This December sees the team of Vita Ayala, Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín joining forces for a new series as part of Valiant Beyond, an initiative from the publisher which will see them launching four new titles through the end of the year. While the other comics all feature characters who've starred in their own series before, one of them stands out: Livewire, the electricity-wielding psiot who has been part of ensemble books before, including Imperium and the recent Secret Weapons.
Initially announced as a limited-series run with the character, Comic-Con International: San Diego brought the news that the story has now been expanded out into an ongoing series -- a sign that the publisher is confident in the team's story. For Ayala, this marks a first step into the Valiant Universe, and their opening story for Livewire will see her trying to reevaluate the line between hero and villain... and which side she wants to stand on. Ahead of the launch of the first issue at the end of the year, CBR spoke to Ayala about their plans for the character and the series -- and how they've found working with Valiant so far.
CBR News: How did you come to join the creative team for Livewire’s first series at Valiant? Was this a series you pitched for particularly and wanted to get involved with?
Vita Ayala: I was invited to pitch on the series by [Valiant Executive Editor] Joseph Illidge. We had been trying to work together on a project for a while, and though there was no guarantee this would be the one, he felt that I might have a take on the character that would work for her first solo title.
When the opportunity was presented, I jumped at the chance. Secret Weapons, a miniseries featuring Livewire and a small group of young psiots, is one of my favorite books to come out in the last five years. The idea of being able to work with what was established there was a dream!
As a superhero toybox, Valiant has more characters of color than most other established publishers, and especially in leading or "important" roles. This is the first time Livewire is taking the spotlight, though, so how did you approach what kind of story and world you wanted to build around the character, and help her shine?
Ayala: Livewire, to me, is an incredibly nuanced and sympathetic character. Even when she is making mistakes, she is acting from a position of wanting to do the right thing. Her empathy makes her story that much richer, gives someone that much more to explore.
Following the events of Harbinger Wars 2, Livewire is in a vulnerable position, both literally and morally. To bring her back to a state of equilibrium (in terms of who she is), we needed to take her down to her foundations and build her back up again. That is not to say that she is becoming a different person, but rather, that we want to get to the core of her and reinvigorate her convictions. I love a good redemption arc, and with a character who, at the heart of her is deeply caring and involved in her community, we felt like she couldn’t move forward until she took a hard look at what she had done and faced the consequences.
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Livewire was someone who worked alongside authority and believed in it for most of her life -- but then realized just who she was working for. Since then she’s had a little more awareness, but it’s always been hard to tell where her moral compass points are. How do you view her moral perspective?
Ayala: Amanda is a warrior, but a warrior with a cause. She doesn’t think that people are expendable, but she will do whatever it takes to make sure that the Greater Good (as she sees it) is served. I think she tends to be very much a “needs of the many” and “by any means necessary” sort of person, with very few exceptions. But she is growing and learning, and that process of change is what I want to focus on in this first arc of the book.
Yes, Amanda was raised as a true believer in Harada’s vision, but what she subscribes to is what ought to have been, not the unfortunate truth of it. To me, what separates Amanda from Harada is that, at the end of the day, she sees herself and her people as the ends and not the means.
What kind of tone do you have in mind for the series -- do you see this as action, or a political thriller, or perhaps something else entirely?
Ayala: I think the foundation of the first arc is the redemption aspect of the story, and with that comes action and emotional trials. It is dark, but hopeful, if that makes sense?
Overall, I see the series as a combination: Action-packed political thriller with a spine of old-school (talking classical -- Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Hercules) heroism. Like the heroes of old, Amanda is flawed but strives to overcome her own shortcomings and do the best for the world she lives in.
What can we expect from the series as it progresses? What do you have planned for Livewire as we start out the series, and what kind of threat might she be facing?
Ayala: I don’t know how much I can say without giving away vital information, but I can say that there are a number threats in play coming off of the last year in the Valiant Universe, and I imagine Amanda will be clashing with a few.
The first enemy is very close and personal, as close to home as can be. As we move on through the series, we begin to see the seeds that have been planted by the larger villain bear fruit.
One of the fun things about Livewire as a character is that she can do big, blockbuster, bombastic action, and small, intense, emotional drama with equal impact. We want to do both, to show that no matter how powerful someone is, there is always a way to challenge them.
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What’s your wider take on Livewire as a person? She’s been seen previously as part of a team, or maybe a bit in the background -- now she’s at the fore, what do you want to bring out of the character?
