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The American Heritage Dictionary (Third Edition) defines the wordoperative as follows: “1. Beign in effect: having force. 2. Functioning effectively. 3. Of or relating to a surgical operation”.Given these definitions writer/creator Damion Gonzales and his associates in the Operative Network fit the bill and then some. Taking the game of the indie creator to the next level, Mr. Gonzales has recently launched efforts to see his master vision for something fresh in animation in the form of T.A.S.K. A superhero concept that will see a diverse menagerie of beings take to the screen and make many jaded fans believe in fresh storytelling and heroes again. With an agenda this impressive, an individual must possess several things, those being: guts, talent, tenacity and time. Gracious enough to take some of that precious time, Mr. Gonzales slowed down long enough to share a bit about wanting to create a legacy for individuals to aspire to, the origins and evolution of T.A.S.K., the power that is The Operative Network and more. So, sit back, buckle up and prepare to be inspired, because something big is coming!

MT: Who is Damion Gonzales and how did he find himself on the verge of unveiling what may be one of the freshest takes on superheroes coming to the animation scene?

DG: Wow! That’s quite a compliment and thanks to you for letting me talk to your audience about this project. Well, I’m Damion Gonzales and I’m a native of Trinidad and Tobago now living in Brooklyn, NY. I’m an award winning theater director back in Trinidad where a lot of the plays I directed were performed by some extremely talented teenaged casts. I got my first directing award at 18 so I was still a teen myself when I started. I did that for about 10 years and then I came here.

You know, in terms of how I’ve gotten to this point, with T.A.S.K. about to be unveiled to the world…I think there were a lot of contributing factors. I’d like to think that it started with the first comic I can remember reading, which was a Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) book way back in the 70’s. I started creating characters almost immediately after that. My high school was a haven for comic book geeks too. Heck we made comics. This was around the time Marvel put out the Official Handbook of The Marvel Universe too, so that sparked a wave of creation. I’ve been creating characters and crafting universes and stories ever since. T.A.S.K. is just the actualization of a life’s worth of imaginative superhero creation.

MT: Can you share a little bit about what T.A.S.K. is and how it came about?

DG: This all really started with me wanting to give my daughter some superheroes that looked like her. As a parent you want to give your kids something to aspire to. Having them see someone with their face doing incredible things, being heroic. That’s really where T.A.S.K. started.

We like to call T.A.S.K. an animated super hero action adventure series “set in our truly global reality”. It’s a take on the superhero genre that’s simultaneously meant to feel familiar and yet very different from what audiences have seen before. It’s a little funny how shifting the focus from being so U.S. centric, in terms of your cast of characters can do that. So T.A.S.K to me is what happens when you get to create a universe of heroes and don’t have to be hindered by creating characters for the largely monochromatic audience of the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, because now your audience is global.

As a comic reader I was always a fan of titles that had these really large casts like The Legion of Superheroes and All-Star Squadron. These books where you had a main cast but at any time some obscure unknown hero could be the star of a particular issue. T.A.S.K is like that. On one hand we have a central story about a teenager who comes into possession of this artifact of incredible power and him joining our central cast of these young heroes in training; on their way to being official T.A.S.K. members, and the people who are training them. On the other hand you have this cadre of heroes from all over the globe who are already in T.A.S.K., this U.N. sanctioned intergovernmental superhuman policing organization, which can pop up at any time.

MT: You are the creator and writer on T.A.S.K, (with Zak Farmer serving as co-writer), what inspired the creation of such an ambitious project? Why go the animation route and not create a comic book? In terms of writing, how much different is scripting a script for an animated show different than comics?

DG: I was already creating “in the lab” as we say but the first concept wasn’t T.A.S.K. It was a comic with a much angrier tone to it, which ultimately didn’t feel right for what I wanted to do. So I left it alone. It was my friend and business partner Conliffe Matthew who first introduced the idea of doing animation. He and I are huge fans of animated adventure stuff. Saturday morning cartoons are where we live *laugh*. We’re from that Transformers, G.I. Joe, Tigersharks, He Man and the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, Galaxy Rangers generation. Of course Batman the Animated Series, The 90’s X-Men, Justice League and particularly Static Shock were faves too.

