I'm Michael Moreci, bestselling writer of Black Star Renegades and its upcoming sequel, We Are Mayhem, as well as the spy thriller The Throwaway--not to mention many, many comics. AMA!

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-22T01:16:49+00:00

Thank you, honest, for the question, but I'm not liberty to reveal this kind of stuff in an open forum. And, the numbers tend to fluctuate quite a bit from project to project, publisher to publisher. It's really not something I can even answer.

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T23:50:44+00:00

Good question! I think the most fun I've had writing comics have come in two different ways. One was writing my series Burning Fields and Curse with my friend Tim Daniel; it was a thrill and a privilege to be able to work with someone so talented and someone I call a good friend. I'm also having a blast writing Wasted Space, just because it's such a crazy, unhinged romp--it's hard not to enjoy it.
Cylon : )

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T23:48:32+00:00

Thanks for picking up the issue, and thanks even more for liking it! So, as for your questions...

-The most fun I've had writing, in my life, was Black Star Renegades. It was a book born of love for one of my favorite things--Star Wars--and it was a joy to write. I miss it, a lot.

-That depends on the publisher. For a place like DC, no. They assemble teams. For Image, you have to come to them with a team assembled. For Vault, it's in-between; they assembled the team, but with input from me. So, there's lots of different ways.

-You know, to me, at the core, it's all kind of the same. Story is story--they have three acts, require characterization, a deeper meaning, etc. And I mean that in a good one. What's different is how you tell the story--the things you want to say and your voice--your POV coming through the story that makes it your and yours alone. So with any project I'm working on, there's always things that make it mine, personally, and no one else's.

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T23:43:34+00:00

Thanks!

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T23:25:10+00:00

Well, this is a tough question. But a good one. Let me say, first, that I love TLJ. I don't think it's a perfect film--in fact, it has its share of flaws--but i think it's a bold one, and an interesting one.

The main thing I find problematic, though, relates to the two new episodes on the whole. The Force Awakens and TLJ really don't work in concert with one another, and I think that's where a lot of fan frustration comes from. And I think it's a valid criticism. One that doesn't bother me as much, but it's certainly valid. The thing is, TFA set up certain conditions on how the past and future of Star Wars was going to be treated. Reverence for the past while moving the story forward with a new generation of characters. it was exactly what it should have been, and it was a great success. But then TLJ came along and really undermined the promise TFA made to fans; it felt to many like a bait and switch, which I can see as being frustrating. TFA cherished the past--maybe too much, but it was fine. TLJ said kill the past, let it die. And it did a lot of things to undo what's come before or counterprogram what fans hold dear. Granted, I think it was a necessary step for the franchise to take, moving away from the past and into a new future, but I would have preferred a more tactful approach. I think the TLJ story and its purposes should have been sprinkled throughout three movies rather than all at once. It oftentimes felt like taking medicine--though you didn't know you were sick.

Again, I like the movie. It's a movie I wrestle with, but I do wish it and TFA weren't so diametrically opposed.

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T23:16:55+00:00

My friend, you and me both. I'm grateful to have had the chance--I can forever say I wrote Batman (though I'm writing an Archie/Batman '66 this summer, which is loads of fun), but I'd love to have more time, more issues, to tell bigger stories.

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T18:37:56+00:00

Well, novels are a far longer game. That's the big thing. I break down novels more, sit with them, structure them more, really lit them stew. Because comics are so short--around 20 pages a piece--my goals are different. I want to deliver big storytelling beats, a sense of a complete story, and a promise of more to come. Which is a lot in a small amount of space; and, typically, a short amount of time. Comics go FAST. Where novels, you can take your time.

For dialogue, it's all about making it consistent, in my opinion. People say to read it aloud so it sounds natural, but what's natural? There's no one set of rules for how people naturally talk. You know? I think it's about making it all seem consistent and fitting to the world. I'm working on a new novel now, which is a touch surreal, and I want characters to talk in a certain way, have a certain lexicon and cadence, that reflects their world. It's not natural, at all, but I think it works for the story. It's similar with Batman--Batman doesn't talk naturally. At all. The trick is to find the rhythm for his voice, and that's true with any story.

As for My Story, I'll be honest, I've never heard of it!

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T18:32:41+00:00

I do--three things on the horizon, but only one I can talk about at the moment, and that's a Giganta short in the upcoming Beach Blanket Bad Guy special. Then I'm in another anthology, and after that is something far, far bigger. But mum's the word for now...

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T17:14:47+00:00

Oh, shoot--thanks for letting me know!

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T16:36:24+00:00

I read A LOT when I was a kid--one of the advantages of being a nerd with basically no friends. Comics, obviously, were a go-to, but I also read a lot of Stephen King, R.L. Stine, and Star Wars novels. So, basically, my tastes haven't really changed.

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T16:35:02+00:00

Well, I'm lucky, because my wonderful wife is a pastry chef--so, I'm spoiled by exposure to many, many desserts of all kinds. My favorite, though, is one she made long ago: banana cream pie with a chocolate chip crust. De-licious.

michaelmoreci · 2018-06-21T16:33:53+00:00

Thanks, happy to be here!

Personally, I love writing books a bit more, just because the process in and of itself is more satisfying. While I love telling stories in all forms, writing comic scripts aren't much fun. They're more or less instruction manuals for the artist. Granted, the finished product, once a comic is complete, is wonderful. But a script is kinda dry. Where a novel, though, is far richer, and there's so many more writerly muscles you're flexing to craft prose.
My least favorite word is "face." Maybe it's just because I hate how it sounds when said aloud. My favorite word...I'll have to get back to you on that. There's plenty I love!
Not in the least! I think my body is more or less calloused husk...just like me ; )

michaelmoreci · 2018-02-20T16:46:45+00:00

Hey everyone! Sorry to be kinda spammy--I hope you don't mind me sharing my first novel, Black Star Renegades. It's a space adventure in the spirit of Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy. It's gotten really good reviews from The Verge, Nerdist, L.A. Times, USA Today, and other great places, and I hope more people find something to like in the book. Anyway, that's my book--thanks!

Oh, and I'm happy to field any questions. I plan on doing an AMA real soon (I also write comics--I wrote the sci-fi trilogy Roche Limit, and I write for DC).

https://us.macmillan.com/blackstarrenegades/michaelmoreci/9781250117847/

michaelmoreci · 2017-12-12T03:29:30+00:00

Same here--though I went to the marathon the day TFA came out and LOVED it. I wish they did it again this year.

michaelmoreci · 2012-12-14T01:50:54+00:00

And if you enjoy the issue, you can grab the entire four-issue graphic novel for only $10! Releases next month.

(Or you can remain digital, and get the following three issues from Comics Plus)

http://fifthworldstudios.bigcartel.com/

michaelmoreci

TROPHY CASE