If you’ve been following the Civil War II story line, you know that this major event has had huge ramifications across the Marvel Universe. A lot of this has played out in CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES. And with the sixth issue of that series hitting on September 21, we’ll get to see a lot of exciting drama involving Jessica Jones, Nick Fury, and the White Fox.
Marvel.com recently published an Christina Strain, a former Marvel colorist making her writing debut for the House of Ideas with this project:
Marvel.com: You’re making your writing debut for Marvel in September with CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #6. What has it been like, transitioning from artist to writer? And especially with this being part of such a huge event?
Christina Strain: It’s bonkers! It’s super crazy! I remember coloring some of the backstories for the first Civil War, and now I get to experience the other side of it. And not only that—as a colorist, your work happens at the end of the process, and as a writer, it happens at the beginning, so I’ve had the chance to see what it’s like to be at this end of things. I’ve always had fantastic experiences with Marvel.
Marvel.com: You also write for television as a staff writer on Syfy’s “The Magicians.” How does that compare to comic book writing?
Christina Strain: They feel very different, and it took time for me to get comfortable with writing for TV. But I’ve found aspects of comic book writing that do apply. For example, with comics, each issue ideally should end with a bit of a cliffhanger, and that applies to TV writing, as well: you want each act to end with a mini cliff hanger, so viewers will come back after the commercial break. And I spent so many years working in serialized storytelling, which shares similarities with episodic television, so that helped a lot, too. I like to tell people in television that with comic book writing, the writer serves as the director, and the [artist] serves as the actor. Because the writer suggests to the artist not just what happens, but also every emotion that has to be drawn, and then the artist has to convey that.
Marvel.com: How has your work as artist influenced the way you work with other artists as a writer?
Christina Strain: Having that background helps me look at art samples and figure out if an artist seems like a good fit for what I’m writing. With this project, for example, I saw a few samples that looked great, but featured a lot of woods and trees, and that concerned me a little since the story takes place in a city. Then Sana Takeda’s name came up and I thought, “Really? Sweet! That’s perfect!”
You can see a preview of CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES below and check out the rest of the interview here.
