Also, check out the artistic process of the new Angel & Faith artist Rebekah Issacs here.
Showing posts with label Angel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Angel. Show all posts
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Whedon Wednesdays at Dark Horse! (Spoilers)
Also, check out the artistic process of the new Angel & Faith artist Rebekah Issacs here.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
IDW WEEK: Interview with Writer and Editor, Mariah Huehner
Next up, we talk with editor and writer on the final series of Angel, Illyria, and Spike stories, Mariah Huehner. Over the last few years, she's become a stellar voice with the fans, always there to talk about what was happening behind the scenes. We dig a little deeper with her today, asking some of those questions she couldn't quite answer before the book was still running.
Buffyfest: You came in right after the Kelley Armstrong arc was done and a lot of fans were wondering, "Why didn't IDW just tap one of the Angel TV Series writers to work on the book?"
Mariah Huehner: I always like that question because there's no easy answer. We did, of course, approach some people from the show. But everyone was busy or, you know, working on Buffy. :} I'm not in any way knocking Buffy, of course. But we just didn't have the option of tapping someone from the show at the time. Plus, comics is a different medium than TV. Just because you love one doesn't mean you have any interest in the other.
Buffyfest: The other big question that got asked back then (and again, later) was, "Why not a fan writer?" It wasn't unknown that some fans had pitched for the book, that many fans write stories about these characters often. Was that ever considered?
MH: Well, no. And again, not as a knock to fans, the thing is, comics are a lot harder to write than most people realize. You need experienced writers in the medium to construct stories like this. Just loving the show isn't enough. You need to understand this specific form of storytelling, meet deadlines, and be confident you can handle a world of this size and cast this big. The truth is, all the writers we hired were also fans of the show.
Buffyfest: Right. Which brings us to the first set of stories you were editor on, those being written by Bill Willingham and Bill Williams. There was a lot of controversy concerning the characterization of many of the major players at that time, that Spike was acting strangely, that Angel was out of the book for too long. Looking back on it, do you still stand behind those stories? Is there anything you would have wanted to do differently?
MH: I do still stand behind those stories. We wouldn't have published them if we didn't think they were worth telling. I think I probably would have gotten Angel back into the action sooner, for instance. And been maybe a touch more obvious about Spike. But there were reasons for all of that, real story and character reasons, so it's not like anything was done arbitrarily. The argument that characters were acting OOC...that seems to come up no matter who is writing something. I've even seen that about stuff Joss has written. So we couldn't really worry about that too much. It's a bit subjective.
Buffyfest: Once Bill left, you and David took over to complete his arc and move into what would become the final story. How closely did you keep to Bill's original plan and how much was changed? When you were planning out those stories, did you take into account what fans were saying or is it too risky to play into what fans want?
MH: We kept some things and not others. We had to finish the arc up in a way that made sense so obviously certain plot and character points Bill had been building towards were there. But we also had to change some elements to set up the next arc which was something David and I developed on our own. We went in a very different direction with the last arc for obvious reasons. In terms of what fans were saying...that's a tough one. We certainly cared, you want people to enjoy the stories you're telling. But overall, no, we had to tell a story we felt was right for the characters and the kind of ending we thought Angel deserved. Not two fans want the same exact thing so you can't base stories on that.
Buffyfest: When in the process of writing did you find out that the license was reverting back to Dark Horse?
MH: I honestly don't remember. Probably around the time everyone else did. :}
Buffyfest: Did you have a longer narrative in mind originally?
MH: Yeah, David and I had a longer arc planned. It would have been more fleshed out, more detailed and weird.
Buffyfest: What would you like to have done, given more time? Anything in particular? Any other characters you would have liked to focus more on? Would you have wanted to bring in more original characters?
MH: Personally, I would've wanted more stuff with Illyria and her role in that future. We had to cut a lot of that to get Angel back to his present and I was sad to see it go. And I would have liked to do more with Wolfram & Hart, been able to get more into what was going on with them and their reappearance.
I don't think we would've added more new characters, though. That arc was more about the core group and Angel's relationship with Connor. But also about choices and fighting the good fight. We had to pace things very tightly in the last arc, and while I'm pleased with how it turned out, you always wish you had more time with everyone. More moments to let breathe, more character exploration.
