Angel : Aftermath

In the wake of SDCC 2009, we at Buffyfest thought now more than ever would be the perfect time to catch up with the fine folks at IDW. We recently spoke with Chris Ryall and Mariah Huehner about all the big news from the con, along with a few things that had yet to be talked about. It was really exciting getting to hear from Mariah since she’s the new editor of all the Angel properties at IDW. Without further ado, here’s what we discussed:

How did Bill Willingham and Bill Williams get involved in the Angel ongoing?

Mariah: When I’d been at IDW for a little while, and it became apparent that I was something of an obsessive fan, Chris Ryall asked me about Bill Willingham as a possible new writer. I thought it was basically the best idea anyone has ever had, ever. I’ve also known Bill a long time now, I worked on Fables at the beginning of my editorial career, and I’d always hoped we’d get to work together again. So we talked to Bill, who was really enthusiastic about the Angelverse and getting to play in that world, and it just kind of fell together. Due to the fact that Bill is a really busy writer, he mentioned that it would be great if his colleague Bill Williams could help out by writing a parallel story that would eventually be folded into the main arc. We got the Eddie Hope idea and the first script, and knew this was going to be a lot of fun. They both really “get” the characters and have some pretty fantastic ideas of where to take their respective stories.

And what aspects of Angel and Co. do you think Willingham will bring out that we haven’t seen so far?

Mariah: The great thing about Angel is that the characters are so layered and the world is so dense, there are still plenty of stories yet to be told. Bill as a writer has a very delicate eye when it comes to character development, so I think we’ll be seeing a lot of subtle explorations, as well as some major shifts. It’s all about consequences in Angel, and our little band has a lot to work out in terms of team dynamic, leadership, and operating under the new pressures of fame. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of tension, a lot of redefining of assumptions, and of course, that trademark Willingham wit.

Willingham’s involvement was definitely one of the most exciting pieces of news I heard from SDCC. How will his and Williams’ stories weave into one another?

Mariah: Basically, they’ll parallel each other. Each story is taking place at the same time with a similar trajectory. Although they may seem separate at first, the new character of Eddie Hope will turn out to be part of one of the larger story arcs and will eventually be melded into the “main” story. But that’s a ways away. Rather than thinking of them as entirely unrelated, they’re really two parts of the same whole, which will gradually unfold and shed light on a lot of the issues facing the rest of L.A. now that the Fall is over.

Will we see two comics per month once this arc begins? What’s the tentative schedule for Angel and Spike books for the next six months?

Mariah: The main Angel storyline will include the Eddie Hope back up, so each monthly issue of Angel will be the same 32 pages. The first issue, #28, will be out in December. As for Spike, I’ll let Chris tackle that one.

Chris: We’ll be talking more about Spike soon enough, but the plan is for that to be a monthly comic as well, launching in January and handled by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru.

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http://buffyfest.blogspot.com/2009/08/exclusive-interview-with-idw-editors.html