Eisner Award-nominated writers and artists Ibrahim Mustafa (Jaeger, Serious crime) explores themes of redemption, sacrifice, and finding family. ShinIt is a sequel to the 2021 graphic novel. count. Mustafa expands the character arc of Meris, aka Sin, a government cyber enforcer and harbinger of death and destruction.
Injured and suffering from memory loss, Meris awakens on a remote farm under the care of Ness, an engineer and adoptive father to two orphaned girls. Ness nurses her back to health and tries to teach her to embrace her inner humanity while controlling her violent impulses. But violence follows Meris wherever he goes, threatening to undermine the peace of mind he has worked so hard to build with Ness and his adopted daughters in this remote corner of the galaxy.
Mustafa’s Shin, The second of three books in a Humanoids contract, this book is atmospheric, melancholic and thought-provoking. Mustafa beat About the worldview and artistic influences of this spinoff work count And he has an idea of who might play the roles of Singh and Ness in the film.
The Beat: Thank you for speaking with The Beat. ShinCan you talk about the inspiration behind this new book and why you decided to go in the direction of a sci-fi western?
Ibrahim Mustafa: You’re welcome. Thank you for having me. Shin This is a sequel to the 2021 book countwhich I reinterpreted in a sci-fi style. The Count of Monte CristoThe reason I set it in a science fiction world is because I wanted to do a lot of world building that would make the book more visually interesting and a lot more fun to draw. Syn/Meris is a supporting character in it and I always intended to continue her story in this form, so it made sense to head to a dusty, less populated corner of that world to set her on her path to seeking anonymity.
The Beat: Something I found interesting was the spiritual language sprinkled throughout this story of redemption and sacrifice, particularly in the relationship between Meris and Ness. Was this intentional, or was this a conversation that developed over the course of the story?
Mustafa: A little bit of both, I think. Her story was always planned as a redemption story, given her tainted past. She was previously under the control of an evil dictator, and I wanted her to experience the exact opposite with Ness. Ness is inspired by people in my life who really helped shape me, and who showed me the right path at a very important time in my youth, and who allowed me to walk that path alone. So I was following the plan I had for the character, but a lot of it just came together in the process of creating the character.
The Beat: Let’s talk worldbuilding. ShinWhat artistic and literary influences did you draw on to create this sinister, predatory world of the frontier?
Mustafa: The great thing is that the world was already built. count,and Shin I was able to explore another corner of it. The idea for this world started with floating islands. I wanted to create a prison because I think it’s very cool. count The islands live on floating landmasses that they cannot escape, and I needed to make that make sense. So I came up with a world where the islands float like two magnets that repel each other because of the opposing polarities of the minerals in the Earth. From there, I decided to design a society that would be the basis of an industrial revolution that leverages polarity based on that concept, rather than the internal combustion engine.
That means the vehicles look different, so we based them on animals: the ship looks like a whale, the hoverbike looks like a horse. ShinI left the developed big city. count And I asked myself, what would a Western town version of that world look like?
The Beat: What challenges did you face in bringing this story to life?
Mustafa: Honestly, just drawing a crowd scene [laughing]Being able to tell a story through writing and drawing like this is a fun and relaxing experience to create, so pushing myself to draw something difficult is as tough as it gets.
The Beat: If I were to see this on the big screen, I have a feeling there’s Jeffrey Wright hiding somewhere in Ness’s development, and Carrie-Anne Moss hiding in Melis. What do you think about this potential casting?
Mustafa: Jeffrey Wright would be perfect for Ness. I love Carrie-Anne Moss and wouldn’t rule her out as Meris/Syn. I just couldn’t think of anyone better to play her when I designed her. countBut I was fascinated by her action scenes. ShinI thought Sofia Boutella was perfect for the role because she’s so physically attractive. Rebel Moon The movie came out after I wrote the book, but it had a similar premise, and I thought, “That’s just not worth it.” [laughing].
The Beat: I’d love to read more about Meris’ journey to reclaiming her humanity. Shin Will it be a continuing series?
Mustafa: For now, there are no plans for her to do more. I want her to live the peaceful life she has always wanted. But if I get a good idea, I would love to visit her again. In the meantime, there is a lot more to her on the aforementioned pages. countIt offers a glimpse into the violent past she was forced to live through.
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