Post by Admin on Oct 16, 2007 13:48:20 GMT -5
Here's the latest Planet DC2 column, plus details of this week's new releases. Details of previous and future releases can be found on the calendar.
Hi, and welcome to the latest Planet DC2.
This week we start with an interview with Susan Hillwig, the writer of Weird Western Quarterly (the latest issue of which is out this week and which I'd recommend unreservedly):
1. When did you start writing?
I didn't get the guts to start writing until my last couple years of high school, and even then I was terribly hesitant. I'd wanted to be a cartoonist since I was five or so, and all my creative energy had been geared towards that. Any writing attempts I made were just short comic-strip gags, nothing major. Essays would make me freeze up. It wasn't until high school that I realized that I needed good writing skills to go with the art, so I made myself work at it: lay out a plot, figure out characters beyond how they looked, pacing a story...I learned it all by trial-and-error, just like I'd learned art as a kid. A few years after high school, I was enjoying the writing so much better than the art that I completely shifted gears and started drafting a novel, which I'm putting the final polish on right now. I hear it's good. ;D
2. How did you get into fan fiction?
Frustration, pure and simple. As I figure everybody knows now, I'm a rabid Jonah Hex fan, and back when DC was readying to launch the new series, I had an idea of how to fix an old snafu they'd made. Namely, stranding the character in the future during the mid-80's HEX series when it had long been established that he died in the past. It was a mistake they'd glossed over for two decades, and I had an epiphany on how to remedy it and still keep all that history intact. Unfortunately, I'm not in the industry, and the few attempts I'd made to get DC's attention didn't go anywhere, so I decided to put it out myself as a fanfic called "The Long Road Home". I figured, "Okay I can put aside the novel for six months or whatever to work on this, no biggie." Little did I know...
3. How did you get involved in DC2?
Somewhere in the middle of writing the Hex fic, I stumbled across one of David's solicits for writers. I initially offered that fic for the site, but when I saw that DC2 was going to be a "square-one" sort of operation, I got gutsy and said, "Well, doing the Hex thing has given me some other ideas, so how about I do a Western book?" It was partially to do a genre that wasn't being touched on DC2 (or in fanfic in general, aside from one or two fics I've found since then), and partially to make sure that the era got proper representation in DC2 history instead of possibly being forgotten. Personally, I'd love to see somebody to a war title, so Sgt. Rock and the Haunted Tank and all those other soldier characters can get their due as well.
4. What are your favourite titles on the site?
GREEN LANTERN and NEW OUTSIDERS are tied for favorites right now, and I'm going to miss LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. DETECTIVE and BATMAN are good, especially the Wrath storyline going on now (which ties into the CITY OF CRIME mini, so go read that). TITANS: RESISTANCE is great, it's just so fresh. Ellen's Elseworld Bat-titles are another breath of fresh air: to take Bruce Wayne and pull him apart, then watch him put himself back together...makes you wish this was "One Year Later" instead of what we got. What else...looking forward to more GREEN ARROW. BOOSTER GOLD is only two issues in, but it's fun so far. And I know it was only a mini, but AMBUSH BUG was hilarious! I broke all my furniture reading that.
4. Where do you get your ideas from?
A small mail-order firm in Des Moines, Iowa. Actually, I mostly just look for gaps in the characters' histories and try to fill them in -- WWQ#0-4 is mainly me spackling together all these loose bits of Hex history into something cohesive. That's one problem with writing these Western guys: since the genre isn't as fleshed-out as the modern superhero era is, there's just some areas that come up blank when you're looking for background info. I won't say I'm making it all up as I go along, but it feels that way some days. I put in as much "real" history as I can, and when that falls short, I extrapolate. Like Nighthawk's origin in WWQ#5: on the official books, he HAS no origin, nobody ever bothered to give him one. If it hadn't been for the retcon where they made him an incarnation of Hawkman, I think he would've just faded into obscurity...which he kind of did in the original CRISIS, but that's a whole 'nother story.
5. Why should people read WWQ?
Because it's not another superhero book. Life isn't always "Good Guy A beats up Bad Guy B", a lot of times it's "Guy tries to do the right thing and gets screwed royally for it." That's happened more than once in WWQ -- not intentitonally, mind you, that's just the way the chips happened to fall during the writing process. I try to let the stories play out realistically, not just treat it as a frame to hang a fight on. Matter of fact, there isn't one fight at all in WWQ#6...there's some talk of one in the past tense, but that's all, the rest is just a character piece. Long story short, if you like a little drama or thoughtfulness in your reading material, then check it out. I swear, just because "Western" is in the title doesn't mean it's all horses and guns...but if you like horses and guns, that is in there.
