Farscape Comic Books

[Geekyfanboy]

I'm very excited about this news... can't wait for more Farscape!!!

FARSCAPE GOES BOOM!:

Boom! Studios will publish comics based on Farscape in four-issue miniseries, each of which will be collected into graphic novels.  The first series will launch later this year. Farscape will be gaining some increased visibility via webisodes on SciFi.com, which will be produced by the Jim Henson Company with Farscape executive producer Brian Henson and series creator Rockne S. O'Bannon will re-unite in the creation of the webisodes.

[Rico]

Cool news!

[Roman]

Thx for the info! Farscape is my third all time favorite TV show. Just started watching the show again on season 3 now.

[Yeoman Mara]

I just adore Farscape!  Comics would be wonderful!!

[davekill]

Who knew puppets could be so cool, or annoying (Rygel)

[Geekyfanboy]

I always thought Pilot was an awesome puppet.

[X]

Did anyone else cry at the end of peace keeper wars?

[Geekyfanboy]

Did anyone else cry at the end of peace keeper wars?

I cried at the ending of many of those episodes...

[Geekyfanboy]

I can't wait for this Comic...

O'Bannon on Returning to "Farscape"

by Shaun Manning, Staff Writer

Since the announcement at this year's Comic Con International that original series creator Rockne O'Bannon would be providing the story for BOOM! Studios' "Farscape" comics, anticipation has run high among fans of much-missed Sci Fi classic. The first four-issue miniseries will be a direct sequel to the "Peacekeeper Wars," which closed out "Farscape's" television run in 2004. With the first issue solicited in this month's Previews catalogue for a November release, CBR News caught up with O'Bannon once again to discuss his initial foray into comics.

In an interview with CBR News during the San Diego convention, O'Bannon said the "Farscape" comics would allow him to tell stories that were not possible with the budget and production constraints of television. Readers will witness Rygel's return to Hyneria in a quest to reclaim his throne, a plot point the TV writers had always wanted to address but could not because of the complex puppetry and cost that would go into creating a world full of Hynerians. "We had one episode where there was a second Hynerian, and that was just killer," O'Bannon said in July. The writer also confirmed that Aeryn's new life as a mother would factor into the new stories.

Now, as the release of issue #1 approaches, O'Bannon is still holding further story details close to the vest. Since CCI, though, the full creative team has been announced: "Farscape" novelist Keith R.A. DeCandido will be scripting O'Bannon's plots, with Tommy Patterson tackling the art chores.

"The story is really cooking," O'Bannon told CBR News. "I just finished giving my notes on issue #3 to Keith DeCandido. It's turning out exactly as I'd hoped -- it's like watching continuing episodes of the series, especially since the comics story picks up immediately from the conclusion of 'The Peacekeeper Wars' television miniseries."

O'Bannon worked closely with DeCandido on the novel, "Farscape: House of Cards." "I know from past experience of other writers adapting TV series of mine into novels and comics that it's very tricky to turn a TV series into prose," O'Bannon explained. "It's a very unique talent, and requires not only an encyclopedic knowledge of the TV series itself, but also the creative ability to capture the often elusive essentials of the series, such as tone. Keith had done this incredibly well with his 'Farscape' novel, and he's doing it again in spades in the comics."

As to the further challenges of adapting to writing for comics rather than television, O'Bannon credited his creative partners with shepherding him through the process. "Having never written for comics before, I was proceeding on instinct a lot of the time as I plotted out the story for the comic's first four-issue arc," he said. "I've been a fan of comics since forever, so I had a gut understanding of the form, but it was also a little nerve-wracking plotting along, wondering if what I was plotting was more suited to film than print. Luckily I had [BOOM! Studios Editor in Chief] Mark Waid as a guide, and Keith DeCandido as a partner. As it turns out, I suspect that the final story reads even more like actual episodes of the television series specifically because I approached it from my ingrained film writer perspective."
   
Working with Waid in particular, O'Bannon said, was an enlightening experience. "Mark is the **KING** of this art form. An emeritus figure. A god, really. It's been fantastic having my first foray into the comic world to be at his knee. We talked about it being at his feet, or thigh -- but I ultimately felt most comfortable at his knee."

Of course, perhaps the biggest translation between media will occur in the visual presentation. Whereas the Henson Company-produced television series relied on the use of elaborate puppets and fantastic sets, the look and feel of the "Farscape" comics will be in the hands of artist Tommy Patterson. "Tommy's doing an amazing job with the art," O'Bannon said. Though DeCandido works more directly with Patterson, O'Bannon nevertheless enjoys a special perspective on the finished pages.
"I'm lucky in that I get to experience the art almost as if I'm the first 'fan' to see it. I love that."

