to the U.S., our original plan was simply to translate our Brazilian issues to English. However, the more we thought about it the more we knew we couldn’t pass up this chance of making a big impact and impressing the American market. Although rewriting the story and changing the whole book would implicate extra costs we took the chance and ended up altering the content: we added 6 more pages (the book now has 28 pages of story), changed some of the original 22 pages and finally we added a twist to the plot. We are currently ironing out the final details and I believe our ultimate objective will be achieved: we want to present this state-of-the-art book at its best and have people enjoy it.

JH: Is Spirit of the Amazon still in publication in Brazil, and if so, how many issues have come out thus far? Is it a finite story (with a planned ending) or will it be an ongoing open-ended series?

As I said previously SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON was originally launched in Brazil in 1998. After a brief experience as the new sensation of the Brazilian comic market the title was forced to discontinue production after 4 issues. One company controls production and distribution of comics in Brazil. After this company saw the enormous success of SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON, it made an offer to acquire the property. When Orlando refused their offer, the distributor deterred sales and refused to distribute the comic. As a result, NW Studio was forced to stop production of this great title. We then focused on our other lines of businesses (we provide artwork services for companies as Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, McDonald’s, Nestle… to name a few) but later in 2002 decided to expand and open a US branch office. We knew that a comic venture could be a great thing for us in the US and so here we are…

JH: The trade paperback collection is becoming a dominant format in the US market. Are there plans to eventually collect Spirit of the Amazon and the other NW series down the road?

VT: It is really amazing how the market is moving towards paperbacks and graphic novel formats. It is actually a trend imposed by readers, who would much rather have a dense book of their favorites characters and stories than a 24-page comic book. NW Studios is aware of that and definitely will do the same with Spirit of the Amazon and other books that we plan to launch. To tell you the truth, since we had the story already launched in Brazil we thought of compiling the first 6 issues in a paperback format and then releasing it here in the U.S. that way. But eventually we decided to take the path of enhancing the story and the traditional 24-page comic seemed to be a better format, at least in the beginning.

JH: Talk a little bit about what fans can expect in upcoming issues of Spirit of the Amazon?

VT: Fans can expect highly acclaimed superb artwork (28 pages of art, color and printed on coated glossy paper…we are not cheap) and a new comic book that is definitely different from the mainstream books out there:

The book is very politically oriented. It criticizes the downside of capitalism, corrupt corporations and the like. So people who enjoy the lyrics and the attitude of rock bands like Rage Against the Machine or U2 will probably enjoy our message. People who sincerely care about environmental aggression will find something for them in the comics as well. However, Spirit of the Amazon is not supposed to be a “preachy” book about how greedy and reckless human beings are nor does it act as a “go hug a tree” anthem. Instead, we aim to entertain fans with stunning drawings (these Brazilian guys are awesome!) and a plot that mixes fiction with reality. And for that reason I believe Spirit of the Amazon will appeal to people who enjoy reading a comic book with stunning illustrations or books that play with your mind, mixing reality and fiction in the same plot! In short you can either open up the book and let your mind wander free without bothering too much with the political messages (and of course drool when looking at Alanya’s or Shaula’s curves) or face it as an adventurous fiction about extraterrestrial warriors coming to Earth or really get into some of today’s most important issues!. Or any combination of the three. . .

JH: In the promotional package you sent, you mention two upcoming titles: Human Resources and GutiGutz. Tell us a bit more about these series and when fans can expect them to launch? And are they also pre-published Brazilian series?

VT: These titles are not existing series in Brazil. These are stories that we would launch specially for the U.S. market. Human Resources is a science fiction allusion to a world in the future (2060) where corporations become so huge (due to mergers and acquisitions) that the world will be left with a few massive enterprises that literally control life as we know it. Companies become countries, CEO’s replace what was until known as a nation’s president and more terrible than anything: citizens, now employees of these aberrations companies are used as their army in this battle for universal power. Yes, employees become soldiers. These corporations leader’s fight against each other to reign over the world and the story takes off from there. The artwork for this series is something really special that will leave a lot of people with their mouth open. Believe me, you have to check it out.

GitiGutz is Roger Cruz’s first self-written creation. We are all really excited about it. The plot is about this duo of compulsive shopping-obsessed girls who also work for a leading company to capture criminals – escort – and provide personal protection! The girls have explosive temperaments but the fact is they can’t resist shopping. They literally spend all their money on clothes and partying. Roger articulates this double side of the girls in a perfect and gracious way. The artwork is totally different from Amazon or Human Resources.

