JE: The Weatherman has one of the best conceptual hooks I’ve read in years, that of a weatherman amnesiac on Mars being accused of wiping out the most of the population of Earth. Would you mind telling us how this comic came about?

JL: Where ideas come from is always a difficult question to answer. At least for me because there are so many pieces that pull from so many places. But years ago I was first starting to write and I was working on these kind of crime fiction short stories and I had this idea about a weatherman that was all smiles and finger guns on camera but then off camera was suffering in some way. I never really figured it out though and I put it down and went on about my life. I went on to become an editor in comics where I had to work on million projects at once–many with different tones and playing with different genre elements. So when it came time to go back to the writing desk my brain was just buzzing with ideas. I rediscovered this kernel of a weatherman character, started to build, and here we are. Soon this little crime fiction idea was this massive and totally wild science fiction epic where I get to play with genre fiction. And also work through some trauma in my past so there’s a very real emotional attachment to this story for me.

JE: Total Recall seems to be in the DNA of the series with both the terraformed Mars setting and the amnesiac protagonist. But where Verhoeven seemed concerned with a grimey and sleazy aesthetic, The Weatherman has a real depth to its characters and world that it’s easy to imagine it existing even when you finish an issue. Was there a conscious choice to incorporate inspiration from that film while also distancing the comic from it?

JL: No, not at all. WM is similar to Total Recall in that Mars is involved (though our version is completely different) and our protagonist has memory problems (though we’re going to a completely different place with it) but the similarities end there. WM is very much its own thing. Having said that there are definitely some influences from Verhoeven in terms of tone. Like him, we’re big fans of over-the-top violence and social satire.

JE: Nathan Fox’s artwork throughout the first six issues has been incredible. What has it been like to work with him on the series?

JL: It’s an absolute dream. For my money, Nathan’s one of the best artists of his generation. He’s a true genius not just with illustration but…storytelling, world building, character development, acting, big moments, small moments… There isn’t anything he can’t do and at the highest level. I really couldn’t ask for a better co-creator, artist collaborator, and friend. I’m the luckiest writer in comics as far as I’m concerned.

JE: As I mentioned earlier, your characterization and world building are some of the best aspects of The Weatherman. Did you come up with Nathan Bright first or the world he inhabits?

JL: The Nathan Bright character came first and then we built the world and characters around him.

JE: The soundtrack for The Weatherman is filled with heavy hitters from the synthwave scene each with stand out tracks. There isn’t much crossover between the worlds of music and comics, at least not in this capacity. How did that come about?

JL: Nathan Fox, Tom Muller (our brilliant designer), and I are all big fans of music in general and synthwave specifically. I often listen to it when I write. In fact much of WM Vol. 1 was written to music from the bands featured on our soundtrack. And bands like them. The pulp sci-fi and 80’s cinematic vibe puts me in my happy place…back in the R-rated, practical special effects days…and I’m able to focus better. There’s a lot of energy to it. I also like how synthwave sort embraces both the serious aspects of genre but the not-so-serious sides as well. It’s able to laugh at itself at times which is fun. We do the same thing with THE WEATHERMAN. There’s obviously some deadly serious moments in our book but it’s funny in spots as well.

As far as how our collaboration with synthwave bands came about…it all started with MAGIC SWORD. I knew just from being a fan that MS was into comics because they make their own based on the band’s music. (It’s fantastic by the way. Check it out on their website.) So on a whim I decided to reach out and see if they’d be up for collaborating. Fortunately they responded and I was able to get a foot in the door long enough to explain what we were doing and how the collaboration could work in a way that benefited everyone. Once they heard what we had planned and took a look at the book they were in. And we just went from there. MS helped us get in contact with the other bands and we worked it out. Now THE WEATHERMAN has an original synthwave soundtrack from some of the best to ever do it including MAGIC SWORD, MAKEUP & VANITY SET, POWER GLOVE, OGRE, BETAMAXX, LAZERHAWK, and LE MATOS. It’s amazing.

JE: Lazerhawk’s contribution to the soundtrack, “Sword of God”, has a real paranoid energy to it, which seems fitting considering it is named after the shadowy group that seem to be the series’ primary antagonists. Will the next volume of the comic explore the group more?

JL: I won’t get into when and where we’ll next see the Sword of God but I will say that they play a major role in the series. We’ll see them again for sure. And even when they aren’t on camera, they have a way of making their presence felt.

And yeah, Lazerhawk did a fantastic job with his track. Everyone did. And they’re all big fans of the book.

JE: Do you plan on releasing another soundtrack for the next volume of the comic?

JL: We’d love to. We had a blast doing it for Vol. 1. If any bands out there are interested hit us up at th****************@***il.com. I know some of the folks from Vol. 1 are up for returning as well.

