Twice the action, twice the ladies and twice the companies in one single comics.
The first collaboration between Top Cow and Virgin comics, Witchblade/Devi teams up two of the most popular characters from each company—Witchblade bearer Sara Pezzini and Devi host Tara Mehta—and begins part one of the two part crossover, which continues next month in Devi/Witchblade. To talk about the team up between the two sexy characters and the team up between the equally sexy companies, we chatted with Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik and Virgin Chief Creative Officer Gotham Chopra.
How did this team up come about? Why did you guys decide to join forces?
FS: I think Gotham can answer that question better than I can. I think he was part of the initial conversation.
GC: Yeah. We have a long friendship with the guys from Top Cow—from Ron Marz, who works with us, to Matt Hawkins and everyone else over there. We're mutual fans of each others work, and how we can collaborate, like all great things, started informally and casually. The, "Hey, this would be a cool thing to work on." That's how it started, and then evolved from there into sort of putting the pieces together.
FS: I think the other thing is that both Top Cow and Virgin have a lot of characters that are rooted in mythology or have long standing storylines. You look at Witchblade and Devi and it kind of makes sense. They both have these long histories of this mantle being passed on from one person to another.
GC: Yeah. I think one of things that we admired at Virgin about Witchblade is that mythic sensibility. Here is a character that, while very sexy and cool and kicking ass all the time, is rooted in this mythology that is really cool and has a lot of weight to it. And that's something we've always aspired to in our stories, especially Devi. So, it did seem like a very natural fit besides an excuse for us wanting to work with one another.
You both mentioned that there are similarities to those characters in that both are deeply rooted in an epic sprawling mythology and that they're both hosts to these extra-worldly powers. But what about personality? What are their similarities there?
FS: I think they're both incredibly strong female role models. Like Gotham mentioned, it's really good fortune that Ron Marz is familiar both characters and that he writes such phenomenal independent women. He gets those sensibilities. And I think that over-arching theme of these being very independent, strong-willed women that serve as great role models is the similarities I draw.
GC: Yeah. Strong, independent women. Sexy, certainly. [Laughs] And I think that basic conflict to each characters, in which each is a character that has certain obligations now because of the power they wield, and yet they're still very much women with relatable types of problems.
On the opposite end, what's the main difference between them? Obviously, one's a host to the spirit of a deity and the other wields the balance between good and evil, but other than that…
GC: I can speak on the Devi front. What we've done with Devi is tapped into the Eastern idea of the pantheon of gods, and very specifically. She is born out of this need from the gods to salvage themselves. This is going back to her origin story. I think she is infused more overtly with a sense of spiritual undertone. That's really her mission, at first anyway—to save the destiny of the gods—and she falls in love with her human side and the humans she interacts with. But I do think she's somebody who is really, really rooted in that ancient mythology. Whereas to me, and certainly Filip would speak more accurately to the origins, with Sara she's more the modern woman who is trying to reconcile this origin that she's just discovering. In some ways, Devi is just the opposite.
FS: To add to that, the other thing with Sara is that now, in the current storyline, she's got more of a symbiotic relationship with the Witchblade. For years, this was something that was thrust upon her without any instruction manual. So, it was something she was trying to figure out and struggle with, and she didn’t really know what its purpose was. So, there are a few of those differences there. They're both unique and really wonderful characters that bring a different viewpoint and vantage point, which is maybe why they don't get along at first.
I'll save that tease for later. But I find it pretty funny that they're names are Sara and Tara. Almost the exact same name except for the first letter.
FS: Well, we obviously named Sara after Devi. We were just trying to emulate what they were doing. [Laughs] I would guess it's just kind of odd coincidence and good fortune when pairing these characters up so you start seeing those similarities.
Speaking of pairing up, why Virgin and Top Cow? You said, Ron works in both worlds, but what about the companies? What's the benefit of this team-up?