I think Static Shock in particular convinced me that T.A.S.K. was doable. Just seeing that it had been done before made me think it was possible. Of course having zero experience in the animation industry I had no idea what I was getting into, so I guess something can be said for blissful ignorance. I did know a little more about the Indie comic scene. I consider a lot of guys from the Black Indie Comics scene to be really good friends and those guys are on a tough journey. It’s tough to create comics independently and have to try to convince the audience that it’s worthy of their consideration and support, even when the audience claims its something they want. But those Indie creators are some of the most welcoming and helpful people I know. Some of the best advice and guidance I could ever get has come from guys in the Black Indie Comics movement. I just felt that taking T.A.S.K. in this direction was where it was supposed to be. I did about a year of research into how shows get made and how they’re bought and distributed etc. I’m by no means an expert but having an idea can get you moving. After that it was just a matter of getting the creative muscles going again. I’d work on a character and then Conliffe would give some critique or input. Some of the first characters like Lightning Rod, Django and ONYX are just he and I going back and forth spitballing. Of course now that Zak’s onboard he’s content to sit back, read scripts and throw money at problems. Every creator should get themselves a Conliffe Matthew.

In terms of creating for different mediums, in comics the writer can also be similar to a director in a sense. Panel layout, “camera angle”, word balloon space/dialogue issues and just making sure the sequence makes sense from panel to panel and then page to page are things that the writer can be responsible for. So far the biggest problem I’ve encountered in writing the animated script is making sure everything works within the typical 22 minute time allotment. How much time events take in my head may not work out later when animated, so I worry about that. Even dialogue pacing can be tricky.

MT: The universe that you are creating features superheroes and beings of incredible power, how do you keep your character design fresh and original? Who are the artists responsible for the concept designs?

DG: It starts with character first. Who is this person? What are this person’s motivations and circumstances? I find that enough digging into the “who” can pretty much clue you in to what they’re going to look like. Of course you think about the powers, the origin, visual appeal and all of that stuff and add those elements as layers to the design. Is that the “right way” to do it? I sure hope so.

When we’re done with all of that I send an email over to Sean Izaakse in South Africa. Sean is a phenomenal artist whose work can be seen in books like Pathfinder for Dynamite and Stray from Action Lab. He takes my email with the description and reference pics and then he sends back sheer perfection. I honestly don’t know how far we’d have gotten without him. His talent put eyes on the project and the characters in a way that I would never have dreamed.

MT: You are part of the Operative Network, could you tell us a little bit about this organization and the role it plays in your plans for T.A.S.K ?

DG: The Operative Network is a creative studio for writers and artists creating comics, fiction and fine art. We were brought together by 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt winner, novelist and Comic Book Resources columnist Hannibal Tabu. We’ve also got GLYPH Rising Star Award winners (for One Nation) Jason Reevesand Alverne Ball and last but certainly not least Legends Press head honcho, the ever tireless Quinn McGowan, creator of Project: Wildfire. We produced an ashcan for SDCC (which you might still be able to get for free off the site http://www.operative.net/) and we’re currently in the midst of a bunch of really exciting projects.

Being part of The Operative Network puts T.A.S.K. in the mix at a real creative hub. It also provides a united platform to get industry eyes on what all of us are doing. As a creator it’s rewarding to have artists and writers of this caliber enthusiastic about playing with the toys you brought to the sandbox. I get to stretch a little too. Take little trips to the universes that the other guys have built and twist them around a little. Of course if later down the line we’re in a position to do a T.A.S.K. comic series or series of one-shots….well there’s already a team in place right?

MT: T.A.S.K is planned as an animated series. Currently is there a studio working on the animation? Have decisions been made in terms of format for the series (web series, television, etc), length and when it will debut?

DG: We’re trying to make a 22 minute episode, 13 episode (plus) season show. The world of original content is exploding right now with more avenues than ever before for a series like this to be presented. It’s go out and get it season right now, so we want to make sure that our pitch is right. I’d say we’re in pre-pitch phase right now. The process of getting an animated series on television is long and fraught with danger lol. Unless you possess insane amounts of money you’re going to have to acquire a distributor and a co-producer. A solid pitch hopefully gets you those things. So right now we’re working on having the best pitch bible we can. A lot of conventional wisdom says that you don’t pitch with a trailer but I’d like to step into that arena with an audience already built. An audience already exposed to the property and ready to see T.A.S.K. on their screens. I’d also like to step into “the room” with something undeniable, something beyond pictures on the page and character bios.

