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(NEW)Interview:David Tischman & Mariah Huehner On Angel

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Buffyversefantic
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 8:12 am Post subject: (NEW)Interview:David Tischman & Mariah Huehner On Angel

David Tischman and Mariah Huehner talk the final IDW Angel arc with CBR.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=28205

Quote:

Tischman & Huehner on "Angel's" Finale

IDW's ongoing "Angel" title goes out with a bang as writers David Tischman and Mariah Huehner come on for the six-issue arc "The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart" beginning with November's issue #39.

by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer

In November, writers David Tischman and Mariah Huehner begin a season finale-worthy arc on IDW Publishing's "Angel," returning a longtime adversary to the fold and at last revealing the true Big Bad. Their arc, titled "The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart," begins in issue #39 and runs for six issues. It also represents Angel's final adventure at IDW, as it was recently revealed that the license and associated characters will return to Dark Horse in late 2011. CBR News spoke with Tischman and Huehner about their arc, their approach to Angel, and things which are not as they seem.

Wolfram & Hart, the law firm run by demonic senior partners that has plagued Angel since his first season on television (and who ultimately sent Los Angeles to Hell during the series' initial story arc "After the Fall"), return for Tischman and Huehner's arc, which will close out the vampire hero's adventures at IDW. "Wolfram & Hart are really the quintessential opposite to Angel. They're the embodiment of everything that he's trying to fight and everything that tempts him to be something other than a hero," Huehner said. "Other than himself, I think W&H are Angel's most consistent nemeses and you need them to really have an epic ending. As was proven, I think, by both Season 5 and 'After the Fall.'"

Tischman agreed, noting that Wolfram & Hart were integral part of "Angel's" run on television. "Look, the reason people read the 'Angel' comic books, the reason they love these characters - it's all because of the 'Angel' TV show, which ran over 100 episodes over 5 seasons. When they pick up the comic book, that's the experience they want to have recreated for them. Forget that this our last arc for a minute," Tischman said. "Our primary goal with these issues is to tell a great new, original story that recreates that TV experience. To have the characters sound authentic, like you're hearing the actors who played them in your head. In a new adventure. To have the conflicts and moral dilemmas Angel's facing stay true to the character, as he was originally created. Wolfram & Hart has always been a big part of all of that."

The Senior Partners haven't been a central presence since "After the Fall," but Los Angeles' journey to hell and back has continued to reverberate, as the city's inhabitants remember the events of an infernal year even though the clock turned back at the arc's climax such that those things "didn't really happen." "I've always seen it as, these things did happen because there have been consequences. Whether it's because people remember what 'didn't' happen, or because of such a massive time shift, it was real. It's just that the human mind can only take so many contradictions," Huehner said. The new arc will, however, "bring us to a more solid place in that respect."

"What happens in #39-#44 is very real, and it affects Angel and Connor in very significant ways," Tischman added. "Especially if you like the Angel-Connor conversation in #38, I think you're going to like what happens to Connor and how that puts him and Angel in a good place."

This time around, though, the firm will have an unusual part to play in the six-issue story. "In typical W&H fashion, we find that they aren't doing what you'd expect. And they're reaching out to Angel again, only he's not buying what they're selling. At first," Huehner said. "However, things get very weird for Angel in this last arc and he starts to see how even the 'bad' guys can have more at stake than it seems."

Speaking to how this arc will coordinate with "Angel's" pending move to Dark Horse, Tischman told CBR, "We've done some tweaking to make our end dovetail with Dark Horse's beginning, but I'm not worried about being all 'matchy-matchy.' Some of the bigger ideas are presented in a very subtle fashion, and peppered throughout this arc. I'd qualify those ideas as clues to future behavior, rather than spelled out connect-the-dots." But as to how the various threads related to Wolfram & Hart are tied up by the end, Tischman asked, "Who said W & H gets tied up?"

Some of the prominent supporting cast members will also have a chance to shine. "We do want to have everything that's going on match up. So that includes the 'Illyria' mini, which directly relates to events in this last arc, although it's not just a way to get from point A to point B in 'Angel.' We're also making sure it lines up with the 'Spike' series Brian [Lynch] is doing," Huehner said. "All of them will stand on their own, but we're making sure bits and pieces come together so it's a cohesive ending."

