In Regards to CC's Time to Rest

[malephoenix]

First off, welcome to officially being a part of the CBR hosted forums, Mr. Bedard! Glad you're hear. (You'll hear that more and more, but we mean it.)

I understand that CC needs to rest up for a bit and I respect that. But I haven't found any definitive answers as to what that means for Exiles. Will you be sticking around for a few more issues, or will someone else take the helm? Will you or someone else be writing out the plots that CC already made, or will those plans - bringing Psylocke on board, etc. - just kind of wait off on the backburner while filler stories are told?

Thanks for taking a few minutes to look at the q's. Hope everything transitions well; I see you're due to script an issue or two of his work, which from this perspective looks like a friend helping a friend. God bless his recovery time.

[Eric Sellers]

A interview with Mike Marts


http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/article/showquestion.asp?faq=11&fldAuto=286


Author : Trevor Cates Last Modified : 4-12-06


Trevor – A main thought on most X-Fan’s minds is the health of our Godfather of the X, Chris Claremont. Can you let the fans in on what’s up with him and what is going to be happening to the titles that he helms?

Marts -- After falling ill while attending a comic convention in Italy, Chris is now back in the States, feeling better and recuperating…basically getting some much-needed rest. It will still be a little while before Chris returns to the fold, however. But in the mean time, Tony Bedard has agreed to assist Chris on EXILES and Frank Tieri has stepped in to pen a few issues of NEW EXCALIBUR.

Trevor – If Bedard is going to be scripting the rest of C.C.’s Uncanny run, what is happening to Exiles?

Marts -- Tony’s run on EXILES has been extended by a few issues. Paul Pelletier and Jim Calafiore will continue to provide art chores on this series.

And...

http://herorealm.com/hrboards/index.php?PHPSESSID=26898b4cb82ab44997ab608e9b7460 f6&topic=7465.0



Cool -- I'm never sure when Marvel will announce certain things, and I don't want to steal their thunder or step on any toes in the Marketing Department.

Anyhow, I'm pretty psyched about doing a few extra issues, too, since they'll include a couple of stories Pelletier and I really wanted to get to. One of them is the Imperial Guard/Surfer tale. There's also a very fun Wolverine-related one that traces it's roots to someone at a convention asking how Wolvie seems to manage to guest-star in every Marvel book. Also looking at a visit home for Heather and checking in with an old fave: T-Bird, but perhaps not how you'd expect.

We'll have some fun, folks! you'll see

[Deathstroke]

Count me in as one who's very happy to know that we get more Exiles issues from Tony Bedard!

I've really enjoyed his run on the series.

[milhouse123321]

Seeing T-Bird back would be the best possible thing Bedard could do at this moment in time, seriously hope that happens

[The Fury]

Tony, I read in another thread over in the X-books forums that while you are writing the dialog for Uncanny #472 and 473/ (472 was good btw)

You will infact be writing the plot and Dialog for issue #474. The way it sounds is like that Claremont us not even writing the last issue of his great run (which is sad).

I'm just wondering how much contact you have had with him about the plot and if you are keeping as close to it as possible?

[Beast]

Tony, I read in another thread over in the X-books forums that while you are writing the dialog for Uncanny #472 and 473/ (472 was good btw)

You will infact be writing the plot and Dialog for issue #474. The way it sounds is like that Claremont us not even writing the last issue of his great run (which is sad).

I'm just wondering how much contact you have had with him about the plot and if you are keeping as close to it as possible?
Agreed, wondering the same thing Fury. Hopefully Tony has access to all of CC's plot notes and plans, and is working from those. Or is at least corresponding with him, so that things play out how he intended. After all, Claremont's entire run has been building up to this, so it would be nice to have it wrap as he intended. :)

[Tony Bedard]

I've been provided Chris's plots for 472 and 473, which were very complete and a joy to work from. Unfortunately, not much had gotten fleshed out for 474 before Chris' unfortunate bout with illness, which is why I'll be credited with plot and dialogue on that one.

