• Liu & Perkins Characterize Northstar at CBR


    Over at Comic Book Resources Marjorie Liu & Mike Perkins speak exclusively about the characters they're using in Astonishing X-Men, including Northstar, along with Perkins' sketches:http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=36392








    NORTHSTAR

    It seems like one of the most apparent qualities of Northstar is his attitude and Mike conveys that nicely in this drawing. Mike and Marjorie, what do you think the character's attitude ultimately says about him?

    Perkins: He's impatient and a little bit arrogant but his heroism is without question. Well see some big changes coming up for Northstar -- in all aspects of his life.

    Liu:He's a very confident man -- a bit of a diva, even -- but that rock-solid self-assurance will find itself tested through his relationship with Kyle. His heart is where he's most vulnerable.

    Mike, I noticed you have Northstar running in this picture and it seems like the character's speed power lends itself to travel both by ground and air. As an artist, do you enjoy drawing the character on the ground or in the air? Or is he equally exciting both ways?

    Perkins:Well, if you check out any encyclopedia page for Northstar I think you'll find that he has a staggering amount of different powers -- not just the ability to run fast. I'd love to delve into those other powers in this run.

    In Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente's "Alpha Flight" series Northstar and his boyfriend Kyle went through quite an ordeal. Marjorie, I know you can't reveal much for fear of spoiling the ending of that series, but how are they handling things when your run on "Astonishing X-Men" begins? Are they recovering nicely or are they still haunted and frightened by what went down in Canada?

    Liu: A little bit of both. It won't take much to rattle them, let's put it that way.

    Speaking of Canada -- and I know you may not be able say much here either because of spoilers -- why has Northstar left and rejoined the X-Men? What does the group ultimately mean to him? And why did he pick Logan's team over Scott's?

    Liu: I'll address all those questions in the book, but what I can say is that sometimes people -- especially couples -- need a change in scenery. Especially when one partner is in a high stress job that puts a strain on the relationship.
    Comments 1 Comment
    1. Le Messor's Avatar
      Le Messor -
      I recognised Perkin's style from The Stand. (Saw the drawing, thought 'Is that the artist for The Stand, and went to check a copy that it was the same guy... it was.) Very distinctive.

      Technically, Northstar never joined AF during the maxi-series, and he certainly never left the X-Men. So that question was kind of off-base.

      - Le Messor
      "Most parents would agree that the best part of their children's lives was the drawing board stage."
      ~ P.K. Shaw