EVE Online is known for being a video game universe where players come first. Their alliances, decisions and protests change the shape of the fictional galaxy and the huge multiplayer game it lives in. And starting next year, the player-driven sagas of CCPâs hit MMO will be providing the fuel for a new comic-book series from Dark Horse.
EVE: True Stories pulls from the initial ten years of the gameâs real-world existence, drawing on high points that players themselves have voted as the most significant moments in EVE history. Itâs being written by Daniel Wayâthe fan-favorite writer whoâs worked on Wolverine and Deadpoolâwith art by Tomm Coker (Daredevil Noir), Federico Dallocchio (Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Suicide Squad), Dave Ross (Star Wars: The Crimson Empire Saga) and Mark McKenna (Star Wars: The Old Republic) and others. The four installments will be available digitally on Feb 19, March 5, March 19 and April 2, with a hardcover edition to follow on June 4.
Way and CCPâs Torfi Frans Olafsson spoke to Kotaku about turning the espionage, galactic dogfights and political intrigues of actual EVE campaigns into a comic-book series.
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Daniel Way: HmmâŠwell, I hope this doesnât disappoint anyone, but the story Iâve come up with is pretty heavy on action⊠But, to answer your question: no, not really. Story is story. Whether youâre writing a comic book, a video game, a film or a novel the story is the guiding principle. Once the storyâs worked out, you then adjust your presentation of the story to best fit the intended medium. All stories are adaptations. My job is to produce a great comic bookâŠwhich, in this case, isnât all that hard because the game and the campaigns upon which itâs based are great.
ErâŠI take that backâthere was some difficulty in the beginning, but that was because of the unique nature of what weâre doing with this project. I mean, the storyâs based upon actual events that never âactuallyâ happened, yâknow? Potentially, that added layer ofâŠwhatever that is couldâve made disbelief much, much harder to suspend but, fortunately, weâve figured it out. The trick was to focus upon the initiative and intent of the players behind the campaigns. What they did was real and did actually happen.
Kotaku: The EVE community is known for being insular and ornery. Howâd you find your way in?
Way: I havenât! And thatâs not because I was in any way blocked from doing so but because I felt that it was important to come into this project without any pre-existing allegiances or prejudices. The expansive, unlimited aspects of EVE are a huge part of whatâs made it as popular as it is and thatâs something I didnât want to lose by focusing upon a narrow field of interest. And really, it wasnât necessary; the events that take place in this book are pretty astounding when seen from any angle.
Kotaku: What real-life player-driven events are being used in the comics?
Way: Though elements from some other campaigns have been incorporated, the âbackboneâ of the story is based upon the campaign commonly known as âBand of Brothersâ.
Kotaku: Chronologically speaking, where in the fiction does this series happen?
Olafsson: It happened in 2009, which is YC 111 in EVE time, so itâs around the time of the Seyllin Disaster and the appearance of wormholes. However, itâs written so that it could happen just about anywhere in the past ten years from a lore perspective, since it doesnât refer that much to the NPC races and characters. This is a story about capsuleers and their conflict, which has remained pretty constant since the game was launched, Iâve been told.
Kotaku: Whatâs the level of involvement from CCPâs developers? Did you get a list of doâs and donâts from them? An EVE bible? Can a bible even exist when players shape so much of what the EVE universe feels like?
Way: I was given a bible, but it mainly detailed the parameters of the actual gameâthe mechanics, basically, as well as the in-game history. While thatâs all very valuable information, the story is much more informed by the accounts I read of most of the more well-known campaigns.
Kotaku: Given the combat-centric focus of Dust 514, it seems like itâd be a natural fit for a comics series set in the fictional universe. But EVE started it all. How are you planning on striking the balance between the different sensibilities of the two games? How much EVE-style diplomacy will we see in the series? How much mercenary action?
Olafsson: The story itâs based on happened before the release of DUST 514, so its protagonists are starship pilots rather than mercenaries. That said, the story is quite action heavy, with spaceships, fists and weapons.
Kotaku: Was there anything about the culture of EVE players that provided a eureka moment in terms of conceptualizing the series?
Way: Quite a few, actually, but the first that comes to mind is when I realized thatâbecause players actually buy into the game, with real-world currencyâthe thefts that occur in the game areâŠwell, real! The other side of that coin, of course, is that when you really steal from someone, you really create an enemy. Taking that into consideration, it becomes a lot clearer as to why the EVE community has the reputation it has, doesnât it?
Folks going to the New York Comic-Con this week will have a chance to learn more about EVE: True Stories and its companion book EVE: Source at todayâs panel.
