Broken Frontier

Most may associate the name Kevin J. Anderson with Star Wars novels, which is not surprising, since he’s written dozens of them. Even his wife, Rebecca Moesta, has also chronicled the adventures of George Lucas’ greatest creation in her own Star Wars books. However, Anderson has done much for the universe of the sci-fi classic, Dune with several books co-authored with Brian Herbert, and has won several awards along the way, as well as having his works being translated into a multitude of languages. Anderson’s own creations, such as the Terra Incognita and Saga of the Seven Suns series continue to remind readers of the author’s love of grand, galaxy spanning tales.

Anderson has also ventured into the world of comics, namely with Dark Horse for further Star Wars adventures, as well as Predator, and the JSA: Strange Adventures mini-series for DC. It is with DC’s characters that he has been noticed even more on the fanboy radar. In 2007 his novel, The Last Days of Krypton was released, which was a definitive (and epic) account of the final few months of Superman’s home planet. He returns to the Man of Steel in his new book, and is bringing Batman along for the ride. Enemies and Allies chronicles the first meeting between The Last Son of Krypton and The Dark Knight, set against the backdrop of the 1950s Cold War.

BROKEN FRONTIER: What did the 1950s setting add to the story that a modern setting couldn’t?

KEVIN J. ANDERSON: First off, these characters have been around so long, it would be tough to ask a reader to believe that now, in 2009, Batman and Superman have never heard of each other! Mainly, though, the setting of the 1950s became a fundamental part of the story, not just window dressing. This was a time of Cold War paranoia but also innocence and nostalgia, a time when someone really could claim with a straight face that he was fighting for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way," a time when characters like the traditional Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen made sense. I wanted to hearken back to the George Reeves Superman.

BF: Not growing up in the 1950s, did you find that period to be interesting from a research point of view?

KJA: I did grow up addicted to all the 1950s science fiction movies, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It Came from Outer Space, Earth Vs the Flying Saucers, and there was always a sense that the 1950s was a time when everything seemed possible, good and bad. We were afraid of alien invasions as much as we were afraid of Communists under the bed. It seemed a time when you could expect a square-jawed hero to appear in a costume and save the day.

BF: You managed to wisely fit in a lot of Superman lore in The Last Days of Krypton. Did you try to do the same with Enemies and Allies?

KJA: The Last Days of Krypton told an epic story that had never really been put together from all the various continuities and major events. I tried very hard to string together most of the main storylines and make them fit into the same story. For Enemies & Allies the field wasn't quite so empty, but I did go back to the origins and especially dug into the secondary characters -- Alfred Pennyworth, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Perry White, to give them real lives and personalities.

BF: Did DC offer you any guidance?

KJA: Both my DC editor, Chris Cerasi, and my HarperCollins editor, Mauro DiPreta, were involved in every step of the process, from the initial idea, to the brainstorming of the outline, and through the drafts of the manuscripts. Of course, the best part was that DC sent me stacks of comics to study, to make sure I got all the details right.

BF: Did you take any inspiration from Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier at all?

KJA: I loved The New Frontier, but keep in mind how long these things take through the pipeline. I had already delivered an approved outline for Enemies &Allies before I saw even Vol. 1 of The New Frontier. But I'm glad Darwyn and I seem to be on the same wavelength -- there's a magic in bringing these characters into the 1950s.

BF: You’re not unfamiliar with the world of comics. Are you reading any particular series at the moment?

 KJA: Right now I'm going through a mountain of Nexus by Mike Baron and Steve Rude. Mike's a good friend of mine (and has been stranded at my house twice) -- I've got to keep up on the work my friends write.

BF: Do your future projects involve any more superheroes?

KJA: I've got many projects on the back burner and front burner, my own new fantasy series, Terra Incognita (editing Book 2 right now), and a companion rock CD from supergroup Roswell Six, and The Winds of Dune with Brian Herbert, plus an original series with Brian. My DC editor and I are talking about ideas for the next book, but it hasn't been nailed down yet.

BF: Dune and Star Wars are seminal works of sci-fi. Is it just as satisfying working on those properties as opposed to your own novels?

KJA: My own books are engrossing and satisfying, but I am also a fanboy at heart, and I love being chosen to work in the universes of Batman/Superman, or Dune, or Star Wars. I get to do both. This is my dream job.

BF: Is the life of a novelist as exciting as every wannabe writer hopes it is?

KJA: Depends, do you consider writing and editing to be exciting? I work all day, every day, seven days a week. Today I edited 3 Terra Incognita chapters, cleaned up the files from the typist for 13 more chaps, edited a short story, did this interview, proofread 20 pages in The Winds of Dune, answered a bunch of e-mail, posted a blog and some Tweets, had a Safeway chicken and canned asparagus for dinner here in the cabin where I've holed up to get some writing done. Does that sound exciting? Oh, and I also cleaned the cat boxes.

Enemies and Allies is available now and is published by HarperCollins. You can follow Kevin at his website, or on Twitter, as The KJA.