I'm not an expert on Chris's condition, but my understanding is that the best possible thing for him right now is to unplug from the grueling grind of deadlines for a little while. This is a fun job, but it's also stressful, constantly feeding script to various hungry artists, knowing that even a day late means your collaborator has lost money.

Anyhow, I, too, wish Chris could complete this story arc. But weighed against his health, I don't think there's any question which is the higher priority, and I'm not going to intrude on his rest to ask for input on this story. I fully anticipate that Chris will be back in the saddle soon. At that point, he'll have a fresh start on EXILES and I'll be enjoying his run. In the meantime, I'll just try to do justice to his work on 474 and wish, like you, that this whole situation wasn't necessary in the first place.

[The Fury]

Thanks for the answer, Tony.

Claremont's health is a very important thing and I wish him well.

[Beast]

Thanks for the answer, Tony.

Agreed with you on all counts, CC getting better is what's important. I'm sure that anything major that was planned by CC was probably laid out in #473, so hopefully it's not too tough for you to work up a conclusion which satisfies yourself, Chris, and the readers. And anything that CC wants to later tweak in regard to Betsy, he can always do so with her when he does take over Exiles.

However that leads to another question. Will you be bringing Betsy into Exiles as planned, or are you going to wait and leave that for Chris to handle when he takes over? The second options seems the most likely, but we have Betsy's planned cameo in New Excalibur which was supposed to lead into Exiles from what was teased.

[Tony Bedard]

Betsy's debut in EXILES will be in Chris's first issue, which has been pushed back just a short while.

I'll be doing a few interim adventures that get the Exiles off the World Tour thing and back to the reality-rescuing adventures that are really the core premise of the book.

Trust me, it should all work smoothly and have no negative impact on Chris's debut.

[The Fury]

Betsy's debut in EXILES will be in Chris's first issue, which has been pushed back just a short while.

I'll be doing a few interim adventures that get the Exiles off the World Tour thing and back to the reality-rescuing adventures that are really the core premise of the book.

Trust me, it should all work smoothly and have no negative impact on Chris's debut.
All Sounds good.

EDIT: Noticed the questions I asked here could go int he other thread. :P

[Rev. F. David Swallow II]

I have yet to read the uncanny issues, but I'm picking em up wednesday and cant wait.

[LoneWolf21]

A story involving T-Bird? Wow. I'm seriously psyched for that one.

[Faded]

Cool! If UXM 472 is any indication, I'm confident I'm really going to enjoy your contributions to CC's finale. :)

[Citizen V]

It is indeed sad about Mr.Claremont`s circumstances.But it is good to see that things will be taken care of until he`s up to speed again.

[Beast]

One of the mods over at Comix-Fan is now claiming that Tony Bedard has been telling him that Claremont's story notes were a mess to deal with. So which is it Tony? Because if you're really saying such things that don't mesh with your public comments, I want to know. And I seriously doubt I'll support your work from here on if it's true.
About the current Uncanny arc - apparently Tony Bedard only got Claremont's half-written plots and had to figure out everything for himself. He never got a chance to discuss them with Chris.

I think he's done well for having a half-jumbled mess to work with.
According to a posting by Bedard at Comicbookresources, the stories were very complete and a joy to work with.
HAHAHA I bet. That's not what he told me today.
In his own words:

Quote:
04-16-2006, 07:10 AM #7
Tony Bedard
Moderator

I've been provided Chris's plots for 472 and 473, which were very complete and a joy to work from. Unfortunately, not much had gotten fleshed out for 474 before Chris' unfortunate bout with illness, which is why I'll be credited with plot and dialogue on that one.
A few posts later after causing a massive mess on the forums:
I've replied to you via PM. I will tell you this - I sat down with him for four hours. I befriended Tony. And I have nothing against Claremont at all.

Let's get this forum back on topic. If any of you have questions or concerns, then feel free to PM me.

