Fighting the Good Fight from Cage to Courtroom - An Interview with TRAVIS GIBB & DANIEL MARTINEZ

COMIC BOOK YETI: Welcome, Travis and Daniel, to the Yeti Cave for a hard-hitting installment of Cryptid-Bits, our crowdfunding creator interview series. Your comic No Contest is on Kickstarter until Wednesday, October 5th.

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CBY: Daniel, have you always been a fan of comic books? What made you want to make this story into a comic?

Cover by Guilherme Raffide

DANIEL MARTINEZ: I have always been a fan of comic books. But if I’m being honest, I was a really big fan as a child - and then had a long hiatus before (aggressively) returning as an adult.

The thought process behind making this comic was the idea of a story that could showcase “fighting” from different perspectives, and under different circumstances - inside and outside the ring/cage. I also thought it would be interesting to mix the worlds of criminal justice, organized fighting, and organized crime in a cool and refreshing way.

CBY: Travis, is this the first time you worked with another creator in helping to tell a story? What was the process like for you and did you approach it differently than working with other collaborators? TRAVIS GIBB: No, I have had more then a few writing gigs in the past, most are short form. Some have been released others are still waiting for a publisher. I even did one with my own company, EXPIRED by Orange Cone Productions was created by someone else and I just wrote the story. The process is different with each one. Some have a very clear vision, others want me to create that vision and they decide to roll with it. For Daniel, we met for lunch and planned out the beats and basic concept of the story. We wanted to showcase both MMA and the Law. So, we settled on a vibe and wrote something that we felt could not only showcase who Daniel is as a person but give a Law and Order feel to the one-shot.

CBY: Speaking of other collaborators, you are working with Guilherme Raffide, Victor Uchoa, and frequent letterer for Orange Cone Productions, Jerome Gagnon. How did they become involved in this project and what do you appreciate most about what they bring to the projects they work on? TG: Jerome is my MVP. I can't do Orange Cone without him. My wife and I value him so much. He is a great partner when it comes to these things. I love that guy. The art team was found via a post in a Facebook group. They are a Brazilian Art Studio. We got really lucky and found a great team that has really nailed this project. I will work with them again because they do great work and they do it fast.

CBY: Daniel, as a criminal defense attorney and amateur (on your way to becoming a professional) fighter, are there similarities between the keys to success in the courtroom and the ring?

DM: There are definitely similarities, and the greatest one I would say is this - it’s all about the preparation. When the time to perform comes, whether in the ring/cage, or in the courtroom, the opportunity for preparation has passed. If I am more prepared than my opponent or opposing counsel, I put myself in a much better place to achieve victory. CBY: Travis, whether it was writing about the courtroom or the ring, how did you balance those two elements in your storytelling? Did you prefer scripting one or the other?

TG: Good Question. In this situation, we needed both to really be heavily focused. I prefer writing courtroom over the MMA because I get to play with dialogue and stuff, but both are fun. The MMA stuff got to give us those superhero fights. So, both have merit.

CBY: Daniel, as an attorney myself, I’m often asked which tv show or movie depicts the practice of law most accurately. Is there a show or movie for you that best captured both the sometimes exciting trial practice with the more mundane elements of legal filings and just how long it can take for a case to resolve?

DM: That’s a great question, and one that I have been asked before. Believe it or not My Cousin Vinny is an excellent depiction of criminal litigation. CBY: What are the comics, books, tv shows, and movies that you are currently enjoying? TG: WAY TOO MUCH!! Best books out for comics however right now are Vanish, Moon Knight, Amazing Spider-Man and Nightwing.

DM: Anything by Chip Zdarsky, Something Is Killing The Children and Swamp Thing

CBY: Tell me about any upcoming projects or friends’ projects that CBY readers should check out. SOOOO MANY……………..LETS GO!

Cover by Elias Gambit Melendez

GRANDMA CHAINSAW - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/allenandwill/grandma-chainsaw-1-1-a-slasher-horror-comedy-series/ SNOW PAW 1& 2 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/multari/snow-paw-1-2-19th-century-scottish-female-werewolf-fantasy? DRUMSTICKS OF DOOM https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/parttimecomix/dofd2

CBY: Where can you both be found online?

TG: Travisgibb.substack.com, Orangeconeproductions.com, Jesterlou on Twitter and Instagram.

DM: https://themartinezlaw.com, thefightlawyer on Instagram, @babyilikeitlaw on Twitter.

CBY: Thank you so much, Travis and Daniel, and good luck with the rest of the campaign.

Back NO CONTEST on KS Now!!!