Interview talk:Chuck Kim

Possible interview

Chuck Kim is checking with the WGA on whether or not it's okay for him to answer questions during the strike. In the meantime, I don't think it would hurt to submit some questions for Chuck. To remind people, Chuck wrote , .07%, and Sword Saint. Post questions below. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 06:41, 2 January 2008 (EST)

• Chuck confirmed that he'll be able to do an interview since we're not affiliated with NBC or Universal. We're still working out whether it'll be a phone interview or an email interview. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 21:39, 2 January 2008 (EST)
  • That's good news. Maybe others will be free for interviews, too, since they're not swamped with work for the show. (Admin 21:50, 2 January 2008 (EST))
    • Speak of the devil, Joe Tolerico just agreed to an email interview. Submit questions at this link. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 22:25, 2 January 2008 (EST)
      • That's great news! But please don't overdo it. It seems that this is a case by case basis, since the writers/producers who answer questions for Behind the Eclipse have not said that they will be returning. That is, unless I'm missing something, and NBC/Universal are somehow sponsoring Behind the Eclipse and we are not aware of it. So I recommend treading lightly unless that situation suddenly reverses as we don't want to get any of the writers in trouble with the higher ups.--MiamiVolts (talk) 22:27, 2 January 2008 (EST)
        • That may have been a personal decision on their part. It sounds like Chuck checked with them directly to be certain. In any event, as long as we don't mention to them anyone else who's agreed to an interview I think most of them may check with the WGA first to play it safe so they'll each be able to make a personal decision. (Admin 22:33, 2 January 2008 (EST))
        • Thank you for your concern, Miami, but I of course am as tactful as I know how to be in approaching the cast and crew. I actually contacted Joe about a week ago and he just got back to me today. Joe is not a member of the WGA, though I told both Joe and Chuck that I would understand if the strike interfered with anything. I wouldn't dream of getting anybody "in trouble", and you can rest assured I take many precautions to cover all bases. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 22:56, 2 January 2008 (EST)
          • No problem. Don't get me wrong, I realize you're covering all your bases, but strike politics is a funny thing and sometimes appears to have a mind of its own. FWIW, Mike Huckabee was chided on the news tonight for crossing picket lines to appear on Jay Leno's show and commenting to a news interviewer that all late night talk shows were given special dispensation by the WGA, when the only deal that has been worked out is with David Letterman's studio (the others are airing minus the writers), and that was the inspiration for my post.--MiamiVolts (talk) 23:18, 2 January 2008 (EST)
• This will be a phone interview. We'll probably talk on Friday evening, 1/4. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 06:35, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• I agree thats odd, since the behind the eclipce boys said they checked with the WGA. Hummm.--Nonredhead (talk) 15:43, 4 January 2008 (EST)

Questions for Chuck

• So i really want to know about Charles. Are you guys going to explain him in a new graphic novel or in the show?--

Sylarptnt0 5:45, 3 January 2008 (EST)

