We spoke with creator, Aaron Nelson, about the project.

The Big Bad Wolf: Can you give us a brief synopsis of Marlow?

Aaron Nelson: Sure. The movie preview version of Marlow goes something like this (roll the thundering music and that guy with the movie preview voice): Accidentally turned into a zombie by nanotechnology meant to cure his war-torn psyche, Marlow now works as an assassin for the pharmaceutical company that mutilated him. In exchange for medicines that keep him from reverting to a zombie state, Marlow does all the dirty work for the Company out of fear of transforming into a terrible creature. Marlow, on a new assignment, takes his team to a research site in Romania to destroy human experiments, save the doctor who made him, and defeat a feared assassin known only as "The Russian". During his journey, Marlow questions the life he's chosen and wonders if he must simply suffer the consequences of his mutilation and revert to a zombie state in order to truly be human.

By the way, if there's ever a movie preview of Marlow, you could count me a happy man.

The Big Bad Wolf: Who are the main characters in this book?

Aaron Nelson: The story definitely focuses on Marlow, who is this assassin/cleaner guy for NuPharma, which is a massive, global pharmaceutical company. He's really struggling with the mutilation he's suffered, and when he finally meets his maker, Dr. Arcos, a lot of questions are answered that make him wonder about the path he's chosen for his life. Dr. Arcos definitely plays a pretty big part of the story. And, of course, Marlow's crew are important. Conrad, Rox, and Specs all bring their own expertise and view of things. All of them definitely despise "The Russian" and can't wait to "take care" of him in Romania.

The Big Bad Wolf: How did you come up with the idea for this book?

Aaron Nelson: I think Alan Moore once said that this is the only important question to ever ask a writer, and it's also the one that writers respond in mockery to the person who asks it. So, out of respect to Alan Moore, I'll now mock you. No, just kidding. The short answer is "I don't know." The longer answer is that I'm absolutely fascinated with politics and globalization. The War on Terror is more than just a slogan, it's a defining event in American history. So, I wanted to really think about the position we're in, and that we've been put in by the Bush Administration. We're damned if we fight the terrorists, and we're damned if we don't. So, which is worse? Is fighting a war for the sake of saving ourselves from being attacked better than not fighting one and suffering the pains of being attacked? Americans are going to die regardless of which option we take in the War on Terror. So, which action embodies and preserves the American spirit and way of life?

As I was writing the script, I decided I wanted to look at other stories that addressed similar issues. I re-read portions of Thucydides' "Peloponnesian Wars", Virgil's "The Aeneid", and others, but found that Joseph Conrad's "The Heart of Darkness" was the most compelling. So, I read his work as carefully as possible and reflected on it as I wrote Marlow. In fact, some of the character's names come from Heart of Darkness. Marlow, Conrad, and The Russian are all names from the book.

The Big Bad Wolf: Who is the rest of the creative team on the book?

Aaron Nelson: Dario Carrasco Jr. and I teamed up on creating the book. We found an excellent artist in Mathew Reynolds (who blew us away with his style and ability to really tell the story visually). L. Jamal Walton was his usual brilliant self with the lettering and layouts. Everyone did a fantastic job in understanding, sharing, and expressing the vision Dario and I had for the book.

The Big Bad Wolf: How much will the graphic novel cost?

Aaron Nelson: $3.99.

The Big Bad Wolf: Will there be any other features in the graphic novel?

Aaron Nelson: Yeah, we'll include the original pitch pages we sent out (which were all drawn by Dario Carrasco Jr.) as well as fun pin-ups, and possibly a surprise preview of the next book.

The Big Bad Wolf: When is the release date?

Aaron Nelson: Fall 2008. Arcana will keep everyone posted on the website.

The Big Bad Wolf: Where can fans find out more information on Marlow?

Aaron Nelson: They can go the the Arcana website.

The Big Bad Wolf: In closing, what would you like to say to the fans about this book?

Aaron Nelson: The book's inspiriation came from two things, really: The War on Terror and Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". It's a darker, brooding story, that's at times violent, and at times philosophical. I can't say it's for everyone, but if you're interested in philosophy, politics, post-modernism, and globalization, you should find the work interesting.

The Big Bad Wolf: Thank you for your time, Aaron. Good luck with MARLOW.

Talk about the MARLOW Interview.