How's this for a pitch? Shane Berryhill, the writer behind "Sherwood, TX," describes his biker epic as Robin Hood through a Quentin Tarantino lens. If there's one way to sell a re-telling of a classic, Berryhill has certainly found it. "Sherwood, TX" replaces merriment with grit, and outlaws with bikers. It is dark, imaginative, chock-full of fast-paced action. And with colorful characters named Rob Hood, L.J. and Padre Tuck, it's impossible not be drawn to such a magnetic retelling of a familiar story.

With the first issue debuting today, featuring a special cover price of $1.00, "Sherwood, TX" is the blood-soaked spaghetti from 12-Gauge Comics you probably didn't even realize you were waiting for. The 5-issue miniseries drawn by Daniel Hillyard features noir sensibilities, biting dialogue and plenty of badass, mean-machine characters. The story follows biker Rob Hood and his not-so-merry band of men as he seeks justice against the crooked sheriff of Nottingham, Texas. With a concept as wild and imaginative as this, we had to know more. CBR News spoke with Berryhill, along with cover artist /character designer Andrew Robinson about everything that went into this modern re-invention of a folklore legend.

CBR News: Shane,tell us about "Sherwood, TX." What do you have in store for readers?


Shane Berryhill: "Sherwood, TX" is Robin Hood rebooted as a Quentin Tarantino-style biker epic. It's a12-Gauge Comics title, so you can expect action, intrigue, betrayal and greatcharacter moments. There will also be lots of beer, bows, and bullets(andmotorcycle jousting!).

Nice! What type of research did you do to nail the right atmosphere and characters for"Sherwood, TX"?


Berryhill: Quite a bit,actually -- though I probably threw out as much as I kept. I think it was JoeHill's famous pop [Stephen King] who said, "Never let the facts get in the way of a goodstory." Anyway, the most valuable research I did wasn't really research atall,but a novel I read a few years ago for pleasure before "Sherwood" was even aglimmer in my eye: "Under and Alone." It's the nonfiction account of WilliamQueen, an undercover cop who infiltrated the Mongols MC. Beyond that, Idid alot of research online regarding Texas border towns and their colonias, thehuman-trafficking epidemic, drug cartels, etc. And, of course, I reacquaintedmyself with Robin Hood lore. Any Robin Hood scholars out there should pick uponseveral Easter Eggs we've planted for future story arcs. Lastly, I wanted "Sherwood, TX" to play like a modern-day spaghetti western, so I revisited a lot of filmsby Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci. Never let it be said I don't suffer formyart (that's me being sarcastic, by the way). But, in truth, it's the team ofAndrew, Daniel Hillyard, [colorist] Charlie Kirchoff, [cover artist] Eben Matthews, and [letterer] Ed Dukeshirewho've breathed life into this comic and created its roughneck, neo-noir lookandfeel.

What's the fascination with biker gangs?


Berryhill: Whentransforming the legend of Robin Hood into an American tale (told through themedium of comics), I asked myself, "What is the American equivalent of RobinHood's romantic, medieval band of outlaws?" The answer was,"cowboys." But thestory gnawing at my brain wanted to be a contemporary one. So, again, I askedmyself, "What's the modern equivalent of cowboys?" The answer was readilyapparent: bikers. I realized instantly how wellmotorcycle club culture -- withits outlaw mentality and various warring factions, symbols, logos, etc. -- lentitself not only to the conventions of the classic tale of Robin Hood, but alsoto mainstream comic books in general. Ergo, the"patch" on a biker's back mightas well be a superhero/villain emblem that identifies them as either anoutside-the-law X-man or an outright member of the Legion of Doom. All that to say,bikers are our modern day antiheroes. Theydo what so many of us wish we could:work hard and play harder, living free just outside the confines of civilizedsociety. It's the basis of American culture -- especially Southern culture. Ournatural instinct to buck authority is both ourgreatest weakness and ourgreatest strength.

Andrew,how did you get involved in the story?

