RAM V INTERVIEW – BRIGANDS: RUIN OF THIEVES
Coming this September from Action Lab Comics comes the second part to the Brigands story, Ruin of Thieves. This dark and gritty medieval story comes from the great mind of Ram V and is sure to please any fan of this genre. Impulse got the chance to not only review this chapter of the story, but also interview Ram V.
The world in Ruin of Thieves is very intriguing and full of very interesting characters. Can you tell us what inspired this story?
Ruin of Thieves (which is the follow up to Brigands) is just one of those ideas that come to you fully formed. I’ve always been a fan of thinking of lo-magic fantasy or as a reviewer recently described it, dirt fantasy– In that, the story and the world are driven by very recognizable human characters and events rather than anything more fantastical. I remember I was reading Joe Abercrombie’s First Law books at the time and I absolutely loved them. I suppose the seed of the idea for Brigands and so, Ruin of Thieves comes from there, but the story is its own thing now. I like stories driven by character choices rather than events and that, more than anything, drives the world and narrative I’m constructing.
Without revealing too much, can you give us a little of what we can expect from this story?
You can expect pointy edges, swords, sorcery, razor tongues and character. Lots of character. All of my protagonists are real, flawed, pathetically weak and surprisingly strong people, like most humans are. And so, readers can expect me– the maniacal creator that I am– to put them through hell just to see if I can make them cry, fall in love, pick up scars and find their courage. You can expect twists and revelations aplenty. I enjoying surprising my readers and that’ll continue all the way to the very last page on this series.
A lot of depth and detail have gone into this story, can you tell us of any struggles that came along while writing?
To be very honest, Ruin of Thieves has been a breeze to write. I love these characters and as I said the idea came to me fully formed and so, it’s only ever been a matter of putting down on paper, what is already in my head. There are challenges in every script, of course. But that is more to do with structure, space and making sure everything fits rather than anything to do with the story itself. I know exactly where everything’s going!
Of the four main characters in this story, who did you find the most enjoyable to write?
Tough question! in this arc, it’s probably The Count and Stilian, the narrative does center around them a bit. Then toward the end, I had a blast writing Roshkin Wink– the wizard. You’ll see why! Keep reading. I enjoy writing Stilian and The Count because they’re both vulnerable and incredibly resilient in their own ways all within the span of a few issues. That kind of character evolution is a really fun thing to write.
There are a lot of mature tones set in this comic, can we expect to see more of those dark themes and adult situations?
Yes. I do think this is a comic for older readers. I don’t shy away from tackling uncomfortable questions regarding societal violence in places. I don’t hide the consequences that arise from the callousness of political power. And in the quieter moments I like exploring the intimacies of my characters through their own changing relationships. You can expect all of this to continue through the series.
Can you describe your mind set when preparing to write this story?
With a book like this, getting the voice of the characters is most important to me. I tend to read things in a similar space. Listen to a lot of music and I usually work on the dialogue first. So that tends to put in a suitable mind set. I want it all to be witty, biting and gritty.
The world created here has so many possibilities and I love it, can we expect more stories to spin off out of this world?
Who knows what the future holds? As of now my intention is to add a third volume. The Brigands story was always supposed to be a trilogy of arcs and so, I expect I will work on that at some point. I do love these characters and so it isn’t entirely unfathomable that I’ll return to the mat some point. Perhaps even dabble in a bit of prose with them.
What is the most enjoyable part about working on this project?
Getting Sumit’s art back on the scripts is almost always the most enjoyable part for me. He is just incredible at capturing the nuance of acting and body language with these characters. Something that I think is massively important when it comes to stories like these. I’m always tickled by how he manages to get the subtle things absolutely spot on. Excited to work with him on more things!
Check out Action Lab for preorder options and digital purchase.
About the Author
Jeremy Carr Jeremy Carr is a DC fanboy at heart and an avid gamer. He also claims that he is NOT addicted to Destiny 2 and firmly states "I can quit anytime I want..." Jeremy loves bingeing Star Trek The Next Generation and keeping up with comic book news. He enjoys indie comic projects and fully supports projects featured on Indiegogo.
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