JE: As far as coloring goes, Dave Stewart contributes a lot to the unique feel of the comic. The range of colors used seems very wide, and yet nothing seems haphazard or clashing. What has it been like working with him?

JL: Dave Stewart’s pretty much a legend at this point. Every artist in the industry wants to be colored by Dave because he’s just such a pro. And as you point out his palette choices are pitch perfect. He has a way of picking the exact right tones for any given scene so everything is balanced and beautiful to look at. One misstep and it could end up a complicated mess with elements being hard to parse out. But Dave is a master at his craft so that’s never an issue. So it’s been a dream to work with him as well.

Really though, it’s like that with the whole team. That’s what makes working on this book so special. I might go my whole life and never work with this many talented folks again. Vol. 2 colorist Moreno Dinisio, our letterer Steve Wands, designer Tom Muller, editors Josh Johns and Sebastian Girner, all of our cover artists…they’re all stone-cold elite ninja assassin comics badasses. You couldn’t create a better team in a lab. They’re the best in comics full stop. I feel the same way about our music collaborators.

JE: What are some of the movies, TV shows, or music that inspired you while creating this comic?

JL: So many influences. Too many to name them all for sure but Nathan Fox and I are huge fans of anime like Shinichirō Watanabe’s COWBOY BEBOP and SPACE DANDY and Takeshi Koike’s REDLINE.

I also love smart TV dramas like BETTER CALL SAUL, BREAKING BAD, and MADMEN. Those have less influence in terms of genre but the quality of writing in shows like that is inspiring.

Music-wise aside from synthwave I listen to a lot of metal and punk. Queen. Also hip-hop and post-rock. But that’s just in general.

JE: Are there any final thoughts you would like our readers to know?

JL: THE WEATHERMAN Vol. 1 collection is on sale now and we’re hard at work on THE WEATHERMAN Vol. 2 which is somehow even bigger and more insane than Vol. 1. That’s out this June but you can pre-order issue #1 at your local comic shop now. Pre-Orders help in a major way so if you’re interested in checking out the book let your local retailer know today. For the readers and retailers that have supported our book so far. THANK YOU.

Also check out our collaboration with the synthwave legends mentioned above on Soundcloud. And listen to the rest of their music! It’s amazing!

Finally you can follow our official account @WM_Comic on Twitter and Instagram for updates, killer art, and exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at THE WEATHERMAN.

See you in June!

You can follow Jody LeHeup on Twitter here and Nathan Fox on Twitter here.

You can follow Image Comics on Twitter here.

“Fever Dreams” is an eclectic mix featuring some of the biggest names in synth such as Com Truise, Lazerhawk, Gost, Carpenter Brut, Power Glove, NINA, Marie Davidson, S U R V I V E, GUNSHIP and more.

Every track on this album is a slam-dunk smash hit. It’s hard to understate exactly how fantastic this release is. The artist list was curated by Dana Swanson, a senior writer/producer and voice for Adult Swim.

She said in a release via Magnetic Magazine:

“I’m a giant fan of Synthwave and was inspired to create something that sounded incredible while driving at night,” states Swanson in a statement. “I’m also beyond fascinated with the dichotomy of the dreams that you have when you’re sick and half-awake: anything is possible, but someone else is behind the wheel.”

Grab a listen here!

10. Molchat Doma – S Krish Nashih Domov

This Molchat Doma sound is a virtuoso mix of Alphaville, New Order and The Cure. almost every track on this album feels iconic in a familiar, but also foreign way. Although it is sung entirely in Slavic, the sad, nostalgic themes still resonate deeply.

9. Kalax – Kalax

A new, enhanced retro feel makes this truly dreamy dreamwave feel much more nostalgic than the previous releases from Kalax – almost wistful at times. The result is an astounding release of synthwave that bears a beautiful cinematic quality like Kavinsky or College.

8. Mega Drive – The Grid

This dark and futuristic album perfectly embodies cyberpunk. The dense, uptempo tracks meld perfectly with ambient features on this album, creating a complete soundscape for some mysterious dystopian city.

7. ALEX & Tokyo Rose – AKUMA

ALEX and Tokyo Rose perfectly compliment one another’s style on this groundbreaking darkwave/outrun album.  In spite of being dark, “Akuma’s” melodies feel more retro than it’s contemporaries, creating a rare form of nostalgia.

6. FM attack – Stellar

While his previous albums drew heavily from disco and had a more upbeat and dance feel, “Stellar” is steeped in postpunk and new wave vibes. This updated sound is unique and fantastic, creating a more wistful and nostalgic feel to the signature FM Attack sound.