6. What appeals to you about the DC Western characters?
They're about as close to real people as you can get in comics: no tights, no flights, as they say. You do get the odd supernatural fella like El Diablo (who is coming, by the way, just hold your horses), but for the most part, they're just normal guys and gals trying to live their lives in a time when "the law" sometimes only meant who was the better shot...and unlike the modern DC Universe, this era actually happened. The characters never truly existed, but the time that their stories take place in did, so that becomes a part of them. Jonah Hex fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy, that's a part of his history. If you remove that fact, you remove part of the character -- it'd be like saying Captain America never fought Nazis. I try to keep the facts as straight as I can when I write, so that if I say a story takes place in 1870 or whatever, I don't mess up and refer to something that hasn't happened yet.
7. Any other characters you'd really like to tackle?
Outside of the Western genre, the only thing I'm working on is a miniseries about the Seven Soldiers of Victory...which is kind of a cheat, becuase Vigilante's in there! That's a major reason why I'm doing it, so I can cover some of Vigilante's backstory. That, and the characters kind of grew on me while I was reading up on some stuff. It's been an off-and-on process, writing it, but hopefully it'll be out by early 2008 -- no specific date until it's done, sorry. Other that that, I have no desire to write superheroes. I love to read them, I know way too much about comics in general, but if you ask me to write Batman or whomever, I draw a blank. Best leave it to people who are brimming with ideas. Like Charlie. ;D
If that interview's inspired you to read Weird Western Quarerly then please skip the rest of the column and go straight there. Alternatively, if Susan's enthusiasm has inspired any of you to write then we're still looking for writers with short stories for our Halloween issue of Doorway to Nightmare. Alternatively, if you prefer heroes and villains, All-Star Comics is still looking for stories, as is Rogues Gallery. For further details CLICK HERE to go to the Talent Solicits thread for further details.
Also, we're looking for a new Wonder Woman writer starting with January's issue, so, if you're interested, please PM admin with your ideas.
Finally, it's hyperbole time, so hold tight, hang loose, and feast your eyes on the signature banners that the DC2 art department have been working on. Also listed are their associated UBBC codes (including a URL link) should you wish to cut and paste the banners for your own use elsewhere.
Doomsday:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=actioncomicsid][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/actioncomics18Banner.jpg"][/url]
The Big Three:
UBBC Code:
[url=www.dc2universe.com][img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c216/drdread/banner1.jpg"][/url]
Superman:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=actioncomicsid][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/actionBanner.jpg"][/url]
Nightwing:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=nightwingtitle][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/nightwing.jpg"][/url]
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=nightwingtitle][img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/nightwingbanner.jpg"][/url]
New Outsiders:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=newoutsiders][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/NOBanner.jpg"][/url]
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=newoutsiders][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/bATGIRLbANNER.jpg"][/url]
Aquaman:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=stories2][img src="http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/aicarlos/AquamanDC2BANNER-1.jpg"][/url]
Our sister site, DC3 Multiverse:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc3.proboards101.com][img src="http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/aicarlos/dc3BANNERcopy.jpg"][/url]
We'd really appreciate it here at the DC2 if you'd consider using these as your signatures at other boards you frequent in order to help publicise the site. Also, if there are any other DC2 characters that you'd prefer to have on your signature banner then please let us know (by PM-ing admin) and we'll see what we can do.
Anyway, that's all for this week. Thanks for reading.
Mark Bowers
Guest Columnist
New This Week At The DC2:
Batman #23
Issue #23: “Trauma” Part Three (of five)
Written by: Grant LaFleche
Cover by: Sylvain Swimer
Edited by: John Elbe
Finally, the fate of Batman's first partner is revealed! What happened to Jason Todd, aka Redwing, after the events of City of Crime? Why doesn't Nightwing know who Redwing was?
Dick Grayson, Tommy Elliott, Jim Gordon all guest star in Batman: Trauma: Part 3.
Booster Gold #3
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #3: “Panning For Gold, Part Three”
Written by: Patrick J. Nestor, Jr.
Cover by: Sylvain Swimer
Edited by: Mark Bowers
The Hunt for Rip is on! Booster and the Time Agents search throughout the timestream for Rip Hunter and what they find might mean disaster for the entire DC2 Universe. Plus, is there a traitor in the midst of the Time Agents? And just who is the mysterious Supernova? He's not who or what you think.
