Interrogation Control Element
Genre:
Modern, Drama
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27391
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Thomas “Trip” Higgins was once America’s most unassuming weapon in the “War on Terror.” A soft-spoken, but incredibly effective interrogator, Trip consistently broke prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq. But as interrogations increasingly relied on humiliation, degradation and even torture, Trip became disillusioned with his work. Several years later, after writing a memoir of his experience and a manifesto for reform of US interrogation policy, Trip is asked to be become “Senior Echo” (Chief Interrogator) of a new Interrogation Control Element (ICE) on US soil. Trip’s job is to train a team of young ‘gators how to break the most valuable terrorists in US custody without violating the Geneva Conventions. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a brazen Taliban attack on a prison in Afghanistan frees Fazul Shallah, a high-ranking soldier in a well-funded terrorist network. After finding out that his imprisonment was no accident, Shallah eliminates the leadership of his network and assumes control of this group of deadly extremists. Just as Trip begins to win the respect of his team of ‘gators, Shallah declares war on the West in a series of terrifying attacks around the world. Uncovering information that could lead to the capture of Shallah and his network is Trip’s team’s primary task. But when his family and team become targets, Trip’s “by-the-book” interrogation tactics and respect for the rule of law will be put to the ultimate test.
Hi man.(Ok, A litlle late, but not for the purpouse)
Great comic, think Joe Saco and his mates would't retain words about it.
Well, I have seen the comic thought the ideia of a non fiction history, and this is a discussion of long previous times. Even thought the ideia was not exactly of a journalistic accouracy for example, it's pretty nice to see some reality basic comics spliting over there. It's good to see all of them too, but maybe exploring this way seriously and experimetlay can open the range of the language even more.
I'm not goog with praises, but just wanted to say some "ok, nice work"
Well, this month's contest is winding down. :) It'll be interesting when the final votes are tallied to see how it all shakes out.
Cary, thanks for reading.
Nice work with this guys, I'm totally digging the current vibe you have going and taking on topical elements going on in our daily lives is something more comics should be doing. Best of luck with this!
Magoo- Glad you liked it.
JSLoomis- Appreciate the vote! You know, winner or not, the higher we finish, the better positioned we'll be to take this story elsewhere and continue it. So if you have enjoyed our story, don't consider the vote wasted.
the art is great and the script is very slick. A little talky for my taste but very well done overall.
Wandering in a bit late this month, usually at this point I would just pick one of the top 2, but I feel compelled to go with this entry even though it probably doesn't have a chance. Good luck guys!
My review here:
**********************
http://pigs-of-the-industry.blogspot.com/2009/07/zuda-review-interrogation-control.html
Thanks Vermeio. We appreciate you stopping by. Glad you enjoyed it.
As this month's contest draws to a close, I want to let you guys know that I'll be appearing on Webcomics Reviews & Interviews tomorrow (Wednesday July 28th, 8 PM EDT) talking to Jamais Jochim about my Zuda experience, ICE, Over, Tears of the Dragon or anything else he wants to chat about. Listen live and you can call in or chat in questions or comments. Here's the link to bookmark:
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=33290&cmd=tc
Very Good job men.
instantpud, Lameur, Sharon, Matty, and DragonFuze, thanks for the kind words. This was a great team effort, and I'm definitely thrilled with the response. Thanks for taking the time to give our work a read and commenting. We definitely appreciate it.
Ty, you've managed to pull my two loves together into one package: politics and comics. Great story, with good tension, characterisation and great dialogue. Love the art too, it's real moody.
The pages are wonderfully designed and the story really pulls you in. Great job all.
Great comic! It's incredibly well written.
Wow; good writing, real substance, and nicely rendered. Great comic, guys.
Superb Work!
Mike V- Hey man, appreciate the support. There definitely seems to be enough interest to keep this story going, regardless of the Zuda outcome, which is awesome.
For those of you who haven't seen the trailer Mike was talking about yet, check it and more videos out on my Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/tylerjamescomics
Epsilon- Thanks for your thoughtful comments. At the end of the day, I think my commitment has to be toward making high quality work that I and my collaborators are passionate about. I think we understand that not every story is going to interest every reader. A hard pill sometimes, but hey, you can't win them all. (Hope to get you next time around, though!)
In other news, just posted a hot new ICE pinup at the ICE website. Check out Damian's KILLER inks. http://www.interrogationcomic.com
Nice work, great art with an interesting subject. This was my second place pick for most of the competition but after watching the YouTube trailer for ICE (nicely done BTW) I realised that this is the comic I'd like to see continue the most. Good luck for the remainder of July and hopefully ICE continues win or lose.
nice art, good proportions, good sequential art. Script is well written, story flows well. All in all the basis for a good decent although it dosen't grab me and make me wanna sit and see what happens. I appreciate the persistive efforts gone into this from the creative team, epsecially since for some of the team this isnt their first submission.
Morning Zudaworld. A friend forwarded me this news item. Pretty cool, considering I wrote this script about a year ago.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090718/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_terror_interrogations
I've become such a Tyler James fan! I hope we get to see more. I'm very intrigued by the story and the art looks great. You got my vote. Good luck this month!!
"Luckily, many others are digging it."
All that matters.
Says My VOTE!!
Great story -- cool the way the first interrogator starts out looking like he's gonna be the Jack Ryan-esque hero, but no, he's not... I'm interested to see what comes next. Great art too...
