INTERVIEW

May 2009

Screenwriter Andy Briggs is the author of a new series for young readers, Hero.com, as well as its parallel anti-series, Villain.net, which both follow ordinary teenagers who stumble upon websites that allow them to download superhuman abilities to be used for good or evil. In this interview with Kidsreads.com's Sarah A. Wood, Briggs discusses why he chose to write these stories as novels instead of the more typical comic-book format, and muses on the books’ theme regarding the fine line between heroes and villains. He also explains why he chose to give his characters seemingly strange and unusual superpowers, describes his need to balance action with humor, and shares details about the series' interactive website, www.heroorvillainbooks.com.

Kidsreads.com: What made you decide to write a superhero book? Why are Hero.com and Villain.net novels instead of graphic novels?

Andy Briggs: I’m a huge fan of comic books and graphic novels, and I’ve written a few --- but the chance of writing a book was too great an opportunity to miss. The books allowed me to expand on ideas that I couldn’t get across with a few pictures on a comic book page. Artwork is a great medium to get an idea across quickly, but by writing a book I could elaborate the details and allow the reader the chance to create the pictures in their mind --- and for every reader, those images will be slightly different. That’s something you simply can’t do with a graphic novel.

KRC: I couldn't help but notice that one of the big differences between Hero.com and Villain.net is that Hero.com pictures a team of friends, while Jake in Villain.net is going it alone with no aid but his manipulative mentor Basilisk. When Jake's friends from school get involved, they try to betray him. Could you tell us a little more about this dynamic? Is the contrast between the team of heroes and the lone villain intentional?

AB: There is an old mafia saying: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. In a way, that’s exactly what Jake is doing, even if it is unintentional. By hanging around with the bullies in school, he knows he won’t be bullied. He never really regards his friends as true friends, they’re just people he hangs around with who lead him into trouble. Ironically, the one time he really does need to rely on his “friends” they stab him in the back (and if you haven’t read the book yet, I don’t want to say anymore!). Of course, this means the only person Jake feels he can trust is the manipulative Basilisk.

On the other hand, Toby and Lorna not only rely on their friends, but they couldn’t function as a team without those close bonds of friendship. Jake struggles through life because he can’t form these trusting friendships. However, in RISE OF THE HEROES you can already see those bonds of friendship straining...

KRC: There are some very strange superpowers in Hero.com and Villain.net. I'm thinking specifically of the power Jake accidentally downloads that gives him the ability to shoot insects out of his mouth. How did you come up with all these powers? Are they useful in some context, or are some of them just weird?

AB: I have to admit that I’m tired of reading comics or watching movies where the heroes (and villains) have exactly the right power for the occasion. I wanted to do something a little more fun. Hero.com and Villain.net allow people to download a variety of powers --- which means our heroes can have different powers at different times... but not necessarily the correct ones. I wanted my characters to have the wrong powers for the task in hand. Sometimes they are completely useless (such as when Pete fires bubbles from his fingertips, or realizes he’s downloaded x-ray vision instead of laser vision) --- other times they have to improvise with the powers they have.

I had a lot of fun creating stupid and completely gross powers. However, I think that no matter how dumb the power seems there will always be at least one time they turn out to be the perfect power to save the day.

KRC: The team in Hero.com often succeeds despite their superpowers, not just because of them. Could you tell us a little about what it means to be a hero, even without superpowers?

AB: I have always felt that being a hero is all about attitude. You can have a million superpowers, but if you don’t have the skill or intelligence to use them, they’re no use at all. More importantly, you can be a hero without any superpowers --- they’re all around us, for example: firefighters, soldiers and doctors. Doing the right thing and saving the world take courage. Okay, it’s a little easier if you can fly and zap the bad guys, but without being a true hero at heart, no amount of powers or gadgets will help you win.

KRC: The main character in Villain.net actually seems like someone who has a lot of leadership potential. One of the things I love about Villain.net is that you describe the ways the characters justify their actions. Jake seems to be asking all the right questions, but the answers he comes up with always seem to lead him down the path of villainy. Is there a chance he could still emerge a hero?

AB: The greatest villains in the world are the ones who believe they are doing the right thing --- it might not be the best news for the rest of us, but they think what they are doing is correct. Jake doesn’t see himself as a villain. He’s doing what he thinks is fun, not necessarily right, and even he knows when a villain, such as Basilisk, is pushing things too far.

As for leadership potential, I think that’s a great question! I guess Jake works as a leader because he is a lone wolf; he’s on his own, surrounded by untrustworthy people. He is conscious that he has nobody to watch his back. Toby, Lorna, Pete and Emily work better together as a team; they don’t necessarily need a leader --- and if one of them was to become a leader, arguments would ensue and things wouldn’t get done.  

The way both sets of characters operate has their own advantages and disadvantages, and I like playing with this in the books.

KRC: Your books describe the fine line between heroics and villainy. Pete, in Hero.com, considers using his power for personal gain, specifically to get money for his family, or to avenge himself against school bullies. Usually he bumbles his way into the right choices, but he seems like he could be vulnerable to becoming a villain. Is this a theme you plan to explore in subsequent books?

