Latest from Twitter - September
Pat Shand: I get a LOT of random Charmed questions sent to my Tumblr. A lot of them are the same questions asked in different (and not different) ways. However, since I said I would do Season 11 with another publisher if we could make it happen, there is a question I was expecting to get. No one has asked that question yet! I'm kind of baffled, and kind of thrilled by it.
Pat Shand: Just updated by Patreon with some new content, including an unused pitch for CHARMED #7. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3346323
@Phoebe1_: Why does the website list the Season 10 Finale as "SERIES FINALE"? Makes me
sad. #Charmed #CharmedComics
Pat Shand: Because until we get any news regarding another publisher or another season, this is the series finale.
if there is a season 11 we need u to write it <3
Pat Shand: Yeah, that is the plan. I have had that conversation. Nothing set in stone, but if it happens, I will prob be back.
Paul Ruditis: Congratulations to @PatShand and the entire #CharmedComic creative team. It was an incredible run.
Zenescope: ATTENTION CHARMED FANS! We have 2 webstore-exclusive bundles, each includes a FREE exclusive. Only $15! https://shop.zenescope.com/collections/daily-deal …
Paul Ruditis: Charmed fun: I was going to name Phoebe's 3rd daughter Paisley (Mostly 'cause I knew a unique name like that would drive many of you insane)Charmed fact: Paige's daughters are named for Shakespeare characters. Katherine from Taming of the Shrew & Tamora from Titus Andronicus. She chose the names because they’re 2 complex women (and in spite of the fact that Tamora is moved to horrible acts in the play). Tamora is “Queen of the Goths,” which I think Paige also got a kick out of (though the title has a different historical significance). Paige also liked the idea that the names came from a comedy and a tragedy. It’s very Paige-like in my opinion.
Charmed fun: Always intended to bring back pendant Isabel/Neena gives Charlotte in the short story from Vol. 1. Have a whole story planned. Maybe someday.
Latest from Tumblr - August - September
Anonymous asked: I really hope there is a season 11. I love to read more about the charmed sisters and maybe their children.Pat Shand: I hope so too. I definitely have another season in me.
Anonymous asked: I know this will probably never be shown in the comics but will we ever learn who is the father or mother of Piper and Leo's two grandchildren we saw in forever Charmed?Pat Shand: No, I have to be honest here and say that I am not thinking about the future generations of the family at all. They already have so many kids in the present, and exploring the expansion of that already gigantic family doesn’t interest me as a writer. If we get to do Charmed: Season Eleven, it will still be set firmly in the current timeline. The future stuff is more fun when I see what fans do with it. Your passion for that kind of stuff interests me much more than if I tried to incorporate it into a story.
Anonymous asked: Hello Pat! so how do you feel about tomorrow's final charmed issue? are you anxious, or confident, sad to leave the characters, totally satisfied with the whole season? As a fan of charmed yourself, what are your impressions about this universe you had the chance to wrote for?
Pat Shand: Hey! Long answer coming. You know, I am actually all of those things. I’m anxious to get it out there. I’m confident that it is the right way to end this story, and the only way to end this story. I am satisfied with the whole season, yeah. Totally satisfied, maybe not. If someone is totally satisfied with their work, they’re usually too close to it and can’t be objective. With Charmed: Season Ten, I can look back at it from a distance and see the triumphs and the flaws. Though, I wouldn’t change much, if anything, really. I’m quite proud of the work.
The one thing that stands out to me is that Ben and Kyra’s arc came to a pretty decent conclusion, emotionally, in Happy Ending. Though they go through a pretty major shift in roles in #20, I think it’s clear with #17 and on that their subplot was over and the focus shifted to the Charmed Ones and Prue as the 100% four main characters, and their husbands/Darryl/Andy/Tyler/Kareem/Aidel/Amelia as the rest of the supporting cast. I knew I had to keep Ben and Kyra around for the ritual, but I just couldn’t take time away from the other characters to string out their emotional arc. So there is a bit of “Why are they here?” that makes Ben/Kyra seem less interesting now than they were in the middle of the season, but I still don’t know if I’d change that. I needed them there, but I also needed them kind of background, so hey – it works on that level.
