May 2007 will be a big month the fan-favorite, Eisner Award winning creator Paul Dini (Detective Comics, Batman: The Animated Series). In addition to serving as the head writer/”show runner” for the May-debuting DC event Countdown, maybe not so coincidently that month will also see the launch of his newest creator-owned property - Madam Mirage.
The series, published by Top Cow and penciled by Kenneth Rocafort, is steeped in murder, mystery, and intrigue and stars s chsracter Top Cow calls a “classic femme fatale” … and judging by the cover images, boy, they aren’t kidding…
As part of our special Newsarama Top Cow week, we recently chatted with Dini about the new character and her origins…
Newsarama: Paul, first of all, let’s start at the beginning. You’ve mentioned in a Top Cow press release on the series that you had the opportunity to introduce this new character in an animated series. May we ask if that was Batman: The Animated Series?
Paul Dini: No. About eight years ago I was approached by one of the Internet Flash (in the pan) animation studios about pitching some new cartoons to them. They specifically were looking for action adventure concepts, so I went home, got out my sketch book, which is where all my new character ideas come from, and started playing around with ideas for a new heroine character.
Because I would only have three or four minutes in each cartoon installment, I wanted her adventures to be very visual, with little or no dialogue and an emphasis on action. Therefore the character had to be built around a strong visual, as well. I liked the idea of a woman who could come and go at will, not quite a ghost but not entirely human, either. The more I worked on Mirage's character, the more interesting she and her world became to me. I began to think here was more to her than just a couple of short cartoons and decided to pass on making a formal pitch to the animation company. That turned out to be a wise choice as the company was out of business three months later.
NRAMA: Was the creator rights to the character ever an issue, even during that brief time?
PD: I'm not sure what the deal would have been if I had produced Madame Mirage through the Flash company. We never got that far in our discussions.
There was an episode of The Simpsons a few years back where Bart created a character that appeared in Internet shorts, and he was paid in worthless company stock and empty promises. That episode, along with the depiction of the company and the people who ran it, was amazingly accurate; leading me to suspect it was written by disgruntled writers who had stepped into that area themselves. Everyone was expecting to cash in on their characters (or sell them to TV) and when that didn't happen, those flash companies disappeared faster than Mirage herself. If I had committed to making the short, it probably would have been quickly forgotten and the character locked up either in litigation or a file somewhere.
NRAMA: And how about Top Cow? You obviously have an established relationship with DC/Warner, how and why did Top Cow become her home?
PD: I had been talking to then-editor Jim McLauchlin about doing some of my original creations at the Cow and Mirage was the one he really liked. Top Cow has a history of books featuring strong, attractive heroines and I felt Mirage would be a good fit with the likes of Lara Croft and Sara Pezzini.
NRAMA: So tell readers what you can/would like at this stage about this character and world she inhabits? Who she is? What is ASI? etc?
PD: We are in a world very much like our own, but one where the technology to create meta-humans, either through mechanical means or bio-manipulation, is a reality. Or it was a reality, I should say, as that tech has all been outlawed.
Turns out that power was way too tempting for most people to handle and it resulted in more villains being created than heroes. When a worldwide crackdown was initiated, the villains simply traded their costumes for business suits and formed a private company. Now called Aggressive Solutions International, this cabal of one-time villains sells their talents to anyone willing to meet their price. Kidnapping, terrorism, theft, murder, these guys do it all. Their only threat is the elusive Madame Mirage, who is somehow able to checkmate their every move and strike their agents down any time they appear.
Mirage is aided in her crusade by her younger sister, Harper Temple. In the eyes of the law they'd be criminals too, so the sisters must keep a low profile from both the villains and the Feds.
NRAMA: Can you say why her moniker includes “mirage”??
PD: Like her name, Mirage is very much "now you see her, now you don't." Though I thought up the name and basic character some years ago, she didn't fully crystallize until I met my wife, Misty Lee. Misty is a world-class magician and illusionist. She has contributed a lot of details about the way Mirage looks as well as a few secrets of how she accomplishes her miraculous Cheshire Cat-like feats.
NRAMA: Top Cow has called her a “classic femme fatale”. Not to play stupid, but just as a way of getting a feel for this character, what does that mean to you? What is a classic femme fatale?
PD: The classic femme fatale is someone cool, smart and beautiful. They talk tough and deliver, but they are not without their own personal code of honor. There is also something elusive about her, like trying to capture a wisp of smoke.
NRAMA: And how “classic” will she be? One can interpret classic as “retro”. Of what era or combination of eras do you consider this character to have come?
PD: The action takes place in the present day, even though Mirage appears to be a woman from another time. Her appearance is very arresting -- the look she adopts is in part, adopted by the fashions of the mid-forties through the mid-sixties. While those are looks that are highly esteemed, they are rarely, if ever, seen anymore. But then, that's part of Mirage's power. She operates through misdirection, presenting one thing than delivering another. People are so taken by this vision of a woman that only too late do they notice the gun in her hand.
NRAMA: Does this series exist in the contemporary Top Cow Universe, along with Witchblade, the Darkness, etc??
PD: I think of Mirage's adventures as happening off on their own, but that's not to say that a team-up of sorts couldn't arise at some point.
<NRAMA: Often when mystery and intrigue are a central element of an ongoing series, be it Madame Mirage (comic book) or Lost (television), there is always the issue of successfully navigating the juggling act of continuing the mystery but revealing enough to satisfy the audience. Guessing and playing detective is fun for so long until it becomes frustrating. How do you plan to walk that wire? When do you know it’s time to let readers in on the secrets and start some new ones?
PD: I plan to answer lots of questions, but like in a lot of mysteries, I may answer them while posing another question. Still, if readers stick with Mirage through her first six-part series, I promise they'll be in on some amazing revelations.
NRAMA: Just as a side note, Top Cow has a couple of crossover contracts with other publishers. Are there any plans in the works for Madame Mirage to meet say anyone from the Marvel Universe?
PD: At this point I'm concentrating on getting Madame Mirage started in her own book. It will be a while before I'm ready to consider anything beyond that.
NRAMA: Okay, finally (for now) Paul, any last impressions/parting thoughts you want to leave readers with while they wait for issue #1?
PD: Keep your eyes open…
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formerly The Gas, LordPerrin
Originally Posted by Gohron
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