Multi-talented When it Comes to the True Blood Universe
It turns out that the actor who plays Fellowship of the Sun baddie, Steve Newlin, is also adept at comic writing. Michael McMillian has teamed up with veteran comic book writer, Marc Andreyko, to write six issues of the next True Blood comic series for IDW Publishing. Recently MTV News had the opportunity to speak to McMillian about this new endeavour. True Blood Comic Storyline
The first issue, it appears, will focus around a batch of contaminated Tru:Blood drinks and what happens when the True Blood fave, Jessica Hamby, drinks it. It explores what occurs when one of the elements of the synthetic blood is tampered with. What happens when an ingredient is added that reacts with the vampires who are drinking it. An ingredient that makes them go crazy or even feral. And what with this end up doing to the whole vampire-human inter-relations?Writing for True Blood
Michael found writing for the True Blood comics challenging but also rewarding. He found it interesting to write lateral story lines for the True Blood Characters, where as the HBO series moves the characters forward in their story arcs. He also made sure his own character, Steve Newlin, made an appearance early on in the first comic.I think Steve makes a cameo as early as page three in issue #1, so I got him in there as quickly as I could. [Laughs]Other series favorites also make it to the comic series. Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton will be there along with Hoyt Fortenberry, Terry Bellefleur and Arlene Fowler. While these comics will have a certain continuity with the TV series, it is a loose connection. Since the three seasons so far cover the span of roughly a month and a half, the comic series will fit within this time frame. The first comic covers a 24 hour time frame, the others will probably follow a similar time frame also. When asked about how much input Michael will have versus the input of Alan Ball, Michael replied:
Yeah, Alan [Ball] is overseeing the entire process from his bloody throne. [Laughs] He reads all the scripts, and read the outline that Marc and I turned in. Before that, he was the one who ultimately selected which story we would do from the group of pitches. It's fun because the comic really does feel like an extension of the show, which is terrific. Marc and I have made it our goal to have it feel just like that. We want the audience to pick up the comic and feel like they're getting a little extra show while they wait for Season Four.
True Blood Characters
McMillian is enjoying the exploration and further development of the True Blood characters. He enjoys both the vampire-human relations involved with both endeavors and how the combination of the two can be quite challenging. He also likes to explore how the True Blood characters' lives have changed with the introduction of mainstreaming vampires. Some for the better, and ultimately, some for the worse. Sookie's life is the first that pops to mind in this instance. McMillian was also asked about whether some of the True Blood actors have made suggestions for their characters in the comic series.[Laughs] So far I haven't gotten any requests. I think those guys have enough to think about with the TV show, and trust me not to make their characters look like a-holes in the comic. However, I definitely got some messages from Stephen Moyer and Alex Skarsgard, who I'm friends with. They were very excited I was working on the book.
McMillian and 'Lucid'
This comic series is not the first that McMillian has been involved with. He also writes for 'Lucid.' Currently, issue 3 and 4 will be hitting the stands shortly. Michael worked with artist Anna Wieszczyk and feels that they have really hit their stride with issue 3. While only four issues have been commissioned so far for 'Lucid,' he is hoping for an expansion of this due to certain story lines that could be expanded upon. While it could be considered as complete with the first four issues, he is obviously hoping for the green light for more issues. The second volume of the "True Blood" comic book series kicks off February 2011, featuring a story by Michael McMillian and Marc Andreyko, interior art by Joe Corroney, and covers by J. Scott Campbell. Source: MTV News - Michael McMillian On 'True Blood' Comics, TV Crossovers, And Steve Newlin's Return (Photo Credit: HBO Inc.)http://truebloodnet.com http://truebloodnet.com/community http://truebloodnet.com/forums
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