Broken Frontier

One of the biggest releases at Devil’s Due this summer doesn’t involve a license, but an original property. The catch of the book is pretty simple: everybody gets drafted. Too bad for us humans that we’re not part of any home-grown militia, no, we’ve got to join an all-out war spanning many galaxies. You see, it’s aliens that come to draft us…

BF spoke to series writer Mark Powers and artist Chris Lie about the much-anticipated arrival of the book.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Let’s start off by explaining the premise of the series. Drafted is a book about the human race getting recruited for an extraterrestrial war. Why are the aliens interested in recruiting us? Why are we valuable?

MARK POWERS: It’s not just “recruitment” – we’re being drafted. Everyone on the planet. Regardless of age, sex, social standing, the whole nine yards. We’re valuable to the aliens because they are desperate. They have been pursued by an opponent that will stop at nothing to annihilate them.

In fact, eventually, we’ll learn that the aliens saw certain qualities within us that they felt would make us especially useful to their army.

BF: How does humanity react to the ‘draft’? And how do they first find out about alien life in the first place?

POWERS: Humanity reacts in a variety of ways; just as if you’d spoken to ten people who were drafted to fight in Vietnam, you would have received a variety of reactions, the same is true here. Some are immediately willing to join something much larger than themselves, especially after the aliens bestow some incredible gifts upon us. Some question the morality of it; some resent the changes in their lives and social status; some resent the mere idea of answering to a more advanced, more powerful race, period.

Of course, everyone is affected on a personal basis by the draft. Families are separated for long periods of time; individuals are placed in groups with complete strangers, oftentimes strangers whose beliefs and backgrounds are completely different from their own.

As to how they find out – everyone finds out at once. Beyond that, you’ll have to pick up the first issue!

BF: Since the events in Drafted affect the entire globe, is that reflected in the series’ cast, both ethnically and politically?

POWERS: Absolutely. The global nature of the story is very much reflected in the varying ethnicities of the core cast, their political beliefs, their spiritual beliefs, how they view human society. In a way, the interaction and intersection of these wildly different personalities, and the impact they have on each other, is what the book is all about.

From the start, Josh and I were focused not just on creating a hair-raising sci-fi story, but also a story that, through our cast, asks questions about all of the aforementioned issues.

BF: What kind of extraterrestrials will we see? Most of the time, when life in outer space is discovered in storytelling, it spells doom—just look at stories like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Aliens, Predator and War of the Worlds…

POWERS: Again, you’ll have to read the series to get a full sense of what the alien race(s) will mean for us. We will, eventually, be seeing more than one race. The race that initially contacts us, and drafts us into a larger conflict, offers humanity the possibility of enormous growth while risking doom. They make certain gestures, display examples of their advanced technology and knowledge – that make this clear right off the bat.

BF: How hard was it to come up with an angle that hasn’t been done before in these types of stories?

POWERS: Actually, once the basic concept was tossed out, Chris, Josh and I generated an enormous number of ideas and angles that either haven’t been done or, at the very least, haven’t really been explored in the manner we’re doing it.

We all know that, when it comes to stories like this, almost everything has been done. We very consciously set out to not do all those things, using the conventions of the genre as a map, if that makes sense. From the construction of our cast to how the action unfolds, we’ve tried to go against the grain whenever we could.

BF: How did you become involved in the project, Chris? Was it through your GI Joe work for the company?

CHRIS LIE: Not really. I knew Mark Powers when I was an intern at DDP. Mark was also my editor for GI Joe Arashikage Showdown (written by Josh Blaylock) and Dungeons and Dragons; Eberron – Eye of the Wolf, and we’re always keep in touch. Then I heard he and Josh were developing a story for a talent search. After reading it, I thought it is a really good concept and an opportunity to showcase my design work. Then I sent DDP some character designs and they liked it.

BF: Speaking of the Joes, Mark, you’re also writing G.I. Joe: America’s Elite these days, and more specifically the World War II storyline. How much will that shake up the book? Can you hint at some of the changes readers are going to see?

POWERS: Hmmm…it’s really hard to answer that question without giving anything away! The basic idea was to try and create a scenario that hasn’t been seen or done in GI Joe yet, to really place our characters – from both sides – into situations we’ve never seen them in. To test them physically and emotionally, and force them to show us (and the readers) who they are.

From the title alone, I think it’s clear that this is the largest conflict that’s ever been depicted in a GI Joe title. The status quo of the world will be very much in question. Alliances we would not have expected will be formed, and other long-standing ones will be shattered. And there will be very personal consequences for our heroes as the story plays out…

BF: Back to Drafted, Devil’s Due has high hopes for this title as one of the few non-licensed properties in the line-up. As an editor, Mark, what makes Drafted a good fit for the company?

POWERS: Well, technically Mike O’s the editor of this book, since I’m writing the book. For what it’s worth, I think Drafted is a good fit because it’s a clean, compelling, simple concept that allows us a very broad range of issues to explore, all while telling an exciting story. And obviously, from a business perspective, a DD-owned property offers more long term potential than a licensed property would.

Hack/Slash is a perfect example – Tim and Josh have carefully nurtured it for a few years, have created some great stories, and soon a much wider audience will be exposed to Cassie and Vlad. And Hack/Slash and Drafted are only the tip of the iceberg for us…I’ve seen a lot of the ideas Josh is developing.

BF: What are your expectations for the series yourselves? Everything that can be done to promote this book has been done: it’s gotten lots of media attention, and there’s a 99¢ special coming up in June too…

LIE: I have high expectation on this series, not because that I’m the artist, but because of the story itself. This is a story that I want to read, and hopefully readers will have the same taste as me. 

POWERS: My expectations are simple: to enjoy the opportunity to tell some fun, interesting stories, to explore issues that matter to me, and to work with Chris, whose work I love. I hope that the book resonates with readers. I believe it will.

BF: The ongoing series itself doesn’t kick off until September. How come there’s a three month gap between the preview and the ‘official’ launch?

POWERS: That’s more of a Josh question, but I believe that’s so that readers and retailers have the opportunity to get a sense of what the book’s all about before having to place orders for #1.

BF: Overall, what are some of the key plot points that we’ll see develop over, let’s say, the course of the book’s first year?

POWERS: Dang, you’re testing me! Well, naturally, the first major plot point is the aliens approaching us – followed by the world’s initial reaction; our cast’s individual reactions; our core cast being brought together for the first time; their training and the danger and ordeals they must experience as part of that process; the first major encounter with the alien force that they are preparing to battle.

Along the way our cast will have to face their individual demons; we’ll see friendships form, relationships develop, and romance begin. All this will build up to a conflict that will make every war in the planet’s history, added together, seem like school yard fight.

Look for the Drafted 99¢ preview special later this month. For more on the book, go to http://www.theworldneedsyounow.com/.