DC2 Challenge Week 8
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Week 8: “The Rising Tide”
Written by House Of Mystery
Edited by David Charlton
Cover by Craig Cermak
The Shadowstorm presses his attack and reveals a clue about the past of Power Girl! And meanwhile, the HIVE make a deadly mistake whilst confronting an old ally!
Detective Comics #23[/b]
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #23: "The Falcone and the Snowman"
Written by: Brian Burchette
Cover by: Jayson Myrick
Edited by: Grant LaFleche
With an attempt on his life by Black Mask, Carmine Falcone hires the most unexpected bodyguard. Tim Drake continues to investigate the history of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. And Batman realizes there may be more to Jack Drake then meets the eye as he also begins to hunt down The Black Mask and his False Face Gang.
All this and James Gordon, Renee Montoya, and Crispus Allen continue in their search for the killer of prostitue Karen Walker!
Nightwing #20
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue 20: "Be My Escape"
Written by: Batkid
Cover by: Ramon Villalobos
Edited by: Ellen Fleischer
We pick this up right where Nightwing #19--left off-- with Nightwing in the gang's hideout! Dick is finally face-to-face with the mysterious Marty, and confronts him, Sloan, and the rest of the gang in this action-packed conclusion!
Suicide Squad #16
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue 16: “New Blood” Part 3 (of 3)
Written by: Jay McIntyre
Cover by: Roy Flinchum
Edited by: John Elbe
The exciting new Squad era continues here with the dramatic conclusion of the New Blood story arc...
The Parademon is on the loose! The Mad Scientists make a mad dash for freedom! And Killer Frost's friendship with Terra takes a turn that Terra doesn't like at all.....
Elseworlds - Titans: The Resistance #10
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #10:"Scarlet and Silver" part 4
Written by: Jay McIntyre
Cover by: Vanessa Munoz
Edited by: Brian Burchette
The Overseer rears his ugly head. He and Toni Monetti clash, with the Titans caught in the middle.
Weird Western Quarterly #8
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #8: "Inherit the Wind, Part 1 - Secrets”
Written by: Susan Hillwig
Cover by: Roy Flinchum
Edited by: Mark Bowers
Before Barry Allen, before Jay Garrick, another man had been granted the power of the Speed Force. But who he was before he'd obtained those powers has always been a mystery...until now. A young man's quest for answers becomes entangled in magic and riddles in the first half of this 2-part tale!
[glow=red,2,300]PLANET DC2[/glow]
Hi, and welcome to the latest Planet DC2.
This week we start with an interview with Susan Hillwig, the writer of Weird Western Quarterly (the latest issue of which is out this week and which I'd recommend unreservedly):
1. When did you start writing?
I didn't get the guts to start writing until my last couple years of high school, and even then I was terribly hesitant. I'd wanted to be a cartoonist since I was five or so, and all my creative energy had been geared towards that. Any writing attempts I made were just short comic-strip gags, nothing major. Essays would make me freeze up. It wasn't until high school that I realized that I needed good writing skills to go with the art, so I made myself work at it: lay out a plot, figure out characters beyond how they looked, pacing a story...I learned it all by trial-and-error, just like I'd learned art as a kid. A few years after high school, I was enjoying the writing so much better than the art that I completely shifted gears and started drafting a novel, which I'm putting the final polish on right now. I hear it's good. ;D
2. How did you get into fan fiction?
Frustration, pure and simple. As I figure everybody knows now, I'm a rabid Jonah Hex fan, and back when DC was readying to launch the new series, I had an idea of how to fix an old snafu they'd made. Namely, stranding the character in the future during the mid-80's HEX series when it had long been established that he died in the past. It was a mistake they'd glossed over for two decades, and I had an epiphany on how to remedy it and still keep all that history intact. Unfortunately, I'm not in the industry, and the few attempts I'd made to get DC's attention didn't go anywhere, so I decided to put it out myself as a fanfic called "The Long Road Home". I figured, "Okay I can put aside the novel for six months or whatever to work on this, no biggie." Little did I know...
3. How did you get involved in DC2?
Somewhere in the middle of writing the Hex fic, I stumbled across one of David's solicits for writers. I initially offered that fic for the site, but when I saw that DC2 was going to be a "square-one" sort of operation, I got gutsy and said, "Well, doing the Hex thing has given me some other ideas, so how about I do a Western book?" It was partially to do a genre that wasn't being touched on DC2 (or in fanfic in general, aside from one or two fics I've found since then), and partially to make sure that the era got proper representation in DC2 history instead of possibly being forgotten. Personally, I'd love to see somebody to a war title, so Sgt. Rock and the Haunted Tank and all those other soldier characters can get their due as well.
