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Post by HoM on Mar 30, 2016 15:11:18 GMT -5
Please take a moment and let us know what you thought of this month's issue!
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Hush10
Staff 
Writer/Artist
Posts: 80
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Post by Hush10 on Apr 2, 2016 14:47:54 GMT -5
Hi Charlie!
Another fantastic issue! From the second I laid eyes on that cover art I knew this issue was gonna be a doozy. So where do I begin? The direction you've been taking with the series is flowing very well. Circe and Ares? What a powerhouse! I can hardly imagine the kind of damage their daughter will do in the future! How Diana handles an evil 'Wonder Woman' should be fun, and how the League factors into that should be interesting.
My favorite part of this issue however has to be the conflicting ideologies of Batman and the Guardian. It seems relatively similar to the Daredevil/Punisher and Cap. America/Iron Man relationships from Civil War and the Netflix series. You seem to have a good understanding of each character's beliefs, particularly Batman. Having Batman go over a certain line other Leaguers may not really sets him apart from the team, and I think that may effect his membership in upcoming issues. The Guardian as a character has always interested me, and seeing how he differentiates from and opposes the Dark Knight in these scenes makes for excellent story telling. I can't wait to see how the Guardian handles Batman's ethics.
If I were to have one minor complaint, it would be that we haven't really gotten a good resolution to that cliffhanger back in issue #49. Wonder Woman stating "To be continued" after she shared a moment of solace with Batman. I'd like to see Bruce and Diana further discuss the current nature of their relationship, as we haven't really seen them discuss it passed that issue. I'm sure you have plans to continue this but it's odd that the two have hardly interacted since #49, other than their time-warped adventure in #50.
On a final note, ArtTeach really deserves the "Participator of the Year" award. Providing breath taking cover after breath taking cover. I'm particularly excited for everyone to see his next work on Batman #48. Blew me away. Great work, team! Can't wait for #53!
Best wishes from a fellow DC fan,
Mitchell Underwood
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Post by HoM on Apr 4, 2016 6:45:02 GMT -5
Another fantastic issue! From the second I laid eyes on that cover art I knew this issue was gonna be a doozy. So where do I begin? The direction you've been taking with the series is flowing very well. Circe and Ares? What a powerhouse! I can hardly imagine the kind of damage their daughter will do in the future! How Diana handles an evil 'Wonder Woman' should be fun, and how the League factors into that should be interesting. #64-68, a longer arc I'm referring to An End To The Age Of Wonders, is going to be massive, not only for the continuing Ares / Circe / Diana arc, but also have massive ramifications for the wider Wonder Woman world, and her relationship with Batman. Jamie is really excited to work on that run of covers, and I'm deep continuity diving again for the arc. It actually picks up on stuff from my Wonder Woman run I always intended to follow up on in that title, but I simply left that title before I could get round to it. My favorite part of this issue however has to be the conflicting ideologies of Batman and the Guardian. It seems relatively similar to the Daredevil/Punisher and Cap. America/Iron Man relationships from Civil War and the Netflix series. You seem to have a good understanding of each character's beliefs, particularly Batman. Having Batman go over a certain line other Leaguers may not really sets him apart from the team, and I think that may effect his membership in upcoming issues. The Guardian as a character has always interested me, and seeing how he differentiates from and opposes the Dark Knight in these scenes makes for excellent story telling. I can't wait to see how the Guardian handles Batman's ethics. The Batman scene with Rumaan was a point of contention between Mark and I, and the final product is something he didn't see. We have differing views of the character, and I realised that the Guardian would also see Batman's acts as inappropriate, no matter what. Sure, Harper thinks it was the war fever, but Bruce never slept... that was him. That was the Dark Knight doing that he had to do in the face of the end times. Would Harper have achieved the same without physical intimidation? Perhaps, given time, if he'd taken the lead, but with the world ending this was something Batman felt the need to do. Where will it take them? I know there's a massive confrontation in #78 that spins us off into a whole new world, but we're a ways away from that. They'll continue to interact, and butt heads. If the Guardian is the one to keep them in check, what happens when Batman doesn't give a damn when it comes down to it? Either way, there are hard times ahead for James Harper. On the topic of Batman, he's always been a character I can go back to. In fact, Roy and I are working on a side project involving the character in a way that the site has never seen before. When we have a buffer of content we'll start releasing some new content! If I were to have one minor complaint, it would be that we haven't really gotten a good resolution to that cliffhanger back in issue #49. Wonder Woman stating "To be continued" after she shared a moment of solace with Batman. I'd like to see Bruce and Diana further discuss the current nature of their relationship, as we haven't really seen them discuss it passed that issue. I'm sure you have plans to continue this but it's odd that the two have hardly interacted since #49, other than their time-warped adventure in #50. Batman and Wonder Woman's relationship is going to be an ongoing plot in the title, but I want to make sure I don't turn this into the Batman / Wonder Woman show, so we're going to be parsing out their ongoing exploration of what's going on with them across the run. That said, #53 touches in on them, as well as looks at the Guardian in a light you might approve of. Here's a sneak peak at Jamie Rimmer's cover for the issue, and it's a corker:  To be honest, the "to be continued", from Diana was me being cute and playing around with convention. But that said, #53 is the most deserving of that continuation. Then in #58 we have a conversation between the two that's a long time coming. Keep reading... On a final note, ArtTeach really deserves the "Participator of the Year" award. Providing breath taking cover after breath taking cover. I'm particularly excited for everyone to see his next work on Batman #48. Blew me away. Great work, team! Can't wait for #53! I'm astonished by ArtTeach's ability to hand in covers at the drop of the hat. We have a complete run of covers for Most Wanted #1-5, the miniseries that we launch on Wednesday, and I think they're fantastic. I'm really psyched to share them with everybody. See you next month! |
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Post by artteach on Apr 5, 2016 10:43:20 GMT -5
I was born to be an animator. I just sit down and do quick thumbnails, then I scan, digital ink and color. The digital color is so much faster than any physical methods. Most covers are about 2 hours start to finish.
