Fabian Nicieza: Hot Wheels And Hellmouths
Most comic book readers know writer Fabian Nicieza as a superhero guy. In the early nineties he worked on the wildly popular X-Force with artist Rob Liefeld. He’s also written fan-favorite runs on New Warriors and Thunderbolts. But the successful scribe hasn’t always played the cape and cowl card. He’s been the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Acclaim Comics, he’s penned offbeat comics like Nomad and Two-Gun Kid for Marvel, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant. And now he’s working on three new, spandex-free projects.
Fabian has recently taken over the writing chores on Dark Horse Comics’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Now that the television show has ended its seven year-run (sob), the comic book may be the last remaining fix for Buffy fans. The writer is also busy constructing stories for Starlight Runner Entertainment's Hot Wheels Highway 35 World Race, a comic book series for kids based on the popular Mattel toy line. With a circulation of over 13 million copies, World Race promises to reach a larger audience than any book in Fabian’s portfolio. In addition, a new Hot Wheels animated video series will be released featuring an episode co-written by Fabian. And last but not least, Mr. Nicieza is writing The Blackburne Covenant, a creator-owned horror/mystery series for Dark Horse that is garnering critical acclaim.
I interviewed Fabian about his latest work and found out that he’s a prolific creator who wears many hats. And he wants to know what it’s like to read comics as an eight year old again.
The Stakeholder
Markisan Naso: How did you get involved with Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer series?
Fabian Nicieza: My friend, Scott Lobdell, was writing the monthly title but his Hollywood shenanigans resulted in some scheduling trouble, so he asked me to help him out.
MN: What is it about the concept that made you want to write the Buffy comic?
FN: I've enjoyed the show since it aired its first episode. I like the humor and shows's ability to tell coming of age stories through the use of monster-analogies.
MN: Given the top notch writing on the Buffy TV show, is it intimidating at all to write the comic book?
FN: Not really, because I felt I could pick up their distinctive voices pretty well for the printed page.
MN: Do you feel any pressure to accurately portray the characters?
FN: Not pressure, so much that it's the expectation of the job. If I'm not portraying the character properly, if you don't hear the actors' voices in the dialogue, then I'm not doing my job well.
MN: You’ll soon be writing Buffy on your own, instead of co-writing with Scott Lobdell. How will the series change now that you’re solo?
FN: Well, I'm already in to Part 4 of my first arc, so the question is actually past-tense for me. The arc I'm writing solo, "A Stake Through The Heart," has a horror angle that is far less overt and physical and far more emotional and haunting.
MN: What do you have planned for upcoming issues of Buffy? Any chance you’ll write about events after the show’s final episode?
FN: We'll wait and see what the publishing program for the comics will be like once the show runs its course. I don't know yet.
MN: What are your feelings on the Buffy TV show ending?
FN: I think it had a good run. Seven years is a long time for a TV show to maintain a high level, and although in my opinion, the show has been a little less consistent the last couple of seasons, I still feel that Buffy running on 60% of its strength is still better than most TV shows at 100.
MN: The Buffy comics seem to be following the continuity of the show more than they have in the past. Will this continue once the TV program is over?
FN: Well, the last year has been set Pre-Season One, so if anything, we were treading on very fertile NEW ground by going backwards in time. Again, what the future holds, I don't know.
MN: How closely is Joss Whedon involved with the Buffy comic? Do you discuss the book with him at all? Will he have more involvement when the TV show is off the air?
FN: The editor Scott Allie talks to Fox and Mutant Enemy on a regular basis. How involved different writers or producers are, I don't know. Outside of Debbie Olshan from FOX being cool enough to send me the DVD sets when I beg for them, I've had no direct contact with anyone other than my editor.
MN: I’ve heard Joss say that comics give him an opportunity to feature bigger, badder monsters and other special effects that would be impossible on television. Do you plan to continue up the danger factor and the special effects?
FN: I hope to. We'll see.
The Mechanic
MN: You recently signed up to do work on Mattel’s Hot Wheels brand. Talk about the Hot Wheels® Highway 35™ World Race™ comic book series. What is it about and how did you come to work on it?
FN: Well, my friend Jeff Gomez runs Starlight Runner Entertainment, which was called to work on Mattel’s World Race premise, and he brought me onboard early as a sounding board for feedback.
I loved the initial concept, and Mattel's feedback helped improve it and flesh things out for the better. So when the gig was green-lit, we started hustling to create the individual comic books that were going to be inserted into the toys.
I loved the challenge of writing self-contained 8-page stories — told in one or two panel pages, that endeavored to have a beginning, middle and end — while at the same time serving as an individual part of a 35-chapter whole! Geez! Somebody pat me on the back over here!
