Steven Sykora 4000
Monday, March 10, 2008, 11:58 AM
Bloodfire Studios writer, Will Allred agreed to answer a few questions for us about his new miniseries Diary of Night. The new mini is a modern day twist on the legendary classic tales about the underground world of vampires.
PF: Thank you for joining us today Will, it’s our understanding that you’re also the webmaster of Quantum Zone, how did you make the transition from the die hard Quasar fan to writer of a vampire comic book?
Allred: Well, I’ve always loved comics…even from when I was a child. I created the Quantum Zone as a way to indulge my great affection for Mark Gruenwald’s Quasar, but I’ve always hoped that I’d one day be able to write comics. And, it’s been something I’ve been working toward for quite some time now by conducting interviews with creators, networking, and, of course, writing.
PF: I think it’s probably safe to say Quasar is your favorite comic book character (unless you have another comprehensive site about another character we don’t know about!). What other comics did/do you read besides Quasar?
Allred: I’ve always loved super-heroes…from as far back as I can remember. Growing up, I was an Avengers fan. I also read Iron Man, Captain America, and Green Lantern.
PF: Who where your major writing influences?
Allred: In comics, it would probably be Gruenwald, Stern, Michelinie…although, I don’t think you can measure the impact of Alan Moore on today’s writers. Guys that wrote back then don’t seem to get a lot of respect as writers today, but Mark Gruenwald, Roger Stern, and David Michelinie really knew how to tell a story in the confines of 22 pages. Outside of comics, there are all kinds of influences from novels to movies to tv.
PF: If you could write for any title you wanted, which one would you pick?
Allred: I would probably sacrifice a redundant organ to be able to write a Quasar series, but I’d also just love to play in either of the big two super-hero universes.
<img src="http://www.projectfanboy.com/images/reviews/diaryofnight.jpg" hspace="10" align="left">PF: Have you worked on any other titles before, or is this your debut in the comic book industry?
Allred: This is actually my first published work, so to say that I’m excited and nervous is probably an understatement.
PF: What drew you to join the Bloodfire Studios team?
Allred: Uh, they said yes and took a chance on an unknown writer.
PF: How has it been working with Gene Gonzales, and how did the two of you come to work together?
Allred: I am something of a fan of Gene’s work, and he was on the short list of artists that I wanted to work with so I contacted him via his web site. He must have been temporarily insane or something, but he seemed to like the proposal. I blame sunspots. Anyway, he liked the story and characters, so the rest, as they say, is history.
PF: Do you have any ideas for future titles after this mini is complete?
Allred: One of the main points that I wanted to satisfy with Diary of Night was the ability to set stories in almost any historical context. A vampire that is over 900 years old lets me play with the history of the last millennium. I guess that’s a really long way of saying that I have lots of stories to tell with Catherine.
PF: Can we expect more Diary of Night mini’s in the future?
Allred: I certainly hope so, and BloodFire has expressed interest in seeing more stories with Catherine.
PF: Could you tell us a little about Catherine, the main character in Diary of Night?
Allred: Catherine is a woman that has had to become strong to survive for the hundreds of years that she’s been alive. This strength has come at a price, though, in that she’s distanced herself from those around her…so much so, that she doesn’t see the family that she’s created around her.
PF: Catherine seems concerned about the well being of a character named Tim in almost a maternal sort of way. Did she “turn” him?
Allred: Actually, that’s another story that has to do with what happened after Catherine awoke as a vampire. In the mythology that I’m setting up, when a vampire first awakens, they suffer an uncontrollable bloodlust and attack whoever is near until the thirst has been slaked. Turning someone is a very dangerous thing to do and is considered irresponsible and a punishable offense. As to how Tim came into Catherine’s life, I’m going to have to ask you to wait and see.
PF: Where can our readers pick up a copy of Diary of Night?
Allred: Hopefully, at fine comic book shops everywhere. If a comic shop didn’t order a copy, issues are still available for reorder via Diamond Comics with these order codes…
Diary of Night #1 (NOV07 3398)
Diary of Night #2 (DEC07 3475)
Diary of Night #3 (JAN08 3435)
Diary of Night #4 (FEB08 3557)
Also, issues can be directly ordered from BloodFire Studios via their web site…
http://bloodfire.com/products/
PF: Thanks for speaking with us, Will and good luck on your new title.
