Zack Whedon

I Will Wear a Tuxedo On That Day: Interview with Zack Whedon 03/29/10 Zack Whedon is probably best known for his work, with brother Joss, on the Dr. Horrible Sing-A-Long Blog. But Zack has been hard at work, writing for shows like Fringe and Deadwood, and is even starting to step into some serious recognition as comic-writer. Dark Horse recognized Zack’s talent early on, and helped foster his ability through some shorts on MySpace Dark Horse Presents, and then on the one-shot Dr. Horrible comic. But it’s the upcoming Terminator series that really highlight’s his ability as great story-teller.

Dark Horse got the chance to chat with Zack Whedon over email during one his brief breaks writing for the upcoming television series Rubicon, debuting soon on AMC.

Coming from a television background, you seemed to have little trouble transitioning to a different medium. Now that you’ve got some scripts under your belt, do you feel comfortable calling yourself a comic writer with this new series?

I think I am on the cusp of being able to call myself a comic writer, legitimately. I look forward to that day. I will wear a tuxedo on that day and introduce myself as, "Zack Whedon. Comic Writer." It is a tough transition. There is still so much I have to learn about writing comics. So many things I have to improve on. Writing this series has been a great learning experience for me.

How did you start the transition from television to comics?

I started with the eight page Captain Hammer comic for Dark Horse on Myspace. My idea for that was for it to be a sort of PSA or after school special type of thing. That gave me a good excuse to have narration. It was very caption heavy. That was a good place to start for me, I think. Captions make everything easy, so they were my training wheels. By the time I did the Dr. Horrible comic, I was doing much less of that. I had gotten a little more comfortable with the medium.

What is the most exciting aspect of the Terminator franchise in your opinion?

I love a good time travel story. It is a great horror premise about killers that never, ever stop coming. An indestructible force that has only one goal, which is to kill our protagonist. It’s terrifying. When you add in the time travel aspect, it not only legitimizes the presence of such a being in our present day world, but also creates many other levels for the story to work on. I think Terminator is a perfect movie.

In what ways do you think you’re bringing a fresh approach to these classic characters?

Well, Kyle is not really explored that much in the series. That is part of the reason I was drawn to him. In the first movie, he’s a man on a mission, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for chatting about your past. He appears rarely in the show, and isn’t examined that closely in [the movie] Salvation, either. So I liked the idea of writing about him, because I could bring something to the table. That’s also why I stayed away from John as a major character. He’s had plenty of screen time. I couldn’t create as much for him because so much has already been established. I think you’ll see the more human side of Kyle in this series.

Would you like to write an original graphic novel someday?

That is a dream of mine. I have been thinking about that a lot lately. Hopefully once I’m done with this Terminator run I can start really getting down to business.

How do you feel about answering ridiculous questions?

I’m for it!

If you could only bring the discography of one band to a deserted island, what band would you choose?

Arrrg. Radiohead? Then again I might want to pick something more cheerful since I am going to be alone and starving to death. I say starving to death because I am not very resourceful and would die quickly on such an island. Paul Simon, perhaps.

Who would win in a fight, Captain Hammer or a T-800?

T-800. No question. Captain Hammer has super strength, but he also has organs and flesh and feels pain. Plus, Captain Hammer is not accustomed to fighting someone with equal or greater strength. He’s also not accustomed to punching people and having them get right back up. That would scare him and make him sad. He’d probably call the Terminator a cheater and stalk off. It would be a good fight, but the Terminator would win.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Flight. Because I am really selfish and have no interest in going the whole crime-fighting route. I’d go for the thing that would make my commute easier and get me girls . . . which is flying. Have you ever seen the way girls look at dudes who can fly? They love that ability.