We’ve praised the comic book series Critical Millennium with it’s fantastic sci-fi tale and relevant topical discussions.  With the release of the third issues this week, writer Andrew E. C. Gaska was nice enough to take some time to give us some commentary on the latest issue and series.

Warning Spoilers!

Graphic Policy: What made you decide to open up this way; it’s about a third way in.  Considering what goes on further down the issue, did you consider using that accident for this scene?

Andrew E. C. Gaska: I wanted to open with a mystery that people would probably forget about, and then find out that it tied into the ending of the book as well. I know that sounds convoluted, but I am approaching Critical Millennium from a ‘stream of consciousness’ point of view.

I guess I am a little tired of linear storytelling. Thoughts we have seldom occur chronologically, as we encounter things that trigger synapses to fire in our heads, we remember other things that have happened in our lives. It’s like when you start to tell a story to a friend and then realize you left out a crucial part and suddenly say, “Wait – before that happened there was this.” Your friend might get confused a little long the way, but all the pieces fit into place to you. In traditional terms, that is story fail. I wanted to see if I could take that concept and make it story win – where the readers can follow it despite it’s jumping around all the time.

The thing about Critical Millennium is that technically the entire first run of several miniseries is flashbacks within flashbacks. It’s a look back at the things that led to the opening of the first issue: the crazy lone captain encountering an unknown force at the edge of space. It is kind of a crazy way to tell a story – because I am not even telling it linearly backwards as is done sometimes, but instead as haphazardly as the mind works, but it’s a challenge that I am thoroughly enjoying the outcome of.

Read more