Heroes + Villains: Joshua Ortega, Dialogue Dealer
Crispy's column about the intersection of comics and videogames chats up the guy responsible for telling Marcus Fenix what to say.
11/6/2008 7:15 PM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 4
Crispy Gamer: How'd you get into videogames?
"((Frequencies))," Ortega's debut novel, tells a tale of the near-future
where technological terrorism and corporate conspiracy threaten an
ultra-connected society.
It was basically one of those "one thing leads to the next" deals. My first novel "((Frequencies))" landed me my comic gigs; then my comic gigs caught the attention of game companies. The one that really helped was my
Knights of the Old Republic story for Dark Horse Comics and Lucasfilm. A lot of people don't know that BioWare's
KOTOR game was actually based off the Tales of the Jedi comics done by DH in the '90s. That's actually where the source material is from, though James Ohlen and BioWare did an amazing job fleshing out the era. My story, "Shadows and Light," served as a bridge between the comics and the game, and it helped put me on the radar of both comic fans and videogame companies.
Crispy Gamer: How will
Gears 2 raise the emotional stakes of the characters?
Ortega: In a lot of ways, especially with the Dom/Maria story. I don't want to spoil too much for the gamers, but rest assured that we've definitely upped the emotional ante in
Gears 2. I don't think any fan of the original
Gears will be disappointed.
"It was imperative that we make the first few issues feel a little like the game."
In writing the Gears comic, how hard was it to work in the franchise's signature moments -- like a chainsaw duel, the importance of cover, Marcus' dialogue?
Ortega: It was a bit challenging, but overall, not too bad. Mainly, I wanted to make sure nothing was forced, but at the same time, it was imperative that we make the first few issues feel a little like the game, and also acknowledge the cornerstones of
Gears gameplay. As far as Marcus' dialogue, that's fun stuff to write ... he's a great character, and I can always hear John DiMaggio's voice in my head. Luckily, I only hear him when I'm writing Marcus, not all the time.
[Laughs]
Crispy Gamer: Is the Gears comic is supposed to be an ongoing series? Will you be able to create your own story arc, or is there a strict five-year plan document that you have to adhere to?
Ortega: It's an ongoing series, and I've actually had a lot of freedom in regards to the story I wanted to tell. Epic and DC/WildStorm have been great to work with. I thought the time period between the first two games was a perfect, juicy setting for some great stories, and Epic heartily agreed. It also served as a nice "prequel to the sequel," and since I also wrote
Gears of War 2, I had a lot of knowledge about the game and the franchise that only a few others had. On the art front, Liam Sharp has been turning in some of the best work of his career, so it's been a good experience all around.
Crispy Gamer: Ironically enough, you once wrote an article about non-lethal weapons. Is there a big brain shift necessary to write about all-out war in Gears or up-close combat in the Frank Frazetta works?
