FCBD Interview: Scott Chitwood Talks About Drone

David Weaver's computer hacking may have started as a way to entertain himself, but after stumbling onto a project that has far-reaching, real world consquequences, his skills are about to be put to more use than mere fun and games.

Free Comic Book Day talked with comic writer Scott Chitwood about Drone, part of Red 5 Comics' 2015 Free Comic Book Day offering.

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Free Comic Book Day: For those who might be new to your comic book, give a quick rundown. What can we expect to see in terms of story and art?

Scott Chitwood: Drone is set in the near future when the U.S. military has gone from using satellite controlled drones in the sky to satellite controlled robots on the ground. After a hacker named David Weaver starts watching the video feeds for entertainment, he unwittingly gets pulled into an international conflict and takes control of one of the drones to save the day. It's part The Last Starfighter, part Michael Crichton thriller. It has a lot of action, a lot of humor, and sticks with the Red 5 Comics theme of making comics fun.

Free Comic Book Day: What has been your favorite part of the book or character to tackle?

Scott Chitwood: I really enjoy choreographing the fight scenes where David is piloting the remote controlled robot. It's a lot of fun trying to come up with new tricks for the robot and new ways to integrate cutting-edge technology into the mix. I love asking myself, "How could things possibly get worse for these characters?" The problem is getting them out of the mess I put them in.

Free Comic Book Day: Tell FCBD fans why they should pick your book first on Free Comic Book Day!

Scott Chitwood: The Red 5 Comics FCBD issue is full of original material you can't find anywhere else. We created these short stories just for FCBD. Plus our Drone original short story is a bridge between the first series and the sequel Drone: Fatal Error, which will be on shelves at the same time. It's a great jumping-on point for comic fans who enjoyed Drone before or people who are new to the series.

Free Comic Book Day: What are you most looking forward to for Free Comic Book Day?

Scott Chitwood: I absolutely love seeing people pick up our FCBD issue and discovering us for the first time. As an indie publisher, we often get lost in the mix of other titles, but Free Comic Book Day allows people to check us out risk free. It's a thrill when they realize we have comics they love when we might otherwise be missed. FCBD is a great opportunity for us to show what we're made of.

Free Comic Book Day: What other titles would you associate with your FCBD book? “If a comic reader likes _______ , they should pick up my title"?

Scott Chitwood: If people like Drone, they'll probably enjoy our ghost action-adventure called Haunted which I also wrote. The rights to that series were recently picked up by the creators of the X-Men movies. They may also enjoy our Indiana Jones/Mad Max adventure called Afterburn or our zombie Western Dead or Alive. Those series cover a wide range of genres, but they all feature the action and humor that Red 5 Comics is known for.

Free Comic Book Day: What do you think is the best part about Free Comic Book Day?

Scott Chitwood: The best part about FCBD is seeing children discover comics for the first time. In past years, I've seen young boys and girls pick up our Red 5 Comics issue and get hooked on Bodie Troll or Atomic Robo. Seeing them intently reading the stories is so great. It's also really gratifying to see the kids realize that there's indie material out there that they love. They learn that by picking up a comic they've never heard of, they might discover their next favorite comic.

Free Comic Book Day: What’s your favorite thing about working in comics?

Scott Chitwood: It's so much fun to work on a script for months, then to see art start trickling in. Your script starts coming to life through the talents of your artist, colorist, and letterer. Some of the pages are exactly what you envisioned while others far exceed your expectations. Opening your e-mail is like Christmas every morning, as art slowly comes in. That's so gratifying as a creator.

Free Comic Book Day: Many newcomers will pick up comics for the first time on FCBD—what was the first comic you remember reading?

Scott Chitwood: While I read comics off and on over the years as a young child, the first comic I really started collecting was Marvel's Transformers #1. I then moved to Norway in the 80's and the only English comics I could find on the newsstand were Web of Spider-Man featuring Kraven's Last Hunt and Iron Man featuring Armor Wars. After that, I was hopelessly hooked.

Free Comic Book Day: Where will you be for this year’s FCBD? Do you have any annual FCBD traditions?

Scott Chitwood: I really enjoy visiting all of the local comic shops in Houston and Austin on FCBD and seeing the long lines of fans. It's great seeing adults and children getting together and celebrating comics. I also love walking up to those long lines of people and surprising them with free copies of our FCBD issue. I hand out hundreds of free comics like Oprah giving away cars. It's like being a geeky Santa Claus.

Free Comic Book Day: Looking to the future of the book, is there anything you can tease about what's upcoming?

Scott Chitwood: Our Drone short story is continued in Drone: Fatal Error which will be on shelves when FCBD hits. If readers like the short story, they can immediately see the continuing adventures of David and his increasingly battered robot. The new story is like The Empire Strikes Back of the Drone series. Our heroes are in more jeopardy, the stakes get higher, and our hero finds himself in way over his head. We have also been in talks about a movie version of Drone, so we have our fingers crossed that something will happen with it one day.

Free Comic Book Day: Tell us why everyone should read comic books?

Scott Chitwood: As a kid living overseas, my friends and family never understood why I was so into Iron Man, X-Men, and Transformers. Now 30 years later, they're discovering in movies what I found and loved a long time ago in comic books. Comics are a perfect blending of writing and art for a unique form of storytelling. And with so many new titles out every week, there's definitely a comic out there that everyone will love.

Find a comic shop near you to celebrate Free Comic Book Day 2015!