Buffyfest: You became a pretty big presence in the IDW forums throughout your time writing and editing. Was it hard going from being a fan who could be critical of the show's narrative to being on the receiving end of that criticism? How did you deal with that shift, especially when you moved from editing to editing AND writing?
MH: Honestly, I really didn't mind any of the criticism unless it was because people were making huge assumptions about what we were doing. In general the IDW forum is constructive and spirited, but not mean. And you can't expect to write something in a world like this and not get criticized. You just can't make story choices based on that.
The transition from editing to co-writing was interesting. I've definitely been critical of some of the show's storylines so David and I would talk about the things we felt worked vs. what we didn't, mostly to avoid being repetitive or getting into narrative sinkholes.
I wanted to be accessible on the forums, though, because I could see how important these characters and stories were to the fans and I wanted to make sure they knew that we cared, too.
At core, I'm a fan of stories. I get emotional over ones I connect to, so I can completely relate to how people feel about this world. The only times that were a real challenge is when some people would insist that their interpretation was -the- interpretation. There's pretty much no such thing. I think there are interpretations that hold up better under analysis than others, but the truth is, if people believe something and feel it deeply, then it's true for them. And I'd rather the stories were layered enough to do that than not.
Buffyfest: And now we're at the end. This week will see the final IDW Angel comic, the Angel Yearbook. Tell us how that came about and what the goal was for these final stories.
MH: Well, Ryall and I talked about doing something after the last issue of the series that would showcase all the folks that had worked on Angel since the beginning. So we asked everyone what characters they'd most like to tell a story about from any point in the series. It was funny because everyone picked someone different and organically came up with these touching, relevant, sincere stories to end with.
The real goal was making it celebratory of Angel and his family.
Buffyfest: Final round up with the work you did on these stories, tell us: Thing you're most proud of, biggest challenge and, if you were to write a story about Angel 20 years from now, where do you think he'd be?
MH: Well, I'm personally most proud of Illyria: Haunted. That story means a lot to me. But I'm also really proud of working with David, Brian, and Bill. I'm proud of the way we ended things and the character moments along the way.
There were so many people who made Angel great. Working with Brian and Franco on Spike was lovely, I think the world of them both. Elena really breathed life into the final two arcs and her work on Illyria is incredible. Scott Tipton, who did so much with these characters, and proofed nearly every issue of the series which is something I don't think he gets credit for. David Messina, who started on these books and was always a joy to work with. Writers like Peter David & Jeff Mariotte who told some wonderful last tales in the Yearbook. Likewise, Stephen Mooney for his great sense of humor and dynamic art. Willingham, for seeing how complex this world could be and being unafraid to take story risks. Jenny Frison, for giving us the most wonderfully gorgeous covers. And last, David Tischman, who really understood the mix of humor, melancholy, and epic heroism of Angel and took the story where it needed to, to go out on a high note.
Biggest challenge: Letting go, I guess. It's extremely sad to see this end for us.
As for Angel in 20 years: Still fighting. I always see him in the alley, sword in hand, ready to face whatever comes next. I can't see him doing anything else.
Buffyfest: What's next for you?
MH: Well, I'm working on an adaption of Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice and David and I are doing the next True Blood story, True Blood: The French Quarter. Servant is this wonderfully rich tale that Anne wrote about a young Babylonian who becomes a kind of demon/ghost. It's really challenging but wonderful to work on. And David and I are having huge amounts of fun with this new True Blood series. We get to take Sookie, Bill, and Eric to New Orleans and they get into all kinds of trouble. So basically, I'm really busy. :}
Buffyfest: You came in right after the Kelley Armstrong arc was done and a lot of fans were wondering, "Why didn't IDW just tap one of the Angel TV Series writers to work on the book?"
Mariah Huehner: I always like that question because there's no easy answer. We did, of course, approach some people from the show. But everyone was busy or, you know, working on Buffy. :} I'm not in any way knocking Buffy, of course. But we just didn't have the option of tapping someone from the show at the time. Plus, comics is a different medium than TV. Just because you love one doesn't mean you have any interest in the other.
Buffyfest: The other big question that got asked back then (and again, later) was, "Why not a fan writer?" It wasn't unknown that some fans had pitched for the book, that many fans write stories about these characters often. Was that ever considered?MH: Well, no. And again, not as a knock to fans, the thing is, comics are a lot harder to write than most people realize. You need experienced writers in the medium to construct stories like this. Just loving the show isn't enough. You need to understand this specific form of storytelling, meet deadlines, and be confident you can handle a world of this size and cast this big. The truth is, all the writers we hired were also fans of the show.
