TALKING STAR TREK WITH JOHN BYRNE

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Yesterday, IDW announced the “Second Stage” of their plans for the Star Trek franchise and joining them for the ride through the galactic quadrants is living legend John Byrne.

Byrne will first conclude the Alien Spotlight series of one-shots with February’s Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Romulans, where the comics icon will write, pencil and ink a tale of loyalty, betrayal and intrigue involving the distant cousins of the Vulcans.

In May, Byrne time warps back to Earth of the 20th Century together with the intergalactic superspy, Gary Seven in a five-issue limited series, Star Trek: Assignment Earth.

For the uninitiated, “Assignment Earth” was also the Season Two finale for Star Trek: The Original Series. The episode, which introduced Seven, Roberta Lincoln, and Seven’s cat and partner Isis, was originally intended by Trek creator Gene Roddenberry as the pilot for a spin-off series that never came to pass. In that episode, the gang from the Enterprise also time warped back to 1968 where Kirk, Spock and his crew encountered Seven.

Seven has previously appeared in DC’s non-canonical Star Trek comics as well as New York Times best-selling sci-fi author Greg Cox’s Star Trek novels, specifically the two-volume The Eugenics Wars, and Assignment: Eternity.

40 years after his first appearance, Byrne will bring the late Roddenberry’s dream to life, continuing the tale of the interstellar time traveler as his Earth-born assistant as “they covertly confronts threats to the past so that they can save Star Trek future.”

We sat down with Byrne, who’s also illustrating Wayne Osborne’s March-debuting FX from IDW, about all things Star Trek.

NRAMA: You and the late Dave Cockrum were referenced in the script for the final, unpublished Gold Key Star Trek: The Original Series issue, “Trial By Fire”, as the names of two security guards. Wouldn¹t that have been an out-of-this-world experience?

JB: This is the first I've heard of this!

NRAMA: You've been a longtime Star Trek fan, haven't you?

JB: More'n forty yar, man an' boy!

NRAMA: Other than Star Trek, your love of Star Wars and other sci-fi films/TV series is pretty much public knowledge. What was your fascination with the late Gene Roddenberry's creation?

JB: My exposure to science-fiction before Star Trek had been quite limited. There was a novel I loved and read and reread, City at World's End, by Edmond Hamilton, and I had read a couple of the Heinlein juveniles as a kid, but Star Trek was my first exposure to the full tapestry, as it were. I was sixteen, and it blew me away.

NRAMA: You've said that there should have just been "one Star Wars and one Matrix but without sequels Star Trek would have died with The Motion Picture." However, should it have gone on to spawn nine other sequels, with a reboot prequel in the making, and four other spin-off TV series?

JB: A big part of my brain says no!! Star Trek should never have been anything but a fond memory of a series that lived and died in the 1960s. But that's also very selfish. I don't care much for the later iterations, but a whole lot of people do.

NRAMA: Captain Pike's your favorite of all captains, right?

JB: Did I say that? Hm. Can't imagine when I would have. Ask me now, and I would say Kirk, no question.

NRAMA: Are you looking forward to Bruce Greenwood playing him in JJ Abrams' upcoming Star Trek film?

JB: Greenwood has been my choice for Reed Richards for years. Can't really see him as Pike.

NRAMA: More importantly, do you think that the Star Trek film franchise is in good hands with JJ Abrams at the helm?

JB: Have to cry "no opinion" again. With "franchise" operations such as this, previous performance often means nothing. Only the final product will tell.

NRAMA: Were you at all disappointed that Josh Harnett would not be playing Spock?

JB: Somewhat. First time I saw The Faculty, I thought heeeeyyyyy!

NRAMA: What was your unsold Star Trek screenplay, which you'd written at the tender age of 18, about?

JB: Maybe I should dodge this, in case I decide to adapt it to the comics some day!

NRAMA: Fair enough. But is it true that Chris Ryall contacted you after he'd read about that screenplay?

JB: I don't recall the actual sequence. Chris offered me some Star Trek stuff -- basically, "anything you want to do?" -- and I tried to decline, because my likenesses are so bad, and then he suggested on of their alien races books. I said "Romulans?" and away we went.

NRAMA: Have you been following IDW's Star Trek comics?

JB: Haven't looked at them. I didn't want them shading my perceptions, one way or the other.



