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Recently the MCF went through some changes and reoranization. This was a surprise to me, seeing as how the fanfic group had only been around for a month or two. I set out to find out what had happened, and here are the answers.
HEROES - Okay, let's get to the point out right, what is the status of the MCF?
ERIK BURNHAM - At present, the MCF is in recovery mode. Backed out of the ICU, into a nice comfy recuperation ward. For a while it was touch-and-go, but thanks to a surgeon by the name of Bush we should pull through fine.
H - the MCF is out of ICU,? Good to hear.. But why was it hospitalized in the first place? Your rebooting after two months with three less titles, something big must have happened to bring about that kind of change.
EB - Well first, every title lost was replaced with -hopefully - just as good a title, so we're really not out any. Heh. As to it's hospitalization, the seeds of illness were first planted when Tony Wilson - who writes in vast detail - got a new job that really ate up some of his time. A lot, actually. And why should he put together these long stories when he could be have free-time fun? Well, he did want SOME fun. So, he decided to end his Avengers book. With that, he also decided to end his webhosting and webmastering (or, webpimping to be more correct) duties. This left us without an Avengers team, without a home, and without a caretaker. I'd have done it myself, but I didn't have the time required to maintain a whole group of fanfic titles in their webhome - not the way the authors and stories deserve, anyways... so I put out a call for a new host/webcat. Schuyler Bush answered that call, thankfully, talking the MCF out of suicide. Schuy is now also writing the adventures of Captain America and the Avengers, which is fine, as Tommy Hancock (also overworked) finally decided to pull his Sentinels of Liberty book... as to rebooting, it's not that so much as it is a re-release of everything (luckily we don't have a whole plethora of things out there to edit at the moment) we're removing all references to removed titles (not too many, actually.) Nothing else will change, although we do hope we'll get a bit more notice this time. (We promise to not disappear, honest. We're stable now. Well, most of us...)
H - What brought about it's period of inactivity?
EB - It wasn't so much inactivity as it was this was the FIRST group we've (the staff of the Marvel/DC Futures sites) have ever done with definitive monthly scheduling. (Note: DCF publishes stuff as they get it) The fact that most of our books came out at the same time (end of month) made it seem like inaction. Guarantee you it wasn't. Add that to the fact that most of our writers are also on multiple titles at other fanfics AND have busy lives, and you have what seems slower. It's a mind trick, honest!
H - What do you have planned for the future of the MCF now that these problems have been fixed?
EB - The first thing we need to do is simple: establish (or, perhaps, reestablish) ourselves to our audience. We're going back there without three titles - the Man without Fear, Tommy Hancock's Sentinels of Liberty, and Tony Wilson's Avengers. Schuyler Bush, our new Webcat, is now writing Captain America and the Avengers. Triviamaster is throwing in some Nightstalkers work (and it is hot) and we also have a possible Great Lakes Avengers in development... so we're not lacking any titles numerically. The rest will still plug ahead. But no plans for a major crossover with Galactus and the Living Tribunal playing checkers with the MCF or anything...
H -Tell us about how you moved your fanfic series into an original story?
EB - Man without Fear (now simply "Without Fear") is fun for me to write; but it doesn't always include a whole lot of action - it's a character drama above all else. It is definitely not what the majority of fanfiction is like, and that caused a variety of reactions. Some loved it for it's originality, some trashed it as uninteresting and (unfairly) as lacking characterization. The story was not, I will concede, best set in the future. The first thing I changed was bringing it to the present. The second was removing all ties to Marvel. There weren't many, but I felt it had legs enough to stand on it's own. So I slapped up a site and now will place the stories and any extras I think up there. (Some future stories involve... well, I can't say, half the fun is in the surprising! Let's just say the stories will get VERY weird.)
H - Do you plan on writing another series at the MCF now that Man Without Fear has moved elsewhere?
EB - Right now, I'll be guest writing two issues of the Fantastic Four, at the author's request. Beyond that, I have not decided where I'll go in the MCF just yet. Several folks have been trying to talk me into putting out an X-Series of some sort. If I can come up with an interesting enough angle, maybe I will... but that is the key. The story has to be interesting enough to make me want to write it.
H - Onto the next site you run, what's the latest on the DCF? There has been a slight amount of inactivity there, is that site and anger of closing as well?
EB - None whatsoever. A lot of this is just spring slacking at it's finest. That, and a hard drive crash that wiped two complete issues of Batman from the face of the earth. Beyond that, Jason has his Age of Treason and Tommy has his Melding. Tony - as you well know - is back (albeit briefly) with a Nightwing limited series... and then there's And Justice For All, which is all but completed. One and a half issues need be written and then we'll all know who Justice is, and what happens now.
H - What do you have in mind for DCF's future?
EB - As soon as AJFA is done, the tone of the DCF will lighten a bit... as it shall be able to without an all-powerful manipulator pulling any strings whatsoever. Well, I shouldn't say that completely. There will be schemers, just not on such a grand scale. I see the world pulling together even more than it has, actually. Should be fun.
H - Any other projects your working on you care to share with us?
EB - Nothing off the top of my head. There's helping to reorganize the MCF, keeping the DCF jiggy, Without Fear, and... well, there is DC-M, but that's just a baby still. (;
What titles are you currently writing?
