Right out the gate, new comic publisher Bad Idea will tackle artificial intelligence -- with a twist. Matt Kindt and Doug Brathwaite's ENIAC, the publisher's debut title, imagines a world defined by an AI unwittingly created by American scientists during World War II. Now, two secret agents must track down and destroy the all-seeing, super-intelligent computer before it reaches the end of its mysterious countdown.
Speaking to CBR in their first-ever interview about the prestige-format limited series, Kindt and Braithwaite revealed more plot details and explained how the project came together at Bad Idea. They discussed what sets ENIAC apart from other popular AI in fiction, introduced their two main characters and weighed in on what other pieces of pop culture influenced the four-issue series. They also teased their favorite scenes, the research they conducted for the project and more, all with an exclusive look at new artwork from the first issue.
CBR: To get started, tell me a little about how this project came together.
Matt Kindt: I have been working with [Bad Idea Co-CEO & Co-Chief Creative Officer] Warren [Simons]... he's probably the editor I've worked with the longest, at this point. We just stayed in touch after Valiant, and I consider Warren a friend. Then the idea for this came up, and we started talking and we just spitballed. You know how you just sort of daydream about stories and different things? I told Warren, "I have a folder on my laptop with 50 ideas in it, but I am going to die before I get to [them]." So I showed him the file. Not many people have seen the file. I've probably showed it to three people, but it's just every idea I've ever had, that I just put there... and I showed it to Warren, and ENIAC was one of those ideas.
He loved the idea, and we talked about it... They told me the plan for Bad Idea and what they were doing, and I loved it -- the model for the publishing and having this total freedom, but also enough talented people and money and everything to back it, to make it good, was super exciting to me. That's the other thing, is I have all these ideas that I can't get to, but mostly I can't get to them because I don't have the time to draw everything myself and I don't have the money to hire a good artist to do the work either.
So that was the other thing. That's what was amazing, was having the backing and the ability to do the story but also to get the best artists. That's the other part of the conversation -- like, who draws it? I've worked with Doug at Valiant and... everybody knows his work, so I don't need to tell you how good it is, but just working with him was at the top of the list. He was perfect choice for this book. I think Warren called Doug.
Doug Braithwaite: I've kind of been in touch with Warren on and off the last year or so. He rang up and mentioned coming on board and helping to start this new company, being one of the artists there -- a lot of familiar names there, and a lot of names there that a lot of people haven't heard of -- but it was very exciting.
When he pitched the project to me, he didn't actually tell me who was writing it initially, but I was obviously very excited, and then he said that Matt was going to be writing it... and I'm there in a heartbeat. The projects I've worked on in the past with Matt have always been really exciting for me to draw as an artist. Visually, they're very stimulating and challenging at the same time. I always look for great storytelling to push me forward and Matt has never let me down. He's always bringing something new to the table, and it's fun! I'm all about storytelling, but having a good time doing it as well. So when I found out Matt was going to be in charge of this project, I was just really excited, and it hasn't let me down, either. [laughs]
Could you give our readers a quick breakdown of the plot and what they should expect from this series?
Kindt: Well, ENIAC actually came about from a real thing I read about years ago. ENIAC is real. If you Google it, there's a Wikipedia for ENIAC, which was this really basic computer that they built during World War II. It was running on punch cards and really just the rawest, roughest version of the very first computer. So I just took that idea.
I love that idea of this really analog computer and then just extrapolating on that and wondering, "What if they had taken that and they just kept building on it and building on it and making it into this supercomputer before we knew there were supercomputers?" Like they just poured all these resources into it. In the book, we go into detail about how they did that. They just had warehouses full of people inputting data into this giant, analog computer, manually going in and putting all this raw data in and trying to figure out a way to believably make this computer develop into what eventually becomes artificial intelligence, but way earlier than that's ever happened.
I like the idea of there being this artificial intelligence, like the very basic, baby form of it, during WWII. Then there's some kind of twist. The story takes place in our world, like our world [with] everything that's happened, but then what's sort of an alternate explanation for why some things happened -- without spoiling too much, the idea of how WWII ended and the events surrounding that and how this AI manipulated those events. That's just where it starts.
We go to present day, and where is that computer now? What is that AI doing, in the intervening 80 years? I think that's where the fun part comes in, is interweaving this crazy AI that becomes super smart, this thing we built, and what does that do in 80 years? What does it become? What has it done to the Earth and the world and politics and all that? There's nothing we can do on Earth without this thing knowing about it is the major premise of the book. There is still fighting and explosions and there's these two agents that have to go in and try to kill the thing. That's the basic plot.
As a culture, we're pretty obsessed with rogue AI. What sets ENIAC apart?
