“Even God needs plausible deniability.” The evocative tag line for the new comic book series “Archangel 8” perfectly encapsulates the straight-forward, punchy story by writer Michael Moreci, artist C.P. Smith, colorist Snakebite Cortez, and letterer Sal Cipriano. In the first issue of the five-issue miniseries, readers are introduced to 8, an archangel on a path of redemption, who is a soldier in God’s perpetual war against Hell. In my interview with Moreci and Smith, the creators highlight the origins of the book, what influences shaped the world of “Archangel 8,” and the use of religious iconography in fiction.

“Archangel 8” is the first of four launch titles from new publisher, Artists, Writers, and Artisans (AWA), as part of their Upshot line of comics. “Archangel 8” #1 will be released March 18, 2020, retail for $3.99, and is available for pre-order at local comic book shops. For more information, see AWA’s official trailer for “Archangel 8” featuring Moreci.

Hey Michael and C.P., thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions about “Archangel 8.” First off, how did you get in contact with AWA? Have either of you previously worked with Axel Alonso or Bill Jemas?

Michael Moreci: I had not, though I’ve worshiped Axel from afar forever. I grew up on Vertigo; those are the comics of my life. They made me the comics writer I am, so Axel is in the pantheon of great comic editors, along with Karen Berger and Shelly Bond, who were also spearheading books hardly anyone else had the guts to release back at that time in comics. Axel and I met through my friend Ben Percy, and we hit it off right away (even though I was very nervous to meet him!).

C.P. Smith: Yeah, I worked with Axel on “The Punisher MAX” and “Wolverine.” Over a decade ago. We always talked about working together again. This was the perfect opportunity.

What was the original pitch for “Archangel 8?” How much did the comic change from story idea to the completed first issue? At what point did C.P. come aboard?

MM: I think it evolved fairly well over the course of a lot of months. But we always had this idea in mind: there’s this war between heaven and hell, and it’s just like our human wars–there’s no winners, only losers, and the people who lose the most are the people who are caught in-between and really have nothing to do with the war. Heaven and hell are in this centuries-spanning conflict, and all they’re really doing is creating problems on Earth. The war will never end, as wars tend to do, and as it’s dragged on, the fighting has gotten dirtier and dirtier. Enter our main character, 8–the man who gives God plausible deniability by doing the things God can never know about.

CS: There wasn’t a pitch, Axel called me right after he left Marvel. I believe I was one of the first people he called.

After reading the first issue, I enjoyed the singular, anti-hero, lone wolf character concept of 8 which seems like a different type of protagonist from your previous work, Michael. What are some of your influences for “Archangel 8” and are they different from what you generally pull from when writing?

MM: You’re very right, it is a different kind of story for me. Which is something I love. It’s nice to flex some different muscles and be challenged in new ways. But when I started wrapping my head around this story and, in particular, the character of 8, one person I kept going back to was Garth Ennis. Now, Garth is one of my idols. There’d be no “Wasted Space” without “Preacher,” which might be my favorite comic series of all-time. So, I wanted to tap into Garth’s really matter-of-fact, brutal but honest style and capture the depths he captures with so very little said. His “Punisher” run is a clinic in this. From there, I was also looking at Cormac McCarthy and even True Detective–dark stories with an angry, conflicted core.

CS: When I’m working on this stuff I think of it as a samurai story.

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Can you guys walk me through the visual character design decisions for 8, Gabriel, and Dee?

CS: There is a clear symbol language running through the book. Where, when and how things appear in the story has been very important. A design story and master composition runs through everything and it’s all intentional. I’m not going to spell it out though.

In addition to character design, were there any explicit aesthetic choices that were discussed prior to the first page being drawn? Are there any comics or other media that evoked a similar tone that you both hoped to achieve with this comic?

CS: There is an almost insane amount of discussion. The internet and this article has boundaries… like space and time so I can’t go there.

Christian angelology and mythology serve as the backbone of this story. Before creating this project, how much research did you guys do to prepare for the story and what were you guys reading?

MM: I’m a Catholic, so this kind of iconography and these kinds of stories are always rattling around my head. But I also wanted to dive into religious ideas that were, you can say, out of canon–stuff from apocrypha and the such. And, of course, you can’t start talking about a war between heaven and hell without at least checking in with Dante.

CS: I’m already deeply versed in the subject.

Depicting religious figures can be a source of controversy. Were either of you two ever worried about how “Archangel 8” would be received? Will there be future biblical characters appearing in the series?

MM: I’m not really concerned with controversy, to be honest. It’s not like we’re the first ones to use religion as a launching pad for a broader story. And it’s not like we’re specifically attacking religion; this war between heaven and hell and the angels, it’s all a metaphor for our world, here and now. Maybe some will be bothered by it, but I hope they see our intent isn’t to attack anyone’s beliefs.

CS: Oh man, I never worried about that…now you’ve got me thinking. I hope no one gets pissed. Yes we do plan on having more religious figures. In the next arc, Archangel 8 fights Mohammed and the Easter bunny in a steel cage.

Closing out the interview, what can fans expect in the issues to come?

MM: It’s a pretty wild ride with some really great and unexpected twists and turns. This is a kind of comic that isn’t being made much these days, but I think people are hungering for it–books that are dark and morally complex and are unafraid to say difficult things about our world. And it’s just a helluva ride with tremendous, tremendous art from C.P. and Snakebite; their work is worth the price of admission alone.

CS: More than their money’s worth!