Interviews - Charles Soule - a podcast by Stergios Botzakis & Derek Royal

On this episode of the interview show, Derek talks with Charles Soule about his most recent creator-own works, specifically Strange Attractors (Archaia) and the currently ongoing Letter 44 (Oni Press). They spend most of their time discussing the latter and the various narrative threads and subplots interwoven within the series. In their conversation, Charles tells Derek about the extent of his research for the title, his love of NASA history, the intrigue of writing political drama, and the ways in which his background in law helped give birth to series' premise.  They also discuss the contemporary rootedness of Letter 44 and the extent to which recent presidential history plays out in its storyline, albeit ramped up and taken to speculative extremes. Much of the conversation is also devoted to Strange Attractors, a book similar to Letter 44 with a high concept and a keen scientific bent. Charles explains how his interest in complexity theory and his love of New York City combine to create an unlikely sci-fi drama. But even though Derek is mostly interested in his non-mainstream work, he nonetheless asks Charles about his efforts in the DC and Marvel Universes -- e.g., his experiences writing Swamp Thing, Death of Wolverine, Superman/Wonder Woman, and She-Hulk -- how he balances the superhero narratives with his creator-owned work, and the ways he negotiates both franchise limitations and fanboy expectations. All in all, it's a fun interview, with listeners being able to hear about creative facets of Charles Soule that rarely surface in interviews.

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