As Comic' Greatest World evolved into the Dark Horse Heroes line, the characters starring in the first 16-issue series were developed into series of their own, with books like X, Barb Wire, and Ghost leading in popularity. Ghost in particular proved to be quite a fan favorite, resulting in a three year ongoing series -- the most successful Dark Horse Heroes alumnus.
This September, Dark Horse is relaunching Ghost with a new creative team. Dark Horse veteran Chris Warner (who spearheaded -- and in fact designed -- the original launch of Comic'' Greatest World) is tackling the writing chores of this new series, while hot new artist Christian Zanier will craft the visual aspects of the city of Arcadia and its mysterious resident: Elisa Cameron, better known as Ghost.
Tom Fassbender recently had the chance to talk to writer Chris Warner about his return to the world of Dark Horse Heroes and his plans for the new Ghost series.
Tom Fassbender: What's the impetus behind the launch of this new Ghost series?
Chris Warner: The idea was to start over with an origin -- which was never told in the first series. We can't continue to ask people to wait to get the origin of this character, because they've waited over five years already. But we're not starting from scratch; we're not going to pretend that things that happened in the first series never happened -- even though in some ways it would have been easier.
Fassbender: You didn't want to ignore the existing fan base.
Warner: Right. The fan following of the first series was pretty strong. We didn't want to alienate the audience that had supported Ghost for three years. And although some of the characters and plot lines introduced in the first series will either not be continued or eventually written out of the series, we're not just going to ignore what has gone before. I've never been comfortable with that approach, even though I really don't much enjoy tying up someone else's continuity. But we are going to streamline things.
Fassbender: Streamline how?
Warner: We're going to try to tie up as many of the loose ends as we can without going overboard. Once that process is completed and the origin cycle is finished, we can start where I'd like to start: with a very straight-ahead approach to the character. The challenge here is going to be hooking new readers who are not familiar with that past material. I'm sure it will be a little daunting to come on board, starting with a complicated origin story. It's about the hardest thing I've had to do.
Fassbender: What is the particular challenge here?
Warner: The entire first Ghost series was written by Eric Luke, and he did a terrific job with some very interesting, really challenging stories that were in many ways very different from your typical superhero stories. It always makes me kind of nervous to come in and stomp all over what someone else created. I know how it feels to create a character then have someone take it in a totally different direction.
Fassbender: What, if anything, about the book's previous direction will you change?
Warner: To me, Ghost is not a revenge fantasy, and there have been elements of that. I'm trying to remove the character from the revenge fantasy, which was too dark. I mean, how much revenge do you need? What I'm trying to do with this origin story is have her come to terms with who and what she is, then move on. To try to have as much of a life as she can under the circumstances.
Fassbender: Ghost was originally part of the 16 books that were created for Comics' Greatest World -- later Dark Horse Heroes. Ghost and Barb Wire proved to be the most popular of these. Is this something you anticipated?
Warner: To be fair, X and some of the other series were popular initially, too. Ghost -- as late as it was released relative to the other books; it was released well over a year after the Comics' Greatest World stuff started -- really touched a nerve with the readers; in part to the look of the character and with Adam Hughes' artwork. At the time there were quite a few female characters that were hitting the market, but there were just some elements of Ghost that really caught an audience and held it.
Fassbender: You mentioned the look of Ghost touched a nerve with the readers. Will this look be changing at all with the new series or will you stick with the tried and true?
Warner: Since I designed Ghost's costume, I'm certainly not about to change her look!
Fassbender: How long will this origin story run?
Warner: About six issues, but it's in two halves. The first three-issue cycle that I'm writing right now will take care of one aspect of Ghost. That, in turn, will reveal more mystery that the second three-issue cycle will resolve.
Fassbender: Why the two-stage approach?
