Our 2024 Creator Interviews series continues with part two of our interviews with the Critical Entertainment team. The interview today is with Christopher Reda, CEO, Publishing Partner & Writer.
Critical Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based publishing company primarily operating in the comic book and graphic novel industry.
GlobalComix: Tell us a bit about yourself, and what got you into writing.
Christopher Reda: I fell in love with film making in college and when I was studying, I explored writing film and television screenplays. I took as many writing classes as I could and wrote television spec scripts as I tried to find myself as a writer. Then I delved into comics that had done well as films like Scott Pilgrim, Sin City, and the Watchmen. I knew that it would be much easier for a producer to visual a story through a comic book than another screenplay in a stacked pile. Once I was working on writing comics, it was a medium that I really enjoyed making, and I wanted to make an impact in the comic industry. A finished comic book felt like my own completed film.
GlobalComix: What drew you to working with Critical Entertainment specifically?
Christopher: Mason and I decided the best way to present our work was through our own company. We wanted to be able to control our IP while being able to give readers professional comics with an emphasis on quality and thought-provoking stories. I want Critical Entertainment to be an art-house style comic publisher focused on creativity and originality. With the success of independent studios like A24 Films we hope to have that same type of mentality for the comic industry.
GlobalComix: What would you say is the aspect of creating comics that you enjoy most?
Christopher: I really enjoy working with different artists and seeing my vision come to life through their artistry. I’ve been collaborating with Tadd Galusha, Alonso Molina Gonzales, and Leandro Rizzo for almost a decade now and I can tailor my scripts to their skills and strengths. It’s incredible having an artist give you a piece of art that looks exactly how you imagined it.
GlobalComix: Do you have a dream IP that you’d like to do some writing for?
Christopher: It would be interesting to continue the Amazing Spider-Man 616 storyline. That has always been the Marvel character I related to most and I would think be a successful property if touched upon again. A graphic novel style Batman comic following a new character with a different perspective would be fun to work on as well for something a little darker.
GlobalComix: How does your experience and skills with graphic design help you as a writer?
Christopher: Leaning on my computer and graphic designing skills has helped me tremendously in my comic writing career. Putting together my own comics allows me to refine how I want my story to be presented visually not just through my writing but also with my publishing abilities. It also saves me a lot of time and money being able to handle my own graphic designing. I can fix something in photoshop real quick instead of bugging my artist to do it and slow them down. I don’t have to hire someone every time I need to make a change on the InDesign file.
GlobalComix: What comic that you’ve read in the past has made a large impact on you as a writer and creative person?
Christopher: Frank Miller’s Sin City showed me that a comic writer could have a great creative comic book that also translates well into a movie. The film’s visual style and direction matched the comic book style so well that it inspired me to want to do the same. When I’m making a comic book, I also visualize how it would look in a film if I were to direct it.
GlobalComix: Which title with Critical Entertainment has been your favorite?
Christopher: Zombie Zero has been one of my favorite titles mostly from how successful it has become for us and how far I’ve come along with that story. The genre has been popular for a long time now and people always love it when they hear about a unique zombie story with a twist. Putting together this book really evolved me as a writer and set some foundations down on how I want to tell stories.
GlobalComix: Is there a type of story, or a theme that Critical Entertainment hasn’t published yet, that you’d like to see or write yourself?
Christopher: I do have a few sports stories in the works. I’d like to publish a basketball story and baseball story at some point in my career. There’s a lot of knowledge I have in both sports I would love to share with an audience willing to learn. There have been many successful manga like Slam Dunk that has done well overseas but here in the United States sports comics are far and few in between.
GlobalComix: Would you ever want to focus on editing comics rather than writing them? Or is writing something you think you’ll always be doing?
Christopher: I’ll probably always be writing in some form no matter what happens. While I do enjoy editing comics, the main goal has been to write comics, screenplays, and eventually direct my own films.
GlobalComix: Is there another creator in the industry, past or present, that you identify with most or influences your work? Why or how?
Christopher: I probably most identify with Robert Kirkman in terms of a career path I see myself walking down. We both focused more on creating our own comics instead of working on other established IP and I hope to have success getting my work made into film and television. People always want to compare Zombie Zero to The Walking Dead and it’s always interesting to see their reactions about how completely different it is.
Thanks, Christopher, for making time for us! We can't wait to see what you and the Critical Entertainment team are working on next, and we hope to see you at conventions this year as well!
To find work by Christopher Reda and comics published by Critical Entertainment, check out the links below.