Aaron & Josh Mak return with Anna Khristenko on-board for their latest comic, ANA #1, discussing the ongoing Kickstarter campaign, running through March 16th.
COMIC BOOK YETI: Welcome back to the Yeti Cave, Aaron and Josh. Thanks for stopping by with Ana to discuss the debut issue of this multimedia music & comic project!
ANNA KHRISTENKO: Thank you for having us!
AARON MAK: A pleasure to be back again, I’m a big fan of how in-depth your questions always are!
JOSH MAK: What up, G? Good to be back.
CBY: Happy to have you for another round! Let’s start by talking a bit about the team you pulled together for this comic; beyond your writing, scripting, and lettering, Ben Sullivan and Wilson Go provided the penciling & inking, and coloring, respectively, working together on the cover material. How did you decide these were the collaborators you wanted on-board for capturing the visuals you had in mind?
AM: When you find a creative team that is so capable, adaptable, and synced up to the same wavelength, that to me is one of the greatest joys in comic creation beyond the end result. Our team is essentially the same as our first title, Gods Among Men, so when you find a combination that works, treasure it!
I’d like to add that I think Ben and Wilson got to have fun depicting fast-paced action and kooky cats this time round.
CBY: You definitely gave them a chance to depict a bit more cosmic content with this title. So the comic, ANA, reflects a fictionalized formation of your very real band; Anna, with you on vocals and Josh on guitar, you’re joined by Cody Lamb on bass, and Cleveland Beckford Gonzalez on drums. Before we get further into the comic, can you tell us a bit about how all of the members of your band met in real life?
AK: The band first began with me and Josh, and much like the comic, we wanted to find members for each instrument who were great at what they do, and were open to our crazy ideas.
JM: We knew the kind of musicians we needed, so we sought out to find them accordingly with a framework in mind. Sometimes the musicians we needed would come and approach us… you could call it serendipity.
CBY: The formation of your band aligns with the formation of a crimefighting superhero team in the comic; there is a parallel to be explored between the collaborative process of bands and teams that you introduce in your expository narrative. The similarities and interplay between the music and comic world are a recurring theme in the interviews I’ve conducted over the last few years. What does the process of building a team for a comic book have in common with putting together a band, and how does the process differ between the two experiences?
AK: For the comic, having a smaller core team of Josh, Aaron, and myself is definitely easier to manage, and a more streamlined experience, since we all sync up on the same wavelength. In comparison, a band has more moving parts with each member. You could say it’s more democratic than the comic creation room, but sometimes decision-making doesn’t happen as efficiently as the comic production process.
JM: When putting together a team for a band and for a comic, you have to consider each member specialising in a particular area so that you don’t have redundant characters. Each person has a unique sound or specific task that they fill.
For example, a bass and a guitar both fill different roles in the sonic spectrum and they shouldn’t clash with each other - but they should work harmoniously. Likewise, when you have an action team in a comic that fights together, you should think about characters who have abilities that are short range and long range and how they can be complementary to each other.
CBY: The analogy of range between octaves and combat is certainly apt. Let’s dig into influences; I noticed there were a pair of cats, one white, and one black, which immediately brought to mind Artemis and Luna from Sailor Moon. As a comic, what other titles does ANA draw upon, and as a band, what are your musical influences? What can our audience expect when they dig into the world of ANA, both visually and sonically?
AK: Comic-wise, I love Jim Lee, especially the way he draws women, (my favourites are his Poison Ivy and Catwoman). Music influences would have to be Adele, Laura Fabian & Loboda.
AM: Visually, we wanted to put a modern twist on the excess and dynamism from mid 90s Image Comics such as WILDCATS (Jim Lee), Avengelynne (Liefeld), Cyber-Force (Silvestri) and Spawn (McFarlane). The cats on the other hand, we told Ben to look at anime to inspire some of the over-the-top reactions to contrast with the stoicism of the band.
JM: When it comes to the writing, I’m heavily inspired by Masashi Kishimoto who created, wrote and illustrated Naruto, especially his world-building and attention to detail.
My musical influences right now would be Rammstein‘s Zeit album - not necessarily because I like the music but I like the themes and direction they have chosen. I would also like to cite Dream Theater’s Scenes from Metropolis Part Two; and a lot of early blues records from guys like Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Rory Gallagher. Some of these don’t have lyrics but they speak volumes through their playing.
ANA is innovation meets nostalgia - something that transcends across both the sonic experience and visual medium.
CBY: On the note of musical influences, a few sponsorship placements from a few different gear companies are featured at the close of the comic; Quantum Industries from Japan, Rockboard from Germany, and Ormsby Guitars from here in Australia (based out of Perth). Josh, I saw your analogous character sporting the Metal X Ormsby guitar in the pages, and I am always a fan of seeing musical equipment rendered on the page. Can you all share a bit about how you pulled these sponsorships together and the details involved in featuring this equipment within the pages of ANA #1?
JM: Andrew, first of all, thank you for your keen eye on noticing these intricate details. We always appreciate it when readers dive deeper and look into some of the things we have weaved into our books. All the brands that I’m endorsed by are brands that I use on a regular basis; ones that I truly believe in.
That’s why I want to go beyond just using them on-stage by incorporating them into the story because of their innovation and uniqueness in their products. In future issues, the lines will be blurred further between reality and fiction as these visually striking instruments and equipment jump off the page and onto the stage.
CBY: I don’t want to dig into spoilers, but as issue #1 serves as a point of introduction, assembling the band of heroes, what should readers expect in forthcoming issues? How many issues do you have planned for this story arc, and what is already produced or in production beyond issue #1?
