A Deadly Saga is Coming to the West for the First Time – An Interview with JEN TROY

COMIC BOOK YETI: Hello, Jen, and thank you so much much for stopping by the Yeti Cave today! This is our segment called Cryptid-Bits in which we ask questions about you and

Assassin G (aka Gan the 19th Sister), which currently has an active Kickstarter running until September 15th! How are you doing today?

Main Cover by series artist He Tao

JEN TROY: I’m good and excited to talk about Assassin G.

CBY: Assassin G was inspired by 甘 19 妹 (gan the 19th Assassin), a novel written by Shiao Yi, which has been adapted for television four times. It’s also making its debut within Immortal Sudio’s Storyverse as the first comic book-based shared universe as well as the first-ever English adaptation. What type of responsibility goes into working with one of the most preeminent IPs in the Chinese-speaking world?

JT: A lot! The pressure is definitely on. I’ve tried to keep as much of the original story as I can when placing it in the modern world. At its core, it’s about a badass Chinese American assassin that’s trapped in a generational family war like Romeo and Juliet. She seeks revenge for her master, and this time, it’s set in the ‘80s. I also bring in a modern female perspective as well.

CBY: It would appear you are used to working with big IPs in the industry. Having been

previously involved with the Script and Continuity Department for Supergirl, how are we going to see those experiences unfold within the Assassin G universe? Will we see continuity serve a larger role within the Storyverse?

Assassin G, Immortal Studios, Jen Troy/He Tao/Hi-Fi Design/AndWorld Design

JT: Yes, we’re hoping to connect all of the stories in the Immortal Storyverse. You’ll have to read along to find out how!

CBY: Immortal Studios aims to modernize and globalize the Wuxia genre, were there any challenges or barriers to work through when achieving this with Assassin G?

JT: The biggest challenge was taking the original story that was set in ancient China and moving it into the ‘80s. There were a lot of plot points that I talked with Immortal Studios’ fearless leader Peter Shiao and my amazing editor Brian Cunningham about. Ultimately, I

think what we came up with is exciting and were able to incorporate a modern mindset.

CBY: What does the process look like when working on adapting this story for a Western audience? What newer elements can existing fans of the genre expect when reading this for the first time?

JT: Besides being able to see some of their favorite martial arts moves on the page, fans

will see more of Margot’s story. I’m excited for them to see her perspective more fully realized.

CBY: We find this story taking place in the martial arts underworld between two warring factions in the 1980s with Margot Gan raised to be an unstoppable and ghostlike Assassin G. It’s not just fists that fly, though, as there is also romance, as well. Was it difficult to balance the two within this story?

Assassin G, Immortal Studios, Jen Troy/He Tao/Hi-Fi Design/AndWorld Design

JT: It’s always a delicate dance balancing all the nuances of a story. For Assassin G, the romance is a slow burn, which is the best kind, so it wasn’t too difficult to balance it with the action. If anything, the martial arts aided the romance because they’ve both met their match.

CBY: How were you and your creative team able to capture that '80s feeling within Assassin G? I mean, an assassin syndicate mixed with a war between martial arts families set in that era sounds like a perfect mixture. Speaking of the creative team, can you tell me about them?

JT: Initially, Peter had a few ideas of how to adapt his father’s original novel into the modern day. I took those bullet points, added my own, and fully crafted our story, fleshing out Margot Gan. Brian helped me fine-tune it and then the script went off to our awesome artist He Tao. He did an incredible job turning the scenes I saw in my mind into panels on a physical page.

Can’t wait for you to see it!

Assassin G, Immortal Studios, Jen Troy/He Tao/Hi-Fi Design/AndWorld Design

CBY: Are there any social media platforms you would like to shout out for our readers to be able to stay up to date with what you’re working on next?

JT: You can find me on Twitter: @JenTr0y

CBY: Thank you so much once again for stopping by, Jen! We wish you success on your Kickstarter and can’t wait to see what comes next from you in the future!

JT: Thank YOU for having me!

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