ZERO ISSUE - A COMIC BOOK THEMED MOCKUMENTARY AT IT'S BEST

Have you ever tried interviewing three people at the same time?  I have, and it isn't easy. One part of your brain has to concentrate on what one person is saying, another part of  your brain has to do the same thing towards somebody else, and as for the third part of your brain, well, it kind of gets confused and goes to sleep. Which reminds me, please check out the following interview I did with Zach, Matt, and... uhh... the other one... Jim I think he's called... related to their superhero themed mockumentary, 'Zero Issue'. 





1) What are your own origins guys?   Zach: Like Peter Parker, I’m from Forest Hills, Queens, and like Peter, was deeply unpopular in school, which probably led me needing to escape to the world of comic books.

Jim: That’s so funny, because Zach and I went to highschool together, and he got all the girls. He uses the nerd angle to come across as unassuming and endearing, but do not believe him. I’m the real loser here. Me. I’M THE REAL SPIDER MAN, HE’S THE WEIRD TOBEY MAGUIRE BLACK SUIT ONE. Sorry, that got out of hand. We met Matt during our time at Boston College (I follow Zach wherever he goes). 

Matt: And I’m from Connecticut (are there any superheroes from Connecticut?) [Editors Note: Probably not], yet I eventually went to Boston College where I met these guys. Fast forward a few years, to our original run kicking around various jobs in the entertainment industry, where we decided, “Screw it! We’re forming our own team!”. So then we made the terrible decision to start working together.

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Zero Issue’?   Matt: We had a long development process to figure out what our next project was going to be, and we had made everything from commercials to a late night talk show in our bath tubs. 

Jim: And we were having a meeting and discussing our favorite genres, and we were talking about the documentary parody show on IFC, 'Documentary Now', and superhero movies, and we were like, “what if we smashed those two together”? 

Zach: I did a quick Google search and realized no one had done this before. 'Chronicle' is a found footage superhero movie, but decidedly not a comedy. 

Jim: But it wasn’t all science. Like we said earlier, we connect profoundly with the feeling of the underdog that is so central to superhero stories. It’s our story, we’re lovable losers, and like all lovable losers we dream about the day we live our own origin story and come into our powers. 

3) In your own words how would you describe this mockumentary?   Matt: 'Zero Issue' is a superhero mockumentary about a loser hero trying to make a name for himself, and when his plans fail he has to figure out what lengths he’ll go to to achieve fame. 

Zach: Imagine if 'The Office', 'Chronicle', 'Avengers', and 'Best in Show' were all mashed into one movie, and you've got 'Zero Issue'. 

Jim: Take every crippling fear about failure you have, mix it with your love of comic books and comedy, and watch them make a beautiful baby. Then give them some privacy, you’re being rude. 

4) What song would you say best represents this project and why?   Jim: “I Get Knocked Down” by Chumbawamba. It’s ridiculously catchy, nostalgic, funny somehow, and when you look closer you realize it’s deeply depressing.

Zach: I like that, but I’m going to go with “Hero” by Nickelback because it’s hilarious.

Matt: I’m going with a piece from Faure’s Requiem called “In Paradisum” because of all the beautiful pieces of the orchestra and chorus coming together to form a sublime sweeping climatic melody. And also because working with Zach and Jim feels like a death march.

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Zach: Barack Obama -- I think he would like our stuff, and I would love to meet him and have him post to his Facebook friends about our movie. 

Jim: Tom Hanks as David S. Pumpkins, because he’s his own thang. Any questions? 

Matt: Saint Patrick! That dude not only used his wiles to defeat the snakes of Ireland, but he’s so rad he has a holiday named after him. He could make people celebrate by watching our movie! 

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour?   Matt: You don’t realize until you do a project like this, the breadth of love and support you have from not only friends and family -- those people are stuck with you -- but also strangers, or fans of your work you’ve never had a chance to meet. 

Jim: It’s terrifying to do a crowdfunding campaign, but I’m glad we did! We’ve waited five years!

Zach: The support from the community has been overwhelming. We feel very lucky. 

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   Zach: I gotta have some me time each day. Wake up early and workout -- running, yoga, weightlifting. The routine helps me tackle whatever the day is going to throw at me. 

Jim: My daughter. She’s my everything. 

Matt: My cat. She’s just the best. Every time she looks into my eyes I feel like the luckiest man alive.

Zach: I change my answer to Matt’s cat.

8) If ‘Zero Issue’ had a motto, what would it be?   Zach: Never give up on your dreams. Unless you suck. Then give up. 

Matt: Even being super takes a lot of effort. 

Jim: Nothing is better than making a movie with your best friends! 

Zach: Aww, yeah, I agree with that. 

Matt: This has been an amazing experience so far, I can’t wait to actually film the movie. 

Jim: We promise we won’t let our backers and fans down! Or Matt’s cat. 

Zach: Thanks for chatting with us!

My pleasure, guys. And on that note, all I have left to do is thank Zach, Jim, and Matt for telling us about their mockumentary, Zero Issue, before directing you towards their official website.