In November 2012, Image Comics, writer Eric Stephenson, and artist Nate Bellegarde launched Nowhere Men, an ambitious sci-fi graphic novel epic about four idealistic scientists who found a company to change the world, and end up doing so in ways they never imagined—and possibly not for the better. Tracking the dissolution of their partnership from the ’60s to an alternate present day twisted by their technological innovations, it presents a world in which “science is the new rock and roll,” and geniuses are revered pop culture icons.

Unfortunately, just as the story was wrapping up its first arc—which saw a group of young scientists developing superpowers due to the machinations of one of the four founders—Nowhere Men ceased publication, reportedly due to Bellegarde’s struggle with depression. Nearly two years later, work is finally continuing, with Stephenson partnering with a new artist. At San Diego Comic-Con, we got a chance to talk to him about picking up where he left off, and what has changed.

Has anything changed with the book in the past year, having had a chance to sit with what you’ve already done for a while?

I think that might be the case further down the line, but actually issues 7 and 8 were already written before we went on our break, so those are kind of set in stone. But I’m working with a new artist now, and he will undoubtedly have an impact, because you tend to write to what your artist’s strengths are.

As a writer, do you feel you’ve had to shift gears radically, or is it just a matter of making small tweaks to how you set a scene?

Again, some of this is stuff that I’ll find out going forward. I went back and tweaked a few things to the scripts. It’s just an adjustment process.

Was there any thought that you didn’t want to go forward without the same artist?

Yes, it was kind of heartbreaking. Nate’s phenomenal, and he’s so talented, and was so great to work with. When he kind of seized up, it was very discouraging. We could have gotten the book back on track sooner, but there was a long period where I was thinking, “We just won’t do it.”

It took a long period of going to shows and people saying, “No, you need to continue, even without the same artist.” And I kind of went back and forth and tried to get Nate to do more, but it just didn’t work out.

So it was the fan reaction that convinced you this needed to happen?

Yes, absolutely. And the other thing too is that I’m doing another book [They’re Not Like Us] that is set in such a different world that in the process of doing that, I realized I really wanted to get back to the world of Nowhere Men.

So speaking of that, my impression of the first volume was, it’s kind of, I don’t know if realistic is the right word, but a more grounded take on what a Fantastic Four story might look like. Your evil scientists aren’t evil, they have the best intentions. They aren’t comic villains. Were you conscious of subverting tropes?

We get into this as the book goes on. There are so many origin stories that begin with accidents. Whether it’s Hulk, or Spider-man, or the Fantastic Four, things happen…by accident, basically. And with this, even though the [scientists who develop powers] are kind of pawns in a scheme, there is a plan to what happened. It wasn’t an accident, but something deliberately created. I wanted there to be less accident and more forethought.

What inspired that alternate universe where these guys are treated like rock stars?

I was thinking of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, guys like that. During the time I was doing this was when celebrity culture was really at a fever pitch, with people famous for being famous. So the world of Nowhere Men is what the world should aspire to be instead of what it really is. Scientists, teachers, firefighters, these are people doing something really special, and then you have these people who contribute nothing to society, and they are internationally famous.

Is there anything you can tease about where the story is going next?

More action. New characters. Some people are going to die. The second arc is definitely more about the [superheroes], though there will still be more about the four founders. As they make their transformations, and what they do with that.

Do you have an endgame in mind?

I’d like to do this for a long time. I have a lot ideas for things to do in that world. If we had to end it with issue 12, that will be the end of the story I set out to tell, but I’d like to keep it going for a while.

Keep watching the blog for more interviews from the convention floor.