Broken Frontier

After making his mark in the Marvel Universe proper, writer extraordinaire Marc Guggenheim heads over to the Squadron Supreme Universe and brings them into a real war of their own.

BROKEN FRONTIER: Every time I ask you this question and every time you give me the same reply, but I have to ask: how did you end up writing this series and working within the Supreme Power universe? If the answer is "They asked..." could you at least spice it up with a funny story about Joe Quesada or something?

MARC GUGGENHEIM: Well, basically, it all started when I got my hands on some photographs of Joe Quesada.  I can't tell you who I got them from, but they depict Joe... cavorting with underage... farm animals.  It's not pretty stuff.  Being the gentleman that I am, I offered Joe an arrangement:  Let me write four issues of Squadron Supreme and the pictures won't see the light of day.  He countered with a four-issue Hyperion/Nighthawk series and the rest is history.

BF: Hyperion and Nighthawk are most often seen as Marvel's analogies to the
Superman and Batman character archetypes.  How much of that comparison played into your research and writing for this series?

MG: Not very much at all.  I don't write Hyperion and Nighthawk the same way that I would write (and have written) Superman and Batman.  Take away their modus operandi and you'll find two very different characters beneath the capes and masks.  Hyperion and Nighthawk are completely different people than Superman and Batman.  Their psychologies are completely different.

BF: So then you didn’t see this as a chance to write the big two at DC without actually writing them?

MG: No.  I'm writing two issues of Superman/Batman for DC, so it's not like I don't get my Superman/Batman jollies that way.

BF: In line with the last question: how much research did you have to do for a book like this?  Was it just the recent JMS/Gary Frank books or did you go further back to the original series?  Did you look to anywhere else for inspiration?

MG: I've already been a longtime reader of the Squadron Supreme characters, going back to the original Mark Gruenwald mini-series.   I'd already been following all the JMS/Gary Frank books, so no research was needed in that department, either.  My research for this project focused on Darfur, where the story is mostly set, and learning as much as I could about the real-world people and events and issues there.

BF: For fans of the new Squadron Supreme series, where does this book fit into the larger continuity of that universe?  Is this going to be a "through the ages" book or is it set during a specific time period?

MG: Good question.  I've tried the thread the needle somewhat.  It's definitely grounded in the first six or so issues of the new Squadron Supreme book—I even make reference to a specific event from issue #3—but I also wanted it to stand on its own four legs.  My hope is that even non-Squadron Supreme fans would want to check the book out.

BF: The characters of Nighthawk and Hyperion have never really gotten along all that well, but they both accept the other in order to serve the greater good.  What is it this time that causes the rift?

MG: Well, they're very different people with very different philosophies.  Hyperion and Nighthawk are both damaged, but they're damaged in different, conflicting ways.  Broadly, Hyperion has an unhealthy connection to the government while Nighthawk has an unhealthy anti-establishment bent.  The situation in Darfur really brings these differences to the fore and to a head.

BF: And will you give readers a clear winner in the struggle?

MG: That's a good question.  I think the "winner" of the smackdown is pretty clear—though the definition of "winning" might be up for debate.

BF: The preview states that this book falls under the category of "ripped from the headlines" as it mirrors a real life travesty.  Does that make the book harder or easier to write?

MG: It makes it challenging in a different way.  I don't really think in terms of easier or harder.  The problems to be solved are just different.

BF: Is there a fine line you have to walk between "making a political statement" and "using a topical situation to tell an impactful story"?

MG: People who are familiar with my work in comics and television would, I think, agree that I don't shy away from making political statements.  But the truth is, what's going on in Darfur isn't a political issue.  That would be like saying the Holocaust was a political issue.  If we can't all agree that genocide is a bad thing that should be stopped—well, then what CAN we agree on?  All that having been said, the only "fine line" I've felt I had to walk was in making sure that the real-life elements of the story and the exposition thereof didn't detract from what is also a kickass superhero story.

BF: How many of the other characters from the Squadron Supreme universe will be showing up in the series?

MG: General Alexander and the group of "Super Africans" from Squadron Supreme #3.  One other member of the Squadron makes an appearance in issue #4, but I don't want to spoil that just yet.

BF: Any character you really wanted to use but couldn't?

MG: Nope.  Marvel and JMS were very accommodating.

BF: Who is more fun to write: Hyperion or Nighthawk?

MG: It was easier for me to find Nighthawk's voice.  Hyperion was more difficult.  Both were "fun" to write once I figured them out.

BF: For better or worse the (current) Squadron Supreme universe has been written almost entirely by JMS.

MG: For better!

BF: I think most people would agree with you on that one.  Was there any obligation on your part to make sure he was on board with your interpretations of the characters and what you had them doing?

MG: Absolutely.  For one thing, I'm a big fan of JMS's work.  For another, this interpretation of the Squadron is his baby.  I was thrilled when he reacted positively to my outline.  I want him to be happy with the series.

BF: Your artist on this book is Paul Gulacy. What is it about his style that you think works well with the book and what you had planned?

MG: Paul has a really—for lack of a better word—"classy" style.  His stuff is so detailed, so realistic; it just gives the whole project a certain weight.  It's kind of perfect because this is a weighty subject, while at the same time Paul really knows his way around super heroes, so his style was just perfectly suited for the balance that we're trying to strike with the series.

BF: Did you write anything specifically to take advantage of his strengths as an artist?

MG: Well, I knew that Paul does night scenes better than almost anyone, so I tried to put in as many of those as I could.  Plus, he has a really cinematic style, so I just tried to write towards that as much as possible.

BF: Finally, with your Blade series you specifically stated that you were trying to get all of the readers who may have never given Blade a shot before.  Is there a similar attempt here?

MG: I hope I'm a little more successful than I've been with Blade thus far... [Laughs] Seriously though, that's my attempt on every project and, yes, specifically this one.  Darfur is an incredibly important subject matter and, for that reason alone, I truly hope to have as wide an audience as possible.

BF: Will this book be steeped in continuity or can it be read completely separate?

MG: I've written it with an eye towards continuity, but it can totally stand on its own.