I Thought You'd Never Ask: Rick Loverd

You know the drill by now don't you? I ask 5 questions of my pals in the comic industry that no self-respecting reporter would think to ask. They answer, you enjoy. Check out the previous editions with Ron Marz and Phil Hester.

This week's victim is Rick Loverd. I've only known Rick for a little less than two years, but he's quickly become a good friend in my LA life. Rick and I share loves for many of the same things - good movies, hiking, and eating... a lot. We put a hurt on the LA food scene.

Rick comes from television having worked in the writers room on a couple shows you may have heard of. He's a massive fan of genre fiction. I met him when Milo Ventimiglia and Russ Cundiff of DiVide Pictures brought one of his projects to Top Cow. The project is called Berserker and it is a complete contradiction to Rick's personality, which is that of a friendly, soft spoken, and caring guy. The comic series follows two guys who discover they are descendant from a race of rage-powered Viking warriors called Berserkers. Imagine the Incredible Hulk wasn't such a wimp and you get a pretty picture of Berserker. The latest issue (#4) will be in stores on February 3rd, read the entirety of issue #0 right HERE for free. You can find Rick on Twitter occasionally @rickloverd.

One more word of advice about Rick, be careful when bar-hopping he's an "enabler" when it comes to all sorts of bad habits.

Filip Sablik: Berserker is your first comic project. And by trade, you're a screenwriter. Did you ever imagine or consider writing comics before talking to the guys at DiVide Pictures? Has it opened you up to the idea of doing more comics?

Rick Loverd: I've always had big genre tastes as far as screenwriting goes - comic book sensibilities. Honestly, I moved to Hollywood (gasp) a decade ago with a single-minded determination to write for the screen, and I never considered doing anything else. Milo and Russ were the first to read my stuff, though, and say "this would be a cool comic." I'd never thought about writing comics before then. Now, well, I get giddy every time the art starts rolling in from my scripts. My experience writing Berserker has just been completely fantastic. From Jeremy Haun, who has become a good friend and collaborator, to everyone at Top Cow - I just fucking love the process of making comics. I want to write more. There's so much more story in the Berserker Universe, and I hope I'm able to explore it more. I also have a bunch of ideas for other books and other worlds that I'm out there pitching - fingers crossed. And, of course, I'd love to take a crack at an arc with an established character. I learned through Berserker that I really enjoy the process of making comics and that there are many ways in which comics are a more satisfying and even superior story-telling medium than the screen. 

 

FS: What genre or type of show do you think is missing from network television?

RL: Ha! It's pretty clear to me that a gritty face-ripping serialized horror show (ideally, with closed-ended 3-4 season storyline) really needs to get made but that the major American networks are too afraid to break their generic programming molds. Just take a look at the success of THE DEAD SET in England and it's obvious that this is a starving market in the US. Shows like LOST and TRUE BLOOD hint and what's possible, but someone needs to get a show on the air with serious edge. Stop living in fear and dive in. It'll be interesting to see what AMC and Frank Darabont can do with WALKING DEAD. I have my fingers crossed for success there because it'll open the door to a sizable audience that wants more. Of course, living up to Kirkman's comics, that's a seriously unenviable task. I'm also intrigued to hear that PUSH may be made into a TV show. We'll see if anyone can fill the void in the next year or two... 

FS: You're a musician and collector of guitars. What's your favorite guitar you own and what's the holy grail for you as a collector? Bear in mind, I know jack about guitars so you'll have to talk to me like I'm 5 years old.

RL: Aw man, if I had an extra hundred grand, I'd be looking at a '56 Stratocaster. But a Godlike guitar like that really belongs in the hands of a master... Like the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan. Basically, I love the chimey, almost bell-like quality of the vintage Fender Stratocaster sound. It can get chunky and big when it needs to, but its lead tones cut right through the cacophony when you're playing out. No matter what, it always retains this sort of delicate refined clarity. You sacrifice the sustain and the hum of a guitar with more mass and higher output pickups, like a Gibson Les Paul, but you gain more definition - you hear more exactly how your fingers are manipulating the instrument - for better or worse. I've been playing for (good Lord) eighteen years now and it took me a long time to find my sound. When I settled on exactly what I wanted, I decided to make my dream guitar myself. So, a few years ago, I built my own Strat to the specifications of a '56 Stratocaster. I won't bore you with the details, but I can geek out with the best of them over tone woods and the importance of specific pickup winds. My Strat came out great, and it's my go-to guitar now. I barely play my others, to be honest. 

FS: Jeez, man. I was just testing you. But you passed with flying colors. I'll take your word for it. On to something I know something about. We're foodies, so what's the best meal you ever ate?

RL: Wow, you're hitting all of my passions now. I'm fortunate to live in a city (LA) with a lot of good places to eat. I just about died when I tried Jose Andres' deconstructed tapas. Both at Bazaar at the SLS hotel in LA and Zaytinya in DC, he's blown my mind. His Kobe Philly Cheese steak on puff pastry will make you wet your pants. In general, molecular gastronomy is a real trip. And who doesn't want to try a cocktail made table-side with liquid nitrogen (that's me drinking the Liquid Nitrogen Caipirinha below)? Otherwise, I have to say, that at last year's NYC Comic-con, Matt Hawkins and Milo took the Berserker crew out to a pretty damned off the charts dinner at Morimoto. There was a tuna tartar pizza that night I still think about a year later. I don't know if I can think of a meal that specifically stands out as the best ever, but those three are high on my list of awesomeness. 

FS: Alright, you twisted my arm. Let's get reservations at Bazaar. I' need some Kobe Philly Cheese steak on puff pastry in my life. Okay, before I get too hungry thinking about it what's the one question you've always wanted an interviewer to ask, but you've never been asked?

RL: I'm not sure that I have one I wish someone would ask. More often I wish more that someone would re-ask a question so I can have another chance to not put my foot in my mouth... I'm looking forward to having lively conversations with fans and future interviewers when I get a chance to field questions about the science of Berserkers. I've tried to ground the comic in a real kind of world and give my berserker characters only one fantastical aspect - that they're berserkers. There are a lot of fun rules that I know, and everyone who's working on the book know, but that aren't going to make it into the first trade. Stuff like bone density issues and single nucleotide polymorphisms that I can't wait to explain. It's fun to take real science or existing mythology and then think to yourself "what if?" I like engaging with people on those questions and, so far, haven't been asked much about that aspect of the books.

 

FS: Wow, Rick. I knew you were a geek, but had no idea you were this much of a nerd...

Filip Sablik is the Publisher of Top Cow Productions, Inc. He’s been in the business for nine years and just officially entered his thirties. Occasionally, he does a bit of writing and drawing. He loves comics.
Top Cow Productions, Inc. was founded by Marc Silvestri, co-founder of Image Comics. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades.