In the November 2009 issue of Wizard, some comic fans may have been surprised by the magazine's choice of #17 on their countdown, finding a book called 45 in position ahead of such things as JJ Abrams (he's so hot right now), Adventure Comics and even Tiger Beat Magazine posterboy Pete Wentz. Available in December, Com.x Comics will be releasing an original graphic novel written by our interviewee, Andi Ewington, which marks his comics debut. And what a debut it is, as he's sharing this project with not just one awesome artist, but 45 awesome artists. I'll let him drop the details, but if our previous experience with Com.x holds any indication (see CraveOnline's Indie Double-Take #1: Path), then there are big things in store for Ewington and 45.

CraveOnline: Well first off, thanks for taking the time out of your weekend to talk to us. For the uninitiated - what is 45 all about?

Andi Ewington: 45 follows the story of James Stanley, A journalist, whose wife is pregnant with their first child...James lives in an alternative world to ours where superheroes are a common occurence. And with that in mind, it is wholly possible for "normal" people (like James and his wife) to give birth to a child with superhero abilities. There is a test available called the Super-S test which is very similar to the gender tests that we all know about to determine if a child is a potential superhero or not. James and his wife decide not to take the test - instead James decides to use his journalistic skills and interview a spectrum of superheroes already out there to help him understand and prepare if his wife gives birth to a Super-S child. So he interviews from birth to death a range of superheroes - and it's along the way that he starts to become the focus of unwanted attention from a mysterious organization called "XoDOS".

What makes 45 unique is that we've approached the story telling a little differently to a traditional comic; we've tasked 45 industry experts (the likes of Jock, Sean Phillips, Lee Garbett, Randy Green, Dan Brereton) to illustrate just one page. They had total free reign, and sitting opposite their one page is the transcript interview that James conducted with the relevant superhero for that page. Repeat that another 44 times and you have the book!

CraveOnline: So essentially, the only details you provided the artists was the actual dialogue from the scene, leaving them free to interpret as they like?

Andi Ewington: Exactly - I felt it was an innovative approach - you get to see what the artist was thinking and the journey they took to get to their end result for the page. I think the free reign of this project allowed them to express themselves more than say, the restrictive nature of the scripts that they are usually given.

CraveOnline: Definitely, often times with comics "collaborations" the artists are held back in what they could potentially produce, unless they are serving both roles of writer and artist. How did you generate interest in the project to the artists involved? Was there a specific process?

Andi Ewington: I was lucky that I had a well connected publisher! Com.x had just put RazorJack out by John Higgins, and the Cla$$war Collected Hardcover Edition (written by the excellent Rob Williams) which had been illustrated by Trevor Hairsine/Travel Foreman. I was able to pitch 45 to both John and Trevor and the low level commitment of just a page and the fact that I gave no boundaries meant they could jump on board easily. Once I had 2 top names like John and Trevor attached to 45 I approached Jock, Charlie Adlard and Liam Sharp again through Com.x's prior relationships with these guys. I again pitched the idea to them and they instantly recognized the potential of the project and said "yes" to a page. With this core talent behind me I could pretty much present myself to anyone. I would be recommended other artists, Jock for example put me in touch with Lee Garbett and Dom Reardon. It became self perpetuating - which was a lot of fun to be involved in!

CraveOnline: That must have been really exciting to watch the project come together like that. You said that Com.X helped put you in touch with certain artists. How did 45 come to Com.X to begin with?

Andi Ewington: Okay, this will seem like nepotism, but I assure you it's anything but. I work for a company called An.x Limited as their Creative Director. Eddie Deighton is both the owner of An.x Limited and Com.x. Eddie knew I was into writing and that I was trying to get published. Com.x has a reputation of producing innovative and top quality comics, things that really stand the test of time. So I really had to work hard to pitch the right concept to him. Several failed attempts later, I pitched 45 to him and both he and his US business partner in Com.x (Ben Shahrabani) loved the concept but wanted it pushed further. Eddie hit upon the idea of 45 different artists and that's how the concept came to fruition.