Buffyfest: Right. Which brings us to the first set of stories you were editor on, those being written by Bill Willingham and Bill Williams. There was a lot of controversy concerning the characterization of many of the major players at that time, that Spike was acting strangely, that Angel was out of the book for too long. Looking back on it, do you still stand behind those stories? Is there anything you would have wanted to do differently?
MH: I do still stand behind those stories. We wouldn't have published them if we didn't think they were worth telling. I think I probably would have gotten Angel back into the action sooner, for instance. And been maybe a touch more obvious about Spike. But there were reasons for all of that, real story and character reasons, so it's not like anything was done arbitrarily. The argument that characters were acting OOC...that seems to come up no matter who is writing something. I've even seen that about stuff Joss has written. So we couldn't really worry about that too much. It's a bit subjective.
Buffyfest: Once Bill left, you and David took over to complete his arc and move into what would become the final story. How closely did you keep to Bill's original plan and how much was changed? When you were planning out those stories, did you take into account what fans were saying or is it too risky to play into what fans want?
MH: We kept some things and not others. We had to finish the arc up in a way that made sense so obviously certain plot and character points Bill had been building towards were there. But we also had to change some elements to set up the next arc which was something David and I developed on our own. We went in a very different direction with the last arc for obvious reasons. In terms of what fans were saying...that's a tough one. We certainly cared, you want people to enjoy the stories you're telling. But overall, no, we had to tell a story we felt was right for the characters and the kind of ending we thought Angel deserved. Not two fans want the same exact thing so you can't base stories on that.Buffyfest: When in the process of writing did you find out that the license was reverting back to Dark Horse?
MH: I honestly don't remember. Probably around the time everyone else did. :}
Buffyfest: Did you have a longer narrative in mind originally?
MH: Yeah, David and I had a longer arc planned. It would have been more fleshed out, more detailed and weird.
Buffyfest: What would you like to have done, given more time? Anything in particular? Any other characters you would have liked to focus more on? Would you have wanted to bring in more original characters?
MH: Personally, I would've wanted more stuff with Illyria and her role in that future. We had to cut a lot of that to get Angel back to his present and I was sad to see it go. And I would have liked to do more with Wolfram & Hart, been able to get more into what was going on with them and their reappearance.
I don't think we would've added more new characters, though. That arc was more about the core group and Angel's relationship with Connor. But also about choices and fighting the good fight. We had to pace things very tightly in the last arc, and while I'm pleased with how it turned out, you always wish you had more time with everyone. More moments to let breathe, more character exploration.
Buffyfest: You became a pretty big presence in the IDW forums throughout your time writing and editing. Was it hard going from being a fan who could be critical of the show's narrative to being on the receiving end of that criticism? How did you deal with that shift, especially when you moved from editing to editing AND writing?MH: Honestly, I really didn't mind any of the criticism unless it was because people were making huge assumptions about what we were doing. In general the IDW forum is constructive and spirited, but not mean. And you can't expect to write something in a world like this and not get criticized. You just can't make story choices based on that.
The transition from editing to co-writing was interesting. I've definitely been critical of some of the show's storylines so David and I would talk about the things we felt worked vs. what we didn't, mostly to avoid being repetitive or getting into narrative sinkholes.
I wanted to be accessible on the forums, though, because I could see how important these characters and stories were to the fans and I wanted to make sure they knew that we cared, too.
At core, I'm a fan of stories. I get emotional over ones I connect to, so I can completely relate to how people feel about this world. The only times that were a real challenge is when some people would insist that their interpretation was -the- interpretation. There's pretty much no such thing. I think there are interpretations that hold up better under analysis than others, but the truth is, if people believe something and feel it deeply, then it's true for them. And I'd rather the stories were layered enough to do that than not.
Buffyfest: And now we're at the end. This week will see the final IDW Angel comic, the Angel Yearbook. Tell us how that came about and what the goal was for these final stories.
The real goal was making it celebratory of Angel and his family.
Buffyfest: Final round up with the work you did on these stories, tell us: Thing you're most proud of, biggest challenge and, if you were to write a story about Angel 20 years from now, where do you think he'd be?