EB - At present, officially, Batman: DCF, Antipodeans of YesterYear, Heroes Onward: Lunatics, Without Fear, and a Prowler special for the 2099UG. I also have two series "in-development." These series may or may not ever come to pass; and if they do - they may knock one of my present titles off my schedule (maybe one of the lesser-read series).
H - What do you think of the rapid explosion our little fanfic community has endured?
EB - Well, there are good points and bad. The good, there are a lot more ideas circulating. More fun to be had, more creativity being proven... and in the cases of prolific writers (Tommy Hancock, Mark Peyton, and Jason Tippitt to name three) it's just all the better for their fans, who get to see many different sides of them regularly. The bad, well, sometimes things get abandoned due to lack of time. It happens to the best of us, but when a story you've come to love is dropped by a writer and no one else can continue it to satisfaction, well, that's frustrating. As in anything, there is a yin and a yang, a good and bad, a plus and minus. This is merely another paradigm of said... argh. I've gotten philosophical. Let's reword: more quality is always welcome, and sacrifices are saddening (especially in fanfic.)
H - do you see Fanfic as a means to an end? In your case, are you writing fanfic to get a job writing, or for your own enjoyment?
EB - Well, for some people, this is a means to an end. Now, writing fanfic will bring you the experience of writing a cohesive story (hopefully) before an audience (that tells what they think, or at least indicates they read it.) Fanfiction is worthless as far as comic book writing inasmuch as they are two different formats; because you write a story well in prose is no guarantee you can do a great story written in the comic book format. The pluses, besides what I wrote already, is that you're learning to be a novelist. (; Seriously, this does help you write better - through practice, if you stick to it - and that's as good as you can get. Do I think fanfic will help me get a job? To be brutally honest, no. I don't think most of what I've written would get me a job. However the experience I've wrought from the writing may help one day, should I pursue a career... right now, I'm only good enough to do it for the fun of it, I'd guess. (And I can't get anyone to pay.)
H - AS an author, what fanfic do you read on the Net that you would consider topnotch work?
EB - There's a tough one. There are stories written by wonderful writers that don't grab me at all. Sometimes, there are terrible writers that manage to eke out stories that interest me somehow. It's an odd thing, I'd say -- sometimes the skill of the writer can't make me like their work. That being said, much of the YesterYear fanfic stands out as exceptional. The weirder corners of the DCF and MCF (Triviamaster, Ed Burke, Jason Tippitt, Dan Ben-Zvi, Dave Lee, etc) are all great. Tom Hancock puts out a couple of great series regularly. DoomScribe of the 2099 UG. I feel bad, I know there are writers that aren't springing to mind (but, being that I'm at work and all, I have to forget SOMETHING) and Blue Devil. There was a good Blue Devil DCF fanfic at one time.
* AUTHOR'S NOTE- There will be more! I'm working on it!
H - It's kinda funny you mentioned a bunch of series from the future groups (DCF, MCF, 2099UG) but none from the present based fanfic sites such as MV1 or FDC. Any reason you think there are so many future fanfic groups rather then present based ones, and why do you prefer the future ones over the present?
EB - I was weaned on the future groups. Found the 2099 UG by accident, started, and the DCF followed soon after. Now, future groups are not preferenced due to an inborn prejudice (I am starting DC-M, after all) but rather just an odd interest. They add a little more creativity by having to start from scratch. The 'current' fanfics, I will admit, do require more skill (a la taking the current classics and bending them to one's will.) But to make a futuristic version interesting, risks do have to be taken. To use my own work as an example, Batman DCF. Some enjoy a non-detective, jocular Bats. Some hate it. Some think I copied Batman Beyond (I was here first, I swear!) It's all a matter of making it interesting. To take a concept, and keep the legacy, it is sometimes necessary to go to the future. And then you get phaser guns. (I do enjoy Heroes Onward as well, and shame on me for not mentioning them! They have a great present-based fanfic.) Many of the others I just haven't seen... there is so much out there...
H - Okay, that's the second time you've mentioned the DC-M, spill the beans, what is it?
EB - Okay, okay, I didn't think of it when mentioning it, it was just a force of habit. The DC-M is YET ANOTHER fanfic. Why? Because I haven't seen one like this out there. I found my copies of the "Marvel vs. DC" limited series a while back, and wondered what would've happened if the two worlds had stayed together, how that would've affected certain things. Like the JLA... could you see Captain America on that team? Something like that. So, there's your concept -- since 1996 DC and Marvel have been one world. Alliances have been formed, villains and heroes alike have found new enemies... I'm actually very excited about this. The plans for Daredevil are great (I've been working with Rob Stratton, scribe of OtX's Black Widow on it) and Daniel Ben-Zvi created an OUTSTANDING team of Avengers. Jac Milnestein, Mark Peyton, and some guy writing about John Constantine are all coming up with some great ideas. I'm excited to get this off the ground (and yes, that means submissions are being accepted)
H - Well, that about wraps up our interview Erik, any parting words for the readers?
EB - Please sing my praises as often as possible. When and if you should ever get tired of that (as if) please sing the praises of the writers of the DCF, DC-M, MCF, Heroes Onward, 2099 UG, YesterYear, MFS, FDC, MV1, Marvel X, aw, heck... all of 'em. They work hard for no cash. I on the other hand, accept personal checks. You know where to find me.
For more information on Erik's Original Series "Without Fear", check out Last Call at McTeague's Pub
