Category Archives: interview
Constantine, Responsibility, War And Sin – BBP! Speaks With Acclaimed Writer Ray Fawkes (Part 2)
In August of 2011, DC Comics made comic book publishing history and ended every title they were releasing, re-launching each new and returning title with a bold “#1” printed on the front cover. Ever since that New 52 initiative, originally named for the number of books being published on a monthly basis, the company has been hinting at a major storyline with ramifications for the earth and all of its superheroes.
Within the pages of the Flashpoint mini-series that gave rise to this monumental change, a mysterious, hooded character named Pandora was instrumental in the fictional representation of the New 52. For eagle-eyes readers, she actually had a cameo in every published new first issue!
This summer, the promise of that major storyline, now nearly two years in the making, is fulfilled. Not only will Ray Fawkes’ writing in Justice League Dark be instrumental to that story, the character of Constantine will also play a pivotal role. In addition, Fawkes will also be writing the monthly adventure of the enigmatic Pandora in her own solo series, beginning this June.
You can read the first part of our conversation regarding Fawkes’ interest in the supernatural and his Constantine series here. In this short second, and final part of our discussion, he talks about the upcoming epic DC Comics Trinity War storyline and the importance of ensuring emotional connections between characters within big crossover stories. He also sheds some light on the mysterious character called Pandora.
Constantine, Responsibility, War And Sin – BBP! Speaks With Acclaimed Writer Ray Fawkes (Part 1)
After making the game-changer move of ending all of their monthly series in August 2011 and, calling it the “New 52”, re-starting them with brand new first issues, DC Comics continues to evolve. This year, the publishing company has definitely been shining a light on the darker corners of its universe. The mature, sophisticated publishing arm of Vertigo Comics is still undergoing changes as well, with flagship title Hellblazer recently ending it 300-issue run. The main protagonist of that series, the beloved chain-smoking English occultist, John Constantine, has been folded up into the DC universe proper, continuing his supernatural adventures in a new ongoing monthly series called, appropriately enough, Constantine.
Ray Fawkes has worked for both DC Comics and Vertigo Comics along with a host of other publishers including Oni Press, Image Comics, Top Shelf Comics and Marvel Comics. The Eisner, Harvey and Shuster Award nominee is now writing some of his most high-profile work to date at DC Comics, namely Justice League Dark and Constantine as well as having a hand in DC’s upcoming Trinity War summer blockbuster storyline.
JP Fallavollita met with the Toronto-based writer and artist at the 2013 edition of the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF) and had a chance to speak with him over the phone about his recent writing responsibilities. In the first part of this interview, Fawkes talks about his experiences with fan-favourite character, John Constantine, the history and responsibility of writing him in both a solo series and a group series, and his story plans for the near future.
Walks, Landscapes, And A Swear Down – Biff Bam Pop! Speaks With Comic Book Artist And Writer: Oliver East
Many in North America first became aware of Manchester, England based artist and writer, Oliver East, through his album cover work for the acclaimed English alt-rock musicians, Elbow. His drawings and paintings for the band’s seminal albums, The Seldom Seen Kid and Build a Rocket Boys!, perfectly captured the spirit of that music: at once puzzling and implicit, melancholy and joyous. But East had been hard at work making comics too, eventually releasing four books over the last five years through publisher, Blank Slate Books.
Renown for landscape-fuelled inspiration, his latest comic book offering, Swear Down, is also his most personal story. It debuts at the upcoming Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF), an event that East will fly over the Atlantic Ocean to attend and exhibit as well as meet and greet like-minded sequential art lovers.
JP Fallavollita got a chance to speak with Oliver East via email about his love of exploring the world and understanding life through walking, his evolution as a writer and an artist, and his affinity for American comics.
Chatting with Continuum’s Rachel Nichols
Last week, to celebrate the season premiere of “Continuum” on Canada’s Showcase network, we featured the first part of an interview with lead actress Rachel Nichols. She talked about some specifics of the return of the “Continuum” TV series, and her character, Kiera Cameron. This week, we find out a bit more about the show, Kiera, science fiction in general, and Rachel’s career. I even get to ask questions this time, imagine that. Check it out, after the jump.
Half-Man, Half-Cyborg, All MANBORG – Biff Bam Pop’s Interview with MANBORG Director Steven Kostanski
Matthew Kennedy as Manborg
When I saw the film Manborg from Astron-6 Video and Raven Banner Entertainment, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. It really is unlike anything I’ve seen in quite a while. The flick is described as “Half-man, half-cyborg: Manborg. Killed while battling the forces of hell, a supersoldier is brought back from the dead in order to fight an army of Nazi vampires and demons led by the nefarious Count Draculon. Cue kung-fu killing, stop-motion monster battles, hoverbikes, robots, demons and a character named Doctor Scorpius.”
How do you beat that? This movie has got everything! Recently I had the opportunity to interview the director and co-writer Steven Kostanski, check it out after the jump.
Continuum with Rachel Nichols Premieres Tonight
Tonight, the season two premiere of “Continuum” airs at 9:00 PM on Showcase in Canada. The time travel scifi action adventure also airs on the SyFy Channel (debuting on June 7, 2013), and stars Rachel Nichols in the lead role of future law enforcement officer Kiera Cameron.
I recently had a chance to sit in on a interview session with Rachel and ask a few questions. We’ll have portions of that session and more, with part one of our interview with Rachel Nichols, after the jump.
Transmedia Defined: Andy Burns Talks To Defiance Executive Producer Nathan Richardsson
This past Sunday saw the airing of the new Showcase/SyFy series, Defiance. The press release for the show sums up the concept nicely:
Starring Grant Bowler and Julie Benz, Defiance introduces an exotically changed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden – and tumultuous – arrival of seven unique alien races. In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully. Combining the scope of a fantasy blockbuster with the intimacy of a small-town drama, it’s the story of courage and survival in a frontier town where factions of humans and aliens must stand together against outside forces that threaten their existence. The innovative transmedia event, Defiance, is the first-ever convergence of television and online gaming, featuring an interconnected world between the two mediums as they evolve together into one overall story.
Transmedia? What does that mean? Well, luckily, we had a chance to talk via email with gaming company Trion’s Vice President of Development, Nathan Richardsson, who also happens to be the Executive Producer behind the multi-platform massive online third-person shooter, Defiance. It all ties together so nicely, doesn’t it?. Check out the live action trailer for the game below and then hit the jump and read our interview.
Biff Bam Pop Exclusive: The Rob Zombie Interview Part 2
Yesterday we had part one of our two part exclusive interview with the one and only Rob Zombie, the brilliant director behind The Lords Of Salem, opening this Friday. You can check that out here. Today, we finish of our discussion with a look at Rob and music – using it in film and making it himself (Rob’s new album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor is out April 23rd). Check out the song that is used to haunting degree in Lords of Salem and then read away!