MH: Well, I'm personally most proud of Illyria: Haunted. That story means a lot to me. But I'm also really proud of working with David, Brian, and Bill. I'm proud of the way we ended things and the character moments along the way.
There were so many people who made Angel great. Working with Brian and Franco on Spike was lovely, I think the world of them both. Elena really breathed life into the final two arcs and her work on Illyria is incredible. Scott Tipton, who did so much with these characters, and proofed nearly every issue of the series which is something I don't think he gets credit for. David Messina, who started on these books and was always a joy to work with. Writers like Peter David & Jeff Mariotte who told some wonderful last tales in the Yearbook. Likewise, Stephen Mooney for his great sense of humor and dynamic art. Willingham, for seeing how complex this world could be and being unafraid to take story risks. Jenny Frison, for giving us the most wonderfully gorgeous covers. And last, David Tischman, who really understood the mix of humor, melancholy, and epic heroism of Angel and took the story where it needed to, to go out on a high note.
Biggest challenge: Letting go, I guess. It's extremely sad to see this end for us.
As for Angel in 20 years: Still fighting. I always see him in the alley, sword in hand, ready to face whatever comes next. I can't see him doing anything else.Buffyfest: What's next for you?
MH: Well, I'm working on an adaption of Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice and David and I are doing the next True Blood story, True Blood: The French Quarter. Servant is this wonderfully rich tale that Anne wrote about a young Babylonian who becomes a kind of demon/ghost. It's really challenging but wonderful to work on. And David and I are having huge amounts of fun with this new True Blood series. We get to take Sookie, Bill, and Eric to New Orleans and they get into all kinds of trouble. So basically, I'm really busy. :}
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
IDW WEEK: Interview with Writer Scott Tipton
One of the most exciting parts of IDW Week has been finally getting to do a review with long time Angel writer, Scott Tipton. I guarantee that when you read his story for the Angel Yearbook, you'll find yourself wanting to reread (or read for the first time, shame on you) all the other great work he's done.
He also posted a fantastic rundown of every project he worked on, along with the pitches he wrote. It's absolutely fascinating stuff which you can check out here. But first is the time for interviews, so away we go!
Buffyfest: What is your favorite behind the scene memory since you've been writing for the Whedonverse?
Scott Tipton: Man, there are so many, it’s hard to even narrow it down, Though writing for ANGEL wasn’t the first comics work I ever had published, it was certainly the work that got me noticed, and in a lot of ways I owe my whole career to the square-jawed galoot. I vividly remember being halfway through the script of my first ANGEL project, the SPIKE graphic novel OLD WOUNDS, which was a big 48-page one-shot, and thinking to myself, “Wow. I think I could do this for a living.”
Hearing later through the grapevine that James Marsters liked the book wasn’t too bad either.
The best thing about my ANGEL experience was the people I got to work with, no question, whether it was developing story ideas with Chris Ryall, trading scripts with Brian Lynch, or just hanging out together at Comic-Con meeting the readers. And I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators in artists David Messina, Stephen Mooney and Elena Casagrande. People often ask me what my favorite thing is about writing comics, and the answer is easy: it’s getting those pages back from the artist. Seeing them take your words on the page and bring to life exactly what you envisioned (and often improving it) is insanely rewarding.
When I was first assigned the AULD LANG SYNE miniseries with David, we got to do a bit of a “warmup” with an ILLYRIA short story in the Halloween anthology MASKS, and I was immediately struck by what a pleasure David was to work with. And then when I got the pages back – wow! I knew we were on to something! Little did I know David and I would go on to create over 600 pages together over the course of the next 5 years and six miniseries.
I remember when I was working on my ANGEL miniseries AULD LANG SYNE with David, driving all over Los Angeles, down to Santa Monica and up mid-Wilshire to the LA County Museum of Art, taking dozens of photos of the scenery to send to him so the book could really have that L.A. feel. Getting to write that snarky back-and-forth repartee between Angel and Spike was a real joy; I never got to do enough of it – so when I got to add a few new scenes to SMILE TIME a couple years later, that was a real treat.
But I think the most rewarding experience of the whole run was developing the adaptation of A HOLE IN THE WORLD with Elena. You’d think with an adaptation, you’d find it creatively limiting, but instead, taking those two episodes we loved so much, stripping them down, and finding the best way to make them work in comics was so much fun, and maybe the best actual collaboration I’ve ever had with an artist, in terms of figuring out the pacing, trading cover sketches back and forth (mine much, much, oh-god-so-much worse than hers), agonizing and arguing over what to cut – for ANGEL fans like us, it was a dream job, and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Buffyfest: Which character are you going to miss the most and why?
