The past year has proved to be one of the most exciting in recent memory, especially if you are a fan of the cult classic ‘Boondock Saints’. The fall of 2009 ushered in an exciting new chapter in the franchise with the arrival of Troy Duffy’s ‘Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day’. The excitement did not stop there. As we move through 2010, Duffy and company have really upped the anti in the form of movie tie-ins that do not disappoint. A perfect example of this is “In Nomine Patris: The Secret History of Il Duce” and “In Nomine Patris: The Head of The Snake” from 12-Gauge Comics.
This two-issue miniseries was written by the movie’s writer/director Troy Duffy with JB Love and illustrated by the very talented Guss Floor. As a fan of the franchise, the story of Boondock Saints has always hand a very layered and organic feel, which was what was so intriguing about the sequel — it had a lot more going on under the hood. In any genre or medium it is always exciting, if not a rarity, to have the creator peel back some of those layers to reveal an even more intricate story under the surface. That is exactly what you can expect from these comics, as opposed to a simple rehash of the film in comic form. Serving as a companion piece to ‘Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day’, these comics provide fans a closer look at the legendary Il Duce (a role masterfully played by Billy Connolly in the film) along with a heaping helping of good ol’ fashioned street justice by way of The McManus Brothers. Duffy intertwines the two timelines, one shedding even more light on transformations of Noah McManus into the legendary Il Duce and the other giving fans more time with their beloved McManus Brothers on the night before their epic battle in BDS II. The story stays just as captivating as in the films, the action is just as fast paced and the characters grow even deeper roots.
Troy Duffy is one of the most interesting characters in the entertainment industry. WIth this new project under his belt, it is even clearer that he possesses the qualities of some of the past’s greatest showman — giving the people what they want but never spoiling the finale. With a proven track record of topping his previous work, ‘Boondock Saints III’ could be a true game changer when it comes to modern trilogies.
The Bottom Line…
Is this comic mini-series worth picking up? Absolutely. Why? Because it not only allows you to experience the franchise in a very exciting new way but it kicks the door wide open for future installments in this medium. “In Nomine Patris: The Secret History of Il Duce” and “In Nomine Patris: The Head of The Snake” can be considered a win for Troy Duffy , 12-Gauge Comics (who have clearly have a winner on their hands with this property) and most importantly, content hungry fans!
12-Gauge Comics are at Comic Con and are bringing some familiar face along for the ride! Troy Duffy, David Della Rocco and Sean Patrick Flanery will all be in attendance!
How did music first come into your life?
Fran: ‘When Laughing Got You Killed’ was mostly about growing up in Schenectady and some songs were written years ago some just before we went in the studio. On that album I would bring in a simple acoustic version of a song then we would kind of shape it to be more of a completed song in rehearsal. We like to beat the dead horse out of a song, we’ll play it live fifty times before we decide we like an arrangement or not. ‘Widows Walk’ is more of a collaborative album mostly dealing with relationships from the male and female perspective. The concept of the widow walk came from the whaling days in Nantucket where the architecture was shaped by the fact that the woman of the island would go to the Widow watch to wait for there men to come home from sea. A whaling trip would take year and was obviously dangerous, resulting in a lot of the men not coming home. I always thought there was something romantic in that moment when the ship comes and they found out whether their man was on the boat or not, such an extreme of emotion, not unlike what is happening with our soldiers today except the steaks seem hirer now that its both men and women. I guess were trying to nail down that feeling of extreme happiness and sadness at the same time.
The band got a big push with the help of ‘Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day’. How did you initially get involved with Troy Duffy and company?
Have you ever had a “Spinal Tap” moment on stage, where something totally unexpected has happened to you? 
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
I realize that you always had faith in the film, but did you have any idea that ‘Boondock Saints’ would develop into the cult phenomenon that it has?
Funny story for ya. One of my buddies was wearing a ‘Boondock’ shirt once and he went to the grocery store. He comes back and says “Dude, something happened! It’s funny, you have to listen to this!” This guy comes up to him in the store and says “Cool! Boondock Saints! That’s one of my favorite movies!” and my friend doesn’t say that he knows me at first and says “Hey, yeah! It’s a good flick, huh?” and they start talking and the guy starts following him around. ‘Boondock’ fans kinda have this weird instant bond, ya know? They will hang out and stuff, just because of the movie. The guy goes “Yeah, I heard that fuckin’ guy, Troy Duffy, pulled a Grizzly Adams and he is living in the woods because he lost his mind!” I am laughin’ my ass off from hearing this! [laughs] The idea that people would think that I can’t take a punch, ya know? And that I would take a lawn chair and go live off the fat of the land because [in an artsy voice] no one understands me as an artist! That is just kinda funny stuff. I also think it is a misconception that I am some kind of super harsh dude, ya know? Sometimes I can be blunt, but I rather appreciate it sometimes when people are blunt with me. We have become such a politically correct society that people are no longer actually telling you how they feel. They are trying to say it in a politically correct manner and at the end of the day you have no fuckin’ idea how they feel about you, how they feel about your film or how they feel about your work. Sometimes I tend to cut through that bullshit. However, I think the people that I do that with, I always kinda make a judgment call as to whether I am dealing with somebody that can handle that type of honesty. Ultimately, it has worked out for me.
Yeah, that is a buddy of ours who is in the comic book business and we had always thought about doing a comic book. We are making a deal with him to do the comic book and I will have a lot to do with that. One of the reasons we did it is because fans were so interested in Il Duce’s past and that is why I addressed it in the film. They wanted to know why he became a killer, why they didn’t know that they were father and sons and what was going on with this guy. They were really interested so I responded directly to the fanbase’s inquiries and addressed it in the film and we are making a whole comic book series out of it. I think that it is just a cool idea, ya know? An Italian kid with polio and this brutal Irish guy whose father has been killed, indiscriminately killing mobsters, way back in 1950′s New York and planning out each gig to blame it on someone else, to me that type of storytelling is gold.
Any last words of the critics and for the fans?
What was it like working alongside Peter Fonda?
Looking back on your experiences with making both films. What stands out as your fondest memory?
Is there anything else that you would like to say to the Boondock Saints fans?
There is some of that. You mentioned the word “cult” as opposed to something like ‘Inglorious Basterds’ or ‘Titantic’ or ‘Terminator’ or whatever. It does have that cult thing and I think there is a youth to it. There are those college kids that are of a certain age. The way the movie started, it started slow, it was word of mouth when we released it. It pretty much went straight to DVD because of what was going on at the time and by that I mean Columbine. I just remember two years going by and then all of a sudden someone recognized me. Then it started to happen more and more.. It did seem to be like a cult, a certain group of people that were aware of it. So yes, it was an interesting change but it wasn’t that drastic where I had to move to a gated community or needed a bodyguard! [laughs]
The people have certainly spoken in regards to Boondock Saints!
Have you been able to see a cut of the film yet?
What can you tell us about ‘Jake’s Corner’?
