Interview w/ Scott Lobdell: "Nothing is ever what it seems" in Teen Titans

So what's going on with Artemis? [Teen Titans artist] Brett [Booth] told me that she may or may not be dead. Can I get a little more of an explanation of this? 


Nope. 

Well that kinda sucks.

But seriously, what if Chris Claremont had given an interview after Uncanny X-Men 100 and said "Don't worry, Jean isn't dead she's actually going to become the Phoenix and then she's going to be seduced by Mastermind (in disguise!) and then become Dark Phoenix and kill billions and finally have to kill herself in about thirty issues!"?  Wouldn't THAT suck?

Sit back, enjoy the ride!

Fair enough. How about how the team's roster came about? Did you pretty much have every character you wanted in mind going in, or did you and the editorial staff at DC have discussions about the characters?

Well it is hard because we were told to use the Core Four, but as they were all white people and I really wanted to use people of color it meant that I had to edit myself a lot.  I would have loved to have used Offspring or Miss Martian and Beast Boy (but I don't feel green counts as a person of color) and so, like I say, there was a lot of self editing going on.

And while there might have been other characters (heck, there are LOTS of teen characters) I also felt that there was a tradition that Marv and George started where the non-Core members should be fresh new characters (Raven, Starfire and Cyborg) -- and so I felt strongly that the other three spots should be taken up by newbies (or mostly newbies as in the case of Solstice).

Will we ever see characters guest-star for periods of time? Since we already saw Static in #6, I figure we could see any number of characters appear, like Miss Martian?

Certainly the world is our oyster. And while there are no PLANS for anyone else to show up soon, all things are possible.

Which one of the characters is your favorite to write? Red Robin seems to be the main character thusfar, but are we going to see any more of the group kind of take the narrator-ship away from him sometimes?

Hmm... I don't know if that is true, as Kid Flash opened the series, issue two and issue three.   

Can you give us some hints for the stories that we might see coming up soon? Like, hopefully, Artemis: Rebirth! Haha.

Well certainly Wonder Girl is going to be moving front row and center as Red Robin and Superboy help her get to the bottom of the same armor that gives her her powers might actually be killing her.   (No wonder she doesn't like the notion of being Wonder Girl.)

So I kind of want to know what is going on with Kid Flash's origin. Pre-New 52, he was from the Legion's time, is it something similar? If you can't tell me, are we going to find out some time in the near future?

Yes and yes.

What about Solstice? Where did her character come in? Is she still the Solstice that we saw Pre-New 52, just with the charcoal-colored skin or is she a new character entirely? 

Well technically she is the same character... but as much of her pre-52 story is no longer available to us she is tweaked:  Rather than meet the Titans, she was kidnapped by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. about a year prior to Teen Titans #1 (I'm guessing as I wasn't there.) and their experiments (we assume) are what lead her to her current state.  But as far as I am concerned, this is the same character that was created brilliantly by JT Krul and Nicola Scott!  

If a new fan was standing in the comic store deciding whether or not to buy Teen Titans, what would you say to him/her to make them definitely want to?

"I will give you five dollars if you buy this book."

And for my last question, I asked Brett [Booth] this as well when I last talked to him earlier today:  Can sum up some hints of things to come in Teen Titans in 5 or 6 words??

Nothing Is Ever What It Seems.

Thanks for the interview! Issue #9 of Superboy (part 2) and Legion Lost (part 3) of the Culling storyline, which Scott is co-writing with Tom DeFalco. Part 4 comes out in Teen Titans #9 later this month. Check in later this week for my own personal reviews of Superboy #9 and then Legion Lost #9. Thanks!

Brett Booth Interview!

So with Teen Titans Annual #1 being released last week, I got to chat with "Teen Titans" artist Brett Booth about his thoughts on the Multiverse, Beast Boy's now-red fur, his work on the Annual issue and things to come in Teen Titans.


With Earth-2 & Worlds' Finest both starting last week...What are your thoughts on the Multiverse? 

Very cool! I really enjoyed both of them. I did a few designs for Earth 2 so I'm hoping I'll get a chance to draw something for it!

Might we ever see a Earth-2 (or another Earth)'s Teen Titans? I think that'd be very, very cool.

I don't know. What I've read makes me think Earth 2 will not have the same heroes. So if there is a younger team I think it would be Infinity Inc. Which were the TT of Earth 2 originally. As for a crossover... I have NO idea. Would be cool, but I think we'll have to wait and see what James has planned for Earth 2 first:) As for another Earth... no idea.

What, if any, titles would you want to read out of a "Third Wave" of New 52 books? 

Lets see... a New Wonder Woman book that shows what happened between JL6 and WW1. Booster Gold, Ted Kord, Wally West Flash book (longshot I know!) Kid Flash, Red Robin, Maybe another youth team book. I've read the Bleeding Cool Robin's book idea... that might be cool. An Earth 2 Hawkgirl and Flash book:)

Switching over to the Annual...I have to say, there are so many beautiful panels and pages in that issue that I can't even count. I've never seen so many amazing pieces of art in one place. I want to save up money for when the Annual's pages go on sale! But anyway, how much time did it take you to draw the issue? 

