Broken Frontier

What kid wouldn’t love to arrive home from a particularly hard day at school and be told by his mother that his real father is a dragon and he’s the last in a long line of noble warriors? Of course, if part of the package means vomiting fire and fleeing for your life from mysterious dragon hunters, it might not seem so appealing.

Top Cow’s Dragon Prince is the latest series from the fertile mind of Ron Marz (Ion, Witchblade) together with penciller Lee Moder (First Born: Aftermath) which follows the adventures of Aaron Chiang as he deals with the real identity of the father he thought was dead, along with the conflict that his secret heritage brings. Marz is no stranger to tales of ancient Eastern mysticism, having written Samurai: Heaven and Earth for Dark Horse, The Path for Crossgen and Blade of Kumori for Devil’s Due.

Broken Frontier spoke with Marz about the inspiration behind Dragon Prince and the appeal of such stories over his diverse career. “Eastern cultures are so different from ours, especially visually,” said Marz. “Comics are a visual medium, so if you're accessing a really exotic visual, it gives you a leg up. I'm also a history buff, and Japan and China certainly have a great deal of history to draw upon. And it probably doesn't hurt that I've got shelves full of research material now.”

It’s this level of depth and attention to detail that allows the writer to expand upon his interests in unique ways, rather than being tied to a certain setting, or era.

Marz states, “Dragon Prince is a contemporary story, set in our world, right now. It's also worth noting that the other books you mentioned all have a Japanese theme, while Dragon Prince deals more with Chinese culture. Dragon Prince is also an all-ages story. It's not specifically aimed at kids, but it is kid-appropriate. "All ages" means ALL ages, anyone from 8 to 80. I'm not writing the story any differently than I would anything else, but this story happens to be appropriate to kids, where something like Witchblade or Samurai really aren't.”

Some readers may easily identify with lead character of Dragon Prince, Aaron Chiang and his bullied, bookworm outlook on life, but not necessarily the writer himself. “Not really,” states Marz. “Yeah, I read a lot as a kid, but I only remember having to deal with one or two bullies. I think everybody goes through that at one point or another unless, of course, you were the bully.”

Indeed, but even bullies need escapism, a theme evoked early on in the first issue where Aaron’s mother reads stories to him with an eagerness that later becomes understandable, as Aaron’s life soon becomes a mixture of fantasy and reality. Reminiscent of the classic film, “The Neverending Story,” it reminds the audience of the power of storytelling and the need for imagination. However, as Marz understands, as a writer escapism can sometimes be a double-edged sword. “That's actually not a comparison that I'd thought of, but I've seen the film. You make a good point. I think once you make you're living as a storyteller -- once you've seen behind the curtain, as you put it -- it's a lot harder to get caught up in a story, whether it's a novel, film, TV or a comic. There's a natural tendency to deconstruct the story and the storytelling, especially if you're looking at something and thinking, "I could do better than that." On the other hand, when something does catch you up, and really sweeps you away so that you're not thinking about the nuts and bolts of the process, it's wonderful.”

Creating an entirely new premise from the ground up is something Marz has done many times before, sweeping readers up in his own imagined worlds. However the challenges differ somewhat when working on more famous characters, as he did with his controversial 6 year Green Lantern run which welcomed Kyle Rayner in place of Hal Jordan. Most recently Marz has also tightened the Top Cow universe in the Broken Trinty arc, bringing a greater unity between the trio of Witchblade, The Darkness and Angelus.

However, Marz would rather not forge a career as the go to guy for characters that need remodelling. In his own words, “I see myself as a guy who writes stories. I think it's up to the readers, and the editors, to decide if I'm some kind of Mr. Fixit. That said, it's much more fun to take over a book that's not working, and try to make something out of it, than to take on a book that's clicking on all cylinders already. For one thing, you get a bit freer hand when you take over a book that's not working, or at least needs a kick in the pants. Almost all the great runs in comics -- Miller's Daredevil, Simonson's Thor, Moore's Swamp Thing, to name just a few -- are the product of a creator being given the latitude to tell the kind of stories he wants to tell, rather than some editorially-directed mandate.”

However, when it comes to re-imagining characters, or simply giving them a new coat of paint, and hopefully, a new audience along the way, there aren’t necessarily any basic rules that can be applied.

“Nothing specific, except trying to find what works about that character -- at least what works for me -- and then building from there. I'm not a huge continuity buff, so I'm not the guy who's going to back and tie current stories into something that happened 20 years ago. I think a character's overall personality and motivations are a lot more important than the details of the past. When I take over a book, I want it to be understandable and accessible to anyone, not just readers who have been fans of the character for decades. Those people are generally along for the ride already, so it helps if you're able to appeal to new readers.”

To be continued on Wednesday, November 12.