MattBrady
03-14-2007, 02:33 PM
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/Dark%20XENASejic.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/Dark%20XENASejic_t.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a><i>by Cliff Biggers, Comic Shop News</i>
Fans of Xena, Warrior Princess have been so pleased to see her return in an ongoing comic book from Dynamite that they’ve been willing to overlook the fact that, at the end of her television series, she was scarcely in any condition to star in anything... other than a funeral, that is! However, writer John Layman never intended for readers to have to overlook the television finale in order to enjoy the comic; instead, he has an explanation... and you’ll get to see it in <b>Dark Xena</b>, which takes place between the end of the television series and the first issue of <b>Xena</b> from Dynamite.
In case readers have forgotten, just how did the television series end, and what questions were left unanswered that Layman had to address in Dark Xena? “Well, the biggest one—and the one I'm primarily concerned with—is the fact that the star of the show, Xena, was dead at the end of the show, in a final redemptive act of heroic sacrifice. Of course, unless I wanted to do a Xena series without Xena, or one set all in flashback—which I didn't—Xena needed to be brought back to life. Fortunately, there was a precedent for it; the final episode of the series wasn't exactly the first time Xena (or other members of her cast) appear to meet the their ultimate fate.”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/Dark%20XENANeves.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/Dark%20XENANeves_t.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a><b>Dark Xena</b> begins when Xena’s friend Gabriele embarks on a plan to conquer death... but her plan quickly heads into “‘Monkey’s Paw’ meets <i>Pet Sematary</i>” territory. “There is definitely a monkey's paw -- ‘Be careful what you wish for’ -- element in <b>Dark Xena</b>,” Layman said. “A popular theme throughout the Xena series is that gods are not to be trifled with. And favors of gods always come with a price. In this case, Gabrielle gets her most fervent wish, the return of Xena. Unfortunately, it's not the Xena she wanted back!”
Why release <B>Dark Xena</b> as a limited series months after the launch of the <b>Xena</b> title, rather than working it into the regular series? “The honest, unabridged answer, is we goofed,” Dynamite publisher Nick Barrucci said. “We really, really goofed. John handed in his story on time, no problem there. We moved artist Fabiano Neves to <b>Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness</b>, and found a really great artist to replace him -- Noah Salonga—but unfortunately, Noah's not a monthly guy. We thought we gave him enough time on this project, but between this and the <b>Xena Annual</b>, we could not keep the schedule going.
“We tried to look at everything, including the fact that the “Dark Xena” storyline (originally scheduled for <b>Xena #5-8</b>) happened before the first storyline, and we ultimately decided the best way to fix this was to cancel the existing orders for <b>Xena #5-8</b>, and re-launch this story arc as a four-part miniseries. This way, fans wouldn't be purchasing #5-8 for a story that happened before #1-4, and we could go back to being monthly.
The decision to resolicit <b>Xena #5-8</b> wasn’t reached easily, but Barrucci is confident it’s the right thing to do, since it’s the only way to re-establish a monthly schedule. “As I mentioned, we moved <b>Xena</b> artist Fabiano Neves over to <b>Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness</b> and hooked up with Noah Salonga for the <b>Xena Annual</b>. From the extra-sized <b>Annual</b>, we knew we wanted to continue working with Noah on <b>Xena</b>... Artistically, it’s a win-win, but schedule-wise it caused a few bumps we need to straighten out.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/dark%20xena1%20p6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/t_dark%20xena1%20p6.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>“We felt it was not fair to retailers or to fans to just order adjust all the issues, especially since the series was so late and we have been working hard to get our books on time, so we went ahead with cancelling initial orders and re-soliciting them.”
Will Dynamite be able to maintain the monthly schedule once the resolicitation is complete? “That’s the goal,” Barrucci said. “Noah is far enough along that he should be able to have the pages done with some time to spare. Obviously, anything can happen, but we hope that this time, we have everything in line where we can hit our marks.”
Since both the starting point of <b>Dark Xena</b> (which is, of course, the end of the television series) and the ending of the comic book miniseries (it has to lead into the beginning of the already-published <b>Xena</b> ongoing series) are predetermined, does Layman feel at all limited creatively, or does he view it as a challenge to get from point A to point B in as interesting a manner as possible? “Well, both!” Layman said. “You always want to make this as interesting as possible, and try to give the audience both what they want, but also something they would not expect. In the case of <b>Dark Xena</b>, Point B needed to be a point where audiences would want to read the story again (not to mention a story I would want to tell.) Readers of ‘Contest of Pantheons,’ the first <b>Xena</b> story arc (which, as you said, actually takes place after <b>Dark Xena</b>), will see a return to things as they were: Xena back to life, Joxer back to life, Callisto evil. In my mind, this is Xena as it should be, and so the challenge was to find a story that would get us there.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/dark%20xena1%20p14.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/t_dark%20xena1%20p14.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a>“Until now, I'd never done a sort of ‘reality turned on its ear’... well, that's not totally true. <b>House of M: Fantastic Four</b> was an alternative reality tale. The difference is, that was a smaller part of a larger story. Here, I have to tie everything together, and bring everything to a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion.”
