Fernando Dagnino Discusses Killers and Returning to American Comics

The Valiant Universe is expanding next month in the pages of Killers, a new miniseries from artist Fernando Dagnino and writer B. Clay Moore. This duo is teaming up to tell the story of the many elite assassins and saboteurs who preceded Ninja-K, meaning ninjas A through J. Each of the surviving members of this lineage possess unique skills that make them human weapons capable of great stealth and even greater violence.

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Prior to the debut of Killers #1 on July 31st, Dagnino discussed with ComicBook.com via email his career, new work at Valiant, and how he approaches a story with so many new settings and interesting characters. He provides some valuable insight into the process of a comic book artist, along with a five-page preview of Killers on the slides following this interview.

ComicBook.Com: Comics is not your first line of work as an artist. You’ve held positions in advertising, youth literature, and even for Disney’s Imagineers. After more than a decade in comics, what has made this industry a good fit for you?

Fernando Dagnino: As strange as it may sound, the truth is I decided to be a comic book artist at the age of five. All my other life experiences were really nourishing in some cases but I considered them to be merely steps on my way to making a living out of comics. Comic books have been and will always be my greatest passion.

A lot of your prior work has been with DC Comics. What has your experience working at Valiant Entertainment like?

Yes, I have been working for approximately six years for DC Comics and then three more years for Dark Horse. And now, after a two-year leave of absence working on my creator-owned project, Smart Girl, my entrance in Valiant Entertainment marks my return to American comic books.

I’m very thankful for the trust that Valiant has laid upon my work from day one. Besides, I feel very lucky for having Karl Bollers and David Menchel as my editors. They have been very supportive and sweet with me.

I’ve been acquainted with the Valiant Universe from the early comics by [Jim] Shooter, [Bob] Layton, and Barry Windsor-Smith to the latest new series, some of which were made by good friends, like Pere Pérez on Archer and Armstrong, Francis Portela on Faith, Raúl [Allén] and Patricia [Martín] on Secret Weapons, and CAFU on Ninjak, and most recently, The Life and Death of Toyo Harada. I’m really happy to be part of this team.

Killers, specifically, is a story that pulls a lot of fresh elements into the Valiant universe, including previously unseen characters and a heavy focus on spy genre elements. What first attracted you to this story?

I’ve always been a big fan of ninja movies; I even remember as a kid asking my aunt to buy me some shuriken stars from an armory, which, surprisingly, she did. But that’s another story.

Killers is a cross-genre book with a potential that springs beyond the series itself. The premise of the story is really compelling for its simplicity and the fantastic combination of a ninja story with an espionage-type of novel. B. Clay Moore is writing about this set of tantalizing characters who are not only ninjas but also former MI6 secret agents, just like Ninjak. And I’ve been given a wide margin to play with and make them my own. At least that’s how I’m starting to feel about them.

Are there any specific challenges or new opportunities within the format of Killers that have you anticipating reactions from readers or peers?

I think the biggest challenge and the great innovation of Killers is the combination of a ninja contest type of story with martial arts and mystic secrets with an espionage, James Bond-type of action movie. This mixture, of course, needs to be conveyed through the design of the characters, their skills, weapons, and the environment in which the action takes place. For this particular purpose, I’ve used a greyscale rendering which I previously tried in Smart Girl to provide for a more realistic approach with the atmosphere of each setting.

One thing I noticed in the first issue of Killers is how it emphasizes a sense of place as it embraces the globetrotting nature of many spy stories. You establish a strong sense of place in the Rocky Mountains, London, and a small town in Italy. How do you go about bringing these locales to life in your work?

Exactly, that’s partly the nature of spy stories. These international agents always get the chance to risk their lives in the most amazing sceneries. As an artist, it’s so much more fun when you get the chance to vary the setting from one scene to the other and as a reader I would say it brings a much wider scope to the story. Furthermore, the fact that B. Clay Moore is mentioning exact geographical locations provides a greater sense of realism and depth to the script. And by chance, I happened to visit Murano a year ago, the Venetian island where one of the first scenes takes place, so It helped a lot to know very well the setting where the action is happening.

The action in a spy story like this is a lot more intimate and fast-paced than a lot of superhero fare; the first sequence in Killers #1 stands out as a great example of this. Does balancing speed and clarity create any challenges when laying out these sequences?

One of the things I like most about the script is the pacing. It flows smoothly, it jumps quickly from one place to another, from one scene to the next. It’s action-packed but the revelations just fall into the right places and there’s also an accurate, almost impressionistic psychological depiction of each of the characters. The script is very well balanced. The information comes naturally without any artificial tricks. And what I love most, it’s not just action but emotions that are at stake in this contest of killers. When it comes to the layout of scenes, I’m really grateful for the creative freedom I’ve been granted. From page one, I felt really involved in the storytelling.

Killers promises to introduce readers to a lot of new ninjas, starting with Ninja J in the first issue. What has the design process been like as you expand the look and feel of the Valiant universe?

Yes, there’s a whole alphabet of new ninjas and each one is a different character of their own, with a unique skill and superpower. I’ve taken as a main reference the designs that AJ Jothikumar made for the new ninjas, and to some extent I’ve altered or adapted them following each one’s idiosyncrasies. These ninjas are not dressed in the classic B-movie ninja outfits but rather, they go for a more sophisticated, classy, John Wick/Atomic Blonde-type of look.

Are there any forms of media that you’ve found yourself drawn to as a result of working on Killers? A particular band or artist whose work you’re revisiting more often?

I rely on some of my working colleagues that happen to be martial arts experts, like X-Men artist Pere Pérez or Agustin Padilla. They’ve both given me tips and I’ve bruised my way into some deadly kicks. And stylistically, lately, I’m checking out the works of Jesús Blasco’s The Steel Claw, Roger Bonet’s Jazz Maynard, Attilio Micheluzzi, Alex Raymond, Al Williamson, and some of the gorgeous artists who drew Modesty Blaise like Jim Holdaway or Enrique Badía Romero.

One last question, what has you most excited about the debut of Killers #1 next month?

Everything. My return to American comic books. My debut in the Valiant Universe, working with color master José Villarrubia! I’m really very excited to be part of this breakthrough series in the Valiant Universe.

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Killers #1 will be available in comic book stores everywhere and digitally on July 31st. Be sure to check out the complete story then, but for now enjoy our exclusive five page sample from the first issue.