WHO IS CASEY BLUE?

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Who is Casey Blue?That’s a question many people have been asking. We can tell you this much – she’s a senior in high school, gets good grades and plays some sports. Sounds like a good kid, huh? But when the news comes in that she killed a stranger with her bare hands and (AND!?) she’s to play a pivotal role in preventing an alien invasion of earth… well, we need to know more!

Revealed in DC Comics’ advance solicitations for May releases, Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow is a six-issue miniseries by writer B. Clay Moore and artist Carlo Barberi. Moore is a relative newcomer to DC Comics having only penned a few issues, but this debut with a new series marks a ringing endorsement for the Hawaiian Dick writer. We talked with Moore to find out.. well, more.

NRAMA: Casey Blue is a new name in comics. Who is she and what's the series about?

BCM: Casey Blue is an average teenage girl living a fairly average life. Mom and Dad at home, big brother living on his own in the city. She's an average volleyball player, relatively popular, but otherwise fairly average. And then she breaks into a complete stranger's apartment and beats them to death.

The book is about why this happened, why she had no control over it, and why it's just the first step in a much, much larger event. We follow Casey as she begins to unravel her role in events that will impact tomorrow. And, yes...BEYOND.

NRAMA: “Beyond Tomorrow,” if the title stands correctly. If you were to describe what the series is as a whole, what would you say?

BCM: I'd describe it as a mystery thriller evolving into a science fiction action adventure. Or something even more clever.

NRAMA: You’re been cleverly secretive about the series. But lets try to dig deeper, shall we? The series cover shows some a distinctly non-human being in the background. What's his story?

BCM: Good question. I'll just say that he's one of many. And that he's a problem.

NRAMA: The cover also hints at some other elements with the appearance of some masked special forces type people. What's their involvement?

BCM: The first people we meet in the book are those masked agents, at some date in the past. Hopefully the reader will wonder who they are, but it's all part of the unfolding mystery. I will say they're the catalysts to the events that envelope Casey (and perhaps others like her).

NRAMA: You're working with artist Carlo Barberi. What has the artwork been like coming in, and what's Carlo done to surprise you?

BCM: Carlo is fantastic. He works in a style that's quite a bit different from that of anyone I've worked with before, but there's a lot of substance behind the style. The guy can handle more than just pretty girls. His environments are great, and he understands comic book storytelling and framing action. It's been more fun than I imagined.

NRAMA: This is being put out by WildStorm’s “Signature Series” imprint --is this part of the WildStorm universe, or something separate?

BCM:I think this one will probably stand on its own, actually. There are some events that take place that impact, like...the future of the world. And those pesky Wildstorm heroes would probably want to be involved if they were around.

NRAMA: How did the idea for Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow and working with DC/WildStorm originate?

BCM: I'd been working with Wildstorm editor Ben Abernathy on another project when he approached me with some loose ideas for a book, and asked if I'd like to be involved. Working with Ben has been great so far, and I jumped at the idea. I took the basic threads he gave me and reworked them into what became Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow. Once we had a rough idea about the tone of the book, Ben realized Carlo was just wrapping up some Gen13 stuff, and approached him to see if he'd be into it. Luckily for us, he was.

Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow #1 (of #6) is scheduled to debut on May 21st, 2008. For more information, stay tuned to Newsarama.com.