Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess #1

Steve Bryant is best known as the creator of Athena Voltaire, featuring the pulp style adventures of an aviatrix. He’s also the writer of Ghoul Scouts: Night of the Unliving Undead, an all ages adventure/supernatural series. Now, he returns to 1930s adventure with Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess! He recently told Westfield’s Roger Ash more about this upcoming series.

Westfield: For those who are unfamiliar with Athena Voltaire, what can you tell us about her?

Steve Bryant: Athena Voltaire is a 1930s pilot/adventurer. She’s the daughter of a stage magician, so growing up on tour with her family, and traveling with other magicians, circuses, and air shows helped her to develop her unique skill set. She’s the pilot who everyone calls when they want to get into—and out of—dangerous places.

Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess #1 preview page 1

Westfield: Since Athena Voltaire is set in the past, how much research to you do on locations, clothing, etc.?

Bryant: I research it all the time! Whether it’s for the writing or the art, I feel like I’m always researching something about the ‘30s! It’s an ongoing process, and it’s pulled me down some really interesting rabbit holes over the years.

Westfield: What can you tell us about the new story, Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess, and who are some of the other characters involved?

Bryant: Athena’s dad has acquired an interesting necklace ringed with hardened pieces of lava, rumored to be the tears of the fire goddess, Pele.

Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess #1 preview page 2

Westfield: Is the Volcano Goddess legend based on a real legend?

Bryant: According to legend, Pele really is the goddess of fire, lightning, wind and volcanoes, as well as the creator of the Hawaiian Islands. There are plenty of legends of Pele as a spurned lover. And “Pele’s Tears” are a real geological phenomena, too. They occur when airborne drops of lava solidify. I just invented a myth around the necklace.

So I took all of that stuff and tied it together with the necklace/artifact and wove it into the existing Athena Voltaire hollow earth mythology that’s in the Athena Voltaire Compendium.

Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess #1 preview page 3

Westfield: While there is action in the first issue, there is also a good deal of exposition. What are the challenges of keeping exposition interesting?

Bryant: Try to make an info dump visually interesting. It’s hard, because I want to keep the narrative moving, but don’t want to cram every page with  too many captions. I’m still learning how best to pare it down.

It helps to break it up with quips from some of the characters.

Needless to say, it’s a skill that I’m still developing—both as a writer and as an artist.

Westfield: Any closing comments?

Bryant: This book is so much fun for me to make. I plan to continue to revisit Athena and her adventures a lot more at our new home at Action Lab!

Purchase

Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess #1