Interview: Michael McMillian on Lucid
You know that one guy from True Blood? Michael McMillian’s the name, and he plays Steve Newlin on the popular vampire show. Well, get this: He’s also the writer of a new comic called Lucid, and you can read my interview with him at Impulse Creations.
Impulse Creations: Thanks so much for sparing a little of your time, Michael. Let’s start with an easy one: You’re an actor on the very popular HBO show True Blood. What turned you toward comics, of all things? Vampires must not read comics, so they’re okay, right?
Michael McMillian: That’s exactly right. Since playing Steve Newlin, I now only do things that vampires never do. This includes reading comic books, water skiing, and worrying if girls will call me back. The truth is, I have been reading comics since I was a kid and wanted to write them professionally long before I got into acting. Working on LUCID is a dream come true.
There has been an influx in celebrity names attached to comics in recent years, but it’s always interesting (and reassuring to nerds everywhere) to see one picking up a pen or brush. What made you want to step up and write LUCID? Have you had past writing experience, or are stories a hobby of yours?
LUCID is unique because I’m not the biggest “celebrity” involved. This is the first book Archaia is co-producing with Zachary Quinto’s production company, Before the Door Pictures. Zach, who is playing the role of executive editor along with his partners Neal Dodson and Corey Moosa, came to me because BTD wanted to make comics and I wanted to write them. We’ve been friends since college, so it was really a simple, friendly undertaking. I pitched them a couple of ideas and LUCID was born from that meeting.
As far as celebrity-created comics go, I feel LUCID stands out from the bunch because it isn’t a vanity project—neither Zach or myself “star” in the book. I wrote LUCID to be a comic that stands on its own merits against the rest of the “non-celebrity” books on stands. Before LUCID, I wrote an episode of What I Like About You, a series I worked on a few years ago, and I co-wrote a short film called Glock with Tom Everett Scott. I’ve always loved to write. I have a stack of homemade comics I wrote as a kid sitting on my desk.
