Mysterious killers dressed in white, they savaged the Cold War Russian underworld—then disappeared. Now they have resurfaced in New York, leaving a trail of dead mobsters. In this bloody wake, an amnesiac and an FBI agent search for the answer to a single question: Who are the White Suits?

This Wednesday sees the debut of Frank Barbiere‘s The White Suits.  The story originally premiered in Dark Horse Presents and now gets the full comic treatment courtesy of Dark Horse. The comic which features art by Toby Cypress has a cool artistic design that matches the sleek and cool interior story.

Before the comic hits shelves this Wednesday, we got a chance to chat with Barbiere about its inspirations, that cool design, and what else we can expect from the in-demand creator in 2014.

Graphic Policy: So where did the idea for The White Suits come from?

Frank Barbiere: I very much wanted to do a crime book, but wanted to somehow make it unique.  I thought of going for a black-and-white with spot coloring palette would help, as well as a general “over-the-top” feel, and I decided having protagonists in white suits would make them stand out.  After thinking of that, then the fun started–crafting a story around that “hook.”

GP: What are the influences on the series?

FB: I’m a huge fan of Sin City, 100 Bullets, and Criminal.  Those were my big crime comic touchstones at the time, but I’m happy that the White Suits quickly spun into its own thing.  We worked in some historical fiction, elements of the cold war, and some classic noir tropes, and before we knew it we had a unique mythology and something that was feeling wholly our own.

GP: The series began in Dark Horse Presents. What is it always a plan to move it from there into a full series? Is there things, folks that are new to the series should know?

FB: We originally pitched the book you’re reading now, but my editor Chris Warner saw a great opportunity to introduce the book in the pages of DHP.  This allowed us to build our world a bit and widen the mythology–the DHP stories are all prequels to this story that have a very purposeful, almost puzzle-piece like continuity to them.  They’ll be in the trade and readers will finally be able to see how things all connect.

GP: There’s a mix here of organized crime, gang warfare, spy thriller and then there’s a lost identity. That’s a lot to fit into one comic. What drove you to mix all that in instead of focusing on one or two?

FB: I just tend to throw elements I love together rather than going for “true genre.”  Once my mind got set on the “crime” path, I started working in a lot of more action-esque stuff as well–I’m not a huge student of crime or noir, so really I’ve worked in the aesthetic and elevated with aspects I like.  I think it’s what my brain does to keep things fresh, to sorta make them “my own.”  Hopefully it feels that way to readers, haha.

GP: Toby Cypress’ art for the issue really stood out. How did you come to work with him and what drew you to that style for the series?

FB: Since its inception, I wanted The White Suits to have an insane visual flair.  The plot has grown into something far more interesting than I envisioned, but I wanted this book to have style and feel a bit like a Tarantino movie.  I had seen Toby’s work and was a huge fan–I am particularly fond of Rodd Racer, his self-published (and later released through Image) pulp racing story–when the original artist I was working with quit the book, I randomly asked Toby.  Thankfully, he agreed!  He’s really made the book his own, and is a true co-creator.  It’s hard for me to imagine it any other way.  I think he brought such a unique, visual flair to the project that’s taken it to the next level.  Toby is a true talent and I’m so glad to give him the spotlight here–he deserves it.

GP: How much input did you have into the design of everything?

FB: I write a “full script” which Toby draws from, so ultimately the “pacing” is what comes through there.  It’s a true collaboration, so once Toby knows the story/my beats he’s free to do whatever he wants–which makes the book 100X better.  There’s only so much I can convey through text, so most of the visual design is all Toby’s brainchild.  I’m so happy to be working with someone so visionary, as once I laid down the parameters (black and white with limited color palette, etc.) Toby just embraced it and ran with the idea.

GP: There’s also a very limited color palette of black, white and red. Whose decision was it to do that? Did you flirt with other ideas?

FB: It was my idea going into the book to have the limited color palette.  Toby has really embraced it and worked it in at a thematic level as well, so it’s been a happy experiment to say the least.

GP: Russia plays into the story, as the White Suits savaged the Cold War Soviet underworld and a State Department Official disappeared from there. With so much focus on the country right now, was that part of your mind or just good timing?

FB: It was honestly just good timing, haha.  I think the Cold War is a very interesting backdrop, and clearly we’ve never had perfect relations with Russia, so it makes for a very relevant and salient dialogue.  There’s a lot worked in that we’ll get at the end of the series, as well as just subtext, but it added a bit of real world richness to an otherwise over-the-top story that has made it unique.

GP: On top of this series, you also have Five Ghosts and the upcoming Solar: Man of the Atom. All three are very different in subject. Do you approach each differently crafting them?

FB: For me, it’s really about working with the artist and finding the story.  I tend to jump around a lot with genre, but ultimately I think it’s just a tool to serve the story.  I love the fact I’ve been blessed to work with such talented, unique voices on the art front–it helps me step up and really work to make something fun and creative.  I think there’s always a great story to be found, and the trappings of genre and style are always in service to that story.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

FB: 2014 is going to be a pretty crazy year!  I’ll be putting out a lot of work, which I’m immensely thankful for, and I just hope readers will stick with me.  I’m working hard to build a body of work that shows my sensibilities, who I am as a writer, and hopefully I’ll continue to grow and get better throughout.  By the end of the year if I can have people who enjoy “Frank Barbiere comics,” I’ll consider it a success!