Christopher Yost Interview
June 2007

Christopher Yost is a writer on the Fantastic Four Cartoon on Cartoon Network, and he is developing a Spider-man, and an X-Men cartoon for Marvel as well.  Along with Craig Kyle, he plots and writes the critically acclaimed New X-Men ongoing series.

Interview conducted by Christopher Hoerdemann

You have written comics, but the majority of your work has been done on animated shows. Which medium do you prefer working in, and why? What are the plusses, and minuses of each medium?
I suspect I enjoy the actual form of animation/screenplays more than the finished script of a comic book, it feels more natural and has a better flow. But other writers use the 'screenplay' format in comics, so it may just be me there. The page/panel breakdowns that I do in comics make it more of a production document that the animation scripts (outside int/ext and character slugs). The great thing about comics is that there's no limits - if I can imagine it, it pretty much gets on the page. And it’s a lot faster than animation. Animation is great because it's a combination of acting, music, motion, and art - but both mediums are ones I love.

You're the head writer on the new Fantastic Four cartoon that airs on Cartoon Network. What kinds of steps did you take in preparation for that job, and how daunting of a task was adapting Marvel's first family to the small screen?
I did about 25 years of research in comics before jumping into working on them, from about the age of 8. In all seriousness, the best way to prepare is to know the essence of the characters, find out what's made them endure for all these years, and also be open to something new. Was it daunting, yes! These characters have been around longer than I've been alive, and on top of that this show will be introducing the characters to kids all over the world. No pressure. Are there any specific comic book stories that you've used as inspiration for episodes of the series? If so, which stories? We've taken the old and the new, and tried to put it all together into something unique. The comics are the pure form, the inspiration. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, John Byrne, Walt Simonson. They're the greats, and I'm pretty happy standing on their shoulders.

What do you have planned for the future of that show, and can you give the viewers a couple teasers?
Expect to see more of the FF's rogues gallery show up, the return of some classic villains, and a few guest stars to boot!

   

Yet another animated show you are working on is Wolverine and the X-Men. From the title of the series, it's pretty safe to assume that Wolverine will be a pretty pivotal character. Will Wolverine be main the focus of that series, or is the title more of a marketing ploy to bring in viewers who recognize Wolverine from the X-Men movies?
It's way too early to talk Wolverine and the X-Men. I can tell you that as a comic fan, I'm especially excited for that show.

How soon can we expect all of these shows to debut?
FF make its return to Cartoon Network in June, about the same time Rise of the Silver Surfer comes out. For the rest, look for 2008 to be a big year for Marvel animation.

It seems to me that you are the guy that Marvel goes to when they are trying to adapt their creations into animated shows. Are you basically the first guy they call when they need someone to write these shows?
Not necessarily. There are a ton of incredible writers working with Marvel right now, and I'm grateful I've been working as much as I have. But I like to think that my love for the properties, and familiarity with them will keep me working with them for a long time to come. 

   

The character X-23, a female clone of Wolverine, debuted in the X-Men: Evolution TV series before Marvel asked to have her turned into a character for the comics. That must be pretty gratifying to have Marvel want to add something you worked on in animation to their beloved continuity. Am I right?
Marvel Animation VP Craig Kyle created the character for X-Men: Evolution, and we wrote the episode together. When he got the call from the publishing division that they were going to use her in the books, and invited us to work on her mini-series, we were floored. It was a dream come true.

New X-Men is a critically acclaimed title that you and Craig Kyle co-write. What about the book do you think appeals to comic book readers?
I think New X-Men for us was an opportunity to tell some stories in the same vein of what made us fall in love with the X-Men. They're the underdogs, hated, feared, persecuted. And with the teen characters, there's just so much danger, emotion and angst. Add that in with classic villains like Stryker, Nimrod, the Black Queen and Belasco, and that's a book I'd want to read, personally.

   

What is in the pipeline for that series? Can you share some teasers with us?
The Quest for Magik arc is going on right now! Pick it up! And next, the New X-Men get thrown right into the biggest X-crossover of the decade.

What other projects do you have coming up?
There's a couple things brewing in comics, one this summer, and I'm working on a new animated series for Marvel that should debut next year. But alas, too early to talk about.

Final question: What is your dream project, in comics, or in animation?
Wow, that's a tough one. I've always wanted to write Spider-Man, but a project I just completed (top secret) may have just topped that.