HEROES
The Omniverse Fan Fic Interview Part 3
By Michael Sacal


Welcome to the conclusion of our 3 part interview with the writers of The Omniverse Fan Fic Site (2 of our writers, Karl V ( The Triumvirate) and Gordon T. Shuckrow III ( Cloak & Dagger ) weren't available at press time.)

(What is The Omniverse Fan Fic Site: The Omniverse Fan Fic Site revolves around the concept of Merging the DC, Marvel, Wildstorm, Image and Extreme/Awesome Universes into one single, cohesive reality, as well as featuring the Scifiverse Fan Fic imprint, which features a merged Star Trek and Babylon 5 fan fics, with more sci fi merged stories to come later on, and the Omegaverse Imprint, which specializes in more animated style fan fic, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers. The cut off point for the site is January 2001. All events happening before December 31st 2000 in the comics is part of continuity and any happening after are not. When it comes to the Scifiverse, those series start from scratch.)

Part 3: You Don't Need To Be Crazy To Work Here, But It Helps.

Question 8: What's your honest opinion about the overall feel of the site?

Michael Sacal (MS): I like it. So far there have been no problems with any writer  not being comfortable with the plans I've put forth, at least not problems that couldn't be fixed with a little talk. My main goal for the site is to keep everyone happy, both writers and readers. If a writer starts to feel uncomfortable with any of my plans I'll talk to him, to make sure that whatever that problem may be can be fixed, and if it can't I rather drop the idea that loose the writer.

Trevor Lee (TL): Omniverse is a huge community of writers dedicated to giving the readers stories that should have happened but didn't. We don't hold back, we experiment & we do everything in style.

Bill Kte'pi (BK): Oh, I like it.  I think there's a wide variety of approaches to the concept that the site represents.

Jason Helf (JH): I'm loving it so far. Mike's a great editor. I haven't had not one storyline conflict with him or the books. That, and I'm really excited to read some of these other great books.

David Grouix (DG): I love the site and the characters and the fun you are allowed to have within the titles, and the fact I rule Canada in this universe makes it that much cooler :-)

Kris Morris (KM):  I like it.  I've always liked it when Marvel and DC characters interacted.  This gives me a place to write about that.

Matthew Pierce (MP): The site is young with faces new and old.  There is literally something here for everyone no matter what your preferences are in comics or fanfic.  Now is the time to jump aboard and to throw your hat in on a world without boundaries!

Matthew E. Rowe (MR): I'd say the Omniverse has a good feel to it.... there isn't really much else to say.

Daniel Sauve: It's a little cluttered. Loads slow. But it does try and get your point across...
Oh, you mean /concept/ wise? A thought-- merging these four realities possiblities wouldn't so much mean no variant timelines-- just different infinite realities based on the merge. Or does it? :)

Question 9: And of all the plans for your title(s), in your opinion, what is the one thing that will make readers' jaws drop to the floor when it comes to your handling of the characters you've chosen to work with?

MS: My plans for Superman after issue 12 will definitely have people talking, it's an approach to the character no one has ever done before. I hesitate to say more since plans for Year 2 are both still in the planning stages as well as not wanting to spoil anything for anyone.

TL: It's my goal to surprise them at every turn. I want them to think I'll be going in a certain direction then do a 180 to keep them on their toes. Also, my villains won't be easily defeated by any means. The F.F. will have to work  hard to survive what's coming.

BK: Hmmm.  Too soon to say, because one of the things I have in mind might change.  But -- two of my lead characters came to their power because of a mantle that was passed to them.  That mantle may be passed again.

JH: Oh dear... the moment of truth. How to answer without giving anything away? I'm sure my *ahem* unique handling of the characters I've chosen will turn more than a few heads. I'm also hoping that some of my major climaxes will cause a few jaw droppings.

DG: Well Canada is going to kick @ss. I am going to bring in elements of other books I love and play them out in Canada and make Alpha a serious team that no one should take for granted.

Gordon Lyons (GL): I definitely dig the enthusiasm... the logistics of a merged universe are a nightmare to work out, but Mike seems to be doing a good job of it.

KM: As for making the readers jaws drop, nothing in my plans right now will do that. But then again, maybe me and my co-writer (Kurt Belcher) will come up with something shocking to happen to good ol' Spidey.

MR: Well, the deaths of a few long time character of the Transformers series will have a very powerful effect on the series.  As for the TMNT, I don't know just yet.

DS: This isn't the kind of question I answer. Wait for the stories. They'll speak for themselves.

Question 10: In your opinion, is there anything about Omniverse that sets it apart from the other fan fic sites?

MS: The Scifiverse and Omegaverse Imprints are the 2 things that I think will set us apart, as well as the main concept of the site, the fact that all this heroes will live and interact in the same reality without having to rely on Access or Hypertime or any kind of dimension travel at all.

TL: Omniverse is different from other sites because it has a larger scope then  most "merge" sites out there. There is also a certain atmosphere here that  tells people that we can do *anything* here.

Spider-man visits Metroplis? It can happen. Superman arguing with Hawksmoor over what measures it takes to stop a villain? Right here. There are no limits at Omniverse. Only realities.

DG: This site is a wonderful mix of newcomers, like myself, and seasoned veterans of the art of fan fiction. I also love the fact that it combines the big universes as opposed to only Marvel and DC. And what is even better is that I am on the ground floor of this site which makes it even more exciting. I have a say in continuity instead of having it already laid out for me.

BK: What Omniverse brings to the table is the ability of the writers to write stories and situations which simply can't be found at other groups.  It's not just "Oh, over here we have Spider-Man written by X instead of Y," it's "Over here Spider-Man just got his ass handed to him by Doomsday." There's also the pure math aspect: four universes to play with means more characters total, and since we don't have four times as many writers, there are more than enough A-list characters to go around.

JH: Yes there is.... so far I've noticed a good bit of writer's freedom with you guys... I've searched a few sites and almost submitted to a few, but they had too many restrictions on what I could and could not write. As of yet, you haven't let me down even once. I like that.

KM: The fact that it's a merge of DC, Marvel, Wildstorm, and Image

MR: Well, we have been able to put together one giant sprawling fan fic site, where there are crossovers, pocket universes and imprints.  I have seen to many fan fic sites and have never seen one handle a multi-company universe like this group of writers have.

DS: We've got a sense I think some sites lost a while ago-- a sense of, "Here's the universe. Go. Play. Have fun. Do as thou wilt, but be cool."

And that's our little Q&A. Hope you can stop by The Omniverse Fan Fic site and check us out. Some really cool writing happening there.