• Is Isaac Mendez the son of Carlos Mendez from the group of twelve? --Willerz 16:07, 4 January 2008 (EST)
• Does Adams alias 'Richard Sanders' have any connection with DL, Niki, Monica, Micah etc.? (dibs lol ;P) --Ashwilson12 07:55, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• Which novel was your favourite to write? --DocM 09:44, 2 January 2008 (EST)
• How did you feel when you wrote .07% after writing several graphic novels? --DocM 09:44, 2 January 2008 (EST)
• Is the eleventh wife foreshadowing or symbolic? (I call dibs) --DocM 09:44, 2 January 2008 (EST)
  • (I'd suggest rewording this one to make the question more explicit like: Is the eleventh bride Adam refers to at the end of the novel his current bride or a bride he hopes to find in the future?) (Admin 13:41, 2 January 2008 (EST))
  • Good idea, but I'd suggest something like: Is the eleventh bride Adam refers to at the end of The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei his current bride, someone he knows whom he hopes to marry, or someone he's never met but hopes to meet in the future?--MiamiVolts (talk) 15:06, 2 January 2008 (EST)
    • That sounds even better. (Admin 15:35, 2 January 2008 (EST))
      • I like the wording, too. However I should say that since this will be a phone interview, I can't guarantee that I'll ask any of the questions exactly as they're written since I'm not a professional interviewer and I tend to be more conversational than follow a Q&A format. However, I'll keep these questions in front of me and hope for the best. :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 06:37, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• The Trial of the Black Bear diverges from the style used on most of the other graphic novels. Why the manga style?
• In Elle's First Assignment, Elle was written into storylines from Genesis and the beginning of Season One. At what point was the character of Elle created? Will there be other characters who will fit in with previous stories?
• You wrote about a new power in Normal Lives. How did you go about creating Marcus's power?
• The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei easily has the most new characters of any graphic novel, with at least ten new people introduced to us. Each one of Kensei's brides seems unique, not only to the time period to which she belongs, but also different from the other women. (In fact it makes it quite difficult to figure out a "type" of woman Adam is attracted to.) How did you decide on each character? What kind of research did you do for all the different time periods and locations mentioned in that novel?
• In the Sword Saint documentary, one of the trials you introduced was the Snake Women, two female assassins said to be half-snake. Have you considered writing a graphic novel or episode segment about their story? It would be interesting way to know or get confirmation that there were other evolved humans around at the time Hiro first met Takezo Kensei.--MiamiVolts (talk) 13:30, 2 January 2008 (EST)
• Were the graphic novels that were released since the strike written before the strike or is there a condition that allows you to continue writing the graphic novels during the strike? (Admin 21:54, 2 January 2008 (EST))
• Since the strike there's been word that some writers are working on projects to release outside of the studios. Have you been involved in any independent work since the strike began? (Admin 21:54, 2 January 2008 (EST))
• Which Powerpuff Girl is your favorite (don't worry, we won't tell the other two)? (Admin 21:56, 2 January 2008 (EST))
• Are you able to clarify whether Adam Monroe was born in 1584 as suggested in prior references, whether he was born in 1650 which would have been 42 years prior to 1692 when the first event in "The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei" took place, or whether he was born in 1630 indicating that the date in the comic was 20 years after he turned 42? (Might need to be reworded to not sound confusing) (Admin 22:42, 2 January 2008 (EST))
• How is it decided which artist/colorist works on what GN? If you have anything to do with it, could you send more work Jason Badower's way or to Michael Gaydos & Chris Sotomayor? Perhaps you could persuade Tim Sale and Dave Stewart to do one? --SacValleyDweller (talk) 10:36, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• As the new "bride" of Adam been seen/mentioned yet in the show or comics? Jason Garrick 16:13, 3 January 2008 (EST)
• Who is your favorite character in Heroes? Scarlet Girl 09:23, 4 January 2008
• Will Angela ever be featured in a graphic novel?
• When will we find out Angela's power power? (It's killing us!)
• Will we find out who Claude was hiding?
• What did Kaito want to tell Hiro (2x1) and why didn't he tell him when Hiro finally appeared? (2x9)
• Just so you know, .07 Percent is one of my favorite episodes.
• More Angela! Anything to keep me going during this strike. nonredhead 03:41, 4 January 2008
• Will Richard Drucker make an appearance on screen?Martinpetrelli94321 12:51, 5 January 2008 (EST)
  • Just a quick note--some of these questions are more about Heroes in general, and not specifically about the works that Chuck has created. I don't mind asking Chuck some of these questions, but they are lower down on my list of priority questions. In other words, I'll ask them if we get around to them at the end of the interview. :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 17:51, 4 January 2008 (EST)

Temporary outline of questions

10 Brides

• Does Adams alias 'Richard Sanders' have any connection with DL, Niki, Monica, Micah etc.?
• Is the eleventh bride Adam refers to at the end of The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei his current bride, someone he knows whom he hopes to marry, or someone he's never met but hopes to meet in the future?
• The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei easily has the most new characters of any graphic novel, with at least ten new people introduced to us. Each one of Kensei's brides seems unique, not only to the time period to which she belongs, but also different from the other women. (In fact it makes it quite difficult to figure out a "type" of woman Adam is attracted to.) How did you decide on each character? What kind of research did you do for all the different time periods and locations mentioned in that novel?
• In the Museum of Natural History, a sign says that Kensei was born in 1584 (which would make him 87 when he met Hiro). In the latest novel, it's a bit different. The date is listed as 1692, it says, "After turning 42, I realized I did not age. After 20 years as my wife, Helene saw it too". Some have interpreted this as Adam turning 42 in 1692, and some have interpreted it as Adam turning 42 20 years prior to 1692. Are you able to clarify when Adam Monroe was born?

