Tony Bedard and Eric Ratcliffe Discuss R.E.B.E.L.S. #5
Welcome to the latest edition of REBEL Yell where Tony Bedard and I talk about all things R.E.B.E.L.S. This issue had Starro reveal himself in a major way, the dominator's get taught a hard lesson on underestimating the enemy and Dox gets a very unique offer. So let's get right into things!
Eric: So Tony is it safe to say that Ciji has found herself aboard Dox's ship?
Tony: Did we SEE Ciji get aboard Dox's ship? Or did we? Stay tuned till next issue.
Eric: How much fun do you have writing Storm daughter?
Tony: Storm-Daughter is a lot of fun, but there's more to her than meets the eye. One thing I'm looking forward to is the STARRO one-shot we've got coming in October. It reveals the origin of Storm-Daughter, Smite and Starro, and a lot of questions our readers have will be answered.
Eric: Why do people maintain their personalities after joining starro? I would think it would be more of a hive mind type of situation?
Tony: As for maintaining their personalities, that really only applies to Starro's elite vanguard -- the ones with starfish on their backs instead of their faces. It's good to have unlimited troops who never question orders, but Starro also needs some folks with a little initiative at the front.
Eric: Going into that a little, Starro has made that offer to Vril, but exactly what is in it for the people that sign up for it? Doesn't seem like they'd have any real freedom at the end of the day?
Tony: The offer he makes to his vanguard is made a little clearer in the STARRO Special, but it boils down to this: you can be a mindless slave, or you can lead the charge.
Eric: Is it going to be just the one special for the book? Like an annual? double sized?
Tony: The STARRO book will indeed be an extra-sized extravaganza: 54 pages of cosmic calamity!
Eric: How the heck can Ciji of all people restore order in all this chaos?
Tony: I wouldn't say that Ciji is going to restore order, but she adds to the fun. It's funny, but I'm reading in some reviews that the cast is getting a little too big. the whole point is that this situation keeps on snowballing on Dox.
Eric: I've noticed that. Vril will start to put out one tiny fire to have three huge ones take its place. I'm sure this is something that was covered heavily in the original pitch?
Tony: It's just classic storytelling that when your protagonist attempts to fix his troubles, he ends up unleashing new and unexpected problems. Read McKee, you'll see.
Eric: So the dominators aren't doing so well in that battle are they?
Tony: I wanted to show just how serious and overwhelming Starro's horde is, so we see them having maximum impact on one of the DCU's premier military forces. The Dominators look funny, but they earned their name.
Eric: Why did he have her go after Silica?
Tony: For Dox's need for Silica, that's going to be revealed in issue 6.
Eric: So the lead starro is attached to a pretty big warrior, are we supposed to recognize the person?
Tony: No, he's entirely new, and from another galaxy, to boot. But we'll find out much more about him in the coming months.
Eric: The second I turned to that page I remembered thinking "This battle is over." What was the idea behind the design for the character?
Tony: We wanted a sort of intergalactic Genghis Khan or King Conan. Cosmic characters on this level sometimes tend to be aloof or noble and dignified, like Darkseid or Galactus. We wanted a guy who gets his hands dirty, who revels in battle and bloodshed. After a few different designs from my old friend J.G. Jones, a guy who likes sword and sorcery as much as I do, he turned in one design that just knocked it out of the park. We refined a little, but we knew he'd got it.
Eric: Amon isn't exactly a rocket scientist at the moment is he? All this madness is going on and he's still obsessed with getting Vril?
Tony: For our pal Amon Hakk, he's a serious warrior, but he's also great for comic relief -- kinda like that big lunkhead on Joss Whedon's Firefly. I think single-mindedness is probably a common Khund trait, and this time it saved Hakk's life because it got him off Ciji's ship!
Eric: We also have our first reader question! Said Tala wants to know if Lobo will ever be appearing in the series?
Tony: Alas, he will not. I have been quietly lobbying to get him in the book from the start, and hope springs eternal, but no joy yet. I do love that bastich, though...
Eric: So what can we expect coming up in issue 6?
Tony: Issue 6 will mark a big turning point in the struggle against Starro and his cosmic horde. Dox is going to pull a rabbit out of his hat, so to speak, but he won't end the invasion. Also, what began as one green genius trying to win back his post will continue snowballing into a massive interplanetary insurgency. Like it or not, people will keep rallying around Dox, because the alternative is a life of mindless slavery.
That's it for this month guys. If you have any questions for Tony about REBELS, send them our way here...even if it's via the brand new comment section and they'll appear in the next edition of the column. See you next month!
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Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching dvd's, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice.
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