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Editor Rachel Gluckstern talks THE COVEN with Rex Ogle and Ted Naifeh

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

By Alex Segura

The best thing about the co-features that’s we’ve been doing is that we get to give characters and creators a chance to shine that schedules and availability might otherwise prevent. As the excellent Ravager feature in Teen Titans started to wind down, the need to find a new one with an entirely new voice arose. Fortunately, my esteemed colleague Rex Ogle had one in development, and it was an instant get. Take three magical teens of the DC Universe and throw them against each other, add demonic meddling and conflicting motivations, and you have a recipe for a story that is both high adventure and deep personal struggles. All we needed was an artist, and I knew just the one. Ted Naifeh (COURTNEY CRUMRIN, DEATH JR.) and I have been taking for a while now about doing a project together, and it was my pleasure to bring him aboard for something that so clearly played to all of his strengths.

the_coven-1_pg22

But enough of my yapping. Let’s see what the talented team of Ogle and Naifeh have to say!

Rachel Gluckstern: Rex, what was your inspiration for Coven? And why did you pick these characters in particular to work with?

Rex Ogle: Inspiration came easy with Coven. I’ve always been drawn to stories of fantasy and magic. Magic touches on the most important, and darkest, things underlying our world. Plus, I love DCU’s heroes and villains in all their forms, but what I noticed missing was a group of darker teenagers. The JSA kids and the Teen Titans always have this happy, positive outlook‹and of course they do, they have each other! But what about kids who have these amazing powers, and have to deal with their hardships alone?

As for Coven’s cast, I love Traci 13 and Black Alice. Each is so intensely unique and powerful, and hello, witches! Both ladies and Zach Zatara have all this potential for great stories, but they’ve taken a backseat because I think it’s hard to write about magic. You want to say, “Aww, man, look, she’s a witch, so she can do anything,” but what I want to do is teach these kids about what it means to play with the fabric of the universe. When it comes to magic, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

RG: Ted, what attracted you to the project?

Ted Naifeh: I’ve always had an interest in the occult side of the superhero world, ever since I started reading Swamp Thing back in the eighties. Gosh, that’s ancient history now. But it opened a world of pulpy dark magic that I wanted to see more of.

The other thing I like about these characters is that they’re not costumed heroes in the traditional sense. I find that costumes can sometimes be a drag. To start with, what girl would wear the same exact look day in day out for years on end? That’s what I love about Black Alice. Her look changes from scene to scene. Endless possibilities. Zach wears a tux, and Traci just wears street clothes. In short, they wear outfits rather than costumes, which offer more variety.

the_coven-1_pg02

RG: What do you hope the readers take away from it?

TN: I’m always drawn to stories that speak to the isolation of adolescence. As Rex commented, the Titans have each other. These characters are utterly alone, a feeling I suspect comics readers can relate to. The Titans shows us where we want to be. I think The Coven speaks more to where we are. I hope readers can take away the understanding that they’re not alone in being alone. For what it’s worth.

RG: And Rex, how about you? What do you hope readers take away from the Coven?

RO: First and foremost, I want them to enjoy the story. The best way to do that is to touch on something all of us understand: the unfairness of life. We’ve all had those moments where we feel alone and wish we could change something in our lives. But what I want Traci and Alice and Zach to realize, and maybe our readers, is that the universe deals us a hand, and we have to play it. Wishing things were different never helped anybody. Even witches apparently.

The Coven starts running in Teen Titans #83, and it’s going to be an excellent read. Be there!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Sneak Peeks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

20 Responses to “Editor Rachel Gluckstern talks THE COVEN with Rex Ogle and Ted Naifeh”

  1. mechagamera says on March 11th, 2010 at 1:18 pm :

    Does this mean Black Alice won’t be in the Secret Six anymore? All that magic power, she should be able to double dip.

  2. Rex Ogle’s Coven | Titanstower.com Monitor Room says on March 11th, 2010 at 1:26 pm :

    [...] The DCU Source reports: “The best thing about the co-features that’s we’ve been doing is that we get to give characters and creators a chance to shine that schedules and availability might otherwise prevent. As the excellent Ravager feature in Teen Titans started to wind down, the need to find a new one with an entirely new voice arose. Fortunately, my esteemed colleague Rex Ogle had one in development, and it was an instant get. Take three magical teens of the DC Universe and throw them against each other, add demonic meddling and conflicting motivations, and you have a recipe for a story that is both high adventure and deep personal struggles.” [...]