Normal Lives

• You wrote about a new power in Normal Lives. How did you go about creating Marcus's power?

Elle's First Assignment

• In Elle's First Assignment, Elle was written into storylines from Genesis and the beginning of Season One. At what point was the character of Elle created? Will there be other characters who will fit in with previous stories?

Trial of the Black Bear

• The Trial of the Black Bear diverges from the style used on most of the other graphic novels. Why the manga style?

Sword Saint

• In the Sword Saint documentary, one of the trials you introduced was the Snake Women, two female assassins said to be half-snake. Have you considered writing a graphic novel or episode segment about their story? It would be interesting way to know or get confirmation that there were other evolved humans around at the time Hiro first met Takezo Kensei.

.07%

• How did you feel when you wrote .07% after writing several graphic novels?
• So shooting Sylar won't stop him...but ramming him with a chalkboard and map will stop him for quite awhile. Good to know. :)
• F_Hiro had some dates written on the door of Isaac's loft (3/3/07, 6/2/07, 3/5/8, 4/7/08). Do those dates have any significance? Were those the dates that Hiro jumped to trying to change history?

Strike

• Were the graphic novels that were released since the strike written before the strike or is there a condition that allows you to continue writing the graphic novels during the strike?
• Since the strike there's been word that some writers are working on projects to release outside of the studios. Have you been involved in any independent work since the strike began?

General questions about GNs

• How is it decided which artist/colorist works on what GN?
• Any chance Tim Sale might pencil a novel?

General questions about Heroes

• Which novel was your favourite to write?
• Who is your favorite character in Heroes?
• So i really want to know about Charles. Are you guys going to explain him in a new graphic novel or in the show?--
• Is Isaac Mendez the son of Carlos Mendez from the group of twelve?
• Will Angela ever be featured in a graphic novel?
• When will we find out Angela's power power?
• Will we find out who Claude was hiding?
• What did Kaito want to tell Hiro (2x1) and why didn't he tell him when Hiro finally appeared? (2x9)
• More Angela! Anything to keep me going during this strike.

Odd questions to keep the fans laughing

• Which Powerpuff Girl is your favorite (don't worry, we won't tell the other two)?

...one hour later...

I just got off the phone with Chuck. What a nice guy, and very humble! We talked for a little under an hour, and the 24.5 MB file is still downloading. I have some things to take care of tonight, and I have family coming over tomorrow (it's my son's birthday party), so I probably won't be able to get this fully transcribed until Sunday. Sorry. :( But I think it was a good interview, and he answered some of the questions, talked a bit about the trailer for Season Three, and gave some good insight. Not all questions were asked though--he was dancing around the "new bride" issue and kept changing the subject, so I didn't want to push. But the fact that he was dancing around it at all is a pretty good sign. :) Anyway, check back around Sunday (hopefully) for a transcript. :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 21:58, 4 January 2008 (EST)

• Thanks for the interview Ryan, but don't bother yourself. Family goes first :D --BloodyFox 16:55, 5 January 2008 (CEST)
• Do you know if he answered the one about the powerpuff girls? Martinpetrelli94321 12:56, 5 January 2008 (EST)
  • Buttercup. By the way, bad news--Chuck thinks this week's GN will be the last until after the strike. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 17:26, 5 January 2008 (EST)
  • Damn. Well, tell your son happy birthday for us ! Therequiembellishere 02:49, 6 January 2008 (EST)
    • Actually, some good news. NBC just posted this:

The next chapter in the highly anticipated "Heroes" online mythology continues with "Heroes Evolution." Fans will discover intriguing new back-story and plot twists through the "Heroes" online and mobile micro-sites. The popular graphic novel continues in originals all winter long as well. … Launch of next chapter in "Heroes Evolution" which will give fans the opportunity to participate in a new online detective story featuring Matt Parkman. They will be able to work through case files, Company records, video clues, and more to solve a crime that has eluded Matt. The story will be tied together with a series of original graphic novels. Additionally, fans will also discover Suresh's dream study, a new and improved Yamagato Fellowship site and a new Primatech Assignment Tracker in the coming months.

