Planet DC2 04/18/2007

Hello readers!

This week’s interview is with a new writer to the site, timdrake, who's starting a six part miniseries here next week.

1.-What do you think about DC2?

I think it's an amazing place for everyone involved. Writers and artists get to express themselves in a comfortable environment using pre-existing characters but getting creative with them. It's been a great learning experience for me so far, and since I plan on professionally writing comics, the stuff I'm picking up here is invaluable. It's also great for readers to see their favorite characters presented as a mix of today's and yesterday's comics. The essence of the DC characters is captured here so well, and on top of that everyone brings something new to the familiar DC universe.

2.- What are your favorite titles?

I always like the Bat books (Batman, Detective Comics, Nightwing), Green Lantern, Flash, and spotlight books like Rogues Gallery and All Star are what I've been enjoying the most. I also really liked The Question, I still feel like I'm discovering all the titles since I really haven't had enough time over the past year or so to check out every issue but now that my school schedule is easier I'm trying to get acquainted with more books.

3.- You got a project coming next week: a Black Lightning/Static Shock mini. Can you tell us about it?

The story, as the title suggests, revolves around these two heroes. Both of them are going through some big changes in their lives.

Virgil Hawkins has been friends with kids who are in a gang and has lived around a lot of violence and crime, but still manages to do good in school and obey the law. Unfortunately, he is caught up in a gang war, and during this war, an experimental chemical is let loose among the teens, giving them all various powers. Now Virgil must figure out exactly what he will do with these powers, how he will use them, who he will tell, while still trying to maintain a normal life.

Jefferson Pierce's change is more of an internal one. He is still recovering from when he was mind controlled and forced to kill (see the New Outsiders), and now that his powers have stopped working (at least for now...), he is trying to find what to do with his life. He is going through a mid-life crisis of sorts. As a teacher, he didn't seem to be effecting the lives of the kids he taught, and being a superhero led to losing his family through divorce and a death, so he's starting to think that he isn't really helping in the grand scheme of things. This leads him to the conclusion that he should run for mayor of Star City. Whether or not this is the right way to go about changing the world for him is what he'll find out over the course of the mini.

Oh yeah, and the covers by Mischief are going to look stupid nice. I came to that conclusion after seeing the cover for #1 with colors by Ramon, and I think a lot of other people will feel the same way once they see it.



4.- What are the roles of each one of them,Static and Black Lightning in the story?

It may look like a mentor/sidekick team, but this isn't exactly the dynamic duo. They work together a lot through the mini, and they learn a lot from each other, but they both have their own paths to follow. Now, those paths intertwine in this, but these are two separate journeys.

5.- Why did you want to do a story with both of them?

I like the idea of 2 heroes keeping each other in check with opposing views. I know I just said that they weren't exactly a dynamic duo, but I've always loved that Batman was such a dark character and then Dick Grayson came in and brought a more lighthearted approach. The team worked so well because they had a sort of yin and yang thing going on. There is a lot of conflict between Black Lightning and Static, but their differences balance things out, and in the course of the series they both learn from each other.

I've also thought for a while that this pairing was a no brainer. Black Lightning, when he first appeared, was a black hero with electric powers who looked out for people on the streets. He wasn't concerned with the world, he cared about the streets that he lived on and the people there who live in pain that he saw everyday. Now, in the DCU, he is to the point in his life where he does care about the big picture. Now, Static is a black hero with electric powers who cares more about the streets that he sees than the rest of the world. Sound familiar? He may be younger, but he does resemble a young Black Lightning, and BL definitely notices this. Now that Jeff is moving towards his more adult outlook on the world, he wants to teach Static the very same lessons that he has learned that brought him to this outlook. The problem is, Static is stuck in his ways and doesn't want to consider it, and maybe he's right, but the conflict becomes pretty interesting, and with Static influencing him while he is going through this change, Jeff is torn between his old and new views on how he contributes to the world. At its core, it's a story about growing up, and both heroes have a lot to learn.

6.- Any future projects? What would you like to work on here after this?

Hopefully more with Static since I'm having a blast writing the character and I think he can hold his own in an ongoing. If that does happen, expect it to be similar to the Static Shock cartoon, with a bunch of crazy Bang Baby ideas, high school drama, social/political issues, and an interesting spin on the introduction and naming of Rich Foley's alter ego.

I also have to finish my elseworlds story, Legacies. The first 3 issues are up, and I've been lagging pretty bad on the last 3 issues. I had plans for 2 sequels after this series finished, but seeing that I'm getting more involved in the actual DC2 universe I'd rather put efforts into other stories, even though I really enjoyed creating a futuristic look at the 3rd generation of heroes. After that, I hope to revisit Deadman and Phantom Stranger, and if you read my Deadman origin in All Star Comics #9, you'll see a hint as to what direction that is going in. I'd reveal where it would be posted, but I don't think that's been announced yet so I'll wait on that. I'm guessing that will happen sometime in 2008.

The last thing I have planned for the forseeable future is a team book including Static, Arrowette, Lagoon Boy, and Kid Devil, but it's way too early to announce that. Look for some hints closer to 2008.

Check this week for more TimDrake goods, with All Star Comics #9, feautring Deadman and the Phantom Stranger!

See you next week!
Sebastian Gutierrez Sanchez, DC2 writer.