Last Friday afternoon, while it might have looked like I was zoning out surfing the internet for baseball gloves and reading Ian's updates on the road to Baltimore, I was actually involved in an in-depth, long-form examination of X-Babies #1 with the book's writer and my RE: Comics! partner in crime, Gregg Schigiel!
X-Babies #1 hit the shelves last Wednesday, and our hope is that this commentary track, like you find on your favorite DVDs, might provide a little extra bang for your buck if you've already got your copy (and we encourage you to read along) or entice you to pick a copy next time you're at the store (and we encourage you to see what you're missing out on).
In all honestly, Gregg and artist Jacob Chabot did a bang-up job on this entire book, and if you think so too, please come by and let them know during the X-Babies #1 Release Party, part of G-Man's Greensboro Cape Crisis on Saturday, October 24th right here in the store!
Today I'm taking my lunch break with Gregg Schigiel, writer of X-Babies from Marvel Comics, and we're gonna lay down a "director's commentary" for X-Babies #1 a la Bendis on Secret Invasion or Geoff Johns on Blackest Night.
1:14 PMÂ Gregg: Because X-Babies #1 is just about as major an event as those two books, as anyone would agree.
1:15 PMÂ Those two books...combined, I mean.
1:16 PMÂ me:
In the same way that Bendis brought back Mockingbird and tiara Luke
Cage and Johns is bringing back every dead DC character ever, you and
artist Jacob Chabot are bringing back the Star Comics characters from
the 80s, so yeah, same general vibe without the annoying tie-ins
 Gregg: Oh yeah, I hadn't considered it in that way. Nice. Yeah, this IS major!
1:17 PMÂ And there are no annoying tie-ins...at least not yet.
1:18 PMÂ So
I suppose if anyone wants to, they can follow along with their copies,
which they've hopefully read, because spoiler alert, there might be
some spoilers.
 me: Stuff starts jumping right off the bat. There's a shake-up in Mojoworld...
1:20 PMÂ Gregg:
Yeah. Actually, this is something like the 3rd version of page one.
Originally I'd conceived of each page one as being a play on a TV show
opening. Issue one would have been "The Real World" (This is the true
story...of seven baby versions of the X-Men...).
me: "picked to live in a TV show, fight together, and have their lives taped!"
Gregg: Pretty much, yeah. Subsequent issues would play off Mickey Mouse Club, SNL, etc.1:21 PMÂ But when I was told that the next issues would need recap pages...and there was a desire to show Mojo, who I was perfectly happy to address in dialogue alone...which led to this page one.
me: "picked to live in a TV show, fight together, and have their lives taped!"
Gregg: Pretty much, yeah. Subsequent issues would play off Mickey Mouse Club, SNL, etc.1:21 PMÂ But when I was told that the next issues would need recap pages...and there was a desire to show Mojo, who I was perfectly happy to address in dialogue alone...which led to this page one.
1:22 PMÂ But in the end, this is likely a better way to really start an actual story.
1:23 PMÂ Meanwhile,
in panel 2, that Mojo/Indian Head image...that's all Jacob being
awesome. I think in my script I just indicated static on the screens.
1:24 PMÂ me:
That's a nice move. It ads to the tension as we see the countdown in
panel 5 ("2") and Mojo getting the full experience in the last panel.
1:25 PMÂ Gregg:
Yes, this was a definitive collaborative page, between Jacob, myself,
and our editor, who lit the initial spark to start the book off this
way.
1:26 PMÂ me: And for the folks at home, that editor is Nick Lowe, who handles most, if not all, of the X-books
1:27 PMÂ Gregg:
Yes, indeed...though the folks at home could've gotten that info from
the credits on the following pages (how's that for a segue?).
1:29 PMÂ me:
BOOM! ACTION! The X-Babies in the Savage Playland! Read your setting
notes people! I completely missed the name of the scene when I first
read through.
1:30 PMÂ Gregg:
Yes, the Savage Playland...this was one of the earlier scenes I had. I
wanted to set the stage right off the bat that this was a group of
characters who relished big adventure. Plus I wanted to as efficiently
as possible establish their personalities, powers, and status quo...at
least until we pull the rug out from under them 3 pages later.
