Enjoy!
First, I want to say “thank you” for taking the time to answer some questions for the fans.
A little background for you at home: At the 2007 Joe Con, it was announced that there would be a new line of GI Joe comic packs coming out with brand new comics written by Larry Hama with art by Jeremy Dale. The company responsible for producing these comics is Conceptopolis and today we have Aaron Hübrich, producer (and I assume president) of Conceptopolis.
The first question I have to ask is: Who is Conceptopolis?
Hi Phil.
Well, we’re a production company based in the Cincinnati area (specifically Northern, Kentucky) that specializes in package art, concept art and comics.
How did you get involved with Hasbro?
I actually started with GI Joe back in late 2003 when Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast and Devils Due were developing the GI Joe Collectible Card game. That’s when I started up my business and they all essentially became my clients, as I acted like a liaison/freelance art director on the art end of things.
Josh Blaylock (DDP president) needed some help managing the projects that were coming through there, so I seized the opportunity and became a freelance creative director. I had known Josh for years beforehand and had actually helped him with self publishing prior to DDP being formed. I worked directly with Devils Due for a few years working from my office here in the Cincinnati area, but Conceptopolis spun off from that business when it was clear we needed to head in a different direction. A lot of the art you’ve seen for GI Joe - from the card games, to Sigma 6 and now the 25th anniversary line was managed by me - so it’s been a fantastic ride for sure.
We developed very strong relationships with the design and marketing teams at Hasbro over the last year and really appreciated the opportunities they gave us. It’s been a huge honor to be on the 25th anniversary line and we hope to continue to bring out some stuff that will please fans in the future.
Who are some of your other “big” clients?
Along with Hasbro, we work with NC Soft on their Dungeon Runners game, conceptualizing some of the creature/weapons you’ll see in the game. We also were recently featured in the re-mastered Harbinger hard cover for Valiant Entertainment, re-coloring much of the comics and making them look much more contemporary, using computer coloring. We’re also working with Wizards of the Coast on some exciting projects and we have some major stuff coming down the pipe for a few other companies in a few months that we’d love to talk about, but just can’t right now. It’s the nature of our business, working on projects that are 9 months to a year from coming out.
Switching gears over to the new comics for the comic, what can you tell us about these comics?
I can tell you they are new stories written by Larry Hama and illustrated by some exceptional artists who I chose, primarily, because they could produce a classic and contemporary look that fans will enjoy we hope. These don’t look like anything being produced by DDP at the moment, as it’s definitely a throwback to the Marvel books.
They’ll be full size 22 page comics – just like you’ll find in a comic store. But the biggest difference is that you’ll only be able to get them in the toy packs.
Can you tell us how many there are currently planned?
At this time, no... sorry about that. But what was shown at the GI Joe convention was just a taste of what you’ll see. You guys will be blown away. Larry’s in full swing for sure and Jeremy’s lines are just plain fun to see.
Did you grow up a GI Joe fan? If so, how does it feel to be so involved with the 25th Anniversary of the line?
I grew up a big fan, yes. I played with GI Joe more than Star wars, so that tells you something. It’s surreal to be honest. We work in our little office and only until we expose ourselves to an event, or even see a display in a store does it really sink in that we’re working on the brand. It’s simply amazing and it’s hard to put in words how special it is.
Do you serve as the editor of the comic as well, or do you just publish it?
I’m hesitant to call myself an “editor”, but in a way – yes. I’m more of a “filter” of sorts, hiring and coordinating the art teams and lettering team. “Content manager”, you could say. I’ll make sure it’s meeting our standards before sending it to Hasbro for approval and even making sure the layouts jive with Larry’s plots. We certainly want to inject our personality into the project, so I try and get in the heads of every person…the fan, the creators, etc. and determine what is best.
There’s technically no “publishing” from us. We’re all about producing the work and giving it to Hasbro. From there, they will print it and package it in with the toys, so it’s exclusive for sure. These won’t be available as single issues at your local comic store.
Can you give us an example of the creative process that a comic pack comic goes through? I am assuming that it is different then a regular monthly comic.
This is Larry’s baby for sure. Hasbro has given him a whole lot of creative freedom, as they wanted him to feel unrestricted and have fun on these comics. This was all about the 25th anniversary, so it was important to have HIM plot out and script the books. No one else in my opinion could do it as well, as Larry knows these characters better than anyone. Hasbro would give us the info on who was going to be in the packs and then Larry could do his thing, all the while, maintaining and even adding to the lore. We simply take what Larry comes up with and do our thing on the art side. You’ll find on these stories that they tuck in nicely “between” some of the Marvel comics without them being numbered as 21.5. You guys will know where it take place, but it’s cool that anyone will be able to enjoy the issues on their own.
Is it a different process than any other comic production? No, I can’t really say it is except for one main point. Without giving too much away, let’s just say we’ve had to do a lot in a short amount of time. It’s been a challenge, but very rewarding at the same time. The designers and marketing folks have been wonderful in that respect; getting us everything we need to make the best comics possible.
Is there anything else we as fans should be on the lookout for?
I think fans will be very excited to see Larry writing about all these different characters again as this is GI Joe and not just a spin off series. This is good stuff and fills in some holes in an interesting way. If you’re a fan of the Marvel run, you just have to go out and get these once they’re on the shelves.
Any last thoughts you would like to share?
I want to thank everyone here for your support of GI Joe. You guys are really great fans I hope we can create something you all will enjoy for years to come. I also want to thank the Hasbro team we’ve worked with: Adam, Neal, John, Richard, Kevin, Rob and Steve (and many more). You guys are great and I can’t thank you enough.
I want to thank Larry and all the artists on the comics as well. There’s just too many to list here and would simply give too much away, but thank you so much guys. You know you rock-because I tell you every day.
Thanks again for the time and the answers. I am sure the crew here will have more questions.
Thank you! I’m all ears and I’ll try and drop in when I can. Yo Joe!
Here are some images that Aaron sent as well.
Can't wait to see the end result. (Even if I am not big on the ninja stuff. 
)
