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04-26-2007, 10:25 AM
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IDWEEK: BRIAN LYNCH TALKS SPIKE AND ANGEL
 by Chris RyallWhen the latest Spike miniseries, Spike: Asylum, debuted in late 2006, it captivated many fans, including one in particular who would write Brian Lynch a special note of praise. That “fan”? Spike creator Joss Whedon. And the note of praise? An offer to work together to continue Angel’s story beyond “Not Fade Away,” the final episode of Angel: Season 5. You know, the episode that saw Angel and company about to engage in an apocalyptic battle in a Los Angeles alleyway. Before that tale is told, though, Brian is once again teaming up with his Asylum artist, Franco Urru, to bring about another Spike adventure. An adventure that just might see Spike “puppetized” in the same way that Angel was in the classic Season 5 episode “Smile Time.” Spike: Shadow Puppets is a four-part adventure guest-starring Lorne, some returnees from Spike: Asylum, and a cast of thousands. Thousands of ninja puppets, that is. Brian was good enough to share a bit more about Spike: Shadow Puppets as well as the upcoming Angel series… and as a special bonus, below the interview, you get an exclusive look at the first five pages of Spike: Shadow Puppets #1, along with some commentary from Lynch, too.  Newsarama: Spike: Shadow Puppets, on top of everything else, is quite the team-up between Spike and Lorne. The two never really had much to say to each other in the TV show, but their interplay in the comic feels right, and works really well. What made you think they'd pair up so well? Brian Lynch: It kinda came about while I was writing Spike: Asylum and needed someone outside of the rehab facility to help Spike. Since it was established that they were near Las Vegas, I thought Lorne was an easy one to bring in. Once I started writing Spike and Lorne's dialogue together, I noticed how well they play off each other. I think it's because they're two of the funnier characters from Angel. They both enjoy taking the piss out of other characters, so if they were in a situation where they had to hang out, it was only natural they'd start digging at each other. Halfway through issue one of Shadow Puppets, the miniseries definitely becomes a "buddy picture" with Spike and Lorne being thrown together and not enjoying it. Of course, like all good buddy pictures, they form a bond by the end. Around issue three, in fact, there's a downright "nice" moment between them... until Spike realizes it's a nice moment and goes out of his way to mess it up.  NRAMA: The covers seem to give away the fact that Spike, and possibly Lorne, too, get "puppetized" just as Angel did in the "Smile Time" episode. But there are some unexpected surprises and guest-stars in this series, too, aren't there? BL: Oh yes. A few Angel favorites pop up briefly in issue two, and one of the big bads working behind the scenes at Smile Time: Japan is definitely a crowd favorite. Puppet Spike is awesome and Puppet Lorne is even more awesome, but let's just say that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Puppetizing Angel characters. I hope Diamond Select Toys is paying attention; we just handed them their product line for the next few years. NRAMA: Cuter: puppies or puppets? Discuss.  BL: Puppet puppies. Definitely. No wait, I'm gonna change my answer. Let's think this one through: the cutest puppy ever? One of those little wrinkle dogs, probably. Sharpei, I think they're called. Damn cute. But the cutest PUPPET ever... I'd have to go with Kermit's nephew Robin, who is WAY cuter than a Sharpei... answer: Puppets are definitely cuter. Even the Smile Time puppets are cute as hell. They're murderous demons, but they're so adorable. NRAMA: Following this 4-part tale, your next comic-book effort seems to be a dream gig for many people, and certainly for Angel fans: you're working alongside (figuratively, I mean, you're not crowding him at his desk) Joss Whedon and picking up Angel's story where it left off with the finale of the TV show. We’re talking about the project that’d had the working title of Angel: Season 6, a story Joss has dubbed “After the Fall.” How'd such a thing come about in the first place? BL: He begged and begged and begged, until I relented. That's the story I tell the ladies, anyway. The true story is, I ran into him the day before Spike: Asylum #1 came out and told him about it. A few weeks later, he e-mailed Mr. Chris Ryall and said that he enjoyed the series and that he was thinking about a post-series Angel book, and he thought I'd be right for it. I was shocked and elated. We met for breakfast, traded ideas (his were better, mine were mostly of the "what if Angel and I went to a Bachelor Party? Can you imagine the fun that would be?" variety). He also indulged me in my geeky questions, Angel and otherwise.  NRAMA:I know there's not much you can say now, but will you please tell us everything? Who lives, who dies, who ends up wearing an eyepatch, and so on? BL: All the lead characters die. Or should I say, have died, when the series begins. The series is basically two new characters at a diner talking. At first the topic of conversation is this vampire with a soul that got killed in an alleyway fighting a dragon, but eventually they move onto discussions about the upcoming weekend, fixing their boat, complaining about their boss. It's pretty awesome, a real slice of life. I wish I could really tell you about Angel, but come on, you wanna be surprised, no? I will say that the whole thing feels very, very epic... but still full of those character moments that people have come to expect from Mr. Whedon. NRAMA: How do you and Joss go about plotting out the return of these (well, some of these) beloved characters? Who does what? BL: Trading e-mails back and forth. I come up with an idea, he molds it into what is called a "good" idea, I work on it some more, he works on it some more...it's really fun. Basically it's like when I was younger playing with Spider-Man action figures, but I have Stan Lee playing right next to me. Spike: Shadow Puppets #1 by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru (with variant covers by David Messina) will be available in June. Diamond Code APR07 3783. EXCLUSIVE 5-page preview of Spike: Shadow Puppets #1. Commentary by Brian Lynch. Here's some commentary:  PAGE 1 More comics should begin with the violent death of an old man at the hands of teeny, tiny ninja puppets. Take notes, Meltzer! And Meltzer, if you HAVE taken notes and you do this, DO NOT HAVE THE PUPPETS RAPED AND KILLED. They have done nothing to you, Meltzer. Moving on...  PAGE 2 Spike's intro. Look, he pulled a low-rent Ghost Rider with the demon. Take notes, Mark Steven Johnson! I like that Spike is very MacGyver here. Hopefully youngsters reading this book will have their own fun at home with some alcohol and a lighter. I think comic books should encourage youngsters to make their own fun.  