A Tale of Honor
Q&A With Roberto Armstrong

Brian Germain: So Bushi is a story set in modern times yes? What overall is it about?
Roberto Armstrong: The story of Bushi is prett much set in the near future, circa 2055. And essentially it's a story of honor,revenge and redemption.

Brian Germain: Honor, Revenge and Redemption make for a great story, but how do they apply here?
Roberto Armstrong: Well, strangely enough the villian Hidero Koto is out to restore the honor of his family by avenging the defeat of one of his ancient ancestors at the hands of Clan Matsuda. And then pursuing that ancient ancestors goal of conquering Japan and all neighboring lands through the use of his bio-ninjas. The redemption element plays out through Fox who was featured in Bushi#0. He failed to keep his employer alive and feels honor bound to avenge him and protect his duaghter who has now become the head of Clan Matusuda and a target of Hidero Koto.

Brian Germain: That sounds pretty cool what's not to love about ninjas! How many Issues of bushi are there so far including ashcans and such?
Roberto Armstrong: Well, at present there was an ashcan (sold out), a zero ish which is sold out as well, then we had the Chicago special for Wizard World'05 and just released the first issue last month. Bushi is slated to be a six issue mini series, And work has allready begun on Bushi#2. I've seen a few pages, and I think everyone will like what they see.



Brian Germain: That's alot of work! Will the entire story be wrapped up in that time or is it open ended to perhaps spin off other series or graphic novels later?
Roberto Armstrong: Well, the plan is to wrap the current story up and there's allways the petential spins offs. I will say this much, Kaori, one of the major characters in the story is being considered for a possible one shot or mini series. To back up a touch on your question, there is a prequel to Bushi:Warrior Caste which focuses on the very events that spark the blood feud. However, whether that story is told will depend on fan reaction and demand.

Brian Germain: So about how long overall have you been working on putting this story together?
Roberto Armstrong: You got a few hours? lol. Actually, Bushi was originaly conceived back in 2001 and the intent at that time was to tell the actual story that would lead up to Bushi:Warrior Caste but my co-creator Tony Davis opted to go with setting the story more in a future period. He was to be the writer for Bushi however, due to personal matters he had to bow out. I had to take the reigns and re-tool the story. Unfortunately, some of his notes detailing the way the world had evolved into one where practicly everyone carried swords was lost. So, it's a detail that's not touched on much although in the zero issue it's indicated that there was some kind of war at one point that had a global impact. So you in effect have only military or police agencies carrying firearms, and of course the underwolrd elements.

Brian Germain: That's a pretty original twist on the future. the feeling I get is a feudal Japan setting when reading it although it's like you know it's in the future at the same time, A cool effect was this intentional?
Roberto Armstrong: Yeah, I envisioned a world similar to that of "Blade Runner" and "Ghost in the Shell". High tech but a blending of the old culture too. My goal was to give you a feel of what our future could be, considering these days we live in a very multicultural world, just imagine what it'll be like 50 yrs from now.

Brian Germain: Yeah and with the asian influence over technology it seems that could be one possible scenario. So if I was cruisin' the web and wanted to buy a copy of "Bushi" where would I go?
Roberto Armstrong: Currently you can pick up a copy at http://www.corestudios.com or at http://www.Indyplanet.com

Brian Germain: Cool thanks for the Info. I'll be sure to let everyone know! is there any other projects that Core is working on that you'd like to plug here?
Roberto Armstrong: Well, we have my creator owned project, "ShadowStorm" coming out soon. It'll be a one shot featuring some key events and will spotlight a few characters from the series. Basicly, the goal is to create a buzz about the book and it will be full color too. The actual first issue won't be out til late next year. It'll also serve as our formal introduction to the Core universe.

Brian Germain: Will any of these book carry the Dark Elf Designs logo as well as the Core Studios Logo?
Roberto Armstrong: All of the books will bear the Dark Elf logo. We're definetly proud to be a part of the DED family.

Brian Germain: That's awesome to hear Roberto (you'll get your kickback on that later! lol) it's definitely been a pleasure having Core helping to tow the line if I do say so myself! Thank you very much for the interview!