Letters to Powers, Inc. #1

Thanks for the kind words, every time we make a lettercol, deadshot is the first to post... eerie. Now to what I was gonna say:


Welcome to the first Powers Inc. letter ‘column’, which I have chosen to title:

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I know, I know, its brilliant! Anyhow, because I am writing something that may or may not be a quarterly, I have decided to write a lettercol. “Why” You ask? Well, I will tell you why, because I have an inborn need to explain my actions for that rubbish you may, or may not, have read. You see, Powers Inc. isn’t your typical DC2 piece of fan fiction. Well, It might be but that is entirely beside the point. No, Powers (which I will affectionately call it from here on out because I am too lazy to type “Inc.” every time) is very different because unlike the others, it is written by ME. That’s saying a lot because I am extremely lazy and while I may have the time to doodle out those little covers every week, I loathe the keyboard… loathe it entirely. In fact, when I was in grade school I nearly flunked typing class because I couldn’t type the average WPM (to my defense, I went to a grade school with over-caffinated typing prodigies who will most likely ALL grow up to be either stenographers or secretaries to very important people) And that is just the least of my troubles… I uh… am… okay so its really not.

But more importantly than my ineptitude I believe is how this concept came to be. You see when I first starting posting here back in August (I believe) I had just started school and was really bored. Really. I needed something to fill my time and when I started talking to these great group of people, it dawned on me, I could write one of these things. So I pitched an idea to Charlie (I always pitch my ideas to Charlie even though all he ever says is, “Uh huh”) about a Deadman story. This was gonna be my first story to introduce myself to all you readers out there, but then, just like the idea to write the story, it dawned on me, “I can’t write this.” Even I got the idea approved and all half way through what I thought would be the first issue I was flustered and at a loss of words. That’s right true believers, ME at a loss of words! I couldn’t think of a damn thing! From there I sent a PM to David explaining why it wouldn’t work yet and how I am a total failure and I believe I included an apology for wasting his time with my nonsense. I told him I couldn’t write serious at all at that point in time and that I would get back to him when I was more ‘Into it” the cover was done and everything see?



So one day, on a lonely walk home from community college (I really am setting the world on fire o’er here ) I was thinking about the Seven Soldiers of Victory project Charlie had done and the Manhunter bio I had read in my handy DC encyclopedia. I read about a cool team he was in called Power Company. The concept intrigued me, “A superhero team that worked like a business?” The possibilities for mockery were endless! So naturally I went out and bought every issue like Susan did when she discovered the magic of Jonah Hex or Charlie and the Question…. Not really. I never read a damn issue. BUT, that didn’t stop me from proposing it to Chuck. Like I do quite a bit, I started off with, “I have an idea.” I could hear him sigh from across the states and the Atlantic Ocean, but nevertheless I asked him what he thought about a Power Company Title in the DC2 Universe. Despite his skepticism, he listened to the idea ridiculous as it may be. I wanted a mix between a comic I had never read and a comic that I read very little of. The other comic?. Justice League International. To my surprise, he said something along the lines of, “Brilliant! I am so jealous I am not as creative and innovative as you! Please, Please, Please, let me co-write it, its bound to be great!” Something along those lines.

So with a “co-writer” and idea, I got to work thinking about it and told him the team had to consist of guys that looked cool and gals that looked hot. Seriously, that was the only restriction I had on the team, you can ask ANYONE that I talked to about it at that time. Also, I wanted the majority of the team to be D-Listers. So with that (And to be honest, I had already had a rough roster that looks very much like the one you see today) he and I sent names back and forth of whom we wanted. I said something like: Power Girl, Steel, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Human Bomb (who I also rallied for back when he told me the list of the seven soldiers) Plastic Man, and Prysm. I know now that some of those names seem big, but at the time they weren’t Beetle had been shot but Power Girl very existence did not put the DCU into a disarray at that time. To Charlie’s credit, he thought up a lot of those guys I never would have, guys like Airwave, Vapor, and a slew of others that were good but didn’t make my cut (Although he did propose Blue Devil which did, in fact, create that line about the members only working if they could be a McDonald’s happy meal toy) The main quality I told him to use when we chose the team was superficiality and I think it worked quite well. Oberon had always been a favorite character of mine and so I added him in (I used the codename Smee in word in case D said no) as Josiah Powers’ “Dwight Schrute” or “Josephine” (from the 1959 classic Some Like it Hot of course) or “Randal Graves” or “Algernon” or “Guildenstern”…

Maybe at this point I should talk a little about my influences as a writer. I have only been collecting comics on a regular basis since November of 2004 back when Rebirth started up. Until than I loved comics but meh, wasn’t into them as much as other things, after Rebirth, Green Lantern became a regular buy for me and eventually so did Green Lantern Corps and this wacky Crisis thing we are in the middle of. No, back then I read the occasional TPB from my library and an issue from my comic shop when I had money but my real literary influences come from plays. Back in my junior year of high school, I would buy tons from the small used bookstore and read like one a day. “A View From a Bridge,” “Death of a Salesman,” “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” “Mourning Becomes Elektra,” “Desire Under the Elms,” “Inherit The Wind,” and a few more that I can’t remember the names of. But I got a grasp of dialogue from those… I think. Besides plays it is very likely you will see the influence of film in my stories. But let's not get carried away with that, the point is that comics may inspire this series but it is maybe more influenced by everything else around me. I mean, with only three regular titles and TPB’s it is less likely I am gonna go read a comic before I put in a movie. I am just plain lazy. Which brings me to my second love, cinema. If its been anyone medium that has inspired my more than comics its that and to keep from droning on, I will keep the list short of influences and favorites. Anything written or directed by Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, John Waters, Orson Welles, Rob Zombie (he’s going places man) or Robert Rodriguez.

