Q&A with Duncan Rouleau

[Ben]

Folks, please join me in welcoming Duncan Rouleau to the forum. He has been good enough to agree to a Q&A with us. Lets stick to the method of no more than 2 questions per person at a time.

As you know Duncan was the artist and co-writer of Alpha Flight Vol. 2 from issue #12 on. Duncan know what was planned for the book before it was axed, and I'm sure can answer you questions about the cancellation it's self.

Ben

[PWalk]

Welcome aboard!

I gotta know, can you give us a quick preview of what might have been story wise for Vol. 2?

[Major Mapleleaf Jr]

Hola, Duncan! I have to say, it was your art that really got me into Alpha Flight's second series, because your X-Factor work was equally awesome.

I'll mirror that first question: is there anything you can tell us about the second AF series that was planned before it got the axe?

[Phil]

Hey there!
Thanks for taking the time out for us :D

How come Marvel didn't use your cover for #18?

(Duncan's unpublished cover (http://forum.alphaflight.net/album_pic.php?pic_id=51))
(Rick Leonardi's published cover (http://www.alphaflight.net/cover_gallery/af2_18.jpg))

*props to Mike for the correction*

[syvalois]

Hey there!
Thanks for taking the time out for us :D

How come Marvel didn't use your cover for #18?

(Duncan's unpublished cover (http://forum.alphaflight.net/album_pic.php?pic_id=51))
(Paul Smith's published cover (http://www.alphaflight.net/cover_gallery/af2_18.jpg))


Now for my questions (the first question do not count), When you arrived in AF vol2 there was a new dynamism in the serie, did you imput more than just the drawing in arriving in AF or did you help Seagle with ideas or characters motivation (like how Murmur could be so lame and speak like that.....(censored).....)



With a last name like Rouleau, do you know french or the french ancestry is too far away?


Sylvie

[Ahab]

Hey Duncan! Nice of you to take some time to answer questions for we insane fans out there of Alpha Flight.

I guess my big question is - did you know what the origin was for the kids in Volume 2? Were you privy to who their "parents" were?

[kozzi24]

Hi Duncan
Would you work on an arc of Volume 3 if the powers that be asked?
What Marvel characters would you most like the chance to work with?

[JohnnyCanuck]

HI Duncan,

I'll Stray from the Alpha Flight for a second here and ask if that little thing you were doing through Image ever got finished or ever will?

By the way i loved your Brass Bishop stuff .

[Duncan Rouleau]

Welcome aboard!

I gotta know, can you give us a quick preview of what might have been story wise for Vol. 2?

Well, The Mac found up in the pole by Sasquatch was...a clone, but guess what...so was the younger Mac. It was going to turn out that the real Mac was...Gentry.

Plus

We had a big conflict with Hate Monger and reveal what the "H" in Department H meant, at least in the lower levels.

[Duncan Rouleau]

Hola, Duncan! I have to say, it was your art that really got me into Alpha Flight's second series, because your X-Factor work was equally awesome.

I'll mirror that first question: is there anything you can tell us about the second AF series that was planned before it got the axe?

Thanks - I'll be doing a little Spidey later this year. Keep yer eyes peeled.

I'm trying to think what other elements other than those two I just replied to that might be of inntrest. Oh, we were going to have a big Shaman story line that was going to bring the Brass Bishop back into play.

[Duncan Rouleau]

Hey there!
Thanks for taking the time out for us :D

How come Marvel didn't use your cover for #18?

I have that cover finished. I'll talk to Ben about how best to post it here. Why? I don't know, you'd have to ask Jay. I truly, to this day, consider it to be up there with my best work.

(Duncan's unpublished cover (http://forum.alphaflight.net/album_pic.php?pic_id=51))
(Rick Leonardi's published cover (http://www.alphaflight.net/cover_gallery/af2_18.jpg))

*props to Mike for the correction*

[Duncan Rouleau]

Hey there!
Thanks for taking the time out for us :D

How come Marvel didn't use your cover for #18?

By the by, the art you have there is not the cover. That was just a promo piece. The cover is much cooler.

(Duncan's unpublished cover (http://forum.alphaflight.net/album_pic.php?pic_id=51))
(Paul Smith's published cover (http://www.alphaflight.net/cover_gallery/af2_18.jpg))


Now for my questions (the first question do not count), When you arrived in AF vol2 there was a new dynamism in the serie, did you imput more than just the drawing in arriving in AF or did you help Seagle with ideas or characters motivation (like how Murmur could be so lame and speak like that.....(censored).....)

I did help with the writing. I co-wrote, for the most part, all the plots with Steve and he did the dialogue. Brass Bishop, Big Hero Six, Floor 13, Weapon X, the Second Mac....all those.



With a last name like Rouleau, do you know french or the french ancestry is too far away?

Qui. My Father was born in Quebec before his family moved to Chicago.


Sylvie

[Duncan Rouleau]

Hey Duncan! Nice of you to take some time to answer questions for we insane fans out there of Alpha Flight.

I guess my big question is - did you know what the origin was for the kids in Volume 2? Were you privy to who their "parents" were?

Murmur's daddy's genetic samples ( all were part of the Weapon X program) were... Purple. Killgrave The Purple Man I believe was his full name!

Radius and Flex shared a mom but their Dad's genetic material came from two very different Dad's.

