CHRISTOPHER IRVING: How do you view Chronos? What is it to you?

PAUL GUINAN: A great romp. An epic adventure with a positive slant (no
"grim and gritty" here) and wide-ranging appeal. The main character --
Walker Gabriel -- is a freewheeling guy in his twenties, an industrial
thief thrust into the role of hero. CHRONOS' light-hearted tone and
illustrative style make it accessible to younger readers, while the
the plot intricacies and cameo appearances by DC figures of the past
will be enjoyed by older fans.
 

CI: Of all the characters to revamp, why do you think Chronos is a
good one?

The time-travel element, as well as the central idea of one guy with
one power. One far-reaching power, with almost universal appeal! Many
recent comics characters require complex backstory explanations, but
the most memorable superheroes are the iconographic ones: the Flash
runs fast,
Green Arrow's a champion archer. Chronos travels through time.
 

CI: How do you feel Chronos fares against the Waveriders and Rip Hunter?

PG: Walker Gabriel, in keeping with the times, is not as
self-sacrificing. Not that he is apathetic or irresponsible, it's just
that he's a little more reluctant to take on the hero role, which I
think makes for more interesting situations. As the series progresses
he takes a stronger moral stance in his life. It's an interesting
character arc.
 

CI:How did you come across the visuals for this series?

PG:I use different illustrative approaches for different project. When
my wife Anina and I published our HEARTBREAKERS miniseries through
Dark Horse, I drew it  almost photorealistically in an attempt to
capture the feel of a Hong Kong action movie. In CHRONOS, I saw a
classic adventure aspect that touched on my love of old newspaper
strips. I deliberatly designed the series in that mold, with the
strongest influence coming from my favorite globe-trotting series:
TINTIN, by Herg

CI:How much referencing do you do for each issue? Is it extensive?

PG:I'm an insane history buff. _Every_ aspect of any given time period
depicted in CHRONOS has been _extensively_ researched. Each scene
contains elements accurate to within two years of the specified date
and locale--such as the Countess' dress in #3, the building facades
and cowboys'
clothes in #2, even the ruined highway sign in issue 4's "Kamandi"
sequence. This sort of detail can be be subtle yet distinct, like the
difference between alt-rocker dress in Seattle vs. New York.
 

CI:What should we expect in the future for Chronos?

PG:The original Chronos, David Clinton, is laid to rest in issue 6. In
his will, he leaves Walker Gabriel a key to his secret hideout, with
interesting results. In #7, the shape-changing Glass from issue 1
"returns" to meet Walker for the first time -- disguised as members of
the Silver-Age Justice League. (I got to draw Superman for the first
time since I was a kid, plus I got paid for it!)

CI:Do you contribute story ideas?

PG:During the series' development, I suggested to John Moore some
elements that I'd enjoy drawing based on my historical interests. My
fascination with pre-Columbian cultures manifests itself in the fact
that Walker is half Aztec, not to mention in the dramatic cover for
issue 5!

CI:What can you tell me about Heartbreakers?

PG: The core concept of HEARTBREAKERS is simple: Our two lead
characters (Queenie and Delta) were both cloned from the same woman,
but engineered for different purposes. One's a scientist and one's a
soldier -- the brains and the brawn, the yin and the yang. In their
near-future Earth, human
clones are treated as property; they have no civil rights, including
the right to bear children. Anina likes to call our stories "part
soul-searching science fiction, part tongue-in-cheek action/adventure."
        We've been publishing HEARTBREAKERS stories since 1989, in DARK HORSE
PRESENTS and the aforementioned miniseries. These days, genetic
science is making headlines all over the place, which we hope will
help widen our audience.

CI:Do you ever plan on returning to it in the future?

PG:Yes indeedy! In fact, I'm desperately trying to squeeze in some
work on new HB stories amidst my endless hours of CHRONOS pencilling.
Anina and I are putting together a new book, HEARTBREAKERS
SUPERDIGEST, to be published this July by Image Comics. It'll be a
paperback-sized (6x9 inches) anthology of self-contained stories.
We've wanted to try a format like this for years. I'm excited now that
we're finally getting a chance to do it, but I'm nervous, too.
        The lead story, by Anina, me, and Lenin Delsol, is "Double Helix" --
an action yarn in which our heroes try to solve crises spawned by
decades of genetic tinkering with plants and animals. There'll also be
shorter stories by us and a few guest artists, plus extra goodies like
Heartbreakers fumetti, crossword puzzle, and maze.

CI:Think we'll ever see Chronos go up against his predecessor in his
past,villainous days?

PG:Good question! I have a scenario in mind that I've discussed with
John. We may not get to it right away, but it'll happen eventually.

CI:What other projects do you have in store?

PG:Well, I'm also doing layouts for the Chronos framing sequence in
LEGENDS OF THE DCU ANNUAL. Between that, the monthly CHRONOS series,
HEARTBREAKERS SUPERDIGEST,  and the beginning of comic-con season,
there's no room in my noggin to think about new projects!