Tomm Coker ("5 Ronin") and Daniel Freedman, from Corvx Studios, have collaborated on several projects over the years including Daredevil, Punisher, and Wolverine. The two decided to take a step back from the superheroics and try their hand at a supernatural war story with a touch of romance -- "Undying Love." The book is being published by Image Comics and will hit stands on March 30th, but you can get your exclusive preview here! We chatted with Tomm and Daniel about the book, working on creator-owned material, and lots more!
MTV Geek: What is Undying Love about, and how did the book come together?
Daniel Freedman: UNDYING LOVE is the story of, John Sargent, American ex-soldier who has fallen for a beautiful Chinese woman named Mei only to discover she is a vampire. To free Mei from her curse, the couple sets out to destroy the vampire that made her. The only problem: Mei was bitten by one of the most powerful vampires in history...
Tomm Coker: Horror, action, fantasy, romance, etc. Equal parts vampire mythology and Chinese folklore, set in modern day Hong Kong.
As far as how the book came together – Daniel and I met a few years back, I had directed a film for Lions Gate and Daniel was hired as editor. We ended up spending the better part of a year together, sitting in a dark editing bay, talking ideas and stories. Pretty soon we’d worked out Undying Love and decided to write it as a team.
DF: This was right before Twilight hit and vampires were absolutely dead. We felt like, with the right story and re-imagining, the bloodsucker could be resurrected – turns out we were right – just didn’t predict the whole glimmer and rock-hard abs thing.
TLC: Hopefully people are ready for fangs and blood again.

Geek: For Tomm – what is it like writing a comic as opposed to just illustrating one?
TLC: Hands down Undying Love is the most fun I’ve ever had drawing a book. The freedom and control are obviously great and things I don’t enjoy to this degree while working on a company title, BUT the best part is the complete understanding of the story. Knowing why something is happening and how it will effect events to come. It allows you to think multiple steps ahead of the scene you’re working on at the moment. You can plan things. Set up moments that are entire issues away. Stay ahead of the reader. That’s awesome.
Geek: What is the collaborative process like between the co-creators of the comic?
TLC: It really depends what part of the process we’re talking about. Writing was all about tossing ideas back and forth, seeing which ones worked and then boiling them down to the simplest version you possible – drafting an idea over and over again in order to REALLY understand what it is you’re trying to get at.
DF: Tomm and I write at different speeds: I write too fast and Tomm writes too slow so we tend to balance each other out. I’m great at getting an idea on paper almost as quickly as we can say it while Tomm tends to sit with a scene and dissect it until he can explain the “how” and the “why”.
TLC: Now that we’re dealing with art it’s up to me to take the script and make it work as a comic. I layout scenes and discuss, with Daniel, whatever changes I think need to be made. Then he comes in with color and makes what I do look better. Read More...