Hannah Rose May, Declan Shalvey, Justin Mason, Tríona Farrell, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou's Rogues' Gallery is set to take on the darker side of fandom. Published by Image Comics, the story has been described as The Purge meets Scream. Rogues' Gallery #1 introduces readers to an angry group of fans who are unhappy with the TV adaptation of their favorite comic series. But things get out of hand when they decide to rob the actress they blame for the show's poor performance.
Ahead of the release of Rogues' Gallery #1 on Wednesday, July 20, CBR spoke with May about the series. She discussed a critical moment in fandom that sparked the idea for the book, as well as why the discourse about popular franchises needs to change. She also explained the harrowing revelation that the main character, Maisie Wade, has about her role on a superhero show.
CBR: First off, Rogue's Gallery #1 is hilarious. It beautifully captures the darker side of fandom. Was there any specific moment in pop culture that inspired the idea for this book, or was it more of a culmination of things?
Hannah Rose May: Great question! First, I'm glad you were able to find the humor because, like every good thriller, it's all fun and games until it's not. I guess it was a bit of both. There are, unfortunately, numerous occasions we can point to where fandom has turned toxic, but the one that's most personal to me is what happened to Kelly Marie Tran. I attended the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and as a Star Wars fan, it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. As an actor, I could only imagine how exciting it was for the actors in the movie to be in a Star Wars film since Star Wars is the dream job! I watched as Kelly Marie Tran became overcome with emotion as she walked that red carpet. Everyone present shared in Kelly's excitement.
Fast-forward five days later, the movie is out, and she's being screamed at from all corners of the internet, so much so that she had to delete all of her social media [accounts]. It was so sad. My heart broke for her. It was so unfair and uncalled-for, and what most people don't understand is actors have no say in the story. For Kelly, the role of Rose was probably the biggest moment in her life and to have it robbed from her by a very vocal minority is unacceptable.
There's one moment in the first issue where the fans complain about Maisie Wade leaving the series after spending most of the time lamenting her time on the show. It's the perfect juxtaposition, really. Why is this, though? What do you believe compels people to be so critical then do a 180 so fast?
My read on this is that, unfortunately, in these kinds of situations, people love to hate. It tends to be a small minority, but it can be a very loud one. Today it seems almost trendy to be a naysayer instead of choosing to love the shit out of something. People are too quick these days to jump online to nag on someone or tear something down rather than praising it. And this has only gotten worse as people are now more than ever able to hide behind their nameless and faceless social media accounts. If only we all followed the age-old adage of "If you've nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all," the Internet would be a wonderful place. Thankfully, the mute button and block button do exist, so there are ways to curb that unsolicited noise.
Naturally, people are passionate about franchises and IPs -- it's always existed -- yet it seems like every time an adaptation of a popular property gets announced, the first instinct is negativity. Have we become far too critical as a society and closed off to the idea that it's okay to deviate from the source material?
I fear there's no pleasing everybody. We all come to these beloved franchises with our own feelings towards them, our own attachments to them, [and] our own visions of them. It's because of this type of possessiveness that we ultimately create a no-win scenario. Paramount+'s Halo series is a perfect example. Fans have wanted an adaptation for decades. Finally, we got one, and it has the community split down the middle. I think we, as fans, have to realize the Herculean challenge it is to take something that so many people love and have a connection to and try to make it accessible to everyone.
I love The Walking Dead, both the comics and the show, and I can enjoy each of them for what they are and the story they tell, even if they deviate from one another. I think we need to embrace the luxury that we modern-day fans have to be able to have so many touchpoints with a franchise or IP we love. Star Wars fans had to wait nearly 20 years to get the prequel films, but today we have a whole new suite of shows, a sequel trilogy, awesome standalone films, and so much more to be able to sink our teeth into.
Not all these iterations are going to be your favorite, but that doesn't mean that they're not someone else's. Look at the reception that Hayden Christensen is getting now for prequels with the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi. That's because the generation of kids those movies were for are able to finally celebrate him for bringing their version of a Skywalker to life.
On the other side of the coin in Rogues' Gallery, there's Maisie, who probably has had enough of the constant fan obsession and judgment at every corner. What is the cure for someone like her? Is walking away the solution?
Another excellent question and one that I want to tread carefully with, so I don't give anything away! The short answer is that there is no right way to leave something. For Maisie, she can't escape the shadow of the Red Rogue, and even when Maisie tries, she learns what deep down she always knew -- she's always going to be seen as the Red Rogue. For better and for worse. The solution isn't going to come from the actors who play the parts or from the writers working on the shows. It's going to have to come from the community. You'll have to read the rest of the series to see how Maisie handles this situation and whether walking away was the right move or the wrong one.
Hypothetically, if Rogues' Gallery was to be adapted into a film or TV show, do you think the discourse would be everything that the book warns us about?
Hypothetically, if Rogues' was to be adapted into a show or feature, I'd absolutely want the book's discourse to be the engine that drives the adaptation. It'd be very interesting to see how fans of our comic would react to its adaptation, which I think could be its own meta-narrative within itself. I'd, of course, hope that the fans of the comic would cheer on any adaptation because it meant that Maisie, The Red Rogue, and Rogues' Gallery's message was reaching a new, wider audience. I wish there were as many comic book readers as there are film/TV watchers, but unfortunately, that's not the case. I've always been a big fan and believer of edutainment, and the goal with Rogues' Gallery has always been to help shed a light on toxic fandom and the pain it causes. If an adaptation can help further that conversation, I'd like to think that fans of the book would celebrate it regardless of who plays Maisie or what liberties are taken.
Tell us more about the team involved in creating the book. How did everyone get together here?
Needless to say, I've always been a huge fan of Declan Shalvey. We had followed each other online for a while since we're both from Ireland and comic book fans. One day Declan and I were chatting, and I soft pitched him the idea for Rogues' Gallery. He thought it was really cool [and] pitched it to his editor, Heather Antos, who loved it from the jump. To have Heather's seal of approval let us know we had something special.
Declan had wanted to work with Justin Mason for a while, and when he sent me some of his work to check out, it was an instant yes at first glance. Justin is an incredible artist! You can never work with too many Irish folks, and so we were fortunate enough to get Tríona Farrell, an amazing Irish colorist, to come aboard. Last but not least, the prolific Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou joined us on letters, and I'm so delighted that he did because he delivered some really creative stuff with all the online discourse you see throughout the series. It's not lost on me how fortunate I am to have such a killer team on my debut book.
We've had Revenge of the Fans. What are the odds that this book becomes the Revenge of the Creatives?
I think it's important to emphasize that this book isn't about revenge as much as it's about obsession. While it might appear like our antagonists want revenge on Maisie, they're actually so obsessed that they are unable to draw the line between her and the character she portrays. If this book does anything, I hope that it helps readers understand that toxic fandom has the ability to shatter people's mental health, instill them with debilitating anxiety, and take away the joy of their profession. Whether you're an actor, a writer, a director, a producer, or a crew member on a show or movie, the amount of energy and effort it takes to bring something to life is tremendous. As the series progresses, readers will come to understand this even further, and, without giving anything away, Issue #2 really helps nail this point.
Finally, do you see an endpoint in sight for this story, or do you feel it could continue with other characters but using the same premise?
Like every good story, there's a twist! That particular twist definitely allows for some interesting spin-off potential. Similar in tone to Scream, not only could we continue with other characters, but there might also be room for some copycats...
Rogues' Gallery #1 arrives in stores on Wednesday, July 20, from Image Comics.