Aclin "S.H.O.O.T.s First" With Dark Horse's Atheist Taskforce

[rug]

Posted: 7 hours ago

Writer Justin Aclin has spent the past few years making his name on licensed titles for Dark Horse Comics, but with his return to creator-owned work, Aclin is getting to write about something he really believes...or doesn't.

This October, Aclin and artist Nicolás Daniel Selma launch the four-issue "S.H.O.O.T. First." Based on Aclin's characters that debuted in Dark Horse's MySpace iteration of their "Dark Horse Presents" title and a subsequent Halloween story on ROBOT 6, the series focuses on a taskforce of monster fighters powered by the fact that they're atheists. The S.H.O.O.T. team -- which means "Secular Humanist Occult Obliteration Taskforce" – battle against other-dimensional beings who take the form of angels, demons, mythological gods and other figures from human religion in order to feed of the beliefs of man.

The writer of books like "Star Wars: Clone Wars - Defenders of the Lost Temple" and the recent "Akaneiro" adaptation tells CBR News that "S.H.O.O.T. First" goes beyond political debate and into real human emotion. Below, Aclin explains the roots of S.H.O.O.T., how atheists and believers alike can see something real in the struggles of the gun-totting team of monster fighters, which member of the squad may be a spy for the Vatican and why Armageddon is much worse than you imagine.

CBR News: Justin, whether readers were able to check out your original "MySpace Dark Horse Presents" short or not, the concept of "S.H.O.O.T. First" is an easy one to grasp: Atheists versus Angels. How does that high concept play out in the series?

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=48011

[MisterP]

1. isn't this from "Mage: The Ascension"? dang Technocrats...

better than the Chuck Austen one where they tried to make Nightcrawler Pope to fake a Catholic Rapture (think about those last two words...)

[xfundy]

2. This could be yet more propaganda by "Christians"

Wouldn't be the first time. "Wear the enemy's clothes till you get close enough to kill them."

[okasha]

4. Paranoia is treatable.

nt

[cbayer]

5. You are joking, right?

[edhopper]

3. Don't know about this

but a really first rate atheist comic was Sean Murphy's Punk Rock Jesus.

BTW. Atheist wouldn't fight Angels and Demons. Most atheists I know would stop being atheist if they were face to face with angels and demons. That would be the actual evidence we often ask for.