A very special one-shot ships today from Dark Horse—and it’s just in time for the holidays. Avid Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans might not be able to have their favorite witch gift-wrapped under the tree this year, but they can snatch a generous dose of Willow action in today’s comic. Guest artist Karl Moline agreed to sit down and answer some of our pressing questions. Who is that serpent lady on the cover and what does she want with Willow? What’s it like working with Joss Whedon? And most importantly, who’d win in a pillow fight: Spike or Angel? Okay, I made that one up, but Moline does give us the behind-the-scenes skinny on the Willow extravaganza.
GEN: Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to talk shop with us, Karl! Let’s get down to business: the upcoming Willow one-shot. Regular Buffy artist Georges Jeanty is stepping aside for this issue. As co-creator and artist on the Fray-themed comics, what made you turn your focus from the future Vampire Slayer to the series’ number one redhead? How did you become involved with the one-shot?
Karl Moline: Well, while Fray has been my major focus with Dark Horse, I’ve developed a good working relationship with my editors and that has led to a few non-Fray related projects. I had a really good time drawing the Buffy characters, and Willow was probably my favorite of the bunch. I guess the Powers that Be felt I did a good a good job drawing her and thought of me for the one-shot.
GEN: That serpent lady on the cover—Willow has met her before, right? She seems to know a lot about Willow and her powers. How much of a role does she play in this issue?
Moline: We have seen her before, although her appearance was brief and somewhat mysterious. This issue will shed light on her ties to Willow and explain who she is and why we should care. Their history is important to Willow’s magic powers and fans will want to read this to get a clearer picture.
GEN: Are there any scenes we should keep an eye out for that your particularly enjoyed drawing?
Moline: We follow [Willow] into the magic realms and see the layers of her psyche as they are peeled back. My favorite scene to draw was the opening sequence, when Will arrives on the level of the collective unconscious.
GEN: Joss Whedon is returning to pen the one-shot. Did your creative reunion alter how you approached the comic in any way, or did you just enjoy the ride that much more? What’s it like collaborating with the man behind the Buffy hit?
Moline: Joss is an amazing storyteller, and I am thrilled to collaborate with him again. He has a full, ripe imagination that makes every page fun to draw. I wouldn’t say that my process changes with him, but his writing style tends to bring out the best in my work. It is a perfect balance of description and poetry. He tells me what to draw without being so descriptive as to bog it down. What he does write forces my imagination into overdrive, and the images that come to mind are my own. I think that is very important for the work to be exciting and fresh. When the artist is truly having fun with the drawings I think the readers will feel the same way.
GEN: Willow has grown a lot over the years—from computer geek to finding her own sexuality and delving into magic (good and bad). What’s your favorite aspect about her?
Moline: Willow has always been my favorite character. While she is arguably the most powerful character, she is also sensitive, modest, and vulnerable. I grew up as a nerdy kid, and I think I can identify with that.
GEN: A lot of other characters change, and sometimes drastically—but Willow rocks the costume switch while still maintaining the personality at her core. What do you think makes her such a versatile and successful character?
Moline: I think maybe it’s because she has a child-like naivety that everyone can relate to. All of the characters face conflict and grow over the course of the series, but none so much as Willow. The fact that she has grown so powerful and still maintains her sweet and humble stature makes her someone that everyone can root for.
GEN: Were you a Buffy fan before the comics? Does your familiarity (or lack of) with the original television series influence how you imagine the characters and their world, or does the comic medium present a whole different playing ground?
Moline: To be honest, I wasn’t really familiar with the Buffy series before I started on Fray. About halfway through, Scott Allie was planning on having me draw some Buffy covers (for the pre-season eight comics) and sent me some of the seasons on tape. I didn’t get any work done for the next three days, because I could not stop watching. I immediately became a number one fan like anyone else who watches the show. I think the television series really has to influence the comics. I feel I’ve always had a hard time drawing characters that look like the actors that portrayed them, but hopefully the spirits of those characters come through.
GEN: Do you have any favorite episodes?
Moline: Off the top of my head I’d say “Hush,” the episode where Buffy’s mother dies (”The Body”), and the musical.
GEN: I know the one-shot puts Willow in the spotlight, but who is your favorite character to draw? Also, who would you like to draw but haven’t had the chance to yet?
Moline: Luckily, Willow is my favorite character to draw. She has such interesting features that are very beautiful in a non-traditional way. I would also love to draw Spike and Faith. Beautiful bad boys and girls are a lot of fun.
GEN: You got to design your own variant cover for the one-shot. Have you done a Buffy cover before? Was it fun? Do you approach covers any differently, or is it basically the same experience as doing interiors?
Moline: This was actually my first Buffy-world cover. I never got to those Buffy covers back in the day because of scheduling conflicts, and Georges got to do the variant covers for my recent Buffy issues. This cover was different from others that I’ve drawn, because we didn’t have a lick of script when I did it. I had to come up with something interesting and ambiguous so that it might fit whatever Joss came up with. Covers are always drastically different from interiors, because the image has to say something larger. It should ultimately tease the reader and in retrospect, represent the whole story.
GEN: Are you clued in to who the Big Bad is? Couldn’t you give us the teeniest hint?
Moline: If you’re talking about Twilight, I really have no idea. In fact with Joss, I never know what’s going to happen next until the pages come in. This could be frustrating with other writers, but I have complete confidence that whatever Joss writes will be great. In truth, I like the anticipation and surprise!
Look for Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: Willow (one-shot) in stores now from Dark Horse Comics. And stay tuned for our exclusive interview with artist Georges Jeanty!
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:50 am
Interesting stuff, Stephanie. It’d be nice to work on something cool and still have it surprise you. That’s one of the catch 22s of ending up getting a project you’ve been lobbying for; when you’re behind the steering wheel, you already know where the road leads.