With two issues remaining in the current creative team of Bill Willingham and Emma Casagrandes' run - #37 in September and #38 in October - many details about Tischman and Huehner's arc cannot yet be revealed. But both oncoming writers said that what's going on now in the series will fluidly set up the series finale. "Everything comes together in issue #38 and sets up what's to come. Team Angel is not going to look the same or behave the same way after everything that's happened," Huehner said. "The Whedonverse has always used consequences as a means to explore characters, and that's very important to this arc. Connor will have discovered some incredibly important things about himself as the child of two vampires, Spike heads off to Las Vegas, and Illyria is about to make some significant character leaps. The latter is really important to me because I feel like she's been sort of drifting for awhile and we're working hard to give her an arc that really matters."

"To be blunt, some of the choices Bill made didn't sit well with the fans. At the time. But when you see what we're doing, I think you'll see that Bill was laying down some awesome story points," Tischman added. "And when you see #39 - really, the end of #38 - you'll see how those ideas (and which ones) have developed. Mariah and I are working a great, original, very dramatic and action-heavy story, something we'd been talking about for a while. Something that takes Angel back to his roots in a completely surprising way. But I also think long-time readers will be a little surprised at how well we've been able to use the seeds Bill planted to ground this new story even deeper in the IDW 'Angel' mythology."

Tischman's previous "Angel" miniseries, "Barbary Coast," took a look at the character at a very different point in his life, set in San Francisco at the turn of the twentieth century, where Angel sought a "cure" for his newly-restored soul. "I love working in period, but if you know Angel you know Angel - it's really that simple - whether he's running around 1906 San Francisco or driving the PCH in 2011 Los Angeles," Tischman said. "If you liked 'Barbary Coast,' and I hope you did (PLUG: the collection is in stores in September), you're going to really dig 'The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart.'"

Huehner also has considerable experience with "Angel," having edited the line for nearly two years. Asked how this familiarity with this universe might influence her ideas and writing on "The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart," Huehner said, "a lot of it is just being immersed in it all the time. There's always something to do on 'Angel' every day of the week for me. So I'm always having to consider story points, plot threads, character arcs, whether I'm in the office or at home."

"It makes it a challenge, in the sense that you can't get complacent and think you've thought of everything. But the fact that they do feel like old friends at this point does make finding ways to tie it all together easier," she continued. "The important thing to remember about the comics is that they aren't and can't be the show. Totally different medium. But they can 'feel' like it in the core relationships, in the emotional nuances. That's more important than anything else, really."

EXCLUSIVE: A page from "Angel" #38

Tischman and Huehner are also currently collaborating on IDW's big vampire series "True Blood," the second issue of which is in stores now. Asked whether the writers had worked out a good system for collaboration between "True Blood" and "Angel," Huehner said, "I like to think so, but I might drive David crazy and not know it. He's too kind to tell me if I do.

"But yes, I think we've got a very good system down at this point. I'd describe it as mutually encouraging. If either of us get stuck on something, the other can offer support and usually a few ways out of it. We ask each other a lot of questions, why would so and so do this, does this 'sound' right? Etc. It's a good way of having checks and balances, and I think it makes us both better writers. Although really, David doesn't need my help in that regard."

Tischman concurred, saying, "Mariah and I started this co-writing thing on 'True Blood,' and it's been a lot of fun. We very quickly settled into a very productive rhythm. We do what we do, and if we hit a stumbling block on something, it's okay to say 'I'm stuck on this, can you fix it?' We each bring a piece to the table that makes the end product better. We're not shy about our opinions, but we're we're not precious about it, and we're also both so polite it's kind of funny when we do disagree."

Huehner is also co-writing an "Illyria" miniseries with Scott Tipton, which will launch in November, concurrently with the final "Angel" arc. "The Illyria story takes place parallel to the main Angel book for a bit, and it does influence events directly in this last storyline, without making it feel like it only exists to do so," Huehner said. "It's mostly a story about Illyria, getting into her head, understanding her and who she is and what she'll become, and gives her a meaningful arc. She won't be exactly the same at the end of it and that will become very important for Angel as well.

"It's important to me that, as this winds down, characters get to have not only important moments for themselves, but for Angel as well. Let's face it, none of them would be here it wasn't for him. They don't exist just for him, of course, but it should matter. And I think it will."

