| Interview with Tony Bedard |
| 1. How did you become involved in NEGATION? When I was first recruited by Mark Waid to work at CrossGen, NEGATION was already being put together, based on preliminary notes that Waid had written. One of the first things I did on the weekend I came to check the place out was to go to dinner with Waid and Pelletier and brainstorm up some story ideas and character stuff with them. Waid already had his hands full with SIGIL CRUX, and RUSE, and he graciously allowed me to pretty much take over the book and flesh out anything that hadn't been figured out yet. Without him to get the ball rolling and create the basic and idea and characters for the book, NEGATION wouldn't exist. But thanks to his generosity as a creator, he really let me make the book my own. Some characters, like Charon, Kaine, Evinlea, Corrin, etc came from the initial basic list Waid drew up, with input from Mark Alessi and Gina Villa. Some characters, like the Lizard Lady, Komptin and the Lawbringers, were things that I brought to the party. So far, it's been a pretty fun party. 2. Is there any particular character you enjoy writing more than the others? Kaine and Komptin are the heart of the book to me, but they are all fun to write in one way or another. The best thing about this big ensemble cast is that I get to keep switching characters, so it always stays fresh. The hardest part is making sure they all get at least some stage time. Some characters, like Calyx, Thustra and Monchito, are meant to stay background characters. Others take on a life of their own. Nobody expected the Lizard Lady to be as much fun as she's turned out. 3. How important are the events that take place in NEGATION in regards to the whole CrossGen saga? They're pretty important. The main, overarching threat to the CrossGen Universe is the Negation, and you will see next year that the big payoff to this threat will feature Charon and his crew front and center. Stay tuned... 4. What is a typical day like for you at the CrossGen studio? I get here around 8:30, sit down at my desk, and have my most productive time before lunch, while I'm still fresh and the hustle and bustle of the office is still gearing up. Every day is different. Fridays, we have writers' lunches and story conferences. Some days, we sit down and "proof" the books before they go off to the printer to make sure they are mistake free and all the final little touches are added. Some people would hate trying to be creative in an office environment, but it works quite well for me, especially after the years I spent editing books in different offices 5. Emperor Charon is determined to invade the regular CrossGen universe, but so far his motives have been unclear. How long until it is all revealed? Like I said above, wait till next year... 6. Do you think it would be a good idea for CrossGen to have other titles set in the Negation universe? Probably not. This book is special because of its setting. I'd rather not cannibalize that. 7. Why did you become a comic book writer? It's been my dream to write comics since high school. I've always loved storytelling, especially mythic stories, and comics tend to deal in big-scope mythologies very well. There's no limit to our special effects, except for our imaginations. 8. Are there any plans for love within the NEGATION cast? Maybe. They've been a little too busy running for their lives, but we've hinted at some possible romances here and there. I have a stong idea of what's happening in the next year, but the book also seems to write itself sometimes. I know all the ladies are crazy for Monchito, so we'll just have to see... 9. Are there any humorous behind-the-scenes stories NEGATION fans might find interesting? I just wish you could be there when me, Paul, Dave Meikis and James Rochelle sit around trading story ideas and character bits. It's hilarious. We'll soon introduce a puppy because Dave was heartbroken when we killed off Komptin's dog, Gullitt. You'd probably get a kick out of seeing our creative "fights", too. We've definitely got a bizarre creative dynamic, but it seems to work well. By the way, Meikis is the creative secret weapon of this book, and comes up with many of the best goofy scenes. 10. Who do you think is the hottest NEGATION chick? My vote is for Evinlea, but a lot of folks out there really like Corrin. I have to work on giving Shassa more to do, because she's a good character waiting for her moment to shine. 11. How was it decided to move Gammid from CRUX to NEGATION? I think it was decided that Gammid and Galvan were redundant. Gammid actually serves a good purpose in NEGATION, dividing loyalties among the fugitives without meaning to. Keep watching, as he'll have important business coming up soon. 12. Without giving away too much, what is coming up in NEGATION? The group is starting to splinter, and will soon break up and part ways, which, of course, will only bring them grief. We'll also finally reveal what's up with Zaida and the indestructible baby Memi. 13. How did the idea to do MARK OF CHARON come about? Mark Alessi liked the thought of Negation Sigil-Bearers so much that he asked me to do a miniseries about them. I put Javi in charge of them because of the inherent conflict for him in that role. The book was going to be called "LIGIS" at one time, but luckily I managed to get the title changed! 14. You've introduced a lot of interesting characters in MARK OF CHARON, as well as brought back an old favorite. Are you planning to have any appear in NEGATION once MARK OF CHARON is over? Check out NEGATION #22 for the answer to that! |
| This Interview was conducted in July of 2003 |