1:31 PMÂ In
another "cutting room floor" moment, the original script had not only
the heroes' names, but also name tags for all the different dinosaurs.
1:32 PMÂ me: proper names or dinosaur names or scientific names...?
1:33 PMÂ Gregg: Dinosaur names: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Brontosaurus, etc.
 me: gotcha
  and I must say that my favorite visual in the issue is jumping right out, Ka-Zar and Zabu.
Â
1:35 PMÂ Gregg:
When I wrote "sabertooth kitten Zabu" in the script, I knew it'd be
fun, but I had no idea it'd be as awesomely cute and great as what
Jacob delivered. That and the T-Rex losing that tooth. There's a lot of
stuff on this page I really dig.
  Quick
aside: the title...this is the only issue where the title is also a
line of dialogue...unless the title of issue four changes.
1:36 PMÂ Also, Wolverine's line was originally Rogues, but in the ballooning stage things got changed up.
 me: Another of my parts was Cyclops and Wolverine's sniping
1:37 PMÂ Gregg:
The "conflict" between those two is fun...and in the course of the book
it sort of expands. There are a few instances coming up where they all
just start going at each other. Not always violently, but tempers flare
with this bunch.
1:38 PMÂ But especially Wolverine and Cyclops, who both think they've got everything figured out.
1:39 PMÂ In fact, we get right into their back-and-forth with page 4, as the dino-fight continues.
1:40 PMÂ me:
All of the dusk colors and ravine shadows and Nightcrawler's BAMF! and
Storm's lightning bolts, it really seems like your colorist had her
work cut out for her.
1:41 PMÂ Gregg:
Totally. By the way, the Bamfs...when I first saw those I thought,
"man, I'd have never thought of that!" - the benefits of collaboration
and not drawing your own story. And Emily, our colorist, really did
some great stuff throughout the issue. I know Jacob worked with her a
bit as well on some things, here and there. In the end the whole thing
looks pretty sweet.
1:42 PMÂ me: Absolutely, and at the bottom of page 5 Kitty accidentally "pulls back the curtain..."
1:44 PMÂ Gregg:
Yeah, after a good bit of exposition where we're theoretically led to
believe one thing, we end page 5 with what sets off the REAL story for
the X-Babies. The Savage Playland battle wasn't real...they've been in
a virtual reality "prison" for a while.
1:45 PMÂ me: I assume Kitty's phasing-ability distorting electronics was the calalyst.
 Gregg: You assume correctly, yeah.
1:46 PMÂ It won't be the last time her gadget-affecting comes in handy.
  And then on page 8 we start to really see what's going on, as do the X-Babies.
1:47 PMÂ For those keeping score, on page 8, panel 2, yes that's Alf on the top left screen and Spider-Ham on the top right screen.1:48 PMÂ me: No problems with copyrights or licensing with Alf? Or is that why he's partially obscured?
1:49 PMÂ Gregg:
That's why he's obscured and not named or addressed in any way. Of
course. I mean, if Jacob had drawn the rest of him he'd clearly have 3,
maybe 4 eyes and an afro or something. Oh, and going back real quick: I
love page 6, panel 2. Had to mention that.
1:50 PMÂ me: With the shorting out stuff in the background?
 Gregg: Yeah, the tall panel with Kitty and Colossus. A lot of mood and tension there...and good personality stuff.
1:51 PMÂ But, my favorite overall page in the book...maybe in the series (though that might change), is page 9.
  If there was an Eisner for "best page" I'd like to at least be nominated, if not win, for page 9.
1:52 PMÂ me:
An awesome sequence made all the better by the plotting, with the
X-Babies' facial expressions. It wouldn't read nearly as well if you
waited until the end of that page for the reaction. You have to know
they're instantly horrified.
1:54 PMÂ Gregg:
Two things about this page. First, in my head as I wrote it, I'd
imagine it as a tier of 3 panels, a page-wide panel of their reaction,
and then a tier of 3 panels. Jacob's version has a good deal more
energy to it with the varied panel shapes and sizes.