I have some up already but some are just pencils, a few pages were done on blue line to get it done on time. Took me 6 weeks to do that... I'm still recovering!

Also, how long did it take you to get down the designs for Tyroc, Dawnstar, and the rest of the Legion Lost-ers, let alone the new characters we see around? 

I did designs for Leash and Omen a month or so before for TT8. All the ravagers were done by Ian, so really I just did the 'reverse tron' ones. And I just went straight into them designed them on the page.

I think we all deserve an explanation as to why it is that Beast Boy is red. Do you happen to know any of the thought-process behind it? 

All the animal stuff in the DCnU is tied to the Red, so it would be strange make a guy who turns into animals green... the plant force thingy. Plus I'm sorry green is just not that cool for animals... they look like jell-o;P

So the Beast Boy stuff is tied into the events happening in Animal Man and Swamp Thing?

I wouldn't say tied as much as reflecting. Red=animals. Green=plants. Strange to have a green kid turning into animals;) They might have some plan for it but I don't know what it is:)

And, as you could see by my conversation with you and Scott on Twitter, I must know what happened to Artemis! I thought she was dead, but Scott is being so mysterious and I just can't wait to find out more!

She had that hypertaxis virus and was 'killed'. Whether she's dead dead I don't know. I did do a design for her though!

Is the Culling storyline JUST about the individual event inside of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. that is named the Culling, or is it going to be the entire story of when the Titans and the Legion are inside and how they take down Harvest (if they do)? I've been kind of curious about that. 

The Culling is like Easter or Arbor day in the colony, it happens ever so often. Will it happen again as an event? No idea. 

When I asked about the Culling, I was asking more of whether the current story/crossover that is happening would be the entirety of just one Culling and the story itself will end when the Culling ends, potentially leaving the team inside of N.O.W.H.E.R.E.'s clutches still...or if it was just the name of the crossover and didn't indicate that the whole crossover is for the..."holiday", let's say, known as "the Culling." I know that's long-winded and confusing, but yeah.

The Culling is an event that happens at the Colony I can't tell you if the story wraps up at the official end of the Culling 'holiday' as that would give away the end! 

Fair enough! Obviously, the team is keeping the Tron-looking outfits for at least one month after the crossover, since we see Bart & Solstice wearing them on the cover of [Teen Titans] #10, and Superboy and Wonder Girl wearing them on the cover of Superboy #10. Is it just through issue #10, or are they going to be around for some period of time?

Just through issue 10, they get rid of them (Solstice and Cassie have other options so they aren't wearing them in 10.) I'm even trying to change SB's. I'm Troned out;)

And for my last question, can sum up some hints of things to come in Teen Titans in 5 or 6 words?? 

Cassie gets pissed! There, I did it in 3;)

Exclusive Interview with Teen Titans artist, Brett Booth!

As I said earlier today, I just had an interview with one of my favorite comic book artists of all time. That artist happens to be the current TEEN TITANS artist, Brett Booth! (but you probably knew that from reading the title. Haha.)

Me: Whats it been like working with Scott?

Brett Booth: In a word, interesting. I never know what to expect from him. Seriously he had one idea that was so out there, so crazy I thought it might work! Bob Harris thought otherwise but I have a feeling Scott might sneak it in there.

And he gives me som cool visuals to draw, that's a big plus:)

Me: Who is your favorite artist (besides yourself, obviously ;D)?

BB: Tough one, I don't really have a single favorite but a group of favorites. Let's see, Jim Lee, Art Adams, George Perez, Kevin Maguire, Mark Silvestri, John Byrne, Walt Simonson, David Mazzucchelli and I'm gonna toss in Greg Capullo cause his Batman is friggen awesome!

Me: How did you getting involved in the series come about?

BB: Well I was told about a week after I started JLA 55 that they were canceling the series so they could bring it back with Geoff Johns. Eddie Berganza had been trying to get me to go exclusive for a bit and when we started to get the paperwork going he asked me to take over Teen Titans with Scott. I'd worked with Scott a few times in the past and it was a hoot, so I agreed. And because the Speedforce book I was trying to get one was dead:(

Me: Who is your favorite character to draw on Teen Titans? Why?

BB: Bart, cause he's fast! For some reason I love drawing the speedsters. It's a challenge to make them look like they are really moving!

Me: Who is the hardest to draw? Why?

BB: Skitter!!!!! Cause of the extra arms and legs. She's not in the book as much and I don't have her outfit completely memorized yet.

Me: If you could add any characters to the line-up, who would it/they be?

BB: Hmmmmm, Aqualad or Static. I like them both and would love a chance to draw them!

When you say Aqualad, do you mean the Aqualad we first met in Brightest Day?

BB: Yep!

Me: As for the upcoming crossover with Superboy and Legion Lost, has it been a challenge drawing all of the new characters that aren't consistently in TT? Like the Ravagers, the Legion, etc.?

BB: It's a royal pain, cause the LL have all new costumes for this, as do the Teen Titans. So basically everything except Superboy is different. I have to keep looking at reference for every character because nothing is sticking with so many of them. Add to that the new bad guys, the Ravagers and Colony people… it's a tough one.