Warner: In essence, her origin is really a two-phase story. There are some elements of her past that you can't tell without explaining some other things. One aspect deals with where her abilities come from, and the other aspect is how Elisa Cameron become the character known as Ghost. There's more to it than has ever been hinted at in the series. I wanted to take care of part of the story, focusing on some of the characters that have been behind the scenes in the first series. After that's set up, I'll deal with some of the other important characters that were introduced in the first series, bringing them back to explain the second part.
Fassbender: This origin you'll be revealing, is it the original origin you intended for the character?
Warner: Absolutely not [laughs]. Although to be fair, her initial planned origin tied into the events of the Comics' Greatest World series. That's almost irrelevant now, because those events happened five years ago. To make her origin tie in with those events today would be relatively meaningless.
Fassbender: Is this still part of the Dark Horse Heroes Universe then?
Warner: Absolutely. In fact, there are plans to reintroduce some of the other characters that were first seen in the Dark Horse Heroes books, like Barb Wire and X. This time around, though, they'll be tied together a little less formally than originally intended.
Fassbender: So is this series a springboard to reintroduce the old Dark Horse Heroes?
Warner: Not necessarily. I know that Dark Horse wants to revivify and develop their own characters again. Ghost is really the only Dark Horse superhero that's been on the market recently. But my understanding is that Ghost is the first of several series that are planned to come out.
Fassbender: That said, will any other Dark Horse Heroes be guest-starring in Ghost?
Warner: It's too soon to tell, but my medium-term plans are to have a Barb Wire crossover. And I'm sure as more Dark Horse Heroes characters are reintroduced there could be additional guest-appearances.
Fassbender: After this origin story is done, what direction do you plan on taking with Ghost?
Warner: Arcadia is a beautiful city, but it's also very mysterious. There is more than meets the eye, and there's "something" that plays an important part in this mystery -- both in Arcadia and the world at large. Some of the stories after the origin story arc will involve this "something," while others will be more direct character-driven tales. I'm planning on having some three- and four-issue arcs and some one-shots as well.
Fassbender: In addition to being a writer, you've made a name for yourself as an artist. Will you be doing any artwork for Ghost?
Warner: I wouldn't mind doing an issue or so if I have the time, but I don't plan on doing any drawing for Ghost anytime soon, save for some covers, hopefully. While I'm not interested in giving up art, I'm a little less interested in drawing comics interiors these days. Drawing is a real grind; it's not easy for me. I don't have a shorthand style. This, combined with the way that I work and the commitment I have to storytelling means it takes me a long time to get it right. I wish I drew better. And faster!
Fassbender: Will any of Ghost's old foes be popping up here?
Warner: Yes. The first storyline involves Trauvaille; he was introduced fairly recently -- within the last year. He made it very clear to Ghost that he had information about her death, so I felt he had to return. There are some other characters from more recent events that are in the origin story and some characters that will come back from some of the earlier issues. I'm trying to tie them all together and resolve the unresolved storylines as best I can.
Fassbender: What brought you back to Ghost?
Warner: Randy Stradley called me and told me they were relaunching the series and they were looking for a writer and asked if I'd be interested in doing it. I thought that a monthly assignment -- which is something that I haven't done before -- would be a good challenge for me.
Fassbender: Who is Ghost to you?
Warner: Hmmm. That's a tough question. In metaphoric terms, Ghost is a character who had it all and didn't appreciate it, now she appreciates it and can't have it. To me that's what she represents. Many of us only appreciate something when we lose it. Ghost is about loss.
Fassbender: What appeals to you about the character?
Warner: I like her dark edge, and I think that gives me the chance to bring a little more humor out of her. There's also the yin/yang of being a person who can't be touched: that's an excellent defense but makes intimacy in the traditional sense impossible. I've always felt that each person's greatest strengths are their greatest weaknesses in different circumstances, and Ghost exemplifies this belief. Also, her quest for the truth is the classic curse of "be careful what you wish for." Sometimes we look for answers and the answers are something we'd rather not have known.