Rob Hoegee, Matt Wayne, and the happy monkey dance

Somehow I missed posting this one. Legion story editor (which is pretty high up in the chain of command) Rob Hoegee was interviewed last week at CBR, as a companion piece to their earlier James Tucker interview. Highlights of Rob's chat, which can be seen in its entirety here:

What era was the biggest inspiration for the show?

"I've probably drawn the majority of my inspiration from the Silver Age run - mostly in terms of the sense of fun and adventure it had," Hoegee told CBR News. "One of the great aspects of writing for Legion is how each new creator brought his or her own interpretation to the world and characters. I'd like to think we're doing the same thing here."

What about the fan reaction?

Critics and fans seem to agree on their love for "Legion Of Super Heroes," a reaction that puts a smile on Hoegee's face. "I'm sure that for long-time Legion fans, seeing some of their favorite characters in their very own show for the first time must have been special," he said. "Legion fans are notoriously vocal. The sentiment of 'don't screw it up' is something I've been very mindful of."

What about the epic storylines?

"The trend these days is for more contained 'stand alone' episodes, but James Tucker and I are interested in finding ways to have some continuing threads in the future. Character arcs are another matter though. We do have quite a bit of emotional continuity between episodes. Another trick is to make each episode feel 'epic' on its own."

What do you do as a story editor for the show?

"Writing an episode usually takes about 6-8 weeks start to finish. On Legion, most of our stories are generated internally - meaning I'll come up with an idea (or James Tucker will, or we will together) and then a writer is hired. After a premise is approved by DC and the network, I'll sit down with the writer and flesh out the entire episode beat for beat. Once everything is figured out - and this usually takes a few hours - I'll bring James into the room and pitch him what we've got. He'll add his ideas and then the writer goes off to write an outline. Then the fun begins."

What's coming up?

"Lots of new characters, that's for sure," he said of what to expect. "We've got a two-part season finale that promises to be a real knockout. We actually get a bit epic in the last three episodes, with writing duties split between Amy Wolfram, David Slack and myself. As far as hints, I've noticed in the fan feedback to our 'Timber Wolf' episode many were wondering why we set the story on the planet Raal instead of Zoon. This wasn't an oversight. You'll find our why in episode 9."

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Meanwhile, ToonZone caught up with writer Matt Wayne for a chat on his new Hellboy show, but he dropped a few items about his work on the Legion:

TZN: What are you currently working on and when can we expect to see it?

I just found out that between Legion of Super-Heroes and Tom and Jerry, I have a credit airing every Saturday morning in November. ... And my favorite Legion credit is "Champions," which airs that month. I'm developing something for Cartoon Network that could be greenlit in by the end of the year, and while Legion hasn't been greenlit for a second season, Warner is getting a group of writers together to talk about it just in case. Including me. My first comic book in a while, Legends of the Dark Knight #213, is on sale December 20th.

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It's been a month since the premiere and people are still writing about how cool it is, how happy they are to see the show, and what? There's a Legion show? No way, dude! Here's Chort Psychoshaie's reaction, and I think it pretty much says it all.

They did it, they really did it.

I've wanted this series to be a carton since I escaped the amish and found technology such as your tv.

*does happy monkey dance.*