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Post by oblique on Jan 23, 2018 14:46:51 GMT -5
This was a strong pair of issues, "Dreams of War and Annihilation" and "Terms of Worship and Belief." First, amazing titles as usual. Second, this was a great plot and a tough challenge that deserved the League's attention. It's interesting to see Wonder Woman's Rogues Gallery involved with the League; like Superman and the Lanterns, her villains really are global-level threats. Ares and Circe were fantastic villains. Really cool ideas at work.
Majestros isn't growing on me, alas. But I really enjoyed the Guardian's role, and agree with the other letters that his conflict with Batman was very compelling.
The backup issue was also solid. Batman's interactions with Barbara were very interesting, playing on their long relationship in the DC2. Naga is creepy as all hell and that was a damn fine cliffhanger.
Cheers,
Oblique
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Post by HoM on Jan 25, 2018 11:23:14 GMT -5
This was a strong pair of issues, "Dreams of War and Annihilation" and "Terms of Worship and Belief." First, amazing titles as usual. I think I’ve mentioned elsewhere that the post-#50 run was where I really knew where I was going with the title. I’ve got my cast where I want them to be, I’m actively building toward a number of larger stories, and I’m also trying to honour other stories and genres as we move forward. I’m also neck-deep in my dense story title phase! Second, this was a great plot and a tough challenge that deserved the League's attention. It's interesting to see Wonder Woman's Rogues Gallery involved with the League; like Superman and the Lanterns, her villains really are global-level threats. Ares and Circe were fantastic villains. Really cool ideas at work. I’ve been concerned a lot with this era of the book, where the villains aren’t the kind you’ve seen in Justice League[Unlimited] or the mainstream title. I’m using characters and villains that don’t really see the light of day, or aren’t even actual villains (“ Concerning The Angle Of Horror”, the next major arc as you read from here, is emblematic of that). Dipping into the wider world and utilising the likes of Ares and Circe was a blast, and it also pushed Wonder Woman onto the wider stage at a time when she’s being talked about more and more. I want to use characters and tell stories that haven’t been told before. Putting a new spin on things that might be familiar, but pivoting away from convention is what I’m all about. Also, it’s worth saying I always loved Michael York’s performance as Ares in Justice League[Unlimited] and so it was important for me to capture that as much as possible, while also trying something fresh and new. Greg Rucka’s work on the mainstream title was great, and those two were also familiar faces on the cast. As you well know, this isn’t the last you’ve seen of them. Majestros isn't growing on me, alas. But I really enjoyed the Guardian's role, and agree with the other letters that his conflict with Batman was very compelling. It’s a shame Majestros isn’t doing it for you, but hopefully he makes a connection with you as the title continues. If not, then I’ve not done a good enough job writing him! With regards to the Batman/Guardian conflict, I think there’s a cost to being in the superhero line of work, and it’s the erosion of moral boundaries. It’s about making broad, sweeping decisions for the fate of the world, and if you compass isn’t set right, it can lead to, effectively, fascism. That’s not the Justice League, but I think we’ve all seen stories where the connection has been made, in the pages of the seminal Squadron Supreme maxi-series from the 80s, and the like. The Guardian “keeping the team honest” is something that will be developed in a different way as the series progresses. Can he maintain the moral high ground in the face of being a step above normal in a world where everyone else is a step closer to goods? Can a relic from the 30s/40s, who has admittedly evolved with the times, and has so far been on the right side of history, continue on that path when he’s in the spotlight of the world, and also has his own familial issues running parallel? The backup issue was also solid. Batman's interactions with Barbara were very interesting, playing on their long relationship in the DC2. Naga is creepy as all hell and that was a damn fine cliffhanger. I really need to come back to the Kobra plot. Room for collaboration, perhaps? I think the conclusion of such a story would suit the format established in DC2 Most Wanted, so maybe once we wrap that-- and every other extant title we’ve discussed or batted about-- that’s next on the agenda! |
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Post by oblique on Jan 25, 2018 12:31:08 GMT -5
Don't fret about Majestros too much! A lot of that is me...I'm sometimes a bit stodgy and want to see more of my favourite characters. I'm always wary of adding new characters myself, but that's a flaw on my part!
