FEATURE
Cyborgs Don’t Feel Pain
Joshua Viola is far more than your average sci-fi and horror enthusiast. He is an avid collector of video games, movies, and tattoos, as well as a co-owner of both a meat packing company and a commercial real estate business. He also co-founded The Viola Foundation -Colorado, which has provided support to the LGBTQ+ community.
January 29, 2025
Josh Viola Illustrated by Aaron Lovett
The Bane of Yoto Cover Art
Cover Art of Books by Josh Viola (Bit Bot and Hex Publisher's)
Josh Viola Illustrated by Aaron Lovett
USE ARROWS TO MOVE THROUGH IMAGES
By Tayler Smith
As a leader in the second largest bison processing operation in the U.S., founded in 2009, Viola eventually felt a pull to embrace his creative passions and dive deeper into his "nerdier" dreams. With a background in video game art (Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Smurfs) and a Master of Business Administration, he published his debut novel, The Bane of Yoto, in 2012. Inspired by video games, the book featured an interactive companion comic book app that garnered hundreds of thousands of downloads. Leveraging his business acumen, the project was a successful, award-winning venture. His storytelling endeavors eventually earned him the title of Denver Post #1 bestseller and a Colorado Book Award winner, as well as the owner of his first publishing company, Hex Publishers.
After Hex successfully launched, Viola and his long-term friend of thirteen years, musician Klayton Celldweller, started their own multimedia company called Bit Bot Media. Klayton is known for his music projects that have generated over 750 million streams and has appeared in major films such as Suicide Squad, Deadpool 2, and video games Call of Duty: Elite, and Assassin’s Creed. Klayton has even worked with the famous magician and mindfreak, Criss Angel. In a short period of time, Bit Bot has become known for popular licensed IP, merchandise, apparel, graphic novels, comics, movies, and video games.
Earlier this year, Bit Bot Media partnered with Canadian film studio Raven Banner Entertainment, known for films like The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Turbo Kid, to produce original films and develop ancillary merchandise for those projects. This collaboration led to Viola and Klayton executive producing a reboot of Roger Corman’s beloved Deathstalker franchise, starring Daniel Bernhardt (The Matrix, andJohn Wick), alongside fellow producer Slash from Guns N' Roses. Shortly after, they co-executive produced Deathgasm 2: Goremegeddon, a sequel to the 2015 cult horror-comedy directed by the filmmaker behind Guns Akimbostarring Daniel Radcliffe. Viola has also produced other films, including the upcoming stop-motion animated feature Shrine of Abominations, theAliens Expanded documentary, and more.
The Bane of Yoto Cover Art and other Books and Cover Art By Josh Viola (Bit Bot and Hex Publisher's)
Like many writers, creators, and artists, Viola brings his ideas to life by focusing on "high-concept world-building first and character-building second." For him, the environment is always more vivid in his mind than anything else. He was initially surprised when interviewed for a queer magazine, despite being a member of the L(G)BTQ community, as he does not fit the "stereotypical" image of a gay man—he is a metalhead who loves horror, sci-fi, and “nerd stuff.” While some of his characters are part of the LGBTQ community, it is not his primary focus. Instead, he aims to create immersive fictional worlds where his audience can see themselves, however they identify. However, he is currently working on a new project with USA Today bestselling author Carter Wilson. Though the title has not been revealed yet, Viola shared that it is set in the '80s and features queer characters. Since Wilson does not identify as part of the LGBTQ community, he sought Viola's help in developing authentic LGBTQ characters for their narrative.
Viola and his Bit Bot team are working on merchandise project featuring masks from characters in the hit Canadian film Hundreds of Beavers. Following that, The Wraprecently revealed Bit Bot's upcoming release of a Rocky Horror Showvideo game adaptation, which will be available on PC and all major gaming consoles.
Viola has collaborated with the original scream queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis. Along with a host of other celebrities—including R.L. Stine, Devon Sawa, GWAR, Trivium's Matt Heafy, Slash, Barbara Crampton, and Jeffrey Combs—Curtis granted Viola permission to officially feature her likenesses in his hit slasher comedy comic book series, True Believers, which he co-wrote with New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.