Last edited by Buffyversefantic on Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:16 pm; edited 3 times in total

fender_love
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:53 am Post subject:

Thanks for sharing the link. The page preview is really gorgeous. _________________ :: Please, visit my Deviantart gallery. ::

Double Dutchess
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:40 am Post subject:

Thanks! All this sounds really good. Lots of nice things to look forward to the coming months! And I agree the preview page is gorgeous.

angeliclestat
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:49 am Post subject:

I don't want the Angel series to end st IDW-but having said that I really cannot wait to read this arc.Sounds like it is going to be excellent. Get the focus back on Angel, get W&H back and doing there usual machinations, and a big epic operatic storyline. Bring it on:-) _________________

Shade of Pale
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:08 am Post subject:

Thanks. I'm looking forward to these issues. The preview page is something special.

Buffyversefantic
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:14 pm Post subject:

David Tischman and Mariah Huehner interview about the final arc of Angel at IDW.

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/lowdown/p/detail/idw-the-final-angel-arc-tischman-and-huehner-talk

Quote:

IDW: The Final Angel Arc - Tischman and Huehner Talk

Lowdown - Interview
Posted by Tony Josepf on Sep 27, 2010

With Angel set to start its transition from IDW to Dark Horse, there are sure to be big things in motion for everybody's favorite vampire with a soul. To find out what's in store, we at Broken Frontier sat down with David Tischman and Mariah Huehner, respectively the writer and editor of the final story arc of IDW's run on Angel. Tischman and Huehner have a long history of telling tales about the bloodsucking undead, and so Angel is bound to have one hell of a send-off from IDW. So sit back and relax as we discuss the popularity of vampire fiction, writing about the undead, and of course, all things Angel.

BROKEN FRONTIER: You've worked with vampire characters several times in the past in Angel: Barbary Coast and Bite Club. What is it about the genre that keeps you coming back for more?

MARIAH HUEHNER: I know this is really for David, but, since I've worked with David on most of his vampire series to date, it seems like we keep finding ourselves dealing with fangs. In my case I just happen to find myself working on books about vampires. I don't know why, maybe it's because I wear a lot of black. David's the one who keeps saying yes to writing for them for some reason. :}

DAVID TISCHMAN: Which is funny, because I've STARTED wearing more black since we've been working on this book. But to answer your question, vampires are just about the coolest thing ever created. Vampires and pizza. What keeps bringing me back is the different spins each of these projects has put on the standard "Dracula"-style vampire mythology. When Howard (Chaykin) and I did Bite Club, it was a medical vampirism that jumped from bats to humans--creating a new ethnic minority that fueled the organized crime part of the story. On True Blood, also with Mariah, we've got sexually voracious and hyper-violent vampires, whose blood is somewhere between penicillin and PCP. Angel is a more traditional vampire, but he struggles against himself, physically and morally, to make the living world a better place. A devil trying to be, quite literally, an angel. There's just so much you can do with that!

BF: How have these past vampire comic experiences prepared you for writing Angel?

DT: That's where the similarities end. Each book is different. Each script is different. Maybe people think I'm "the vampire guy." Believe me, there are worse things to be. As long as you spell my name right. But I approach each of these books from scratch. But we're having a lot of fun. The Angel series was great, and Mariah and I are both fans, so it's very satisfying when we finish a script and it feels like the TV show. As a writer, we're supposed to say that we write for ourselves, but in this case, I think we've kept the fans in mind--we're all going on this journey together, and we're trying to tell a smart story we'd all enjoy watching on the telly.

MH: Honestly, nothing could have prepared me for working on Angel. It's not like anything else I've ever worked on and it's been one of the most excruciating, challenging, but worthwhile projects I've ever worked on. It's taught me a lot.

BF: Why do you think vampire stories have such enduring popularity? In such a technology-fueled age isn't it interesting that we still feel the need for our monsters lurking in the dark?