I'm very picky with political stories but this one has got me beyond intrigued. Great teaser!
Great job on the fan art Slide, thanks for the review MPD. And appreciate the support Infernal. I'm out there hustlin', believe me.
In other comics news (cause we're all about providing the comics) I hope you guys will check out a new fantasy comic by two members of the ICE team. It's called Tears of the Dragon, a fantasy epic that will update weekly on Tuesdays. It's written by me, drawn by Koko Amboro, and colored by Paul Little. Add it to your weekly webcomics rotation.
http://www.totdcomic.com
Some Fan Art for you and the other competitors http://zudafanart.blogspot.com/
A short review is now live: http://tinyurl.com/mykn7w
Hey Tyler. I thought your last entry was hit and miss, but I like this a lot more. Firstly, it's topical and interesting subject matter precisely because it's NOT what you usually see in comics. That wouldn't be enough if the dialogue and art weren't up to scratch, but luckily they are. This definately one of the best entries this month and I have some faith it'd hold my interest if it gets the chance to continue. Now get with the publicity! ;)
Appreciate the vote Melonie. Every one counts. And Bryy, no worries. We all have different things we like in our comics. Lately I've been trying to push the boundaries of the type of stories typically told in comics. Part of the reason I'm doing "Over" (http://www.overcomic.com) is to see if I could make a romantic comedy work as a graphic novel. With ICE, I'm trying to tell a big budget political thriller in comic form. It's not a great fit for some people. Luckily, many others are digging it.
Tyler,
Even though there were things I did like, the D was because I was reviewing ICE as a comic, not what it could of been. I hope that clarifies.
I voted for you :)
reviewed
http://leftyfilmsblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/zudajuly-2009-and-san-diego-comi-con.html
Wow! Great stuff. Very professional and intriguing. Congratulations to all involved!
Guys, superb comic! Good luck this month. -- Sean
I gave my vote James, hope you find your luck this time.
Best
KA
man, this is amazing! i want to see where it goes. you got my vote for the month. hope i don't have to make use of modern interrogation technique in order to make people vote for it.
Hey, it's Paul! I know that dude, colorist extraordinairre. Good luck, dude!
I love the style and I love the story! I sincerely hope that this does well this month!
Comic with a conscience AND things blowing up! Way to get us thinking about who we are as a country. This held my attention and created depth of character... keep it up and it'll go places. Cheers!
Top-notch throughout: characterization, layouts and art are all terrific, and the story really moved. That's a lot of tale in 8 pages, and it did NOT feel crowded. 5 stars & a vote.
Good morning Zuda-heads.
Jeh- You know, the thing I love about comic book conventions is that you realize that there are SO many different types of books out there. I'll pass a book that doesn't interest me in the least, and twenty minutes later see a fan with that book in his or her hand, happy as can be. The cool thing is, everybody has different tastes and there's a comic for everyone. I truly believe that. I think Zuda is doing their best to get a wide range of comics for folks to sample. One of the things I've tried to do is branch out in different genres. Sorry Super Seed wasn't your bag, but glad you're digging ICE. Thanks for coming by.
Shan Bruce- I really tried to do my homework with this story and get it right. Thanks for the comment.
By the way, three lucky comic fans won EXCLUSIVE ICE prints yesterday. They did so mostly by following me on Twitter. Add @tylerjamescomic to your friend list and you too could be a winner.
I'm glad somebody finally wrote a realistic torture scene that didn't just use it like a plot device.
Thanks everyone for they positive comments about the art, you can’t imagine how much I appreciate that. It has been a privilege to work with such great team and I hope, with your help, to continue working on ICE. Thanks to all for your support and encouraging words.
way down at the bottom...Ah, I see, TJ. Well, that's not your fault. Good luck to you!
Tyler,
I wasn't crazy about your first entry in Zuda, but I like this one lots. Good, tight scripting and fantastic art. Nice work! Good luck to you this time around. I need to finish reading the entries, but so far this one's at the top for me.
--Chachi
Thanks James! It's a tough challenge to be both entertaining and thought provoking, on a controversial topic "ripped from today's headlines." Rule number one of any comic creator...THOU SHALT NOT BE BORING. It's first and foremost in my head as I continue the story.
BTW, Winner winner chicken dinner! ICE hit 50 favs and @frekky from Twitter was quickest on the draw. We'll do it again for another milestone soon! So keep on favoriting!
It's really nice to see an intelligent effort at the 'War on Terror' issues and though I'd worry that it'd get bogged down and boring (like a lot of War on Terror-themed movies have done), this 8-page entry is excellent. Really good scripting and striking artwork so kudos to you all. Good luck!
Instant contest! Who wants to be lucky Favorite #50? First person to email tylerjamescomics@gmail.com AFTER we hit 50 favorites will win an EXCLUSIVE, limited run ICE print!
Aw, thanks, Tyler. You did all the heavy lifting. I just pointed out a few things, and helped as I could. (And the editor is almost always unsung, hero or not.) :)
Also, I need to point out that one of the unsung heroes on this creative team is editor Steven Forbes. Steven added a lot of value, helping me tighten up the narration, and providing a very critical eye towards my submission prior to sending in to Zuda. It's a much better submission thanks to Steven. If you are an aspiring comics writer and you aren't reading Steven's two columns (Bolts & Nuts and The Proving Grounds) at www.projectfanboy.com, well, you need to be.