Comixfan Forums - SIMON FURMAN: TRANSFORMING DEATH'S HEAD INTO ANNIHILATION

<A HREF="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0206/AMFAN018.jpg" TARGET="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0206/AMFAN018t.jpg" WIDTH="100" HEIGHT="150" ALIGN="LEFT" hspace=10 ALT="Amazing Fantasy Vol 2 #18 cover"></A>By Remy Minnick, Comixfan Staff Writer

Transformers? Check. A return to Marvel after 10 years? Check. A new revision to Death's Head? Check. What else does Simon Furman have in store for comic books fans in this coming year? We took a moment to speak with Simon Furman ourselves to find out exactly that!

Comixfan: You are working again at Marvel with the creation of Death's Head 3.0 for Amazing Fantasy. What is it like to be working back there again? Has the experience changed any since your last work for them?

Simon Furman: It’s strange how easily I’ve slipped back into working for Marvel, even though it’s been 10 years (What If? #74 to be precise) since I last trod the ‘Hallowed Halls.’ I think of a lot of that is just that it’s been a full tilt return, and I’ve been plunged headlong into the usual looming deadlines without a moment to think, “Wow, Marvel, I’m back.” It’s not just Death’s Head either, hotfoot on getting that assignment I picked up another. It’s like London buses, nothing for ten years and then two come at once. I love working for Marvel, it’s always felt like ‘home’ to me somehow. I just hope it proves ‘ongoing’ in some shape or form.

Comixfan: Death's Head was chosen by the fans as the next character to re-imagine in the Amazing Fantasy line. Was there anything you felt that was lacking in his previous incarnations that you wanted to rectify with this new character? Who is the new Death's Head and how does he relate to the previous incarnations of the character?

Furman: Originally, I wanted to tie this new Death's Head into the whole existing DH mythos, but as the Amazing Fantasy series has evolved, we’ve moved further and further away from that, to the point now where this is a completely new character. The only immediate connection is that A.I.M. are involved, as they were with Death's Head II. However, I intend, should the character prove popular enough to return, to work in a little retroactive back story to create a kind of unified Death's Head-verse. Let’s just say that there a few options I’ve left open. As for the new Death's Head, he’s one mean mother of an alien mechanoid, but the force that has reanimated him gives him a whole different perspective on life. That ‘force’ is tied into other things that are going on in the Marvel Universe right now.

<A HREF="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0306/AMFAN019_COV.jpg" TARGET="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/0306/AMFAN019_COV_t.jpg" WIDTH="100" HEIGHT="150" ALIGN="RIGHT" hspace=10 ALT="Amazing Fantasy Vol 2 #19 cover"></A>Comixfan: How did you get involved with Amazing Fantasy at Marvel. Did Marvel speak with you before the polls to keep you "on tap" if Death's Head ended up winning or were you brought in after the fans had chosen?

Furman: I shamelessly knocked on Marvel’s door, just as soon as I realized there was a poll (and that Death's Head might win it). Fortuitously, (Amazing Fantasy editor) Mark Paniccia had a post-it note on his computer at the same time, that read “Phone Furman re Death’s Head,” so it was evidently just meant to be.

BTW, I made up that bit about the post-it, but it was along those lines!!

Comixfan: How long will your story run in Amazing Fantasy and what will it be about?

Furman: It’s a five-issue arc, running in Amazing Fantasy #16-20. It’s about a war of wills, between one very strong (extant) mind and one (equally strong) formative mind, growing in the body of an alien killing machine. There’s a strong science-fact/body horror feel to this tale, and though there is a superhero element, it’s distinctly non-superheroic. It’s a thriller, a globe-trotting one at that, that showcases a pivotal moment in the relationship with (techno-terrorist organization) A.I.M. and the wider world. Change is coming, and not everyone (within and without A.I.M.) is happy about it.

Comixfan: Transformers #0 was recently released from IDW. Now, with the finished project in the hands of fans, have you you been happy with the response you have seen on the title? How much attention to you pay to the response you get on the message boards and other fan sites on the Internet?

Furman: Anyone who says they don’t care what the current Internet buzz is (as it relates to their work, status, etc) is a liar, in my opinion. Sure I keep an eye on what’s being said, but I try not to be too influenced by it. It helps that by the time I read the feedback on issue #0, I was writing the script for issue #5. So it’s kind of a no-going-back thing. You have to have the courage or your own convictions and just go for broke. I do, however, listen very closely to what Chris [Ryall] and Dan [Taylor] at IDW and [artist] EJ Su have to say, as they—first and foremost—are people I want to keep happy. Overall, I think the feedback I’ve read on #0 has been good, tempered with a lot of ‘we’ll wait and see’ on the part of the reviewers/commenters. The best review I read was on Ain’t It Cool, where the reviewer said if the live action Transformers movie started the way the Infiltration did, he wouldn’t be disappointed. I was pleased with that, because that’s how it felt writing it, like the start of a movie.

