Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "failstate"

I'll be pleased from time to time to interview other authors of Christian Superhero fiction.

In this case, that would be, John Otte author of the Failstate series:



Ed note: You can read my review of the first Failstate book here.

Now to the interview:

AG: When did you first become interested in superheroes out. What were some of your earliest favorites?

JO: I first became interested in superheroes at an extremely young age. I don’t remember how old exactly. My local library had a cart filled with comic books that a person could check out and I used to raid the pile every time I went. I got exposed to a lot of superheroes that way (only the stories didn’t make a lot of sense since the issues were completely out of order!). When I grew a little older, I found anthologies for Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel in the library shelves and checked those out quite often as well. So I read a lot of “classic” stories from the ‘50s and ‘60s.

AG: Lucky you, You must have had better libraries. I lived in the small town of Kalispell and we only had one book with one Superman story from the 30s-80s and we were THANKFUL for it...But leaving my deprived rural childhood aside, on your website and there's a picture of you wearing a Flash t-shirt. Is the Flash your favorite mainstream (I.e DC/Marvel) superhero or is there another character that gets that title?

JO:That honor goes to Batman. I became a fan not only because of the aforementioned anthology, but also because I grew up watching Adam West’s cheesy TV show. The sad thing is, when I was a kid, I thought the ‘70s Batman show was the height of drama. I had no idea that what they were doing was mockery. You can imagine my chagrin when I rediscovered the show as a teenager and discovered how goofy it was.

But Batman is still my favorite. I think the reason why is because, aside from his vast wealth, he has no real superpowers. Everything he does, he does on his own. That, and he has some of the best villains. The Joker will always be my favorite supervillain, simply because he’s so unapologetically evil and twisted.

AG: What gave you the idea for a Failstate and how long from idea to publication did it take to get the story into print?



JO: A few years back, I was feeling very much like Failstate. I was extremely jealous of another author’s success. I realized how sinful that attitude was and I went to the Word. I was meditating on 1 Corinthians 12 and Paul’s thoughts about spiritual gifts, how we’re supposed to work together as God’s people, as one body, gave me an itch to write a story. My wife suggested that I write something about superheroes, mostly because my older son was really into superheroes as well. That planted the seed. I then went to my brothers-in-law, who are avid comic book readers. They helped me put together Failstate and Gauntlet’s powers.

It took me about a year and a half to two years to get the plot written, edited, and then published by Marcher Lord Press.

AG: When I read Failstate, I was reminded of a lot of the only Spider-man stories I had been reading in the Marvel masterworks in that he's this kind of hard luck hero. Was that something you were going for?

In some ways, that is sort of what I was going for. I wanted Failstate to feel very inferior to his older brother. Spiderman usually grapples with feelings of inadequacy. Plus, I love Spidey’s wit and humor. I may have infused a little of that into my characters too.

AG: On my books, people have asked a few times about whether I considered doing a graphic novel, so I'll ask you, have you thought of doing a fail state graphic novel?

JO: If I had a good partner to work with, I think it’d be a lot of fun. I don’t have any experience writing for graphic novels, so I’d be a little hesitant to do so. Plus I’m not sure how to distribute such a writing, so I guess it’ll have to remain an unrealized dream for now.

AG: It's getting easier to do technically with the Ipad and Kindle Fire being good for comics plus the birth of Comixology Submit to do it indie and free, but the partner is definitely key and the right artist is a must. Anyway, The latest Failstate book deals with zombies? Could you tell me with the runaway success of Walking Dead, what is behind the popularity of the zombie genre right now? And how is your take on it in your latest book different than what people have read elsewhere?


JO:Failstate: Legends does indeed have zombies in it. I have no idea why zombies have become so popular lately. I wish I did. I read once that zombie stories become more popular during a Republican administration but that’s clearly not the case this time around.
If I have to differentiate my zombies from the rest, mine aren’t the results of an unexplainable zombie apocalypse.

There’s a definite intelligence behind their attacks. And that’s pretty much all I can say without dropping some spoilers.

AG: We will honor the Spoiler alert and move on to the next question. I have to admit when I first saw the cover of Failstate that Gauntlet looked most like a superhero. Now you've written a short for him, Gauntlet Goes to the Prom. Tell us a little bit about it and do you plan on doing more shorts with other characters?



JO: Gauntlet is definitely the more classically heroic of the Laughlin brothers. Gauntlet Goes to Prom was written because, as much as it embarrasses me to admit it, I messed up a little between the two books. There was a plot thread that was left hanging a little between the two, and so I decided that the best route to go would be to write a short story to bridge the two books and tie off that loose thread. So I told a story about Ben “Gauntlet” Laughlin taking his girlfriend to the prom. Of course, since he’s a superhero, a lot of things are going to go wrong.