MN: How did you develop an actual story about Hot Wheels? As far as I know there isn’t a whole lot of background for the toys, so did you have to create something from scratch? 
FN: It was a great creative combination: the cars helped make the characters, which in turn helped make the stories the cars appeared in!
The working story allowed for a variety of environments for the racers to drive through, which in turn allowed for a variety of story opportunities. Combine that with 35 different characters and cars, each having unique personalities and features, truthfully, it might sound daunting, but to someone like me, it just created a wealth of story potential.
MN: Will the Hot Wheels comic be aimed at kids? If so, is it a challenge to write a book for the younger age group?
FN: The toys are aimed for 4-8 year old kids, the comics and videos are made to appeal to that age and older. As a parent, I also endeavored to tell stories that a father or mother could read with or to their child that would also contain twists, turns, adventure, conflict and lessons.
MN: In your opinion, how has Hot Wheels endured all these years? What will you bring to the franchise?
FN: Well, I have a lot of experience working on long-running brands — from X-Men to Barbie, I've worked with an understanding as to what makes these things work. Hot Wheels has succeeded for a reason. Over 35 years, more than 41 million men have grown up with Hot Wheels cars. “Driving” Hot Wheels, they learn that the impossible is possible, they push the envelope, they achieve bigger jumps and faster speeds and overcome obstacles. We were using comic book and video entertainment to bring the Hot Wheels lifestyle to life. The World Race storyline let us get to the heart of Hot Wheels — pushing boundaries, beating the odds — played out in a compelling story that’s very accessible to kids.
MN: You’re also writing scripts for the Hot Wheels animated video series. How does writing a television show based on Hot Wheels differ from the comic?
FN: I co-wrote the second episode with Jeff Gomez of Starlight Runner. I'd been doing a lot of teleplay and screenplay writing over the last year, so the transition was pretty seamless, I think. We might have written a bit more dialogue in our first pass than the animators prefer, but overall, I think our pacing and story structure were pretty strong and I think the episode holds up very well. The whole series looks great and makes me wish I could be 8 years old again just so I could watch it with through young eyes!
MN: How many videos are in the series and do you plan to continue writing scripts?
FN: There are 5 EPISODES in the series, and the episodes will be available on VHS and DVD. As for doing more? Well, if it continues on video or TV, they have our numbers. Anytime they want a good script, all they have to do is call.
The Blacksmith
MN: How would you explain what the Blackburne Covenant is for people who aren’t familiar with it?
FN: It's a supernatural conspiracy story about a man who has known nothing but personal failure and must cope with unimaginable success. It is about a man who wants no responsibility learning he might be responsible for changing the world. And it is about secrets long-hidden that must see the light of day in order for civilization to advance beyond the blacktop stagnation it's now in.
MN: Where did the idea for the Blackburne Covenant come from? 
FN: Right out of college, I was working at Berkley Publishing, 1983 — and I wondered what would it be like if I worked there for 20 years, surrounded by writing and writers, but never sold anything myself? Then I pictured a cubicle-drone writing something that sells phenomenally well — and having his little piece of fiction turn out to be long-hidden historical fact!
MN: Did you do research for the Blackburne Covenant or is it strictly fiction?
FN: Strictly fiction set very much in the real world.
MN: Having read the first issue of the Blackburne Covenant I have to say that it seems like a much different kind of comic than people are used to you writing. Why did you decide to write a horror/mystery book and how important for you as a writer is it to dip into different genres?
FN: Well, I wrote Nomad and Two Gun Kid for Marvel, which were very different than anything I was doing for them at the time. I wrote Turok and Troublemakers for Acclaim, which were very different books. I've been pigeon-holed as a "kind" of writer, which I found to be frustratingly ironic, considering I never pigeon-holed myself in my own mind.
Most of the ideas I've had for non-company owned properties have been in different genres, be they crime fiction, horror, or Western. Sometimes, a combination of all three! More than anything, I needed to do something different from "standard" superheroes as much for the editors in the industry as I did for myself. I'm a fairly confident guy and a pretty fair judge of myself. I hope The Blackburne Covenant helps dispel some notions people might have — editors and readers alike —of what "kind" of a writer I am.
MN: Is the story of the Blackburne Covenant limited to this initial series, or do you plan to write more yarns based on the characters?
FN: Well, like any crass commercial writer, it's got a sequel built into it should the opportunity present itself to continue Richard Kaine's story, I'd like to.
MN: Can you give folks a preview of what’s to come in the Blackburne Covenant?
FN: Richard continues to explore the visions of the "alternate world" he's glimpsed — and he keeps throwing up. The conspiracy that is after him escalates in their attempt to silence him. And then Richard meets his muse.
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