Craveonline sat down with Christos Gage, the writer behind the upcoming Captain America video game, Captain America: Super Soldier, and talked some comics, Batman and even more game.
Question: There have been some comparisons between this new Cap project and Batman: Arkham Asylum popping up around the net since the NYCC. Have you looked at the story in that game and taken any cues from it for Captain America: Super Soldier?
Christos Gage: I played the game and loved it, but I wouldn’t say the stories themselves are similar. In general terms, of course, Arkham Asylum raised the bar for comic book-based video games, staying true to the source material and making you feel like you are the hero, so I think anyone who doesn’t pay attention to that and take inspiration from it is making a big mistake. And there are similarities in terms of the characters both being normal humans (albeit at the peak of human potential) rather than super-human, as well as the action taking place in an enclosed area where you can go back and re explore places you’ve already been to. All of which is a long-winded way of saying I think fans of one will like the other, but hopefully not find them repetitive.
Question: How will non-fans react to the story here? Will they, hopefully, come away from Super Soldier looking to read some Captain America classics?
Christos Gage: I’m hoping so. I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid since before I could tie my own shoes, so I’m no expert on how that happens, but I know that my nephew was not a comics reader until he became interested in some of the characters in Marvel vs. Capcom (and his awesome uncle gave him some Alan Moore to read). Of course, you want the game experience to be complete and fulfilling by itself, but it would also be fantastic if players left wanting to know more about Cap, or what exactly happened to bring him into the present day, or if he ever ran into Baron Strucker again. Fortunately, Marvel has a wealth of his adventures available in collections as well as on their online comic reader.
Question:If that happens, what are some of the best spans of Cap gamers should be reading?
Christos Gage: Anything from the time Ed Brubaker began writing the title a few years ago is great Marvel has all those stories collected so they should be easy to get. A personal favorite of mine is the early eighties run by Roger Stern and John Byrne, which is collected under the title “War And Remembrance.” That’s what got me hooked on Cap as a kid, and I still get chills reading it today. And, of course, the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby stuff from the sixties is an injection of pure awesome into your brainstem.
Question: One obvious side-effect of this project may be a comic that leads into the game or spins out of it. Have you been tapped to work on such a project? If you can't say or simply haven't, is this something that you would actually like doing?
Christos Gage: If there is such a thing, I’m unaware of it. Thanks a lot, now I feel like there must be one and Marvel hates me so much they got someone else to do it! All kidding aside, I think it would be fun to work on, if my schedule allowed for it. But I don’t know if there are any plans.
Question: In our previous interview, you mentioned that you're used to writing the Cap we know today, not the one from the 40s. How has writing for this version of Captain America influenced your perception of the character and his roots?
Christos Gage: I guess it’s humanized him for me a bit…modern readers are so used to the "living legend," the veteran leader and master tactician who always knows what to do. It's illuminating to think of him as an inexperienced kid just getting used to these amazing things he can do. Of course, many of our World War II veterans were just kids trying their best to survive and do their duty. That’s what’s so amazing about what they accomplished, and why we admire them so much today.