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On this site, I'll be having interviews in which I ask comics creators what comics by them are coming out in the future. I will only put their responses on this site, not the questions I ask them. Interview Subjects:
Sean McKeever
Our first interview subject is Sean McKeever: Yes, I do have some 'comics-mainstream' work coming up, but nothing that I can talk about just yet. I'll have a mini-series and some single-issue stuff coming out from Marvel in '02. I've also got a one-shot called TOWER coming in April from Sirius, with art by Jason Alexander. The final issue of TWP arrives in stores this coming Wednesday. Since it is the final issue, I'd rather not tell you too much of what's happening in the book, other than to say the TWP story contained within is 42 pages long and takes place on New Year's Eve. Sean McKeever :: comic-book writer :: web designer :: indy remixer
Here's an interview response from Geoff Johns: I can talk a LITTLE about Avengers.
I'm doing Morlocks and the Thing (mini-series)
Geoff
This time I decided to go more in-depth in my questions. I think that I will continue to do this, at least some of the time. And now, an interview with the writer of ULTIMATE X-MEN and THE ULTIMATES, as well as the upcoming Awesome Comics miniseries, YOUNGBLOOD: BLOODSPORT... MR. MARK MILLAR! Mark Millar: Onto those questions... Interviewer: Is there going to be a rescheduled new chat soon? Mark Millar: I'm only having chats after an issue comes out but I'm going to regularly drop into Millarworld. Interviewer: Which of the Superman titles do you like? Mark Millar: Jeph's is the best, but they're all the best they've been in fifteen years. Interviewer: Any chance of a Millar Knights/Marvel Knights imprint or company ever with characters written and drawn by creative teams selected by YOU? Ever? Mark Millar: That's a good idea. Interviewer: How 'bout a scoop for my website? What are your various upcoming new miniseries about? Please give me some exclusive info about the new comics series you're doing. Mark Millar: To be honest, I'm trying not to think about them right now. I'm just starting the Youngblood series for Rob and I've got this very limited capacity to think about more than a couple of series at once. After Youngblood, I'm going to get seriously into the creator-owned stuff, though. Interviewer: Will there ever be a ZAURIEL mini or ongoing series by you? If, say, things were better between you and DC? Mark Millar: No way. I'd like to work for DC again at some point in the future, but they need to treat people better before they get many of the creators they alienated back. I submitted a Phantom Stranger proposal to them around a dozen times and it was great. They just didn't want to hire any more Brits. It was all very strange. They were turning the company into vanilla. But that'll change. everything does. Thanks, man. MM My next interview is with sometime Canadian actor and former BATMAN ADVENTURES writer/artist, Ty Templeton: Interviewer: What are you going to be writing/drawing comics-wise and what are you going to be doing in other media in the near future? What are you working on in any and all media now? Ty Templeton: So...what am I working on right now? Well, I've just finished designing a Supergirl statue for DC Direct...it's the next one in line from a series I've done for DC Direct, including a Catwoman, a Batgirl, a Harley and now Supergirl, all in the animated style. (My Smallville PVC set came out about two months ago, and is still in stores, I believe.) I'm writing/drawing a couple of comics for Bongo/Simpsons comics. First, I'm doing a story for the Hallowe'en ish, Treehouse of Horror No. 8. I'm also contributing a story to a Radioactive Man special, the secret origin of BUG BOY! After that, I hope to do more for Bongo, as I have a couple of Simpsons and Radioactive Man stories swimming in my head. Bill Morrison seems happy to work with me, so let's hope it's the start of a long relationship. For DC, I've got a pitch into Dan Raspler for a new creator-owned series that I'm not going to talk about until it's been finalized. Interviewer: I know about BIGG TIME, the Vertigo series about a guy and his guardian angel, right? When is that coming out and what else are you working on or going to be working on? Ty Templeton: As for the Vertigo thing, BIGG TIME. That's not a series, but a graphic novel, which is finished and should be on sale sometime in the late summer/early fall. It's a hundred twenty-something pages of story and art, by me. Hell, I even lettered it. There's been a TEEEENY bit of interest in it as a film project, but nothing with signatures on it yet, and certainly no money in my bank account. For now, it's all Simpsons and my secret DCU project with Raspler.... And I've asked for a little inking work to keep my hand in while I wait for my novel to go through all the channels and lawyers it needs to navigate on the way to the stores. I've been promised I'll get to ink a couple of JLA issues, but I haven't done any yet. Ty the Guy. Here's a short one with Kurt Busiek, who writes