No One Left to Fight is published by Dark Horse Comics. It is written/co-created by Aubrey Sitterson with art/co-creation by Fico Ossio.
No One Left to Fight is for comic and anime fans, whether you like one or both of those things, you’ll like this comic. Because this comic asks the question no one ever asks, what happens when the final battle is over? Like, really over? When another Frieza or Shishio or Dio doesn’t show back up? What happens when the world is finally, truly at peace and there’s….*removes sunglasses* no one left to fight?
I have a lot of interests. I could honestly go on and on with a list of all the nerdy stuff I’m into. As with many enthusiasts, I’m into the big three of nerd culture: comics, anime, and video games. So when someone comes along and combines two of the three things I love, I get really hype. So when the opportunity came along to talk to Aubrey Sitterson, I jumped at it.
Obviously we don’t want to spoil anything, but what can you tell me about before the story takes place and what the world is like now?
At the risk of sounding obstinate, combative, uncooperative, or just like a big old curmudgeon, the answer is, respectfully…Not much!
From the ground-up, Fico and I designed No One Left to Fight to take place in a real, breathing, constantly changing world, one with a ton of history and backstory. But instead of just front-loading the series with all that information – or outlining it in interviews – we decided to parcel out the information within the story itself, but only as it was needed. In fact, what the reader doesn’t know, and what isn’t explained immediately, is actually a big part of the story, so I’d hate to give any of that away before folks had a chance to start figuring things out on their own!
All you need to know before picking up No One Left to Fight is that it’s about the world’s greatest heroes, moving further into adulthood after having defeated the greatest threat the planet’s ever seen. Oh! Also, that it’s THE COMIC YOU ALWAYS WANTED.
What were your big inspirations? Obviously Dragon Ball Z, but what anime/comics really made you think about this story?
No One Left to Fight grew out of Fico and my love for Dragon Ball, not just Z, but the entire series as a whole. But once we got working on it, we began pulling in other elements and finding inspiration all over the place. On the manga front, we both really love how One Punch Man goes so smoothly from quiet, almost-banal, domestic drama, to mind-blowing action. Given our “road movie” structure, I also drew a lot from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, specifically the “Stardust Crusaders” arc.
In terms of Western comics, I mostly looked to work that expects a lot of the reader, giving them only the necessary pieces so that they can fill in the blanks themselves, lending the story more thematic weight in the process. Specifically, I’m thinking about the dense storytelling of Howard Chaykin classics like American Flagg and Time2, the esoteric surrealism of Charles Burns’ X’ed Out Trilogy, and the quiet depth and breadth of Moebius’ work, especially Arzach.
Why did you decide to go with a comic format instead of manga?
Well, first off: Comics are manga! And manga are comics! They’re both the same medium, and now, with more back-and-forth influence than ever, the distinction feels increasingly arbitrary. While there are definitely broad stylistic, tonal, thematic, and formal differences between comics and manga, they’re far from universal, such that “manga” generally just means “comics from Japan” the same way “bande dessinée” just means “Franco-Belgian comics.”
That said, while No One Left to Fight definitely owes a lot to manga and anime, especially Dragon Ball, we’re telling our story within the American comics tradition, largely because that’s the tradition we’ve always been a part of! No One Left to Fight takes all the stuff people love about Dragon Ball and condenses it down into a format that’s more digestible for American audiences. Instead of a wall full of black & white, right-to-left manga volumes – which can be intimidating and expensive – it’s a full-color, five issue Dark Horse limited series!
What do you think makes this series stand out against other shōnen anime/manga or action-y comics?
Obviously, the most obvious, eye-grabbing thing is Fico’s art. He brings a Darrow-esque level of detail to his work, which is pretty impressive all on its own. Just look at those character designs! There are no stock figures or forms or outfits, everything is the result of a deliberate choice during the design process. But then, over top of that bonkers level of detail, Fico, for the first time, is coloring himself, with a palette that’s so unique and otherworldly, so unlike anything else on the stands, I find myself wondering how he does it with every single page. No One Left to Fight looks like no other comic in America, in Japan, in the known universe.
The other big thing that sets us apart is the subtlety of what we’re doing. This is a book that you’re going to want to read twice – not just because it’s awesome (which it is) but because you’re going to want to know more. It’s a dense read, but not in the sense that people normally mean, as the dialogue is really lean and there’s not a single narrative caption. Rather, that density comes from all of the character acting that Fico is doing on the page – every gesture, every look means something. That’s part of why we’re keeping our cards so close to our chest in terms of backstory and what all is going on between the covers: Because we know how rewarding it will be for you to figure it out on your own.
I really like the futuristic, cyber-punk style and feel, and we immediately see some space creatures, but there’s also clearly some special powers/abilities at play too, so can we expect to see more of a technological world or magical? Or both?
It’s all of the above! In the preview pages and character designs alone we’ve shown…Mystical power-ups, robot arms, giant swords, a sentient land octopus, flying sentry drones, a giant crab-monster, robots, a giant goat, an anthropomorphic cat guitarist, and so much more that I’m struggling not to spoil right here and now. This is definitely something we borrowed from Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball: an eagerness to bring in whatever looks cool and fits the story, regardless of what genre it’s typically associated with!
Who is your favorite character of your series? Only reading issue #1, so far Timōr is mine. He reminds me of Vegeta and he’s my favorite DBZ character.
I’m thrilled that you love Timór! Vegeta and Piccolo were always my favorite Dragon Ball characters, so I came into the series really expecting Timór to click with me the most. I really love him and his journey, but the more I write, the more I fall in love with all of the characters and their rich inner lives. Typically, my favorite is whomever I’m writing at the moment, but a couple keep creeping up toward that top spot: Vâle and Timór’s old training partner Winda, and the intergalactic rock star Billy Von Katz.
I love how vibrant this comic is, but I have to ask, who decided on the pink hair? Who has pink hair!?
AS: Aside from occasional input from me, all of the color choices were made by Fico! The vibrant palette was a conscious decision, not just because it looks awesome, but because it captures the surprising, confident otherworldliness that you experience the first time you watch Dragon Ball. We both fondly remember being blown away by Toriyama’s masterpiece, and we wanted to recreate that for people!
Where can we find you on social media?
AS: Come find me on Twitter and Instagram as @aubreysitterson, and/or just search for Aubrey Sitterson on Facebook – there’s only one of me!
Make sure you keep your eyes open for No One Left to Fight by Aubrey Sitterson, coming out July 3rd!
Happy reading!
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