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Fantasy Creators Talk
What is it about fantasy comics that you find interesting?
and Sharon Scott (More Than Mortal)
Sharon: Within the fantasy genre, a creator can pull off sweeping, epic storylines,
yet the reader can still relate to the characters. Just by virtue of having to completely
define the setting, fantasy heroes seems tangible, they embody us... and their struggles
for freedom become our struggles. Also, there is no lack of fantastic creatures within the
fantasy genre... ones that cannot easily be pulled off in action, horror, or other
genres, while still being believable. I find these aspects very appealing.
Matt: Well, for me, it was always the stuff that I liked as a kid. I read Piers Anthony,
Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clark. It's the mythical aspect of the genre. I like the total
fantasy of it... total escapism.
Who inspires you?
Sharon: As a novel reader, fantasy writers like Raymond Feist and Stephen Donaldson
inspire me. As a comic reader, I like the usuals: Kurt Busiek, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore...
Matt: Wow! That's a though one. I would say novel writters or good storytellers.
There are so many in all the genres, that it is difficult to say who exactly. Also there are
plenty of amazing single stories told by some lesser-known people, who don't put out anything
worth reading except for that one good story. So it is even difficult to define what I
consider to be a good storyteller. However, I can say with confidence taht I am also inspired
by my wife.
Both More Than Mortal and Lady Pendragon started off outside of as independent titles.
What brought you to Image?
Sharon: That seemed a fantasy in and of itself, when we first started talking about
approaching Image with MTM. We seemed o have capped out in the "indy" section of the
Diamond catalog, including snagging the "hot spots", like Gem of the Month and Under
the Reading Lamp, but we still felt that our sales could be better, that people were
just not seeing us or being introduced to us because we were still in the back half of
the catalog. The "move" to Image provided us with the access we needed to improve our
visibility to our publishing efforts. We would have to be taken seriously now. We weren't
just flukes, who would be "gone tomorrow".
Matt: There is simply no better deal on the face of the planet than the one that Image
offers to creators today. I am honored and proud to be associated wit hsuch a fine line
of books.
What is the most chalenging thing about writting a crossover?
Sharon: Well, every writer wantst o pull off a good, emotionally-impacting story, but
this is usually impossible in a crossover, because the creators are too cautious about
what will happen to their characters. "Oh, you can't do THAT with my character..." etc.
It becomes so restricted that there can be no real good fighting in the story.
Fortunately for the LP/MTM crossover readers, thought, both Matt and I don't put those
kinds of limitations on our creations. Both Lady Pendragon and Bridgit make wrong
decisions in the story and they both get their butts kicked. But I think most
significantly the characters don't part as "friends", and with mutual respect the way
most crossovers tend to... these two don't get alomg from the start, and they make no
excuses for their dislike of each other.
Matt: Not making it suck! There are so many crossovers that just make no sense... ones
I've looked at and said why? It is hard making a setup that's believable. I remember a
Superman/Spiderman that I thought was great! But they were also a lot less frequent then.
Another challenge is finding a clever hook, and preserving the continuity of both titles,
because it seems kind of pointless. Everything that happens to any of the LP's in any
of the different timelines, affects the other characters, and how they will react/interact
in the future.
If you could pick any actress to play your character in a movie, who would it be?
Sharon: I have asked myself this question over and over, and it is a difficult one to answer.
In Bridget's case, maybe Nicole Kidman - tall, strong, independent...
Matt: For Jennifer Drake & Guinivere, Gwyneth Paltrow. She's my favorite actress on the
planet... she is regal, yet sensuous and sultry at the same time.