Perhaps Majestros hasn't had some good bonding with the other Leaguers (with the exception of Hawkman, I should say, that was pretty cool). Maybe need some more time from his P.O.V. exploring his fish-out-of-water life on Earth and how he's torn between his past and his present...? Of course, you're already twenty issues ahead so this might be incredibly redundant of me. But I'll keep an open mind moving forward!
Is Kobra still in play? Like any good cult or terrorist organization, they just keep festering...! If Batwoman and the Outsiders can't finish them for good, perhaps the Suicide Squad is more suited to cut off the head of the snake!
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Post by HoM on Jan 26, 2018 13:33:36 GMT -5
Don't fret about Majestros too much! A lot of that is me...I'm sometimes a bit stodgy and want to see more of my favourite characters. I'm always wary of adding new characters myself, but that's a flaw on my part! In a way, I think it’s a failure and a success. Whenever you introduce a character you’re excited for, you run the risk of shoving them down the throat of the reader. Majestic’s introduction was a turning point for the title—the relationship of Batman and Wonder Woman was first teased, I introduced the 10YL Tim Wayne to the site (in his identity as Shrike), prior to the launch of the “10YL line”, and it was also the moment when I was very clearly going to double down on the introduction of Wildstorm characters. I could have made him a Mary Sue, really. Made him an overpowered, diabolical foil for every single threat the team faced. It’s the old question of why do you need a team like that if you have Superman kicking about your universe? If you’ve found him not to be an exciting addition, then I’ve clearly not shoved him down your throat, or made him a central figure. He’s there, he’s not what you want in a character, and that’s absolutely fine, because there are others characters left to pick up the slack. It is disappointing that he’s not as compelling as I perhaps intended, but it’s good that I’ve not gone too crazy with his usage. I don’t want to put a Mary Sue at the front of the cast, because I think—I hope!—I’m beyond that now as a writer. Perhaps Majestros hasn't had some good bonding with the other Leaguers (with the exception of Hawkman, I should say, that was pretty cool). Maybe need some more time from his P.O.V. exploring his fish-out-of-water life on Earth and how he's torn between his past and his present...? Of course, you're already twenty issues ahead so this might be incredibly redundant of me. But I'll keep an open mind moving forward! One of my regrets that I’ve mentioned previously is that I had so many ideas and only one place to really follow through on them, unless they were something I could pick up on in Green Lantern Corps. I’d have loved to introduce a Majestic solo ongoing or miniseries, or had him do a goodwill tour across other titles on the site. Imagine him dropping in on the New Outsiders, back when Brian was writing the site? Or paying a visit to Jay McIntyre’s Teen Titans, or David Charlton’s Justice Society of America? How about a cameo in Imari Jade’s Nightwing or somehow his finding his way onto Don Walsh’s Danger Trail? Though, having written all that, I’m reminded of one of my favourite quotes from The Simpsons: I clearly didn’t want to inundate the site with the character, because that means I’ve done the whole Mary Sue thing I didn’t want to do, but I’d have loved to have written Justice League when the site was in full swing. Making do with what I had, I regret not having Majestic cameo in Green Lantern Corps, because it would have helped contextualise certain events that are coming to a head in Justice League #71-74. Is Kobra still in play? Like any good cult or terrorist organization, they just keep festering...! If Batwoman and the Outsiders can't finish them for good, perhaps the Suicide Squad is more suited to cut off the head of the snake! Email me! |
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Post by oblique on Jan 26, 2018 16:03:07 GMT -5
That's all true. He's definitely not a Mary Sue, which is good. He feels like part of the team in terms of his contributions and powers.
It's tricky to introduce new characters (and I'll run into this problem myself on Young Justice, I'm sure) and I think you've done a good job! By character relationships, I didn't quite mean a goodwill tour, but some asides with current Leaguers. There are definitely constraints to what you can do in one or two titles, and you've done an amazing job fleshing out a whole universe in these titles! So much more success than failure, I'd say. I'll see what happens in the next arc!
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