Lies, More Lies and...G'Nort? D.J. Kirkbride and Adam P. Knave on Amelia Cole #13

After a too-long hiatus, Amelia Cole is back with us; the series' thirteenth issue hit this week, the first part of a new story arc titled "The Enemy Unleashed." And, as ever, writers Adam P. Knave and D.J. Kirkbride joined us to talk about the issue, and its place in the larger Amelia Cole story--which is significant, since both she and the Magistrate had secrets revealed this time out... Remember that these commentary track-style columns are SPOILER-HEAVY. If you haven't read Amelia Cole #13 yet, go buy it now and read along with us!

ComicBook.com: Now, Adam and I talked about this a little--do you guys worry about having the first part of the new arc be a #1-type jumping-on point quite as much now that you've gone to traditional numbering? D.J. Kirkbride: We worry less about that than we did after our first arc. "The Unknown World" was designed to set up new adventures, but also stand alone just in case no one liked it. But if that was our AMELIA COLE version of STAR WARS (going old school number here...the one from 1977, basically), "The Hidden War" we thought of as kind of like Amelia's EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. First one ends with pretty a pretty clear victory that could be a complete tale, but then the second ends on a more ominous note, and on something that simply MUST continue. At least that's how I thought of it. Not sure if Adam is one to think in original trilogy kinda terms. Adam P. Knave: Yup. Having written a trilogy of novellas before I always feel that book 1 needs to be a jumping on point. Book 2 needs to be a jumping on point. But by book three you have to be able to expect a bit more thrust forward. We have a huge story we've been building since issue 1. You know what, I've written this answer four times now and I can't find the right words to get across what I'm thinking. The closest I have is "D.J. is right, and also the issues being digital makes back tracking so much easier, I don't know if anyone is jumping on in the middle and not starting at 1, because there is no need to." Does that make any sense? Am I totally wrong, here? DJK: Not here, no. In regard to wearing pants in the day, and in general, yes. You are dead wrong.

ComicBook.com: Is there a particular design aesthetic that Nick was going for with the monsters? The expression on the green one in the splash page kind of reminds me of "Where the Wild Things Are," to be honest. APK: Let's ask Nick! Nick? DJK: NICK! PUT THE GUITAR DOWN AND ANSWER THIS QUESTION! ...Please? Nick Brokenshire: Not a specific design aesthetic, although there was an idea behind it. The monsters you see throughout the book change as the story goes on. I see that as signifying different waves of attack that our heroes have to deal with. One of the reasons for this is explained in the extras included in the trade paperback of Hidden War that's coming out in May. It's all to do with where the monsters come from. Also, when I designed these monsters in particular I was looking at dinosaurs and beasts that live in vast plains. That's sort of it. I think I may have watched Return if The Jedi at that time too, which is why one of them has a trunk. Think Max Rebo on steroids. ComicBook.com: This is the first we've really seen Hector go above and beyond in terms of his skillset, no? I mean, he certainly impressed the rest of his Company. DJK: A lot of what we are working toward here is a redemption of sorts for Hector. While not as fun and likeable as Amelia, he was a good guy who was trying to do the right thing as The Protector. He shouldn't be let off the hook, but it's important to note that he tries to do what he thinks is right, and he's also a really powerful mage in his own right. APK: Yeah I think we also saw how powerful and crafty he could be back in issue 6. Granted, at the time he was doing that in a fight with Amelia so not the best light to cast him in, but still Hector was the Protector of the city for a long time for a good reason. The guy's good. In more ways than one. And hopefully people can see that as we go.

ComicBook.com: Is there a design in terms of why you started with Hector and his pals instead of Amelia? First issue back and all it seems like you're teasing out the reveal of what she does with the information from last issue. DJK: I can't remember if it was Russell T Davis or Steven Moffat who talked about this on one of the Doctor Who commentaries, but picking up a cliffhanger immediately after, like just cutting a scene and then continuing with it the next episode, doesn't always work that well. It's what we see a lot, but going to a different scene after a cliffhanger is fun in that you are able to prolong the mystery, and it doesn't cut together awkwardly. Basically, yeah, we're teases. APK: I have always loved having a cliffhanger moment of "Wait what happens to…?!" and following it with a different scene that can set up a second cliffhanger so you start going back and forth and it all ramps up and heightens both sets. You can't just layer it forever without payoff, of course, but it is still a fun effect, I think, as a reader and writer. ComicBook.com: Is there a reason she tells her brain trust instead of keeping it to herself until she can get her head around it? DJK: We want to not only expand our cast with this storyline, but also emphasize the importance of the friends Amelia's already made. One of her weak spots has always been thinking she has to go at everything alone, but she's learning the importance of friendship. She also has gained maybe just a little bit of humility. It's not just her way or the highway anymore. Well, mostly, but she's more willing to get feedback from others. APK: Exactly, back in the first arc she was in a new world, alone. Over time she has made friends that she can rely on and trust. When something big happens that could shake the foundations of your life, and your friends, you trust them and seek their advice. Let them share your burden. Amelia is learning and growing.