In October, Bit Bot launched officially licensed apparel from The Terminator and Evil Dead 2franchises. Fans can look forward to all-over print hoodies, retro-style art shirts, and much more, as top artists have been contracted to bring these iconic films to life through exclusive merchandise.
When asked why he is such a fan of genre fiction, especially sci-fi, Viola said, “Science fiction serves as a reflection of our present, offering commentary on current societal issues while often providing a glimpse—and sometimes a warning—of what the future may hold.” He elaborated how sci-fi is more than just cybernetic beings and dynamic, futuristic worlds; it is a space to explore current challenges and speculate on where humanity might lead us. Similarly, genre fiction like dark fantasy and horror taps into our primal fears and moral dilemmas, using the supernatural to reflect deeper truths about ourselves and the world around us. This is why Viola was thrilled to work on the new Legacy of Kain: Soul Reavergraphic novel, which he just launched on Kickstarter and raised over $1.3 million, making it the #5 most-funded graphic novel project of all time on Kickstarter, just two spots under Keanu Reeve’s BRZRKR series.
For those unfamiliar, The Legacy of Kain franchise is a dark, atmospheric series of five video games that explores themes of destiny, free will, and betrayal, following a fallen vampire as he navigates a twisted world of ancient prophecies, time travel, and moral ambiguity. Viola’s Soul Reaver graphic novel is being developed as we speak, with fulfillment beginning in May 2025. The graphic novel is written by Viola and Angie Hodapp (who is also a local Denver writer), illustrated by Juan Samu, and includes contributions by many talented creatives who have worked on projects such as Star Wars, Transformers, Magic: The Gathering, andThe Walking Dead. The Bit Bot team is also developing unique ancillary merchandise for the project, including a vinyl soundtrack by Celldweller, a three-foot replica of the Reaver sword from the games, and high-end latex masks of the characters Raziel and Kain.
Books and Cover Art By Josh Viola (Bit Bot and Hex Publisher's)
Viola credits friend and colleague Brent Friedman for helping him kickstart what has quickly become his dream project. Friedman, who recommended Viola for the Soul Reaver gig, has been providing narrative guidance for numerous big IP, including Star Wars, Call of Duty, Halo and more. Viola revealed that, thanks to their collective input, the upcoming graphic novel will feature "never-before-seen ideas and elements from unreleased Soul Reaverlore." As Viola and his team continue to push creative boundaries, he hopes their innovative spirit will be reflected in Bit Bot Media's company motto: "WE MAKE COOL SH*T!"
Speaking of cool sh*t, Viola's left arm is a canvas of vibrant creativity, adorned with a tattoo sleeve crafted by Lindsey Bell of Coven Tattoo in Westminster, Colorado. His sleeve showcases his favorite franchises, including Alien, Terminator, Ghostbusters, Ninja Turtles, Predator, The Legend of Zelda, and more, reflecting his passion for storytelling and his ambition to work on every IP character inked on his arm.
When he is not busy writing novels and comics, producing films and video games, or designing apparel, Viola enjoys quality time with his partner Aaron and their son, Orion. The family often immerses themselves in a video game or movie from their extensive 5,000 game collection, showcased on their custom 150” Sonos home theater. While Aaron takes on the role of a stay-at-home dad, his artistic flair also finds expression in various project covers for Viola and in contributions to popular video game titles like Monster Train, which was a #1 global bestseller on Steam in 2020. Together, these two masterminds of genre fiction not only shape their creative worlds but also cultivate a happy family life, leaving us all as eager characters in their unfolding epic, waiting for the next plot twist.
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About the author
Tayler Smith is a dental professional by day and a writer by night. Along with being a part-time barista, Tayler knows when to put the work aside and indulge in the arts. Growing up in Colorado, Tayler masters the craft of connecting with others, especially amongst the Denver community; she thrives on getting to know people through art shows, open mics, bookstores, concerts, and tasty cuisine. Talery has published a book of poetry and is a skilled writer.