PF: Thank you for joining us today Will, it’s our understanding that you’re also the webmaster of Quantum Zone, how did you make the transition from the die hard Quasar fan to writer of a vampire comic book?
Allred: Well, I’ve always loved comics…even from when I was a child. I created the Quantum Zone as a way to indulge my great affection for Mark Gruenwald’s Quasar, but I’ve always hoped that I’d one day be able to write comics. And, it’s been something I’ve been working toward for quite some time now by conducting interviews with creators, networking, and, of course, writing.
PF: I think it’s probably safe to say Quasar is your favorite comic book character (unless you have another comprehensive site about another character we don’t know about!). What other comics did/do you read besides Quasar?
Allred: I’ve always loved super-heroes…from as far back as I can remember. Growing up, I was an Avengers fan. I also read Iron Man, Captain America, and Green Lantern.
PF: Who where your major writing influences?
Allred: In comics, it would probably be Gruenwald, Stern, Michelinie…although, I don’t think you can measure the impact of Alan Moore on today’s writers. Guys that wrote back then don’t seem to get a lot of respect as writers today, but Mark Gruenwald, Roger Stern, and David Michelinie really knew how to tell a story in the confines of 22 pages. Outside of comics, there are all kinds of influences from novels to movies to tv.
PF: If you could write for any title you wanted, which one would you pick?
Allred: I would probably sacrifice a redundant organ to be able to write a Quasar series, but I’d also just love to play in either of the big two super-hero universes.
<img src="http://www.projectfanboy.com/images/reviews/diaryofnight.jpg" hspace="10" align="left">PF: Have you worked on any other titles before, or is this your debut in the comic book industry?
Allred: This is actually my first published work, so to say that I’m excited and nervous is probably an understatement.
PF: What drew you to join the Bloodfire Studios team?
Allred: Uh, they said yes and took a chance on an unknown writer.
PF: How has it been working with Gene Gonzales, and how did the two of you come to work together?
Allred: I am something of a fan of Gene’s work, and he was on the short list of artists that I wanted to work with so I contacted him via his web site. He must have been temporarily insane or something, but he seemed to like the proposal. I blame sunspots. Anyway, he liked the story and characters, so the rest, as they say, is history.
PF: Do you have any ideas for future titles after this mini is complete?
Allred: One of the main points that I wanted to satisfy with Diary of Night was the ability to set stories in almost any historical context. A vampire that is over 900 years old lets me play with the history of the last millennium. I guess that’s a really long way of saying that I have lots of stories to tell with Catherine.
PF: Can we expect more Diary of Night mini’s in the future?
Allred: I certainly hope so, and BloodFire has expressed interest in seeing more stories with Catherine.
PF: Could you tell us a little about Catherine, the main character in Diary of Night?
Allred: Catherine is a woman that has had to become strong to survive for the hundreds of years that she’s been alive. This strength has come at a price, though, in that she’s distanced herself from those around her…so much so, that she doesn’t see the family that she’s created around her.
PF: Catherine seems concerned about the well being of a character named Tim in almost a maternal sort of way. Did she “turn” him?
Allred: Actually, that’s another story that has to do with what happened after Catherine awoke as a vampire. In the mythology that I’m setting up, when a vampire first awakens, they suffer an uncontrollable bloodlust and attack whoever is near until the thirst has been slaked. Turning someone is a very dangerous thing to do and is considered irresponsible and a punishable offense. As to how Tim came into Catherine’s life, I’m going to have to ask you to wait and see.
PF: Where can our readers pick up a copy of Diary of Night?
Allred: Hopefully, at fine comic book shops everywhere. If a comic shop didn’t order a copy, issues are still available for reorder via Diamond Comics with these order codes…
Diary of Night #1 (NOV07 3398)
Diary of Night #2 (DEC07 3475)
Diary of Night #3 (JAN08 3435)
Diary of Night #4 (FEB08 3557)
Also, issues can be directly ordered from BloodFire Studios via their web site…
http://bloodfire.com/products/
PF: Thanks for speaking with us, Will and good luck on your new title.