A Q&A with Raven Gregory, Writer of Fly: The Fall

When it premiered last year, Raven Gregory’s Fly was a revelation.

Gregory mined his own painful past to create a book that took a hard look at superheroes, addiction and went to places not many other comics would go. He and his amazing artistic partner Eric J had created something very special in Fly and that was precisely why I named it my Best New Book of 2011.

Now after far too long of a wait, the sequel has arrived on store shelves. Fly: The Fall is the second chapter of the story of Eddie, Francis and The Hero and it is every bit as gritty and emotional as the first. Raven Gregory was kind enough to answer a few questions about the new series and where things are headed.

How did it make you feel when Fly got such a positive response from the comic book community?

It was a really great feeling. It means a lot to me that so many people were touched by the story. It came from a very dark and hard time in me and my family’s life so it’s nice to know something good came from it.

Was a sequel always part of the plan?

Originally it was supposed to be an ongoing series but scheduling and deadlines dictated otherwise. But yes, the series was always planned to continue.

So where does Fly: The Fall pick up?

The Fall picks up a month after the events of the first series.

You’re working with a new artist for the sequel, correct?

Yeah, Eric J, the original artist of volume 1, will be doing some covers for the series but the new artist is Robert Gill. We previously worked together on The Theater and Zenescope’s Alice in Wonderland series. He’ll be handling the art chores on the first two issues and Pipin Tobing will be handling the art on the remaining three issues. Both artists are doing phenomenal work taking the series to the next level.

The original Fly took the main character, Eddie, to some pretty dark places. Does that sense of desperation and hopelessness continue in part 2?

We will definitely be seeing more of Eddie as he deals with the guilt of Danielle’s death but this arc focuses more on Francis and him implementing his long awaited plan of revenge against the Hero for the murder of his father. We’ll also be revealing much more about the Hero and who he really is.

Will we be seeing flashbacks from when Eddie and Francis’s past again?

Yes, while there won’t be much at first by the third issue we’ll be revealing the full story on the events that lead to the end of Eddie and Danielle’s relationship and it’s definitely not pretty. We’ll also witness Francis’ rise to power and the depths of manipulation he’s been weaving since the very beginning of the series.

If Fly: The Fall does well, is a part 3 in the offing?

Definitely. Maybe two if we’re lucky

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Fly: The Fall is available in comic shops now.

Zenescope
www.zenescope.com