Panel Beating
Scott Allie, the editor of Dark Horse Comics’ new Xena title, tells Gareth Wigmore how to beat the warrior princess into shape
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 01
Scott Allie has a job that would make most fans of Nineties science fiction and adventure television painfully envious. As an editor for Dark Horse Comics, he oversees new stories not only for Buffy the Vampire Slayer but Xena: Warrior Princess as well. How did he get so damn lucky, especially considering rival firm Topps originally published a Xena comic? “Dark Horse owner Mike Richardson is pals with Rob Tapert [executive producer of Xena], and has been a fan of the show for a while,” Allie explains. “I don’t know why Topps got the comic first, but we were doing so well with Buffy that we figured we had to get Xena too.”
It doesn’t take Allie long to get enthusiastic about Xena. “When I heard we were getting it, I had a pretty heavy schedule, but I begged my bosses to let me edit it. I’d done Buffy, and really enjoyed the challenge. Also, Xena is completely different to Buffy, so I saw an added challenge in making a different kind of television spin-off comic with a female protagonist.” But the powers-that-be intervened. “They thought I was too busy on Buffy - and it turns out they were right - so I’m co-editing Xena with Star Wars editor Dave Land.”
Fans will be keen to know how the comic will be different from the version produced by Topps, and what will set it apart from run-of- the-mill television tie-ins. “Well, Dark Horse always tries to lie their comics in very tightly with the properties they’re based on,” Allie says. “Someone made the comparison, for instance, that Star Wars books all fit into the greater story of Star Wars, but Star Trek comics just sort of happen without connection to the movies and series, which are the only ‘real’ stories. We knew we wanted the Xena comics to fit with the show, and given our tight relationship with the producers, we figured we’d try something new, so our comics will tie into the show practically week to week.”
This close relationship between the two sounds like great news for fans. “Our first few comics come out before the season debut, which leaves us with Xena still on the cross. So that’s
where she is in the first two issues,” Allie reveals. “Callisto's out there up to no good, and Xena’s dying on the cross, contemplating her life. The third issue fits in roughly with the first episode of the new season, showing something that happened in the middle of that episode that the show didn’t have time to reveal. I don't think that sort of interweaving has been done before.”
Allie is initially keen to talk about the sort of stories that we will see. “Fighting Egyptian gods is first on the menu for Xena, once she gels over this crucifixion business.” But then he strikes a note of caution. “I don’t want to mention the biggest things to come... Heaven forbid I jeopardise the relationship with Renaissance with my big mouth!”
But try as we might, it’s difficult to get him to reveal much about even the first issue of the comic. “Well, Xena’s hanging on the cross. The end... The thing I love about it is, who would ever think to start an adventure comic off with the heroine in that situation? When some people here saw that [Mike] Mignola cover, with her on the cross, they thought I was nuts. Not because of the religious implications, but because of how unheroic she looks.” But, according to Allie, this is why it’s so interesting. “The thing is, everyone already knows Xena - you don’t need an introduction - so it’s more interesting to show her in this ultimately defeated pose. And how often does that opportunity present itself? Not only does this segue perfectly with the show, it actually offers us the perfect introduction to the character. It’s nuts, but it makes sense.”
Ultimately, however good the editing, comics really thrive when they have artists and writers of high quality. Will Xena be graced by any of the biggest names in comics? Allie shrugs and says. “I don't really know who the 'big names’ in comics are today. Jeff Campbell, Frank Miller and Alan Moore had their own books to do, so rather than get the Wizard magazine’s Top 10, we got the people who best fitted our vision of the comic. John Wagner will write, hopefully, everything we ever publish to do with Xena. I wanted someone who could mix a sharp sense of humour with great action and a smart plot. Previous Xena comics were written with lots of jokes and quips, while I think Xena's more about an underlying sense of humour than punchlines.”
When he speaks about the subject matter, it’s obvious why Allie saw a lot of potential in the comic when it first became available. “It’s ideal comics material. With Xena you can move all over the ancient world, confront monsters and go to war, all of which is easier to pull off in a comic than a television show. It's got a light, small cast, each of whom has a recognisable costume, with lots of new characters popping up here and there, which is often the set-up for a comic.” But for all that, Allie dismisses with a joke the idea of characters from either other comics or television shows turning up in his Xena. “Superman shows up in issue five, and then Xena beats the crap out of Hollywood Hogan in issue seven. That's the climax of the Egyptian storyline... No, there will be no crossovers - not even Hercules.”