AVENGERS, THE ORDER, THE POWER COMPANY and KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY... Interviewer: Any hints as to what villains are coming up in THE POWER COMPANY, and can I put your answer on my website? Kurt Busiek: Well, I really don't like to give too much away... ...but there'll be more with the Dragoneer, Dr. Cyber and the Strike Force, of course, plus the return of another long-unseen villain from Paul Levitz's run on JSA, the intrusion of a Green Lantern villain of yore, trouble with the true Manhunter's old friends, a clash with Green Arrow and a brand-new bad guy who'll be a fair amount of trouble for the Company, the return of the Cadre, the revelation of their mysterious employer and more ... plus a devastating event that'll leave the Power Company, um, devastated, and tearing itself apart. Plus, free pastries, Hollywood agents, and a mention of possibly the least-awaited DC hero of all! kdb And, a follow-up with Kurt Busiek: Interviewer: Can I put that on my website? Kurt Busiek: Wouldn't have sent it otherwise... kdb This time around, I have another short interview, this one with a legend in the comics industry. Highly acclaimed for his runs on X-MEN and UNCANNY X-MEN (co-written with Chris Claremont), FANTASTIC FOUR (solo), and a run on some of the Superman titles that led to this particular writer/artist drawing Superman on the cover of TIME Magazine, ladieeeeeeeeeeeeeeees and gentlemen, I bring you our interview with MR. JOHN BYRNE! Interviewer: Two sets of questions: any (vague) hints on what's coming up in LAB RATS? (Villains, people, places, things, etc.)? (Obviously) don't tell me what the outcome will be, but any vague elements (besides dinosaurs, Superman and the death of a member, which you've mentioned elsewhere) would be appreciated.
John Byrne: LAB RATS is not a conventional superhero book---the characters are not superheroes at all---so it does not have the trappings familiar to same. It is more akin to CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN, and looks for strange locales and weird encounters, rather than villains per se. Thus, within the space of the first six issue we see our young heroes in a virtual reality, a theme park gone mad, the future (50 years hence) and deep space (3000 light years out). In those places we do, indeed, see dinosaurs, dragons, trolls, elves, Superman, sewer dwellers and a destroyed Metropolis. Basically, I'm trying to come up with the kinds of stories I would have done with the FF, then throw these poor kids into them instead! And, yeh, a couple of the Rats bite the big one along the way. All this plays against hints about the backgrounds of each charact that (I hope!) should be intriguing.
Interviewer: Any dream projects out there that you'd like to pursue? Any dream projects you've yet to pursue if LAB RATS counts as a dream project? John Byrne: I'm not sure LAB RATS counts as a "dream project". The basic idea has been floating around in my head for about 20 years, looking for a place to land, but the incarnation that has finally seen print is so far removed from any of the iterations the concept went through before that I could not honestly say this is something I have "dreamed" of doing. I usually reserve that description for projects like BATMAN & CAPTAIN AMERICA, or X-MEN: THE HIDDEN YEARS---projects that date back to my fan days, that were real "if only I had the chance to. . . " projects. After 25 years in the Biz, of course, there are not a whole lot of those left! I've been a very lucky lad, and what with X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, SUPERMAN, BAT/CAP, XHY and even later thoughts like GENERATIONS, I've seen most of my "dream projects" come to fruition. I suppose, looking back, there are still a few that would qualify as "dreams", though I don't see any of them coming true any time soon. Hawkman. The JSA. Doom Patrol. A BAT/CAP sequel in the form of an Invaders/JSA teaming. All but the last of these I have pitched many times, only to be told "We don't plan to do that" and then see someone else doing it eighteen months later. C'est la vie! Like I say, I've seen a lot of my dreams come true. No point grousing about the ones that didn't---or can't. JB Now, I've got two interviews: one with international Disney comics writer and Toonopedia website author Don Markstein and the other with SUPERMAN, SUPERMAN AND BATMAN, and DAREDEVIL: YELLOW and TEEN WOLF (The movie, that is) screenwriter Joseph Loeb III, also known as Jeph Loeb. First, the Don Markstein interview: Interviewer: OK, what are the titles of the comics you're working on and what can we expect to happen within the pages of these comics? Give me some specifics; tell me about which Disney characters are involved (the main characters, the supporting characters and some of the villains), the places the characters will go, some hints as to what will happen and so on. Obviously, don't give everything away, but tell me some things. Don Markstein: Egmont publishes one main Disney comic, a 64-page weekly on slick paper, which has different names in different countries. In Denmark (where