Interview: Murder, Murder. Money, Money. Inside ‘Critical Ops Task Force’.
Critical Ops Task Force is like Mission: Impossible meets the Umbrella Corporation.
Written by Nigel Lynch with art by Matthew Clarke, Critical Ops Task Force Vol. 1 collects three furious, inexhaustible thrillers featuring the C.O.T.F. in action. But they aren’t the good guys. They are bad-asses armed with high-tech weaponry and lightning-quick sarcasm.
In the following interview, writer Nigel Lynch explains why this isn’t just an extended universe, but our inevitable future.
For someone discovering your work through this campaign, what is Critical Ops Task Force?
Critical Ops Task Force is a fast-paced, action-oriented book, with a dark and gritty edge. At the same time, it has a satirical way about it, asking questions under the surface, like: is might always right, or is the good deed always the right choice? But at the same time, it is designed to always be entertaining.
How far into the future does COTF take place?
COTF takes place in the 2100s, with the first story set in 2123. This was done to have some creative freedom, but still be grounded and be confined by some rules. The dates are also very important, as the stories jump back and forth on the timeline and also weave into stories from the other books in the Diary of the Stray Dogs universe , so the dates work as an anchor.
Are the members of COTF the good guys, the bad guys, or largely indifferent?
So, each character has their own motivation and moral compass. If I were to say someone was a good guy, it would be Jessica, the newest member of the crew, and she shows her innocence and a more human side to the missions.
MacPherson is the most unhinged of the crew, as he has no problem killing, no questions asked, and is more concerned with his kill count.
Douglas, the main guy, is somewhere in the middle. For him, it is just a job.
The COTF organization as a whole was based on a lot of real mercenary companies, like Executive Outcomes in the 90s and Blackwater in the mid-2000s, which both fell on both sides of history.
Personally, I love that this is a mature title. I don’t see enough Black indie comics aimed at adults. Why was it important for you to write for an older audience?
I think it’s important because it caters to an audience that may not be into all-ages superhero books. Being a comic creator, I created what I like to read myself in terms of story and genre. I was always a big science fiction fan and later a fan of the cyberpunk aesthetic and the dark dystopian near future. As an adult comic reader, I wanted something with a bit more edge and with complex stories. In the Black indie space, we see more superhero comics, and superheroes work best being all-ages, so that’s why I believe there aren’t a lot of more mature books in this style.
What inspired COTF?
A number of things.
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From Ghost in the Shell to Blade Runner, Neil Blomkamp movies and his short films, westerns like The Wild Bunch, which I pay homage to in The Wounded series, comics like The Walking Dead, G.I. Joe, and Punisher MAX. And how can I forget John Wick? Lol.
What is Beyond Publishing Caribbean, and what’s its mission?
Beyond Publishing Caribbean is a group of Barbadian writers and artists that have been making comics for the last 15 years, and as a group, we have created over 35 projects.
With one title, Hardears, created by Matthew Clarke and myself, going on to be published by Abrams under the Megascope imprint. Another member, Tristan Roach, also worked with Megascope on the title The Last Count of Monte Cristo.
And for the COTF books, I partnered with Wiseacre Comics to help branch out into the US market,
With all our books, we try to infuse a bit of the Caribbean vibe and culture, from language to folklore.
How does your Caribbean perspective shape this future — its people, its politics, and its everyday life?
In a number of ways. The Diary of the Stray Dogs tends to tell the story from an outsider's point of view, as characters who are small fish in a large pond and have to maneuver among the larger fish.
It has always been the way of life for people in the Caribbean and small microstates and microgovernments. It is not a bad thing, it is just life, and I want to let people see my world through that lens.
COTF is the reverse. It’s the boot stepping on the ants.
How does this book connect to Diary of the Stray Dogs, and can readers start here?
The Diary of the Stray Dogs is the main, encompassing story, happening after 2137 in the timeline and following the Belcourt Maroons. It will feature all the characters that survive up to that point.
Neon Ghost and COTF are like history and side stories that fill out the world.
Douglas St. James of COTF was always supposed to be a main character in the Diary of the Stray Dogs books, with a dark past. The COTF books tell that dark past and work to juxtapose the character he may become in the future timeline.
The books, by design, were made to be read from any point in the timeline, with each comic being a fully wrapped-up story.
That said, Critical Ops Task Force Vol. 1 is the earliest book in the timeline and a great jumping-on point for new readers.
Critical Ops Task Force, Vol. 1 is available to preorder now on Kickstarter.
Troy-Jeffrey Allen (@TJAComics) is a writer and video producer. He has written comic books and graphic novels, including MF DOOM: All Caps, Public Enemy’s Apocalypse ’91: Revolution Never Sleeps, O.D.B.: Lyrical Ruckus in the City, the Glyph Award-nominated Fight of the Century, and the upcoming Afrofutures.
