Q & A WITH THE THRILLIN' MARK MILLAR
(writer for "Superman Adventures" and various "Legends of the Dark
Knight" comics)
(interviewed by James Grayson-Harvey).
Hey fans! Red-hot "Superman Adventures" (and occasional
"Legends of the
Dark Knight") writer Mark Millar has decided to take time outta his busy
schedule and answer a few random fanboy questions. Like I said before
these questions aren't really in-depth and won't reveal any hidden
childhood trauma or a deep, dark past - but you will get to learn a bit
more about Mr. Millar and his colleagues at DC Comics. Enjoy!
BTAN Q#1 - What's it like writing whats being called: 'The only real
Superman comic'. Do you think that this is the 'real' Superman and how
he should be portrayed or is this just a kiddie version of the classic
hero?
MM A#1 - Well, they're all fictional, aren't they? I just see the
"Superman Adventures" book as one of dozens of takes I've seen over the
years of my favourite character. Being in continuity means nothing to
me. I grew up with a love for imaginary stories, hence my involvement
with Superman in Elseworlds, Adventures, etc.
As regards the maturity angle, I'd resign immediately if anyone
suggested writing down for a younger audience. Batman and Superman
Adventures are mature plots told in an easily-understood style. Kids are
too smart to fall for any crap and adults would drop the book if they
detected I was giving it any less than 100%
BTAN Q#2 - Speaking of writing, I've heard you plan on staying on the
series for only around 12 issues to tell your stories (which I,
personally, hope you don't). Is it possible you might stay on for
longer?
MM A#2 - Hell, the Terminators taking over is possible. I'm just talking
'probable' here and, at the moment, I've got a little over a year's
worth of stuff planned. Some of the upcoming stuff is really, really
good work. I don't want any slack issues and would prefer to leave a
book on a high than just fizzle out.
BTAN Q#3 - Here's a simple question: What's it like working with two
creative teams (Aluir Almancio/Terry Austin and Neil Vokes/Terry
Austin/Stan Woch)? Is there a particular style of one of the creative
teams you prefer over the other?
MM A#3 - Well, I haven't worked with either Neil or Stan, but we do have
the occasional fill-in. [] is a great job by Mike Manley. A
fill-in on The Flash, for example, would be trickier; the animated style
gives the book a consistency and makes any change of artists a little
smoother than usual.
BTAN Q#4 - Do you think one day you might tackle the regular continuity
Man Of Steel titles? Or maybe even Batman? Or another JLA perhaps (once
Grant Morrison leaves)?
MM A#4 - I've written some JLA in the past and there's been a lot of
speculation about whether I'm taking over from Grant. As far as I'm
aware, he's on for the better part of the next year and I've no plans to
replace him when he goes. As regards other Superman projects, my Magnum
Opus is a three book prestige deal called Superman:Red Soon (out
sometime in the next twelve months at the most) with Dave Johnson. I've also written a regular continuity thing out at the end of the year
teaming Supes up with Superboy, Steel and Supergirl. It's a very weird
story. I think people are going to be quite surprised by this one. It's
pretty heavy stuff.
BTAN Q#5 - Are there any particular stories you'd like to do in SUPERMAN
ADVENTURES? Any specific characters you'd like to write or maybe
introduce?
MM A#5 - Well, my plan after securing the comic with my into Mxy script
in [] was this: Create a new villain (Multi-Face), a Brainiac
story, A Parasite story, A Gotham City story, a Superboy and Krypto
story, A Luthor focus, a Darkseid/Jimmy ish and a Private Life of Clark
Kent story in ish 29 where a top tabloid reporter figures out his secret
identity. From here, I want to do a big Imaginary story, a DC
Presents-style guest-star, a Toyman, A Bizarro, a Lois Lane and a
special two parter I can't even talk about.
BTAN Q#6 - And finally, are there any particular SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
story you'd like to do? Possibly another WORLD'S FINEST crossover, this
time a crossover over with Ty Templeton's BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTRES?
MM A#6-Interestingly, Ty and I have just been talking about this. No
firm plans yet. Still to speak to the editors.
Thanx alot and good luck,BTAN
Best wishes, MM
----------
There I hope you enjoyed the little Q-&-A session. We'll hopefully
have
more up in the forthcoming newsletters! I'd like to thank Mark Millar
(naturally) for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer these
questions! Thanx!
______
EDITORAL
(by Laura Hysert, aka "Phoenix")
POLLENATING VILLAINS, BEWARE...
My brain is covered with a cozy blanket of narcotic down.