Kindt: I will say, I don't want to do those kind of stories. We've seen HAL in 2001, and we've seen Terminator. We've seen all that. I think the problem with a lot of those are the AI and the behavior of that AI is based on human ideas and what we would do. So I tried to take a different track with that. In 80 years, this AI that's superintelligent, what would it do? I don't even think it would care about killing or harming humanity. I think it's above that, but in a way, it has a loftier goal that doesn't involve us.
Humanity is the problem. We're the ones that are threatened by this thing. It's like we're the dumb ones threatened by this super intelligent thing and so, in a lot of ways, we're kind of the enemy. I don't want to spoil where things go, but definitely know that, when we were making this, we were fully aware of every bad robot story that has happened before, and that's not what we're doing. Trust us!
I read over the script for the first issue, and naturally, it dives deep into the history surrounding WWII and the creation of the not-so-fictional ENIAC computer. What kind of research did you conduct to really nail the look and feel of the era?
Braithwaite: These are elements in a story that I really look forward to... I get to find out about new things and, in doing so, bring elements to storytelling that I wouldn't normally have had the opportunity to do. The way the story is set up, from the early 20th century passing through [to today], which is quite unique to me. I've never really had the opportunity to do something like that. Obviously, I've done stories which were set in certain time frames, but they were specifically within those kind of general eras, but this is covering a whole swath of very important eras and they way they all link up together is quite intriguing.
So you base the story in how one scene sets up the next one and it's all subtleties that most readers will probably miss on the read-through. Then, once they get to the end of the book, they'll go back and there will be trigger points that they'll probably be able to refer to and understand things a lot more clearly... I've learned a lot of new things as well about history and ENIAC, as well, which has been quite amusing.
Kindt: Honestly, I think Doug is doing such a great job... because this story spans WWII-era technology, but then jumps to modern day and then all the steps in between. So seeing ENIAC evolve and the visuals of the technology and everything, that's not easy to do and jump back and forth because the story progresses to modern day and then jumps back and forth, and I think that's why [Doug is] a professional artist, because you do it really well! [laughs]
Braithwaite: Thank you! It's all about story, and you have to try and get the story right. If anything, that's what comics are all about. You want to engage the reader. You make sure everything is there, in place. You may not get things totally accurate, but as long as you give them the feel and the setup to make them move through the story and enjoy it, then that's our job done. Then, if they want to research stuff more, they could do that. This story allows them the opportunity to do that. It is quite funny, since it's probably different to work I've done before but, at the same time, it's just as enjoyable. It's a lot more cerebral, which is what I love.
The first issue's narrative wove between the past and the present to really highlight the threat that ENIAC poses. Is that something we'll see continue as the series moves forward, or does the action of the story take place mostly in the present following issue #1?
Kindt: It gradually shifts to more present day action as we go. The first issue really is a lot of the history of ENIAC and showing how it happened, how it was born. Then the last three-quarters of the series are humanity dealing with repercussions of that, trying to figure out what's happening and the reaction. It's setup, and then our reaction to it over the course of the next three issues, with some back and forth, because we don't really show everything that happened. So there's a little bit of back and forth and we'll get more of the history. There's these two characters, the two main characters, and we'll get to see more of their past as we go and how that intertwines with ENIAC.
Introduce me to Falk and Fletcher.
Kindt: They're named after two of my favorite TV characters. Yeah, they're these two special agents who had a relationship before the series started. So we hint at that a little bit, but now they just work professionally together. They're the best they are at what they do for this kind of thing... They're sort of -- not humanity's last hope, but the Secretary of Defense has been... on a freelance basis to basically try to save the world, which sounds really grand.
So part of the fun is having their relationship, which had happened and they have little contentious moments between them and history that they have that we explore we as go along. There's a tie to ENIAC to them as we go. It's not just these two random characters we've brought in to take out ENIAC. They have a link, a special link, that makes them ideal for the mission. I'm dodging every reveal right here. [laughs]
But there's a reason they're together and there's a reason they're doing this mission. They were super fun to write and fun to have the banter back and forth. I don't want to spoil that either, but I think they're cool, and Doug draws them great. I don't think I've ever written a story where the main characters are naked at the beginning. There's a very good reason for it! But it was a funny way to introduce the characters.
Braithwaite: I like this real dark humor in the story as well, which is great -- the little elements that made me chuckle. Even those pretty serious scenes, and the setup was quite serious, there are elements of underlying humor there that some people will get, I'm sure.
Kindt: If you laughed, Doug, that makes me happy. That's all that matters!
Braithwaite: It's interesting, as you're trying to get the characters in a place visually, for me, to actually work with in the whole context of the story, I know there is a couple of different approaches [Kindt] and Warren wanted for them, but I'm pretty happy with the way they've come out. As the story progresses, they'll be fleshed out even more, and everybody will be totally engaged and love them for who they are and what they do.
