BRIAN K. VAUGHAN: LIFE AFTER Y

[MattBrady]

by Zack Smith

Our week-long celebration of Y: The Last Man’s final issue continues today, as we get series writer and co-creator Brian K. Vaughan in for a special “Bonus Round” of questions about life after Y.

Vaughan’s got plenty of projects on his plate, from his DC/Wildstorm series Ex Machina with Tony Harris, to his new Marvel miniseries Logan with 100 Bullets’ Eduardo Risso to his continuing work on ABC’s hit series Lost, whose fourth season premieres this tonight. He’s even seeing his older work coming back into print with Batman: False Faces, a new collection from DC. Vaughan talked about everything from the Writers’ Guild strike to his plans for other mediums and more.

Newsarama: Brian, tell us about Logan – what's the basic story, and where/how does it fit into Wolverine's chronology?

Brian K. Vaughan: It starts in the present continuity, with Wolverine realizing that he’s got a sixty-year-old score to settle thanks to his recently returned memories.

We also get some crazy new flashbacks to Logan’s time as a P.O.W. in a Japanese prison camp during World War II.

Linking these timelines is a brand-new villain, something I thought Wolverine needed pretty badly, since for a character that cool, his rogues gallery is a little anemic.

NRAMA: How did this series come about?

BKV: I actually wrote most of it nearly three years ago. Editor Axel Alonso called and told me that Eduardo Risso, who’s been one of my favorite artists ever since I read the first issue of Jonny Double, might be interested in working with me on something. I said that would be amazing and that I’d kill to work with him on absolutely any Marvel character, so long as it wasn’t Wolverine.

And Axel said, “Well, good news and bad news…”

And it’s not that I don’t like Wolverine! I think he’s probably one of the ten best superheroes ever created. I jut think he works best in small doses, usually as part of an ensemble cast. I know that almost all artists love to draw him, but there have just been so many goddamn stories told about him, I didn’t know if I had something new to say.

But in the end, I realized that when it comes to classic characters, maybe it’s more important to be good than groundbreaking, and with Eduardo drawing, I knew it was at least guaranteed to look great.

We gave Eduardo plenty of lead time so he’d be able to continue to kick ass on 100 Bullets every month, and I’m grateful to Marvel for waiting to solicit the miniseries until just about the whole thing was drawn.

Like I said, I wrote most of this way back in 2004 or so, before I made my decision to concentrate pretty much exclusively on creator-owned books for the foreseeable future, but I’m really happy that this is coming out now, since I think this story and my Doctor Strange miniseries with Marcos Martin represent the best superhero work of my weird little career.

I’ve always had a hard time writing other people’s characters, but I particularly pleased with how those two stories turned out.

NRAMA: You did Ultimate X-Men, obviously, but most of your work in the "mainstream" X-universe has been with less-developed mutants such as Cyclops and Chamber. What's the challenge of doing a character like Logan, who has a lot of history, some of it contradictory?

BKV: Obviously, the last thing the world needs is yet another Wolverine story, but I think we gave our tale a unique spin.

At this point, we’ve seen plenty of stories about the boy James Howlett and the soldier Weapon X and the superhero Wolverine, but this is really our stab at telling the definitive story of the man named Logan.

Rather than running away from W.W. II and Japan and swordfights and all the things that have seemingly been done to death with the character, Eduardo and I really embraced them, and tried to use those classic elements to say something new.

NRAMA: What's it like working with Eduardo Risso?

BKV: Fantastic. No one interprets a script quite like Eduardo, and anyone who’s seen his work knows that he can make a quiet conversation between two people just as kinetic and visual as the most over-the-top action scene.

We’ve both been working at a pretty deliberate pace with this one, but I think it’ll be worth the wait.

NRAMA: Regarding Batman: False Faces – how's it feel to look back at your early work, and what's your reaction to DC collecting it?

BKV: At first, I was kind of horrified by the thought of some of my earliest writing being dragged back into the harsh light of day. There are definitely some clunky beats here and there, and you can really see me awkwardly growing up in public as a writer in places, but rereading these issues for the first time in years, I was more horrified by the parts that I loved, as they seem to confirm my darkest fears that I peaked way back when, and have been spiraling into mediocrity ever since.

