SCRIPTING SOLUS: TALKING WITH BARBARA KESEL
posted 01-24-2003 01:30 PM
BY JENNIFER "I've Got a Hidden Sigil, Too" CONTINO

Barbara Kesel is getting ready for her new series with George Perez, Solus, to begin this March. The series features a young woman trying to find her place, not only in this world but in the CrossGen Universe.

Page 7	Page 15
Page 7	SOLUS #3

THE PULSE: What inspired the creation of Solus?
BARBARA KESEL: George. When George told us that he wanted to come back from his hiatus to a monthly series rather than the sporadic CROSSGEN CHRONICLES, we started brainstorming a series that would take advantage of Georges limitless imagination and the scope of our only slightly more limited universe. George wanted his own world; I'm not stopping at one.

THE PULSE: Solus, like Meridian, is the name of the world of its main characters. Why call this world Solus?
KESEL: It gains its name from the energy it holds. That sentence will probably make more sense after issue #1 comes out.

THE PULSE: Solus means alone, how does that definition fit in with the scope of this series?
KESEL: Because at the center of it all is a single crucial character.

THE PULSE: What does the word have to do with the heroine Andra Radiant?
KESEL: The word Solus? Solus represents what Andra leaves behind as she ventures off in search of herself. Andra Radiant is who she becomes.

THE PULSE: Who is Andra Radiant?
KESEL: She's the hero of Heliotrope. Actually, they just know her as Radiant. She was named for a character in a MMURPG who came to life one day.

THE PULSE: If the residents of Solus can't remember a time when she wasn't around the world, does that make her immortal? Is Andra one of the "First?"
KESEL: No, Andra is not one of the First. And there are no residents of Solus. Yet.

THE PULSE: Does Andra have a Sigil?
KESEL: Andra's not a Sigil-Bearer, either. Aren't you loving these answers?

THE PULSE: How is working on Solus different than your other work in the CrossGen Universe?
KESEL: Just as our continuity is complicated and interconnected, although by design not so intrusive that you cant read any one of our comics titles alone, the genesis team behind SOLUS is bigger than just me sending a projected outline through the approval process. Events in this book will eventually change our entire universe, so those events start at the top: Mark Alessi and Gina Villa are involved in the 6-month projections. I'm there to take the continuity needs and craft them into a story, adding new worlds, specific universal events, personality, bits of business, and all that gooey character stuff. Chuck Dixon is involved to make sure we don't overcomplicate matters or forget to provide some meat for the average action fan, then George takes what I write in the plot, adds in our phone conversations, and delivers 200% of what he's been asked to draw.

THE PULSE: Some of the descriptions of Solus hint that Andra Radiant might not be as good as she looks. What do you enjoy the most about the duplicity of characters and infusing a little innuendo within the context of a story?
KESEL: Define good. I happen to be an ardent disciple of misdirection, innuendo, and sleight-of-hand. (I was briefly a magicians assistant) The only thing you can pretty much count on is that I'm never telling you everything, but I try never to lie.

THE PULSE: Besides Andra Radiant, who are some of the other cast members in Solus?
KESEL: There's Andra, both before and after. Lindy Karsten, a nerd who made good. Zeuss, who sees what he wants to see, despite the fact that he's really seen enough to know better. Infoe, the cuddliest guardian ever, and a thousand constructs created with the help of a giant AI system that is the heart of the gaming in Heliotrope. And the Hound, but he really doesn't show himself off until issue #2.

THE PULSE: Does Solus take place within the CrossGen Universe at the same time as any of the other titles? Which one(s)?
KESEL: It's as contemporary to our other titles as they are to each other. We don't keep time absolutely fixed between titles and between issues, because wed never be able to do a cliffhanger ending if we did.

THE PULSE: Is someone from the world of Solus in Negation?
KESEL: Nope. Well, not at the moment, anyway.

Page 4-5

THE PULSE: What do you like the best about working with George Perez? How much are his ideas for the series meshing with your own?
KESEL: George can pack in ANYTHING that I can imagine. I love to overstuff pages. I'm very quick, and easily bored, and I cant stand comics that I can read as fast as I can turn the pages. George makes me stop and look. I like being able to make George KEEP DRAWING MORE. He brings an incredible imagination, a history of good storytelling, and an actors respect for the role of supporting characters to a title. Everybody on stage participates in the scene, in character. With some artists, anyone not specifically mentioned isn't present, or does nothing to interact with the action. George never wastes an opportunity.

THE PULSE: What's coming up in the first story arc in Solus?
KESEL: Solus, Heliotrope, Quin, Tarquina, Abyelos, and Elysia.

THE PULSE: What's coming up in The First for the New Year?
KESEL: More building intrigue and nervousness as Ingra remains in House Dexter to the continuing discomfort of a lot of people. We find out just how extensive her network of connections is, and what she's planning. Meanwhile, new alliances are being made on the Sinister side: Tiena makes a move, Ihroe counters with another, and Orium kicks major butt.

THE PULSE: Besides working on comics for CrossGen, you're also doing a lot of work with Comics on the Web and some other areas. What, behind the scenes, projects are you involved with that people might not realize you're responsible for?
KESEL: I've been directing the first wave of voice recordings for Comics on the Web. It's been my first chance to use some portion of my Drama degree in real life to audition, rehearse, and direct the voices of Sephie, Simon Archard, and friends.

Then there's the usual stuff. All of the writers here do a lot of support writing in addition to the actual plot and dialogue for each issue. We start with a series proposal and/or outline, the creators guide entry for that series, all solicitation information and catalog copy, interviews, message board responses, movie and TV treatments, IFC text, story so far text, proofreading each issue before it leaves house. We also edit the Code 6/CGE books. I'm working with Brian Pulido on LADY DEATH: A MEDIEVAL TALE. I also read solicitations from candidates for our Associate Writer program (not quickly enough to keep up with the response, I'm afraid) and am trying to find office space for an associate by next summer. Then there's all the paperwork associated with the voice recording program sigh. So much of this is creating something from nothing, which is both the greatest thing in the world to be able to do and one of the most mentally exhausting. Then I go home and play with dogs still exhausting, but not mentally.

THE PULSE: So what more does your future hold?
KESEL: For the moment, SOLUS, MERIDIAN, and THE FIRST are enough. I hope to get a viable Associate program off the ground next, and then there's this idea I had for a new spin on Comics on the Web