Allergy
season has descended and I am, as a result, beseiged by the ever-curious
effects of over-the-counter drugs. It's a miracle I can perform basic
motor functions, nevermind the mental gymnastics needed to write this,
but write this I must.
That disclaimer aside, a friend of mine, one of the editors in fact,
no named mentioned (TIM!!!!), has been bothered by a question that he
has asked me to address between my hallucinogenic lapses:
Why is the Joker always considered Batman's arch-nemesis?
A darn good question, if you think about it. We seem to take for
granted that the Clown Prince of Crime is Batman's greatest foe. We
accept without thinking this "truth". It just goes without saying,
right? Well, far be it from me to ever go anywhere without saying
something, so I decided to fly in the face of accepted norms and whipped
out my handy Webster's Dictionary (Compact Edition!), always the first
stop for great intellectual explorations. Ahem.
It seems that "nemesis" takes its name from the Greek goddess of
retribution, or vengeance. "Arch-" just means chief, or primary. Hm.
Time to get a new dictionary.
But in a way it makes sense. An arch-nemesis is the primary
antagonist to the hero's aims. If the hero says left, he says right. In
other words, he gives pay-back, or retribtution, to the hero for his
heroic deeds, even to the prevention of said deeds in the first place.
Often implied in the common use of the word "nemesis" is the idea of
opposition: the nemesis is, in character, essence and action, the
opposite of the hero, opposing and avenging the hero's goals and
actions, and striving to tear down everything the hero stands for.
Given that, we first have to determine what Batman stands for. This
in itself is an entire editorial. In an inadequate nutshell, though,
Batman fights against the senseless, chaotic violence that killed his
parents. To combat this disorder, he imposes his own cold, terrifying
order. The sense of his own pain and the empathic sense of others' pain
propels him in rage, in agony, in chilling efficiency, to hunt out the
destroyers of lives, the bringers of violence and chaos.
Thus according to our definition, his greatest nemesis would be the
man or woman who fights to destroy order, who supports the imposition of
cold, purposeless violence upon society. He or she would represent the
destruction of life, the corruption of innocence, the indulgence of
pain.
Such a creature would be the epitome of apathy and chaos, the
expression of all that Batman seeks to eliminate, as well as the painful
reminder of his failure to do so. For as long as incomprehensible,
uncontrollable beings such as this exist, Batman's quest is never
completed, and his peace is never achieved.
That being said, who in Batman's world fits this malevolent
description?
A number of villains can be dismissed because they either display too
much rationality to be a force of chaos or they are simply not violent
enough, or both. Poison Ivy, Riddler, Penguin, Mad Hatter, Mr. Freeze,
Catwoman, Bane, Ra's al Ghul, Croc - all of these foes are either too
tame, are glorified thugs, or have a logical mind and sense of order
almost as fine as Batman's.
Three others give me pause to consider. Two-Face's violence and split
personality give him a chaotic unpredictability, and being Bruce's old
friend makes the antagonism one of personal pain to Batman. Yet his
obsession with duality lends a method to his madness, allowing Batman to
combat him more easily. Moreover, he does not fit the role of the
impersonal monster that being Batman's nemesis necessitates: his human
side, so often poignantly portrayed, belies this.
Scarecrow is a masterful harbinger of fear. He delights in using fear
to create chaos and death, and because of this is a chilling enemy. Yet
even he has an odd rationality about his crimes: they are, after all,
grand experiments in the name of science. He, too, is therefore
disqualified.
And Mr. Zsasz also disturbs me - the man who kills because he
believes most humans are herd-minded animals and should be eliminated to
make way for the greater will of the superman (notice no capital "S").
Sick? Yes. But at least it's a reason for his crimes, which makes him
not a force of chaos, but Nietzsche with a knife.
Which leaves us with the Joker. A cold-hearted murderer, Joker causes
death and destruction because...because...well, I can't think of a good
reason why, and it's not because of the antihistamines. Bloodthirsty,
violent, and self-serving, he doesn't even consider, much less care
about, the cost of his actions to others; he doesn't kill for personal
gain, or for a philosophical mission, but because he wants to. That's
all. Kind of like a macabre Apple Jacks commercial: he likes it
because...he just DOES.
How do you fight this kind of madman - one who follows his chaotic
jumble of desires without reason, but with deadly skill? The Joker is a
master of executing the kind of senseless violence that destroyed Bruce
Wayne's life; he is a destructive force of chaos, operating without
reason or remorse. He represents that unfathomable dark side of humanity
that Batman knows he can never completely defeat. And every night Bruce
dons the cowl - his true face - the Joker is the dark shadow in his mind
that reminds him of not only what he must fight, but what he himself,
should his own reason ever fail, could become. And that is why the Joker
is Batman's greatest nemesis.