But for people who think that I was an “overnight success” with Y or Runaways or whatever, there’s actually some very fun Batman and Wonder Woman stuff in here from almost a decade ago, with great art from giants like Marcos Martin and Scott Kollins.

NRAMA: You've mentioned in other interviews that when you're working on the major copyrighted characters, you like to do "your" story, and then move on. Are there any major characters you haven't worked on yet where you would like to do a miniseries or one-shot?

BKV: Well, I hope I don’t just “love ‘em and leave ‘em,” and I’ve actually had some pretty lengthy runs on a few of the major characters at the Big Two, but I definitely haven’t done anything with those heroes to rival guys like Mark Waid, Devin Grayson, Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis, Geoff Johns, or Kurt Busiek, all of whom were particularly supportive of me as I was breaking in.

But I have gotten to play with just about every character I’ve ever loved and even found a way to love those characters I always hated, so at this stage in my career and as long as I’m fortunate enough to have publishers and a few readers willing to take a chance on my original ideas, I think I should concentrate on creating new books and leave the classics to the pros.

NRAMA: Have you been keeping up with Runaways since you left, and have you had any input with Joss Whedon or Terry Moore about the storylines?

BKV: Joss, Terry and editor Nick Lowe have been very generous about keeping me in the loop, and I’ve been loving the hell out of everything. I know people are frustrated with the delays, but knowing what Joss has planned for his last issues, I can say that his run will be considered far and away the best Runaways story ever. Far and away.

And maddeningly, Terry’s ideas are just as cool. And I think that Humberto Ramos sketch was unbelievably fantastic, young and fun and lively and perfectly capturing the spirit of the book while not being afraid to pull the kids in unexpected new directions, which was always what Adrian Alphona and I had hoped for the Runners’ future.

If you’re one of the handful of blowhards who criticized that drawing because you don’t like “big feet” or whatever, you are most likely a joyless grownup, and not only are you not who this series was intended for, you’re actually everything the heroes of the comic in question hate.

But I don’t have a dog in this fight as the characters belong to Marvel and those creators now, so maybe I should shut up and not alienate potential readers… even when they’re soulless villains.

Seriously, some earth-shattering stories coming up, so now is the time to start reading the book if you’ve never tried it before.

NRAMA: The Escapists has recently been collected with Michael Chabon doing a new story for the intro. What does this work mean to you, personally, and has the collection helped bring about a new audience?

BKV: I have no idea how the trade sold or if it was able to find a new audience, but I’m as proud of that collection as anything I’ve ever worked on, from the incredible Alex Ross cover to Dark Horse’s beautifully designed end pages.

And yeah, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author taking the time to write an original short story featuring characters from Kavalier & Clay is awesome enough, but then he wrote a young, even more nasally version of me into his universe! It’s the highlight of my life so far.

NRAMA: Something to put out there – are there any artists you haven't worked with yet with whom you'd like to collaborate?

BKV: Lots. (David) Mazzucchelli will probably always be at the top of that list. And I don’t think there’s a writer alive who wouldn’t want to collaborate with Frank Quitely. Be fun to see Alex Ross try his hand at another creator-owned book, too.

But I’ve already worked with some of the best artists out there, all of whom – without exception – I’d kill to work with again.

I’ve also loved getting to collaborate with relatively new artists, and would always welcome the opportunity to help someone with a unique vision break into the industry. \

NRAMA: When you moved into working in live-action with Lost, what was the biggest transition for you?

BKV: The hardest transition was definitely going from writing entirely alone, where I got to work stupid ideas out of my system in the privacy of my pajamas, to working in a room with six or seven extremely talented writers, and having to voice my profoundly lame ideas in front of them.

There was obviously a really steep learning curve, but I love the show and the people I work with, and I just felt like I was starting to figure out how to be a television writer/producer with the two episodes I got to co-write this season before the goddamn strike hit.

I also really miss getting to play the sweet stand-up Battlezone arcade game in our Burbank offices.

NRAMA: You've mentioned that you always plan to keep one foot in comics, but also that working in television has provided you with benefits and other things that are hard to come by in comics work. Though there's obviously the strike to contend with at this time, do you see yourself working more in movies and TV in the future?

