Abnett & Lanning: On the Eve of Nova's Return to Monthly Fun

By Tim O'Shea

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning combine to make a writing team that have developed quite a fanbase over the years. Nova is a Marvel character developed in the 1970s that has had a loyal following over the years as well. This Wednesday, April 11, Marvel hopes to tap into a convergence of these two fanbases with the launch of a new ongoing Nova series. This struck SBC as a good time to interview the writing team about the new ongoing, as well as (briefly) the Annihilation: Conquest miniseries. And to make sure the interview would have top-notch, informed questions that tap into the long-term Nova fanbase, I enlisted the aid of Doug Smith, an old pal of mine [from my Comics Reader days in the late 1990s] and the online goliath behind The Nova Prime Page. My thanks to Abnett, Lanning and Smith for their respective time, thoughts and efforts. Of equal importance, thanks to Marvel’s Jim McCann for an advance six-page preview of the first issue, which is included in this interview.

Doug Smith (DS): As a writing team that has worked together successfully for years, what's the process that you use to write a single character title like Nova? Does one of you script and the other does dialogue? Or is it less of a strict process and more of an organic flow depending on the title and situation?

Dan Abnett (DA): We’ve always worked together the same way actually. Andy and I get together to plot the stories in very tight detail, throw ideas around and generally spitball. That ends up with a beat sheet full of notes and comments. Then I take that away and turn it into a full script, dialogue and all. That’s just the way we’ve always done it. I write full time and Andy has inking commitments. Combining this way gets the best out of both of us.

Tim O’Shea (TOS): In developing the path ahead for the Nova ongoing as well as the Conquest miniseries, have there been plot development points that you wanted to see played out in the ongoing, but realize it worked better in Conquest (or vice versa)?

Andy Lanning (AL): Only one really. The idea that has became Conquest was originally pitched as a story for Nova’s own book. Editors Bill Rosemann and Tom Breevort lighted in the idea as soon as we sent it in and decided that would make the basis for the next cosmic event, which was fine with us.

DS: With the increasing desire of fans to know practically everything about a book before it's out, what are your thoughts on releasing information? Has it gotten to the point where the gee-whiz factor of reading the book has been diminished or do you feel it generates more excitement for the book than it would get otherwise?

AL: It’s always good to tease and trail, especially with the online coverage and previews available these days. Building heat for a book is a great idea. We do, however, like to play some things close, otherwise why would you buy the book if you knew everything that was going to happen?

TOS: Given that Nova is firmly routed in the science fiction/space opera genre, do you think you're able to explore a greater variety of plots and character types, given that you're not limited to Earth adventures (as most Marvel titles, particularly in the past Civil War year, have been typically)?

DA: In a way. With cosmic adventures, your imagination has free rein. But the key thing is to make it accessible and credible. Impenetrable alien characters and settings will quickly put a reader off. We’re trying to create stories that are as immediate and relevant as the Earth-set Marvel Universe stories.

DS: Is it too early to discuss what we can look forward to seeing in the Nova ongoing series after Annihilation: Conquest is completed?

DA: A little. But we can promise some major storylines, and some reappearances of classic Marvel Universe and Nova-continuity characters.

TOS: Nova as a character has dealt with a great deal of loss and tragedy, bringing a certain amount of seriousness to the character. Do you write dialogue for Worldmind in a way that allows for a bit of comic relief or at least mild levity amidst the mayhem of Nova's adventures?

AL: You noticed that, huh?

DS: Will Nova be meeting the post-Civil War New Warriors before heading back into space for Annihilation: Conquest?

DA: A couple of them. Penance (formally known as Speedball) for a start (Previews has already showed that cover!). And look for a reunion with a former New Warrior - now a member of the Initiative - in issue #2.

TOS: Nova, being the sole member of a Corps policing the entire universe, gives you a seemingly unlimited landscape for storytelling. As writers, you get the chance to construct plot elements and characters that hopefully catch people's interest. But one of the final steps in catching people's attention with a comic book is getting an artist that can capture the spirit of what you intended and make it visually engaging to the reader. In terms of series artist Sean Chen, have there been any scenes that really stick out in your mind as taking your initial concept as written and expanding that scene well beyond your respective expectations?

DA: Sean’s doing an excellent job, but I especially loved the sequence he’s drawn in issue two when Nova comes home. It’s everything we wanted and more.

TOS: Is there anything else about the Nova ongoing series that you'd like to discuss?

AL: We hope you enjoy it!

DA: Absolutely. I hope this is the series Nova fans have been waiting for, and I hope it adds new fans to the Nova fan-base.

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