100 Bullets and Phoenix writers Brian Azzarello and Stephanie Phillips discuss their twisty new sci-fi crime saga LIFE

“Do the crime, do the time” takes on a whole new meaning in LIFE, a gorgeous new sci-fi series launching today from DSTLRY. Created by the all-star team of 100 Bullets creator Brian Azzarello, current Phoenix writer Stephanie Phillips, DMZ artist Danijel Žeželj, and colorist Lee Loughridge, the series presents a groundbreaking take on the crime story.

LIFE is shaped like a flipbook, with each side following a different character. In one, ex-con Bobby dreams of a fresh start but is inevitably drawn into accepting a dangerous end result: a heist that may prove fatal. In the other, serial killer CJ, dubbed “the Cassanova Killer,” is sentenced to serve 32 full life sentences—and will feel every minute of it.

How these two stories come together in different and surprising ways is at the heart of LIFE. Newsarama sat down with Azzarello and Phillips to find out more…

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(Image credit: DSTLRY)

Newsarama: Brian, Stephanie, congratulations on a great first issue of LIFE! I’m interested to know where the idea of presenting this comic as a flipbook came from and how that influenced the two main stories you’re telling here.

Brian Azzarello: Thank you so much. The idea for LIFE came from two ideas and probably a couple of beers at Cigar City Tap Room in Tampa. Stephanie was telling me about a project she was looking to develop: a futuristic story of an interplanetary heist. As she was telling me her story, it occurred to me that an idea I was working on, which involved prisoners forced to serve multiple life sentences, might apply to hers, so I mentioned it to her. Luckily for us, she felt the same way I did, maybe even more excited. I think she was the one who came up with the flipbook idea as something DSTLRY would like. She understands what Chip and David are excited about.

Stephanie Phillips: That all sounds pretty cool. It’s something we worked on together for a long time before bringing it to DSTLRY and making it a reality. It’s exciting to finally see it in print and out in the world.

The book has two protagonists, Bobby, who takes on the legendary “last job” and the Cassanova Killer. An unrepentant murderer. What can you tell us about these two very different characters?

Azzarello: Well, Bobby wants out of that life, but he takes the job to make his partner in crime, Jax, happy and rich, probably in that order. Bad decision, good heart. CJ: The Cassanova Killer… he’s ruthless and incredibly charismatic. A lethal combination that landed him in prison hundreds of years ago and led to his rise through the ranks to become the boss. He’s always looking for a way to get what he wants.

Phillips: It’s true, and there are times when you’ll love and hate all of these characters equally. I think that makes the questions we ask about justice all the more impactful, as we question our own relationship and understanding of the characters.

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(Image credit: DSTLRY)

The ethics of criminal punishment is a clear theme in this article. How does LIFE explore this topic and what led you to tell this story?

Azzarello: Well, that’s a question that’s been debated forever. How does a moral society deal with immoral people? And who’s to say what’s immoral in the first place? Is the death penalty immoral? Is life imprisonment moral? What if there was a possibility of keeping criminals alive and imprisoned for hundreds of years to serve their sentences? Does that make immortality immoral? I have a headache…

This is a prison break story and a robbery story at the same time. Does combining these two genres give you the opportunity to tell a new kind of crime story?

Azzarello: Is there a new kind of crime story? Maybe AI, maybe. I think what we’re doing is a new kind of setting for a crime story. The interplanetary aspects, living multiple life sentences, that kind of thing. But at the core of every crime story is an ego and a mistake. It’s been that way ever since Cain murdered his brother.

This is the first time you’ve written together. How does your collaboration work? Did each of you take on half of the book or did you work on both stories?

Phillips: It’s a mix. We work very closely on everything, switching roles as needed and trying to work on different scenes for Danijel. It’s definitely different than any other way I’ve worked and I’m glad.

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(Image credit: DSTLRY)

What was it like working with Danijel Zezelj and Lee Loughridge on the book? What do their art and colours bring to LIFE?

Azzarello: It’s been great to work with Danijel again after all these years. I once thought he was an artist who “got me.” Well, I still do. His work is dense and moody; perfect for these stories. When we asked him about a colorist, he immediately said Lee. Seeing the work the two of them are doing together, it’s easy to see why. Another thing that “gets me,” right?

Phillips: This is my first time working with Danijel and it’s been a great experience. Brian mentioned his work as someone he thought would immediately fit into the setting, and watching him and Lee create this world has been inspiring for us as well.

No spoilers, but the first issue ends, however you read it, with these two lines about to collide. What can you tell us about issue 2?

Azzarello: What follows point 1? Look, threads are going to intertwine and separate, and events that seem to be going a certain way for one side can diverge wildly for the other. But let’s never lose sight of the fact that both sides are criminals, people who have little respect for the law, so anything can happen. And anything does happen. I don’t want to say a word about point 3.

Phillips: I’m not sure I can give a better preview than that…

LIFE #1 is now available on DSTLRY.

Check out our interview with Tula Lotay and Becky Cloonan about His Eisner Award-winning folk horror film, Somna.

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100 Bullets and Phoenix writers Brian Azzarello and Stephanie Phillips discuss their twisty new sci-fi crime saga LIFE

ByS. Jacob

By S. Jacob

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