Kickstarting Comics: Karl Kesel Talks Impossible Jones’ Return In ‘Impossible To Love’

What do you get when you have a thief who becomes a powerful superhuman? And when she gets mistaken for a hero? Well, that’s Impossible Jones!

Comics legends Karl Kesel and David Hahn, alongside colorist Ryan Cody and Comicraft, return to their hit creator-owned superhero series. Earlier this year, the creative team released the second volume of IMP’s adventures. Now they kick off the next phase on Kickstarter of their shape-shifting heroine’s journey with the oversized one-shot Impossible To Love! Even better, with 22 days to go, the Kickstarter is already fully funded!

We got to sit down again with Kesel to talk about the one-shot, the Kickstarter, and why a superhero romance comic is the right choice for the next phase of IMP’s story!

Tony Thornley: Karl, welcome back! I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised to be talking again so soon. For those who may have missed the previous Kickstarters or volumes of the series, who would love Impossible Jones?

Karl Kesel: Well, it’s about a thief who gets powers, is mistaken for a hero, and runs with … with no intention of giving up her criminal ways! It’s a little bit Harley Quinn, a little bit Plastic man, and (hopefully) has the energy and momentum of early Marvel Comics, back when their universe was a lot smaller and self-contained.

Tony: Romance comics are a big part of comics history. This special is obviously inspired by romance comics of old, while advancing the story you and David have been telling. What makes IMP a perfect protagonist for superhero romance comics?

Karl: One of the things that makes a character great is how adaptable they are — how many different sides they have and still be that character. Spider-Man, for example, can be very funny or very scary. That means there are a ton of stories he works in. IMP is smart, sharp, and sassy — which works almost anywhere. And because of her deception — she can’t let anyone know she’s only pretending to be a hero — she’s pretty lonely. Enter: Demolition, a bad boy gun-for-hire. They seem to have a lot in common — because they do! They both have very little use for authority figures and pretty much feel laws don’t apply to them. But IMP can’t tell Demolition that! That’s the sort of complication that makes for great stories…

Tony: Were there any specific series or stories that acted as a direct inspiration for you here?

Karl: Only indirectly. I have always loved the 1970s Supergirl comic where the covers made it look like a superhero romance series — her and Zatanna fighting over the attention of a Yeti; Supergirl upset that someone else is kissing a biker-rebel she’s clearly interested in; etc.— and we certainly leaned heavily into that on the book’s cover. But to be totally honest: inside is the usual fast-paced, action-packed IMP story.

Tony: One of my favorite stories of yours — the extended Superboy/Knockout arc — was all about superhero romance gone wrong. This story definitely looks to share a few of those themes. What about superhero comics makes these stories fun for you as a creator?

Karl: Melodrama has to be about life-and-death stakes. And if it isn’t about life-and-death it has to feel like it’s about life and death. That’s what love is— the feeling that if we can’t be with this one special person, life will have no meaning. Superboy/Knockout was all about the Kid’s first love/crush, about your hormones making you ignore red flags. IMP and Demolition is about wanting a partner, someone who accepts you as you are, someone to share your life with. But the one thing IMP can’t do is share her life! Not truthfully.

Tony: David, you and Ryan are knocking it out of the park with the newest preview pages. At this point in your collaboration, what is the process like?

Karl: Very smooth, very collaborative, very fulfilling. I write a panel-by panel “plot” to the issue, David pushes-and-pulls that, I comment on his thumbnails — usually they’re great, often they’re better than I could have imagined, although in the last batch I realized something in the plot simply didn’t work (my fault; and David had already said he thought this particular scene might need work) so we threw out a couple pages and started from scratch. And made it better! Then David pencils, I ink, and Ryan makes us both look good with his colors!

Tony: What’s been your favorite sequence in the art to date?

Karl: Hard to say. The car chase opening scene is pretty good — car chases don’t always play well in comics, but David was up for the challenge as long as the car could be an AMX Javelin (which I believe was his car back in the day). And David drew a great car chase!

The quiet scenes between IMP and Demolition are wonderful too, as their connection grows. David does those sort of personal interactions better than anyone.

Tony: Has David surprised you with anything in this special?

Karl: David always pulls something out of his hat! The Javelin is a great example. I had suggested maybe a quasi-Batmobile sort of car — close enough for fans to recognize, but different enough that we wouldn’t get sued — but David wanted the Javelin and, once I researched the car and found its history as the “Alabama Hamma”, it was just too perfect!

Tony: From the Kickstarter description, it sounds like this story is the kickoff for the next phase of the Impossible Jones story. What’s next after this?

Karl: Impossible to Love! Is the prologue to our next big arc. IMP is now a deputized officer of the law, and using that position to find one, last Big Score to set herself up for life. We set up a lot of things here that will pay off later. IMP has been telling a lot of lies to a lot of people, and this storyline is where everything comes together — or crashes down!

Tony: Thanks for talking again Karl! Anything you want to leave fans and readers with?

Karl: I just want to thank everyone who’s supported IMP over the years. Couldn’t have done it without them — they’re the ones who make Impossible possible! Of course, there’s always room for more … always room for you! (Karl points his finger at the reader.) 

Tony: Thank you Karl!

Check out Impossible To Love! including variant covers, preview pages and more on Kickstarter today!