I like how fans were shocked at certain moments, because I went into this season with no intentions of big surprises. No huge cliff-hanger endings, just pure, emotional, theme-driven stories. That is why Happy Ending, on the topic of that issue, ends with the reveal that there’s something wrong with Prue. Instead of playing out the mystery through the Charmed Ones’ eyes, as I could’ve done in #17, I wanted Prue to be 100% a character, not just the villain, even when she goes bad. That, to me, exploring what makes these characters and universe tick, will always be more honest and more interesting than going for the shocking twists. That’s also why #19 ends the way it does… what surprised me as the writer was that people were unsure who Prue slashed. I thought it was – and I framed it to be – obvious. But the debates started, which I like. To me, though, honestly if it leaked (which stuff always does) and readers found out who Prue’s victim was before the issue drops, I wouldn’t love it, but I would be okay with it. What is true about any story is that it doesn’t matter on any level what happens. It matters how it happens, and what it leads to.
Now, writing for Charmed. There is the good, there is the great, and there is the not-so-great, as with any fandom. I have had an outpouring of love, on this title, more than any other work I’ve done besides Robyn Hood. I have also been harassed on this title more than I’ve experienced up until now in my career. Maybe it was practice for the Marvel novels… the things I see people say to Marvel writers are scary!
But yeah, what makes me a little sad is that I had to ask myself… should I turn off anonymous asks tomorrow? Should I preemptively brace myself for harassment? I don’t think I’m going to, but it’s a little unfortunate that I even have the thought. On one level, it doesn’t get to me, because I know that whoever is taking the time to harass someone they don’t know probably has deeper problems, and it isn’t about me. On another level, I’m a person too, so why should I have to deal with that?
But anyway, that’s just a facet of writing publicly. It’s something I haven’t dealt with until now, but the alternative would be not taking risks on a beloved title, which would’ve led
to… well, 0% of the things that I did in this season happening. X
Anonymous asked: Hi Pat! I read the final issue. The majority of the issue was amazing, very emotional. However Prue's fate is the biggest deception I ever had in a fandom,I loved her so much. After what was done during season 9, i was expecting for some Prue/Paige/family bonding during all the season, i realised i wouldn't have that wich is a missed opportunity to me, but her ending is devastating. 15 years later and we again have to lose her, she's again sacrificed. I'm a total mess. But thanks for your work.
Pat Shand: Hi. I’m glad that you mostly found it to be amazing.
Here’s the thing. With a series like Charmed, with an existing fanbase, I can’t go in with kid gloves. From the start of #1, the fandom gave me an incredibly warm welcome. I loved it, but considering that I knew #5 would take out Cole, the finale today would do what it did, another character was originally going to be killed in the penultimate issue (hi, Henry), I knew that by the end of my run, some people would hate me, some would love me more, some would think this season was the best of the whole series, some would think it was the worst of the whole series. I went in knowing that the opinion would be divided, because I had divisive ideas, and a very specific type of story I wanted to tell. A story about how death can affect a family over time, blown up into the metaphor of the monster that Prue became in this last arc.
I don’t think that “deception” is a fair or nuanced take, though, for two reasons.
1) No one promised that this season would be all about family bonding. (Funny enough, I still kinda think it was.) But there had to be drama, there had to be a reason for this season to exist, and to keep spinning the wheel of “Prue is trapped in someone else’s body” was not interesting to me. Paul already did that story wonderfully. Challenging Prue’s situation and exploring the reason she got in that body, and what happens next – that rang emotionally true to me.
2) The novels are set between Season Nine and Ten for this express purpose. You do get to see that bonding, both in Paul’s two novels and mine. What I don’t really like is how Social Medium has been pushed, but I promise – those novels show a good amount of what you’re talking about here. I’d like to do more, too.
Anonymous asked: Now I understand when you said that this was the only possible ending. You're right. The story was going in this direction since the very beginning. But I'm really bad. Don't get me wrong, it's a positive thing. It means that I've been right there in the story! I felt Piper's pain and Prue's sacrifice. I believe it is the most spectacular finale that Charmed has ever had. Just a couple of questions. SPOILER The ghost in the last page is Cole or Andy? Is Prue's soul save or is it just a metaphor?
Pat Shand: Thanks so much, seriously. It means a lot. Because I know I’ll catch a lot of heat, but I also know that I made the right call. Seeing others recognize that is great. The way the end came together for me was very, very natural. There was never a question of if I’d end this way or not. As soon as I started exploring what was poignant to me about Prue’s decision to reject the afterlife, I realized that her story here was a very, very sad one. I know that the way it ended is pretty devastating, but I think it was also a devastating story when I first came on. We just hadn’t pulled the layers back.
