"Recently, Karyn Pinter got the chance to catch up with writer Ian Edginton to pick his brain about his upcoming project with Radical Comics, Aladdin. Move over Disney, and prepare yourself because this is “a whole new world.”

Karyn Pinter: So, starting with the obvious, tell us a bit about Aladdin? What sets this Aladdin aside from what readers already know?

Ian Edginton: It’s still primarily the classic story of the boy-thief who makes good, the evil sorcerer, the djinn of the lamp and the ring, but I’ve also tried to ground it in a version of the real-world of the time. So for Aladdin that means, what is it like living rough on the streets back then? If you’re a sorcerer, it’s not all evil laughs and twirling your mustache -- messing with magic comes at a price, the stuff’s toxic, it eats you up body and soul. Then there’s the djinn, well for starters there’s not a pair of harem pants in sight! They are terrifying, monstrous, unearthly creatures bound to serve their human master by just a thin sliver of magic. They’re like those bloody stupid people who keep lions, tiger or panthers as pets and walk around with them on a lead. One day, sure as God made little apples, their kitties will tear their throats out because it’s what they do, they’re savage, wild creatures. Same goes for the djinn, they may be compelled to grant you three wishes but they’ll do their damnedest to make sure those wishes well and truly screw you up!"

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Ian Edginton talks ALADDIN: LEGACY OF THE LOST with Steve Sunu on Comic Book Resources

"Next year, Radical Publishing brings new life to the story of Aladdin - but this isn't the music-filled movie of your childhood. "Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost" puts forth a new take on an old classic, turning it into a great, thundering sword and sorcery epic. CBR News spoke with writer Ian Edginton ("Stormwatch: Post Human Division") about the newest chapter of Aladdin's adventures and why the famous thief might want to be careful for what he wishes for this time around.

When Edginton was presented the chance to re-introduce Aladdin to a new generation, he jumped at the offer. "It was too good an opportunity to miss," the writer told CBR News. "It's a subject that's never really been explored or developed to the full extent that it could be. We've had pirate movies, Viking movies, even full-on, fully fledged fantasy movies in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, but the 'Arabian Nights,' and by extension Aladdin, one of the core sources of the fantasy genre, has been overlooked for years. Now, I know there's supposed to be a Sinbad movie in the works for next year, and of course there's 'Prince of Persia,' but on the whole, the subject has been left shamefully fallow."

"...Also, because the original stories and characters are so well-known - or rather people think they know them - I had to make a conscious effort to stop them from slipping back into cliches. There are no black hats and white hats here, it's more to do with shades of grey. Even heroes make bad judgments sometimes, and even villains have the potential to be heroic."

Right now, Edginton is most excited for this adventure in legend to hit the stands. "I'm generalizing I know, but in an industry that's dominated by spandex, the opportunities to create, no less publish, a swashbuckling adventure are few and far between," he says. "I have to give credit and kudos to Radical for going with Aladdin."

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Newsarama interviews multiple Eisner nominated writer, Ian Edginton, on ALADDIN: LEGACY OF THE LOST

"You've heard of the story of Aladdin, but never like this.

Radical Comics' is taking the legend of Ala ad-Din – better known as Aladdin – to a whole new level. In the upcoming miniseries Aladdin, writer Ian Edginton and artists Patrick Reilly and Stjepan Sejic take the story of a street-dwelling thief to a deeper and darker place than he's ever been before.

This ain't Disney.

In this new take on the legend of Aladdin, the titular character is a thief, gambler, liar and cheat. Wasting away recklessly, he's easy pray for a mage known as Qassim who wants his blood to finish an ancient rite to attain the power of the mystical Djinn who resides in a magic lamp. Aladdin knows nothing of his blood's power or the birthright it gives him, and he's got the short end of the stick if he hopes to resist Qassim and find out the truth.

Aladdin is the latest in a series of fully painted miniseries put out by Radical, and we talked with series writer Ian Edginton about the book which is scheduled to debut in early 2010."

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Click on the image below to hear Comic Book Page's podcast interview with multi-Eisner nominated writer, Ian Edginton on Radical's upcoming title ALADDIN : LEGACY OF THE LOST

Interview starts on 59:25