As you can see we plan to give U.S. readers a vast and eclectic taste. Our plots go from super heroes, to sci-fi to whatever you want to call GutiGutz. However we are always committed to superb artwork and intelligent plots. We are new, we have a lot to offer and we know we won’t disappoint readers.

JH: Coming into a new market, What concerns do you have about the American market, as it is a very distinct market, and in many ways is struggling more than most other comics markets worldwide?

VT: We brought Spirit of the Amazon to the USA because we believe the US is the most influential comic market in the world. Concepts and trends are created here and we want to participate in this hot market! Our objective is to contribute to the variety and depth of the comic market. We are very optimistic about it and I know that we have an outstanding book. Our art is up to the standards of the best in the industry and I believe this twist of having the Amazon theme along with a mature political/ideological plot is something that will appeal to readers.

The problem is that although it is relatively easy to develop new ideas and publish in the US comic market, you don’t know what kind of reaction you are going to have. Small press has had a hard time trying to break through. Everybody knows that if you are not Marvel, DC or Image you will probably have a tough time promoting and selling your books, although a lot of the non Marvel-DC-Image publishers do a great job. As I said we are very confident. My only wish is that we will have the opportunity to show our amazing work to comic fans and that is why I would like to ask comic readers to give us a chance and check out SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON. I am sure they won’t regret it! Three reasons why: 1) it was a hugely successful release in Brazil. 2) We believe and everybody we’ve showed our art to agrees that it has stunning visuals and 3) it is something new and definitely different from the mainstream themes in general. Come on readers, check it out!

JH: Okay, plugs aside let’s go a little deeper here. American comics fans are fickle about new series and especially new companies. This largely has to do with the fact that many new series don't last twelve issues (or so) and most new companies don't survive. What kind of commitment can you make to fans that give them a sense of confidence that if they give this series a try, NW Studios will be committed to sticking it out and bringing them the whole story and not just cancel the line and call it quits in a few months?

VT: That’s a very good question. We are extremely committed to the US market. We changed the whole book specifically to publish it here. You don’t know how tempted we were to just translate and print the book we have, ready to go as it launched in Brazil. However, we decided to suck up the extras costs just to have the certainty that we would be doing our best. Can I show you more of a commitment than this? But like you said the comic market is tough nowadays and readers don’t take chances to experience new publishers/books because in part these same new companies/books come and go in an eye blink. The point is that it is hard to actually say what is the cause and what is the consequence: are readers fickle about new series because they don’t last or is it that the new series don’t last because readers don’t buy them? Without a doubt the bar was raised and all I can say is that NW Studios is aware of that; we are delivering our best and doing our best to approach fans and convince them to give us a try. That us all I am asking… Give us a try. Check out Spirit of the Amazon and I am sure you won’t regret it.

JH: The first three issues of Spirit of the Amazon were previously solicited (in Previews), only to be canceled and resolicited (Issue 1 is solicited in the current Previews for May shipping). Why were these issues canceled and resolicited: was it disappointment in the initial orders received? How commited to a (now) May launch are you for the series?

VT: See, this is part of the topic I was discussing above. As I said, when we came to the U.S. we were convinced that we would just reprint our Brazilian issues in the U.S. We didn’t want to invest a lot in marketing and to tell you the truth we wanted to publish Amazon the way it was and learn from there. We knew that there was a lot about this industry and particularities of the American market (believe me, Brazil is very different) that we had to learn. We solicited the book via Diamond but when we talked to retailers, distributors, comic publications, writers, editors, publishers and alike and we realized that our approach wasn’t the best way to debut in the U.S. Why be low profile and be just one more guy around? We then re-valued our plan, we committed a large amount of money to marketing and promotional activities, rewrote the story, enhanced the quality of the book and presented it to licensing agencies.

To do all this we needed time so we had to push back the release date 5 months. We went all the way and now I tell you there is no way back. I literally don’t care what the orders will be from Diamond because we invested so much that we are releasing the book anyway, even if it is bellow our expectations. But I don’t want to lie to you and say that we will stick around forever no matter what. We made up our mind. We are focused. We invested heavily. We are committed! And the good news is we have a much lower costs than many of the others guys so I guess we can stick around longer should adversities come our way.

JH: Is NW Studios planning any US convention appearances or any other events to help promote the new series? In what ways are you planning to raise awareness and interest in your properties?