Well, that's good news! And it looks like we'll be having more graphic novels...though I sure wish the writing team were involved... -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 00:36, 10 January 2008 (EST)

age

• Unless there's more about Adam's age, it sounds like there wasn't a definitive answer as to when he was born since the question was framed more along the lines of "this is what fans are saying" and his response may just have been an acknowledgement of the speculation. From the sound of it they may not have even definitively pinned down his official year of birth yet. 1630 seems to make the most sense based on an interpretation of the novel as well as the events that took place in the episode (which would place his discovery that he didn't age about 1 year after he met Hiro and would also make him 41 when he met Hiro in 1671 (which I think fits more closely than him being 21), but it doesn't appear to be confirmed. (Admin 00:21, 7 January 2008 (EST))
  • There's nothing more about the age. I had this whole question carefully worded, and he cut me off twice, so it is what it is. Oh well. I actually think 1650 makes more sense as his birth year, so I guess it just goes to show that we should remove any trace of speculation when it comes to his birth date. When BTE comes back up, I think asking Joe and Aron would be a good idea. That's one of the benefits of an email interview--the interviewee gets time to pick apart the question, do some research, and carefully word their answer if they want. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 00:35, 7 January 2008 (EST)
    • Yeah, exactly. It also wasn't a knock at your question, it's an interview and not a fact finding mission. :) I just wanted to address the issue before we went ahead and potentially altered the article. I think omitting it for now is also the safest bet. Actually, I just looked at David Anders's bio and he's in his 20's?! No offense to him, but I thought he was actually in his mid-30's so that's why 41 looked more appropriate to me considering the actor. Since he's much younger than I originally thought I agree 1650 does make more sense to me now, too. Though he looks the same now as he did back in 1671 when he should look 20 years older in that case. Hmm. Tricky. (Admin 00:43, 7 January 2008 (EST))
    • Yeah, that, and if they give you any names, you already know the spelling. But a phone interview appears to be faster for many, and also tends to give you more insight into their personality, so it is a worthwhile tradeoff imho. On Adam's age, my opinion is that he's supposed to be 42 forever...as for DOB, the best we can say is 1600's (17th Century) for now, imho.--MiamiVolts (talk) 00:51, 7 January 2008 (EST)

Photos

One thing that Chuck said when were just gabbing was "I remember when Heroes Wiki went up, and the writers would go on and were like, 'Where did they get this photo?' Adam Armus was particularly sad about his photo." I of course asked for another photo of Adam. Just thought I'd share. :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 14:39, 9 January 2008 (EST)