And Claremont did not turn in fully realized plots. They were incomplete, which was not his fault as he is ill. Now cease the bashing.

http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=38557&page=13&pp=20

[Beast]

Ok, I may have been a bit harsh there.... but honestly it's not a great day to find out a writer you respect (Tony Bedard), is talking badly about a fellow colleague with someone like that.

[Tony Bedard]

Great. Now I'll have to go over to Comix-Fan and straighten that out.

It looks to me that Ryan is the one calling it a mess. My first description was accurate. I received complete plots for the first two parts. These often indicated what the dialog would be about. When the issue is plotted but not dialogued, it might be considered "half written" since step 1 is done but not step 2. That's not a knock on the plotter, it's just a Production thing.

The third issue, which was to be Chris's last issue, was where my safety net was gone and I had to guess how best to pay off on the storyline. To come in and end someone's run like that is daunting, and in some ways, the best I can hope for is to be a good "substitute-Claremont." So I've given it my best, but these are not ideal circumstances. If that sounds like a "mess", well, that's the messy part. But I did not call up Chris to pick his brains out of respect for the fact that he's supposed to be resting.

So I'll just hope that the issues read well and Chris gets better soon. If my discussing the challenges of finishing off the Godfather of X-Men's parting storyline in a private conversation came off as snarky, that's a shame. I just thought I was talking craft with a fellow writer. :rolleyes:

[Beast]

Thanks Tony. Sorry that I sorta came flying at you with both barrels over this. But Ryan's comments regarding your talk painted your view of what you had to work with in a rather harsh manner. And considering that CC gets a lot of crap from folks, it felt a bit unfair. Sorry to bust on you for it, but being a big CC fan it was a bit disheartening to hear that you may have been saying such things, especially when presenting the air that things were all green from your end here. Thanks for trying to clear things up. You still rock in my book. :)

[altariel]

You have been very classy about the whole situation from the get go Tony, which was why I linked to your original posting on comixfan in the first place. As a long time comic-book fan who has enjoyed much of Chris' work over the years, thanks for pitching in.

[Beast]

You have been very classy about the whole situation from the get go Tony, which was why I linked to your original posting on comixfan in the first place. As a long time comic-book fan who has enjoyed much of Chris' work over the years, thanks for pitching in.
Hey altariel, welcome to the forums. :)

[UniqueFrequency]

I don't know about everyone else, but i'm more than glad to see the current Exiles team on board for a little while longer!!

[Rev. F. David Swallow II]

Both issues so far have been great, a real treat to see you name on the cover when i do inventory at the LCS.

[malephoenix]

Ok, I may have been a bit harsh there.... but honestly it's not a great day to find out a writer you respect (Tony Bedard), is talking badly about a fellow colleague with someone like that.

Granted, I don't have all the knowledge of the situation you have, Beast, but I'm surprised you took it so. It's more than fair for a writer to say that it's difficult to pick up someone else's work. Especially in this situation; a lot of folks think CC is the best, and while an honor to come in and finish the arc like that, it is also daunting to think about how Bedard has a lot to live up to in the eyes of those fans. Even more so when you consider how gripy the comics-following internet community is. (I know "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..." but Bedard and others are just too easily lynched since "...but nerds given the internet as a soapbox are a scary second.")

Tony, I really hope this doesn't make you feel like you can't be honest about things like that. I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know when I say that someone will always take something you say wrong. It's okay to say that something's difficult or to say it's not even the way you wish things were. That in itself isn't talking bad about another creator.

[Beast]

Malephoenix, it wasn't that he said that it was difficult for to pick up someone elses work. The above posted quotes are what I was referring to. That Comix-fan mod made it look like Tony Bedard was trashing CC behind his back, while presenting a everything is green thumbs up appearance to the public. And considering I like TB's work and respect the man as a writer, it was disheartening to read that it could have been happening. I think Bedard's doing an excellent job of capturing his 'Inner Claremont' for the dialogue. :)