Inside Big Trouble In Little China #13 With New Artist Joe Eisma

BOOM! Studios' Big Trouble In Little China will have a new creative team and a new direction [...]

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BOOM! Studios' Big Trouble In Little China will have a new creative team and a new direction starting with #13 in June, taking the iconic '80s action hero into the far-flung future of...umm...2015.

That's right, Jack Burton is coming to the here and now, with Fred Van Lente and Joe Eisma along to make it happen.

With the deadline for initial orders today, artist Joe Eisma joined us to share some exclusive line art from the issue and talk about the experience. Check it out below, with solicitation text for #13 at the bottom in case you want to place an order with your retailer.

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Did you guys come in with the pitch of taking Jack Burton to the modern day, or was that premise something you were recruited to do?

I was brought into this by Bryce Carlson and Ian Brill—so when they told me what Fred's pitch was, I knew I had to do it. I've been a fan of Fred's for a long time, and I knew there would be lots of opportunities for off the wall humor and action.

The Carpenter books at BOOM! Tend to attract hardcore fans of his work. Was this a dream job for you guys, too?

Absolutely. I remember when I first started in comics back in 2008, I would put it out there on social media that whoever got the Big Trouble in Little China license, to look me up! I love the film, and this is definitely a bucket list book for me.

Do you think it gives you a leg up that you're coming in fresh and can establish the new look for the title fairly "fresh," or would you rather have had some time working in the series' '80s milieu before changing the game a bit?

I'm very excited about the time frame we have in the book. We have lots of callbacks to the '80s, so I don't feel like I'm really missing a whole lot by not having it set during that period. It's fun to draw Jack in these modern situations and seeing how he reacts.

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This is a character and a story that's iconic, but it hasn't been added to as much as many of the other franchises you see in licensed comics. Does that open up the world in a way that a lot of these kinds of properties is closed off, do you think?

That's a good point, and I agree. For years, there was only ever the film, and now with the comics, that universe can be expanded. And if you look at the film, you can see there's so much there — there's so many possibilities to take Jack's journey.

Obviously, up to now, the character and the book have been very strongly identified with the era of the original film. What challenges does it present to take it out of that comfort zone?

For me, the challenge is taking the cast that fans of the film know and aging them — seeing where they are now. I want the readers to be able to know who they are, but enough time has passed that in addition to being older, their lives are quite different.

What do you think is the single biggest thing you have to nail to feel like you really "got" this book?

Everything rests on Jack. If we can't nail the storytelling in regards to Jack and this new status quo, then it doesn't work! I think we're on the right path.

If you could cross this world over with any other licensed book at BOOM!, which would it be?

Just for pure zaniness, I would love to draw a Big Trouble/Regular Show team up. Regular Show has so much love for '80s culture, that I think this would be a match made in heaven.

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BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #13
Retail Price: $3.99 
Author: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Joe Eisma
Cover Artists: 
Main: Jay Shaw  
Incentive: Rob Guillory
Diamond Item Code: APR151186

The new creative team of writer Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong), artist Joe Eisma (Morning Glories), and Mondo cover artist Jay Shaw (Evil Empire) brings Jack Burton into 2015! Jack is a man out of time. His friends and the world around him have changed. He's now on a hunt for the Pork-Chop Express, and the eccentric billionaire who has it!

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