Marvel Comics' Shatterstar is perhaps best known as a member of the original incarnation of X-Force, or for some fans, as a member of X-Factor Investigations. He joined those organizations because they allowed him to further the cause of mutant freedom, a concept important to him because he grew up as a genetically engineered mutant slave and gladiator in a far future version of the alternate reality known as the Mojoverse. He's crossed both time and space to escape his past as a slave and forge a new destiny, but this October, his history will come back to haunt him.
It all happens in the five-issue Shatterstar series by writer Tim Seeley and artist Carlos Villa. CBR spoke with Seeley about the appeal of his title character, the new and unlikely role his protagonist will play in the book, and the series' supporting cast which includes familiar faces as well as brand new characters.
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CBR:So Tim, what was it about Shatterstar that made him an intriguing protagonist to do a mini-series about? Which aspects of the character are you interested in exploring in this book?
Tim Seeley: I’m not gonna lie, the immediate appeal was nostalgia. I was the perfect age to be totally blown away by a Bad Ass Alien Gladiator showing up in the last pages of New Mutants before it relaunched as X-Force. But, what’s really exciting me as a considerably older guy are the “hardboiled” aspects of his character. He’s a guy who was bred for violence, and he’s trying to be a good person. But the thread of civility is a pretty thin one, especially for an interdimensional mutant refugee. Not to sound hoity-toity but his back story made me think of Raymond Chandler’s description of the “private detective” trope: “He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be...a man of honor.” That’s what I ran with.
What is Shatterstar's state of mind when you pick up with him in issue #1? What kind of place is he in, emotionally?
We’re basically picking up with him in the aftermath of living in the X-World with all those other costumed crazies and their dramatic lives. He’s not part of a team, and he’s looking to find his place in the world he’s chosen to live in.
What can you tell us about the inciting incident of the story? The announcement of this book suggested it would be a hardboiled action comic; is that what you're aiming for?
Yeah, for sure. At it’s heart, it’s a revenge story, wherein the “revenger” is being forced to confront his history. So, it’s a bit darker than some of the other superhero stuff I’ve written, and it’ll be full of bad people getting stuck with double bladed swords. But there’ll also be a lot of character drama mixed in with all that stabbing.
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Who are some of the supporting characters Shatterstar will interact with in your story? Will we see his significant other, Rictor? Are you introducing any new characters, and if so what can you tell us about them?
Rictor is definitely in it, and plays a role, though he’s not the co-star. We’re introducing a bunch of new supporting characters...the tenants of the building Shatterstar bought and is the landlord for. All of them are interdimensional refugees from all over the Marvel Multiverse. Shatterstar feels responsible for them.
What can you tell us about the antagonists Shatterstar is up against in this miniseries?
I don't want to reveal the Big Bad just yet, but it’s a great villain that isn't typically associated with the X-verse, and makes a lot of sense given Shatty’s origin. The other main villain is someone we haven’t met before...a gladiator from Shatterstar’s pit-fighting days named Gringrave. As we’ll see, she and Shat have a history...she was his mentor and lover.
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Against what backdrops will your story unfold? Is this a series primarily set in one dimension or several different realities?
The story flashes back and forth between the Marvel U in the present and the Mojoverse in the past. Or...well...in the future. Cuz Shatterstar is from the future. But, the past of the future.
Y’know, Nightwing wasn’t this confusing to write, is all I’m saying.
You're working with artist Carlos Villa on Shatterstar, who did Marvel's recent Lockjaw miniseries What's it like working with Carlos? What do you enjoy most about his style?
Carlos is doing a less cartoony, “darker” sort of style to fit the story, but he’s bringing that same excellent storytelling and acting that you saw on Lockjaw. We’ve also got Gerardo Sandoval doing the flashback sequences. It’s a slick looking series.
Our cover art by Yasmine Putri is amazing. I worked with her on Nightwing, but she’s really upping her game with this book. Issue 2 is amazing.
Finally, the past few years have seen you focusing the work for hire portion of your career in the DC Universe. Are you interested in picking up any more Marvel work after Shatterstar? If this series resonates with readers do you have more stories you'd be interested in telling with Shatterstar?
Yeah, I was a Marvel kid growing up, and I’m plenty familiar with Marvel history, so it’s fun to flex my muscles in a world I’m so comfortable in. And, yeah, we set up a pretty unique ground work for Shatterstar, so if he survives these five issues, I could see us telling more tales of the Gladiator-Detective-Landlord and his weird tenants.