Saturday, January 10, 2009

Christopher Yost - 5 Quick Question

Christopher Yost is a comic book and animation writer best known as the co-writer (with his frequent collaborator Craig Kyle) of the comic book series New X-Men.



Yost began his career in 2002 as an intern in Marvel Comics' west coast office. His spec film scripts got attention from Marvel executives who hired Yost to write episodes of the TV series X-Men: Evolution. In 2003, Yost and Kyle co-wrote the episodes that introduced mutant character X-23, female clone of the popular X-Men character Wolverine. Marvel executives were impressed with X-23’s reception on TV, and asked Yost and Kyle to adapt the character into comics, first by writing a six issue eponymous six-issue mini-series (titled X-23: Innocence Lost), and then by taking over writing chores (as of issue #20) on the New X-Men title, bringing X-23 in as a regular character. Yost and Kyle also co-wrote a second X-23 six-issue miniseries, titled X-23: Target X.

Currently, Yost co-writes the latest incarnation of X-Force with Craig Kyle since the New X-Men title was canceled as of issue #46. Yost also recently wrote a five-issue mini-series titled Emperor Vulcan, a spinoff mini from the Uncanny X-Men story arc, "The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire" Emperor Vulcan featured the third Summers brother, Gabriel (alias Vulcan), in his quest to bring stability to the struggling Shi'ar Empire after his successful coup d'etat against previous empress Lilandra. He is following this up with the Kingbreaker mini-series, which sets the scene for the War of Kings storyline Yost is also the writer of Ender's Game: Battle School, the first in a series of adaptations of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game by Marvel.

1) What would you say is your greatest achievement in comics?

I would say my greatest achievement in comics is being IN comics. It's pretty great just to be here.

My favorite two issues I've worked on are New X-Men 42-43, I was pretty happy with that, that was the moment when I really felt we'd gotten to the right balance with that book. Of course, 3 issues later, the book was cancelled, ha ha.

2) Who was your favorite writer or artist that you worked with & why?

That's impossible to answer, because we've been blessed with some seriously great artists. Billy Tan, Mark Brooks, Paco Medina, Skottie Young, Mike Choi & Sonia Oback, Clayton Crain... we are lucky men. Diogenes Neves is a rising star, and Dustin Weaver is doing amazing stuff on Kingbreaker.

3) What character you have never worked .., would you like to do & why?

Between comics and animation, i've been lucky enough to work on a really wide range of characters. i've not worked with many DC characters, I suppose. I wouldn't mind trying Cloak and Dagger. I always liked them.

4) Who are your influences?

Joss Whedon is my master now. I love Grant Morrison, but I'm much more mainstream. And less cool, sigh.

5) What hero or villain would you like to change if you could and why?

I don't know... Stan and Jack got it pretty good. I'd like to see more VILLAINS. And any villain that went good... I'd like to see them evil again. The world needs more evil. :) Read more...

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