MH: Vampires are, no pun intended, eternal. They're a dark, primal, nearly bottomless well of story possibilities. I mean, look at the very human themes you can explore through them: 1. Sex. Whether as a metaphor for animal passions during inhibited eras or as a more literal and direct look at the complex nature of desire and sex. They're very sensual, but also provocative and terrifying by nature because of the whole drinking blood thing. Which does have an erotic angle to it, due mostly to the imagery around it, I think. And the fact that desire is a very consuming emotion, similar to the way vampires lust for and must consume blood. 2. Life/Death/Immortality and the human condition. As undying creatures of the night, vampires are a pretty obvious way of looking at the things we fear (Death), the things we should appreciate (Life and Death), and the things we secretly wish for even when we're not sure the of the consequences (Immortality). Plus, they're really pretty. I think one of the reasons we still like our monsters is that, no matter how advanced we get, or how many gadgets we make, we're all still afraid of the dark and the boogeyman in it.

DT: Vampires are stronger, faster and sexually free--which puts them way ahead of the people I hang out with. But it makes them super-heroes, too. And we love our super-heroes. We love them because we aspire to their higher moral level. Well, Angel gives us two-for-one -- a super-hero who aspires to a higher moral level. But your question about technology is very interesting. The physical nature of vampires is a great counterpoint to the frailty of the powerful micro-circuits.

BF: Your run on Angel will be the title's transition from IDW to Dark Horse. How is the hand-off being coordinated by both sides?

MH: Very carefully. We know some of what's to come that will be addressed more directly with Spike, but we're also finding ways to drop in hints and things for readers to pick up. We're telling our own story here, though, that's mostly a way to tie up IDW's run on the series. But we're happy to work in what we can so that Dark Horse will have as easy a transition with the stories as possible.

DT: Mariah's on the front lines of that one. I just keep my head down and type.

BF: Were you a fan of the Buffyverse before you began adding to its mythos?

MH: Big time. Both series have meant a lot to me both personally and professionally. They accomplish something with genre fiction that's very rare, making it relevant and entertaining and meaningful, in a setting that should be ridiculous in a lot of ways. Plus, it created what remain some of the most complex and iconic characters, especially for women.

DT: I was a Buffy fan for the writing, more than anything else. On Angel, though, his character and his personal story and his moral issues made me a fan from the beginning.

BF: Besides the Buffy and Angel series, did you have any other major influences in your approach to the story arc, or vampire genre in general? Which supporting characters were influences?

DT: I know Connor can be a hot button issue with the fans, but he is an essential part of who Angel is. At the same time, the Angel supporting cast--even when it was just Wesley and Cordy and Gunn (and/or Spike)--needed to be serviced, and--just in my opinion--took away from our time with Angel. Which is why I came up with the story I did in Barbary Coast. When Mariah and I started looking at what we wanted to do, it was really important to me to give Connor the room to continue to grow, but also to get Angel OUT ON HIS OWN and get him back to basics, against the biggest bad of them all, Wolfram and Hart. I had one part of the story, and Mariah came in with the other half--it really came together like that. And our solution literally gives the fans both those things. We're building the tension and it's all moving like a Fraggin' speeding train toward a very big end.

MH: You always have to look at what aspect of being human a story is trying to convey. What themes are at work here, what do these characters need to do, what do they need to discover about themselves, where does it need to go? In that sense, any and all stories can be an influence in some way. I read and watch a lot of genre fiction of varying sorts and I'd say it was all an influence in one way ore another. Farscape, Discworld, Dollhouse, Lost, Lord of the Rings, Muppets...at core all these stories were about the characters and their journey. And they all have an epic quality that Angel has, too.

In Angel's case, he's kind of had these incredible peaks and valleys lately, and it was time to really let him be the hero that he is again. Saving the world, fighting the good fight, that sort of thing. At the same time, Angel isn't alone, and his friends need their own arcs, too. As David said, I know a lot of folks have issues with Connor, but the fact is, that's Angel's son. It would be strange if he wasn't a huge driving force for Angel, and he's one of the most important ways we can show Angel's development as a father and a character.

BF: Wolfram and Hart have always been major players in Angel's series. Why do you think they work so well as villains? What led you to choose them as your arc's “big bad”?

DT: On Buffy, Sunnydale had the Hellmouth, but the town was never really a character. On Angel, Los Angeles (the city of Angels) is very much a part of the show--as much a character as New York is in "Sex and the City." And in many ways, Los Angeles is the most "American" city we have. More American than New York. Los Angeles is where Manifest Destiny ends. Really, the biggest example of the American Dream, maybe the last place in America where dreams still happen overnight. And Wolfram & Hart feeds on all that. The firm represents the choice each of us makes; how much of our soul are we willing to give away to make our dreams come true? They are lawyers; subtle, strategic, using the system for their own purposes. Angel's a smart guy, but he's a man of action. W&H is the Joker to Angel's Batman, and we needed them for this final battle.

