Screenwriter and producer J. Michael Straczynski returns to comics this March with the launch of his creator-owned title The Resistance from the newly formed AWA Studios. The series, co-created with past collaborator and artist Mike Deodato Jr., is one of four inaugural releases comprising a new shared universe within the publisher's Upshot imprint.

AWA Studios (Artists, Writers & Artisans) was formed in late 2018 by former Marvel Publisher Bill Jemas and former Marvel Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso, chaired by Fandom co-chair Jon Miller. Straczynski is one of six members on the publisher's creative counsel, which also includes

Along with Reginald Hudlin, Garth Ennis, Greg Hurwitz, Margaret Stohl and Frank Cho, Straczynski is part of the publisher's creative counsel that's tasked with charting the course of Upshot's shared universe. AWA's other Upshot Universe titles are Michael Moreci and C.P. Smith's Archangel 8, Jason Starr and Will Conrad's Red Border, and John Lees and Dalibor Talajić's Hotell #1.

Straczynski and Deodato spoke with CBR about The Resistance and their overall involvement with the publisher and its creative initiative.

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CBR: Joe, as one of the creative directors, let's start with you. Describe the shared Upshot Universe and its apocalyptic backdrop.

Straczynski: A retrovirus of unknown (to most) origin starts in the United States and quickly spreads to the rest of the world. Like other retroviruses, it enters the victim's DNA and begins making changes that can cause death within a matter of days. It is 100% contagious and 95% fatal. Within a matter of just a few months, 400 million people are killed around the world. Then, suddenly and unaccountably, the virus goes dormant everywhere at once, and the dying stops. On the surface, that's good news in that the human race doesn't die off, but the thing is, viruses don't just simultaneously shut down like that unless there's some controlling factor, which is unsettling to say the least.

Even more worrisome is the fact that a substantial number of the 5% who survive -- roughly 20 million people total -- begin exhibiting powers and abilities they didn't have before being infected as a result of genetic changes caused by the virus. So if even half that number were affected, that's 10 million people with powers in every corner of the globe.

The big questions raised by this are: Why did this happen? What does it mean? How do the governments of the world -- democracies and tyrannies alike -- deal with 10 million people who now have extraordinary powers? Was the infection deliberate, and if so, why? Were the powers an unexpected byproduct, or was it intentional, and if so, what's the goal? Are these powers gifts or are the survivors unwitting fifth columnists in a much bigger play?

But there are also the personal questions, which on an individual basis are even more compelling: What do I do with these powers? What if I don't want them? Can I slip by without letting anyone know about the powers so I can live a normal life? Why is the government after me? How do I deal with my family and friends, who saw everyone they love die while I not only survived but came out with powers? Do I use these abilities for selfish purposes and personal gain, or do I use them to serve mankind, to create beauty, or to fight the government that is after others like me?

It's a huge canvas on which we can tell both huge stories and more intimate, quiet stories.

It's huge indeed, and certainly carries the potential for a wealth of storylines. How does The Resistance fit into that, then? What is your series specifically about?

The Resistance is the core title that creates that universe and sets it in motion. It covers the span of time between the initial infection and the revelation about the survivors having received extraordinary powers -- how the powers-that-be react to it, and how those affected deal with their actions. The Resistance shows how those events play out not just in the U.S. but in Moscow, Beijing, England and other countries around the world. We meet a President who rides fear of the virus into the White House, and Prime Ministers and Parliaments -- but we also meet ordinary people who learn to use their abilities for deeply personal reasons. Again, the big splash of the paint against the subtler, fine-line drawings.

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So if tens of millions of people are gaining extraordinary powers, does that make The Resistance a superhero title, then? If not, how would you describe it?

I'm not really sure how one would describe it, because it doesn't fit into any of the current paradigms. In creating this universe, I wanted to go against the grain of the other comics-based paradigms, so it doesn't really line up with anything else out there. (So if you're looking to read something unlike anything you've read in comics before, this would be a good place to start.) There's a ton of action in the issues, but it's not conventional superhero/bad guy stuff.