BKV: I hope so. I love working with actors and musicians and what have you too much to ever leave. Still, I like to think I’ll always be a comics writer who sometimes works in film and television, and not the other way around.

NRAMA: You've also been very public in your support of the strike. What's it like being on the front line, and what's your take on how the strike is being reported in the media?

BKV: Well guys like The Shield creator Shawn Ryan or my boss Carlton Cuse are the real frontline, as they’ve been working their asses off on the negotiating committee since day one. I’m just a bald guy with a sign walking around in small circles outside of ABC while Drew Goddard and I debate what the best color of light saber is.

And I know that most of the big news corporations are owned by the very people writers are striking against, but I think there are still strong independent voices inside that industry fighting to report the truth, which is hopefully why the vast majority of Americans and every politician from Hillary to Huckabee is on our side.

NRAMA: Getting back to comics – what's coming up in Ex Machina? You've unleashed some very unnerving portents – hints of parallel worlds, Mitchell's destiny, and the approaching 2005. Where will the next storyline take us?

BKV: Thanks for asking. In terms of public perception, I think Ex Machina has sorta had to live in Y’s shadow during this past year, but for the first time in my career, I’m only writing one book a month and Ex Mach is getting 100 percent of my love and creative energy. I think the book is really firing all guns now, and Tony and the guys are putting together probably the most consistently beautiful book I’ve ever been lucky enough to be a part of.

In true Machina fashion, our next two standalone issues are very political, dealing with criminal justice and the little-known history of slavery in NYC, but they’ll be followed by an action-packed new storyline focusing on a costumed female daredevil who’s thrilling New Yorkers but threatening to derail the Republican National Convention.

It’s all building to our last couple of arcs and eventual fiftieth and final issue, which I can say with a great deal of confidence, should be the most shocking and unreal ending to a comic since… ever? Yeah, let’s just say ever.

It’s a crazy blend of hard science fiction and pulpy adventure and obscure politics and I couldn’t love working on it more.

NRAMA: Ex Machina also deals extensively with the challenges of public service – of Mitchell Hundred's struggles to enact real change, and Kremlin's efforts to bring him back to a costumed identity in the wake of his "failure" to save one of the towers during 9/11.

Stepping outside of the storylines, do you personally feel Hundred is more effective as a superhero than a public servant, or that both superheroics and politics are inherently flawed in their ways of dealing with larger problems?

BKV: Well, superheroics are inherently flawed in dealing with larger problems because they’re imaginary. Which I say not to be flip, but because so many modern comics seem obsessed with exploring “what superpowers would be like in the real world,” which has always felt kind of hollow and pointless to me. A self-licking ice cream cone, to use a phrase that Jay Faerber says I use way too much.

But I love superheroes because I think they work as great metaphors, and in Ex Machina specifically, as a metaphor for the kind of fiction we build around the very flawed human beings we elect into office to convince ourselves that they’re “heroes.”

As to whether Mayor Hundred has done more good than the Great Machine, I’d say that’s probably a push right now, but one side will definitely come out a winner before the book’s conclusion.

NRAMA: And now, a silly question -- if you had to choose between Mitchell or Giuliani as a presidential candidate, who would you take and why? More seriously, what similarities and differences do you see between Mitchell and Giuliani?

BKV: I never like to talk about my own boring political beliefs, so I’ll have to plead the fifth on that one, but I will say that the qualities that make a great mayor, the beat cops of the political world, are rarely the same qualities that make a great president.

And while Hundred and Giuliani have some similarities, I’m surprised how much the newly independent Mayor Bloomberg is becoming more and more like Mitchell with each passing day in office. I wonder if Mike has us on his pull-list…

NRAMA: On your blog, you recently mentioned four new projects -- can you talk about any of them at this time?

BKV: Just that one is a movie, one is a prose novel, one is a television thing, and one is a graphic novel… really more like three graphic novels. They’re all in various stages of development, and some may never see the light of day, but I’m really excited about all of them.

In nothing else, forcing myself to work in other mediums that I don’t really understand or feel comfortable in yet has always pushed me to be a better comics writer.

NRAMA: And finally...is there anything we haven't talked about that you'd like to discuss?