How much freedom does the studio give Layman to explore his <b>Dark Xena</b> premise? “Carte blanche, as long as I don't do anything too out of character, for both Xena and her supporting cast—which I am fine with. I've worked on a multitude of licensed projects over the years, and the most basic tenet is ‘respect your audience.’ People have asked me if I ever try to ‘slip something in,’ and of course the answer is no. If you can't have fun within the boundaries of this or that particular character, you really shouldn't be working on the character.
“That being said, Xena is acting very out of character from the Xena we recognize, but well within character of the Xena she used to be.”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/dark%20xena1%20p18.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/t_dark%20xena1%20p18.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>What makes "dark" versions of popular characters so intriguing (the “Mirror, Mirror” <i>Star Trek</i> characters, for instance, or Marvel Zombies immediately come to mind)? Why does this make for such engaging entertainment? “It's always fun to see a twist on characters you are familiar with, especially if there's some ‘teeth’ to the twist. It's intriguing because you are seeing a character you've gotten to know acting out of character. And it's always compelling to see the repercussions of the sort of ‘path not taken.’”
Will all the supporting cast play a role in this limited series, or is this primarily Xena and Gabriele? “Joxer will play a big role, and we'll see his evil twin, Jet, as well, since the notion of ‘evil twins’ thematically play a big role in the story,” Layman said, adding that “it also plays a big part of my third and final Xena story arc, but we're not giving a lot of details about that just yet.
“<b>Dark Xena</b> will show different side to Gabriele, too. She's close to Xena. We'll see exactly how far she goes to bring Xena back. But how far will she go to stay close to Xena?”
Readers will discover the answer to that question in <b>Dark Xena #1</b>, a $3.50 comic by Layman and Salonga slated for mid-May release. The first issue will feature covers by Aaron Lopresti, Fabiano Neves, Stjepan Sejic, and a photo-cover; incentive covers include a 1:12 black and white Fabiano Neves cover and a 1:20 negative-art Aaron Lopresti cover.
Fans of Xena, Warrior Princess have been so pleased to see her return in an ongoing comic book from Dynamite that they’ve been willing to overlook the fact that, at the end of her television series, she was scarcely in any condition to star in anything... other than a funeral, that is! However, writer John Layman never intended for readers to have to overlook the television finale in order to enjoy the comic; instead, he has an explanation... and you’ll get to see it in <b>Dark Xena</b>, which takes place between the end of the television series and the first issue of <b>Xena</b> from Dynamite.
In case readers have forgotten, just how did the television series end, and what questions were left unanswered that Layman had to address in Dark Xena? “Well, the biggest one—and the one I'm primarily concerned with—is the fact that the star of the show, Xena, was dead at the end of the show, in a final redemptive act of heroic sacrifice. Of course, unless I wanted to do a Xena series without Xena, or one set all in flashback—which I didn't—Xena needed to be brought back to life. Fortunately, there was a precedent for it; the final episode of the series wasn't exactly the first time Xena (or other members of her cast) appear to meet the their ultimate fate.”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/Dark%20XENANeves.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/Dark%20XENANeves_t.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a><b>Dark Xena</b> begins when Xena’s friend Gabriele embarks on a plan to conquer death... but her plan quickly heads into “‘Monkey’s Paw’ meets <i>Pet Sematary</i>” territory. “There is definitely a monkey's paw -- ‘Be careful what you wish for’ -- element in <b>Dark Xena</b>,” Layman said. “A popular theme throughout the Xena series is that gods are not to be trifled with. And favors of gods always come with a price. In this case, Gabrielle gets her most fervent wish, the return of Xena. Unfortunately, it's not the Xena she wanted back!”
Why release <B>Dark Xena</b> as a limited series months after the launch of the <b>Xena</b> title, rather than working it into the regular series? “The honest, unabridged answer, is we goofed,” Dynamite publisher Nick Barrucci said. “We really, really goofed. John handed in his story on time, no problem there. We moved artist Fabiano Neves to <b>Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness</b>, and found a really great artist to replace him -- Noah Salonga—but unfortunately, Noah's not a monthly guy. We thought we gave him enough time on this project, but between this and the <b>Xena Annual</b>, we could not keep the schedule going.
