BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman were sent the Push script one night and asked to give their thoughts about the film to WildStorm editor Scott Peterson the next morning. Their ideas of what to do with a potential prequel comic leading up to that anticipated film must have struck a chord with Peterson, because the duo found themselves scripting the six issue series. The Push prequel reveals details about the mysterious Division and the renegade psychics trying to avoid them at any and all costs. Bernardin told THE PULSE Push will be different from other prequels. He said, "This isn't one of those prequels that picks a character that has little to no impact on the property at large and telling his story. What happens to Ezra as he learns the truth about Division and who's running it is a direct extension of the film."


THE PULSE: I guess because I've been around comics and sci-fi for so long, when I hear something like "Push" and "comic," I think of telepaths. But for those who don't know much about the subject, just what is the Push in your comic based on?

MARC BERNARDIN: Well, telepaths isn't far off at all. Push the movie is about a small community of renegade psychics—some can implant thoughts, others can manipulate objects in space, see the future, heals wounds, etc.—trying to live off the grid in metropolitan China. And a government agency known only as Division who's trying to bring them back into the fold by any means necessary. Our prequel reveals the origins of Division through the eyes of one man, Ezra Lowe, the first agent Division ever put into the field.

THE PULSE: How did you come to write this prequel comic leading up to the film? I know you've got a lot of connections in the film industry and have written some memorable comics, but what mad you think you were the right man for the job?

BERNARDIN: Raging overconfidence, I guess. Our Highwaymen editor Scott Peterson gave my writing partner Adam Freeman and I a call one day, asking if we could read a movie script overnight and tell him our thoughts in the morning. He emailed us the script for Push and we immediately responded to the coolness of the world. I guess Scott thought that we could bring to Push some of the Highwaymen-flavored spy-fi and action. And we continue to be flattered when he asks us to pitch for stuff. That dude's got a rolodex like you wouldn't believe.

THE PULSE: What are the challenges of working on a property that's going to be out towards the end of your comic series?

BERNARDIN: Since we don't have to live up to any preconceptions of the film property—as no one's seen it yet—the challenges are no different that writing anything else. Making sure the story makes sense, delivering on the promise of the premise.

THE PULSE: What are the challenges of whetting appetites with a story that just leads into what's happening on screen?


BERNARDIN: A lot of it is putting the right pieces into place and ensuring that you, as a reader, will be able to enjoy Push the comic on its own merits, but also appreciate how it sets the stage for the film. It's not that fine a line to walk, but it's a line nonetheless.

THE PULSE: What is this mysterious Division that's teased in the pages of Push?

BERNARDIN: Division was formed just after WWII ended by a man named Sam Miller. He was an OSS agent who saw how the world was shifting and got funding from the U.S. government to form an agency known only as Division. Since then, Division been training and fielding psychic agents.

THE PULSE: What is the Division's role in the world? What "job" do they fulfill?


BERNARDIN: There's a passage in the second issue, where Ezra is explaining to a younger agent who Division is. He says: "We cut through where others can’t. We can reduce a thing down to its base essence. We can eliminate the superfluous, remove the chaff, and deal with the world in the simplest of terms. We DIVIDE."

THE PULSE: What's the world like? How common is it to have some kind of extra sensory perception type abilities?


BERNARDIN: In this world, abilities aren't naturally occurring—they've got to be created. By scientists. Who may or may not be acting with the world's best interests at heart. Push the comic, being a prequel, is set 20 years before the events of the film. Which means we're in the rockin' '80s. And we had to resist making all the women wear leg warmers.

THE PULSE: With this being a film property, are there extra eyes on the projects for the approval process or anything? Did you have a more strict guideline to follow?

BERNARDIN: Yeah, the film's producer, Summit Entertainment, had the final sign-off on everything, from our original story springboards straight through to our final drafts. They've been pretty easy to deal with, as far as license holders go. They pushed back when they thought something didn't feel right for their world, and we pushed back when we felt that something might work better on a comic book page.


THE PULSE: Who or what influenced you the most as you scripted these six issues? I'd imagine the upcoming film's "bible" played a bit of a role ....

BERNARDIN: For me, it was the script that set the tone. Adam got to see a rough cut of the film—as he's in LA, and closer to where such things happen—but we tried to live in the world they created as much as possible. And I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a little bit of Bourne in the mix, the sort of contemporary spy thrillerness of the Matt Damon flicks.

THE PULSE: Sounds intriguing! Which, if any, of the characters you're introducing in these pages will be in the film?

BERNARDIN: Only two characters here will pop up in the film. Carver, played by in the film by Djimon Hounsou, and Jonah, played by Joel Gretsch. We see how they're both served by the machinations of Division, and how their relationship with Ezra changes the course of their lives. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse.

THE PULSE: That's true with a lot of relationships! So, what kind of groundwork are you establishing here?

BERNARDIN: We're showing you the "what came before the film." This isn't one of those prequels that picks a character that has little to no impact on the property at large and telling his story. What happens to Ezra as he learns the truth about Division and who's running it is a direct extension of the film.

THE PULSE: Awesome, I love it when there's a payoff. What have been the challenges of collaborating on a project like this?


BERNARDIN: Aside from the extra time we had to budget to allow for Summit to give their approvals or ask for changes, it was a pretty straightforward process. It was no more or less challenging than any other comic we've worked on—which is to say that it was a nutcracking experience. Because comics are hard work. Rewarding, but hard.


THE PULSE: How is working on Push different than working on a series of your own creation or with more "traditional" comic book type characters in colorful costumes?



BERNARDIN: Well, I've been candid before about the difference [read more here], to me, in writing characters of our own creation versus characters that don't "belong" to us. I do feel a sense of ownership of these guys and gals, but they don't feel "mine." Not in the way that the cast of The Highwaymen or Monster Attack Network or Genius do. But we had a blast getting to play with these superpowered individuals. It was, I hope, good practice for things to come.


THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?

BERNARDIN: Well, once we done with our last issue of Push, we jump straight onto the ongoing version of Genius—which won Top Cow's Pilot Season (woo-hah!). And we're super-excited to tell the rest of that story. Hopefully, we can race to get the first issue out in time for San Diego 2009. After that, who knows? A bunch of stuff is in the pipeline, we'll see what emerges first.


Push # 3 is due in stores this December.