AndrewRobinson: I think wespoke about this project last year at Heroes Con. Basically Keven [Gardner, 12-Gauge's publisher] just asked meif I'd be interested in designing characters and illustrating covers for a newbook about a modern day, Robin Hood inspired story with bikers. Iliked thechallenge of starting from scratch and visually revamping these classiccharacters.

Let's talk more about the character designs. Can you walk us throughthat process?

Robinson: We began bydiscussing the physical attributes of the main characters. Next I read overShane's notes and script. We did some research for biker vests, club logos andactors and actual bikers to get a feel for how our characters shouldlook andact. After soaking in all this visual inspiration, I began sketching on typingpaper with a red sketching pencil. Once I got the right shapes, attitudes,attire and facial features, I refined my red pencil sketch with an HB lead.NextI did some shading with Copic sketch makers and lastly laid in some blackink. The last step is scanning and adding some Photoshop colors. Then, BAM! Isend 'em to Keven and hope it's what he's looking for. He asked for a fewalterations, but basically we were on the same page.

That's a hell of a process. What's your studio look like?


Robinson: It's adecent-sized room in an artist's building a few blocks from my home. Woodenfloors, one wall of exposed brick and a beautiful view of the mountains. I havean Italian drafting table which was given to me by a friend. Love thattable.I've got a few bookshelves with art books, design books and some of myfavorite comics. There's an acoustic guitar on a stand by the wall. Playing itbadly helps me relax when I'm frustrated with a drawing. Sometimes mystudio isclean, usually right before I begin a project. Then the creative hurricane hitsand books, art supplies and papers end up everywhere. And I usually clean upagain when I know someone, a client or a friend, is coming over tovisit.



Shane, howdid this comic end up at 12-Gauge?

Berryhill: I'd beentrying to get into comics for years (my prose novels being my resume), devotinga lot of time and money into networking with little-to-no return. HeroesCon2013 (an awesome Con for diehard comic book fans) was comingup, so I made adeal with myself: either I land a true hit in the field of comics, or I focusentirely on writing prose.The pressure was on, and I had to produce.So I gave myself the best chance to do so, researching the publishers andeditors who would be at HeroesCon. I saw that 12-Gauge was a guest and wasfamiliar with their good work. So I arrived at HeroesCon and did exactly whatthe pros tell you not to do: I went up to 12-Gauge Publisher Keven Gardner(and writer/editor Doug Wagner) without having exchanged the first e-mail orphone call and started talking. Quite early on in the conversation, I pitched"Sherwood, TX." Keven, being the awesome gentleman and visionary that he is,waskind enough to listen. Our phone calls and e-mails continued after HeroesCon,and "Sherwood, TX" became a reality.

Have either of you been to Sherwood? If not, what's your favorite Texasstereotype?


Berryhill: I had noidea there was an actual Sherwood, Texas until I started googling the title tosee what, if any, press there was for the comic in regard to its then imminentFree Comic Book Day release. You can imagine my surprise when anactual townpopped up. I mean, I'd never considered the possibility. Truth is indeedstranger than fiction. But, from I what I read online, the real-world Sherwoodis a Middle Texas ghost town of a few dozen people. In a perfect world,I'dlove to see the comic take off and the good people of the town start aso-themed festival like the one in Metropolis, Illinois -- maybe a biker rally inthis instance -- something that would help the town financially. As far as Texasstereotypes, well, I've been lucky enough to trade a few e-mails with East Texasauthor Joe Lansdale ("Bubba Ho-Tep," "Jonah Hex" "Son of Batman"). Based on ourexchanges, he strikes me as a rough-n-tumble, no nonsense fellowwith a heartof gold. In other words, a true Southerner and Texan. In all humility, I liketo think there's a little of "Papa" Lansdale's influence in "Sherwood, TX."

Robinson: If I havebeen to Sherwood I was just driving through it. Well considering Texas could beself-sustaining... ahem... is this mic on? "Don't mess with Texas."

The $1.00 "Sherwood, TX" #1 is on sale now from 12-Gauge Comics.