4. What are your favourite titles on the site?
GREEN LANTERN and NEW OUTSIDERS are tied for favorites right now, and I'm going to miss LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES. DETECTIVE and BATMAN are good, especially the Wrath storyline going on now (which ties into the CITY OF CRIME mini, so go read that). TITANS: RESISTANCE is great, it's just so fresh. Ellen's Elseworld Bat-titles are another breath of fresh air: to take Bruce Wayne and pull him apart, then watch him put himself back together...makes you wish this was "One Year Later" instead of what we got. What else...looking forward to more GREEN ARROW. BOOSTER GOLD is only two issues in, but it's fun so far. And I know it was only a mini, but AMBUSH BUG was hilarious! I broke all my furniture reading that.
4. Where do you get your ideas from?
A small mail-order firm in Des Moines, Iowa. Actually, I mostly just look for gaps in the characters' histories and try to fill them in -- WWQ#0-4 is mainly me spackling together all these loose bits of Hex history into something cohesive. That's one problem with writing these Western guys: since the genre isn't as fleshed-out as the modern superhero era is, there's just some areas that come up blank when you're looking for background info. I won't say I'm making it all up as I go along, but it feels that way some days. I put in as much "real" history as I can, and when that falls short, I extrapolate. Like Nighthawk's origin in WWQ#5: on the official books, he HAS no origin, nobody ever bothered to give him one. If it hadn't been for the retcon where they made him an incarnation of Hawkman, I think he would've just faded into obscurity...which he kind of did in the original CRISIS, but that's a whole 'nother story.
5. Why should people read WWQ?
Because it's not another superhero book. Life isn't always "Good Guy A beats up Bad Guy B", a lot of times it's "Guy tries to do the right thing and gets screwed royally for it." That's happened more than once in WWQ -- not intentitonally, mind you, that's just the way the chips happened to fall during the writing process. I try to let the stories play out realistically, not just treat it as a frame to hang a fight on. Matter of fact, there isn't one fight at all in WWQ#6...there's some talk of one in the past tense, but that's all, the rest is just a character piece. Long story short, if you like a little drama or thoughtfulness in your reading material, then check it out. I swear, just because "Western" is in the title doesn't mean it's all horses and guns...but if you like horses and guns, that is in there.
6. What appeals to you about the DC Western characters?
They're about as close to real people as you can get in comics: no tights, no flights, as they say. You do get the odd supernatural fella like El Diablo (who is coming, by the way, just hold your horses), but for the most part, they're just normal guys and gals trying to live their lives in a time when "the law" sometimes only meant who was the better shot...and unlike the modern DC Universe, this era actually happened. The characters never truly existed, but the time that their stories take place in did, so that becomes a part of them. Jonah Hex fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy, that's a part of his history. If you remove that fact, you remove part of the character -- it'd be like saying Captain America never fought Nazis. I try to keep the facts as straight as I can when I write, so that if I say a story takes place in 1870 or whatever, I don't mess up and refer to something that hasn't happened yet.
7. Any other characters you'd really like to tackle?
Outside of the Western genre, the only thing I'm working on is a miniseries about the Seven Soldiers of Victory...which is kind of a cheat, becuase Vigilante's in there! That's a major reason why I'm doing it, so I can cover some of Vigilante's backstory. That, and the characters kind of grew on me while I was reading up on some stuff. It's been an off-and-on process, writing it, but hopefully it'll be out by early 2008 -- no specific date until it's done, sorry. Other that that, I have no desire to write superheroes. I love to read them, I know way too much about comics in general, but if you ask me to write Batman or whomever, I draw a blank. Best leave it to people who are brimming with ideas. Like Charlie. ;D
If that interview's inspired you to read Weird Western Quarerly then please skip the rest of the column and go straight there. Alternatively, if Susan's enthusiasm has inspired any of you to write then we're still looking for writers with short stories for our Halloween issue of Doorway to Nightmare. Alternatively, if you prefer heroes and villains, All-Star Comics is still looking for stories, as is Rogues Gallery. For further details CLICK HERE to go to the Talent Solicits thread for further details.
Also, we're looking for a new Wonder Woman writer starting with January's issue, so, if you're interested, please PM admin with your ideas.
Finally, it's hyperbole time, so hold tight, hang loose, and feast your eyes on the signature banners that the DC2 art department have been working on. Also listed are their associated UBBC codes (including a URL link) should you wish to cut and paste the banners for your own use elsewhere.