Kindt: I'm going to spoil the opening scene a little bit, but ENIAC -- it's really hard to do anything without ENIAC realizing it or knowing it because of satellites and electronics and he can maybe get into everything and hear and see everything, so it's impossible to sneak up on him. So the opening scene was great, because -- when we were starting the series -- Doug did all these amazing character designs, checking out the outfits and what these characters are going to wear and how're they're going to look and is there going to be a logo, an insignia? And did all these great sketches and figured it out, but then the first 10 pages are they have to meet up in the desert with no clothes on so ENIAC can't hear them. So all that work on that character design... I'm sorry, Doug!
Braithwaite: That's what drew me to the script straight away. It's like, "Okay. I'm there already. This is unusual!" [laughs] But within the whole context of the story, it makes perfect sense, and it's just great fun to work with. It's cool.
I, for one, was pretty stoked to see stoked to see the two leads are women. What led to that decision?
Kindt: For me, I've been doing it for a while. When I did my MIND MGMT, I think that was the first time I consciously was trying to write a main character that's a woman, just from a pure writing standpoint. It forces me to not be me, you know? I think writers, a lot of times, will tend to put themselves into the character, and then you end up having this person that is just a conduit for you and your ideas and your thoughts. I think just by changing the sex of the character already makes me have to think differently.
So anything I can do to have a character that is not me is more of a writing challenge, and that just makes the characters more real because then they become who they are, rather than me trying to make them more like -- unconsciously, even -- what I am or what I'd think or how I would talk or what I would say. That's another thing I've been doing for a while, just because it takes me out of my comfort zone. It just keeps me interested too, I think. I do a little more research and think a little harder.
Other than that, I think having a daughter who reads, I'm conscious of that. I want her to be excited about this or see somebody that's more like her... but mostly because it's harder to write.
In the script, I noticed a few pop culture references, so I'm curious to learn what other pieces of pop culture influenced the story.
Kindt: It's so weird, because all ideas come from nowhere but everywhere at the same time. Everything I read and watch and little pieces of that that just float around in the back of your head and then they come together. I'm trying to even think what other references I made in the scripts. I don't know! Doug, do you remember anything?
Braithwaite: I think you provided references just to give me a feel of the scene or maybe a possible look for the characters -- not referencing the characters exactly, but maybe this guy has hair like this person or has mannerisms like this character. Every time we went through another phase in history, and you'd be sending me a different reference associated with that time frame, with historical elements, or actors or film stars from that period, just to give me an idea of what you were visualizing when you wrote the script, just for me to get a handle on what direction I could go in. As always, it was really important for me. It gives me a more rounded feel of where I'm going to take the story visually. If you hadn't given me those elements, I probably would have been -- to be honest with you -- struggling, be second guessing all the time. So it's just what I expect from you, Matt.
Kindt: Well, it's funny. It's one thing to write a page that has a giant explosion on it, but it's another to be able to render that in a way that makes it have an emotional impact. I can draw an explosion, but I couldn't make it do what it made me feel when I saw those pages. Spoiler! There's a big explosion in the first issue. But the impact of that, there's something about the style. There's something special about it, the way you framed it.
Braithwaite: When I draw a story, I read the script three or four times, like on the plane, like the film scripts -- all those elements you asked me to refer to. I'm absorbing all the time, thinking things through, coming back to it and thinking it through. So, by the time I actually sit down to draw a story properly, it's all there in my head like a film. I just draw what I feel and I draw what I see in front of me...
Once I've read the script and I know where the cast is going and what the setups are, I'm just lost in the story when I'm drawing. It's just like you move from one page to the next one. You automatically know what the next scene leads up to. I know some artists have a tendency to jump from one page at the start of the book to another page at the end, if it's something you're frightened to draw or something like that. I can't do that! [laughs] I have to still work linearly. I've got to work from page one to page 22 or page 30 or whatever, because that's the way I visualize it when I tell a story.
Kindt: If you ask me, that's what makes the storytelling so good. So, the pop culture thing, I thought of something. Yeah, I think, if there was anything I was aware of, I'm a huge fan of Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clark. I think, if anything, I was very aware of how I'm starting my scripts and everything, but in a way, super conscious of those things, because we wanted to do something different than that. It's being very aware of these pop culture touchstones of AI, like Terminator and all the things that immediately pop into your head. We wanted to be super aware of those, and then assuming that everyone reading this is also going to be aware of those, so that we can subvert your expectations.
It reminds me of Ninjak. When we did Ninjak at Valiant, I just remember the first couple of issues, Ninjak was this character who is a spy and he is a ninja, but I purposefully wrote the beginning of that, consciously, to parallel Batman because he's this rich playboy or whatever with all this dark history. I just remember people reacting to it at the beginning, like, "It's just Batman. It's a Batman ripoff." And then, by issue #3, there's a sucker punch, because, well, yeah, who's not aware of Batman? Why would you think that we would be doing another Batman?
