By Zack Quaintance — Today’s Kickstarter Interview is with writer Henry Barajas, who has a really cool new project on Kickstarter called Helm Greycastle. The first of four total issues is on the platform now. This first issue is 32 pages, filled with sequential story art and a one-shot RPG adventure that is compatible with the fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook. I’ve already backed this project, and I suggest you head to the Helm Greycastle #1 campaign page to do the same, after reading my recent chat with Henry below…enjoy!

Henry Barajas Interview

ZACK QUAINTANCE: Hey, Henry! Congrats on the new project. As a big fan of your last book, La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo, can I start by asking what it was like creatively to transition from something so grounded and informative to something more fantastical?

HENRY BARAJAS: Thank you for saying that. I realize that my La Voz will be the first sentence of my obituary...to be honest, it's not much of a departure. While HELM GREYCASTLE is fantastical, it is rooted in truth.

ZACK: How much real Aztec mythology did you and your co-creator Bryan Valenza incorporate into this story?

HENRY: Growing up, I always saw Aztec imagery. It was always on a lowrider or a Mexican restaurant wall mural of an Aztec warrior with a beautiful half-naked woman on a temple. But I never got the proper education. But Mesoamerican history was widely talked about when the Mayan calendar was going to end in 2012.

But when I did investigate, white people were always the face of the documentary or they write the history books. The only Mesoamerican movie we've seen get a worldwide theatrical release was by known bigot Mel Gibson.

While I was doing La Voz press with J Gonzo, he kept repeating (I"m paraphrasing) "we have the blood both of the ingenious and conquer." I decided to check out a book at the North Hollywood Library The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. It's beautiful and eye-opening. It read like a fantasy novel.

I've always been a fan of Lord of The Rings films. I wanted to live in that world so bad. I didn't realize it but I loved the fantasy genre until I started playing Dungeons and Dragons. I realized that people like me don't exist in these spaces. Not a lot of people of color exist in fantasy. But culture, ideas, beliefs, and lore make DND great.

So, I decided to blend the rich, bloody history of Mexico with fantasy.

ZACK: What are somethings about this book that might surprise fans of high fantasy comics?

HENRY: The Aztec and surrounding tribes had prophesied the Spaniards coming to Mexico. When they arrived, Montezuma sent wizards to stop them. Sadly, the conquistadors killed the wizards. What a horrible way to find out magic is fake.

ZACK: So, let’s talk RPGs. I love that you’ve included an RPG set in the world of this story with this Kickstarter that’s compatible with D&D e5. What’s your own experience with D&D like, and do you play in a regular game?

HENRY: My friends in Los Angeles were shocked that I never played D&D. It's not a thing Mexicans are into, sadly. I created Helm Greycastle, and I realized this is how guys like Jim Zubb write comics. So, I wanted to give it a try.

ZACK: Finally, what do you see as the scope of this series, and will there be more RPG one-shots included moving forward?

HENRY: Helm Greycastle is a four-issue mini-series. I would like to keep telling more Helm stories and give folks one-shot games to play in the world I'm creating with Tristan Tarwater and Jen Vaughn. I want to bring more BIPOC into this world and fun.

Helm Greycastle #1

Helm Greycastle #1
Writer and Co-Creator: Henry Barajas
Artist: Rahmat M. Handoko
Colorist and Co-Creator: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Gabriela Downie
RPG Author: Tristan J. Tarwater
RPG Artist: Jen Vaughn
Designer: Sasha Head
Editor: Claire Napier
The last dragon prince has been abducted and is kept prisoner by an unknown threat: AZTEC MEXICA. Helm Greycastle and his band of outsider adventures are tasked with exploring the uncharted land that was once at the brink of enslavement by the savage Spanish Conquistadors...but the Aztecs used sorcery to thwart the Conquistador's murderous rampage. The possible enslavement caused the ruler, Montezuma III, to declare himself the dictator of MEXICA causing a power shift and class division. Greycastle and his comrades are recruited by an underground group lead to overthrow Montezuma III and the Gods that suppress the land.  Will Greycastle join the resistance or save the dragon prince and flee?
Back It Now: Helm Greycastle #1