Immortal Studios continues to build their shared universe of Wuxia martial arts-fantasy stories with Jen Troy and He Tao’s latest series, Assassin G. We got to speak to Troy about her new series (which just launched on Kickstarter) and the challenges of writing a Wuxia comic based on ancient lore.
How did you become involved with Assassin G?
Jen Troy: A mutual friend introduced me to Shiao Yi’s son and Immortal Studios’ fearless leader, Peter Shiao. They brought up the original novel to me and I was hooked. I’m so honored Immortal Studios has trusted me with Assassin G: the story of a badass Chinese American assassin who seeks revenge for her master in the ‘80s. I was immediately drawn to our lead who uses her bare hands to kill a person. Her bare hands!
How do you approach adapting a story by Wuxia master Shiao Yi that has already been produced in a number of formats?
Troy: It’s not easy! I looked at the core story and added/subtracted the aspects that made more sense for the visual comic book medium. Peter and my amazing editor Brian Cunningham were great resources who I could bounce ideas off of which helped immensely.
Assassin G is part of a larger universe. How does your comic fit into this mosaic?
Troy: In the Immortal storyverse, Assassin G is considered the next pillar after the amazing Tasha Huo and the amazing Charlie Stickney’s The Adept. In Assassin G, my characters have already trained hard and can harness their qi. They are not supernatural even though the moves they make may seem that way. In actuality, they’re unlocking the power from within to do these incredible moves.
What does He Tao bring to the series and what was it like working together?
Troy: He Tao is very talented and has done an awesome job of bringing what I saw in my mind to the physical page. He got my full script with a ton of notes inside it including specific ‘80s hairstyles and fashion. The script was then translated into Chinese. Later, potential changes were discussed over email. I’m so happy he’s a part of bringing Assassin G to life.
Many fans have great admiration for your work on Supergirl. Memories of working on the series?
Troy: I’m so grateful to the showrunners Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller for kindly giving me the opportunity to write for Supergirl. I learned so much from the show and the super writing staff. Getting to watch the awesome talents of Jesse Rath as multiple versions of Brainy in “The Bottle Episode” on set was incredible. The crew did an amazing job making him appear as different versions in a scene at the same time.
Upcoming projects?
Troy: Assassin G! I’m always working on a few projects at a time. The best way to hear the latest is to follow me on Twitter: @JenTr0y.
What’s your go to martial arts move/attack?
Troy: Great question. The Touch of Death is just such a cool movie which you’ll see in Assassin G.
You can back Assassin G on Kickstarter until September 15. Read more about Immortal Studios in our recent interview with Fa Sheng: Origins artist Dexter Wee. Check out one of the many exclusive covers for Assassin G available through the Kickstarter campaign, starting with Gene Ha’s below.