Doomsday:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=actioncomicsid][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/actioncomics18Banner.jpg"][/url]
The Big Three:
UBBC Code:
[url=www.dc2universe.com][img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c216/drdread/banner1.jpg"][/url]
Superman:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=actioncomicsid][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/actionBanner.jpg"][/url]
Nightwing:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=nightwingtitle][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/nightwing.jpg"][/url]
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=nightwingtitle][img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/nightwingbanner.jpg"][/url]
New Outsiders:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=newoutsiders][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/NOBanner.jpg"][/url]
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=newoutsiders][img src="http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r112/Mischiefdragon/Banners/bATGIRLbANNER.jpg"][/url]
Aquaman:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc2universe.net/index.cgi?board=stories2][img src="http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/aicarlos/AquamanDC2BANNER-1.jpg"][/url]
Our sister site, DC3 Multiverse:
UBBC Code:
[url=http://www.dc3.proboards101.com][img src="http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/aicarlos/dc3BANNERcopy.jpg"][/url]
We'd really appreciate it here at the DC2 if you'd consider using these as your signatures at other boards you frequent in order to help publicise the site. Also, if there are any other DC2 characters that you'd prefer to have on your signature banner then please let us know (by PM-ing admin) and we'll see what we can do.
Anyway, that's all for this week. Thanks for reading.
Mark Bowers
Guest Columnist
New This Week At The DC2:
Batman #23
Issue #23: “Trauma” Part Three (of five)
Written by: Grant LaFleche
Cover by: Sylvain Swimer
Edited by: John Elbe
Finally, the fate of Batman's first partner is revealed! What happened to Jason Todd, aka Redwing, after the events of City of Crime? Why doesn't Nightwing know who Redwing was?
Dick Grayson, Tommy Elliott, Jim Gordon all guest star in Batman: Trauma: Part 3.
Booster Gold #3
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #3: “Panning For Gold, Part Three”
Written by: Patrick J. Nestor, Jr.
Cover by: Sylvain Swimer
Edited by: Mark Bowers
The Hunt for Rip is on! Booster and the Time Agents search throughout the timestream for Rip Hunter and what they find might mean disaster for the entire DC2 Universe. Plus, is there a traitor in the midst of the Time Agents? And just who is the mysterious Supernova? He's not who or what you think.
DC2 Challenge Week 8
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Week 8: “The Rising Tide”
Written by House Of Mystery
Edited by David Charlton
Cover by Craig Cermak
The Shadowstorm presses his attack and reveals a clue about the past of Power Girl! And meanwhile, the HIVE make a deadly mistake whilst confronting an old ally!
Detective Comics #23[/b]
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #23: "The Falcone and the Snowman"
Written by: Brian Burchette
Cover by: Jayson Myrick
Edited by: Grant LaFleche
With an attempt on his life by Black Mask, Carmine Falcone hires the most unexpected bodyguard. Tim Drake continues to investigate the history of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. And Batman realizes there may be more to Jack Drake then meets the eye as he also begins to hunt down The Black Mask and his False Face Gang.
All this and James Gordon, Renee Montoya, and Crispus Allen continue in their search for the killer of prostitue Karen Walker!
Nightwing #20
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue 20: "Be My Escape"
Written by: Batkid
Cover by: Ramon Villalobos
Edited by: Ellen Fleischer
We pick this up right where Nightwing #19--left off-- with Nightwing in the gang's hideout! Dick is finally face-to-face with the mysterious Marty, and confronts him, Sloan, and the rest of the gang in this action-packed conclusion!
Suicide Squad #16
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue 16: “New Blood” Part 3 (of 3)
Written by: Jay McIntyre
Cover by: Roy Flinchum
Edited by: John Elbe
The exciting new Squad era continues here with the dramatic conclusion of the New Blood story arc...
The Parademon is on the loose! The Mad Scientists make a mad dash for freedom! And Killer Frost's friendship with Terra takes a turn that Terra doesn't like at all.....
Elseworlds - Titans: The Resistance #10
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #10:"Scarlet and Silver" part 4
Written by: Jay McIntyre
Cover by: Vanessa Munoz
Edited by: Brian Burchette
The Overseer rears his ugly head. He and Toni Monetti clash, with the Titans caught in the middle.
Weird Western Quarterly #8
(click on cover to go straight to the issue)
Issue #8: "Inherit the Wind, Part 1 - Secrets”
Written by: Susan Hillwig
Cover by: Roy Flinchum
Edited by: Mark Bowers
Before Barry Allen, before Jay Garrick, another man had been granted the power of the Speed Force. But who he was before he'd obtained those powers has always been a mystery...until now. A young man's quest for answers becomes entangled in magic and riddles in the first half of this 2-part tale!