STAR TREK: ALIEN SPOTLIGHT: ROMULANS

The solicitation for the one-shot reads:

Legendary writer/artist John Byrne, in his first-ever full Star Trek work, concludes this special series of one-shots in which the many alien races of the Star Trek universe get their due. The Romulan Empire has a new "ghost ship" that can't be detected by normal means. Will the Praetor use it as a weapon to thrust his people into full-blown war with the Federation—or are his motives even more sinister? A tale of loyalty, betrayal and intrigue, with scripting, pencils, and inks handled by Byrne.

NRAMA: What do you like about the Romulans compared to other alien races like their distant cousins the Vulcans, etc?

JB: The Romulans, at least TOS version, were Vulcans with emotion. It was interesting to see the familiar trappings, with that added.

NRAMA: What does it feel like to be writing, penciling and inking your first full Star Trek work since your early illustrations of David Bailey, Hortas, Iotians and Khan Noonian Singh in 1987's Who's Who in Star Trek #1, and Sarek in Who's Who in Star Trek #2?

JB: So far it's been a hoot. Paramount made me truncate my Romulans story a bit -- I had to remove certain elements that didn't fit with their version of the lore, as it turned out -- but so far it has been nothing like the nightmare that, say, Space: 1999 or Indiana Jones turned out to be. Those were the ones that made me swear off licensed products "forever".

NRAMA: How will your story set the pace for IDW's “Star Trek: Second Stage”?

JB: I can't imagine that it will!! Contrary to popular mythology, I do not bestride the Universe like a god!

STAR TREK: ASSIGNMENT EARTH

NRAMA: Was “Assignment Earth” one of your favorite Star Trek episodes?

JB: Top ten, maybe top five.

NRAMA: The original TV episode had been the Season Two finale for TOS and was intended by Gene Roddenberry as the pilot for a spin-off series that never came to pass. What drew you to interstellar time traveler Gary Seven and his Earth-born assistant?

JB: As a kid, I just thought it was really, really neat. First, I was a Robert Lansing fan, from his other work. Also, I am a sucker for time-travel stories (which the ongoing AE would not be, but the TOS episode was). And Teri Garr was so darn cute!

NRAMA: Did you pitch this to IDW?

JB: Sort of. Chris handed me carte blanche and I said "How about?"

NRAMA: Issue #1 would start in 1968 and then each issue after that would jump one year ahead, right? What sort of stories will you be telling with each issue?

JB: There is no set timeline. I will cover a number of years -- toward the end I want to touch on Nixon's visit to China, which was in 1972 -- but I am not going to be setting clear dates. Anyone who is not familiar with those years might well think all the stories take place in the same year, same week, even. The main indicator of time passing will be Roberta having a different hairstyle in each issue. Possibly a different hair color, too, playing off the Beta V's comment that her hair was "presently tinted honey blonde".

NRAMA: Will there be cameos by Kirk and crew?

JB: Yes. (How's that for cryptic?)

NRAMA: You've not hid from the fact that the reason that you've shunned away from comics based on licensed properties was because you did not want to have to worry about getting actor likeness approvals. In saying that, would Gary Seven, Roberta Lincoln, and Isis resemble the original actor/actresses, namely, Robert Lansing, Terri Garr, and Vioctoria Vetri, respectively?

JB: We don't have permission to use Teri Garr's likeness. Robert Lansing is, alas, dead, so no one has to approve his likeness. Victoria Vetri/Angela Dorian was so heavily made up as Isis, there is really no issue of a likeness to capture.

[350z]

This will be the first Star Trek project that I get. Byrne's art looks good--appropriate--here.

[Cray_ws]

Since when do Romulans smile?

[Snikkas]

Space is the perfect place for Byrne's backgroundless work

All he needs to do is add some white dots here and there and he's done.

He needs a Gerhard for that stuff.

[Skinshark]

The Doom Patrol series sported Doug Hazlewood's inks on John's stuff. It has the care and craft that I think we haven't seen in years. Even the coloring was nice.

Wished we'd see that kind of chemistry again.

Knowing what could be, it's still nice to see Byrne's art on an old standard.

=s=

[GOSD]

Originally Posted by Cray_ws

Since when do Romulans smile?

They smile quite often actually.

They're not Vulcans..

[Pharmdown]

I love Byrne's work, even though the newer stuff isn't 70's/80's Byrne I think his work is still solid. I didn't like how DC utilized his talents, I felt like they put him on B level books and then got mad when no one bought them. Even though I'm not a huge IDW fan, I think Byrne will be much more appreciated over there, plus it's a fresh start and Star Trek fans are rabid and should eat up his work. Good Luck John!!

[stvnhthr]

This sounds like a perfect match. I love John's art, but I'm not digging the flat uni-directional textures and color, hopefully it is just temporary for promo art?