VT: Oh yeah! We are visiting Mega Con (we tried to be an exhibitor but we were too late - by the time the deadline for the show came we were still reassessing our plan and raising funds for the U.S. venture). However we will be at the convention, talking to readers and the comic community in general. We will be at Comic Con San Diego. I hope fans visit and enjoy our booth. We are currently thinking about our promotions and the like for the show. Regarding the other tradeshows we plan to attend half of them and partner with Diamond to assist in promoting and sharing part of their booth with us.

In addition to conventions we aim to raise awareness of our property with an advertisement in Wizard (Check Wizard #139 and #141), Diamond’s Previews, CSN (check March, April and May…we will be there for several issues) and others. And, of course we’d like to get the word out through great places like SilverBullet and other comic web sites.

JH: Definitely sounds like an aggressive plan. Related to that, in the promotional materials that I received, the English was sometimes awkward and altogether incorrect in some places. The intent of what you were trying to say was always clear but the errors were distracting. While it is understood that English is not the native language of your team what, if anything, do you plan to do to improve the accuracy of the language in your titles and promotional materials for the English-speaking community? As a specific example, the text in the promotional piece for Human Resources is nearly incomprehensible.

VT: The mock up I sent you is far from being the final version of the book in terms of the language. Our stories and creations were written in Portuguese and are then translated into English. As I explained before, we engaged in this process of leveraging every single detail and really committing to the U.S. market - part of which was to enhance and change issue # 1. The English is still being edited and reviewed by our English translator. As I said we are ironing out the last details so the mock up I sent you wasn’t reviewed by our official translator. Honestly I am not concerned at all with the translation. We will have Americans writing the American issues… I am worried of impacting the US fans!

JH: And finally Vinicius stepped out of the role of Interviewee to address the fans. Why talk to me when he can talk directly to YOU!

VT: Finally I want say tell all comic fans and the comic community that we from NW Studios are very excited and honored to be part of the influential U.S. market. All we want from you guys is to check out our work. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. We really have made the best comic we could and I know you will like what you will see.

Yep, we are a new company in the US and we have big expectations. LET THE GREEN WAR BEGIN!


About NW Studios

NW Studios is a Brazilian creative agency, working with the creation and development of characters and imaging. For the last nine years, NW Studios has developed art and style guides for companies like Warner Bros. and Disney, characters for Nestle and McDonalds, visuals for Hopi Hari (Brazil’s largest theme park) and AMBEV (Latin America’s largest brewery and soda pop manufacturer). Our portfolio continues with thousands of pages of drawings, scripts, final arts & colorings and development of our own entertainment properties. Our first-class quality work awarded us in 2000 with the honored tittle of the “Official Studio for Warner Bros”. in the country. In 2002 NW branched out launching NW Studios USA, its North American arm, responsible for introducing its properties in the U.S. market!

At the helm of NW Studios is Orlando Paes Filho, a former commercial helicopter pilot for the Helibrás/Aerospatiale Company who, in 1988, took the position of product manager at Character Ltd. as a Marvel Comics agent in Brazil to handle, among other properties, X-Men and Conan. Six years later, Orlando founded NW Studios with a firm objective to render artwork services, style guides, brand manuals, corporate electronic presentations and bring to life its own entertainment properties. Below are some of our milestones:
  • We are NW Studios, a Brazilian creative agency founded in 1994 by Orlando Paes Filho. Today NW Studios has a total headcount of 15 people, including management and designing team.
  • In June 2002 NW Studios initiated its internationalization process, launching its North American arm, NW Studios USA, based in Miami and with a branch office in Los Angeles. We are responsible for introducing NW properties into the U.S. market!
  • In our successful 9-year-history we have achieved:
    • We obtained the Mc Donalds’ Happy Meal Promotional Deal Record in Brazil - where one of our properties sold over 3 million stuffed animals in only 3 days! We bit Disney’s Toy Story, Lilo & Stich, Warner’s Scooby-Doo and the like.
    • Our first-class quality work was awarded the honored title of the “Warner Bros. Official Studio ” in Brazil in 2000.
    • We had the 2nd best selling comic book in Brazil (Spirit of the Amazon) with a total circulation over 18,000 in its debut issue





j. hues' real name is shrouded in secrecy but if you ask him he might tell you it's Jason Hughes. To keep his sanity, he writes: novels, poems, comics, grocery lists, checks (too many checks), fake doctor's notes... Maybe someday he'll get paid for all this. He is a regular contributor to SBC, writing a weekly column cleverly called Rolling With The Punches. He's never happy unless he is blathering on with his own obnoxious opinions and ideas.