“We tried to look at everything, including the fact that the “Dark Xena” storyline (originally scheduled for <b>Xena #5-8</b>) happened before the first storyline, and we ultimately decided the best way to fix this was to cancel the existing orders for <b>Xena #5-8</b>, and re-launch this story arc as a four-part miniseries. This way, fans wouldn't be purchasing #5-8 for a story that happened before #1-4, and we could go back to being monthly.
The decision to resolicit <b>Xena #5-8</b> wasn’t reached easily, but Barrucci is confident it’s the right thing to do, since it’s the only way to re-establish a monthly schedule. “As I mentioned, we moved <b>Xena</b> artist Fabiano Neves over to <b>Marvel Zombies Vs. Army of Darkness</b> and hooked up with Noah Salonga for the <b>Xena Annual</b>. From the extra-sized <b>Annual</b>, we knew we wanted to continue working with Noah on <b>Xena</b>... Artistically, it’s a win-win, but schedule-wise it caused a few bumps we need to straighten out.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/dark%20xena1%20p6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/t_dark%20xena1%20p6.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>“We felt it was not fair to retailers or to fans to just order adjust all the issues, especially since the series was so late and we have been working hard to get our books on time, so we went ahead with cancelling initial orders and re-soliciting them.”
Will Dynamite be able to maintain the monthly schedule once the resolicitation is complete? “That’s the goal,” Barrucci said. “Noah is far enough along that he should be able to have the pages done with some time to spare. Obviously, anything can happen, but we hope that this time, we have everything in line where we can hit our marks.”
Since both the starting point of <b>Dark Xena</b> (which is, of course, the end of the television series) and the ending of the comic book miniseries (it has to lead into the beginning of the already-published <b>Xena</b> ongoing series) are predetermined, does Layman feel at all limited creatively, or does he view it as a challenge to get from point A to point B in as interesting a manner as possible? “Well, both!” Layman said. “You always want to make this as interesting as possible, and try to give the audience both what they want, but also something they would not expect. In the case of <b>Dark Xena</b>, Point B needed to be a point where audiences would want to read the story again (not to mention a story I would want to tell.) Readers of ‘Contest of Pantheons,’ the first <b>Xena</b> story arc (which, as you said, actually takes place after <b>Dark Xena</b>), will see a return to things as they were: Xena back to life, Joxer back to life, Callisto evil. In my mind, this is Xena as it should be, and so the challenge was to find a story that would get us there.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/dark%20xena1%20p14.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/t_dark%20xena1%20p14.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a>“Until now, I'd never done a sort of ‘reality turned on its ear’... well, that's not totally true. <b>House of M: Fantastic Four</b> was an alternative reality tale. The difference is, that was a smaller part of a larger story. Here, I have to tie everything together, and bring everything to a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion.”
How much freedom does the studio give Layman to explore his <b>Dark Xena</b> premise? “Carte blanche, as long as I don't do anything too out of character, for both Xena and her supporting cast—which I am fine with. I've worked on a multitude of licensed projects over the years, and the most basic tenet is ‘respect your audience.’ People have asked me if I ever try to ‘slip something in,’ and of course the answer is no. If you can't have fun within the boundaries of this or that particular character, you really shouldn't be working on the character.
“That being said, Xena is acting very out of character from the Xena we recognize, but well within character of the Xena she used to be.”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/dark%20xena1%20p18.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Xena/DarkXena/t_dark%20xena1%20p18.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>What makes "dark" versions of popular characters so intriguing (the “Mirror, Mirror” <i>Star Trek</i> characters, for instance, or Marvel Zombies immediately come to mind)? Why does this make for such engaging entertainment? “It's always fun to see a twist on characters you are familiar with, especially if there's some ‘teeth’ to the twist. It's intriguing because you are seeing a character you've gotten to know acting out of character. And it's always compelling to see the repercussions of the sort of ‘path not taken.’”
Will all the supporting cast play a role in this limited series, or is this primarily Xena and Gabriele? “Joxer will play a big role, and we'll see his evil twin, Jet, as well, since the notion of ‘evil twins’ thematically play a big role in the story,” Layman said, adding that “it also plays a big part of my third and final Xena story arc, but we're not giving a lot of details about that just yet.
“<b>Dark Xena</b> will show different side to Gabriele, too. She's close to Xena. We'll see exactly how far she goes to bring Xena back. But how far will she go to stay close to Xena?”
Readers will discover the answer to that question in <b>Dark Xena #1</b>, a $3.50 comic by Layman and Salonga slated for mid-May release. The first issue will feature covers by Aaron Lopresti, Fabiano Neves, Stjepan Sejic, and a photo-cover; incentive covers include a 1:12 black and white Fabiano Neves cover and a 1:20 negative-art Aaron Lopresti cover.