Me: Out of all of the characters out there in the DC Universe, who is your favorite? (this could also include characters like Donna Troy and Wally West who aren't necessarily being seen currently, but have existed in the past)

BB: Of course its Wally, but then I'd have to say Ted Kord after that.

Me: If DC came to you later today and said "So we have an idea for a new series starring Wally West. We want you on art.", would you accept? Why or why not?

BB: Yes. Because it's Wally and he's what got me to read DC comics. There are very few characters that I would really love to draw, I mean REALLY love to draw. Others might be fun but the few times I'd drawn Wally have been so fricken enjoyable! Maybe I'm just at a spot that I feel more comfortable about the work I produce but when I draw Wally it just feels right. Bart's kind of the same, but I think that's because he lets me goof off a bit. Which is always fun;P

Thanks a lot, Brett! It means a lot! Kay, guys. Well there you have it. And, just saying, Wally needs to come back sometime soon.

Exclusive Interview with One of My Favorite Artists!

I happen to have an interview set-up with one of my new favorite artists. I am looking forward to this. It'll be great! See you soon, kids!

Interview with "Worlds Finest" Writer Paul Levitz on CBR

About an hour ago, Comic Book Resources posted an interview with the writer of the upcoming title "Worlds' Finest", Paul Levitz.

Not much was revealed, but here's the interview if you're interested:

CBR News: "Worlds' Finest" is obviously a title that has, traditionally, been a Batman and Superman vehicle. Paul, what made you want to flip it over and tell stories with Huntress and Power Girl, specifically the Earth-2 versions of the characters?

Paul Levitz: That was a DC decision; I had been campaigning to do more with the Huntress, after the recent miniseries which I enjoyed doing, and the editors suggested connecting Power Girl to her old friend, and it grew organically from there. I think playing off the resonance to the two core characters they relate to is fun, and the wordplay of "Worlds' Finest" fits nicely.

You mentioned campaigning to do more with Huntress -- beyond your role in creating her, what is it about Helena that really fascinates you as a storyteller?

The combination of her strength as a character and the intriguing overlay of what it might have been like to be brought up by two people as interesting and complex as Batman and Catwoman.

Though Huntress and Power Girl are now from Earth-2, initially (at least) they are stuck on the New 52 Earth. What do you gain by having these two operating as fish out of water in New 52 Earth that you wouldn't have if the series covered stories about the pair set on Earth-2?

Ah, you'll need to read the stories for that. They had totally different identities on Earth-2 -- remember, this is a new DC Universe, so it's a new Earth-2. There wasn't a Huntress or Power Girl on this Earth-2, so it would have been a very different series!

In that case, are you getting a chance to define the new Earth-2 world as well in your series?

James [Robinson] is in the lead developing Earth-2, and I'm following his work. It's fun enough developing these two characters and their paths.

How closely will events in "Worlds' Finest" be tied to James Robinson's "Earth-2" series, also recently announced as a New 52 Second Wave title? Will there be any crossover in the future?

Hopefully, the two will be very closely related -- at least we're starting with coordinating how the women get to our Earth, and with ideas about [how] the stories can connect over time in some pretty ominous ways.

When you started working on "The Huntress" miniseries, was the plan always to roll that into "Worlds' Finest?" Will the end of the miniseries tie into "Worlds' Finest?"

By the time we finished the first issue the beginnings of the plan were beginning to come together, and gave us the opportunity to develop some of the clues that the readers have been enjoying and debating all along. The last scene brings the two together, and gently leads towards their next exploit.

Touching on the characters, how is this Helena Wayne different from the one you've written before?

[This Helena] had a very different life than the previous Helena on Earth-2 -- some of which will be revealed in the first story, more of which will be revealed over time. She's been hardened more, and as you can see in the miniseries, has more willingness to go to the limits for her goals.

Along those same lines, how different is this new Power Girl from the pre-relaunch version? Will this Karen Star be the same one who appeared in "Mister Terrific?"

I'm newer to writing the new Power Girl, so she's still evolving, but it's definitely the Karen Starr from "Mister Terrific," and I think she's got a much clearer sense of mission than any version of Power Girl we've seen before. The events that brought her here provide compelling reasons for her future destiny.

How would you describe Huntress and Power Girl's relationship dynamic in "Worlds' Finest?

Really good friends with seriously different ways of dealing with a traumatic life change, and some very different approaches to life.

On "Worlds' Finest" you're working with two artists, Kevin Maguire and George Perez. What has it been like getting to work with George and Kevin, both of whom go way back with you at DC?

[I'm] just starting -- I've done one story with George a few years ago, which was a delight, and this will be my first experience with Kevin. But it's exciting to describe scenes and visualize how such talented men will bring them to life.

Finally, how does the collaboration between the three of you work -- will the two of them take turns on the book, or will each one take a character and be the primary artist drawing things from their hero's perspective?

I think it'll probably vary. The first script has George on the 'current' events and Kevin on the 'how they got here' events -- and I suspect we'll have whole issues by each of them, or whole arcs, depending on how schedules and story structures come together.