ST: I get asked this a lot, and my usual answer tends to be Spike, just because he is such a joy to write, and his dialogue and reactions spring so naturally to mind. Sometimes it’s hard to get the voice for Angel right or figure out exactly what Gunn would do, but Spike has always written himself. I just put him in a situation and turn him loose.
But as I’ve thought about it more in the last few weeks as things have been winding down, I realized the first character I ever wrote for in the Angelverse was Fred, in the opening scene of SPIKE: OLD WOUNDS, and she’s also the last, in the final panel of my YEARBOOK story “All the Time in the World.” This feels kind of appropriate, especially as I’ve spent the last three years writing for Fred/Illyria in one form or another. There’s been a steady flow of amazing drawings of Fred and Illyria arriving in my e-mail box regularly since 2008, and It feels very strange not to be receiving them any more. I may have to bribe Elena to draw me the occasional sketch of Illyria going to the market, or picking up the mail, just to quell the cravings.
Buffyfest: Where do you see Angel in 20 years?
ST: Who can say? I’d like to think it will have stepped out of the BUFFY shadow even more, and gotten the acclaim it always deserved as a more serious and thought-provoking show. And if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll be writing it again…
He also posted a fantastic rundown of every project he worked on, along with the pitches he wrote. It's absolutely fascinating stuff which you can check out here. But first is the time for interviews, so away we go!
Buffyfest: What is your favorite behind the scene memory since you've been writing for the Whedonverse?
Scott Tipton: Man, there are so many, it’s hard to even narrow it down, Though writing for ANGEL wasn’t the first comics work I ever had published, it was certainly the work that got me noticed, and in a lot of ways I owe my whole career to the square-jawed galoot. I vividly remember being halfway through the script of my first ANGEL project, the SPIKE graphic novel OLD WOUNDS, which was a big 48-page one-shot, and thinking to myself, “Wow. I think I could do this for a living.”Hearing later through the grapevine that James Marsters liked the book wasn’t too bad either.
The best thing about my ANGEL experience was the people I got to work with, no question, whether it was developing story ideas with Chris Ryall, trading scripts with Brian Lynch, or just hanging out together at Comic-Con meeting the readers. And I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators in artists David Messina, Stephen Mooney and Elena Casagrande. People often ask me what my favorite thing is about writing comics, and the answer is easy: it’s getting those pages back from the artist. Seeing them take your words on the page and bring to life exactly what you envisioned (and often improving it) is insanely rewarding.
I remember when I was working on my ANGEL miniseries AULD LANG SYNE with David, driving all over Los Angeles, down to Santa Monica and up mid-Wilshire to the LA County Museum of Art, taking dozens of photos of the scenery to send to him so the book could really have that L.A. feel. Getting to write that snarky back-and-forth repartee between Angel and Spike was a real joy; I never got to do enough of it – so when I got to add a few new scenes to SMILE TIME a couple years later, that was a real treat.
Buffyfest: Which character are you going to miss the most and why?
ST: I get asked this a lot, and my usual answer tends to be Spike, just because he is such a joy to write, and his dialogue and reactions spring so naturally to mind. Sometimes it’s hard to get the voice for Angel right or figure out exactly what Gunn would do, but Spike has always written himself. I just put him in a situation and turn him loose.
Buffyfest: Where do you see Angel in 20 years?
ST: Who can say? I’d like to think it will have stepped out of the BUFFY shadow even more, and gotten the acclaim it always deserved as a more serious and thought-provoking show. And if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll be writing it again…
IDW WEEK: Interview with Writer Brian Lynch
We continue IDW week with a writer who's near and dear to all of our hearts. Brian Lynch told us what happened to Angel after his famous last line, "Let's go to work." He brought Spike to new and exciting places and he introduced us to instantly beloved characters like Betta George and Beck. So, without further ado, here's the man himself, looking back at his times at IDW.
Buffyfest: What is your favorite behind the scene memory since you've been writing for the Whedonverse?
