You know that Farscape comic that’s coming out later this month? Yah, we thought so. We’re a little fahrbot about the new comic book series and wanted to get some more info, so we went to our friends at Boom! Studios and asked ‘em a few questions.

What follows is our exclusive interview with Farscape writer Keith R.A. DeCandido (KRAD) and Farscape editor Matt Gagnon (MG).

TFAW.com: The comic book is set shortly after the events of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. Will readers new to Farscape be able to keep up, or is this more geared toward current fans?

KRAD: I’m hoping that people will be able to follow along without being hardcore Farscape fans. I certainly made an effort to make it as accessible as possible. Having said that, the show itself has a pretty detailed history, and it will help to be at least vaguely familiar with it.

TFAW.com: How has the change of medium–from television to comics–affected the look and feel of the action? What were some of the challenges and benefits of going from film to paper?

KRAD: Well, I never worked on the TV show–my experience is in being a huge fan of the show and writing a tie-in novel and three tie-in short stories in the universe. It’s still different, of course, as prose has different requirements from comics, with no dependence on visuals and more space to get inside characters’ heads. Comics are much faster-paced — and you do have artwork. One of the biggest challenges in writing Farscape prose is that the show was so visually lush and complex, thanks to the amazing work of the Creature Shop, so it was really hard to do it justice in prose. In comics, we can not only do it, but do more than the show did by virtue of not having budget restrictions on those visuals.

TFAW.com: There’s been talk of a new character who will be introduced in the comic who will play a large part in the upcoming webisodes. Are there any hints you can pass on?

KRAD: Not unless I want Rockne to come to my house and break my legs, no there are no hints I can pass on . . .

TFAW.com: How have the characters grown and changed since the miniseries? How will this affect their actions and the overall story?

KRAD: Well, not a whole helluva lot, by virtue of this comic book picking up right where PKW left off. Page 1 of #1 is the closing shot of the miniseries, where Crichton and Aeryn hold their infant son up to the starscape. Having said that, D’Argo’s death is something that has a profound impact on everyone, and the cameo that Rygel’s usurper cousin Bishan made in PKW has consequences that the comic book will explore in depth.

TFAW.com: With series creator Rockne O’Bannon plotting the series and Farscape novelist Keith R. A. DeCandido handling the writing, it seems a safe assumption that this will be an authentic continuation of the Farscape story. How did you choose the artists? What were your criteria?

MG: We’re extremely fortunate to have Rockne and Keith on board. They’re pretty much the dream team. With them at the helm, there’s no way this couldn’t be authentic. As far as an artist, we did an extensive search, and when BOOM! and The Jim Henson Company saw how incredible Tommy Patterson is, it all clicked. We all knew that visually capturing the Farscape universe was going to be monumentally challenging. In addition to being a talented newcomer, Tommy is one of the toughest and most well-prepared artists I’ve worked with.

TFAW.com: Adding a child to the mix can sometimes upset the balance of a series. Were there any concerns about incorporating Crichton and Aeryn’s son into the story?

KRAD: Not for me. One of my favorite comic book stories is Lone Wolf & Cub, a Japanese series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. It has an assassin who travels around feudal Japan with his little kid. That was the route I was hoping Xena would go when she had a child, but they did something else. But I think this is a great opportunity to add a new dynamic to the series, and the baby will play a significant role in the story.

TFAW.com: Are there any plans past the upcoming miniseries for Boom! and Farscape?

MG: Absolutely. We’re having way too much fun to stop now! After the first Farscape arc is finished, we’ll be following it up with a new arc called Farscape: Strange Detractors! Is Rockne back? Yes. Is Keith back? Yes. Will it tie into the Farscape webisodes? You know it.

TFAW.com would like to thank Keith and Matt for their time and our friends at Boom! Studios for hooking us up with the interview and for letting us be the first to know about Farscape: Strange Detractors.

We’re taking pre-orders now for Farscape: Strange Detractors #1, so don’t waste another microt and reserve your copy today!

TFAW.com–We’ve got just the thing for your collection!

Author : Josh@TFAW