FS: I think as Gotham mentioned earlier, a lot of it is this mutual admiration and appreciation of what we do and how we do it. I don't know if Gotham knows this, but Marc [Silvestri] is a huge fan of Sir Richard Branson and everything he's done. He kind of looks up to him as an idol, so on a personal level I think Marc wanted to work with an aspect of the Virgin empire that matched up well with what we do. And I think both of us have a similar approach to comics where we fill a niche that isn't already filled by Marvel of DC. Virgin has a really unique vantage point on the comic industry and bringing a whole new take on what comics can be—and very successfully which I think is incredibly commendable. Also, I think we both have an eye out for what other media we can expand comics into. I think the list for Virgin is huge for star power and different creative forces they bring together. We've worked with a couple cool people in the past, too.
GC: Filip sort of said it all. In an industry dominated by the two titans of Marvel and DC, while Virgin is a big brand name, we still have the same challenges and hurdles as an independent publisher. I think when you look through the industry, Top Cow, with their history and endurance is something we've really admired. And when you know the guys—like Filip and Marc and Matt and Ron—that just makes it feel that much better. They're all good guys working over there. So, it's helped us learn from them. Working together was sort of a no-brainer once we found something that we could work together on.
Another no-brainer is the team-up between Witchblade and Devi. My question is, if there are future plans, what's next? Are we going to have Jackie Estacado going one-on-one with Rama?
GC: I would say from my side that is an interesting idea. That one hasn't been talked about, but there have been rumblings of, "Hmm, wow. Look at this character and that character." I don't want to say anything before it's officially agreed upon, but this is a really, really fun collaboration and frankly, knock on wood, I don't see why we wouldn't try to do more. Certainly, there's been e-mails going back and forth saying, "Well, this would be cool." I got my fingers crossed, but I'm pretty confident we'll see more of it.
FS: I would echo everything that Gotham just said. Virgin has really been a pleasure to work with, and we're having a lot of fun with it. I think the possibility is definitely out there. Like he said, nothing we can announce yet, but strong possibility.
From a personal perspective, what characters would you like to see crossover over?
GC: Well, all I can say is, one of my favorite Top Cow titles is Darkness, and I think there is a lot of a certain undertone to that character that is certainly interesting and resonates in our world of mythic characters and characters that have a sort of darker, personal conflict. So, to me, that's one that would be fun to do something with.
FS: For me, I'd say either Sadhu or Ramayana. They're both really intriguing going back to that feeling of long-term mythology and a story of mythic proportions that certainly pairs up well with someone like Jackie. Who know, you might actually get your wish.
[Laughs] Well, if I'm the person who gave you this idea, I think something should be coming my way in the future.
FS: Checks in the mail.
GC: You'll get the first announcement.
Excellent. Well, we talked about how Ron is involved in both worlds as a writer for Witchblade and a story consultant and editor for Devi. But let's talk about the artist, Eric Basaldua. Why does he fit this story?
FS: He draws kind of a hot chick, I've been told.
GC: Yeah.
FS: Eric's been with us for a long time. He does really meticulous, beautiful artwork. He's very well known for the sexy, sensual female figures. So, you team up two female characters… And Eric's also a guy who likes to take his time with his project, so he's very well suited for these crossovers and one-offs. So, he was pretty much at the top of our list.
GC: Yeah. It didn't take too much convincing on our side. When they said Eric's the guy, we said, "Thank god." He's certainly the right guy in his ability to draw sexy babes. That works.
FS: The one other thing to mention about Ron that's really cool is that he's the kind of writer that writers for the artist that he's working with. It was his first time working with Eric, but I think he probably wrote a script that was almost tailored for what Eric's strengths were—some really nice big expansive shots, some cool splash page shots with both Witchblade and Devi, a chance to play around with previous incarnations of the characters, really draw some of the wonderful architecture in India. The whole project really came together great. We got Greg Land to do a cover—one for Witchblade/Devi and one for Virgin's half Devi/Witchblade. So, those two covers kind of line up as mirror images.