1:55 PMÂ Second,
that reaction shot is another favorite panel. Originally, there was a
word balloon there, Nightcrawler saying "Wait,
whuuuuuuuuuu...."...which would be continued on the next page with a
"...uuuuuuuuuut?!".
  That got nixed. Damn Jacob for drawing such a fantastic panel that it theoretically didn't need my silly word-based jokes.
1:56 PMÂ me: I mentioned to you earlier that the Adorable X-Babies reminded me of something that you might find on Nick Jr.
1:57 PMÂ Gregg: Totally. Or on PBS Kids. Or any kind of "kid-friendly-ing" of things perceived as not kid friendly or not kid friendly enough.
1:58 PMÂ For visual shorthand though, yeah, we wanted to go UBER-cute, which in a lot of ways evokes that pre-school type of thing.
2:00 PMÂ But
there have always been efforts to make things cuter or more kid
friendly...still happens now. Some do it better than others, certainly.
 me: Batman Brave and the Bold as opposed to the Batman being a positive example I've heard of.
2:01 PMÂ And Marvel Super Hero Squad going to the other way based on reactions to the first two episodes.
 Gregg: You said that one...but I'm very much NOT disagreeing with you.
2:03 PMÂ And
not just SHS, but the kiddified versions of the Star Wars or DC
characters, too, in those toys...as if Star Wars, Batman, etc, aren't
appropriate for kids as they are...which they might not be these days,
but that's a whole other thing.
2:04 PMÂ Meanwhile, again, take out your score cards: Page 10, panel 2: Scrappy Doo, panel 3: Heathcliff.
 me: Nice! I missed those two.
2:05 PMÂ Gregg: page 11, panel 5, Muppet Babies
 me: is that a bit more Alf on page 12, panel 3 top left?
2:06 PMÂ Cookie monster and an Ewok in the top right?
2:07 PMÂ Gregg: Lots of stuff on page 12. Alf, Cookie, Wicket, Kermit, Heathcliff...yeah.
 me: It's like reading an issue of Top 10 with all of those Easter eggs!
2:08 PMÂ Gregg: For $3.99, we gotta make this thing worth at least one re-reading!
 me: hahaha
  And
in the foreground of page 12, the evil Mr. Veech dispatches Spiral to
take care of our anti-heroes, but there problems don't start there...
2:09 PMÂ Gregg:
Indeed, as now we're at the halfway point and while Cylops and
Wolverine going at it for a page was fun, it's time to shake things up,
literally.
2:10 PMÂ So
we get the X-Babies into a tricky, tight spot, get a nice explosion
going, and then ramp up the scale of their predicament...all just in
time for Spiral to show up, swords at the ready.
2:11 PMÂ And the X-Babies are all too ready to scrap.
 me: How does one block and plot out a fight scene for an antagonist with six arms?
2:13 PMÂ Gregg: In a way so as to not make the artist's head explode. More simply, I figured she'd take on two babies at a time.
  (though
a careful reader might notice Cyclops doesn't quite get taken
out...maybe someone'll write in for a No-Prize to explain that one)
2:14 PMÂ But 6 arms v. 7 X-Babies...you...juggle.
2:15 PMÂ Another
"credit where credit's due": the idea of Wolverine SAYING "snikt" when
he pops his claws; that was Jacob's idea, and a good one at that.
2:16 PMÂ me: I must also commend you for writing in a giant helicarrier type crash WITHOUT devoting a 2-page splash to it.
2:18 PMÂ Gregg:
We have 22 pages and only 4 issues...I'm not wasting 2 pages on that!
And as an artist, I wouldn't want to DRAW that, so there's no way I'm
gonna ask Jacob to draw that. If I'm gonna use up two pages you're
gonna see a whole lot of dinosaurs...or aliens or something.
  We're trying to make a fun, exciting comic here, man!
2:19 PMÂ And heads up: there are more crashes to come...all of which happen in a panel in a page.
2:20 PMÂ me:
I remember Jacob saying at Comic Con that the dinosaurs were a lot of
work for him, but he liked doing all of the Kirby-esque corridor
dressings.