the office is located), it's Anders And & Co. (Donald Duck & Co., which is what most of them translate to). There's a Mickey Mouse story or two in every issue, and that's the series I mostly write for. The others are (as you asked) villains and supporting characters. I mostly write Mickey Mouse, with the usual villains and supporting characters -- Pete (we used to call him Pegleg Pete, Black Pete, etc., but now he's just Pete); Minnie Mouse; Professors Ecks, Doublex and Triplex; Goofy; The Phantom Blot; Horace Horsecollar; etc. I've created one ongoing supporting character myself, Sam Simian, a cheerful but obnoxious guy who operates giant robots. I do about one Sam Simian story a year, and at the moment am working on the fifth. The next to see print will probably be the one where the Professors try to transplant Sam's brain into a super-computer that can run an army of giant robots. Aside from Sam, my favorite supporting character is Horace. Interviewer: Who are your influences as far as your work on the Disney comics is concerned? Walt Disney? Gottfredson? Carl Barks? Is there a particular flavor you're trying to capture in terms of an influence on the style of your stories. I mean, would your writing style be reminiscent of any particular Disney writer(s)? Don Markstein: My #1 influence as a writer -- not just comics, but everywhere -- is Carl Barks. I've loved his stuff since I was 5 years old -- that is, for 50 years now. He's had a profound effect on my story structures, my word patterns and rhythms, even my phraseology. He's the best, the greatest writer and artist ever to work in comics. When I have a problem with a story, the first thing I do is try to figure out how Barks would have handled it. Interviewer: What specific countries are your work being published in? I don't mind if they're published in Europe and Asia. Do you live in Europe or Asia these days? Just wondering. Don Markstein: Right now, practically all of my comics writing is for Egmont, the largest comic book publisher in the world (tho a lot of American fans have never heard of it). They're based on Copenhagen, and their comics are published throughout Northern and Eastern Europe and parts of Asia, in 29 different languages. Circulation runs into tens of millions -- in fact, it's extremely likely that right now, somewhere in the world, someone is reading an Egmont comic book with one of my stories in it. I live in the U.S., and only see the Egmont people at occasional conventions. We talk on the phone, tho, and do business mostly by e-mail. No physical objects ever change hands in the course of our business -- I e-mail the scripts to them, and they wire-transfer the payment to my bank. Hope that's what you need. Quack, Don And now, my interview with Jeph Loeb: Interviewer: What's coming up (in vague terms, if necessary) in SUPERMAN and then (again, in vague terms, if necessary) in SUPERMAN AND BATMAN? Jeph Loeb: I have three issues of SUPERMAN left and then we begin work on SUPERMAN & BATMAN. (April, May, June). My hope is that McGuinness and I can finish tying up some of the loose threads we've woven in the past three years. This was always the plan -- leaving, actually moving down the hall -- so it wasn't like we had to rush the stories. In April, we've come up with a twisted little tale where Superman and Bizarro #1 have woken up with each other's brains. This was an idea from McGuinness that I really sparked to and I think it shows in his artwork. I believe it is what we do best -- taking something from the past (it so smacks of a Silver Age Idea), adding something from the present, and then making it a story for our future. Once I realized that Bizarro #1 had information in his head that was valuable to Superman, the story meant more than the trick. And then, there's the little matter of how it happens in the first place... In May and June, we've fulfilled a promise we made when we began -- that we would settle the deal between Lois and Lex from #151. All the clues are there -- some of the key issues being #177 and #178. These are two trains on a collision course -- it hopefully will be a surprise to see who gets run over. McGuinness got to draw almost everyone we've dealt with -- and some new characters too -- from the Suicide Squad to the JLA. Interviewer: Has HULK: GRAY been approved, and if so, can you give me some hints as to what we'll be seeing in it? Jeph Loeb: HULK: GRAY is more of a rumor than anything else. And, as most folks know, I'd rather not comment on rumors. What I CAN say is that we have an excellent relationship with the Marvel Knights (Hi, Nanci, Bronwyn, Stuart and Kelly!) and they've left the door open for Tim and I to do more of the "color" books. We're very excited about the Daredevil: Yellow Hardcover and all the extras that the Knights made available to us. Comicraft's First Tiger & Hip Flask's Creator Richard Starkings worked extremely hard with designer JG Roshell (The Astro City Hardcovers; Danger Girl Sketchbook) to create something that is truly special. There is a Tim Sale sketchbook where we follow Tim from script to thumbnails, to pencils, to