To that end we have Echo Bridge Pictures of St. Petersburg, Florida working on a 60 second 2D animated trailer. Those guys are on fire!! There is top notch work going into this trailer. The backgrounds alone are worth the price of admission. We released the first rough animatic a little over a month ago and the response has been very favorable. We want “the suits” to see that we are coming with something as good or better than anything that’s been aired as your typical Saturday morning adventure cartoon.

MT: In an industry where it is so difficult to take a fresh approach to tropes that fans are familiar with, what challenges does something of this magnitude face? What can fans do to support new characters and storytelling that can bring about a renaissance to diverse genre storytelling?

DG: Honestly I think the way to the fresh approach is to dig deeper to find the great story. That’s the challenge. Go further than “think outside the box”, never get in the box in the first place. Zak and I see T.A.S.K. as not just a superhero story but a real human drama that can stand on its own as a character driven piece even without the superhuman elements. We of course have the advantage of not being tied to 70 years of continuity the way some other properties are so that helps a lot. That safety net isn’t there. We don’t have a status quo to maintain, at least not at this stage. So we can take a lot of risks.

Your second question there had the answer embedded within it. People have to get out there and really put some support behind the things they say they want. You say you want new characters? You want new minority characters? New female characters? New LBGT characters? Then go out and find the content with them. Then when you find them, support the characters and creators as strongly as the mainstream comics industry has been getting your support for all these years. It’s really that easy. You want it? Find it. Found it? Support it. Others will follow.

MT: In terms of tone, what type of series can fans expect? Family fare, adult animation or something in-between?

DG: We want to challenge the audience a bit with T.A.S.K. The common conceit is that kids today have such short attention spans that long form story telling is lost on them. Our intention is to give kids this rich, involved world with characters they actually cheer or despise. Characters that they can laugh and cry with, fight villains with. T.A.S.K. is going to skew along the line that shows like Young Justice and Batman Beyond have. The world of T.A.S.K. is a full one but we know that fans can get a fun and exciting new world.

MT: Any shows or comics that served as inspiration as far informing what you would like the series to do?

DG: Honestly we could be here for hours discussing influences however I do want to single out a couple. Milestone Comics was a huge influence on me and a great example of work that can be created showing people of all races, ethnicities and sexual orientations as heroes and as villains. A true leveling of the field. Batman: The Animated Series I loved because it got the tone to perfection. The 90’s X-Men animated series for showing that yes…you can really throw everything in there!! Dwayne McDuffie’s writing on Justice League Unlimited for sublime plotting and character arcs. Oh and Tolkien and the Dune novels from Frank Herbert. If T.A.S.K. can in any way at all be found worthy enough one day to stand in the shadow of those things? Yeah I’ll be happy with that.

MT: Of the T.A.S.K characters revealed thus far, who would you say you want to be the most like vs who more likely are closest to (as far as friends might say) in reality?

DG: Wow! That’s a doozy. I think I’d like to most be like a character most people have kind of overlooked, Meridian. In most situations Meridian is the calm surface of a placid lake. He’s all about control, even in his super-heroic action, control is his constant. That type of control comes from total acceptance and sureness in who you are and full comprehension of the parameters of your capabilities. Who wouldn’t like to have a little of that in their lives?

Of course Zak and Conliffe would say that I’m probably closer to a cross between John Henry (heroic leader of T.A.S.K.) and Randy Rodney (the “ends justify the means” minded, morally indeterminate police detective who is also Lightning Rod’s father). I’ll take that.

MT: Where can fans find out more about T.A.S.K, the Operative Network and any other delicious creations brewed in the caldron of Damion Gonzales’ imagination?

DG: Well of course we’ve got Facebook pages up and running. The Operatives can be found over athttps://www.facebook.com/operativenetwork. T.A.S.K. is grinding away daily over athttps://www.facebook.com/taskuniverse. The Operative Network site is up at http://www.operative.net/ and you can find more T.A.S.K. goodness over at our Tumblr page http://taskuniverse.tumblr.com/.

I’m already plotting out another project to follow on the heels of T.A.S.K. but that’s way in the future. For now just know that we’re putting our best effort forward to bring an exciting new set of adventures to everyone. T.A.S.K. is coming!!!