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A follow-up to 2013’s award-winning historical fiction Hit: 1955, the story takes the characters from that book to the next step in the evolution of Los Angeles…and into some serious trouble.
Carlson joined ComicBook.com for a brief conversation about the new series.
The timing of this project is interesting in that we’re having a lot of conversations in the real world about the role of police violence and overstep. When you’re writing hard-boiled crime fiction, do you have to just tune that stuff out and write for entertainment value or is it something that you try to incorporate?
It’s a little bit of both. On one hand, I’m living in the world I’m writing and can’t let the present/future affect that. I have to stay true to the characters and the time period, regardless of how that connects with what’s happening today. On the other hand, I’m also living in today’s world and have an opportunity to subtly comment on how we got to where we are. That’s not the sole focus of the series but it’s definitely something I’ve been keeping in mind with this story arc specifically.
I gotta say though, some days it’s hard to write this kind of material with what’s happening right now in the streets. The day Hit: 1957 #1 reached Final Order-Cutoff, a video from the day before had gone viral, showing footage of an unarmed homeless man named Africa being shot and killed by three LAPD officers in Downtown L.A. It was an inexcusable display of excessive force and those are the kinds of things that are impossible to ignore.
Mickey Cohen is a compelling character, and one who’s been written by a number of big names in books and onscreen. When you have somebody like that in your book — even kind of on the periphery — is it difficult finding a unique take on him?
You’re right, Cohen’s a great character and he’s been done to death so it’s insanely difficult to find a unique take on him. I don’t have a unique take on Mickey Cohen and he’s not essential to my story so I let him do the work for me. His mythic legacy is enough to make him feel present even though he’s never on panel. I always find it funny when Mickey Cohen comes up in conversations about Hit because he never actually appears in the book. That just shows how powerful his name is.
It’s funny; Hit is a series that I didn’t know whether to expect the same cast of characters to come back in follow-ups or for it to be more like Criminal, where it’s a big-picture story with loosely connected characters from arc to arc. Was that ever a consideration or do you have big-picture plans that pretty much guide you from point to point?
A lot of people had that same reaction. I think we all just love Criminal so much that it was assumed the structure would be the same. But I never had that intention. Sure, there are new characters and locales but the main cast–or at least the surviving cast–is still present. There’s a larger story with these characters, both independently and interdependently, and that’s the one I’m telling.
Given the massive success of the first mini, is there pressure to live up to that this time around?
“Massive” might be a bit hyperbolic but I appreciate it. I’m less concerned with living up to the first series and more focused on telling a story that can stand on its own. For me, I want this story arc to be better than 1955, and I believe it is.
What’s the biggest change from 1955 to 1957?
Besides the fact that the Frisbee exists now? I suppose the biggest change is the focus on the characters. 1955 had some good character stuff but was more focused on the main plot because that was the story. 1957 hones in on the characters more and takes advantage of the world that was established in the previous arc. Instead of focusing solely on Slater, we follow three distinct character plotlines and see how they all tie into each other.
You can check out the solicitation text below.
Hit: 1957 #1 (of 4)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Author: Bryce Carlson
Artist: Vanesa R. Del Rey
Cover Artists:
Main: Vanesa R. Del Rey
10 Years Variant: Trevor Hairsine
Variant: Dustin Nguyen
Unlocked Retailer Variant: Terry Dodson
Price: $3.99
WHY WE LOVE IT: Hit: 1955 was one of our favorite original series of 2013, a dark, violent dive into the depths of 1950s corruption in Los Angeles featuring the writing of Bryce Carlson and the debut of Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer nominee Vanesa R. Del Rey. We couldn’t wait to take another Hit!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: The next entry in the Harvey Award-nominated series, Hit: 1957 takes us later in the seminal decade of change for the LAPD—familiar faces, new threats, and more sharp, smart noir. Even if you missed out on the first series, if you’re a fan of crime comics like Parker, Criminal, and Tumor, Hit is in your wheelhouse.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Crime is down in Los Angeles—at least, on the surface. Mickey Cohen has been quiet since his release from prison and the LAPD has seemingly regained control of the city. But the underground is a different story. Det. Harvey Slater and company have spent the last two years focused on Domino and his Syndicate’s unrelenting infiltration, but no matter how many people the hit squad kills, the real fight for Los Angeles rages on. Meanwhile, Slater’s being hounded by Internal Affairs, Bonnie Brae is missing, and everything is falling apart at the seams.