That brings up something really interesting actually. Why did you guys decide to do the crossover as two one-shots that tie together as opposed to two numbered issues?
GC: What we wanted to do was tell two self-contained stories that were linked. I mean, obviously, our hope is that fans will read both. But we wanted to create something that felt like they could live on their own. And they are two very divergent "points of view." They certainly have their own personalities. So, it just seemed like the more organic way to do it.
FS: I think the other thing is, from a business point of view, I think both Virgin and Top Cow have their own unique audiences. Both these titles have their own hardcore following that is unique onto itself. Our issue came out first, but some of those Virgin fans might not be looking at the Top Cow section every month. Sometimes when you offer something out that's issue #2, people are going to think they missed issue #1 and not jump on board. And we wanted to make sure each company could put their best foot forward and draw in their audience. So, when someone picks up Devi/Witchblade, they go, "Oh wow. Let me check out the Top Cow part of this." And vice versa.
What can you tell us about what we can expect to see in this story?
FS: I think in the first issue you can expect to see two very beautiful women—did we mention that they're… What Ron sets up is that there's a shared past with previous incarnations of Witchblade and Devi, and they shared a common enemy. I don't think I'm going to give away too much of the story that way. Then we just forward and see Sara and Tara meet for the first time. And, like I said, two attractive strong-willed women don't always get along when they meet.
GC: And I will say the Virgin part is in a way sequential in that now they are in this Asian metropolis where it is more Devi's terrain. It's getting over that initial conflict and identifying the task at hand and realizing this isn't a typical type of villain. Pretty straight forward, classic conflict and story arc, but just with really beautiful chicks. [Laughs]
FS: And Ron has written a crossover or two in his days, so he knows how to hit the high points the fans are going to want to see. Everybody's going to want to see how the two characters match up with each other, but obviously they're both heroes, so ultimately that can't be it. That's where the second part goes.
Does this story fit in the continuity of the books?
FS: By and large, we don't do anything that doesn't fit into the Witchblade continuity in some way. Even all the stuff we've done with Marvel and DC, all of that is considered Witchblade canon. I'd have to check with my official canon keeper, but I'm pretty sure this falls into that as well.
GC: Devi is this emerging mythology. It's one of the first books we released. So, it's all fairly fresh and new still. And we brought back [for the second issue] Mukesh Singh—the artist who was on our first five issues of Devi. And throwing Witchblade into the mix has allowed him to bring something fresh to it. We think, humbling speaking, that he's an emerging rock star in the industry, and this is a great way to get readers to see his stuff. I have no doubt that this one will outsell all our previous Devi books, so it's a great way for him to get the attention I think he deserves.
FS: Yeah. That guy is phenomenal. We talked about Eric a little earlier, but Mukesh is, like Gotham said, an emerging rock star and a real force to be reckoned with. I was really impressed with his work on those early issues of Devi. I was really blown away. And seeing his evolution with Gamekeeper and Shadow Hunter, every single project this guy does he improves in leaps and bounds.
And for the final question, which I tabled at the beginning at the conversation, personally, who would win that fight: Witchblade or Devi?
GC: That is a good question. I would have to say… what's the politically correct answer? [Laughs] Forget the politically correct. It's a really tough question. Sara has a long history of fighting crazy characters through her various incarnations, so she's a force to be reckoned with. So, I might have to confess she's the reigning heavyweight. I think Devi would give her a tough fight, but it would go the distance.
FS: I think Devi is a major for to contend with. She is the incarnation of a goddess. So, it's hard to argue with the power level there. But Sara has got the experience, so that definitely goes for her. And I seem to remember her taking down a god or two in her time. So, I think it'd be a knock out, drag out fight. How's that for a non-answer?
[Laughs] Well, you both seem to lean toward Sara
GC: I did, but in the interest of the survival of my own company, I would have to say that Tara would always come back. There'd be a sequel on Pay-Per-View. [Laughs]
FS: It's an endless fight because you'd get new incarnations and new bearers. [Laughs]
Source: Wizard Universe
