By GustavoLeao / 15:37, 9 February 2007 / TrekWeb Features

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TrekWeb talks to IDW Publishing Editor Dan Taylor and Publisher / Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall about the present and future of the Star Trek comic book license.

The Marvel series (and specially Early Voyages) has ignored the Pocket Books novels events because they are not "canon". What about IDW ?

Dan Taylor : We are currently focusing on what has aired on television and in the movies as "cannon" above and beyond what has been published by pocket books. With so many published books -- some of which contradict one another -- it would be nearly impossible to incorporate it all as "cannon."

That's not to say that we might not visit the novels. That option has been discussed.

Chris Ryall : Regarding canon, we're telling stories that don't contradict anything in the TV shows or movies, and from there, leaving it up to Paramount to decide if we need to make tweaks based on anything covered in the books, too. Since our stories are absolutely canon (okay, in my mind, but I'm sure Gene Roddenberry would agree), if they allow us to tell a story that contradicts a novel, that means they don't consider that book canon.

Another way of looking at it, the way I approach it, is that stories I like are canon, and stories I don't, well, I block them from my mind.

When DC was producing Trek comics in the mid-90s, Chris Clameront wrote a sequel to his TOS Graphic Novel Debt of Honor with the TNG characters, but was never published because Marvel got the rights (as Clameront told a lot of magazines at the time). How about finally do it ? (Go ask Clameront !)

Dan Taylor : I might just have to drop Claremont a line regarding "Debt of Honor."

Chris Ryall : A Debt of Honor sequel is a great idea. That'd depend on some other factors, like whether Chris was paid for the work (in which case, the publisher would own it). But I'd be all for that.

Why noy use comics creators like Peter David, Jerome Moore or Mike Collins who are not only fan favorites, but are very familiar with the franchise ? A New Frontier mini series by David would be very welcomed.

Dan Taylor : As for working with comic creators like Peter David... Well we have talked to Peter David regarding Star Trek. That's all I'm going to say on that matter at this time. Stay tuned.

Chris Ryall : I loved the works of guys like David, Moore and Collins, and like Dan says, although he's busy, we've talked to PAD about something Trek-related (he's exclusive to Marvel right now, though, and having tea, crumpets and bloodworms on Stephen King's front porch as I type this). The others, we haven't talked to yet. I like the idea of finding new talent to work on these books to set them apart from what's come before, but I'm open to them down the line.

In a recent interview to WIZARD magazine (issue 83, July 1998, page 54) writer-artist-fan favorite John Byrne said :

"I was digging around in some stuff upstairs a while back and found this [unsold] Star Trek screenplay that i wrote when i was 18. I sent it to DC and said "Hey, do you want to do this as a comic ?" And the DC editor, being brilliant, said "Oh, it's not quite what we're looking for". This is your chance to terminally embarass me in front of everybody by doing a comic based on a screenplay i written when i was 18 - and you're going to pass on it ?"

Byrne is my favorite writer-artist. He is working for Marvel (Spider-Man) and DC (Super Man / Batman Generations) these days and a Star Trek comics from him would be a event in itself. How about give him a chance ?

Dan Taylor : As for Byrne... We haven't spoken to him yet about Star Trek. But that doesn't mean that we won't.

Chris Ryall : John Byrne, I actually have talked to about writing and drawing a Trek story, and he's got a good one in mind, so we're going to keep hashing that out and hopefully make it happen. I love his work, too, and agree that it'd be great to see him do a book.

Do you plan to adapt the William Shatner novels like DC Comics did with the Ashes of Eden Graphic Novel in 1995 ?

Dan Taylor : William Shatner's novel adaptations... There's nothing currently scheduled, but it's not ruled out completely. Right now we're concentrating on a few titles with broad familiarity -- TOS and TNG.

Chris Ryall : The Shat novels? No plans right now. I want to do some other things with the books before we go down that road. Again, just to make our mark and not do what's already been done before.

This interview was posted originally at IDW Star Trek Message Board.