MH: This last arc needed to be epic. But it also needed to really be about the characters and surmounting something that's been holding them back so they could evolve. At the end of the day, Wolfram & Hart is the embodiment of what Angel has been fighting against. He will always have to fight the good fight against enormous odds. And that's W&H. They are always there, making things difficult in big and small ways. I think Angel needs them in a way, and this last arc definitely needed them so Angel could come full circle.

BF: What are the differences you see between working on a big licensed book like Angel, and working on a Vertigo book like Bite Club?

DT: Bite Club was a creator-owned book; we created those characters and those dilemmas--where we took it, and what the book was about are the same thing. On a licensed book, you're playing with someone else's toys. Although, really, at this point, Superman and Spider-man are as "licensed" as Angel. But that's another conversation. On a licensed book, the IP has monetary value and you're given parameters. It also comes with an existing fan base with expectations. So it's challenging--in all the best ways. And incredibly satisfying. I really mean that. We're writing our hearts out on this book.

MH: A lot of it has to do with dealing with an established world someone else created, who have fans who are very particular, vs. creating a world yourself. There's more freedom in the latter in certain ways because you define the rules and who the characters are. The former, you're working with established history and have a lot to take into account. It's a challenge, but it's not all about limitations. The great thing about working on an established license is the passion and enthusiasm fans bring to the continuing stories. They love these characters and they just want to see them treated with respect. If you can do that, you've got a lot of room to develop interesting stories. Plus, especially something like a Whedonverse story, there's so much to work with. The characters have real depth and the world is complex and generally fairly flexible. Which makes it ideal for exploring all kinds of themes while still getting to make up weird creatures. That's always fun.

BF: Do you have any upcoming projects after your run on Angel?

MH: I'm working on a bunch of things, most of which can't be announced yet. It's always possible I'm not quite done with vampires, either.

DT: I'm announcing a very cool creator-owned book at New York Comic-Con, next month. An idea I'm really passionate about. I'm loving the pages. There's something else that'll be announced in January--something Angel fans will really dig. It's completely unexpected.

Angel #39, the first part of the final IDW story arc, goes on sale from IDW this November.

DanielW
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:48 pm Post subject:

no no no no no NO! they can't, can they? Surely not.

pshand05
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:28 pm Post subject:

Whahuh? _________________ http://patrickshand.blogspot.com/

DanielW
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:32 pm Post subject:

that montage is about Connor. And Angel is 'broken' in the main picture, implying that Connor is dead. Which is bad. Very bad. BUT in light of the fact that Joss doesn't seem to be that enamoured by stuff from Angel: the series, I'm really worried that they're planning on sweeping the decks clean, no Connor. No Gunn. No Wolf, Ram or Hart. No Illyria/Fred.

pshand05
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 10:14 pm Post subject:

DanielW wrote:

that montage is about Connor.
And Angel is 'broken' in the main picture, implying that Connor is dead. Which is bad. Very bad.

How does it imply that? I just see a bunch of images of Angel and Connor's past surrounding a downtrodden looking Angel. Can mean pretty much anything. Implying death is a pretty big leap, IMO.

Quote:

BUT in light of the fact that Joss doesn't seem to be that enamoured by stuff from Angel: the series,

Fact? o_O

Quote:

I'm really worried that they're planning on sweeping the decks clean, no Connor. No Gunn. No Wolf, Ram or Hart. No Illyria/Fred.

I don't know, I'm pretty sure that the curly haired editor over at That Company mentioned using the supporting characters of Angel. They already had the ability to use the character. If they didn't want the whole cast, why bother to take the rights?
_________________
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angeliclestat
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Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:24 am Post subject:

Am I missing something? Cos only the 2 covers we have already seen are coming up on that interview for me. _________________

Double Dutchess
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Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:29 am Post subject:

angeliclestat wrote:

Am I missing something? Cos only the 2 covers we have already seen are coming up on that interview for me.

I think it's about the exclusive preview page, the b&w one with the shards. It's in the first post.

angeliclestat
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Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:44 am Post subject:

Ah ok! I thought Daniel was talking about a new page that I couldnt see:) _________________

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