DF Interview: Victor Gischler puts Angel & Faith through their paces

By Byron Brewer

Part of the Buffyverse – the comic universe stemming from iconic Buffy the Vampire Slayer tales -- is being overrun by Big Bad Archaeus’s vampire family. His plot to take complete control hinges on one thing—whether or not the sentient magic will join him.

Are Angel, Faith and their team ready for such a challenge?

To find out, Dynamic Forces turned to the writer of Angel & Faith Season 10, Victor Gischler, to find out.

Dynamic Forces: So, Victor, were you a fan of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Victor Gischler: Yes, a big fan, but not at first. My wife is a fan and a university professor and has actually written some Buffy-related scholarships. A long time ago, she went away for the weekend and told me to record a Buffy marathon on TV. This was back in the old VHS days. At some point, I sat down and started watching and ended up watching all the remaining episodes.

DF: For those not familiar with the Buffyverse – those valued “new readers” – tell us the premise behind Angel & Faith and about the Season 10 banner it’s under.

Victor Gischler: Last “season,” a portion of London was turned into “Magic Town.” (Long story but worth it. You should all buy last season’s trades to catch up!) Anyway, in Magic Town, a significant percentage of the citizens have been turned into magical creatures. Now they have to live side-by-side with the humans. A good chunk of Season 10 deals with the fallout of that.

DF: What is “sentient magic”?

Victor Gischler: Well, the magic in Magic Town is a little different than the magic in the rest of the world. To some extent, it is conscious. What does that mean? Read and find out!

DF: As the writer, tell us about your take on both Angel and Faith.

Victor Gischler: Well, my take is basically the take of the TV shows where these characters came from in the first place. We’re always very concerned with allowing the characters to grow and evolve, but we also want to stay true to the characters fans grew to love from the shows.

DF: If you can in a non-spoilery manner, tell us about the psyche of Big Bad Archaeus.

Victor Gischler: He’s a demon lord, and these guys are used to being obeyed and worshipped. He wants power, and he thinks he’s found a way to be more powerful. Family themes are strong here.

DF: How does Angel see himself and his role as the “sheriff” of Magic Town?

Victor Gischler: Angel feels at least partially responsible for the transformation of Magic Town in the first place. It’s in Angel’s DNA to clean up his own messes, so he naturally wants to hang around Magic Town to be as helpful as possible. He’s not just going to shrug and wander away when innocent people need his help. Nobody asked him to do this. It’s just who he is.

DF: What makes Will Conrad the right artist for this book?

Victor Gischler: First of all, he’s just awesome. But more than that, likenesses are VERY important in these books. We want Angel and Faith (and Buffy and Willow and …) to look like the actors and actresses from the show. So artists need to be able to demonstrate they can do that. Will’s Angel and Faith are tops.

DF: Victor, are there any projects current or near-future you would like to discuss?

Victor Gischler: I’m doing the Independence Day tie-in comic for Titan.  This is highly anticipated; it’s five issues. The first one comes out in March.  Awesome stuff.  I’m also doing a creator-owned science fiction comic for Titan call Terminal Town which I’m pretty high on.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Victor Gischler for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. Angel & Faith Season 10 #24 arrives in stores March 2^nd!

For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces,www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces

RED SONJA / CONAN #1 (OF 4) RARE ALEX ROSS "VIRGIN ART" EDITION. BOOK WRITTEN BY VICTOR GISCHLER. 

2. 04/22/2024 - PETER MILLIGAN

3. 04/18/2024 - RICH DOUEK

4. 04/15/2024 - TONY FLEECS

5. 04/11/2024 - JOE CASEY

Show All