Seeing art by Francesco Francavilla is always a treat. His art and colors take the characters to a different level. You've probably seen his art on BATMAN: THE BLACK MIRROR to covers for FLASH GORDON: ZEITGEIST, ARCHIE MEETS KISS, in the pages of BLACK PANTHER: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR, CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY and a whole lot more.

Now he's bringing his own creation, the Black Beetle to the pages of DARK HORSE PRESENTS in April.

We asked Fracesco to tell us more about his creation.

Comic Vine: You do a lot of art inspired by pulp series from the 30s and 40s, what is it about the genre that appeals to you?

Francesco Francavilla: As you know, I am all for moody atmospheres, and those series and movies had plenty of moods to them. It always amazes me that old pulp films were done in black and white and there were no special effects to grab your attention. The way the series and movies made use of mood, atmosphere, light and shadow made the stories themselves more intense and enjoyable. Plus you can’t beat the beauty of those old movie posters or of the old pulp magazines/books covers: single images telling a story and really getting audiences interested to discover more.

CV: Where did the idea of The Black Beetle come from?

FF: I don’t remember exactly but it’s an idea I’ve been tinkering with in various incarnations and formats for several years. I always been fascinated with Egyptian culture/art, and the Scarab/Beetle came to mind when I was first working on the initial story. Combine that with my love for the Pulps and Noir, and you get The Black Beetle.

CV: What's the story or motivation behind the character?

FF: I am taking a little different with this one. I want the story to be some sort of interactive experience with the reader. I don’t want to say too much now that will spoil any surprises.

I can say, though, that The Black Beetle is a hero, even if he operates a little outside the law (think early Batman or The Shadow). He is the ‘unofficial’ protector of Colt City. It’s his city, even if the bad guys—and sometimes even the police—don’t seem to know that, but there are more layers to BB and Colt City that will unfold as the stories roll out.

CV: Do you feel more or less pressure working on your own character versus an existing one?

FF: For me, there’s definitely less pressure when it comes to telling the stories of someone that is your own character. You can play with it as you want and put more heart into it, which makes things easier. But there’s also more pressure when it comes to the “production” side of things because, well, you have to write a script and dialogue, in addition to handling the pencils, inks, and colors. Overall I am definitely digging it.

CV: Will the 24-page story be the beginning of more adventures for the Black Beetle? Do you have more stories to tell?

FF: I most definitely have plenty more stories to tell. Some are already outlined in detail; others are simply at plot or idea stage. NIGHT SHIFT (the 3-part Black Beetle story that will appear in DARK HORSE PRESENTS starting with #11 in April) is an introductory story, accessible to everyone, that will hint at things that make The Black Beetle universe so interesting.

I am halfway through another story, KARA BOCEK, that ‘aired’ on my Pulp Sunday blog last year and which I plan to release in print when it’s completed. And a few ‘lucky’ fans got a little taste of BB in the NO WAY OUT limited ashcan I put out a couple of years ago (now sold out). When it’s finished, NO WAY OUT will be on a much larger scale in terms of BB stories (full length GN).

And there is plenty more after that. It all comes down to how well received NIGHT SHIFT will be now that BB is reaching a wider audience, so make sure to buy DARK HORSE PRESENTS #11 and praise The Black Beetle.

CV: If you could do a crossover with the Black Beetle and any other character, who would be the best fit and who would be your dream team up (if they're not the same)?

FF: Given the nature of the character and the time settings, The Black Beetle could easily cross over with Mike Mignola’s awesome Lobster Johnson, if we want to stay in the Dark Horse territory, or more generally with The Shadow or the early 1930/1940s Batman.

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #11 is on sale April 18, 2012. For more on the Black Beetle, visit Francesco's official Black Beetle webpage/blog: http://theblackbeetle.blogspot.com/

Italian artists FTW

Original names ftw.

I think with comics the word 'art' definitely gets thrown around alot.

There's certainly a difference between a "drawing" and art.

This is art.

what does FTW mean???

@KidSupreme: Uhm...Feed The World...or something close to that. With a different "F" word.

@KidSupreme: Uhm...Feed The World...or something close to that. With a different "F" word.

@Billyredneckname said:

Original names ftw.

Looks interesting, the little bit of art shown already conveys a noir mood.

@G-Man: Thanks! and now I know .... and knowing is half the battle!

It looks pretty good I would totally pick it up!

I'm buying it, hope its as grand as it sounds!!

Whaaat this is awesome.

This looks amazing.

Looks good. I'm gonna pick this one up.

@G-Man: Some people say "Fuck the world" I ment "For the win. Pretty sure that's the accpeted definition.

Black Beetle? I was thinking something completely different...

I was only going to pick up DHP for the three issues that would feature The Massive, but now that FF is on it with BB, I'll extend it with another three issues. The Kara Bocek 10 page preview on his website reads fantastic. Can't wait to see more of that, so hopefully we'll get to read that soonish too.

Where did the idea of the Black Beetle come from?

"Well basically I took the Blue Beetle and made him a 30's pulp hero"

I liked to see BB. =P

Copyrighted!

I love this guy's work.

@blur1528 said:

Black Beetle? I was thinking something completely different...

I thought that and Blue Beetle #6. No offense to the creator but i think that the name is unoriginal.

Oh this looks amazing! Noir rush, noir rush! ::sizzle:: now..if he really wants to make us happy, he really will make a crossover with ole Lobby Johnson or Kent Allard. Bring it on Black Beetle!

All this talk of FTW just brings me back to the halcyon days of ECW and 90s wrestling.

When I saw the title, I thought it was kind of weird that a mid-to-low tier Booster Gold villain was getting his own series. Needless to say, I am far more interested in what it turned out to be.

Man oh man do I love this guy! His work is great, had no idea he wrote. I'll be on the look out for this.

Definitely thought this was going to be about the Booster Gold villain. I *love* pulp hero types in comics, but this *really does* seem like a 30's take on Blue Beetle. Egyptian origins? Scarab influence? Shadow/Batman type? All Blue Beetle (Ted Kord). The design even looks like a cross between Batman and Blue Beetle. It's *beautiful,* but seriously: how has DC not sicced their lawyers on this? Were they too busy shutting down fanfic sites?