5. HOME – Resting State

This interesting album is comprised of an astounding 35 demo tracks. In spite of this, they manage to be just as interesting and full-bodied as much of his more fleshed out work. If these are just demos, we can’t wait to hear whats coming next!

4. Various Artists – Magnatron 2.0

Powerful and dark, this compilation manages to be cohesive in spite of containing 16 very different and monstrously amazing artists.

3. Com Truise – Iteration

“Iteration” signals a tonal shift from Haley’s previous work. It feels more lachrymose and less hard sci-fi than his previous releases. This does not feel arrived at by way of nostalgia but instead from melancholy and heartbreak – a fitting end to a long journey.

2. Dan Terminus – Automated Refrains

This album is one of the darkest, most complex we’ve heard all year. Dan Terminus manages to elicit complex nostalgic melodies and a pitch-perfect retro-futuristic vibe through HEAVY synths – an accomplishment to be lauded. Top it off with a couple lighter, almost ambient tracks and you have a well rounded and well deserved top spot for “Automated Refrains.”

 

1. Lazerhawk – Dreamride

The synthwave demigod has returned in full force. Dreamrider suffuses Lazerhawk’s years of producer expertise and creates a thoroughly complete body of work that is in every way more than the sum of its parts. Lazerhawk’s mastery of the form is undeniable.

Special Mentions

Master Boot Record  – INTERRUPT REQUEST

Meteor – Inner Demon

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It’s rare to be able to name an artist that so definitively defines a genre. All great synthwave artists strive to embody what makes it great; rolling synths, hard hitting beats, massive leads, and that unmistakable feeling that you could go on listening to it all night long. An artist that gives us all of this and more is none other than Garrett Hays, the man behind Lazerhawk. To date, he’s released four full albums, all chock full of their own style and brimming with that unmistakable synthwave and outrun sound. Just in case you somehow aren’t familiar with his work, we’ll take a look at what made these releases so important to this genre.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, and a founding member of Rosso Corsa Records, Lazerhawk has
quickly risen to the forefront of the scene due largely in part to his unique style that blends all of the best aspects of what makes music from the ‘80s so great along with everything we love
about modern synthwave. Jumping right in, Lazerhawk started us off in 2010 with his first
release, Redline. True to its name, this album can best be described as a high-octane thrill ride laced with fast paced synths that you simply can’t sit still for. Right off the line with the titular track “Redline” and its followup “Overdrive”, you can’t help but feel you’re putting the pedal down in a blood pumping car chase through a big city at night. Later tracks on Redline such as “Interstellar” and “So Close” show off Lazerhawks’ ability to slow things down and deliver soothing synths on top of smooth and catchy drumlines.

Around two years later and perhaps from another galaxy, the journey continues with Visitors, a slight departure in style compared to Redline but one that can’t be confused with the already timeless sound we’ve come to attribute to Lazerhawk. We’re given a taste of what to expect from this album with the opening track, “Lazerhawk’s Theme” which consists mostly of slower paced and dreamlike synths. This continues in “Visitors” and is done to perfection in “Distant
Signal 001”. It would not be an exaggeration to call Visitors one of the best sophomore follow up releases to an album in recent history. We can clearly see the influence that Redline had on the Lazerhawk sound with new innovations brought into it, all invoking that feeling of nostalgia that we crave.

Once again showing us that he can keep a signature sound while innovating with each new
release, Lazerhawk treated us to Skull and Shark in 2013. Displaying some of the best
production value yet, this release is pure horror-inspired electronic bliss. Out of any Lazerhawk
release so far, Skull and Shark is easily the album that is capable of making you feel like you’re
in another world. Each track feels hand crafted to tell a story. Just looking at each track title
almost gives us an idea of the events of this story. Required listening here is without a doubt
“King of the Streets” and “The Looks That Kill” that show us what hard rock style guitar mixed
with classic rolling synths sounds like.

Really, this album demonstrates what is essential for any artist; to show that they can use their signature style to create a diverse range of sounds. Finally, there is no better way to finish out this look at Lazerhawk than by highlighting his most recent release, Dreamrider. Out just this year, Dreamrider sounds like you may expect from its title. We can hear the influences of chill wave in tracks like “Cruise” and “Cool Breeze” that instantly transport us to another world. This
album gives us visions of beautiful vistas both earthly and otherworldly. As you can see, Lazerhawk has proven time and again that he is truly a titan of outrun synthwave. He constantly innovates and reminds us what this genre is really about. Even though Dreamrider was released very recently, we already can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next.

ENJOY!

HEY RETRO LOVERS,

With a highly anticipated new album getting released this year, Perturbator is set to be the next big thing since slices SPAM. Not only does Pert have a strong internet presence, but Perturbator now looks to take over other realms with his sound! A beast in the making.