A college student uses her abilities to deal with a frat guy who roofied her friend. A man in North Korea uses his powers against soldiers after his family. A group of affected folks in an urban area use their abilities to protect their own neighborhood rather than venturing into the world. Some use it as performance art, to bring beauty into the world. On the more dangerous side, some become guns-for-hire, commit petty crimes or use their abilities to make themselves more powerful.

My theory on getting powers is similar to my theory on fame and money: if you were a jerk before getting fame and money, you're a bigger jerk when you get fame and money. If you were a nice guy before getting fame and money, you're a nicer guy afterward. Same with powers. They make you more of what you were in the first place.

So if this were TV, I guess I'd call it an action/character drama. Not afraid of the superhero title at all -- it's just that that's not what we're doing in the traditional sense.

Let's bring you in here, Mike. How much input did you have on the world-building? Did you have a say with Joe regarding the storyline in The Resistance, or are you focusing on executing his ideas?

Deodato: He created the story and I created the visuals, simple like that. I prefer this way, to be honest. We are both masters of our craft, we know exactly what to do. It worked very well with our past collaborations in Dream Police and Amazing Spider-Man, so no need to change it now.

So there's no difference in how you two collaborated on this series?

The main difference is that we are older, more experienced and modesty aside, at the peak of our creativity.

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As Joe said, there are going to be plenty of people with superpowers in the world of The Resistance, but they're not all going to be like traditional characters with fantastic abilities. Sounds like you'll still be drawing a lot of superhero-like characters, though.

A lot. But not all in costumes, not all aware of their powers and not all know what to do with them. Normal people that suddenly woke up with these different abilities and have to figure out what and what not to do with them.

Joe, while we're on the subject of powers, talk about the idea of the "democratization of superpowers" you've stated before, and your fame and money theory you mentioned earlier. Is there an intended analogy to our world, say in comparison to those gifted with artistic talents, above-average intelligence, or athletic prowess, for instance? And how those powers could actually be at odds with a person's previous station in life?

Straczynski: Not really -- again, we're trying to create a different paradigm, and the comparisons above tend to speak to the traditional approach. If you've never had Indian food before, and then you do, and somebody asks, "How would you compare it to a hamburger?," there's really not a good answer. It's not that one is necessarily better than the other, they just represent very different approaches.

When I say the "democratization of superpowers," it's not a political thing. Traditionally, in comics, there's a gateway process that eliminates everyone but the person affected. You have a ton of money so you can create super-suits or build a Batcave. You're in the right time and place to get bit by a spider or summoned by a power ring or hit by cosmic rays or rocketed here from another world. You're a super-genius, have dedicated your whole life to something that others can't do, or you're way rich.

In this case, those who get powers are ordinary folks -- the guy next door, the mailman, the runaway, the dealer down the street, the hustler, the dreamer, the forgotten and the written-off and the aspiring and the already-powerful. The virus makes no distinction between castes, classes, countries, income level or prior training. It can happen to anyone. It can happen to you. And if it does -- what comes next?

Ordinary folks, with a large variety of fantastic abilities. Mike, for you, how is this different from drawing a title like Avengers?

Deodato: It is a new universe. There aren't decades of continuity to hold us down, so it is completely different from anything I have done before.

Did that pose any unique challenges for you on this title?

My goal was to make it look like you were watching a movie with an infinite budget and the best cast ever. That was my personal challenge.

Joe, the "democratization of superpowers" might not be democratic in the political sense, but there are political overtones in The Resistance that definitely aren't democratic. How do politics play into the series, and does it reflect or address the current political division in the U.S.?

Straczynski: The Resistance takes a real-world perspective to the events of our story, and if this really happened tomorrow, you can be sure that the next day every government in the world would be looking ways to control, co-opt or stomp on those so affected.

In the U.S., that means an excuse for the newly elected president to come up with ways to find the affected and curtail personal rights in the process. And these people are not about to let themselves be corralled and controlled. In other countries, they might be forced to serve government officials or equally forced to fight them. The U.N. would develop more general approaches to try to prevent their exploitation while at the same time providing means of protecting the populace at large.

Most of those who survived the virus were in the 18-30 age range because they were the strongest and thus most capable of survival. And the folks in that group are already well aware of the tendency by those in power to sell out their future in return for self-gain, so the story is also intended to give them a voice.