Radius was Unice the Untouchable.

I wanted Radius to have to have his food broken down to a submolecular level and feed directly- through his shield- into his skin. I also didn't want that to be his real face, since the shield was impenetrable light couldn't pass through it. That beautiful mug of his was all a lie.

For Flex...his Daddy...well, lets just say snikt.

[Duncan Rouleau]

Hi Duncan
Would you work on an arc of Volume 3 if the powers that be asked?
What Marvel characters would you most like the chance to work with?

Oddly enough, Scott and i are talking about working on something. I don't think it would be Alpha Flight. That was Steve and I.

I am going to be doinng some Spidey later this year.

[Duncan Rouleau]

HI Duncan,

I'll Stray from the Alpha Flight for a second here and ask if that little thing you were doing through Image ever got finished or ever will?

By the way i loved your Brass Bishop stuff .

The final issues of M. Rex ARE Ccoming out later next year in a complete compilated volume.

Also look for my first Graphic Novel The Nightmarist, all 96 pages drawn and written by moi comiing out at the beginning of next year. Plus Picture deal with Paramount coming behind it.

Thanks, to this day the Brass Bish was always my favorite.

[DelBubs]

Hello Duncan, thanks for taking the time to do this, one thing that I noticed, your AF work was (to my mind anyways) totally different to the stuff you did on M-Rex. Was this a concious thing or did the premise of the stories dictate a different style?

Secondly, though loathe to admit it, I was never totally enamoured of the work you did on AF, I found the Puck moustache very off putting and probably made a big song and dance about it when you came aboard after Scott Clarkes work. How much of what you do is influenced by the Manga style we see nowadays in Tokyopop books and how much was it a case of you trying to find a style that was unique to yourself while not ignoring influences?

Thanks again for your time.

[Tanaraq]

(Duncan's unpublished cover (http://forum.alphaflight.net/album_pic.php?pic_id=51))

Hey I liked that cover so much I made a tshirt out of it!!! Pretty faded now but still wear it biking to work. Now every once in a while Alpha Flight walks through the front door of Statistics Canada (albeit on my chest).

[Ben]

Welcome to Alpha Wave Tanaraq! That would make a great shirt indeed, do you have a pic of the shirt anywhere?

Ben

[Tanaraq]

The final issues of M. Rex ARE Ccoming out later next year in a complete compilated volume.


Great to hear Duncan. After M.Rex disapeared my old website (M.Rex.Net) kind of dropped from my mind but it's still up on my web server at http://members.rogers.com/wrmb/mrexnet .
I loved M.Rex back in the day and still look back on it fondly. Can't wait to see how it ends. I've still got a signed poster from you and Joe up on my wall as well as the stock 'Blueprint Edition' cover I got from Avalon Studios after making the site.



Also look for my first Graphic Novel The Nightmarist, all 96 pages drawn and written by moi comiing out at the beginning of next year. Plus Picture deal with Paramount coming behind it.


Just checked this out on your site Man of Action http://www.manofaction.tv . Can't wait to see it!

Wesley Benjamin

[Tanaraq]

Welcome to Alpha Wave Tanaraq! That would make a great shirt indeed, do you have a pic of the shirt anywhere?

Ben

Whipped out the digicam and snapped a quick shot. The print looks a bit darker in the pictures than it actually appears. Just used a simple iron on transfer which I printed on my computer. Had a better quality copy of the image than the one that's been posted in this forum though. I've printed a few other shirts with random things and this one actually turned out the best.

Wesley

http://members.rogers.com/wrmb/pictures/afshirt2.jpg

[Phil]

Heh, as soon as I saw about the M-Rex site, I knew it was Wes.

Hi mate :D

[maniac mike]

Hi Duncan I've got two questions for ya...

1) Did you and Scott have any more plans for Chinook?

2) What plans did you guys have for Flinch and Ouija, (powers, costumes, etc.)?

Thanks,

MM :-k

[Phil]

I'd just like to give a big hello to Rich Johnston while we're here :D

[kozzi24]

Pardon my ignorance, but who's Rich Johnson?

[DelBubs]

Rich Johnson is a British columnist who writes solely about comics, he has two on-line columns that get a lot of hits and is known to almost every professional who writes, draws, edits or is in management at a comics co. Waiting For Tommy (http://www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/tommy84.html) is mainly given to interviews now and Lying in The Gutters (http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=litg) is a rumour column at CBR. He is also a writer and produces on-line comics from Twist&Shout comics (his own co-owned company). He also recently had 'Holed Up' (a three part sattirical look at American gun culture) published from Avatar comics.

He can be seen at most cons and his Lying in The Gutters is the column I look too every Monday to find out who's doing what. He was the gent who let us know that Scott and Clayton would be doing AF before the actual Marvel released news.

[Mokole]

Hi Duncan. Someone already asked one of my questions (Flinch's powers) but I still get two, right?
:?
Why was Weapon X made a New Zealender and not someone who already had something going for them (say Feedback)?

Was the Beta Project about the Legacies, synthoids, Weapon X, or something else?

[Legerd]

Hey Duncan thanks for taking the time to talk with us. :D I hope you don't mind if I get right to the questions.

1. Was there a story planned to rescue Madison Jefferies from The Zodiac?

2. If you had the series to do all over again what (if anything) would you change?