D.J. Kirkbride and Adam P. Knave Plead The Nth While Talking Amelia Cole #14

The latest issue of Amelia Cole sees the titular heroine squaring off against her boss The Magistrate, with each of them having uncovered a secret being kept by the other. Along the way, The Magistrate reveals a much larger and darker secret to Amelia, and doesn't get out of the issue without paying for his misdeeds. Co-writers Adam P. Knave and D.J. Kirkbride joined ComicBook.com for a discussion of the issue. Remember that this is a spoiler-heavy conversation, and that you can buy the comic here if you haven't already read it.

In both of the stories, our heroes seem hopelessly outmatched, at least in terms of brute magical force. Are the two battles directly connected? APK: We've seen that Sophia is working for the Council, so yeah, this is one big scheme, much bigger than anything either Amelia or Omega Company have faced before. DJK: Also, our heroes don't just seem outmatched -- they totally are. That makes the stakes super high. If the heroes were just better than the villains, it'd be too easy. Seemingly impossible odds give us reasons to fret and keep reading. Seriously, how the heck are Amelia and the Omega Company going to beat these monsters? ComicBook.com: Also, you've got two different villains or sets of villains who want to suck up all the power in the room. That seems like it could be handy to someone like Amelia, whose magic is "different" and may require some extra analysis by the Council. DJK: Yeah, Amelia is unique, and that gives her an edge. She's also pretty cocky overall, and after the events in issue 14, hopefully she sees just how dangerous the situation has become. APK: Different can be trickier to work with but also easier to spot, remember.

Is that really the last we'll see if the Magistrate? APK: He looked pretty finished in that last panel, didn't he? But I guess you'll have to see issue 15 to make 100% sure either way. DJK: The main thing is: for the whole series, he's been the big bad. Sure, he's had these cryptic conversations with The Council, but he's been Amelia's main adversary. And they just zapped him like it was no big deal, didn't they? That's gotta give Amelia, and the readers pause. ComicBook.com: Why would they have wanted to manipulate a non-mage into power? Couldn't they just as easily have controlled a mage? APK: They could have, sure. But by bringing a non-mage in they assure loyalty, because if he was ever discovered it would be the end of him in a whole different way. Think of it like this: A mage on the graft is just a lousy political stooge. A non-mage pretending to be a mage and pushing a pro-mage agenda would get hung in the streets if discovered. They could have gone an easier up front route, but this ensures their control and their rule by fear of their agent in the city. DJK: Exactly. For example, if they'd been trying to manipulate Hector from the start, he might've caught on and ended up challenging them. By going through the Magistrate, they not only kept themselves hidden from the direct action, they also knew he'd never challenge them. He was their perfect patsy...until he wasn't anymore.

Obviously it seems like both Amelia and Hector could use one another's help. What are the odds they'll make it long enough to team up? DJK: Amelia and Hector were definitely the most powerful mages in the city, and what's left of the Omega Company aren't slouches, either...but answering that question would just lead to fun-killing spoilers, wouldn't it? In the immortal words of Han Solo, "Never tell me the odds!" And also, "Let the Wookie win." Okay...that second one doesn't really apply here. APK: Also who says if they were to end up in the same place they would team up? They didn't exactly get along last time they shared a street, did they? DJK: By "shared" do you mean "destroyed," Adam? APK: Yuuuuuuuuuup. ComicBook.com: There's something really cartoony about the way Amelia's lightning bolt is drawn and kinda bounces off in this issue. Obviously you guys don't go super-realistic with the magic effects, but this one seemed a little more "cute." Was that something Nick did on purpose or is it just the way I'm reading it? DJK: I don't know if there was any whimsical thought put into it, really -- though it does show how ineffectual her heretofore pretty immense power is against these baddies, so I'm going to say I bet Nick meant it. APK: I agree. It's the tone of the book, isn't it? Some whimsy mixed in with the serious. Helps the medicine go down, etc.

The cops drop their allegiance to the Mag pretty quickly. Was that the moment the spell clouding their minds faded, or was it just because Amelia was convincing? APK: That's up to your interpretation, really. Amelia has been a good Protector, though. Also we haven't seen all cops. But it really could go either way. DJK: I'd say a combo of all the things. The truth, too, is no one particularly loved the Magistrate. He's not the warmest of dudes. Or, I mean, wasn't. Is it wrong to speak ill of the dead like this? APK: I sort of miss the Mag. He was a bad guy who just wanted power and control. Is that so wrong? ComicBook.com: The "not here!" seems to suggest to me that the Mag's office is a place where the Council is active. Can they not escape it, and/or are there some places that are safe from their view? DJK: We'll soon see how far The Council's reach is, and...ah, I don't wanna spoil anything. APK: We see that they tend to hang around his office. So, at the least, it was like talking about someone in their favorite bar - chances are higher they'll know.

How far ahead do you guys generally have it mapped at any given time? Obviously the Mag being revealed is something youv'e been building to for a while. APK: It changes based on the moment, frankly, but we plot at least an arc ahead and write pretty far out just so we can go back and reseed if we need to. That method gives us the best of both worlds - we can be fast and loose and change tracks, but still polish it so the plots build and hang right. DJK: We do like to plan, but we won't ignore a great idea if it contradicts said plan. It's important to be flexible and let the story and characters guide you sometimes. ComicBook.com: They have the Fifth Amendment in this world? Honestly, it always seemed like they had their own weird little laws. APK: Some laws will be different. Others won't be. I think, when we were writing this, D.J. correct me, I wanted to change it and D.J. corrected that pointing out that they could easily have a similar law with the same name and that just makes it easier for readers and lets us not stop to explain it. Lesson: D.J. is often right, and I'm just a big fussy idjit some days. DJK: I wrote it as "the Nth" thinking it'd be cool to have another law that could be inferred as the 5th, but you wanted to change it to what we have. Lesson: Adam gets the two of us confused sometimes. APK: HAHAHAHAHA oh man. Seriously? Yikes. I… well… there you go.