And the spirit at the end was Andy. And that was Prue’s soul, yes. And a metaphor. Really, that last bit is whatever you want it to be, but that’s what my intent was.
Anonymous asked: Part 2: Is Patience the new Nexus? Or the Nexus has been destroyed? I'd like to know how the story could continue and I hope in a Season 11.
Pat Shand: Something intense has happened to the Nexus. Patience is not the new Nexus, in my mind. The story of what happened would continue in a prospective Season Eleven, which would be a lot lighter and would contain a lot of standalone issues that would, by the end, build into a larger picture. Again, CBS hasn’t greenlit anything and I haven’t even pitched that, but they’ve been very supportive of my vision. Basically, I don’t want to really answer on my blog, because I’d much rather answer with a comic.
Anonymous asked: and if a miracle happened and we had an eleventh season, i guess that since she has now shannen's likeness again, her return will be impossible?
Pat Shand: HERE is the question that no one has asked yet! The question I was sure I’d get once I’d started saying I would be interested in writing an eleventh season. That would be something that the publisher, whoever it would end up being, would have to work out with Shannen. And while that was by no means my motivation for the way Prue’s arc wrapped up here, I do think that Prue’s spirit being in Patience’s body has run its course as a storyline. I think there is a huge portion of the fandom that hasn’t clicked for yet, that other publishers may have a different deal than Zenescope, when all is said and done.
I really, really don’t know.
Anonymous asked: so many questions! what happened to the Nexus? who was writing the criptic messages on Prue's arm (the grimoire?)? if there was a season 11, how would you do with Prue now that she has shannen's likeness again? why wasn't Prue destroyed by the athame and how did Patience return knowing that charon took her soul years ago? why Peyton? :)
Pat Shand: PRUE’S ARM: Prue was the Nexus of the All – all of the magic in the world. So think of what is encompassed in magic, which we have seen a lot of in Charmed: time-travel! While Prue stayed in a fixed place in time this season, what if her subconscious was clueing her in on things to come, or attempting to? I like posing that question better than directly answering it, because I want you to draw your own conclusion there.
SHANNEN: That would remain to be seen. She is one of my favorite actresses and I think she’s lovely, so hey. We’ll see.
ATHAME: Think of the last time we saw someone get stabbed with the Athame. Something happened to the Athame with Prue that didn’t happen with Cole. Also, think of this - the Athame is a piece of magic, a piece of the All.
PATIENCE: #12 firmly answers this question.
PEYTON: I’ll let you all discuss that one.
Anonymous asked: knowing all the hopes the fandom had behind Prue's return, how much she's loved, why did you decide to kill her again instead of giving her a normal mortal life like you did with Kyra? thanks for this ride !
Pat Shand: I didn’t go into this taking into account the hopes of the fandom. If I did, I would be holding back and not telling the most emotionally powerful story. Turning Prue into a mortal wouldn’t just be uninteresting to me as a writer or the fandom as readers, I think it would be uninteresting to Prue herself. #20 isn’t dashing any hopes regarding Prue - it is a tribute to her.
Anonymous asked: Hi Pat! Fabulous issue! If Heremus wasn't possessing Prue, just influencing her morality so to speak, turning her soul, essence, etc dark so to speak, wouldn't her soul still be evil is it survived? Heremus couldn't be destroyed by the athame because he wasnt actually possessing Prue
Pat Shand: I honestly think #19 answers this one pretty well. It wasn’t just influencing, it was that his hate merged with her, essentially becoming part of it. Prue was at once Prue, whatever echoes of Heremus remained, and the Nexus of the All. The Athame killed that connection, severing Prue from all of the stuff that wasn’t – in essence – Prue.
Anonymous asked: Hi pat! I'm not going to lie, Prue's fate is unfair to me, but thanks for at least having her return with Andy and i'm happy she's the one to close a final time the manor's doors; I watched the pilot again just before reading the issue, and seeing her at the end smiling makes me totally depressed :( but even after 7 months she isn't showing herself to her sisters, why? does we have to believe that she's feeling guilty? (i hope not cause it's hard enough without thinking that she's sad)
Pat Shand: Hi! “Unfair” is a strange word choice to me here. Also, I don’t think that there is any evidence in the final scene of #20 that indicates that Prue is feeling sad. I think this is the most at peace we’ve seen Prue in the comics, full stop. I think her last line in the series (and the last line of the series) speaks volumes to that, and directly answers why she doesn’t show herself.
