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Interview mit Guggenheim über die Serie

Zitat:

The Return of the Daywalker

Rising star Marc Guggenheim dropped by to talk about his upcoming BLADE series for Marvel Comics:

ATR: Tell us about your upcoming BLADE series. What can readers expect in the first few issues?

MG: A whole mess of things: First, self-contained issues that are new-reader friendly. As of this interview, I've written the first three issues and have a very specific idea for issue 4. Each issue is gonna be a little bit different. I'm trying to pull a Planetary here by writing self-contained stories that have their own distinct identity from issue to issue, while laying the seeds of a larger mythology. And because I like to steal from the best, I'm also using the Lost model of interlineated stories set in the past to shed some light on Blade's character. So essentially, you're getting two stories in each 22 page issue. As for those stories, here's a rundown:

Issue One firmly establishes Blade in the Marvel Universe. I don't want to say much more than that, but the idea was to create a new-reader-friendly intro for Blade. Plus, there's a surprising twist on the last page. Issue 2 involves a trip to Latveria and an encounter with Dr. Doom. And free of charge, I'm throwing in some vampire clowns. No, really. Issue 3 offers a change-of-pace. It's a more "ground level" story that deals with how Blade interacts with the law. I mean, the NYPD doesn't exactly believe in vampires, so how do they react to Blade's claim that he killed one? Issue 4 comes out in December, so it'll be our Christmas issue. I always wanted to do a Christmas story and have never had an opportunity to, either on TV or in comics, so this is my chance. Blade vs. Santa Claus, that's all I'll say.

Finally, we have the recently-announced Civil War tie-in for Issue 5. Blade is technically "super- human," but not exactly a hero or a mutant. So does he really fall within the letter of the law as far as the Registration Act is concerned? You'll have to check out Issue 5 to find out.

ATR: You've mentioned that you want to set BLADE firmly in the Marvel Universe...how do you plan on doing that? What Marvel mainstays will you be featuring in the first year?

MG: Spider-Man, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Dr. Doom make appearances in the first two issues. My approach is not so much to write towards the Marvel mainstays but, rather, not write away from them. In the past, it seems like other Blade series have worked to keep Blade isolated in his own little corner of the MU. I'm trying to break him out of it with some interesting stories. If those stories would logically bring him into contact with other Marvel characters, I'm not shying away from it. It's a bit of a balancing act, to be honest. However, the beauty of doing self-contained stories is that I can calibrate that from issue to issue. I can say, "Hey, we haven't seen a Marvel mainstay in a while, let's have Blade fight the Invisible Woman." Or somesuch. Plus, as I said, Blade's involvement in the MU vis a vis Civil War gets revealed in Issue 5.

ATR: Will Dracula or any other notable Blade villains return?

MG: Dracula makes an appearance in the opening pages of Blade #1. Marvel released a preview of those pages and -- SPOILERS FOLLOW -- from my review of the message boards (which I really, really have to stop reading) tells me some people were bothered by how quickly Dracula gets disposed of. However, my thinking was this: We've seen Blade kick Dracula's ass more times than I can count. What's the point of re-treading that old ground. Disposing of Dracula so quickly was my way of sending the message that this ain't your daddy's Blade series. We're going to travel some new ground here and not dwell in the past, showing you a fight you can read twenty different versions of in the back issues. We're gonna show you new, cool stuff.

Plus, when Blade goes up against someone he has more difficulty taking down, you'll -- hopefully -- have that Dracula battle in the back of your head and go, "Wow, by comparison, this dude is scary. Who's tougher than DRACULA?"

ATR: Will you feature any other supporting cast members from the old TOMB OF DRACULA series? Van Helsing? Deacon Frost? Nightstalkers?

MG: Eventually. My attitude is that the comic book Blade is in need of some rehabilitation. I have to put all my efforts into making him cool to fans who only know him from the movies and TV series. To that end, I don't want him sharing the spotlight with a supporting cast just yet. However, once this period of rehabilitation is successfully over, yeah, the sky's the limit.

ATR: How long are you and Howard Chaykin onboard for? Is this an open ended assignment or a fixed run (like your Wolverine arc)?

MG: My run is open-ended. I don't know about Howard's, but I really hope he's on the book for as long as I am. Y'know, Marvel hasn't said anything to me about that. Thanks for giving me something new to worry about…

ATR: Will there be any similarities with the TV series (characters, situations, and so on)?

MG: I think so. I've only seen the pilot, to be honest. The rest of the episodes are stacked up on my TiVo. From what I've discerned, however, there are some pretty eerie similarities. I say "eerie" because there was absolutely no coordination with the TV series and it seems that the TV series is headed in some of the same directions that I am. It's like a strange, psychic phenomenon -- which, perhaps, is appropriate for this particular book.

ATR: Any teases for our ATR readers? Any other projects you want to promote? What else are you working on?

MG: Hmmm… let's see: Comic book wise, the only projects I can talk about at the moment are a Punisher one-shot currently being drawn -- exquisitely so -- by Lenil Yu; a Batman story for D.C. being illustrated by Jerry Bingham, who is also doing spectacular work; and a creator-owned series by Oni Press called Resurrection, which is about the aftermath of an alien invasion.

Outside of comics, I recently completed work on the script for the videogame Call of Duty 3, which comes out in November. Finally, on the TV front (which some people refer to as my "day job"), I'm in pre-production on a pilot I co-wrote with my former Jack & Bobby boss, Greg Berlanti. It's called Eli Stone and it's a project that's very near and dear to my heart.

Thanks for taking the time Marc – I am looking forward to the new Blade series.

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