Comixfan: Some Transformers fans have not been enthused by the characterization of Ratchet in the new Transformers series. What was the main motivation behind changing the character from his more peaceful nature?

Furman: It’s still the same character (dedicated to saving life, etc) at heart, he’s just a little more... direct. A little more in your face. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the Ratchet character as was, I just felt he (in common with a lot of other characters in Infiltration) should be ‘edgier.’

Comixfan: Lately, you've been dealing with reinventing characters with a strong fan following. Do you find it difficult to both bring something new to the table but at the same time, keep fans happy?

<A HREF="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/idw/transformers/transformers1d.jpg" TARGET="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/idw/transformers/transformers1dt.jpg" WIDTH="100" HEIGHT="150" ALIGN="LEFT" hspace=10 ALT="Transformers #1 cover"></A>Furman: I think, both with the new Transformers series and Death’s Head, I’ve leaned more towards bringing in new readers than trying to appease the old. With Transformers, there was a lot of updating and re-envisioning, not to mention a back-to-basics approach, that I (and the folks at IDW) thought was essential to give the series legs. With DH, it’s pretty much a whole new character, and will—I think—rise or fall on its own merits. Much as I’d have liked to revisit the original Death's Head, I’m actually more excited and inspired to be creating something from scratch. It’s virgin territory, and I’m laying the foundations.

Comixfan: With all your work reinventing characters, if someone came up to you and told you to reinvent Wheelie into a character you liked. Would it be possible and what would the "Furman-ized" Wheelie be like?

Furman: He’d transform into a prehistoric beast and shout “Me Wheelie!”

Just kidding.

Personally, I’d transform him into spare parts. It’s rare that I come across a character I can find no redeeming or story-worthy features in at all, but Wheelie’s one of them.

Comixfan: With the new Transformers series from IDW being a new continuity, will the new Beast Wars mini-series be a new continuity itself or will it fit seamlessly into the cartoon series?

Furman: It actually fits pretty tightly in with the TV show, making it a separate continuity from the new IDW Generation 1 comic. I so wanted to dabble in the existing Beast Wars Universe that I just couldn’t dismantle and start anew. And I think this is one case where appeasing the fans works to our advantage. So the two entities, the comic and TV show, do cross over, but not in a way that impacts (overmuch) on the rest of the TV show (as already screened). Trust me, that took some, ah, plot contrivance.

Comixfan: Your also working on a new Beast Wars mini-series. Who will compromise the cast of characters in the mini-series? Or, more accurately, will I get to see my favorite character, SilverBolt, in comic book form?

Furman: I’m mostly focusing on a new cast, made up of existing (toy) characters that never made it into the TV show. So, main bad guy (Predacon) is Magmatron, and the focal good guy (Maximal) is Razorbeast. The four-issue series is packed to the rafters with characters making their narrative debut, but somehow we’ve managed to squeeze in some existing show characters too. The Gathering, as the series is called, is set in around season 3 of the TV show, so we do get to see the likes of Megatron, Optimus Primal and Cheetor. Sadly, though, no Silverbolt. Maybe I could talk to Don, see if we can revise some pages, get him in there. Don? Don?!

Comixfan: In our last interview, you hinted that we would get to see more of Beast Wars Grimlock in the upcoming mini-series. What is it about the characters bearing that name that your drawn to?

Furman: How could I resist (once I found out it was same character in a new body)? That said, Beast Wars Grimlock doesn’t play a huge role in The Gathering, but he does make a pretty dramatic contribution to the final issue. I just love Grimlock. He’s such a bull-headed agent provocateur.

<A HREF="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=9303" TARGET="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/amfantasyv2-16t.jpg" WIDTH="100" HEIGHT="150" ALIGN="RIGHT" hspace=10 ALT="Amazing Fantasy Vol 2 #16 cover"></A>Comixfan: With your work on Transformers and Death's Head your dealing with, primarily, mechanoid main characters. Is there something about robots and artificial intelligence that your attracted to or is it just a coincidence?

Furman: Just coincidence, I guess. It’s not that I’m particularly partial to mechanoids, it just seems to work out that way more often than not. I’ve done a bunch of non-metallic characters in my time (Alpha Flight, She-Hulk, Turok, Necrowar, etc), it’s just that they’re balanced against the sheer volume of Transformers work I’ve done over the years, not to mention Death’s Head... and Death Metal... and Robocop... and, er, didn’t Alpha Flight have that Box character? Actually, I see what you mean. Lucky then, I guess, that my next Marvel series is more flesh and blood (albeit alien blood).

