Comic Vine: Were you a fan of the Predator series/movie prior to working on the book?
Paul Tobin: Absolutely. Especially the first movie, where I really thought the horror aspect of the franchise was established.
David Lapham: Yes. I was an 80’s teenager. Predator, Aliens, Terminator...these were my movies. If I remember right Predator came out, like, the same month or so as The Running Man. The Governator owned action in the 80’s
== TEASER ==
CV: How much involvement did Robert Rodriguez have? What was it like working with him?
PT: Robert was instrumental in the screenplay, of course, but as far as working on the adaptation, and all the new material he put into it, Rodriguez was only there to make sure I was on the right track. Apparently I was, because there were very few changes to be made. And it was fun to be involved with him on a project. When editor Scott Allie asked me to be a part of it, I was sold the second he mentioned Rodriguez's name.
DL: Everything went through Robert as far as I know and has his stamp of approval. Though I never dealt with him directly. Everything was through the editor Scott Allie and Sierra Hahn. I did meet Robert...probably thirteen/fourteen years ago. Just after starting Stray Bullets and first getting involved in some Hollywood craziness. Not to speak for him, but he had said that he wanted to be a cartoonist, and became a filmmaker because he couldn’t draw. How funny is that. Take heart struggling cartoonist! Hollywood’s elite is JEALOUS of you!
PT: Early script access was a necessary tool for us... we needed to get not only the feel of the movie, but the feel of the characters, and see what could be expanded, explained, gone into deeper. The screenplay was excellent... a good read all by itself. For my part, my adaptation chooses one of the characters and we see the whole story through her eyes, adding to the film's elements, and providing a much richer back story than the movie could provide, owing to time restraints. The movie and my adaptation work together to form a greater whole, especially in conjunction with David and Marc's works.
DL: We all read the screenplay and we’re kept in the loop of any revisions along the way. I have not seen the film, but as far as I know, we are working off of what is going to be on the screen. To the second question I’ll say it’s all very true to the film, but also it’s own experience. My stories take place outside the events of the film, but even the film adaptation I know is the story of the film but from a unique perspective, so it also stands on its own.
PT: Definitely that such characters are already in the public conscious, so from our part we can hit the ground running, and running FAST.
DL: It’s just fun. There are projects you create from wholly from inside yourself and others where you’re playing with someone else’s toys. They all use different creative muscles. And keep things interesting. It’s always great to make a living doing things you find fun.
CV: Will this be an ongoing? Who are your favorite characters? What can fans expect from the series? Would you say the book is new reader friendly, or does it cater to fans of the old Predators books?
PT: Not an ongoing, no. And Isabelle was by far my favorite character... being the only woman in a group full of bad-asses, and being just as badass, holding her own and still being Alice Braga-level pretty. And the books are perfect for new readers... really all you need to know, going in, is that the Predators are hunters, and damn good at what they do. Other than that, pop a soda and grab up some pizza, and get ready to roll.
DL: There have been plenty of Predator comics in the past, I’m sure there will be in the future. But for right now I think everyone is just concerned with creating a cool comic book event around the movie—and in that way it is an entire self-contained experience.
My favorite characters are the one’s I’m writing, of course. My characters would mop the floor with the other guys’ characters.