James Hudnall

[zephyr74]

Interview Excerpt: "James Hudnall: Entertainment is a tough business and more likely than not you will fail. It's especially hard in comics because people don't seem to be willing to accept new characters. The industry needs new ideas and new characters, but there is a resistance from fans to try them."

I disagree. I think that audiences want to see cherished characters honored and well-written. Maybe I've been out of a loop for too long, but I think that readers enjoy stories that are true to the characters. Whether the character is old or new, the stories have to be realistic and organic. I think that creators often think they have to add a new character to an existing mix for the sake of keeping it "new" and "fresh", which is a fallacy. People want to enjoy believable characters in emotionally/psychologically relevant material. It doesn't have to be relevant to the reader, but should be relevant to the character.

I had this discussion years ago with a college professor because I believe that in the sci-fi, fantasy, comics, and supernatural genres, the onus is on writers to have the character(s) be much more believable as people because of the fantastic settings of these stories. Why have these characters endured: Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, Superman? Because Spider-Man believes that with great power comes great responsibility; because Batman was traumatized by the murder of his parents; because the X-Men are an allegory for teen angst/disenfrachised groups; because Superman believes in doing the right thing no matter what. Those archetypes exist in the real world and that is timeless. Those genuine human experiences resonate, and no flashy art, explosions, or excessive battle scenes can compare or supplant those truths in our existence.

I wish modern writers, especially of comics, would understand this...then they wouldn't screw up a great set of characters like Alpha Flight. Byrne created a great team with realistic characters and interesting dynamics. Alpha Flight doesn't need new members, new powers, or new costumes to mask the lack of depth in the writing of them. It needs a creative team that truly loves these characters and honors them without being slaves to the past.

-Zef

P.S. Heather was the best and most believable leader of Alpha Flight because she was Gaurdian's widow--she believed in carrying on his dream. That's something of substance.

[birdygirl]

Well said, Zephyr!

[varo]

i 100% agree with you. i feel like writers and editors needing a "hook" to draw peoples interest is total nonsense. i think the best hook of all is a great writer with a great artist telling great stories.

thats what annoys me with marvels current status, look what they did with version 3 of alpha. a comedy series as the hook. o dear god.

look at the current new warriors series. slap new warriors on the cover, slap one character that has something to do with the series on it and sell it as the new warriors. blech.

usually comic readers/movie goers/television watchers will gravitate towards something if its good. not because of a "hook"

you want a hook for a new alpha series: bring back the original flight, give them a strong writer and a good artist and keep it true to its roots.

there you go.

[zephyr74]

Thanks, Birdy.

Varo,
I haven't collected comics in a long time and recently discover this website, which is great for a longtime Alpha Flight fan.

I'm not up New Warriors or anything else but I agree because it's happening with the current season of HEROES. The writers and producers have lost their direction with the characters. Instead of focusing on the great characters introduced in Season 1 and 2, they've felt a need to add new characters. This tactic is only alienating fans.

I hope that Marvel finds a creative team that can make another Alpha series viable. Of course, that team would have a lot of work to do in terms of correcting and streamlining the damage done.

-Zef