Brian Lynch: I have a lot of favorite memories working on this book. From getting the job in the first place, THAT was surprising and exciting. It was followed by the pure joy of writing the first issue of SPIKE:ASYLUM, and realizing how much fun I could have with Spike. Seeing Franco Urru's first pictures of Spike, and his first pages of ASYLUM, I remember where I was, what I was doing, what time of day. The man is the best thing that ever happened to me as a Whedonverse writer. He's taken some stuff that was iffy in script form and made it epic, heartbreaking, funnier than I thought possible...he's amazing.
Joss Whedon's email saying he liked ASYLUM and wanted me to do AFTER THE FALL was a stunning moment. Everything kind of changed at that point. It all became...bigger. And it meant I got to work with my hero. That doesn't happen often. Or, really, ever.
Seeing AINT IT COOL put up pages of AFTER THE FALL and reading reader's reactions...good and bad, it was thrilling. The signing we had the day ATF # 1 came out, I was literally going from the signing to the tasting for my wedding, and then boarding a plane to see my Dad who was sick in the hospital, so that day stands out. It was also the day Chris Ryall gave me my wedding present: that stunning "Wedding Edition" ATF # 1 with new artwork by Franco and EVERYBODY'S DEAD artist Dave Crosland.
Emailing and hanging out with Chris and Scott Tipton. We were always friends but this experience brought us all closer. We were kinda brothers in arms for years. Doing signings with them, hanging out at San Diego Comic Con. Meeting and hearing from all the people that were excited about the series. Definite highpoints.
The perfect storm of awesomeness was going to the New York Comic Con, where we announced the SPIKE series. I not only got to hang out with Scott and Chris, but I finally met Franco in person. Dave Messina, Stephen Mooney and his lovely wife Jacintha. Stephen is another co-creator that elevates any work he touches: he gets the emotion, the impact certain moments are supposed to have...I'm just lucky to know him as a artist and a friend.
Speaking of Mooney, we did the LAST ANGEL IN HELL special together, and seriously, what other comic company would say "you want to do a movie adaptation of a movie that doesn't exist? Okay, go for it!" I'm a lucky man.
Back to New York Con...I also finally met Pat Shand (another great human being and a talented writer in his own right) and got to thank him for the endless reviews/online conversations about my comics. I also met and was interviewed by you guys at Buffyfest, so there's another friendship that was forged because of this comic. So as you can see, it changed my life in a lot of ways.
I could go on and on. Juliet Landau was great to work with (writing a character with the person who PLAYED the character, wow). Writing issues of a comic book on a movie set made up to look like an Easter Factory (never got that SPIKE/HOP crossover). Getting to know Mariah as an editor and then being amazed at her writing. Working with Scott Allie so we could ease Spike into Buffy's world. Reading reviews of my book every time it came and realizing that people really CARED about these characters like they care about family members.
So, yes, many many good memories. A few bad ones, but WOW, who knew talking to my friend Chris Ryall about doing a five issue limited series about a monster asylum would change my life like it did? I'm really grateful for the experience.
Buffyfest: Which character are you going to miss the most and why?
BL: This is a tough one. Obviously I'm going to miss writing for Angel, and Spike. I've bonded with these characters. But at the same time, the world is a weird place and who knows what will happen in the future. I'm glad for the break now, as I want to play around in other worlds, but I haven't closed the door with these guys. When I was watching ANGEL years ago, I never in a million years thought I'd be asked to continue the series, anything's possible.
The original characters are kind of frustrating, because I had really fun next chapters for Beck, Betta George, Jeremy, Non and Tok. I had a lot to say. Doubt I'll get the chance, which is sad. Even if I ever write for Angel and Spike again, I doubt they'll be in a place where it will easy to reunite with my guys. But, who knows.
Buffyfest: Where do you see Angel in 20 years?
BL: Kansas. I'm not sure why. Kidding, I hope there are still new Angel stories being made, that's he on our side, and he's that right mixture of tortured and happy.
Thank you Brian Lynch for talking to us once again and for all you've given to the 'verse. Have a feeling we'll be seeing you around these parts again real soon.
Buffyfest: What is your favorite behind the scene memory since you've been writing for the Whedonverse?
 |
| Spike: Asylum #1 |
Joss Whedon's email saying he liked ASYLUM and wanted me to do AFTER THE FALL was a stunning moment. Everything kind of changed at that point. It all became...bigger. And it meant I got to work with my hero. That doesn't happen often. Or, really, ever.
