Name:
Adam Cogan
Your Creative Title:
Writer / Game Designer
FAVORITE COMIC BOOK:
Growing up: X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills
and now: BPRD
The 1 Superpower you want:
Immortality
Location:
Scarborough, Maine
Website(s):
Your Credits:
Sword Theory
The Black Coat
Villains
Temple Run
“Adam is a writer and video game designer living in southern Maine with his beautiful wife, two super-cute daughters, and one ugly cat.
His video game credits include Robotech: Battlecry, inFAMOUS 2, the Kingdoms of Amalur MMO, and Con Man: The Game. He had the honor of receiving the Writer’s Guild Award in 2007 for his work on the “twisted noir” action title Dead Head Fred. Adam established Dark Unicorn Games in 2016 to work on original tabletop and digital games. Their first product is a superhero parody card game called Super Powered Smash Masters.
Adam has written several independent comics, including The Black Coat (Ape Entertainment), Temple Run (Ape Entertainment), and the creator-owned Villains (Viper Comics), which was optioned by Universal Studios to become a major motion picture. Adam’s many collaborations with artist Mark Henry include Sword Theory, Chasing Shadows, and Dizzy Spells.”- From SWORD THEORY KICKSTARTER
7 Deadly QueStIoNs
What have you been a part of creating that you can’t help but brag about or was your Favorite project to work on and why?
My kids. I brag about them, but I don’t really brag about my work. In terms of favorite projects, I was the lead writer on a video game called inFAMOUS II. I feel honored to have been a part of a team that produced one of the best superhero console games ever made.
What Indie Title are you currently a huge fan of?
I’ve been enjoying a couple of books lately: Sleepless by Arah Vaughn and Leila Del Duca, and Black Magick by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott.
Would you rather find more Sucess in Games or Comics?
I’ve been really fortunate. I’ve been writing and designing video games for over twenty years, and I’ve had some real successes, though I’m a little less busy these days because of where I live. I’ve also had a few high points as an independent comic writer. I’d ultimately like to write comics more often, and writing for mainstream comics has been on my bucket list since I was a child.
Is sexuality focused on too much in comic books?
It depends on the comic. I don’t have an issue with sexuality. I have a huge problem with exploitation. I think oversexualized women in superhero comics is still a problem. I have two daughters who are curious about superheroes. I’m excited to encourage them, but up until recently, all of their potential role models have breasts larger than their heads. In recent years I’ve seen some promising changes in the industry.
What is the worst thing a Villain can do to a Hero?
Establish a rapport and convince them to join the dark side.
Do you think games and expansions packs are cashing in on fans unfairly?
Yeah, this is a divisive topic lately. It’s in the news, and it’s getting politicized. Some bad actors in the
games industry are certainly guilty of some underhanded psychological tactics to get people to spend more money. As a fan, I can really sympathize with the recent loot box fiasco. I don’t want to see all the good stuff pay gated.
As a developer, I can also see the flipside, and I’d like the games media to dive a little deeper and explore the full picture a little more closely, because it’s not represented, and I think players would benefit from it. It’s costly to develop a game. It’s hard, stressful, often thankless work, and most games take years to complete. Lots of companies don’t make it. I’ve worked on games that were canceled, and I’ve worked at two different companies that closed, and it’s always absolutely devastating.
Even if everything works out well and a game’s a financial success, the developer will quickly burn through the profits if it’s an online game that requires a team of developers and servers to maintain it (like Destiny 2 or Star Wars Battlefront 2).
I think it’s helpful to put it in the context of a trip to the movie theater. Think about how much it costs you to buy a premium movie ticket. That’s essentially what it costs to entertain you for an hour and a half. Then consider how many hours you’ve been playing your favorite games, versus how much you actually paid for them. If you’re continuing to enjoy a game, why not take the opportunity to invest in it from time to time so that the developer can keep the plates spinning?
What is a mistake you made in your early years that our readers can learn from?
Where to begin??? I’ve made many wrong turns. If I had to pick an example, I’d go with “ideas”. Everyone has great ideas. They’re not unique or special. This is something I didn’t understand when I was younger. I wasn’t a creative person when I was coming up with my ideas. I was only a creative person when I was CREATING something. I think it’s difficult for people to take that next step and put something new into the world because of the fear of failure, of making mistakes.
No matter what you do, you’re going to make mistakes. Mistakes are essential. They’re terrific opportunities if you own up to them and learn from them.
Well done you have a single paragraph to tell us why we should become fans and what you are working on now :
I’m collaborating with Mark Henry on a fun hack and slash action comic called SWORD THEORY. We’re set to launch a Kickstarter campaign on January 15th, and we’re hoping to raise the funding to get it to print. Thanks for your time, thanks for reading this far, and I hope you’ll come visit us on Kickstarter!
Sword Theory #1
An action fantasy tale of self-discovery and revenge as a young man perfects the art of the sword.
Raise your Swords to the Sword Theory by clicking here