  Excellent backgrounds through the whole book.
2:22 PMÂ Gregg:
Actually, this was fascinating: Jacob preferred doing the more
"realistic", pipe and wire heavy backgrounds as opposed to the
Kirby/Byrne type "tech walls". I love doing those kinds of
nonsense-line tech walls, but yeah, Jacob would rather draw a bunch of
wires and screens and pipes and stuff. The kid's nuts!
2:23 PMÂ You know, as opposed to a barren alien planet surface...so plain and simple to draw.
2:24 PMÂ And
in the world of "trivial details", if anyone's curious, the location
"PT-485" on page 20, that refers to Planet Terry, April 1985, the
indicia date for PLANET TERRY #1.
2:25 PMÂ me: Which brings us to the tail end of #1!
2:26 PMÂ Gregg:
It does. And speaking of Planet Terry, the aliens on page 21...those
are all aliens from the PLANET TERRY series. If you're especially
enterprising you can seek out those issues and play "find-the-alien"
2:27 PMÂ And
issue #1 ends with the first re-appearance of Planet Terry...which, for
again, the astute reader, is an "homage" to the cover of PLANET TERRY
#1.
2:28 PMÂ If
there's a lesson at the end of all of this it's that Jacob and I both
have delved WAY too far into the old Star Comics series and are
throwing stuff into these issues that in all likelihood no one outside
of us will notice.
 me: I did get that part from my background reading for RE: Comics! #9
 Gregg: Alright, outside of Jacob, myself, and you.
 me:
I think you'll get an increasing number of people picking up on these
things when the Star Comics Classics tpbs start hitting the shelves
next month.
2:29 PMÂ Gregg:
It's possible. But none of these little nuggets are meant as
distractions, so people shouldn't feel they're missing out on anything.
2:30 PMÂ So, now that issue one's done, do you have any predictions, theories, or questions?
2:31 PMÂ me: Well, is Mr. Veech our big bad?
2:32 PMÂ Gregg:
Yeah, Mr. Veech is our Wicked Witch, if you'll allow the metaphor, on
the X-Babies' adventure. He's the guy who replaced them and he's the
guy they're looking for.
2:35 PMÂ me:
Worde! I suppose that about wraps up issue #1 on sale now at your local
comic shop! Care to tease #2, which I suppose is due November 11th now.
 Â
2:38 PMÂ Gregg:
Well, issue two will continue their quest. Obviously they're gonna deal
with Planet Terry and all those aliens. There are at least two more
crashes, Lots of fighting. And some more Star Comics characters making
their appearances. Also, more awesome pages from Jacob (seriously, each
page is better than the last). And more of my wordy-wordness.
2:40 PMÂ me: And a greeting/warning to your adoring public in Greensboro that you'll be visiting 2 weeks from today?
2:41 PMÂ Gregg: Absolutely. Maybe we'll even bring some preview pages out to share with the fine folks of Greensboro...
2:42 PMÂ me:
I know many people are looking forward to it, and as always I
appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to talk comics with me
in my little corner of the website.
2:43 PMÂ Gregg: We're all looking forward to it as well. And thank YOU for giving me a platform to ramble from.
Â
Â
Gregg Schigiel is a cartoonist, illustrator, and
writer. He's worked as a penciller and editor for Marvel Comics and an
illustrator and cartoonist at Nickelodeon in addition to creating his
own characters and books. He's currently writing X-Babies for Marvel
with artist Jacob Chabot and writing and drawing Pix: Teenage American
Fairy and Safari Junior High, appearing in the back of the G-Man: Cape
Crisis mini series from Image. He'll be visiting Acme on October 24th as part of G-Man's Greensboro Cape Crisis as well as the X-Babies #1 Release Party! Check out his website at Hatter Entertainment.com.
Stephen Mayer makes his mama proud by screaming during America League Division Series clinching games just like his grandpa does and switching drivers in favor of taking naps in the backseat when he knows he's too tired to keep going.
Stephen Mayer makes his mama proud by screaming during America League Division Series clinching games just like his grandpa does and switching drivers in favor of taking naps in the backseat when he knows he's too tired to keep going.