So, similar to this, I love it because of the setup, like, "Well, this is like HAL from 2001" and iRobot, but you have to just trust us that we were aware of those things. That's the fun of it, and that's why we're dancing around all the spoilers, because it's, to me, the twist we have on this, the whole idea of AI or whatever, is what makes it special.
I also saw some unfinished artwork for the project. Doug, could you tell me a little more about how you envision the final project? Have you hired a colorist?
Braithwaite: Well, it's funny, because every project that I get to work on -- once again, once I've read the script, it's like trying to approach it in a slightly different way. No job that I've done has been handled in the same way -- or I don't think so, from my point of view.
For the last few years, when I was working at Valiant, I had a tendency to print straight from my pencils. I'd ink some pencils and send them on to a colorist after that, and that worked pretty well, but it's very difficult. You have to try and get a colorist who understands what you're looking for... so I think initially, it was a bit hit or miss, but towards the end, I had the opportunity to work with Diego Rodriguez, who is a fantastic colorist. He's a fantastic storyteller with color as well. He picked up on little subtleties in my work and he added a lot of elements to the story himself.
So I thought, "Okay," once I read the story, "I think this story calls for a lot of subtlety and also a lot of understanding of scene setting and colors and lighting." I thought Diego was perfect for it, so I basically recommended him to Warren and wasn't sure what the situation would be with him, but he seemed very happy to come back on board, very happy to work with me again. So that was basically that job sorted out, and that then frees me up to just kind of move forward on the story and tell it properly.
So basically, what I'm saying is, I'm just doing enhanced pencils on this project, and then Diego is coloring directly on top of that. To me, I like the feel of that, because it gives more of a feel to the page. The lines are soft, so you get a lot more contrast with the color, which I think enhances the storytelling as well. I say it all depends on the colorist you're working with, so Diego is great and we have a really good understanding. We discuss these together and hopefully that will come through on the pages when readers see the issue.
Kindt: I'm going to add just one more thing, too. I feel like so many times you see the pencils for the page and then the inks come in and then all the energy of that page has just been killed by the ink. I feel like 90% of artists do it to themselves, even. You just have all that energy on the page, and then -- with inks -- it just tightens up. I understand, for publishing reasons, but as an artist, to me, it kills all the energy. So Doug, somehow you keep all the energy of the drawings in there, which is what I love.
Then here's another thing no one sees: you'll send me emails with the pages with the art and everything, but then you have all these great notes, like stage directions for a lot of effects and little things that are applied after, and I didn't realize you were doing that until the last couple emails. I like that!
Braithwaite: I thought I upset people when I did that!
Kindt: No, no! It's great. I think that's what's great is the communication, like the back and forth with us and then with the colorist, as long as everybody is pushing towards the same goal. I feel like there's no ego there. It's just like, "Let's make it look as good as possible and make it read as good as it can read." It's the reason I like collaborating. We can make each other better.
Braithwaite: Yeah, exactly. I think putting notes on the page, when I'm sending in the JPEGs for everybody to look at... to me, it's all about storytelling, so I'm just letting people know what I visualize. That could be just a lighting effect here or I'd attach some reference to help the colorist understand how I visualized a certain approach for an explosion or something. As I was saying, all those elements help for everybody to get on the same page and to enhance the storytelling, which is what we're trying to do. We're trying to put out a good product, the best product we can, and so it's great when you work with people who are like-minded and like to see the end result as well, when everybody is pulling in the same direction.
Can you tease your favorite moment or scene from the series? The one thing you just can't wait for people to see?
Kindt: The ending, which I can't tell you about. I would say probably the last three pages of the whole thing is my favorite thing. It's bonkers.
Braithwaite: I think it probably has to be mine as well, actually. There are loads of elements within the story which people will be drawn to, but the end scene gives you a realization of what everybody's dealing with. No spoilers!
Kindt: Yeah, no spoilers, but I think the opening scene is great, too. Maybe the beginning and the end. It's good bookends.
Is there anything else you'd like to add before we wrap up?
Kindt: Honestly, the only other thing I would say is it feels like the idea of what we're doing and how we're doing it, it reminds me of when I first started in comics and the fun of dragging those boxes in your garage before you have an assistant. It is! It's like the old days, you know? When I was doing my own comics, I packed my own books. I did my own little marketing gimmicks thing, and I think we're just doing that. We've all worked together a lot in the past, so now we're just starting from the ground up and building this new thing. It's super fun.
Braithwaite: Which is always exciting. It's a different approach for me. It's a different challenge, and it's exciting. So hopefully, that will convey itself on the page when readers pick up the book.
Matt Kindt and Doug Braithwaite's ENIAC #1 goes on sale in select comic shops starting May 6.