There's one thing everyone always wants to know about comics sharing a common universe: are there any planned crossover events with the other titles? Or is it just one big world, and everyone's simply living in their corner of it?

Straczynski: At this point, it's really more the latter. Shared experiences in a shared world hit by the same singular event. There will be overlap and treeing-off of some elements, but the goal is to make each book stand on its own while telling part of a much bigger meta-story.

The best point of comparison would be to a series of three plays by Alan Ayckbourn, The Norman Conquests. The plays take place in the same house, with the same characters, over the same three days. One play is set in the dining room, another in the living room, the third in the garden. Events seen in one installment reflect, refract or absolutely change the way you saw those same events in another installment. You can see any one of the plays and get a full, satisfying story, but if you see all three, a much more interesting meta-story begins to emerge. That's how we're approaching this universe.

How will this shared universe succeed, while past attempts like CrossGen or the first Valiant Comics universes failed?

Straczynski: The unifying element in CrossGen was that all the protagonists wore similar sigils and were sigil-bearers. In the Valiant books, there was a complex mythology and crossover approach between books. Without in any way taking away from what they did, I think that our universe feels more organic in its inception. It doesn't rely on pre-existing myths or symbologies or require a lot of homework. And this one feels very grounded and evocative of our present time, rooted in current issues. Again, Indian food vs. hamburger. Neither intrinsically better, just different.

Deodato: Axel Alonso, J. Michael Straczynski, Reginald Hudlin, Garth Ennis, Gregg Hurwitz, Margaret Stohl, Frank Cho -- the list goes on. It is a stellar team of talented and passionate people who want to do the best comics. We will succeed.

Joe, you're playing a large part in not only Upshot's universe, but in AWA itself. How did your involvement with the publisher come about?

Straczynski: I got an email from Axel Alonso saying he was going to be in LA and wanted to stop by and catch up. Understand: I live a hermetic existence on top of a mountain guarded by moats and dragons. Nobody ever just "stops by," so I knew something was up. He explained that they were very early in the process of getting AWA going and that he wanted to explore the idea of a shared universe.

We talked and batted ideas back and forth, and out of that I developed the Axel-verse. He hates it when I call it that, but it's important to give that attribution because it all began with his inclination toward some big planetary event that would cause powers to enter our universe.

At the time of our meeting, I was three years into my sabbatical from comics writing. I always felt that I could come back into this world if a real challenge came along, and what Axel put in front of me was a challenge I couldn't step away from: the chance to create not just a whole new comics universe, but a new paradigm in which those stories could take place. A story told on a planetary scale but supported by deeply personal, individual stories, where I would have complete artistic freedom to write whatever I wanted to write, no interference, no service to crossover events.

It's not so much why did I say yes as there was no way in hell I was going to say no.

How did you, Joe and Mike, end up working together again on this project?

Deodato: When I made public I was leaving Marvel after 24 years to pursue a creator-owned career, I was contacted by my dear friend Axel, inviting me to be part of his new company. I love Axel, as a friend and as a professional, so it was easy to say yes. His love for the medium is intoxicating. Working at AWA makes me feel like when I started in comics, with all that energy and good vibes.

Straczynski: Axel thought he'd be great for the book. I agreed.

Mike, is your approach to a creator-owned property any different from your past Marvel work? Do you see yourself as having more creative input at AWA, either now or in the future?

Deodato: Working with your own material is completely different, mainly because of the creative freedom. I do have space for any creative input I want at AWA. Axel's trust in me gives me the confidence to try new stuff and that is the best thing you can expect from an editor and a friend.

Joe, you've said you also liked working with Alonso because he's willing to let you work and not "touch your stuff." But in a shared universe, do other writers ever get to "touch your stuff?" And as unsettling as this might sound, will you be touching theirs?

Straczynski: I think the bad-touching thing is more about editorial mandate than anything else. We have some amazingly talented writers and artists playing in this universe, and I welcome the synergy that will inevitably result.

Mike, what comes after The Resistance? AWA has announced Joe's follow-up series Moths, but what's in store for you?

Deodato: Already finishing the first issue of a five-issue creator-owned mini-series with another incredibly talented writer. We will be announcing it very soon.

The Resistance #1 goes on sale March 18.

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