ink, to ink wash that came out fantastic. Interviewer: Any more hints as to what's coming up in SPIDER-MAN: BLUE? I've prepaid for #1 at my comic shop, by the way. Jeph Loeb: And we're glad you've prepaid for it. We hope everyone who is reading this will. I can only say that when folks get ahold of Tim's renditions of Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson -- talk about your hubba-hubba. No wonder Spider-Man will be feeling blue! Interviewer: Any dream projects you'd like to tackle, comics-wise? How 'bout movie- or TV-wise? Jeph Loeb: I'm really looking forward to SUPERMAN & BATMAN. These are two characters that I've had a lot of history with and want to explore their friendship and their working dynamic. It's really more of a Superman book that utilizes the Batman cast, so many of the interactions are going to feel very much like SUPERMAN does right now. And the way McGuinness draws Batman! So cool. Movie and Television stuff are cooking on all burners. As a viewer, I've invested myself in four shows -- ALIAS, ANGEL, BUFFY and SMALLVILLE. (Note, I did that in Alphabetical order). Next season I'm really looking forward to FIREFLY. In case you haven't figure it out, I'm a Joss Whedon Fan. Oh, and a Jennifer Garner fan too! Interviewer: Have you made any new comics discoveries lately, that is comics by other creators that you've enjoyed? Jeph Loeb: I'm always surprised and delighted by the work that Geoff Johns is doing. The Flash and JSA are consistently two of the best reads on the market right now. I'm looking forward to whatever it is that J. Scott Campbell has up his sleeve. And Greg Rucka never disappoints. I think people are going to blown away by HIP FLASK from Active Images. Jose Ladronn (Cable, Inhumans) is doing painted artwork that is so delicious, you'll want to lick the pages -- but if you do, you should really buy TWO copies -- one to eat and one to keep for your collection. In so many ways, the look, the design and especially the story itself plotted by creator Richard Starkings and scripted by Joe Casey (Wildcats, Adventures of Superman, Uncanny X-Men) sets a new standard for comics -- particularly self-published. It's coming out in June with 4 covers, each more stunning that the next -- from Ladronn, to Joe Madureira, to J. Scott Campbell, to Ian Churchill. I've seen some advanced copies of pages -- and I can't believe how beautiful this book is and how totally unexpected it is. Richard has created something called "Pulp Science Fiction" and it truly lives up to its premise! Interviewer: What comics do you like to read these days? Jeph Loeb: Oh, it's more like what DON'T I read -- since I read almost everything. I've been really enjoying Bendis on DAREDEVIL and ALIAS -- I actually wrote him and told him so -- I'm such a fanboy. The HULK seems to be going someplace -- I'd just wish they'd get there! But, JR, JR's artwork is mighty to behold. JMS on Amazing, again, largely due to JR, JR (who can't get enough great press). Interviewer: Any other movie or TV projects coming up, besides the animated Buffy series? I loved TEEN WOLF, by the way (not a question). Jeph Loeb: Again, stuff cooking and when they boil over, I'll be happy to discuss them. Interviewer: Where did the name Scott Howard (Teen Wolf) come from? Any interesting story behind it? Jeph Loeb: Wow. I had to really think about it but, if memory serves me, at the time, HAPPY DAYS was a big television show. This was before Michael J. Fox got involved. We were thinking that Scott Baio would be a candidate for Teen Wolf, just because he was a teen star at the time. Similarly, the "Howard" came from "Howard Cunningham" who was the father (Tom Bosley played the part) on the show. We wanted Bosley to play the Dad -- but the actor who played the part, James Hampton, was wonderful and really gave the movie its soul. So, I guess there was story behind it after all! Thanks! See ya 'round the spinner rack! Jeph My next interview is with a writer who wrote the X-Men titles in the 1990's and then moved on to other things, notably the THUNDERBOLTS comic book series starring the former supervillain team The Masters of Evil. Please welcome Mr. FABIAN NICIEZA! Interviewer: Are you interested in being an editor again? Just wondering; I'm not offering you a job or anything. Fabian Nicieza: Not particularly, not an editor anyway. It wasn't a job I enjoyed that much. I would consider staff work again, but preferably in licensing, marketing or promotion. Interviewer: Any interest in working on one of the ausiliary X-Men titles like GAMBIT again? Maybe one of the X-Men ICONS miniseries? Fabian Nicieza: Depends on who asked and what character it was. Interviewer: Any scoops you can give me about your upcoming projects that you haven't mentioned elsewhere? I know about your upcoming THUNDERBOLTS plans... Fabian Nicieza: I have no plans in comics right now besides Thunderbolts, so -- starting in June the book will be published twice a month featuring two separate storylines. "Becoming Heroes" finds Hawkeye and Songbird leading a new team of villains on the search for Justin Hammer's Legacy (issues #65-67-69-71-73). "Becoming Villains" Zemo and the Thunderbolts trying to save (or rule?) Counter Earth (issues #66-68-70-72-74). Both storylines will come together for a big collosal conclusion in #75 in November. -fabian