• Heh, thanks for sharing. :) Did Chuck say he'd try and get us another photo of Adam?--MiamiVolts (talk) 15:05, 9 January 2008 (EST)
  • That's cool that they check out the site. I wish our timeline articles were better for earlier episodes...could have prevented some continuity things.--Bob (talk) 15:08, 9 January 2008 (EST)
    • Yeah, but we're much more on the ball now, I think. He's going to try to get another pic of Adam for us. I also have a few other nerdy non-interview questions for him, like Chuck's birthday and birth place. I think I might also try to find out who some of the actors are who portrayed the Sword Saint scholars. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 15:27, 9 January 2008 (EST)
      • I thought Nate (dir of photography) might know that, assuming he was in charge of the photos. Did you ask him about any names in the interview? BTW, good job with this one. I'm looking forward to reading what Nate had to say.--MiamiVolts (talk) 16:06, 9 January 2008 (EST)
        • Thanks. Nate mostly talked about cameras, lighting, and colors. It was very much him talking, and I would say something when he would stop speaking. I don't think I "asked" more than about seven or eight real questions, and even then, it was just to break up the flow of one person speaking. He had a lot of really interesting things to say, but it was much more one-sided than conversational. No, I didn't ask him about the photos. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 16:12, 9 January 2008 (EST)
• I think we had a few members of the crew create accounts and upload new pics of themselves in the past. Would be great if Adam had a different pic he'd like us to use. (Admin 15:58, 9 January 2008 (EST))
  • Yeah, I'm ready to see a better pic of Adam, too. I'd love it if he were willing to have an interview, though I'd want to do it with both him and Kay. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 16:15, 9 January 2008 (EST)
    • The new picture of Adam is much better. Please thank Chuck for all of us.--MiamiVolts (talk) 20:36, 10 January 2008 (EST)
      • Chuck's a good guy. He gave me Adam's address and Adam sent me the new picture. Adam's wife took it today....By the way, Chuck was nice enough to offer me an open invitation to visit the Heroes set if I'm ever in L.A., and he's sending me a bit of swag. Very thoughtful guy. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 20:45, 10 January 2008 (EST)
        • That's great. It's really too bad you can't make Comic-Con this year (assuming the strike doesn't destroy it), it'd be nice if you could potentially meet some of these people. Maybe when I'm there I'll just wear a nametag that says "Hi, my name is Ryan Gibston Stewart" and see who says hi. :) (Admin 20:48, 10 January 2008 (EST))
          • I'd love to go, but I just don't have the money. I also just took a job as a camp director of a Scout camp, so I will live on site for 7 weeks during the summer, and can't really leave. You have my full permission to use my name ... or even Ryan Gibston Stewart's name. :) 20:58, 10 January 2008 (EST)
            • Oops, typo... which I won't correct because then your comment won't make sense anymore. :) Though I could spell it Gibston and then pretend to act surprised when people mistake me for you. (Admin 21:00, 10 January 2008 (EST))
              • Uh, yeah...something tells me you won't have people lining up to see you, no matter which spelling you use. :) -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 21:20, 10 January 2008 (EST)
                • Well, probably not lining up. But I bet there might be a number of people who would recognize the name when they saw it. In either case I'll be there pimping some Heroes Wiki t-shirts to anyone interested. (Admin 21:21, 10 January 2008 (EST))

Digg

• If anyone has an account at digg.com, then please Digg the article there. With enough Diggs it will become more popular and will help more people find it. If you don't have an account, feel free to register since a lot of people use digg.com and digging Heroes Wiki articles will help more people find things here. (Admin 16:11, 9 January 2008 (EST))
  • Thanks for setting up the Digg link again. Good idea. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 16:12, 9 January 2008 (EST)
  • I don't know much about community news sharing sites like Digg, but doing a Google search for "interview Chuck Kim" turned up this Humsurfer link first. Would it be beneficial to place a link to it next to the Digg link? -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 21:04, 9 January 2008 (EST)
    • It probably won't make too much difference in this case. The Digg link isn't generating a whole lot of diggs for the article, so putting another link there isn't likely to help generate stamps on that other site. Most of people people who dugg the article did so after I posted on the talk page here, so your mention of humsurfer might cause some people to go there, too. Digg is much larger than humsurfer so I'm trying to focus things there to reach the wider audience. (Admin 21:11, 9 January 2008 (EST))
    • By the way, I did make an account over on humsurfer and stamped the article for good measure. :) I'm also seeing if I can get some help from people on 9thwonders.com. (Admin 21:45, 9 January 2008 (EST))
      • Good idea. They seem to be a pretty proactive bunch. By the way, as of right now, this interview has 758 views. (Before I finished this morning, it had about 400.) I think it took close to a month for Interview:Jason La Padura to hit 1,000. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 21:47, 9 January 2008 (EST)
        • I don't know if you sent out any emails, but I contacted a couple of the Heroes news fan sites and let them know about the interview. We're getting a number of visitors from heroesfanatic.com for example. (Admin 21:50, 9 January 2008 (EST))
          • Actually, I was just getting ready to send out some emails. I guess it doesn't matter if some of the admins get two emails, right? Otherwise, just let me know who you contacted and I'll inform my other contacts. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 21:55, 9 January 2008 (EST)
            • It should be ok to email them twice, though I left messages for heroesarg.com, heroesfanatic.com, and heroestheseries.com. That may have been it. (Admin 21:57, 9 January 2008 (EST))
              • Among others, I emailed BuddyTV, CBR, Heroes360Clues, HeroesARG, heroesfanatic.com, heroes-hype.com, heroesnbc.net, Use Your Ability, heroestheseries, herosite.com, Spoiler TV, and Heroestv.com. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 22:48, 10 January 2008 (EST)
• 75 Diggs ain't bad. -- RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 18:58, 11 January 2008 (EST)