KYLE HIGGINS talks MAGNUS #1, on sale in JUNE from Dynamite!
BYRON BREWER: Kyle, how does it feel to be part of this monumental surge at Dynamite to update and intensify the classic Gold Key characters for a new generation of comic book readers?
KYLE HIGGINS: I mean, not to sound flippant, but it’s obviously great. I wouldn’t do the project otherwise. I love Matt Idelson (editor) and have wanted to work with him since his DC Comics days. He was helping out on our Image series Hadrian’s Wall when he asked if I’d have any interest in reinventing someone like Magnus.
BB: Were you a fan of the Gold Key characters in general and Magnus in particular as a young comics reader?
KH: Not as a young comics reader, no. I’ve had a passing familiarity with the character over the years, but it wasn’t until Matt called me with the opportunity to do a new take that I really started getting into what had come before.
BB: As Magnus #1 gets set to debut in June, tell us about the iteration of Magnus the readers will be meeting.
KH: Well, it’s a very different interpretation. Our version—Dr. Kerri Magnus—is equal parts A.I. psychologist and adventurer. This is a future where the artificial intelligence systems have built their own “cloud world,” that they upload themselves to, and Kerri is one of the few humans who is able to upload their consciousness… without losing their minds. How and why she’s able to do this is something of a mystery, but while her focus is helping artificial intelligence to navigate the litany of identity issues they face—including struggling with their own artificiality and purpose—she also serves as a conduit for law enforcement and people looking to hire someone to go up to the Cloud World to bring back runaway A.I.s
BB: What are some of the classic elements about the character you have kept, familiar to longtime fans, and what are some of the new?
KH: We still have a focus on robots (laughs). Beyond that, though, pretty much everything else we’re doing here is new.
BB: What has it been like recreating this character with artist Jorge Fornés? Why is Jorge the right artist for this new book?
KH: Oh man, Jorge is incredible. Honestly, working with him is the highlight of this series for me. He’s so, so talented, and I know that anything I write… his interpretation will exceed my wildest expectations. It’s been a lot of fun to write sequences a bit looser than I normally would, so as to let Jorge really do his thing. I can’t wait for people to really discover his work.
BB: Why should readers be excited about this new volume of Magnus?
KH: It’s a pretty big departure from what’s come before, but I like to think of it as being in a bit of a “Black Mirror” vein—it’s an extrapolation of some of the technology that we see in our real lives right now, and at its core… has some pretty relevant and relatable moral issues that we’re dealing with, specifically in terms of artificial intelligence and the idea of using them as migrant workers, which—in many ways—has sparked something of a new cold war.
BB: Kyle, any present or near-future projects you can tell us about?
KH: The last few issues of Hadrian’s Wall—my creator-owned with Rod Reis and Alec Siegel that explore a murder mystery on a spaceship—is in its final issues right now. I’m so, so proud of that book, and really urge people to pick it up. I’m still doing Power Rangers, and I also have a few other projects that are about to be announced. So, people will start to hear about those very soon!
http://dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewPr...13025966001011
BYRON BREWER: Kyle, how does it feel to be part of this monumental surge at Dynamite to update and intensify the classic Gold Key characters for a new generation of comic book readers?
KYLE HIGGINS: I mean, not to sound flippant, but it’s obviously great. I wouldn’t do the project otherwise. I love Matt Idelson (editor) and have wanted to work with him since his DC Comics days. He was helping out on our Image series Hadrian’s Wall when he asked if I’d have any interest in reinventing someone like Magnus.
BB: Were you a fan of the Gold Key characters in general and Magnus in particular as a young comics reader?
KH: Not as a young comics reader, no. I’ve had a passing familiarity with the character over the years, but it wasn’t until Matt called me with the opportunity to do a new take that I really started getting into what had come before.
BB: As Magnus #1 gets set to debut in June, tell us about the iteration of Magnus the readers will be meeting.
KH: Well, it’s a very different interpretation. Our version—Dr. Kerri Magnus—is equal parts A.I. psychologist and adventurer. This is a future where the artificial intelligence systems have built their own “cloud world,” that they upload themselves to, and Kerri is one of the few humans who is able to upload their consciousness… without losing their minds. How and why she’s able to do this is something of a mystery, but while her focus is helping artificial intelligence to navigate the litany of identity issues they face—including struggling with their own artificiality and purpose—she also serves as a conduit for law enforcement and people looking to hire someone to go up to the Cloud World to bring back runaway A.I.s
BB: What are some of the classic elements about the character you have kept, familiar to longtime fans, and what are some of the new?
KH: We still have a focus on robots (laughs). Beyond that, though, pretty much everything else we’re doing here is new.
BB: What has it been like recreating this character with artist Jorge Fornés? Why is Jorge the right artist for this new book?
KH: Oh man, Jorge is incredible. Honestly, working with him is the highlight of this series for me. He’s so, so talented, and I know that anything I write… his interpretation will exceed my wildest expectations. It’s been a lot of fun to write sequences a bit looser than I normally would, so as to let Jorge really do his thing. I can’t wait for people to really discover his work.
BB: Why should readers be excited about this new volume of Magnus?
KH: It’s a pretty big departure from what’s come before, but I like to think of it as being in a bit of a “Black Mirror” vein—it’s an extrapolation of some of the technology that we see in our real lives right now, and at its core… has some pretty relevant and relatable moral issues that we’re dealing with, specifically in terms of artificial intelligence and the idea of using them as migrant workers, which—in many ways—has sparked something of a new cold war.
BB: Kyle, any present or near-future projects you can tell us about?
KH: The last few issues of Hadrian’s Wall—my creator-owned with Rod Reis and Alec Siegel that explore a murder mystery on a spaceship—is in its final issues right now. I’m so, so proud of that book, and really urge people to pick it up. I’m still doing Power Rangers, and I also have a few other projects that are about to be announced. So, people will start to hear about those very soon!
http://dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewPr...13025966001011