Comixfan: Making sure we don't get too deep, we hop to the other end of the spectrum and ask: If you were a Transformer, what would your alternate mode be?

Furman: I’d transform into a pub and drink myself into a stupor before the battle started.

Comixfan: You've hinted at another project coming up for Marvel after Amazing Fantasy, what can you tell us about it?

Furman: It’s part of Marvel’s big Annihilation crossover that’s happening in early 06, a multi-part story that’s going to really shake up their cosmic cast. I’m going to be handling Ronan the Accuser, one of four character-led mini-series that’ll bridge the bit between the Annihilation prologue and the subsequent 6-issue Annihilation limited series.

Comixfan: What did you know of the character of Ronan The Accuser before getting involved with Annihilation? How did you come to be a part of Marvel's next big cosmic event?

Furman: Mostly, I remember Ronan from his original appearances in Fantastic Four, and the Kree/Skrull War in Avengers. Beyond that, I’d kind of lost track of the character. I thought the original (Kirby) visual was great, but beyond that the character seemed fairly one-dimensional. When I was offered the chance to write a Ronan mini-series (by editor Andy Schmidt), my first thought was... why? Did this character really merit a mini-series and did I want to write it? Then, when I got the Annihilation overview, and saw what happens to Ronan before the mini-series, I thought: oh, okay, now I see the potential. What I liked about the whole concept was that, even within the confines of the surrounding Annihilation crossover, I had a huge amount of scope to (re)build the Ronan character from the ground up. Nothing much, I felt, had been done in the past to actually flesh the character out, so I had a reasonably blank canvas on which to paint my own, distinctive designs and tell very much a stand-alone story. Events in Annihilation play a big part in the Ronan series, make no mistake, but the story within the miniseries is very focused and contained. Ronan’s like Judge Dredd to me, this impassive, unswerving dealer of (Kree) justice. But take all that away from him—and boy, do we—and we start to see the character underneath, the real Ronan. That’s when I really got interested.

<A HREF="http://www.x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/marvelheroes/2005/annihilation/ANNIHILATION.jpg" TARGET="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/marvel/marvelheroes/2005/annihilation/ANNIHILATION_T.jpg" WIDTH="100" HEIGHT="150" ALIGN="LEFT" hspace=10 ALT="Annihilation cover"></A>Comixfan: When talking about Wheelie you mentioned how it was rare that you would come across a character that had no qualities worth writing about. What do you find to be Ronan's story worthy features?

Furman: Ronan’s my Man with No Name, riding into town with all this baggage we rarely ever get to see, hidden behind this stone mask of a face. The challenge to me was to crack that grim exterior and see what really makes him tick, what drives him. My thought was, even Ronan doesn’t know the real Ronan. He’s so indoctrinated by this structured, puritanical Kree way of life, he’s never really had to think or fend for himself. So, as the series progresses, he’s going to ‘evolve,’ whether he likes it or not. When a character’s like that, almost virgin territory, it just really appeals to me. Ronan’s a man on a mission, it’s just that the mission is not what it appears to be on the surface. Oh, and I got a chance to work in other cosmic characters like Gamora, Devos and Nebula. Trust me, sparks are going to fly!

Comixfan: When we last talked you had listed off several new projects including "one TV animation series, two UK strips, assorted editorial work, one US comic and one manga series", any updates you can give us on these titles?

Furman: I’ve just completed an episode for the A.T.O.M. (that’s Alpha Teens on Machines) TV show, and I’m currently (takes a deep breath) working on Transformers G1, Beast Wars and a G1 ‘Summer Event’ for IDW, Death’s Head and Annihilation for Marvel, Wallace & Gromit for Titan Books, Power Rangers for Future Publishing and A.T.O.M. (comic this time) for Panini. Plus, a Transformers project I can’t talk about yet for a UK publisher, a concept development for Disney and (as editor) Comics Creators on X-Men for Titan. The manga series is still out there in the ‘might happen’ ether, and it’s possible I’ll be doing NecroWar for the new Dreamwave (down the line). I need a holiday!

cracking interview, think im with most of the deaths head fans dh1 was cracking a real mean with a personality, dh2 rubbish! any way there is plenty of scope to resurect the old deaths head when he was hunting galvertron int the transformers dh1 was on mission 531 so we got 530 missions before that that need exploring. just finished reading dh3 and looks good keep up the good work dude

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom 2TUM Toner