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Richv1
Jazma V.P.
Canada
1133 Posts |
 Posted - 05/11/2010 : 4:34:13 PM
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Rick Copp
Writer for Celebrity Zombie Killers
Published by: Ape Entertainment
Interviewed by: Richard Vasseur/Jazma VP
Posted: 05/11/2010
Rich: What is the storyline of "CZK"?
Rick: A group of vapid, self-absorbed celebrities arrive in Burbank on a private jet from a party in St. Tropez only to discover that the entire city of Los Angeles has succumbed to a virus that has turned every living thing into zombie creatures. As they make their way to a safe house on Catalina Island, a few of them discover their inner hero, and learn to actually take care of themselves for probably the first time in their lives.
Rich: Can you describe the main characters?
Rick: Baby Love is sort of a hot mess of a pop star, kind of a cross between Britney Spears and Beyonce. There are twin moguls Chablis and Merlot (Olsen Twins, anyone?), a concert promoter who is also a Saudi Prince, a Thai reality star named Petite, her arch rival, a Paris Hilton type soup heiress named Paprika Winston (who is never without her tiny dog Percocet), Gavin, who is a Disney tween star in the Zak Efron mode, and Jivin’, a smooth Usher like R&B crooner. There’s also the only non pro of the bunch, Julio, a strapping bodyguard, who at first is the only one capable of protecting the others from the zombies.
Rich: How were these zombies created?
Rick: I keep it deliberately vague except to say it’s the result of an unidentified virus simply for the fact that everything’s been done and I didn’t want to be redundant.
Rich: What exactly is a zombie?
Rick: A living thing mutated into a monster, in this case, due to a raging virus that has swept through Los Angeles.
Rich: How well does Mikhail Drujic match his art to your writing?
Rick: I am a HUGE Mikhail Drujic fan. I have never met him, and was simply stunned when I received his art work. He brought the story to love in more ways than I ever imagined. He totally got the humor of the story and added his own personal touches that took the whole book up another notch. I would love to work with him again.
Rich: Will there ever be a continuation of CZK?
Rick: I would love to write a sequel if Ape Entertainment and Mikhail were onboard. The surviving celebrities could team up with a whole new crop of stars and try to take their city back from the marauding zombies. Their way of life has been threatened, and there isn’t one nightclub left that’s open, so it could totally energize them to fight back.
Rich: What is the "Actors Guide To..." series?
Rick: The Actor’s Guide books is a trilogy of mystery novels I wrote about a former child star named Jarrod Jarvis, now thirty and whose career is on the decline, who gets involved in solving Hollywood murders in between his acting auditions. He’s like a gay, self-absorbed Columbo but with a headshot. They were a blast to write, and I’m now working on getting a film version of the first book out there.
Rich: How do you feel "Fingerprints and Facelifts" turned out?
Rick: I was very happy with the book. As a huge fan of the original Charlie’s Angels television series as well as the movies, I have always wanted to write my own version. This series is about a trio of female detectives, the LA Dolls, who kicked butt in the 80s solving crimes, but eventually retired and went their separate ways. When someone from their past starts targeting their kids for revenge, the Dolls, now older, must reunite to find out who it is. It has been described as Desperate Housewives meets Charlie’s Angels. I developed a TV movie version for Lifetime, but they ultimately passed, so we’re now searching for a new home for the project.
Rich: What would be your ideal comic to work on?
Rick: I was always a DC nut, and my favorite comic was Justice League of America. When I was twelve, I wrote a five part series featuring all the members, especially my favorites Green Arrow and Black Canary, and shipped it off to Julius Schwartz, the late legendary editor. I said in the cover letter that this was my thank you for all the joy he brought me, but in reality, I was secretly hoping he would call me and offer me a job writing for DC. I never heard from him!
Rich: Any advice for new comic book writers?
Rick: Write. And never stop writing. It’s all about honing your craft. It was always my dream to write comic books, and CZK is my first graphic novel after twenty years of writing for film and television and books. It really is a dream come true.
Rich: Besides zombies which monsters do you like?
Rick: I love vampires, but old school vampires, not so much the Twilight vamps. True Blood, I think, is a terrific series and a compelling metaphor for our times. I also like sea monsters, and was very excited with Mikhail’s interpretation of the zombie shark in CZK. I thought that was really cool, and it’s something I’ve never seen before.
Rich: Which comics did you read as a child and do you read now?
Rick: As I mentioned before, I’m a huge DC fan. Besides JLA, I read a lot of titles including Superman, Batman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. I also am a big Captain Marvel fan, and loved everything Shazam. Another favorite was Teen Titans, so when I ended up writing for the Cartoon Network series, that was a major thrill.
Rich: How can someone contact you?
Rick: I can always be contacted through my website www.rickcopp.com.
Rich: Any final words for any would be zombie killer?
Rick: Yes. Don’t mess with celebrities. They can be very good at self-preservation, career wise, at least.
Richard Vasseur |
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Rick Copp Writer for CZK from Ape Ent.