[pta391]

I love Star Trek. But my vow to never support the work of John Byrne will keep me from purchasing this.....too bad really for me, but theres plenty of other good books to enjoy....


Like John Ostrander's Star Wars Legacy...

[Alex Cruz]

Wooouuuu! The formula John Byrne more Star Trek is equals to one comic mega-cool that we the fans of the sic-fi wish have in our hands. John Byrne the best writer of Comic USA that really understands the genre of the sic-fi and to works the genre of the best way. His work with Factastic Four and his mini-series The World of Kripton are one of the best works of sic-fi in the history of world comic. Oh men, I do not understand because DC does not print in TP the mini-series "The World of Kripton" and gives the same marketing support that the mini-series "Year One," if DC prints garbage as "Panic in the Sky" in TP and other stu-pidities.

[Samy Merchi]

Gary Seven was one of my most hated Trek episodes, so I hate the fact that Byrne wants to spend his time on that, but what can you do? It's a free country.

[johnstumbo]

Always liked Bryne may pick this up even though I dont usually like Star Trek.

[I-Ching]

So when will Star Trek meet the 4th World/Kirbyverse characters?

[OSLegionFan]

Originally Posted by pta391

I love Star Trek. But my vow to never support the work of John Byrne will keep me from purchasing this.....too bad really for me, but theres plenty of other good books to enjoy....

Like John Ostrander's Star Wars Legacy...

It's really a shame that there are so many Byrne detractor's out there... I've read his stuff since he got started at Charlton, moved to Marvel, and always loved it...

While I may not LIKE what he did with DC and the Superman mythos, (especially what it did to the LSH) I do not solely lay the blame at his feet either... too many hands in that particular pot to blame one man, and to continue flaming him for it.

I refuse to not read a story because of what a person involved with it may or may not have done. That's just childish. You're not hurting him, you're hurting a franchise and IDW, who's continued to put out several interesting titles... and I hope to see IDW around for quite some time.

Re: John Ostrander - love his other work (especially Grimjack, Suicide Squad), but just don't care for Star Wars... not his fault, I just don't like the franchise. Can't get myself to purchase that, even if it IS one of my favorite writers.

[Skyhawk]

While I like Byrne's pencil, I would like some else to do the inking. His style pretty much peaked with She-Hulk.

[J.C. Bakken]

Heh, seeing the headline and reading the questions, which isn't Brady's usuall style, and seeing the answers, it all ads up.

[AbacusComics]

I'm with Skyhawk. The best Byrne's ever looked was when Scott Williams inked two of his pages on X-Men. He just seems to rush it all too much when he inks himself.

[Thephanboy]

man good for idw for bringin byrne in. i just love what they are doin with these books and havin byrne there now just adds to it. lookin forward to his books.

[Amoebas]

I trust JB enough to say irrevocably... I'm in.

[Hypestyle]

I wonder when Byrne's internet rants will start to creep into the dialogue?

[mrdorange]

I remember when I read his Fantastic Four run, I thought half the stories could be converted into Star Trek stories with a little tweaking. Although many people may have differing view on John Byrne, his FF run is usually very well reviewed. I think this is a get fit.

[ClayinCA]

I'm actually really looking forward to this. I haven't read any of Byrne's recent work (not on purpose or anything), but he's done so many things I really enjoyed that I will at least give this a try. And I always liked "Assignment: Earth", so I'm intrigued to see what he comes up with.

[LikeaPhoenix]

When I was kid, I used to be IN LOVE and MESMERIZED with John Byrne's perfect art. His fantastic interpretation of Phoenix is unmatched even almost 30 years later. Whenever I was at the comic book stores, I'd stare up longingly at his back issues hanging on the walls. I'd then spend months saving up my allowances to buy an "ok-condition" of his rare and expensive Uncanny X-Men back-issue. Unfortunately, I noticed that his style has steadily changed and not for the better. The change was noticeable around the latter part of his Fantastic Four, a few issues into his Alpha Flight and especially around his JB NEXTmen. The details and the flairs were gone and it looked as though he skipped the pencilling and went straight to the inking process.

[Rockin' Rich]

John is a pro and I'm sure the work will be good. I prefer his pencils inked by Austin, Kesel, Giordano or Ordway, but computer finishing is a good option too, as with Frank Quitely's All Star Superman (quite frankly).

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by LikeaPhoenix

The details and the flairs were gone and it looked as though he skipped the pencilling and went straight to the inking process.

I think that Terry Austin's inks are owed A LOT of credit for adding detail and contrast to Byrne's pencils during they're historic X-MEN run.

-Tim