PAGE 3 Each issue of Shadow Puppets will have its own title. They'll be plays on popular Buffy and Angel episode titles. I thought this was a fun idea. I love the guy in the tweed suit in the background. He looks like he just stepped out of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  PAGE 4 Spike's business card is a play on Angel's business card from the first episode of Angel. Also, the cute waitress? The only hot girl in issue one of Shadow Puppets. Which is a real shame, because our artist Franco Urru draws the prettiest women in comics. That said, in issue two, some very attractive ladies join the fun. Wait, you know what? Another hot girl is in issue one. Sure she's a puppet, but I'm not going to pass judgment if the reader gets a comic-book crush on her. Hey, I can't point fingers, I wanted to marry She-Hulk when Byrne drew her. Now that Slott has made her a bit easy, I'm fine with just being friends with her.  PAGE 5 SPIKE GETS AMBUSHED! By some jerk in a suit. And it's not even tweed, like the super dude on page 3. Why is that guy attacking our hero? Will Spike survive? And where the hell are all these puppets we've been babbling about? Check out Spike: Shadow Puppets #1, on sale in June! Newsarama Note: Back when Newsarama’s Matt Brady and IDW’s Chris Ryall were mere pups, they both worked together under the sprawling umbrella of Kevin Smith’s View Askew, Chris on Movie Poop Shoot, and Matt on…well, Newsarama. We offered Chris the chance to get his chops back, and he opted for some material that was near and dear to his heart, that is, projects at IDW. Readers are advised that Ryall is the Publisher and Editor-in Chief of IDW Publishing. IDWeek to date: 30 Days of Night Steve Niles Ben Templesmith Bill Sienkiewicz David Slade Star Trek Editor Dan Taylor Talks Trek Scott and David Tipton Talk Klingons Steve Conley on Star Trek: Season Four Transformers Eric Holmes on Megatron: Origin Nick Roche and his Kup Love |
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04-26-2007, 10:41 AM
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#2 |
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Angel Season 6! It's about time IDW! I've been waiting for this since you got the rights to the Angel series!
Woohoo!!!!! |
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04-26-2007, 10:57 AM
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#3 |
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official confirmation of a season 6? awesome.
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04-26-2007, 10:58 AM
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#4 |
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Any news on the format of Season 6? Will it be as long as Buffy Season 8. or just 6-issues? Will it have alternating writers, like Buffy?
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04-26-2007, 11:03 AM
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#5 |
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*excited!*
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04-26-2007, 11:03 AM
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#6 | |
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Quote:
MattB |
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04-26-2007, 11:11 AM
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#7 | |
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I guess I can wait til then...maybe...  |
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04-26-2007, 11:41 AM
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#8 |
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You know, I used to remember that there was a reason why a tv show ended/cancelled. I don't see what is the fascination with continuing seasons of a tv series in a comic book form like all those tv shows. Pretty soon there is going to a Duke of Hazzard comic, Dallas or Dynasty comic because so many people wants to know. There is a reason why there hasn't been a "The Andy Griffith Show" comic for more than 40 years now. Time to let a good thing go.
Still, this is Angel so I'll buy a couple of copies. I hope the cover price isn't going to be $3.99. |
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04-26-2007, 11:44 AM
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#9 | |
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Quote:
You big tease. |
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04-26-2007, 11:45 AM
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#10 | |
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Quote:
YAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!  |
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04-26-2007, 12:56 PM
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#11 |
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Man, this book looks hilarious and Lynch is a riot! Dude, from that one interview alone, you rock!
 But yeah, Angel Season 6 is probably one of the greatest news to grace Newsarama's history!!! |
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04-26-2007, 01:15 PM
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#12 | |
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Quote:
I should just briefly mention here that these preview pages of issue 1 are uncorrected images, so there have been some little tweaks and changes that make them even better than they are here, if you can imagine that. |
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04-26-2007, 01:43 PM
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#13 | |
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Is he gonna post it here?  Ok.. I might get this.. Puppets versions of Lorne and Spike plus Drusilla. |
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04-26-2007, 02:08 PM
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#14 |
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Those preview pages look great and the commentary was quite funny too
. I also can't wait to see what Joss has to tell us about the upcoming Angel Season 6. |
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04-26-2007, 02:17 PM
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#15 |
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This moment I watch the Angel season 3. It's a GREAT show! Never liked Buffy, but Angel is cool. It reminds me Marvel's Nightstalkers, only better.
5 seasons is a healthy run of a show. Last edited by theodoros2 : 04-26-2007 at 02:50 PM. |
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04-26-2007, 02:25 PM
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#16 | |
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they cancelled angel to "make room" for awesome new shows like the mountain and jack & bobby, bowth of which lasted about a whopping 5 episodes each. it's possible that buffy had run its course, but admit it, cancelling angel was a bad decision on the wb's part. |
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04-26-2007, 06:45 PM
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#17 | |
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This has now (finally ) been posted.Last edited by Derf : 04-26-2007 at 07:18 PM. |
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