Hope this answers your question, Tim.
- Laura
Tim: Thank you Laura! You sure do have a way with words!
*ENVIOUS GRRRRRR*
_______________________
BATMAN:THE ANIMATED TRIVIA
This section tests your knowledge of (Before and during WB) Batman
episodes. (Remember: The new episodes that air on WB are in the same
continuity as the older ones). The questions can be anything from the
littlest thing mentioned by someone or what happened to who in which
episode and how. The majority of these questions will be multiple
choice. So start rackin' yer brain! Here goes!
Answers are provided beneath the "Animated Batman/Superman
Sites"
section.
11. In what BTAS episode was the "questionable" word
"sex" ever used?
(Man, this is childish!)
A: HARLEY & IVY
B: HEART OF ICE
C: CAT AND THE CLAW (PT. 1 or 2)
D: SHADOW OF THE BAT (PT. 1 or 2)
E: THE DEMON'S QUEST (PT. 1 or 2)
12. In the original 85 (old style) episodes, which villain ever made
Batman bleed?
A: KILLER CROC
B: MAN-BAT
C: BANE
D: CLAYFACE
E: THE JOKER
13. Which of the following villains did NOT appear in the episode
"Trial"?
A: THE VENTRILOQUIST
B: THE RIDDLER
C: THE SCARECROW
D: THE PENGUIN
E: THE MAD HATTER
14. On BTAS, which villain dislikes Lock-Up the most?
A: HARLEY QUINN
B: TWO-FACE
C: THE JOKER
D: THE VENTRILOQUIST
E: THE SCARECROW
______
ANIMATED NEWS AND RUMORS
MOVIES
-The BATMAN SUPERMAN MOVIE is now on video and prices are suprisngly
low!They range from 7.99 to only 12.99!Pick this tape up if you can!Its
definatly worth it!
-Also it looks like BATMAN:THE ANIMATED MOVIE #3 is a definite
YES!(woohoo!) - and rumors still state that it will either involve
Two-Face, Scarecrow, or Ra's Al Ghul/Bane.
-"Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero" will air on the CARTOON NETWORK on
November 21, 1998.
COMICS/BOOKS
- BATMAN: ANIMATED hits comic store and book store shelves on Sept.
23rd. This date is, of course, subject to change. Written by Paul Dini
and Chip Kidd.
- Harley Quinn is rumored to make a major comeback in "Batman: Gotham
Adventures" within 12-15 months.
-During the San Diego ComicCon, Paul Dini revealed that he will be
writing a story arc for NO MAN'S LAND that will introduced Harleen
Quinzel into the mainstream world. She will be introduced as a therapist
at Arkham Asylum but she won't be making her debut as Harley for quite a
while. Is this a good thing? Only time can tell. Also the introduction
of Batgirl #2 during NO MAN'S LAND seems very true. (news courtesy of
NEWSARAMA DAILY at the MANIA site)
ANIMATED SERIES'
-The Mad Hatter is now slated to appear in at least one future Batman
episode as the main villain.
-Here's a recap of all the known upcoming episodes this season (sorry,
no Superman episodes were available):
- OLD WOUNDS
Dick Grayson recounts what made him leave Batman and more...
- KNIGHT TIME (World's Finest 2) (2 or 3 pts).
Superman becomes Batman to save Batman!
- ANIMAL ACT
Nightwing and Batman versus...zoo animals?
- CRITTERS
Farmer Brown's little critters versus Batman!
- THE ULTIMATE FILL..I mean THRILL
Introducing Roxy Rocket into the animated series.
- LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT
3 points of view of the Dark Knight detective!
- MAD LOVE (2 parts)
The DIRECT adaptation of the hit award-winning B:TAS special!
- NOW FOR SOMETHING CREEPY
Introducing Creeper!
- WORLD'S FINEST WOMEN/GIRL'S NIGHT OUT (1 or 2 pts)
Harley, Ivy, and Livewire team up against Batgirl and Supergirl.
- RISE OF THE DEMON (World's Finest 3) (2 or 3 pts)
Batman and Superman take on Ra's Al Ghul.
Also look for the return of Zatanna and Bane, plus the Scarecrow will
be returning to terrify our hereos! The Riddler will have 3 whopping
appearances as well. Catwoman will head her own team to counter
Batman's. The Judge will be introduced and more of Batman's Rogur
gallery will return.
