Carl Potts is a comic book legend. He has worked on so many titles and with so many companies that it is hard to say exactly who or what he is best remembered for working on. Despite that, one of his most important works was with the Alien Legion, a group of sci-fi space travelers unlike others in the genre at the time. After a bit of time away from the Alien Legion, he is back with a new collection of their works and we got a chance to talk with him about.
Graphic Policy: The Alien Legion has been through a number of different versions with various companies, and with a changing cast of characters. What stands out about this particular cast of characters?
Carl Potts: The cast for Uncivil War includes most of the core characters (Sarigar, Grimrod, Montroc, Tamara, Meico, etc.) We also introduce several new characters who Grimrod decides to take under his wing and indoctrinate in the ways of the Legion. Perhaps the absence of the three Iks this time around has Grimrod feeling a bit underappreciated so the newbies give Grimrod the adulation he craves.
GP: With the rotating cast of characters, is there one that stands out for you? And do you ever get the desire to bring back characters from the past?
CP: I probably indentify most with Montroc and Sarigar but Grimrod is the most fun to explore! One of the foundations of the series is that, once someone is dead, they are dead. Some characters get maimed (Zeerod, Meico) and get tech and bio enhancements that allow them to be fully functional. There are some characters who have not been seen in a while but who are still alive. There is always a chance they will turn up again! (Neebo Brodix, the Iks, etc.)
GP: There are a lot of different approaches to science fiction based in space. This story focuses on a team made up of different alien species, as opposed to a solo hero, or a space exploration ship of mostly all humans (like Star Trek or Babylon 5). Are there benefits and drawbacks to this particular approach?
CP: The concept of Alien Legion’s Galactic Union was to make a giant extrapolation of the American melting pot society. Instead of just different races and cultures of the same species trying to live and work toward the common good, in the Alien Legion universe, there are radically different alien races and extremely different cultures, all trying to work/live together for the common good. The ranks of the Legion is where the most diverse group of sentient beings from the Union are collected and put into high pressure situations. This puts to the test the great ideal of a diverse society, despite its differences, being stronger than a homogenous group (like the Harkilons).
I think this approach helps make Alien Legion unique. It is difficult, but fun, to try and put your head into non-human characters and figure out their desires, needs and conflicts. Hopefully, readers will find aspects of all of the characters to identify with, even the most alien in look or deed.
GP: Religion and science fiction usually don’t interact in stories, but this was chosen as one of the themes for the series, with a group of aliens on a pilgrimage. Are there any challenges to incorporate religious elements into outer space?
CP: Religious belief systems, even ones that are not supported by scientific evidence, continue to be very popular. So, I see no reason why religions and various dogmas would not be part of a universe with advanced technology.
In the Alien Legion universe, some dogmas or belief systems are sincere while others are led by those who manipulate aspects of a dogma to advance their own selfish agendas.
In Uncivil War, we learn that there is a lot more to Harkilon society than has previously been revealed, including the religious rationale Hark leaders have for wanting to conquer part of Union space.
GP: Science fiction isn’t complete without at least a couple of space battles, and this series does not disappoint with ship to ship combat. Comics allow a lot of liberties, but then again the panels only allow so much as compared to the enormity of space. Is it hard to realize the vision of the battles in space in comics?
CP: Fortunately, Larry Stroman is great at visually interpreting combat on every scale from close person-to-person fights to dreadnaught class space ships blasting away, and everything in between. He is able to capture the required sense of scale, from micro to macro.
GP: As one of the tag lines for the series says “This is the Dirty Dozen in Space.” Was there any direct inspiration drawn from other sources for this series?
CP: Originally, outside of the French Foreign Legion (“The Foreign Legion in Space”), there was no direct or conscious inspiration for Alien Legion. With 20/20 hindsight, I later came up with “high concept’ lines that helped people quickly grasp the concept, including “The Dirty Dozen in space.” Another one was “Platoon meets Aliens.”
GP: One could say that the team is a collection of anti-heroes, not really bad guys, but not boy scouts either. Is it harder to write a team book with so many conflicting personalities?
CP: The Legion’s mix of personalities actually helps facilitate coming up with story ideas! it’s like playing with various volatile chemicals, mixing them together to see what happens.
GP: It was pretty amazing to see two comic legends work together on the same series. Any chance you and Chuck will be working together again?
CP: Chuck and I have worked together in various capacities over the years and, hopefully, will continue to do so!