Finally I want to thank a few people here that helped Powers Inc. come to be. First off, is my “co-writer” Charlie who didn’t so much co write this as he did say hey, you should probably write that soon, its due next month. Brandon, the Obi Wan Kenobi to my uh… R2D2, who does an unthinkable amount of work on these darn covers every week. Brandon that is, not R2. Ellen for actually nodding her wise head to my absurd ideas. And a general (but still extremely grateful/sincere) thanks to Scott, Doc, John, Apprentice, Roy, Susan, Jim, Brian and oh! that pesky editor who I realize decided to wisely remove his name from this title for putting up with my nonsense. (was the mispelling of you here intentional? if not play it off like it was)

That said, I hope you enjoy the issue. Really, I do. Well, you COULD hate it and use this column to write nasty hateful things about me too. BUT, if you do end up liking it, good for you, you have impeccable taste!

(now that we got THAT out of the way, I promise that next lettercol will be full of witty anecdotes and one liners. Which reminds me, what do YOU, the DC2 readers, think this title should be? Monthly? Quarterly? Yearly? Please let us know.)

Ramon Villalobos

OH! Also stay tune in next issue when not only will the team be in costume, but they will also be in the same room!

Wow. This was a great read. It takes a rare talent to write great dialogue that is this funny. But I think it needs to be said that the humor was only the icing on the cake. The true impact of this story was the characters. I don't know if Hal Jordan has a cousin in the regular DC universe or not, but I don't care. You took this guy and made him all your own. You made this guy real. I found myself so engrossed with Harry Jordan, that I felt sorry for him but only to the point that I cared what happened to him. I was rooting for him when I just met him. I love a character driven story and with each introduction I wanted more. I loved the interaction between Steel and Booster. Was it a little over the top? Sure. But you played Booster as a pompous ass perfectly. The inner dialogue as Power Girl slowly justified why she should join Powers Inc. was spot on and very believable. You slowly lead the reader to the same point she was getting to at the same time. The exchange between Audrey and her mom was spot on. Which was creepy because I don't think you are a mother or a teenage girl, right Ramon?
I cannot wait for this group to finely come together. The whole next issue could have them locked in an office and talk the whole time and I would love it. I know you will cringe when I say this but I only know two other writers that could pull that off, Mark Waid and Brian Bendis. Bash all you want but that is an incredible compliment to you. I know the "dark" stories you have planned will be elsewhere but I want to see more of this book! I will be the first to vote for an ongoing monthly but I bet I won't be the last! Thanks Ramon!

Fantastic! One of the funnest reads I've had in ages. You've got a great grasp on the characters. I haven't laughed out loud so much in a long time. Thanks for a great read!

I liked your introduction. I'm a big fan of plays too, especially Inherit the Wind. I hope this comes out as a monthly. Once again, great work!

no, its not just you chesire. i noticed it. its the most obvious of my flaws but i'm workin on it. as for the story... err... there wasn't one i guess, so far it was all of the group s personality except for a few that will be revealed later. Thanks on the compliment on the dialogue, if i had a strong point, that i think would be it. As for the cover... its really the most iconic symbol on the team. did you know what it was prior to reading the issue? the alternative was a close up of booster golds crotch so i thought this would be more suitable.

I see! Well on that note, I like the current cover!

"I didn't think I'd like this" aw thanks!
"admittedly, I only know maybe four of these guys previously" so do I! we have something in common! ;D
" reminded me of the old "Tick" cartoon " I watched that as a kid, but this guy was written to be more like... i dunno clarence in true romance. it doesnt sound like him anymore, because i made him nervous, but i just saw that movie again before i wrote that part.
"Lastly, thank you for calling Airwave "Harry" and not "Hal"." I just thought it sounded cooler.

thanks for the compliments susan! true the oberon stuff kind of draaags, but I dunno, its easy to write. Filler? i dunno, because i didnt altogether "struggle" to finish this thing(i edited out something like 4-5 pages) but i know it can drag. the funny thing is, is that i thought more people would have issues with the booster scenes so i made an effort to shorten those and the bus scene with airwave and vapor was rushed as hell but i haven't really heard much on that. but i wouldnt expect much in the next issue of oberon and powers, the issue will be handed off to the heroes in the next issue.

Am looking forward!

(Ramon! he's spoiled the plot for "Crisis of Infinite Powers", the Power Inc annual!)

aw i missed that when you first posted it. thanks. the new one should be out tommorrow. lets see how that goes ;D


how can something be post modern?
head explodes.

*ding ding ding*

yes. yes there will be.

I know the joke isn't about me specifically, it made me laugh out loud when I read the a preview from Charlie. And I 'hate' no one... I will read #2 as soon as I find a spare moment, which will hopefully be this week.

*the sound of crickets chirping*