BKV: Just that I was looking at my stack of comics from 2007, and between all the amazing independent and mainstream books I read, I realized that this was probably the best single year of comics since I’ve been alive. Maybe no single touchstone work like Watchmen or Maus, but dozens and dozens of sweet books from lots of different voices.

It’s a great time to be a comics fan, and an honor to get to be a small part of this medium during its real Golden Age.

And if people wanna visit my stupid websites sometime, it’s at:

www.bkv.tv
www.myspace.com/briankvaughan

Thanks again to everyone!

Next: We continue our look at Y’s creative team with inker Jose Marzan Jr. And finally, Y Week concludes with a special all-star tribute, featuring testimonials and art from an all-star group of talents. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

[jtci88]

Great interview. It's wierd that he is just writing one book now...

Edit: My first first post!!!

[nickmaynard]

what a great interview.

no matter how much bkv says otherwise, the tone and language he uses in these things gives the impression of him moving away from comics, which is a totally fine respectable decision, but pretty sad for someone like me who thought y the last man 60 was one of the most beautiful things he had ever read.

red lightsabers are cooler than blue.

[IzzySlash]

He defended Humberto Ramos, I am a fan for life.

[TCJohnson]

He really does come across as a decent guy.

[Billy Parker]

Logan looks kickass! Can't wait for that!!

And LOST tonight!!!!!!!!

[C20Percent]

His Logan miniseries hasn't had much hype yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. But, yes, it does suck that he's only doing one book now.

[newfoundma]

Vaughan is my favorite writer of all time (with Rynaways, Y, Ex Machina, and Ultimate X-Men all in such a short period of time, how can he not be?), and he was swell enough to actually respond (rather nicely) to a fan e-mail I sent him. I am sad that he is moving away from comics (ah the glory days of him coming out with 4 comics a month), but I am happy that he is still creating with the prose novel and such.
And although I despised the first year and half of Lost, maybe he's convinced me to give it a try tonight. Maybe..

[Lex]

Originally Posted by BKV

If you’re one of the handful of blowhards who criticized that drawing because you don’t like “big feet” or whatever, you are most likely a joyless grownup, and not only are you not who this series was intended for, you’re actually everything the heroes of the comic in question hate.

Burn!

And I totally agree. I think Ramos is the perfect artist for Runaways.

[Floyd Lawton]

Been waiting for the Logan series forever it seems. Cant wait, Risso is one of THE BEST.

[ultraaman]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

<

BKV

If you’re one of the handful of blowhards who criticized that drawing because you don’t like “big feet” or whatever, you are most likely a joyless grownup, and not only are you not who this series was intended for, you’re actually everything the heroes of the comic in question hate.

Actually, my problem with how Ramos drew his character proposals was the way he tarted up Nikki like an Anime princess. One of the things I've liked about the characters of this series is that the girls are drawn like girls and not women with breasts large enough to feed Ethiopia.

I'll still get the book but it also still annoys me.

[ejulp]

Originally Posted by C20Percent

His Logan miniseries hasn't had much hype yet, but I'm really looking forward to it. But, yes, it does suck that he's only doing one book now.

Yeah, are we losing him to other media

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

If you’re one of the handful of blowhards who criticized that drawing because you don’t like “big feet” or whatever, you are most likely a joyless grownup, and not only are you not who this series was intended for, you’re actually everything the heroes of the comic in question hate.

THANK you!
Everybody's complaining about big feet. Not gonna buy the book because the characters have big feet? Bah, joyless ninnies.

By the way, kudos to BKV for...um...everything he's done, i guess. Big fan of Runaways (am a bit peeved at the delays, though), his Ultimate X-Men run was superb, and while i haven't read Y regularly (yeah yeah, i know, i should get the trades, blah blah blah) i did catch the last issue and i agree that it was incredibly beautiful.

[JohnShil]

Originally Posted by ultraaman

Nikki

Nico?

Ramos sucks, blah blah blah, Lost sucks, blah blah blah.

Logan looks good. Ex Machina ending at #50? Is this old news? First I heard of it. Shame. More novels (graphic & prose) are a good thing.

