EXCLUSIVE! Jack Lambert, Scott Marder & Rob Rosell talk DOBERMAN

By Justin M on Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

One of my favorite things about Comic-Con International is not just celebrating established comic book characters, but also learning about new characters and book series. While there, I got the opportunity to chat with Jack Lambert, Scott Marder and Rob Rosell, the creators behind Darby Pop Publishing’s newest title, Doberman.

UTF: How are you guys doing today?

Rob Rosell: Good.

Jack Lambert: Very well. Thank you.

Scott Marder: Awesome.

UTF: Okay, now, for the readers who probably don’t know, can you guys give me a quick summary of what exactly Doberman is?

Rob Rosell: A [1980s] supercop for the modern day.

Jack Lambert: It’s Anchorman meets a Steven Segal movie.

UTF: Oooh! Well, I am interested already. (Laughs) Tell me what was your inspiration for creating this series?

Scott Marder: (chuckles) Jack’s mom is a really strong woman and we always thought that she would be a really good cop. She used to come up to Syracuse where we all went to college and she would unpack everyone because she was stronger than all of our dads. We were creating a character that was as strong as Jack’s mom and would kick as much ass as Jack’s mom. Then that would be something that everyone would read. She used to play a game called human jacket where she would get on your back and you had to shake her off (Laughs).

Rob Rosell: (Laughs)Wow. Yeah.

Jack Lambert: I would say that it would be like late eighties, mid-early nineties. Cop movies [like] Cobra [and] Lethal Weapon obviously was a big one.

UTF: Do you have all of the other eighties stereotypes like the boss who just won’t stop riding him or the over-the-top explosions?

Rob Rosell: Yeah, we have all that. We have the police chief who is really sick and falling apart and just wants a couple more days on the force, and a semi-heavy uptight captain who is more concerned about his image in the police department than actually doing real police work, which is what Doberman does. He does not necessarily go by the low-protocol stuff. It is accepted. He fights crime in his own way and does not play by the rules.

Jack Lambert: There is also a dog that smokes cigarettes.

UTF: Really?

Jack Lambert: Mm-Hmm.

Rob Rosell: That’s another issue.

UTF: You guys are making me want to read it right now (Laughs). Okay, with somebody who is objective, are there any 1980s movies characters that people can probably relate to this character?

Scott Marder: I would say any Steven Seagal movie or [Sylvester] Stallone as Cobra was a major inspiration.

UTF: What makes this series stand out from all the other comics right now?

Scott Marder: It has full frontal male nudity.

UTF: (surprised) Really?

Rob Rosell: (Laughs)

Jack Lambert: It’s very erotic.

Scott Marder: We want people to be able to laugh and then we want people to be able to take it in the bedroom. [They] do that and find enjoyment in another way.

Rob Rosell: I think it starts back in the marriages.

Scott Marder: Yeah.

UTF: You know what? That is what matters man. Comics bringing people together. (Laughs)

Rob Rosell: On the side note. I’ve seen a lot of eighties stuff coming out. Like right now, we’ve got Archer becoming Archer Vice.

UTF: They’ve also got that new show Moonbeam City, which is pretty much a complete eighties rip-off. Do you feel that that is a trend that is coming or just something that just happened to come together?

Jack Lambert: I’d say we started that trend when we began writing this and everyone is kind of following in our wake.

UTF: Okay. Now Rob and Scott, you are also the writers for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.Can we expect some of the humor from that show to pop up in Doberman?

Rob Rosell: People that like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia would probably like a lot of the humor in Doberman. It’s very weird and random, so that’s sort of what we always wind up doing.

UTF: Awesome. Do you guys have any advice for up and coming comic creators?