- Plus some BATMAN BEYOND news...
aside from findin' out what happened to Tim Drake and Dick Grayson it is
very possible that we'll be introduced to Ra's Al Ghul and SUPERMAN(!)
in the second season!
http://www.mania.com/columns/amhh/amhh081498.html
http://www.mania.com/tv/features/batmanbeyond.html
http://www.toymania.com/sdcc98/batmanbeyond.shtml
(Thanx for Brain Cruz's WB Cartoon page for the URLS!)
- WB feels that "Batman Beyond" will be a huge success, so
they've
already planned 13 episodes for the series' second season.
- A JLA (Justice League of America) series does NOT look likely at this
point in time. My personal opinion...YAY!
- News about the "future" of the JLA series can be found if you follow
this link:
http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9808/18/index.htm
______
OTHER BATMAN RELATED NEWS (unchanged)
Movie News
-No new news - it looks like WB's proposed press release of the future
of Batman 5 will NOT be on this month's schedule. Oh well. But we will
surely not see a Batman movie for 2 more years (3 years from when
"Batman & Robin" was released). I quite like the 3-year gap between
the
first three Bat-movies - and part of the problem B&R failed was because
it only took 2 years to produce, and therefore recieved a rushed job.
*CROSSES FINGERS*
______
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED FIGURES
(by Kevin Smith)
WAVE THREE
"FREEZING IVY, CROCS OF CLAY, AND A BIG OL' DICK"
The third wave of figures saw a change in the card art; the
backdrop
no longer faded from yellow to orange to red, but from yellow to white
to blue, which looked better, in my opinion. But more imporantly, more
figures were released:
First up was Mr. Freeze. He was an excellent figure who looked
exactly like he did in the show. I would have preferred the helmet be
removable, but how it came was A-OK. He came with Firing "Ice" Blaster,
which was a weak water gun. However, the gun looked a lot like the gun
he used in the show, so it's not that bad, and besides, the tube
connecting the gun to the backpack helped to balance him. The card art
was great too. It looked like either the artist improved, or was
replaced.
Then there was Clayface with Launching Spiked Ball, who was also a
surprise, but welcome regardless. I mean, who WOULDN'T want more
villains? One of his hands had what looked to be "metal" claws, and his
other hand fired a spiked ball when his body was squeezed - both of
which were seen in his first animated appearance, "Feat of Clay".
However, his legs didn't move, his head didn't turn (which I'll give to
them, since he doesn't really have a neck!). The card art was done
well, too. It had a sense of action and movement with it and again
looks like he does in the show.
Also released in this wave was Dick Grayson/Robin. The card read
"Transforms into Robin with High-Tech Gear!" It was a worthy effort,
since it was nice to get a Dick Grayson figure. They handled the Robin
mask well, which was rubber and fit over his head, but the tech gear was
really silly, and as usual, he had a racing outfit on, though it could
almost, almost work. Another complaint, is that Dick Grayson has the
same wild hair look as Robin instead of the tame combed back hair,
which
helped to further distance the two identities. The card art was
passable, and at least it looked like Robin this time.
Another unexpected addition to this wave was Poison Ivy. True to
form, she was relatively short, and yet, still slim. She came with
Snapping Venus Flytrap and Dart Weapon. The dart weapon was just a
plastic crossbow, but it was the closest we'd get to the little wrist
dart thing she has. The Venus Flytrap thing was kind of dumb. I mean,
carrying a large Venus Flytrap? I recall it being a plant, and
therefore requiring planting. Oh well, it's her mutant breed. Like
Catwoman, she had this weird in-step pose, but not as bad, so it was
easier to balance. I liked the fact that when posing without the
flytrap, her hand was on one hip. The card art was adequate, though the
artist did a bad job of trying to make her hair windblown.
Killer Croc was a late release. This figure really sucked. The
sculpting sucked, (What are proportions?) the painting sucked, (a grand
total of three colors used!) and the dumb crocodile accessory sucked.
(It was the size of a baby crocodile. What a challenge for the great
Killer Croc to wrestle!) He also had a Power-Punch arm that sucked too.
They didn't give his eyes any detail, which were simply yellow. Also,
they failed at capturing his face, although I've discovered that it
looks more like Killer Croc if you color eyes on him. They got the body
ok, but the arm punch action was really weak. The card art was equally
terrible. His only saving grace, was that he was a much needed villain
in a wave filled with asinine Batman variants, which included Power
Vision Batman, Ground Assault Batman, Anti-Freeze Batman, Decoy Batman,
Mech Wing Batman, Lightning Strike Batman, Knight Star Batman, (which
was later released in a two pack with a similar Robin) and the worst,
Total Armor Batman( black and purple).
The vehicles were the stupid Aero Bat and Hydro Bat, and the really
kewl Batplane. Stay tuned for Wave Four!
______