Ayala: To me, Amanda is many things. She is a loyal soldier, a cunning tactician, a revolutionary and a mother. She is strong, brilliant and fiercely protective of her kids (and psiots in general). She has some fundamental beliefs that she will not betray, which is what brought her into conflict with [Harbinger Foundation founder Toyo] Harada. He trained her to fight, with all her faculties, for what she holds dear, and she absolutely does. Bummer for Harada that he turned out to be the threat!
I think central to her character is her empathy. She is no stranger to pain and having to endure to survive, but at the same time she hates to see innocent people suffering. Compassion for others is the thing I want to highlight the most with her.
How do you view her power-set? In terms of how it functions and how she controls it, how do you think the powers play into who she is as a character?
Ayala: Livewire’s powers are truly fascinating to me. She is at once a sledgehammer and a scalpel. Although electricity is her thing, in terms of how I think about what she can do, she reminds me most of water. She is the raging waterfall, the levee-breaking flood, but also, she is the cool water used to water plants and clean wounds. Nothing is as gentle and life-giving as water, but also, nothing is as frightening and destructive.
In terms of her control, I think she has to be one of the most in-control people on the planet. The constant push and pull of the technology -- of the electric grid and even the currents running through our brains -- she has power over all of it. It must take every ounce of conscious effort not to manipulate it, all the time. Even just to get peace for a moment, because I imagine it is loud!
I think Amanda’s powers are inextricable from her as a person. It would be asking someone how breathing plays into who they are as a person. A lot, I would guess!
Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín will be the artistic team for the series, both of whom are no stranger to Valiant. Have you had a chance to see any of their work yet on the comic? What do you think their style will bring to the series?
Ayala: They were the art team behind Secret Weapons, which as I mentioned, I adore. I am a huge fan of their work!
To me, I couldn’t ask for more perfect collaborators on this project. They know Livewire better than I do. They know how she moves, how she sees the world. They understand her motivations as a character.
Their style brings a richness and a personal connection to the story. The first arc is heavy in action, but the emotion and internal journey are equally important. Raúl and Patricia bring a humanity and sense of dynamic movement to their work that sucks you into the action and doesn’t let you go until it’s done. They bring the fists of fury, and also the feels!
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You’ve had the chance to work for a few publishers now, both work for hire and creator-owned stories. How’ve you found working with Valiant? What’s the experience been like?
Ayala: Working with Valiant has been fantastic! I live in New York, so I have had the chance to pop by the office and the entire staff is amazing.
I know a few of the other creators there, and they have all been incredibly welcoming and helped me to learn the ropes, so to speak.
I have had the chance to sit down and strategize with both my editor and the Sales and Marketing people (hi, Matt and Mel), and they make it clear that my input and experience are valued.
Everyone over there is very supportive and excited to be making books!
At SDCC we learned that Livewire has been extended from a limited series to an ongoing series, which is a pretty strong show of faith in the character and in your story. Does that change the way you're approaching the narrative, as you're able to now treat this as an ongoing narrative rather than as a set-length storyline?
Ayala: Yes and no.
First and foremost, when I am working on a story, I am concerned with writing a complete, fulfilling narrative. To me, if the only way you get people to come back is a cliffhanger hook, or an incomplete mystery, you have failed as a storyteller. I want people to read my work, and whether it is four pages or four issues, I want them to be satisfied with it. That, I hope, will entice people to read the next thing I am working on.
For franchise work, I was mentored by some amazing people, who taught me the skill of seeding the possibility for more, even as I wrote a closed story. Not to hold anything back, but to indicate that, like in real-life, there is always something that comes after, and that it can be as exciting as what was just explored. Scott Snyder is especially good that this; he was able to break it down into something very easy to remember -- almost a mathematical equation.
I carry those lessons over to all of my work, creator-owned and work-for-hire.
With Livewire, even before it was an ongoing, I knew that she would not be disappearing after I was finished with the story I was telling. I had a very specific goal for the first arc, but I knew she would persist in the Valiant Universe, either in her own title, or in another book.
I looked at the four issues I was being asked to write as her beginning, and so when I was told I would be getting another four, all I had to do was sketch out the next step. The first story arc has had a few tweaks to it to more easily move into the second, once I knew what the shape of it would be, but overall, not much.
The real shift for me was figuring out what story I would want to tell next, what would flow the best from what came before. Joe Illidge has been incredibly supportive and essential to the overall process. He has been very involved, he takes my calls and lets me bounce ideas off of him to see what makes the most sense as a follow-up.
I think we have landed on something that is a natural follow-up, that is full of action and that will hit close to home for Amanda in a way that will call back to the events at the end of Secret Weapons and the prelude to Harbinger Wars 2, while still being fresh and exciting!
Livewire #1 will be released by Valiant Comics this December.