Is it potentially dangerous, especially when you add G'Nort's cousin (sorry, I'm bad with names) to the mix? She seems to escalate to angry pretty fast. APK: G'Nort's cousin? Really, Russ? Mrs. Bahardy is no joke, like G'Nort. But yes she has a temper. So does Amelia. So what effect does that have? Does it show Amelia what her own temper can look like and force her to react differently, or does it feed into things and make it worse? That's the joy of having a deep bench for side characters, how they all effect and affect each other. It gives you endless explorations. DJK: The secret is out! This volume is a Green Lantern Corps crossover! (Just kidding. Don't sue us, giant company. We have no money, and it's just a joke. The G'Nort and GL Corps part. Not the no money part. That part is true. So, so very true.) ComicBook.com: I had a very brief inkling that we might see Hector and company somehow come above ground in the non-Mage world. Is visiting "home" an idea that you've closed the door on, or now that Amelia has something to go back to and wouldn't automatically stay behind is it something you've thought about? APK: Dani shut the borders between worlds for good back in issue 1, didn't she D.J.? DJK: Gave her life to do it. It was a huge deal, and she was an amazing mage, so she made sure they were good and shut. ComicBook.com: You know, Mag has a definite Vlad Putin vibe to him this month. APK: I like to think that Putin had a very Mag vibe recently. We weren't here first, of course, but hey. Mag is having a bad day. Look at his work environment. I mean, you think your bosses are bad… DJK: Putin in the way Nick's drawing him, or in the way he's acting? Because we haven't seen Mag shirtless yet, so I'm not sure how Putin he is. His intolerant stances could be seen as somewhat comparable to Putin's, but that's just coincidence. ComicBook.com: The end of this is very cinematic in the way it's choreographed, with Rufus getting them "caught" just as Amelia walks into the ball. Seems like you guys have been waiting for that one to come together for a while. APK: Thanks! I like to think of issue 13 as a domino falling. A single domino that… well… we'll talk after issue 14. And 15. All of the plots have been building and they all pay off. This is the start of it. I think 13 is the quietest issue in this arc. We've always said Amelia has to learn there are consequences ot her actions. In the first arc we saw some of that, a lot of it even, but now she's in deeper and the consequences are bigger. Same with Hector. Issue 13 is that sort of day where you look back later on and go "Oh, that was the last quiet day, wasn't it? We should've held on to it longer and cherished it." DJK: Yeah, "The Hidden War" had loads of action and reveals, but it was also setting up a lot of what happens here in "The Enemy Unleashed." It's going to be fun to see how folks react to the payoffs. We're doing the final lettering pass on issue 14 right now, and I'm having a lot of "Holy crap!" moments because my memory is terrible, and I'm surprised by how intense this arc is right from the get go, all thanks to what we've built up in the previous arc. ComicBook.com: Is it just me, or does that last page kinda make you want to just see her kick his ass without the wand on principle? DJK: Oh, totally. It's not that the Magistrate is a non-mage, but that his whole platform is basically mage superiority. He is keeping his own people down. Why would anyone do that? The guy is nothing if not pragmatic, but, regardless of his reasons, he's a jerk, and we know what Amelia likes to do to jerks. APK: Amelia Cole - Firmly Anti-Jerk. ComicBook.com: ...that last panel could be a stand-alone image. It feels very influenced by newspaper strip comics, or those paintings of the overwrought romance comic panels by that guy whose name I can't remember, so I'll just call him Rufus's wife. Was that intentional? APK: Again I think we go over to Nick, the master! DJK: Nick...? NICK! PLEASE TAKE ONE SECOND AWAY FROM YOUR ROCKING AND YOUR ROLLING TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION FROM OUR FRIEND RUSS! NIIIIIIICK! ...sir? Please and thank you. NICK: Actually, romance comics come into a lot of the way I design the look of Amelia Cole. I like the close ups and expressions that they used to use. So, even though I'm not referencing any strip in particular, the look of that panel certainly has a connection with those stories. Well spotted! DJK: Thank you so much, Nick. NOW BACK TO DRAWING AMAZING THINGS!!! ...Please...? Thank you so much.