Back in the early days of comic books, few could have predicted that tussles over intellectual property would one day be as dynamic as a throwdown between costumed arch-rivals.
It’s not hard to understand given what’s at stake: Money, potentially billions of dollars. That’s enough wealth to entice some people to murder.
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Alex Segura, author and comic book writer, set his acclaimed noir mystery “Secret Identity” in the comic book world of the 1970s. Segura’s standalone sequel, “Alter Ego,” out Dec. 3 from Flatiron Books, looks at the industry in its current state as nostalgia for a beloved character can fuel a multibillion-dollar franchise of movies, TV shows, video games, merchandise and much more.
In Segura’s novel, artist and filmmaker Annie Bustamante is one of the industry’s titans, although her last movie never made it to theaters for reasons outside of her control. As she’s pondering what to do next, she gets an unexpected offer to reboot the “Lethal Lynx,” her favorite comic book character of her childhood now fallen into obscurity.
For Annie, drawing the “Lynx” is an incredible opportunity to reignite her inner creative spark. But she can’t help but doubt whether she can trust the character’s owners, who seem to be keeping things from her. Then anonymous messages start popping up on her phone. And once people start dying, Annie realizes that the situation is a lot more complicated than she first imagined.
In “Alter Ego,” Segura weaves the struggle of art versus commerce into the center of a murder mystery. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q. How did you decide to revisit the “Secret Identity” universe, and what was it like for you?
It’s interesting because as I was finishing up “Secret Identity,” I was talking about the epilogue to my editor, Zach Wagman at Flatiron – he said, “I think there’s something else there. I think people will want to know what happens in the future.” That’s what spurred me to add that epilogue, which set the stage for “Alter Ego.”
I didn’t want “Alter Ego” to feel like a sequel – I wanted the story to exist on its own and not rehash the plot points of “Secret Identity.” There’s another side to the coin, as my editor said, with what happens when you explore intellectual property and the creative journey in the present versus the past. Today, companies are really eager to collect IP and characters and concepts that were so important to us and children, in order to monetize and commodify them in different ways that were unheard of back in the days when the industry was dying.
Q. Just like the 1970s, the current day is also a time of change for comic books, albeit in a different way – can you talk about that?
In 1975, when “Secret Identity” was set, the main character Carmen had no choice when she wanted to create a new comic book character, but to do it in secret for a third-rate publisher. Today, things are so different. Not only is the industry growing, but there are so many different ways to get your work out there. Annie could literally do a Kickstarter or start a Patreon.
But something else I wanted “Alter Ego” to explore is the idea of nostalgia and fandoms. Yes, there are other ways for creators to create. Yet the commerce of comic books, in a lot of ways, is nostalgia. These characters are so defined in our minds and so iconic to us – it’s a chance to reconnect with your own childhood and a time that doesn’t really exist anymore. And monetizing that, making a living off of that, is an example of the push and pull of art versus commerce.
Q. Where did Annie Bustamante come from, and what was important for you about her character?
It was really important to me that Annie was different from Carmen; I wanted her character to come about organically, and not feel like a reaction or a rehash of Carmen’s character. When she fully arrived in my mind, it was refreshing because she was so different – not just in her career, but in her personality and how she approaches things. Annie is very much a product of the time. She’s been able to pursue these comic book projects, but she also pays the price for it in the industry. At one point, she makes a very definite choice to go into film, and builds this great career.
I also really wanted a parent to be the protagonist. I have two young children and I think about my kids all the time, in the way parents do – worry, joy, stress, all those feelings. As I was starting to write the book, I thought, “Well, why wouldn’t she be a parent?” Just that element added layers of complexity and plots that I don’t often see explored in mysteries. Plus, I really liked Annie’s daughter Margot as a character. She keeps Annie on her toes and is kind of a touchstone to the young girl that Annie used to be.
Q. You’re someone who is part of the comic book industry; what conversations do you have about IP, business and creativity?
I think a lot about how, when it comes to beloved comic book characters and writing for them, there’s trust you need to earn. As a creator, your challenge is to entertain, to surprise the reader. You want them to feel like they don’t know what’s going to happen. But you also want to show that you know the material, and that you are a trustworthy caretaker.
Another thing that creators like Annie always face is what happens when your passions become a paying gig? Do you lose the joy when your art becomes a job that gets notes and feedback from corporate executives? I love Spider-Man, I love the X-Men, I love Batman, I love all these characters. And sometimes I’ve gotten to play in those sandboxes, and I’ve been lucky enough that those opportunities haven’t watered down or weakened my passion for those characters. But that’s a risk you run when you do these creative things professionally.
Most of the time, I’m sharing business stories with my friends who are also professionals, but at the end of the day, I’m still a fan, and I still consume this art as a fan and talk about it as a fan. I’ll go see the latest Batman movie; I’ll go watch “Across the Spider-verse.” I think my trust as a fan is always around the creative – do I think this writer is serving the characters? Do I like this art? What I try to do is just engage with the stories that speak to me – and if I don’t engage with something, it’s OK because there’s always going to be another story. And I can always go back to the older stories that I loved as a kid.
Q. Still, while the comic book industry elements are important, “Alter Ego” is ultimately a murder mystery.
I’m glad you brought that up. The easy focus of this book is that it’s about comics and the creative process – which it very much is – but at its heart, it is a murder mystery, a thriller. The balancing act for me was about creating a vivid setting that’s textured and interesting so that people that don’t know comics are intrigued, and people that do know comics are intrigued.
In “Secret Identity,” IP is motive – the idea of the character is the motive for the crime. In “Alter Ego,” it’s theoretical profit, which is something you hear a lot about in entertainment, like “Oh, this is going to be huge, this is going to make a ton of money.” Of course it’s all fantasy money, which is where things get really terrifying.
Q. What are you hoping readers of “Secret Identity” will be thinking about after reading “Alter Ego?”
I hope they’ll feel a sense of completeness. “Secret Identity” can very much stand on its own – it is a complete story – but I think “Alter Ego” adds another layer of texture to the bigger story of how comics were then and how comics are now. “Secret Identity” is very much a noir, whereas “Alter Ego” is a thriller. I hope readers find it to be a page-turner that keeps them guessing, because that’s my number one priority.
I strove really hard to make “Alter Ego” a standalone as well – so if you’re just looking for an entertaining thriller that brings you into a world you might not know about, “Alter Ego” can do that on its own. I’ve met so many people who tell me, after reading “Secret Identity,” that they’re trying out some comic books, and vice versa, comic book readers who become interested in reading mysteries. That’s the most gratifying news I could hear, so I hope “Alter Ego” does that too.
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