Lutu: Warrior of the NorthWritten by Steve Coffin
Pencils by Steve Coffin
Ronin Studios
It’s always refreshing to see a comicbook creator who is willing to go against the grain so to speak. Steve Coffin has done that with Lutu: Warrior of the North. Lutu is part Xena Warrior Princess and part Groo the Wanderer. That is to say Coffin mixes the tried and true storyline of a warrior that might be Red Sonja, yet mixes in the humour.
Coffin also has drawn Lutu different than you might expect. He uses a more cartoon-oriented style, again reminiscent of Groo. I like that for a change of pace. And, then there is Lutu herself. The tendency is to draw female warriors as skinny amazons, with overly developed breasts.
Coffin has created a more bodacious, chubby heroine, which is refreshing in a world where we seem preoccupied by some media imposed vision of perfection.
Not surprisingly, the idea for Lutu actually started with a woman. “The original idea for Lutu Warrior of the North came from my wife,” said Coffin. “She suggested that I do a parody book of all those muscle-bound Barbarian stories but that the central character not be your typical warrior woman. “Then, over time, Lutu was born and the character became a plus size cook who is the twin sister of a famous warrior.”
Artistically, Coffin said he was trying something different with Lutu. “Previously I had done the comic Kung Fu Engine which was a very stylized art style the borrowed heavily from the Manga Chibi style,” he said. “This time around I wanted a more cartoon style and I went back to one of my old favorites Asterix the Gaul for inspiration.”
Overall, Lutu is just different enough to make it stand out amid the norm in the current comicbook field. It’s not an overly fantastic story, average really, but the attempt to make it different makes it a title to check out.
Coffin is certainly satisfied with Issue #1.
“I am very pleased with the book. I feel that it establishes the central characters and sets the scene for the adventures to follow,” he said. “The book was completely hand drawn and inked which was a complete departure from my previous digital work. Issue two is going to be half and half thanks to the new pen tablet.
Coffin is certainly satisfied with Issue #1.
“I am very pleased with the book. I feel that it establishes the central characters and sets the scene for the adventures to follow,” he said. “The book was completely hand drawn and inked which was a complete departure from my previous digital work. Issue two is going to be half and half thanks to the new pen tablet.
“Also I would like to thank the pinup artists Cal Slayton and James V. West for their contributions.” And Coffin said he has more story to tell too. “Issue two is coming next, that is due out in the new year under the Ronin Studios Banner, and this will complete the first part of the story,” he said. “Issue three, which is a one-shot, is in the pipeline and I am also working on a pitch for an independent comic publisher at the moment.”
Lutu Warrior of the North #1 can be found online at www.indyplanet.com
Also the Lutu Website is at: http://www.stevecoffin.com/lutu with the publisher website: http://www.ronin-studios.com/
Also the Lutu Website is at: http://www.stevecoffin.com/lutu with the publisher website: http://www.ronin-studios.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment