“The city is an equal lead character to whoever your leads are,” says noted comics writer Brian Michael Bendis, author of successful independent series Powers as well as numerous Marvel lines including Ultimate Spider-Man. That philosophy makes Bendis the perfect interview subject for Ken Levine, whose contributions to BioShock‘s city of Rapture helped make the game’s setting its most defining element.
Both creators made their biggest impact on fiction after exploring other forms. Bendis cut his teeth on crime fiction, while Levine began his writing career as a screenwriter. Those experiences helped them develop their ideas about writing, as well as an appreciation for what makes their chosen forms unique.
In the second episode of Irrational Interviews–recorded prior to the announcement of BioShock Infinite–Levine, Bendis, and Shawn Elliott discuss lessons learned in writing, the challenges of character permanence in games and comics, and much more.
Share your thoughts about this podcast in the comments below, or head over to the forums for more in-depth discussion.
- Produced by James Bonney, Shawn Elliott and Alan Bise
- Music provided by The Happy Hollows
- Spider-Woman Motion Comic clips courtesy of Marvel Comics
russiandrink | September 1, 2010 11:40 am
Awesome! I really enjoyed the first interview and have been waiting for a follow-up. Thanks for posting this, Boost.
rye0077r | September 1, 2010 3:00 pm
Very cool.
September 1, 2010 5:35 pm
[…] small excerpt taken from the “Irrational Interviews Episode 2” in which Ken Levine mention Thief in his talk about game environments and their relationship […]
See Original Post at http://dominus.ttlg.com/?p=166
bfdannourse | September 1, 2010 10:11 pm
keep this good work up guys
crowejohn20 | September 2, 2010 5:44 am
Thanks!
lucasrizoli | September 2, 2010 12:17 pm
Sometime, it might be interesting to hear a back-and-forth between Levine & Elliott and a writer or designer that is quite different in style or in her goals. The interviews so far have been good listening, but it couldn’t hurt to have a little more argument, a little less adulation.
Thanks for taking the time to record and share these.
rybow73 | September 2, 2010 12:17 pm
Cool stuff!
nabeel | September 2, 2010 5:39 pm
Fascinating! I didn’t expect a guest like Bendis at all, I thought it’d be another member of the game industry. You guys are onto something amazing here with your podcasts.
borrego | September 2, 2010 8:10 pm
The thing I like the most about these interviews is they emphasize all the details that go into the creative process that you might not have thought about or noticed before. I also really respect the motivation for Bendis. He mentions it helps him be a better father and husband because he not only sees writing just as a job, but also an outlet. Always nice to see how human some of our favorite writers really are!
September 3, 2010 1:50 pm
[…] Source: Irrational Games […]
See Original Post at http://www.todaygamenews.com/general-game-news/irrational-interviews-marvels-brian-michael-bendis-on-writing.html
fenderstring | September 5, 2010 11:35 pm
Great interview. I am a fan of Bendis, even House of M, and I love the insightful questions around character and setting. Fantastic, thoughtful, and true to the art of story. Well done.
razielcuts | January 18, 2011 6:14 pm
Just catching up on these interviews.
What was the first excerpt from?
Sounded really interesting. Almost like a cyberpunk Neuromancer vibe.
razielcuts | January 18, 2011 6:21 pm
Haha, guess I couldn’t wait till the end of the ep.
Spiderwoman Motion Comic.