Interview:Mark Sable

In May 2008, RyanGibsonStewart conducted an interview via email with Faces writer Mark Sable.

Ryan Stewart: What sort of direction did NBC give you on this set of novels?

Mark Sable: The mandate from Heroes writer/webcomic editor Chuck Kim was completely different than my last go round. Instead of just handing out assignments to a variety of freelancers to fill in gaps between episodes with the main cast, a team of writers was assembled from the Heroes staff and asked to do something more ambitious.

As a group, it was about creating kind of an epic story about the Company that would be a bridge between seasons 1 and 2. We were encouraged to have continuity, recurring characters and plot lines that paid off at the end.

Individually, we were asked to pitch stories featuring original teams of Company agents, one human and one powered.

As a writer, this was fun not only because I got to add to Heroes mythology, but also because rather than just sit at home and write by myself, I got to collaborate with the extremely talented Heroes staff.

Is the nerve gas guy actually emitting nerve gas, or just sweating? Can you tell us more about his power?

He's sweating, probably starting to emit a bit of nerve agent, but not yet enough to harm anyone around him. Penny is able to take him down just before he can release a fatal dose.

Also, his ability is not something he consciously controls. It's triggered when he gets nervous. Part of Penny's skill--not power--is that she can sneak up on people undetected. Having a plain face that doesn't stand out in a crowd helps her. Although it obviously creates problems in her personal life.

After bagging the man in Manhattan, who is the woman in the shower supposed to be? In the shower she has black hair, and light brown hair afterwards. Did the shower wash out black hair coloring from her hair or is that supposed to be an example of Penny reverting to her normal self?

It's Penny. I'm the wrong person to ask about colors, because I'm pretty much color blind. But you can assume if they don't match, it was because her mom changed it and it changes back.

Is the teleporter meant to look like Santiago from Create Your Hero? Is there any connection we should be getting from the fact that they wear t-shirts of similar design?

No, he's original. I just wanted to create someone who would be hard to catch without the kind of deception that Penny and Connie can manufacture.

Is the guy just a teleporter or does he have access to all the stuff Hiro can do?

Just a teleporter, and unable to teleport the distances that Hiro can. I think you take something away from Hiro if you introduce a character that's too similar to him or too close in power level.

Why Levittown?

That is a great question actually. Levittown is a town on Long Island, near where I grew up. It was built after the Second World War as affordable housing, one of the first if not the first planned suburban communities. But what it's really known for is that almost all the houses look the same. I thought that worked thematically with a characters who could blend into a crowd or make someone look like anyone else.

MILF Island--what a great reference!

I was surprised I got away with that, myself, but then again it's [from] an NBC show. I'm happy to cross promote--30 Rock is a brilliant show, and I know at least one of the actors is a comic fan.

Are Penny's and Connie's natural appearances the result of repeated use of Connie's ability or is their current normal appearance the original way they looked?

Their current normal appearance is the original way they looked. Connie's abilities only work for 24 hours (right now). And she can't use them on herself.

I guess the exception to the term "original appearance" is that Connie has had tons of plastic surgery. I think that's what makes her both funny and a little tragic--the person she most wants to change is herself, which she can't do using her powers. She projects those feelings onto her daughter, which only makes Penny feel worse about her looks.

Can Connie morph a person to the opposite gender? A different skin color? Could she give a person animal parts or vice versa? What more can you tell us about the limits and possibilities of her power?

Right now, she could change the outward appearance of anyone in pretty much any way, albeit temporarily. That would include skin color and gender. Theoretically, it could be animal parts as well, although whether someone would survive that is another question (and a possible offensive use of her powers). She's a relative novice using them so I feel like she could do much more than what we've seen if she puts her mind to it.

What made you decide to make Connie's ability a physical one, rather than a mental one like Candice's?

I think your question almost answers itself--we already had Candice and I think part of the fun and the challenge is coming up with original powers. Speaking of which, I'm really impressed with what my fellow writers have coming up in that regard--really inventive stuff that I can't spoil.