I’ve actually thought about doing one more short story before the last book comes out. I don’t have any concrete ideas yet, but hopefully something will come to me soon.

AG: It says on your bio that you're a pastor. Two question. First, have you ever had any weird reactions from people over writing superhero fiction? Second, how do you think your experience as a pastor shapes your writing?


JO: Actually, I haven’t had a lot of negative reactions. A few of my parishioners have told me that they don’t like the kinds of stories that I write, but it’s more of an apology for not buying my books. But most everyone I talk to about it is very supportive.

I think being a pastor, and more specifically, a Lutheran pastor, gives me a unique perspective on writing Christian fiction. In some ways, I need to be more careful. It’s very easy for me to slip into a sermonizing mode and try to beat people over the head with the blunt end of the premise. But it’s a fun challenge to figure out how to load in some good spiritual content and stay true to the story I’m telling.

AG: If copyright law were no object and you could have character fight against Failstate or fight alongside Failstate, who would it be?

JO: Batman and the Joker. Absolutely. That would be a lot of fun. Or maybe Spiderman, simply because he started out as a teenage superhero and I think he’d have a lot of advice to share with Failstate.

AG: That would be fun. Anything else you'd like to tell our readers?

JO: Thanks for reading!

AG: And thanks for the interview and all the best on your new releases.

Failstate: Legends by John W. Otte

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The teenage superhero Failstate (Robin Laughlin) won his won his Vigilante license as a result of a reality TV show and returns to his hometown of New Chayton facing a brand new challenge: the emergence of zombies on the streets of New Chayton.

Unfortunately, while New Chayton is allotted several licensed heroes, Failstate is the only one available. His liaison officer with the government agency that regulates costumed vigilantes invites a swarm of licensed heroes to New Chayton to assist in the challenge. Can the sixteen year old stand up in the company of legends (including the most legendary hero of all?)

The book works quite well, but is perhaps best in the character development department. Failstate, unlicensed heroes Gauntlet (aka Robin’s brother Ben), and Veritas (aka Mike) all were in the first book. All three characters are changing but in a realistic and believable fashion. It's great to see how the relationship between Gauntlet and Failstate evolves throughout the book.

I also have to give kudos to Otte for a couple new characters. I loved the vigilante Kynetic (Kyn) and Etzal’el was a character I thought I wouldn't like but I actually found to be really fun. Either one of these would be great for a spin-off book.

The story itself is very well-written and fast-paced with a lot of plot developments on its way to the final conclusion. Failstate: Legends has everything you’d expect in a superhero story and all of its well done with plenty of battles, intrigue, and a good deal of suspense get thrown into the mix.

I'm not a fan of zombie stories usually, but the zombies in Legends were a macguffin for our heroes and villains to have a plot around rather than the central point of the story.

The negatives of the story are few. We find out that Failstate's name is a bit of a misnomer as his power doesn't actually create a Failstate, which I guess would be kind of like finding out Spider-man had been by a radioactive ladybug. I'll also admit the set up for the final battle between Failstate and the main villain did stretch suspension of disbelief a little bit, but the stunning conclusion to the story more than makes up for it.

Finally, some people will have a problem with the fact that (without giving away the ending) the VOC (the agency that regulates superheroes in Failstate’s universe) was really incompetent and poorly managed, with the left hand does know what the right is doing, power is abused, and government funds are embezzled and mismanaged with little to no oversight. However, I merely give the book points for realism.

Overall, Failstate Legends is a well-crafted story that continues the coming of age saga with a likable hero, a great supporting cast, and a well-done plot which provides a couple good life lessons along the way.




View all my reviews

Kynetic: On Target by John W. Otte

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Unlicensed vigilante Kynetic has a plan to get her license but it's not what anyone would call heroic. She plans to become the sidekick and girlfriend of licensed hero Failstate by ensuring that his existing girlfriend Charlotte breaks up with him. To do this, she actually befriends Charlotte and hatches a scheme with small time supervillains to confront a heavy hitting supervillain with the goal of setting Failstate up to have to break a big date while trying to secure a license for herself.

To be honest, while I liked Kynetic in Failstate: Legends, I really had trouble liking her throughout most of the story as she really came off as a designing woman willing to sink to almost anything in order to get what she wants. However, I kept with the story and was satisfied at the conclusion. The plot and action are good throughout and there's a positive message that's well-said at the end of the book.

I also liked the character of Charolotte, who is a sweet person. (Though how sweet she was tended to make me less sympathetic to Kynetic.) I'm not certain she's a good fit for the Failstate universe as she seems to play that role of the superhero's girlfriend who doesn't know about the secret. Thus, she ends up constantly frustrated and disappointed by her beau's failure to appear and follow through commitments which allows her to serve as a festering source of guilt and stress for our hero. Here's hoping that Otte comes up with something else for Charlotte to do in the next book.



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