Broken Frontier

After the amazing succes of Top Cow's last intercompany crossover Broken Trinity the ramifications on the regular titles (Witchblade and The Darkness) were big and ongoing. At some point Top Cow announced that a storyline would start in 2010 that would focus on the 13 mystical Artifacts in the Top Cow Universe and to start that story, Top Cow first will release a direct follow-up on Broken Trinity called Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box. BF interviewed the writer-team on this and more and today we finish the two-part interview, showcasing exclusive material from the series' artist! Check the first interview here.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Finn and Glory are the bearers of said gems. Are they going to get friendly with each other? Just kidding...but I am interested in their personas and how you approach those opposing forces. Can you both tell me more about that?

BRYAN HILL: Being the bearers of the elemental stones is a huge responsibility for each of them. I think one of the consistent themes in the Top Cow Universe is the basic question: what do you do with the power you've been given? You see it in Ron's (Marz) brilliant work on Witchblade. In Phil's (Hester) equally great work on The Darkness. It's an important idea that we can all relate to. That being said, Michael Finnegan and Glorianna Silver aren't just copies of Sara and Jackie. They're different characters with different points of view on the universe and their role in it. They are opposites, and certainly there's fire in Glorianna's personality and Finnegan's more grounded -- but bearing these stones isn't an easy journey for either of them. Readers are going to get moments from each of them that they've never seen in the Top Cow universe, and we're not asking the readers to take a side. Each of them is both hero and villain in their own way, and that's the most exciting part of working with them.

ROB LEVIN: Bryan took all the good answers... But seriously, one of the great things about the series is the sort of primal set-up that Ron left us with. You have Fire and Ice. Just as The Darkness has dark and light, these things don't get along. Not like oil and water, but like something that literally attempts to destroy the other. But we're not talking about fire and ice, we're talking about people. And people have thoughts and emotions... Do Glori and Finn hate each other, or is it their powers that drive them to conflict. These are the questions we asked of ourselves and the characters, and some of the things we'll explore.

BF: Of course this is part of the whole Witchblade/Angelus/Darkness universe, but still...I have yet to see anything mentioned on those forces. Will they be present in your serie as well?

BH: Yes, this story is part of that universe, so anything is possible. That's all you get from me, Richard. HA!

RL: Sure, they're the heavy hitters. And this series is being touted as a lead in to next year's ARTIFACTS series from Mr. Marz, but for now let's just focus on Glori and Finn. They're the reason we wrote the series, and they're going to go on a hell of a journey before we let anyone play with them.

BF: What will the two of you have tried to reach at the end of the series?

BH: It's a HUGE responsibility writing new characters in such a vivid world as Top Cow, so my goal is to have readers believe in and want to follow Glorianna and Finnegan at the end of the narrative. I also think this is a great series for new readers to find a way into the Top Cow universe and mythology, so hopefully we've kept current readers happy and we've brought new eyes to the world of Top Cow.

RL: By the end of the series, I want to make sure people are banging on Filip's door demanding more. I want them to not care about ARTIFACTS or any of the awesome new series Top Cow has planned. I want them breaking things and screaming in the street, "GIVE US MORE BROKEN TRINITY!!!" Because that will mean we did our jobs.

BF: What happens after the series has ended? I mean: will it continue directly (like the first Broken Trinity crossover) into the other titles as well?

BH: If I answer that question, Top Cow will send ninjas to kill me. That's not hyperbole. They have actual ninjas that live in their basement and silence writers that reveal too much in interviews. Fear the ninjas, Richard. Fear the ninjas.

RL: Yup, ninjas. They left, I think, but could be back at any moment. I'm much closer to Top Cow than Bryan is so they can get me whenever they want. I mentioned ARTIFACTS a couple times above, and both characters will figure prominently into that. Well, if they both survive...

Um, did I say the ninjas were gone? One is staring at me...

BF: Those darn cowish ninjas! How do you handle the story with the other writers, their plans and their timeline?

BH: Top Cow does a great job of blending writers and visions, so whatever happens...it'll be smooth like butter.

RL: We have to give a lot of credit to Top Cow's Filip Sablik and Phil Smith, who have been fantastic to work for. As a guy who has been on both sides of the desk, I can promise that I'm not blowing smoke. I know how difficult every aspect of their job is, and they handle it with ease. They're very open to collaboration, and Bryan and I are friends with both Ron Marz and Phil Hester, so there's a lot of back-and-forth both allowed and encouraged.

BF: Alessandro Vitti is an artist who -especially with the uncanny coloring of Sunny Gho- can match any artistical impact (save Silvestri himself) in the Cow stable. How did you find him?

BH: That's all Rob and Filip Sablik right there. They've got files on everyone who works in the industry, so they basically blackmail people into working with us. Alessandro's fantastic, Sunny's fantastic and we have the brilliant Tommy Lee Edwards doing covers. I might not support Filip and Rob's methods, but they are effective.

RL: Filip found Alessandro somehow, and I held him out a window (Filip, not Al) until we got him signed up. Then I held Bernard Chang out a window to get Tommy on board. I couldn't be happier with these guys. And as for Sunny, I traded him a Google Wave invite for his services on the book. Two of these stories are true.
 
BF: He must be doing something right to indeed get this miniseries on his lap. What are the things that persuaded you to go with his gritty realistic style that is so unlike the painty digital style of Stjepan Sejic?

BH: Stjepan's work is top-notch, no doubt. I think the point here is to give this series its' own visual grammar. You want the experience of the series to have its' own voice, especially with new characters like Glorianna and Finnegan so working with Alessandro allows us to have the same quality of art that we all saw with Stjepan's work, but the series has its' own look and feel.

RL: Witchblade is its own thing, as is The Darkness. We want Broken Trinity to stand on its own as well, and that meant changing the grammar up a little bit. We're telling a BIG story, but it's all about the characters. Al has the chops to handle all of the adventuring and globe-trotting while keeping everything grounded in character.

BF: If you could address fans directly at this point, what would you like to say to them in regards to this Top Cow project?

BH: Rob and I are working for them. It's got some surprises. Glorianna and Finnegan are gonna treat them right...and a lot of things blow up real good. Seriously, I appreciate any time someone takes to read my work and we'll do the best we can to make sure those people don't get let down.

RL: We've had our names on some comics, some movies, and a few other places, but not so much that you can sit there and say, "I know what I'm getting." We're not the name guys ruling the sales charts. But we're going to deliver every issue to keep you hungry for more.

BF: Any last words of wisdom?

BH: Wisdom? If you're boxing Ron Marz, watch out for his uppercut. It's vicious. For this and other insights into popular culture people can feel free to visit my blog: www.thebryanhillproject.com it's a great way to waste some time.

RL: Um, my plane is here, so no time for wisdom. Fly carry-on maybe. I'm all over the Internet at www.AuthenticImpostor.com and you can follow my antics on twitter at www.twitter.com/roblevin.