Have you spoken with any of the other Smallville writers about the comic book, or solicited them for feedback?
We all went to dinner about a month before Wondercon. We all caught up. Everyone’s very excited to see it. I haven’t really had a chance to share it with them yet, but everyone seems really positive about it.
How long is the run of the comic planned, or that all dependent on sales?
I would say that, like anything with the current comic market, it all depends on sales at this point. I know how I’m going to end it when it comes time to end the “season.” Hopefully I’ll have enough time to get some things in place that I want to do before that story happens.
It has the potential to go on for quite some time.
Is it going to be one story a week indefinitely, or will there be breaks, like the show had?
The first story, “Guardian,” runs for 12 weeks. It’s a 120 page story. I wanted to do it as big as possible, and the first few stories, we’re going to do it as big as possible, to keep people coming back every week. There will definitely be weekly chapters of larger stories. Whether they’re in 12 week bursts, or 9 week bursts, or 6 week bursts; I don’t know that we would go below that certain threshold of 6 weeks, because then I think it gets a little too brief to tell the kind of stories that we’re trying to tell.
Can you make it clear that people MUST purchase the comic in order for it to survive?
Please don’t pirate the book. Piracy is bad.
Like anything, it’s sales. I know there are lots of people who follow KryptonSite and watch the show aren’t really “in the know” about [comic book] Direct Market sales, but there’s definitely a direct correlation between the livelihood of a book and its lifespan, and how many copies are bought. It’s like ratings with the TV stuff, on a much smaller, immediate scale.
[For more details on how to purchase the comic go to http://www.kryptonsite.com/smallvilleseason11howto.htm – you can download the free DC Comics app and get started!]
Once readers of Smallville are checking out the book, can they purchase other DC Comics there as well, including the Batgirl comic that you worked on?
What’s great about the property itself being something that we had however many million viewers every week. We had a circle that was based on comic book readers, but it was largely people who were introduced to the Superman mythos through the show. So there’s a big potential reader base of people who really aren’t used to comics, who haven’t really read what comics have to offer. So coming to the apps for this comic, really opens the door for all kinds of new stories that they can be exposed to. It’s a great opportunity for fans of the show to see what it’s all about.
Can you talk about working with Pere Perez again for interiors, and Cat Staggs and her covers?
Pere’s great. I love Pere. We did a few Batgirls together. He came in at the end and did the last few issues, and he had done some fill-in stuff for Lee Garbett early on in the Batgirl run. We have a very easy, kind of natural shorthand with each other. It’s fortunate. I’m very lucky to end up with an artist who is on the same wavelength as me. I would describe things that would happen in the book, and nine and a half times out of ten, the panels would come in, and they’d look just like what I described on the page. Working with Pere has been nothing but a great experience, and that has continued into “Guardian.”
With Cat – I had never worked with Cat before. I had always loved her stuff. Her digital covers are really, really top notch. Issue #4, specifically, is really, really, really great.
Are you allowed to reveal any titles beyond “Guardian?”
Probably not yet. Mostly because of the staggering of digital stuff and print.
Is there any chance we’ll ever see you and Pere doing a Stephanie Brown story again? [For those unfamiliar with comics, Stephanie was their “Batgirl,” formerly known as Spoiler in Batman lore]
That is a very good question. The world of Smallville is one of infinite possibilities. With any of the DC characters that we will try to bring into the series – and there’s a few – it’s definitely something that has to work for the reality that we create for Smallville itself. Any time we bring them in – just like we did on the show – it’s a matter of trying to make it seem like they’re a natural fit for that world. Luckily, towards the end of the series, we found ways to broaden what that reality meant. We had JSA stuff with Fate and Stargirl, and we kind of opened up the hero side of things. We had the Earth-2 stories that opened up the sci-fi side of things. So there’s definitely room to bring lots of folks in.
Is there anything else that you’d like to get out there for the fans?
It’s something I’m very proud of. I know that the Editorial folks over at DC are very proud of it. What I’ve put together, I think, is something that does right, not just by the show, but by the fans of the show. All of your relationships that you loved are still there. Some are slightly different. Some are exactly the same. Lex is back. Clark’s flying. He’s in the suit. We’ll get to see it. I definitely feel like I’m a custodian of the property, going into this. I’m certainly not looking to go in and “right any of the wrongs” that the show may or may not have committed, because so many people put so much blood, sweat, and tears into the show for over a decade. It’s certainly not my place to go in and say “Well, you know, we were wrong with that, but here’s how it REALLY should have been done.” That’s not what it’s about at all. This is a celebration of the brand. Onward and upward. Moving forward. And it’s just a dollar a week, which is cheaper than a coffee!
You can find details on how to purchase Smallville Season 11 digitally and in print over at KryptonSite. The first 10 pages will be released digitally on Friday, April 13… follow the @KSiteTV Twitter feed for updates! If you’re a fan of the show PLEASE check it out! Our thanks to DC Comics and Bryan Q. Miller for the interview… if you’d like to come talk about Smallville Season 11 on the KSiteTV Forum, here’s where to go!