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    Skottie Young

    Person » Skottie Young is credited in 985 issues.

    Comic artist known for strong ties with Marvel, and their successful string of Oz titles. He's also the creator of I Hate Fairyland.

    Skottie Young Discusses I HATE FAIRYLAND and What's Next for Gert

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    gmanfromheck

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    Edited By gmanfromheck

    I Hate Fairyland has been a crazy and surprising adventure. Skottie Young has given us the story of Gert, a young girl who visited Fairyland and ended up stuck there for nearly 30 years. To make things worse, with the mind of an adult, she's still stuck in the body of a child. You could say Gert is a little angry and frustrated. She's been taking it out on the denizens of Fairyland in an extremely violent fashion as she tries to figure out a way back home. Just when she almost made it, an error in judgement created a whole new reason for Gert to remain stuck in Fairyland.

    We talked to Skottie to find out what's coming up for Gert when the series returns in June. Will she continue to try to escape Fairyland or will she embrace her new responsibilities?

    Issue #6
    Issue #6

    Comic Vine: How long after issue #5 does the next story pick up?

    Skottie Young: We pick up fairly soon after the end of issue 5. She’s learning all about what it’s like being the ruler of Fairyland. As you can guess, she probably doesn’t like it much. Maybe even HATES it.

    While working on the first arc, has Gert's story changed at all? Did you always plan on her becoming Queen?

    That was always the plan. I had an idea for a short story about a girl going away to Fairyland, being stuck there, arguing a lot with the Queen and then right before she got to go home, making a dumb choice. That was pretty much the first idea I had on day one of this concept.

    Over the years I started thinking about more places she could go, people she could meet and genres I could blend in with Fairyland. The story could really go in many directions, but that core tale would always be there. That worked out well for me. It gave me a nice tight end if everyone decided they hated this silly book and sales wouldn’t let me continue. And it allowed me to jump right back in explore all that other stuff if everyone bought it and decided they needed this kind of crazy in their life. So that first arc/tale was very important for me.

    What's the main focus of the plot in this arc? Does Gert have to give up on the idea of returning home now that she's Queen?

    Gert will never give up wanting to go home. Remember, we skipped thirty years so we have no idea what kind of other challenges she overcame. Maybe being Queen is super simple. Maybe it’s the hardest thing she’s faced. Either way, going home will always be her high on her agenda.

    As far as the main focus for this arc, I’m kind of playing around with that. The first 5 issues was a story with a beginning and an end, and I loved doing that. But I don’t want to just repeat that over and over every 5 issues. I don’t think that works for this kind of book. Not for the reader and not for me. I want us both to be excited each month and not know what to expect. I’m not talking cliffhangers or spoiler type stuff. I mean, you might get a horror or crime story one issue. You might get a Blood Sport like fighting issue. You might get RPG style issue. This book is perfect for that kind of storytelling because I can take any tale or genre and wrap my Fairyland around it. Boom, it’s a new story.

    I want to play with the pacing. You might get a few one-and-dones, then a three parter, then another five issue epic tale. I might tell someone else's story at some point. I’m letting the book and characters guide me and telling the stories I’m inspired to tell right now, as it hits me. Not having the idea then adding to a list that I may get to in two years after my on-rails story wraps up. I LOVE reading giant, epic, long form stories, but I don’t think I Hate Fairyland works right if it tries to be that.

    Issue #7
    Issue #7

    How permanent is death in Fairyland? Is the former Queen really dead?

    She’s dead. But you know, how dead is dead in comics? I mean, Gert has had many of her insides be all up on the outside of her so, you know, we’ll see. But for now. Dead. Super dead.

    How does Gert take to being Queen? Is Larry still at her side?

    Well, you have a person who has grown up in a world with no responsibilities, so how do you think she’s taking to it? She thinks it SUCKS. Haha. Listen man, birds should be cages, lightening can't be bottled, um… other stuff that sounds like important sayings… you know, all that.

    And Larry. Yeah. He’s stuck, man. He’s ride or die whether he likes it or not. By the way, he doesn’t like it.

    Issue #7 (F**K Fairyland variant)
    Issue #7 (F**K Fairyland variant)

    Can we assume Gert will see plenty of action and mayhem?

    Oh yeah. Gert will always see action and mayhem. The fun in that is finding new ways to get her in trouble. I don’t think there’s any shortage of trouble.

    Can we expect more great new characters?

    Oh, for sure! That’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to open up the arc format and play it fast and loose. It gives me a chance to add more and more characters to her world. When you have a story that is on rails and needs to hit certain points at specific times, it’s hard to add too many characters. They all need to service the plot. But if I take that plot and expand it, turning into more parts that service a overall plot, then I get to start throwing more characters in the mix.

    We’ll meet characters like Duncan Dragon, Nicky Nines, Pervis the Pack Rack, and many more. Many characters we’ll able to visit from time to time and really expand this wacky world.

    We've seen a bit of Fairyland during Gert's quest in the first five issues. Is there still loads more to see?

    For sure. Again, my approach to the series now allows for more exploration of the world. We’ll see a video game world and what Gert might look like thru that lens. We’ll meet a pack rat that lives in a collection of houses from the real world all stack on top of each other. Larry keeps all type of things in his bowler hat, from weapons to fire breathing dragons, but how does that work exactly? We’ll see how that works and what all is inside that little hat. There’s so much to see, and I want to the time to show it.

    No Caption Provided

    What's been your favorite things so far working on this series?

    It’s hard to pin any one thing down. Really, working on the series is my favorite. There’s something very rewarding about coming to work each day and everything being your own. Everything I make up on any given day is mine. It doesn’t feel like work. That’s my favorite thing of far.

    I Hate Fairyland #6 is on sale June 15. Retailers, the FOC for issue 6 is Monday, May 23. The first trade collecting issues 1-5, Madly Ever After, is now on sale.

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    fables87

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    #1  Edited By fables87

    I FLUFFIN' LOVE THIS BOOK!

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    d9000

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    Gert is a force of nature man!

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    DD208

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    How long before a Gert/Deadpool or Gert/Harley Quinn crossover?

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    Janjaman

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    This is just sad.

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