PROPHET MARGIN (continued)
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Platt, it turns out, enjoys tackling controversies. "I like to attack gray areas and make people discuss [them]…. I like to have people present their arguments. The arguments may become heated and they may become extremely ardent in their views. In a book from Extreme Studios, that's all right!" he laughs.
"I like the idea of writing a good story that's entertaining, with an acceptable storyline and acceptable art. We often doubt the ability of kids to understand a complicated story, or to even consider it. We don't give them enough credit. If we can present it in some form that is entertaining, then an involved idea can appeal to them. Turn around, and you've just made an educational comic book."
Prophet might also be considered educational because it frequently employs biblical passages. "My father and my grandfather were both traditional Southern Baptist ministers," Liefeld reveals. "I suppose people could call me a born-again Christian if they really wanted to. I personally had never read about a hero that had strong Christian beliefs that were coupled by using passages from the Bible. It's almost a reaction to Bloodstrike," Liefeld's team of reanimated soldiers, "which is about as gruesome as you can possibly get.
"I grew up with my parents' beliefs until several years ago. It's a part of the break that you make with your parents: you get your own apartment, establish your own traditions, and decide on what you believe," Liefeld says. "My beliefs were very intelligently challenged, and I found that I had to question them. It's very easy to believe whatever your parents believe. As a child, my absolute favorite heroes were Samson, Joshua, Gideon, and David. I'd stay up every Easter and watch [the film] The Ten Commandments and stay up much later than I would normally be allowed. I'd just watch the screen and say, 'Wow! That's Moses!' Samson killing Philistines with a jawbone, with his hair flying around all in the name of God, the Red Sea waters crashing in on the Egyptians: I thought that was all incredibly cool."
Prophet's father, like Liefeld's, was a minister. The character's life will parallel his creator's in other ways as well. "He's going to have to struggle to decide what he believes. There were several points in my life when I thought I was going to lose my father [due to illness], and I felt very alone then. My Christian beliefs kept me moving, and they're what I had to cling to; Prophet is going to have to go through some similar experiences."
Liefeld laughs. "Well, that's the intellectual reason, anyways. There's also the fanboy geek inside of me that thought the Bible had the first heroes that ever existed. I get a lot of excitement depicting these things. I've always named characters after people in the Bible, [such as] Gideon, Saul, and Absalom [in X-Force]. The planned Cable mini-series would have started off with Cable killing the soldiers that stuck the spear in Christ's side. Prophet is where all of my obvious references are, but they're in other books as well. When you're a kid, it doesn't get any better than David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah."
Platt feels much the same way. "The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most documented objects of worship in the Bible. Legend speculates that if one peers inside of it, you get massive burns, your pupils dilate, and your hair falls out: in other words, the same symptoms as radiation burns… Hence one of the many historical theories is that the Ark contained a highly radioactive meteorite. It was put in a case, and if anyone opened it they would receive massive burns. It makes for a really wonderful mythical edge because it's all conjecture. You could say that the meteor might have been sent by someone or something, and that maybe it still exists.
"I love the idea of blending technology and cyberpunk flavor into mysticism: voodoo computers, cybershamans, cybermystics, wizards using technology - there are so many different possibilities," Platt enthuses.
Prophet redesign sketches
"Stephen's got a lot of ideas… Some of them are great. Not all of them fit really well into the Image Universe, though," Liefeld comments. "We might do them in a possible upcoming book called Imagine This, which would basically be the 'Image Comics Does Elseworlds.' Everyone loves alternate universes and ideas, like that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where the alternate Enterprise with Tasha Yar appears. Something like this would be a great place for these stories."
Despite being in the same universe as other Image characters, Prophet won't be crossing over with very many of them. "Right now I like him being by himself, letting the reader have a chance to get to know the character," says Platt. "Having guest stars may dilute the character and his potency. Maybe once we're more comfortable with the changed version of Prophet, we can have him interact more often. I like the idea of him interacting with other characters, but just not yet. It's Rob's decision ultimately."
At the moment, Liefeld wants to limit Prophet's interaction with the rest of the Image Universe. "We do have one thing planned that occurs as a result of Prophet #5-#8. Basically, Prophet becomes a fugitive and commits some heinous acts. He's very relentless and very unstoppable. Up until now, Prophet's always been the top guy and unable to be defeated. The new Bloodstrike - the team will be replaced by a character of that name - "is going to go after Prophet and basically kick Prophet's ass."
Liefeld urges readers to jump on to Prophet while it's still in the early stages. "Prophet's an epic story that will be continuing for a long time. Both the book and the character are going to go through lots of stages, which will be told in many story arcs. I'm really excited about [the] direction Prophet is heading, and it's going to be a long and fun ride getting there."
All information presented in this article is © 1994 Gareb Shamus Enterprises Inc.
The opinions and views presented herein do not represent Soul-Saga.com nor any of its affiliates.
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