AB: He, he, he... I think you have detected my diabolical plan! I can’t really say too much right now, but one theme I wanted to explore is the fact that good guys can do bad things; bad guys can do good things --- the world is not black and white, it’s rich in color! If you compare the books, you’ll see what I mean. Chameleon is a real superhero in RISE OF THE HEROES. Our gang of budding heroes thinks he’s cool and respect him. However, in COUNCIL OF EVIL, Chameleon is a nasty piece of work. It’s all about perspective. Writing two books that occur almost simultaneously, allowed me to show the reader the flip side of a character. After all, the real villains in Villain.net... are the heroes.

KRC: I think my favorite character is Emily, who seems to easily master her superpowers and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. I'm really interested in her experience of her own superpowers. Will we see more of her in the next book?

AB: Emily is a pretty important character. You might think she has it easy, but as the series continues, you will see she gets a rough ride. She appears to be in the right place at the right time because she is the opposite of Pete, a counter balance to his disorganized, chaotic character. Emily is thoughtful, quiet and resourceful --- and as a result she’s the one hero people will often overlook... to their peril.

KRC: Basilisk is always telling Jake that there is something "in his blood" that makes him an ideal supervillain. This introduces a theme of biological origins of behavior. Your books also feature "Primes," people who were born with superpowers. Primes provide the models for the downloadable powers on the websites. Could you tell us a little about this tricky subject and how you decided to deal with it?

AB: I always liked the idea of having heroic (or villainous) figures from history having superpowers. For example, all those Greek mythological heroes and villains must have had something special about them, why not superpowers? That’s where the idea of Primes originated, people naturally born with these amazing abilities. I wanted to steer clear from traditional comic book powers, which are usually granted after bizarre accidents (such as being bitten by a radioactive spider, for example). Accidents can trigger powers within Primes, but they are latent powers. The websites allow anybody not fortunate to be a Prime to enjoy superpowers.

Jake’s DNA is entangled within the Villain.net website; that gives him the unique ability to combine superpowers and make new ones that have never been seen before. This is the reason that both the HERO Foundation and the Council of Evil are keen on getting their hands on Jake so they can experiment on him. Jake himself uses his abilities for his own personal ends. He’s not necessarily evil. Basilisk would love to convince Jake that he’s evil, because then, Basilisk can use him for his own nasty plans.

KRC: Humor pervades the adventures in Hero.com and Villain.net. When did you decide to make these adventures not just action-packed, but funny?

AB: If you can fly and see through walls, sure, there’s going to be a lot of action --- but you’re also going to have a lot of fun! I think there are too many superhero stories out there that take themselves deadly serious, and from the very beginning I thought it was time for a change. You can usually find something to laugh about, even in the darkest of situations --- this is called gallows humor, it’s what makes us all human.

KRC: Both Hero.com and Villain.net contain really interesting explorations of the bullying dynamic. In Hero.com, Pete discovers that the self-confidence he gains through using his superpowers helps him to stand up to bullies without them. What advice would you give to young people experiencing bullying in their own lives?

AB: Bullying sucks --- there is no getting around that fact and nobody should ever have to put up with it. Being a victim of bullying is a self-confidence killer, and a power trip for the bullies, who are usually very insecure themselves. Always speak out, never suffer in silence; tell somebody you trust: a parent, guardian, teacher --- whoever it is, don’t be afraid of telling somebody. The quicker you do, the quicker it’ll stop!

KRC: There's an interactive website that goes with Hero.com and Villain.net: www.heroorvillainbooks.com. It's a lot of fun, even if it doesn't give any superpowers. Did you get any input in the design of this site? Can we expect the content to change as the books evolve? The concept of these books would make a great game.

AB: I was able to offer a lot of input into the website. One thing I was particularly keen on creating were the “making of” video blogs. I wanted to give a half-serious peek into how you could write your own book. I wanted them to be a little like the behind-the-scenes extras you get on DVDs. 

The game is fantastic fun, and I’m really happy with how that turned out. For any Facebook users out there, there is a secret version of the game you can add to your profile and challenge your Facebook buddies. You can find that by following the link on my website: www.andybriggs.co.uk

KRC: What superpower would you pick from Hero.com and Villain.net?

AB: This is the question I am asked most frequently! I can say, without hesitation, I would cheat and download two: flying and invisibility.

KRC: Who's your favorite superhero?

AB: That’s such a tough question! There are only a few that I don’t actually like; however, I was primarily brought up on Spider-Man comics. As a kid I was a reluctant reader, and it was through these comics that I started to enjoy reading. I find it amusing that I’m now a professional writer and I was lucky enough to work on a movie with Stan Lee --- the co-creator of Spider-Man, the very man who got me interested in reading. That was a dream come true.

KRC: When will the next book in the series be released? Can you give us any hints about what to expect throughout the rest of the series?

AB: It looks like we’re heading for a January 2010 release for HERO.COM: VIRUS ATTACK and VILLAIN.NET: DARK HUNTER. They continue the stories of our characters, but there are plenty of twists and turns. What is more, the next books link to each other, and the first two, like a jigsaw. In one book, you get a picture of the overall story, but the more you read, the more you keep adding pieces and get a bigger picture. The next two books will see characters zigzagging between books and affecting the stories even more than they do in the first ones. The stakes get bigger, friendships are strained, and Jake finds himself in the toughest of situations.

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