Anonymous asked: Hello Pat! you'll think i'm stupid, but if there was a season 11 would there be a chance to have Prue come back again, in a more natural way (as a whitelighter for example) or do you think i's definitely her last ride? it's just that i love her too much
Pat Shand: If we got a publisher, and we got Shannen’s likeness, we’d see Prue again. Not in a way resembling anything I’ve done with her before, but we’d see her.
Anonymous asked: So, the Atame didn't destroy Prue because she was the Nexus of All the magic and the Athame is a fragment of magic (it couldn't destroy itself) but it was strong enough to break the link between Prue and Heremus. Am I correct? If I am, where is Prue now? In the Afterlife? If Shannen will give the rights, will she be in the main cast of (hypothetical) Season 11 or will she be just a "special guest"? I loved the scene with Piper under the rain with umbrella, it reminded me the pilot!
Pat Shand: ATHAME: Correct. PRUE: Correct. SHANNEN: Undecided, I’d have to pitch a story for the season first.
Anonymous asked: Hi Pat, how did cbs react at your decision to kill Prue again?
Pat Shand: They said yes, and that it was a dark but emotional ride.
Anonymous asked: What if you'll find a publisher for Season 11 but Shannen Doherty won't give the rights? Prue will be part of the story? Can you explain me what's the blue glow that wrapped Kareem and Aidel? It was Paige's powers? She purposely brought them in Salem to fix the ongoing Advent? In page 20, Piper tried to blow Prue up to reject her but her powers were so weak that she just cracked the floor? I love the "Witch council" idea! Can you tell us something about it?
Pat Shand: SEASON 11: Like I said a few times yesterday, I am not plotting any stories for this season until I get the greenlight. BLUE GLOW: Yes. When Paige was stabbed, she let out a cloud of orbs that collected in the sky. This was her “final” move, an attempt to bring in the last people she knew had a chance to stop the Advent. PAGE 20: It wasn’t that her powers were weak, it was that Prue was basically invulnerable.WITCH COUNCIL: Everything that there is to know about it so far was shown already in that scene. If Season 11 gets the greenlight, I’ll build part of the story around that.
Anonymous asked: Time ago , you said that the death of one of the New Tribunal's members was relevant for Season 11 ( if it will be) .. now can you tell us whose death you were talking about? Maybe The Angel of the Death? Have you plan for Patience? Or it's the end of her story?
Pat Shand: I think that the final scenes of #20 already answers your question about what rises after the fall of the New Tribunal. What takes its place? If Patience had any role at all moving forward, it would be minor.
Anonymous asked: Hi Pat! i wanted to tell you that i'm super "angry" against you for what you did to Prue, but at the same time I love you for the storyline around Tyler and Kareem, you brought so many emotions inside our hearts with a comic storyline, you made me interested on the comics' world, so thanks ;) (but if there was a season 11, please if you can and if you think i could be possible for you, try to do a lighter one, with a happier Prue, cause this season was very very very heavy, beautiful but heavy)
Pat Shand: Yep, I’ve said a couple of times that Season 11 would be different in tone. Lighter, more standalone. I’m glad elements of the story worked for you. I’m also glad this season hurt. It was meant to.
Anonymous asked: Hi Pat the season finale was amazing! I have power questions! Phoebe used psychic reflection on Prue or a spell like the one in #19 with the help of Leo, because we saw taking candles with her? And she used empathy with Amelias mediumship to recover Paiges memories? Paige orbed Aidel and Kareem to Tyler? and why in page 4 Pipers blast doesnt has any explosion? (because Prue is invulnerable?) Its was the best Season Finale!
Pat Shand: Oh wow, thanks! Phoebe used a combination of a psychic reflection and a spell, basically using not only her memories, not only Prue’s, but everyone in the room’s memories of
Prue, as well as Piper’s, using the spell to contact Prue via their Power of Three connection. And yes, she and Amelia used a combination of empathic & medium powers to recover Paige’s
fractured memories. Paige created an orb portal, orbing in people she knew would help. Kareem and Aidel were first, and others would’ve followed. But she believed in her students, so her power
reached out to them as her spirit began to die. And yes, if you mean Page 9, Piper’s power only breaks the floor because Prue herself was invulnerable.
