Amelia Cole and The Belated Commentary Track: Adam P. Knave and DJ Kirkbride Talk #21 and 22

Last week saw the release of Amelia Cole #22, the second month in a row that our monthly commentary track-style interviews didn't make the site.

But if you thought we'd abandoned it, you were wrong! We were just wildly uncoordinated!

The creative team of Adam P. Knave, DJ Kirkbride and Nick Brokenshire joined ComicBook.com to talk about the two issues.

Be warned: This is a spoiler-heavy conversation. If you haven't read Amelia Cole #22 and #23 yet, you can get them here and here at comiXology and follow along with us.

So #21 was chock full of about as many pop culture references as you can fit in between the pages. Is that just about finding a voice for the world as this book goes on?

Adam P. Knave: I think it's more a function of D.J. and I moving back and forth along a spectrum. We don't want every issue to be so full of them that it is overwhelming and confusing, but we do enjoy them, and as a character, Amelia makes them. So some issues the situation lets us use them more than others.

DJ Kirkbride: It's a gut check thing usually. Sometimes they seem to natural not to do, and sometimes it just feels like maybe too much. I personally waffle on it all the time, honestly, but all of us use so many references in our day-to-day lives, don't we?

We're obviously seeing Amelia and Hector going on diametrically opposite paths at the moment. Is that going to be fleeting, or is that kind of the long-term plan for the characters?

DJK: They're constantly in flux. The main thing they have in common is genuinely wanting to do the "right" thing-- though they've historically had different views on that subject. We can't really answer if it's fleeting or long-term, as that there'd be in spoiler territory.

The covers in this volume are great, but very different from what we've seen in previous volumes. What drove that?

DJK: The cover designs and style for this volume are all Nick. What say ye, sir?

SPECIAL GUEST STAR NICK BROKENSHIRE: Well, I wanted to up the ante as far drawing attention to the book. I'm trying to make the art stand out somewhat from the usual comic book cover styles. I'm also constantly evolving as an artist so the covers are both a result of this and a signpost for the changes. Most of all though, I want the covers to evoke magic as much as possible. Especially the dimension hopping aspect of this arc.

What's your take on Krandle and his interest in Amelia? Certainly it isn't the place, but to me it feels like she's taking it very personally.

APK: She's trying to save three worlds at once and isn't sure how to. And he's using his time to help to occasionally ask her out. Uncool. First you save the world, then you consider dates. Amelia has a, possibly, over-developed sense of responsibility and right now she is under the most pressure she's been her entire life. It's really not the best time to derail her focus for things she, literally, doesn't have time for.

DJK: She's a little awkward in this area, mainly because she's ignored it and pushed it to the wayside all her life. That does lead what could be considered an immature reaction to Krandle's genuine interest in her-- but, like Adam and Amelia both point out, the timing just couldn't be worse, regardless. Sometimes moments of crises bring certain types of people together, but Amelia just isn't that kind of person. She needs to keep focused on the crises at hand, and distractions annoy her quite a bit. Still, it's not like Krandle's a bad person or she fears cooties or anything, she's just got bigger fish to fry and cannot be bothered.

It seems to me that Amelia's "my aunt's sacrifice is for nothing..." is a bit misplaced. Circumstances change. Am I being too hard on her or is that a journey she has to take?

DJK: What happened with Dani is such a devastating blow that she can't be that logical about it. Circumstances schmurcumstances -- her aunt, the only parent she's ever known, DIED to save countless lives. Anything to invalidate that in any way would be catastrophic to Amelia. There's just no way for her to not be emotional about this.

It's interesting because as we cut from group to group, it seems to me like nobody has a really good idea of what's going on or what anyone else's agenda is, but as the readers we can kind of piece it together. is that fair?

DJK: Yeah, there's no way for the stars of the three storylines to communicate, so it's all just a crapshoot. For all the folks on the Blended World know, Amelia and Hector could be dead. For all Amelia knows, Hector is looking for her, too, or maybe he's already back. For all Hector knows, Amelia has settled down and is as complacent with the new change in status quo as she is. They're all wrong and confused and just doing their best to deal with this... IMPOSSIBLE FATE.

Has using the teleportation balls for this always been part of the big-picture plan? It makes a lot of sense, given how much focus has been given to those relative to her other powers, and how hers are "different" from everyone else's.

APK: Her's are only different I that she made them so they are bouncy. Hector's don't bounce but he uses them too. Early on we decided we didn't want mages to, in general, be able to just teleport at will - it's a really easy out. But we also anted the ability to be around. So we found a way to make it an ability, but one that needed a prepared artifact spell. You have to make them in advance and it isn't easy. That let us have the best of both worlds, and opened it up for personalization, like with any of their magic use. So, like many times, Amelia isn't special because of what she CAN do, but rather how she uses what she has to think her way around problems in unique ways.

DJK: They've been around from the beginning as part of Amelia and Hector's bag o' tricks. They've definitely grown in overall importance as the storyline has evolved and grown, though.

That said, could that "difference" be that she has balls that Hector could make if he needed to in the non-mage world?

DJK: Nah, she just likes having fun making them bouncy, as she always has. Hector finds that kind of stuff silly, but Amelia'd argue that's not necessarily a bad thing.

That last page tease isn't altogether fair. I mean...we have had more or less completely Amelia-less issues before!

APK: Oh sure, but the next issue teases are just fun. Will she survive? She might not! We own this book, we're not beholden to anyone to make sure she doesn't. But, we're also pretty sure no one is going to believe she won't. Just a bit of fun for readers, and for us.

DJK: This isn't about being fair, man -- this is about perilous times of great adventure and sacrifice! But we are also goofballs who have fun with "next issue" blurbs.