WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2008
VIRGIN COMICS/SCI FI PRESS CONFERENCE: THE STRANDED
With The Stranded #1 -- launching a new joint venture from Sci Fi Channel and Virgin Comics -- reaching stores, Virgin Comics on Wednesday staged a telephone press conference writer/creator Mike Carey and editor Stuart Moore.
Following are highlights:
* Moore said that it's "an interesting and exciting line" to be a part of as it's something that's initally concepted as a comic book with intentions for other media down the line.
* Moore said The Stranded #1 is one of the best first issues he's been involved with.
* Carey said the line feels like a "ground-breaking initiative."
* The Stranded, like other titles in the line, will also be available digitally through the partners' web sites. There will also be on-air advertising for the book.
* Moore said the book is really it's own thing with the theme of "what if your entire world, your entire memories, was a lie?"
Carey compared it to paranoid sci-fi thrillers from the 1950s, with the "alien among us" as a theme in the series.
* Christopher Moeller will be providing covers. "He's terrific. I've worked with him before," Moore said.
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* Carey said that Sci Fi was an active collaborator from the start. "It's been an interesting learning process for everyone involved," Moore said, noting that there are things in the comics that can't be filmed and there are also comics story conventions that Sci Fi helped make more accessible.
* Moore said The Stranded's future in other media won't necessarily be determined by sales of the comic bok. Carey compared it to a pilot episode.
* The Stranded will be five issues, in line with Sci Fi's plans for the imprint. "We'll see where we are after that," Moore said.
* Moore said Virgin and Sci Fi are open to keep the creators involved in other media as the property advances.
* Carey said he is "so bad" at picking actors, but listed Tom Jane as a possibility for Janus, the lead bad guy.
* Moore said Siddharth Kotian's art is "very exciting" but is "less exaggerated" and "more realistic" than most super-hero books.
* Asked about the adult nature of the comic book translating to television, Carey said he didn't see it having to air before "the watershed," England's 9 p.m. border for more mature television.
Moore said the intent of the comic was to keep it clean enough for younger audiences, with sex off screen and violence mostly against aliens. Carey laughed that Moore has to remind him not to swear, particularly after their Vertigo backgrounds.
* Carey said by the end of the five-issue arc, readers will have met all of the main characters and a bigger threat will be defined. "It's a self-contained arc, but it ends on some disquieting notes," he said.
Moore reiterated the "pilot" aspect of the project.
* Moore said working with both SciFi and Virgin was more of a "consulation process" rather than an approval process. Moore noted that with the digital nature of comics today, it's easier to make minor changes that are required.
* Carey said in writing The Stranded he wasn't worried about how it would look on screen, noting the visual nature of comics.
* Moore said that Carey is excellent at responding to notes, often coming up with someting better that no one else saw coming.
* Moore said two projects have been approved in the Virgin/Sci Fi collaboration so far. "The Stranded just jumped out at everyone right from the beginning," he said, noting the other project isn't ready to be announced yet.
* Carey said he had another Virgin property green-lighted on Wednesday but he can't talk about it yet. He is also working on Coaltion for Virgin online, a concept that uses the audience as contributors.
Copyright © 2008, The Comics Continuum