Seeing AINT IT COOL put up pages of AFTER THE FALL and reading reader's reactions...good and bad, it was thrilling. The signing we had the day ATF # 1 came out, I was literally going from the signing to the tasting for my wedding, and then boarding a plane to see my Dad who was sick in the hospital, so that day stands out. It was also the day Chris Ryall gave me my wedding present: that stunning "Wedding Edition" ATF # 1 with new artwork by Franco and EVERYBODY'S DEAD artist Dave Crosland.
 |
| Ryall, Tipton and Brian Lynch - 2007 |
The perfect storm of awesomeness was going to the New York Comic Con, where we announced the SPIKE series. I not only got to hang out with Scott and Chris, but I finally met Franco in person. Dave Messina, Stephen Mooney and his lovely wife Jacintha. Stephen is another co-creator that elevates any work he touches: he gets the emotion, the impact certain moments are supposed to have...I'm just lucky to know him as a artist and a friend.
Speaking of Mooney, we did the LAST ANGEL IN HELL special together, and seriously, what other comic company would say "you want to do a movie adaptation of a movie that doesn't exist? Okay, go for it!" I'm a lucky man.
 |
| Buffyfest with the man himself - 2009 |
I could go on and on. Juliet Landau was great to work with (writing a character with the person who PLAYED the character, wow). Writing issues of a comic book on a movie set made up to look like an Easter Factory (never got that SPIKE/HOP crossover). Getting to know Mariah as an editor and then being amazed at her writing. Working with Scott Allie so we could ease Spike into Buffy's world. Reading reviews of my book every time it came and realizing that people really CARED about these characters like they care about family members.
So, yes, many many good memories. A few bad ones, but WOW, who knew talking to my friend Chris Ryall about doing a five issue limited series about a monster asylum would change my life like it did? I'm really grateful for the experience.
Buffyfest: Which character are you going to miss the most and why?
BL: This is a tough one. Obviously I'm going to miss writing for Angel, and Spike. I've bonded with these characters. But at the same time, the world is a weird place and who knows what will happen in the future. I'm glad for the break now, as I want to play around in other worlds, but I haven't closed the door with these guys. When I was watching ANGEL years ago, I never in a million years thought I'd be asked to continue the series, anything's possible.
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| Lynch's original characters, Beck & Tok |
Buffyfest: Where do you see Angel in 20 years?
BL: Kansas. I'm not sure why. Kidding, I hope there are still new Angel stories being made, that's he on our side, and he's that right mixture of tortured and happy.
Thank you Brian Lynch for talking to us once again and for all you've given to the 'verse. Have a feeling we'll be seeing you around these parts again real soon.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Coming Up on IDW Week...
In case you're wondering who those mysterious names are in the writing credits of that Angel Yearbook you pick up tomorrow at your local comic shoppe, that would be our very own Bitsy a.k.a Dan Roth and super-fan Pat Shand who both had the ultimate honor of writing for the Whedonverse. A big fat congrats to them. We'll be talking to those guys later in the week along with Writer/Editor Extraordinaire Mariah Huehner, Scott Tipton, Brian Lynch, David Tischman and some other special guests. Stay tuned!
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Angel Yearbook - Exclusive Preview
Rather than the usual rundown before we share the images, let's talk about why this preview is different from what we usually do. For one, obviously, it's the last time for IDW but, more importantly, it involves a lot of different stories. We're going to show you a glimpse at three of them. We think one of them, a two-pager by Brian Lynch's, will get you very, very excited.
We're leaving some stories out of the preview, too. In particular, Scott Tipton asked us specifically to not spoil the surprise. After we had the chance to read it, it's not hard to understand why.
Chris Ryall's, Pat and Bitsy's stories all consist of two pages apiece so previewing them seems... wrong, somehow. But there will be plenty of time to talk about those later. For now, please enjoy a sneak peek at what we think is some of the best stuff IDW has ever put out. Enjoy!
We're leaving some stories out of the preview, too. In particular, Scott Tipton asked us specifically to not spoil the surprise. After we had the chance to read it, it's not hard to understand why.
Chris Ryall's, Pat and Bitsy's stories all consist of two pages apiece so previewing them seems... wrong, somehow. But there will be plenty of time to talk about those later. For now, please enjoy a sneak peek at what we think is some of the best stuff IDW has ever put out. Enjoy!