This time around, I've got an interview with DR. STRANGE, JSA: THE LIBERTY FILE, JSA: THE UNHOLY THREE and OBERGEIST miniseries writer Dan Jolley. Enjoy: Interviewer: Is the series of Elseworlds stories that includes JSA: THE UNHOLY THREE going to keep on going on indefinitely. That might be a good idea. Dan Jolley: Sadly, no. We've approached DC on two separate occasions about doing an ongoing Elseworlds series, and they've decided against it both times. However, if The Unholy Three does well, it's fairly likely that we'll do yet another mini featuring these characters. Interviewer: Can you please tell me about JSA: THE UNHOLY THREE? Dan Jolley: Well, it's a sequel to the project Tony Harris and Ray Snyder and I did a couple of years ago, called JSA: The Liberty File. It involves analogs of Batman, Hourman, and Superman as covert agents in the Cold War, dealing with the mysterious deaths of American spies in Europe. The most likely suspects are a couple of Russians: an enforcer called Steelwolf, and an interrogator called Parasite. And in one capacity or another, you'll see just about every member of the Justice Society appear. : ) Interviewer: What genres of comics are you interested in working in? I know that OBERGEIST isn't really a superhero comic... Dan Jolley: I'm pretty much open to working in any genre, though I would hesitate to try to write something like Spider-Man or Deadpool, simply because it's difficult for me to be consistently funny on paper, and those characters crack a lot of jokes. Aside from that, though, anything is fair game. I've written Vampirella, Aliens, Star Wars, Dr. Strange, Superman, and Sabretooth, among other projects like Obergeist, so I've already touched on a pretty broad range of styles... I guess, to me, the genre isn't really all that important. It's the story itself that matters. Interviewer: What comics creators wrote and drew the comics that you enjoyed when you were growing up? Dan Jolley: I first really got hooked on John Byrne and Chris Claremont's X-Men, back around the first time they encountered the Brood (early to mid 1980's or so), along with Gene Colan's work on Dr. Strange. Then, in college, I got my hands on James O'Barr's original Crow mini-series, and that just blew me away. I still use a lot of technique and style that that story inspired. Interviewer: Any ideas for future comics that you're still kicking around in your head? I mean, comics or characters that you might someday want to write that you haven't really decided when you want to work on them? Name them. Dan Jolley: I've been dying to work on a project featuring the Rangers for years. They're an old, obscure group at Marvel, consisting of Red Wolf, Texas Twister, Shooting Star, Phantom Rider, and Firebird. All the Marvel editors I've talked to so far have thought that was a pretty far-fetched idea, but someday... someday! I'll have the clout to make it happen! : ) What I've got for you folks right now is an interview with current SPIDER-GIRL writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, Mr. Tom DeFalco: Interviewer: What comics that you've worked on are you proudest of?>> Tom DeFalco: My run on Thor/Thunderstrike has a very special place in my heart...and, of course, I'm currently in love with Spider-Girl. Interviewer: Will we ever see RANDY O'DONNELL IS THE MAN again? Tom DeFalco: Definitely! Ron Lim and I are currently working on another story and we have some big plans for the character. Interviewer: Any specials, miniseries, one-shots or guest writing stints on your part planned? Tom DeFalco: I'm going to be doing a PHANTOM one-shot for Moonstone that will be published in the coming months. I've also worked on a new book--COMIC BOOK CREATORS ON SPIDER-MAN which will be published by Titan Books sometime this summer. Interviewer: What are your favorite prose novels and which ones have influenced your wtiting? You've critiqued novels elsewhere, now how 'bout telling me some of your faves and novelistic influences? Tom DeFalco: My favorite novel is probably THE STARS MY DESTINATION by Alfred Bester, and I think I'm been influenced by everything I've ever read--and I read a lot! I love reading and have too many favorite authors to list, though Edgar Rice Burroughs had a profound effect on me and probably inspired me to become a writer. Interviewer: Do you have any interest in dabbling in prose? Tom DeFalco: Oh, I've already dabbled and will continue to do so. Just check Amazon.Com for a list of my prose works. Interviewer: Any ongoing series you'd love to take a shot at? UNCANNY X-MEN, perhaps? Tom DeFalco: I've always had a thing for Captain America and The Challengers Of The Unknown. Tom D. And now, a one-question-one-answer mini-interview with CURRENT Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada: Interviewer: Is Frank Miller still going to do the covers for a Marvel Comics project? Joe Quesada: Nope. |