JM: The entire journey of the ANA story, from beginning to end, lies dormant within my mind. I trickle it out as we go along - some things my fellow creators Aaron and Ben do not even know about. However, I can once again assure you that we all know how the story ends and we are building the road to get there together, drawing inspiration from real life events as they unfold.
AM: Hold up a minute, there’s things Josh knows that I don’t know?! I can’t believe I’m finding this out now, through the interview!
Anyway, as the details guy, I can tell you that the current arc will span about five issues. I’ll take this opportunity to be cryptic and tease things in both issue #2 and beyond.
Issue #1 ends with the tagline, “Training Begins,” and the team members will undergo a transformation that will bring the comic book up to speed with reality (for the most part). We will discover more about the mysterious antagonists introduced, as well as ANA’s agenda against them.
AK: We’re going to get to find out more about Arkady and Domovoy - the two antagonists - and of course more humorous interactions from the two show-stealing cats, Daisy & Lola. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got their own spin-off series later on!
CBY: I know Ben and Wilson are responsible for the art within the book, but it’s worth returning to the visuals, as they’ve provided a fantastic amount of detail in the rendering, and delivered a vivid color palette that draws upon imagery from a multitude of environments. Can you illuminate us regarding their technical process, and the communication between you, as creators, and their efforts to capture the tone and vibe you were after with this comic?
AM: One of the biggest benefits of already working with Ben and Wilson was that we established a streamlined system of communication and understanding. Funnily enough, Gods Among Men was more of a departure from their usual work so to return to such a vibrant and energetic project such as ANA #1, it really felt like they were able to have fun expressing themselves in this fantastical playground.
CBY: Aaron and Josh - we met at Supanova Melbourne last year, discussing Gods Among Men, and you’ve now launched this new title, on track to a successful campaign. What do you all have planned for 2025 regarding follow-up issues, touring, and other projects? What’s on the to-do list before 2026 rolls around?
AK: This April, we will be heading off on our second international tour, and first tour to Japan with the band, which we are all very excited for! When we come back, we will begin work on the very first debut album for ANA which will include singles and filming for the music videos.
JM: We will also begin work on the second issue of Gods Among Men, for which we currently have a full script completed, and we've already brought Ben back for the immersive walking tour through the locations whilst being regaled with the stories featured in that issue.
AM: What isn’t on the list before 2026? I would say to continue Cynation Comics’ track record of far-spread reach (we returned from the Euro Tour having secured stock at a store in Budapest). Beyond that, I’m hoping we can start taking ANA and Cynation Comics interstate because we’ve grown fans and friends all around the country who we’d love to finally meet and perform for.
CBY: Sounds like a you've got plenty to keep you busy! One recurring theme that popped up in both comics we’ve discussed together is the threat posed by the narcotics industry. Can you share a bit about why this topic resonates with you as a point of narrative conflict and embodiment of antagonism within your stories? What other challenges or villains can be expected to appear in ANA (which is a lot more cosmic and less grounded in reality than Gods Among Men)?
AK: I’ll let Josh talk about narcotics, that’s his specialty. The first big villain introduced in ANA #1 is the shadowy figure with a devilish grin, “Domovoy”. He draws largely from Slavic mythology, which is not commonly portrayed in western media, although those in the know would be familiar with the folktales of this character. I wanted to take what was familiar to me and do the same for our readers, show them a glimpse into my culture and hopefully make them curious about this new kind of villain.
JM: There are many readers around the world who are fascinated with narcotics, but I feel that the mainstream stories have yet to deliver an accurate depiction of the industry, its effects, and society’s involvement in it. People are both fascinated yet largely uneducated on the topic. Narcotics are not the be-all and end-all of this interest, essentially it is vices - the very human condition things influencing how we derive our morality and our principles.
The villains seen in ANA, although fictitious and cosmic, are grounded in very real human emotions. It’s in fact, a theme that we also explore in Gods Among Men - the title itself says it all. Gods and men are not that different; resources and ability can set them apart, but fundamentally at their core they have the same strengths and weaknesses.
CBY: So unrelated to ANA or your other projects, what work by some of your other favorite creators has been inspiring both of you lately? Comics, music, film, literature, etc. - what work is catching your attention these days?
AM: Other than multiple proof-reads of our book, I will shine a light on an incredibly powerful graphic novel I read recently. I Escaped A Chinese Internment Camp by Fahmida Azim and Anthony Del Col. Harrowingly confronting, no fanciful poetic garnish, merely a stark recount of an event that most of us will never have to experience. It had me standing in the middle of the library, glued till the end.
JM: In the little free time I currently have, I’ve been reading Uncle Tom‘s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is an incredibly controversial book and I think it is largely misunderstood.
AK: For our upcoming album, titled Motivated by Death, I’m diving within and reflecting on my own life story and past to bring the most authentic answer.
It’s not about fearing death, but using its inevitability to motivate yourself. Rather than avoid it, you look at it face on and use it to inspire. Instead of looking outside to find inspiration from art, I’m trying to look deeper within myself.
CBY: Alright, guys, it's been a pleasure - thanks for stopping by to chat about ANA #1. I know you’ve got some portfolio, publication, and social links to share, so now is the time!
AM: Once again, thank you so much for your insightful questions, Andrew. You make us think long and hard to give worthy answers!
You can find the ANA #1 Kickstarter campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cynation/ana-1-manga-inspired-storytelling-x-western-art-style
Stay tuned to the ANA Band Instagram for updates on the Japan Tour here: https://www.instagram.com/ana.bandofficial
And last but not least, Cynation Comics gives you all of our latest updates as well as the most unorthodox promo skits in all the land: https://www.instagram.com/cynationcomics
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