  3. A sneak peek at Ted Naifeh’s art for ‘The Coven’ co-feature | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment says on March 11th, 2010 at 2:01 pm :

    [...] DC Universe blog provides a first look at Ted Naifeh’s art from “The Coven,” the new co-feature that will undoubtedly lead me to buy Teen [...]

  4. tecjohnson says on March 11th, 2010 at 2:13 pm :

    Mechagamera,

    Not necessarily. Gail Simone said she didn’t know about this backup feature until it was solicited,so it sounds like it won’t affect her future plans for Black Alice.

  5. DaVeO says on March 11th, 2010 at 2:17 pm :

    Hmm, interesting and an unexpected Second Feature. Nice to see surprises once in awhile.

  6. zanfan says on March 11th, 2010 at 2:38 pm :

    Wow! Now THIS sounds like a fun idea! Ravager has never been my thing, so I’m glad she’s getting replaced. I have high expectations for this new team!

  7. travybaby says on March 11th, 2010 at 2:57 pm :

    I’m already sold–I think it’s brilliant. Not familiar with everybody’s work, but it sounds to me like it should be a new series of it’s own!

  8. mambazo says on March 11th, 2010 at 3:37 pm :

    Can you do us a favor DC? Cancel Teen Titans and just make this the main feature, I think we’ve all had quite enough of Titans by now.

  9. seansd says on March 11th, 2010 at 3:53 pm :

    I read from Gail that DC did not inform her that they were using the character she created. This back up was news to her. On another note, I wish the main portion of the book was at least interesting, so I could pick it up for this. Oh well, get a new writer, editor, whatever you need to do DC to get TT back on track and I’ll buy it again.

  10. meisterlegion says on March 11th, 2010 at 3:59 pm :

    I can’t beleive some of the anti-Teen Titans comments on here. Do you guys know that Conner is back? Aw Yeah!
    …and Bart! Plus, this is the only book you’ll be seeing Blue Beetle now that his back-up in Booster is gone.

    Not to mention - Tim “Drake” Wayne - can’t be too far behind. I love the Teen Titans. Especially since Gar and Raven have brought old-blood back into the new group. There are so many good stories coming I feel 2010 is the year we’re going to see them really turn around.

    …Oh, did I mention CONNER IS BACK?!

  11. therealssjlink says on March 11th, 2010 at 4:05 pm :

    ^
    Apparently you haven’t been reading the book.

    The writing is terrible.

  12. slat88 says on March 11th, 2010 at 4:26 pm :

    I dropped Teen Titans a while ago, and don’t see myself coming back around anytime soon. This back-up looks interesting though, and if it ever gets collected, I’ll probably give it a shot.

  13. madamerogue says on March 11th, 2010 at 5:02 pm :

    Felicia’s writing on Teen Titans has been very frustrating for me. I think she’s got some good ideas and a good feel for dialogue, but her characterizations of Gar, Raven, Cassie, and Jamie have been sooooo off the mark that I can barely push myself to read them.

    Someone, please, either get a writer who knows and understands these characters, or give Felicia Henderson an editor who isn’t afraid to demand rewrites.

  14. vinniebartilucci says on March 11th, 2010 at 5:27 pm :

    OK, lemme get this straight…

    Traci 13, Black Alice and Zatara?

    Drawn by the man who tickled my soul with Polly and the Pirates?

    Can I just write you a check?

    Let Ted write an issue or two and I might buy WB stock.

  15. cherlampeter says on March 11th, 2010 at 8:16 pm :

    i wish zatara was replaced by misty kilgore

    but nobody remembers misty kilgore

  16. 0hnuhuh says on March 11th, 2010 at 11:14 pm :

    To cherlampeter-
    I remember Misty! Zatannas apprentice, right? Yeah, she was awesome, hopefully she’ll turn up in the new Zatanna ongoing

  17. Gorbunov says on March 12th, 2010 at 1:43 am :

    Last time Titan editor thought he can write we got Berganza’s pathetic attempts in his WC strip. No negativity, just a fact :P

  18. albatross says on March 12th, 2010 at 6:32 pm :

    Didn’t Misty wind up being ‘not Misty at all’ and involved in the Sheeda plot and everything? I might have to reread the 7SoV Zatanna mini (t’would be a DELIGHT anyway!) but I thought she was taken out of the situation..?

  19. parallax says on March 13th, 2010 at 5:03 am :

    I really don’t want to get the title just for the backup…Hopefully like Doctor 13 this gets collected in its own right. Man O man that’s such a great premise though. I second the dude that said they should make this the feature and TT the backup!

  20. cherlampeter says on March 13th, 2010 at 9:58 am :

    she was a sheeda princess but it wasn’t revealed what happened with her i think

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