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(Image credit: Giant Generator)
(Image credit: Giant Generator)
Rick Remender:It’s a slow burn with a lot of mystery boxes, so that’s nice to hear. You’re one of the first five people who have read it. It’s all a very new approach for me, to let the thing kind of breathe. Part of my earlier training, when I was at Marvel, was that you really had to sell everything all at once and get all the information across first thing.
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Well, it grew out of a number of things that I had been developing for a long time. I keep a morgue of ideas that I keep returning to. At this point it’s 7 million pages [laughs]. So I go through there and I look for things that get me excited. Sometimes it’s an idea I burped up, you know, in 2010, that will mix with an idea from today.
And I’ll find a way to kind of do what I’m always looking for at the beginning, which is something that I desperately want to say about my personal life that I’ve experienced, that I want to write about; something that I am observing in reality, or seeing in the world in the greater sort of society we live in; and then something really visual and interesting.
(Image credit: Giant Generator)
But then we circled back around to this because the hook that really hit me was the idea of moral authority, and the idea that we’re now seeing this moral authority come from political spectrums, religious spectrums - everybody’s got a moral authority, and you better do what they say, and you better get in line.
I loved that, because it plugged into this idea so well, that one of these so-called moral authorities had the power to impose that on the world. And that would be something that’s an interesting stage on which to tell a story. I couldn’t get my head around it until I said, oh, well, then we time jump into the future, and we’re going to deal with a couple of this messiah’s bastard children who were supposed to have been killed when they were born, but weren’t, and now they have some powers of their own. And now they’re going to set out to rectify or fix the world they were born into.
My kids are Gen Z, and they’ll talk about climate change. And I’ll realize, you know, the things that Gen X were screaming about that no one would listen to - primarily climate change and nuclear armageddon - I see now in my kids the fear of this happening to them. And so, then the story became very relevant to me, and I realized, OK, that’s worth doing.
(Image credit: Giant Generator)
What’s it like writing about a dystopian future that stems pretty directly from a world much like ours while also watching some of those seeds of dystopia actually being planted all around us?
But when income inequality becomes a gap this wide, you start getting - there’s a lot of places in America I used to take my family on road trips, where I used to pull into a McDonald’s or something, and now that place is falling apart. You’re seeing America in decline in between cities in a pretty serious way.
And again, it’s those three things: the world that I live in, something personal, and something that’s visual. This ticks off all of those. My mother’s family is very religious, and I was always the black sheep because I couldn’t buy into any of it. I think Gen X has a real anti-authoritarian streak that can be a positive and it can be a negative. And I think when it comes to moral authority, I’m very hesitant to absorb anybody dictating anything to me.
(Image credit: Giant Generator)
I can absorb ideas, I can intellectually have debates, I can think them through, I can come to my own conclusions. But it leaves you almost adrift and homeless. And being adrift and homeless, intellectually as a writer, I think is good, because it separates you a little bit from the superb society, and enables you to take a loot at it from an outside perspective, which is a lot of what my science fiction does.
I want to ask about your working relationship with Bengal. His art is just so fantastic, and it feels totally seamless with the script. How do you go about developing that strong of a relationship with an artist? Does your own background as an artist come into play?
Sure. I mean look, I’m a great art director, because, you know, I’m an artist, I know what can go on a panel, I can help design the logos, I can help design the characters. I have a hand in all this stuff. All theGiant Generatorbooks have my stamp on them as well as the vision and the voice of the artists. And I always approach that in a sort of collaborative way.
Not all of those things lead to long term collaborations. That’s just sort of a chemical mix. So Bengal and I just get along. We just like talking stories. I’ll pitch him things and he gets excited, and he can’t wait to draw it. That’s all you’re looking for.
(Image credit: Giant Generator)
I was an animation instructor, and a teacher of sequential art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for a number of years, and a student of mine who later became one of my best friends who went on to become the art director atBungiemaking Destiny and Marathon, he gave me one of Bengal’s art books. This was in 2003, 2004. And to me, I was like, this is genius. So eventually I reached out to him and had a conversation with him about working together.
But when it does work, and you have a partnership like this, it works beautifully. It’s why we get into comic books, to work with a really talented and kind-hearted and smart person, and spend years of your life telling a small piece of the population a story you care about.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”