This November, Image Comics is releasing volume one of a comic book anthology called POPGUN with volume two already being assembled. The books, described by its co-editors, Mark Andrew Smith and Joe Keatinge as a “comic mixtape,” is over 400 pages of new stories by creators well-known and new, all with only one thing in mind: entertaining the readers. In this edition of “Hooray for Comics,” five POPGUN creators -- Chris Moreno, Joe Suitor, Thomas Mauer, Michael Woods, and Stephen Reedy -- answer five carefully selected questions regarding the project…

1. What're you doing for POPGUN? Pimp it.

CHRIS MORENO: I'm writing and drawing a short story featuring a character I created a while back called “Sanz Pantz: Ninja Platypus.” In a world gone lousy with ninjas, he fights for the right to sit on his ass all day.

JOE SUITOR: I'm doin’ a short story from my own book, Monoluminant. It's called “The Goblin Sisters.”

THOMAS MAUER: I lettered a bunch of stories as well as pre-pressed the book. There was going to be a story I had written in the book as well, but unfortunately, the art didn't get finished. But don't despair, there'll be a whacky writing contribution from me in the next volume!

MICHAEL WOODS: I'm doing a story called “Rocket Racers” with illustrator Kevin Myers.

STEPHEN REEDY: I'm the writer of “Doxy Proxy,” aka, my own victimization of a future homicide. As in, the same hypocritically violent pro-life extremist we satirically depict as villains will probably hypocritically use violence to kill myself and artist Jamie Roberts for making fun of their interesting murder tactics used to educate the world that taking life is wrong. It's also a story where Jesus and the Anti-Christ are badass mega cops out to stop injustice from those who bake it like a frosting covered cake of crime. Action, monsters, and epic satire make the foundation for this one. It was awesomely drawn by Jamie Roberts, whose style is appropriately like nothing ever seen before.

2. How'd you hear about POPGUN?

CHRIS MORENO: My pal, writer Mike Woods, asked me if I was interested in contributing a story for an anthology he was working on and put me in contact with [POPGUN co-editor] Mark Andrew Smith. From there it was just a question of what I wanted to do. After a while, I was seeing the work of some of the other contributors coming in, and I realized just how special an anthology this was going to be.

JOE SUITOR: I also got involved with popgun by knowing Mark Andrew Smith.

THOMAS MAUER: Remember the predecessor to POPGUN – LOW ORBIT? I lettered two of the stories in that book, one being Mark Smith's "Little Medusa." 'Tis true, it's who you know.

MICHAEL WOODS: I was fortunate enough to be there right as Mark was pulling it together.

STEPHEN REEDY: Cool guy, fellow POPGUN contributor, and talented writer Michael Woods gave me the opportunity to pitch a story after seeing some of my work in the movie industry. Or at least that's the story my lawyers make me tell people. It had nothing to do with bribery and guns, I promise.

3. What does this crazy mixtape comic book mean to you?

CHRIS MORENO: Complete and total freedom. From the minute I started, this whole thing has been about pushing our individual visions in a way some of us don't get to in our day-to-day illustration gigs. If you could crack our heads open to see what our respective creative sparks look like, it'd resemble the work you'll see in the pages of this book.

JOE SUITOR: The book represents my first published sequential comics work.

THOMAS MAUER: Pure, unadulterated fun! Working with old friends again and getting to know people I hadn't known before -- and getting my name out some more. Heh.

MICHAEL WOODS: It means a lot. A crazy mix of stories from a huge variety of styles and genres. It's everything I want in a book but never see on the shelves.

STEPHEN REEDY: It means value! But not just the cheap, indigestible filler fluff often injected in the 99 cent value combos at fast food joints where an all beef hamburger is actually 60% raccoon fur, 52% broken dreams, and 3% beef flavor -- it's the real deal, packed with scary levels of quality. For art fans, it has every style imaginable, from colorful to gritty, vector to hand painted. For those who love story, the substance has the same range of genres, moods, fun simplicity and staggering complexity... all without being up its own butt tube with uppity art house sensibilities. It's all that is good about entertainment. If the book were half the size, the insane amount of entertainment that satisfies all criteria of "awesome" would STILL make it a bargain.

4. Would you give a copy of POPGUN to your momma?

CHRIS MORENO: My momma, my daddy, yo momma -- I'd give it to everybody. Your sister -- everybody.

JOE SUITOR: I’m sure she'll expect a copy.

THOMAS MAUER: You betcha! And to the rest of the family, too.

MICHAEL WOODS: I'll be in trouble if I don't.

STEPHEN REEDY: Yeah! I'd give her three to love and enjoy!

5. Why should readers of all kinds check out this mammoth book?

CHRIS MORENO: Comics these days can take themselves a little too seriously. Artists can feel like in order to have a creative "vision," it means baring their souls or pushing the pathos until you're crying buckets. Sometimes, just sometimes, comics are about fun, and energy -- the visceral thrill that got us into them in the first place. POPGUN is 400+ pages worth of all that.

JOE SUITOR: It’s the first place you’re gonna see a lot of future talent in the field.

THOMAS MAUER: I can’t recommend POPGUN enough because it’s not only the best bargain buy of the year, it’s also got stories for everyone, is fun throughout, and will expose people to more great talents than they can shake a stick at!

MICHAEL WOODS: Because it’s 100% cool.

STEPHEN REEDY: It’s like going on a date with many hot girls at once. And they’re all smart. Unless you don’t like smart. Then they’re all dumb but use impressive anatomy as a form of intelligence to impress your ego. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. The book is pretty intelligently made all around. It’s so awesome and paced with comic nutrition that it should probably cost $200, and to buy it you’d have to take out a loan from a scary back alley loan shark with a cartoon name like “Squiddy” who uses creative violence as a form of currency. Then, when Squiddy comes after you for not paying him back, you can use the book as an effective blunting instrument. But, see, you never have to get that far ‘cause it doesn’t cost $200.