Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing the writer behind the hit Dynamite Comics Disney Villains Hades and the upcoming Hercules comic series…Elliott Kalan.

Bless my soul…Elliott Kalan was on a roll.

DuckTalks: I have to first acknowledge your writing for the Dynamite Comics Disney Villains comic series. Hades is one of my favorite Disney Villains. The Disney Villains Hades comic felt very authentic to both the Hades character and Hercules universe. Every line from Hades was read in his very sarcastic tone. When writing for an expressive character like Hades, do you ever have to look in a mirror and act out the line with a Hades impression to see if the dialogue works?

EK: I’m so glad that you felt like I did Hades justice! I love him as a character, and he’s one of my favorite Disney villains (though if I’m being honest, Ursula will always hold the top spot for me). For better or worse, the Hades tone comes pretty naturally to me, but I did often read his dialogue out loud to make sure it had the right loose, conversational quality. He’s also a character who is quick to change tones from subtle to furious, and it helped to say his lines out loud to capture that.

DuckTalks: This is almost a trick question because from Hades view, he is the hero. Is it more fun to write for a villain or a hero?

EK: In some ways, it’s more fun to write for a villain, because they can say and do pretty much whatever they want without feeling guilt or shame over it. But I find it more meaningful to write for a hero. One of the joys of writing Hercules has been working with a character who represents values I personally believe in: the importance of generosity, caring for others, looking for the best in people, persistence in the face of challenges. It’s a little harder to write sharp jokes for a character like that, but it does my soul good in the long run. Hades, to me, is a fun rollercoaster ride, and Hercules is an epic that hopefully communicates positive ideas.

DuckTalks: What are some of your fandoms (what are you a fan of)?

EK: Sometimes it feels like I’m a fan of too many things. I’m a longtime Marvel Zombie, a Disney and Looney Tunes fan since childhood, a horror, science fiction, and mythology reader, I live in awe of the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, and Douglas Adams, and I worship at the altar of Abraham Lincoln.

DuckTalks: What challenges have you found on writing a comic for such an established and beloved fan favorite IP?

EK: The big challenge is finding a way to do something new with them that respects and speaks to the core qualities of the characters that made fans love them in the first place. In these series I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel or say “This isn’t the Hercules you thought you were getting!” It’s to write something where people read it and say, “This is the Hercules I thought he was getting, and I’m excited to see what happens to him next.” 

DuckTalks: How many times have you watched the 1997 Disney classic Hercules before and after you were selected to be the writer on Hades and Hercules?

EK: I have to admit that after seeing Hercules in the theaters when it was first released, I probably only watched it a few times over the years. There are so many movies in the world that I’ve never seen, that I have to really push myself to rewatch something rather than watch something new. Since starting on Hades, though, I’ve probably watched it three or four more times. The biggest surprise when I went back to it after so long? Not as much Hades as I’d remembered! He’s such an indelible character that I remembered him being the backbone of the movie. Turns out they were right to call it Hercules, though. Most of the movie is about Hercules!

DuckTalks: That line at the end of Hercules where the Thebes citizen look up at the Hercules constellation and says “That’s Phil’s boy!” always gives me goosebumps. 

EK: It’s beautiful. Hercules does such a good job of feeling light and funny while still hitting really strong emotional moments. I hope we can do something similar with this series!

DuckTalks: Did you have to channel your inner Danny Devito to write for Phil?

EK: It makes it so much easier to write a character when they have such a defined and memorable voice. Definitely everything I write for him I make sure sounds like Danny Devito could say it. And at the start of the series Phil acts as a sort of dispatcher for Hercules, telling him what jobs the gods need him to do, because I still think of Danny Devito as a taxi dispatcher, even though Taxi was on when I was a baby.

DuckTalks: I know that this is a deep cut, but have you ever watched any of the Disney’s Hercules: The Animated Series?

EK: I have to apologize to the fans of that show and admit that I haven’t. I was really relieved when Disney said I didn’t need these series to fit that continuity. I was ready to watch all the episodes! But it makes my life easier not to have to!

DuckTalks: I have watched interviews where you seem very knowledgeable on Greek Mythology. What other additional research on Greek Mythology did you have to do for this Hercules assignment?

EK: I love mythology and folklore of all types, but Greek myths are especially special to me, ever since I first read Mythology by Edith Hamilton as a kid. It was the first large fictional world, full of lore and continuity, that I really sank my brain into. My research for this series has mainly been in looking into the characters and stories I remember and making sure I’m remembering them somewhat accurately. Every now and then I’ll do some research to make sure I’ve gotten a centaur’s name right or to remind myself who else lives in the underworld besides Hades. But going into the assignment I had a very good idea of most of the mythological characters I wanted to play with.

DuckTalks: My favorite Greek god is Dionysus. He seems like he would be a lot of fun at parties. Do you have a favorite Greek god?

EK: It’s probably not surprising, but Hades was always my favorite. I’ve always loved spooky, scary, death-and-underworld stuff. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice was a big one for me growing up because Hades played such a prominent part in it. Runner-up would probably be Artemis, because the idea of this mysterious, moon-lit huntress is also kind of spooky.

DuckTalks: When do the events of the Hercules comic series take place in relationship to the movie?

EK: This series takes place shortly after the movie. Hercules has recently made his decision to give up immortality to be with his love, Meg. It’s a new enough decision that the gods still don’t completely understand it. They kind of thought this would be a phase he’d grow out of. Hades hasn’t been seen in a little while, and everyone is pretty sure he’s gone. But is he? When gods start disappearing, Hercules begins to doubt it.

DuckTalks: For both Hades and Hercules, you have been paired up with mega talented illustrators in Alessandro Ranaldi and George Kambadais. What are some of your reactions when seeing the actual comics go from your script to visual masterpieces that are so authentic to the Hercules universe?

EK: That’s the best part of the whole thing. I have my idea in my head of how things might look when I’m writing it, but Alessandro and George have done such an amazing job of taking those ideas and making them better while bringing them to life. There are few things more exciting than seeing pages and cover art as they’re coming in. It’s like writing a script and seeing actors actually performing it — it takes an idea and makes it a reality.

DuckTalks: Hercules has such an iconic movie soundtrack. Are there any songs that get stuck in your head while you are writing?

EK: “Go the Distance” of course! And also everything the Muses sing. The sad thing is that Hades didn’t get a song in the movie (I know he did in one of the TV episodes, but still…). I’m a sucker for a Disney villain song. “Poor Unfortunate Souls”? “Be Prepared”? “Kidnap the Sandy Claws?” All of them are great!

DuckTalks: Thanks for answering my questions. I am sure everyone will be singing “A Star is Born” after the first issue of Hercules.

EK: Thanks so much for asking these questions! I hope everyone enjoys the series!

You can follow the work of Elliott Kalan on his Twitter.

The debut issue of Dynamite Comics Hercules series will be available at your local comic book shop on April 10th, 2024. Make sure to preorder your Hercules comics at your local comic book shop and ask for the title to be added to your pull list.