[Statham]

Originally Posted by ultraaman

Actually, my problem with how Ramos drew his character proposals was the way he tarted up Nikki like an Anime princess. One of the things I've liked about the characters of this series is that the girls are drawn like girls and not women with breasts large enough to feed Ethiopia.

I'll still get the book but it also still annoys me.

You could at least get the character's name right. And as for the anime princess thing, well, Ryan practically slapped her into gothloli stuff in his first issue with Whedon.

Also, Ramos is hardly turning the series into conventional superhero fare - None of the girls look like they've grown breasts as large as a small country, and he has toned down the bug-eyed thing with Molly. The only thing I'm even mildly concerned about is his interpretation of Chase.

Still, that is the problem with comics, yes? The same guy can't draw stuff forever.

Regardless, I'm gonna see how this turns out before I start whining. And kudos to BKV on completing Y, although I'm personally looking forward to the approaching climax of Ex Machina.

[rwe1138]

I'm really looking forward to Logan.

And everyone who hasn't already read the stories it contains should definitely check out Batman: False Faces. There's some great stuff in there, especially the Mad Hatter done-in-one.

[ProudToSuck]

Originally Posted by BKV

If you’re one of the handful of blowhards who criticized that drawing because you don’t like “big feet” or whatever, you are most likely a joyless grownup, and not only are you not who this series was intended for, you’re actually everything the heroes of the comic in question hate.

First, I applaud this man for standing up to the fans like this. Takes balls, man.

Originally Posted by BKV

It’s a great time to be a comics fan, and an honor to get to be a small part of this medium during its real Golden Age.

Second... it's statements like this that shows the man has a true love for the craft. Bravo, sir.

By the by, I rarely admit to things like this, but that one page in Y#60 had me in tears. You know the one.

[C20Percent]

Originally Posted by JohnShil

Ex Machina ending at #50? Is this old news? First I heard of it. Shame.

Yep, 50 issues has always been the plan. Hopefully, the issues start coming a bit more regularly now.

[Kurt Busiek]

NRAMA: Regarding Batman: False Faces – how's it feel to look back at your early work, and what's your reaction to DC collecting it?

BKV: At first, I was kind of horrified by the thought of some of my earliest writing being dragged back into the harsh light of day. There are definitely some clunky beats here and there, and you can really see me awkwardly growing up in public as a writer in places, but rereading these issues for the first time in years, I was more horrified by the parts that I loved, as they seem to confirm my darkest fears that I peaked way back when, and have been spiraling into mediocrity ever since.

Ha!

As the guy who suggested to Bob Harras and Bob Wayne that a book collection could handily be gotten from those stories, I'm just glad they're in book form! Or I will be, once my copy arrives...

kdb

[rwe1138]

Originally Posted by Kurt Busiek

Ha!

As the guy who suggested to Bob Harras and Bob Wayne that a book collection could handily be gotten from those stories, I'm just glad they're in book form! Or I will be, once my copy arrives...

kdb

You just had to wait until after I tracked down all six issues in it, didn't you?

[Kurt Busiek]

Originally Posted by rwe1138

You just had to wait until after I tracked down all six issues in it, didn't you?

Depends on when you tracked 'em down. I suggested it a couple of years ago.

kdb

[AllPwrflStev]

I know he's being modest, but I think BKV's run on Runaways far surpasses Whedon's, and we didn't have to wait over a year for a six issue story. I know Whedon still has two issues left on his run, but from what I've read so far I don't see how it could be better. Though I am stoked for Moore/Ramos! Ramos is perfect for Runaways, I was a big fan of his Impulse work. The only other artist I think that could be better for this series is Todd Nauck.

[shj81]

it makes me very sad to think that i might never again see another DC or Marvel superhero comic written by BKV.

i hope that at least he continues to produce new original work fairly frequently.

[rwe1138]

Originally Posted by Kurt Busiek

Depends on when you tracked 'em down. I suggested it a couple of years ago.

kdb

About 2 or 3 years ago. I got most of 'em all at once. WW #161 was the tough one. None of the comic stores in Houston had that one. It took the Hurricane Katrina evacuation and a trip to Dallas before I was able to find it.

[RedRonin]

While I would love for BKV to stay in comics forever (cause I'm greedy like that), I'm just glad we can look forward to some work from Vaughan.