December
19 "CSI: Miami," The Interview

Browsing the comics shop, most people expect to see heroes in tights, not forensic pathologists with intertwined personal lives -- in other words, a graphic novel about CSI: Miami. I was curious about this, so I contacted artist Ashley Wood, who in turn got me in touch with writer (and more) Jeff Mariotte. Then, we chatted.

Variety: Give me a bit of your background in comics.

Jeff Mariotte: Before coming to IDW Publishing I was at DC Comics/WildStorm for 10 years, as VP of marketing and senior editor. I've also written many comics and more than a dozen novels, many based on TV shows. At IDW, I'm editor-in-chief and I do some writing, including the "CSI" one-shot "Thicker Than Blood" and the "CSI: Miami" one-shot "Smoking Gun."

What led to the creation of a "CSI" series of comic books?

IDW had a relationship with CBS Consumer Products and we decided to bring up the idea of a comic book series based on TV's #1 drama. They were receptive to it and a deal was made.

Have you gotten any reaction from people who follow the TV series?

We've had a lot of reaction. People who love the show have been drawn to the comics even if they don't read comics, or haven't for years. We've heard a lot of stories about people finding comic book shops in their area, or going in because they see a CSI comics poster in the window. The comics remain very true to the show ... right down to the visual approach of having one artist for the main story and a different art style for the forensics and crime reenactment sequences.

How do the cast and writers react to it? Do they have any input?

From what we've heard, they're very happy with the comics. I've met with Anthony Zuiker and some of the cast members from CSI: Miami, and everyone is very excited by the comics.

I heard about "The Shield" [comic book]. Any story ideas brewing?

Our first "Shield" story, called "The Shield: Spotlight," launches in January. I wrote that one, as one of the main reasons I wanted us to pick up the license for "The Shield" is that I love the show and its characters, and wanted to play in that sandbox. "Spotlight," like the series, is built with various smaller stories working around the fringes of one main, overarching story -- that of the murder of a TV personality in the Farmington district.

With all of the comic book adaptations going to the big and small screens, what do you think of this reverse trend?

There was a time in comics history when this was not at all unusual -- virtually every successful TV series had a comic book counterpart. I think there are lots of storytelling similarities, more so than with movies, for instance, because in both TV and comics you're telling continuing stories of a set of characters.

What else is going on with you, and at IDW Publishing in general?

We've got a second "CSI: Miami" one-shot under way, as well as a new "CSI" miniseries called "Demon House." In addition to TV properties, we're did an adaptation of the motion picture "Underworld", and now we're working with one of that film's screenwriters, Danny McBride, on a prequel miniseries set hundreds of years earlier. We are also doing videogames,with the Konami horror game Silent Hill.

Personally, I'm busy writing the second in a series of original young adult horror novels called "Witch Season," about a teenage girl who gets caught up in the ancient hunt for a renegade witch, and a couple of licensed novels based on "Charmed" and "Angel".