BOOM! Studios' "Farscape" #1 goes on sale in November.

[Geekyfanboy]

First issue is out Dec. 24th..

You know that Farscape comic that's coming out later this month? Yah, we thought so. We're a little fahrbot about the new comic book series and wanted to get some more info, so we went to our friends at Boom! Studios and asked 'em a few questions.

What follows is our exclusive interview with Farscape writer Keith R.A. DeCandido (KRAD) and Farscape editor Matt Gagnon (MG).

TFAW.com: The comic book is set shortly after the events of Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. Will readers new to Farscape be able to keep up, or is this more geared toward current fans?

KRAD: I'm hoping that people will be able to follow along without being hardcore Farscape fans. I certainly made an effort to make it as accessible as possible. Having said that, the show itself has a pretty detailed history, and it will help to be at least vaguely familiar with it.

TFAW.com: How has the change of medium–from television to comics–affected the look and feel of the action? What were some of the challenges and benefits of going from film to paper?

KRAD: Well, I never worked on the TV show–my experience is in being a huge fan of the show and writing a tie-in novel and three tie-in short stories in the universe. It's still different, of course, as prose has different requirements from comics, with no dependence on visuals and more space to get inside characters' heads. Comics are much faster-paced — and you do have artwork. One of the biggest challenges in writing Farscape prose is that the show was so visually lush and complex, thanks to the amazing work of the Creature Shop, so it was really hard to do it justice in prose. In comics, we can not only do it, but do more than the show did by virtue of not having budget restrictions on those visuals.

TFAW.com: There's been talk of a new character who will be introduced in the comic who will play a large part in the upcoming webisodes. Are there any hints you can pass on?

KRAD: Not unless I want Rockne to come to my house and break my legs, no there are no hints I can pass on . . .

TFAW.com: How have the characters grown and changed since the miniseries? How will this affect their actions and the overall story?

KRAD: Well, not a whole helluva lot, by virtue of this comic book picking up right where PKW left off. Page 1 of #1 is the closing shot of the miniseries, where Crichton and Aeryn hold their infant son up to the starscape. Having said that, D'Argo's death is something that has a profound impact on everyone, and the cameo that Rygel's usurper cousin Bishan made in PKW has consequences that the comic book will explore in depth.

TFAW.com: With series creator Rockne O'Bannon plotting the series and Farscape novelist Keith R. A. DeCandido handling the writing, it seems a safe assumption that this will be an authentic continuation of the Farscape story. How did you choose the artists? What were your criteria?

MG: We're extremely fortunate to have Rockne and Keith on board. They're pretty much the dream team. With them at the helm, there's no way this couldn't be authentic. As far as an artist, we did an extensive search, and when BOOM! and The Jim Henson Company saw how incredible Tommy Patterson is, it all clicked. We all knew that visually capturing the Farscape universe was going to be monumentally challenging. In addition to being a talented newcomer, Tommy is one of the toughest and most well-prepared artists I've worked with.

TFAW.com: Adding a child to the mix can sometimes upset the balance of a series. Were there any concerns about incorporating Crichton and Aeryn's son into the story?

KRAD: Not for me. One of my favorite comic book stories is Lone Wolf & Cub, a Japanese series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. It has an assassin who travels around feudal Japan with his little kid. That was the route I was hoping Xena would go when she had a child, but they did something else. But I think this is a great opportunity to add a new dynamic to the series, and the baby will play a significant role in the story.

TFAW.com: Are there any plans past the upcoming miniseries for Boom! and Farscape?

MG: Absolutely. We're having way too much fun to stop now! After the first Farscape arc is finished, we'll be following it up with a new arc called Farscape: Strange Detractors! Is Rockne back? Yes. Is Keith back? Yes. Will it tie into the Farscape webisodes? You know it.

TFAW.com would like to thank Keith and Matt for their time and our friends at Boom! Studios for hooking us up with the interview and for letting us be the first to know about Farscape: Strange Detractors.

[Ktrek]

KRAD worked on this comic? Cool! I might have to check it out then!!

Kevin

[Geekyfanboy]

Here's the cover art for the first issue.. there are three different covers.. A, B and C and a few pages from the first issue.

[Geekyfanboy]

Here are more.

[Geekyfanboy]

Last page..

[wraith1701]

I'm gonna have to add this to my Pull List. :)




***Possible Spoiler-ish question***


























It's been a while since I've watched Farscape, so maybe I'm missing or forgetting something.. Isn't D'Argo dead?  When does this story take place?