WWE Heroes editor Ned Hartley is excited about his new comic. Very excited. In this interview, he talks about his love of WWE, and lets fans know what to expect from the most sensational comics release of 2010.
Like most people who grew up in the 80s, you must’ve been a WWE fan from way back. What are some of your favorite memories of the classics of the ring?
I very clearly remember seeing the Undertaker for the first time in Survivor Series in 1990 and just thinking that he was the coolest wrestler I had ever seen in my life! But I thought they were all fantastic, I had all the little action figures, from the Rowdy Roddy Piper whose arms spun around, to the Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who hit people with a two by four. My brother and I would spend ages making them beat the snot out of each other.
WWE is clearly undergoing a renaissance at the moment – who are your favorite heroes and heels from the current crop? Any highlights from match-ups in the last couple of years?
Seeing Triple H fight Randy Orton when they last came to London was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, I’m a huge fan of Triple H, and it was an awesome show! Actually, I think you’ll be able to tell the favourite wrestlers of the whole comic creative team, because they are the ones that we use the most! I don’t want to give too much away, because we’ve got a few surprises in later issues.
A magic-toting terrorist has their exploding fist to your temple. How do you describe the WWE Heroes comic to him in one sentence or less? What’s the high concept?
What an odd question. It’s an eternal conflict of good and evil, writ large against the backdrop of the whole WWE roster. How did that sound? Did the magic exploding fist go away yet?
Introduce us to the creative team.
I’ve been a fan of Keith Champagne for a while, I really liked his work when he was writing Justice Society of America for DC Comics, and I know that he loves WWE more than anyone! His enthusiasm for the project has just never diminished from day one! I remember the first time I saw Andy Smith’s artwork in Superman Confidential and just being really, really impressed by what he could do. Every time I print out some of his artwork people stop at my desk and ask me who the artist is – that’s always a good sign!
From the preview pages we’ve seen, the comic clearly takes the action out of the ring. Is this as simple as ‘what the wrestlers do on their days off’, or is there a lot more to it than that?
I really like the idea of using the large personalities of the WWE to tell huge and dramatic stories. The way that the stars of the WWE have these twisting histories and these ferocious battles – it’s almost like the warriors and heroes of Greek myths. And it means that you can really ramp up the stakes and produce a really great comic!
It must be difficult to balance perilous violence with the demands of family-friendly entertainment… How do you find the line?
One of the great things about WWE is that they can provide spectacular entertainment and give the fans an awesome show, while at the same time making it accessible to a very wide audience – we take our cue from them. I think the most important thing is telling stories that we would like to read, stories that both comics and WWE fans will really enjoy.
Without going into spoileriffic detail, can you give us an idea of what’s coming up in the first year?
Well, without giving too much away, the first issue kind of sets the blueprint for what we want to do in the first year, by telling the story of the Firstborn and The Shadow King – two warriors who have been fighting since man first starting beating up his fellow man. We’re telling their story and how they relate to the WWE, but at the same time showing the kind of thing that fans can expect from the comic.
What’s your favorite piece of art – and moment of story – from the first arc?
I just love Andy Smith’s opening pages from issue #1. Seriously, I defy anyone to pick up the comic, read those pages and not want to buy the issue!
Would you believe Ned has even more to say? Look out for the second part of his interview, coming very soon.
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