Q & A WITH THE ULTRA-COOL JEPH LOEB
(writer for "Long Halloween", "Man of all Seasons", and various Batman
"Halloween" specials.)
(interviewed by Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton).
First three awesome "Legends of the Dark Knight" Halloween
specials.
Then, the critically-acclaimed "Long Halloween", one of the definitive
Batman stories. And now, "Man of all Seasons", destined to become a
classic Superman story. Here's the man behind them all, Mr. Jeph Loeb!
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TIM: Hi Jeph! I must thank you for agreeing to take part in this interview
for our newsletter. I'm sure you have a very busy schedule. Thank you for
showing interest! (Remember...you can write as much or as little as you
like!)
JEPH: Okay. I'll do my best.
TIM: Q#1. Just a few questions about my favourite of your works, the
critically-acclaimed "Long Halloween" - which is now declared as one of the
best Bat-stories of all time (as said in the "WIZARD" Batman special). When
did you start planning to write it? What brought these ideas about?
JEPH: A#1. The Long Halloween came about after doing the three Halloween
Specials. Tim [Sale] and I had done one in 1993 (Fears w/ Scarecrow), 1994
(Madness w/Mad Hatter) and 1995 (Ghosts w/Poison Ivy & The Joker). We were
done. It was never supposed to be a trilogy, but it turned out that way and
they are all neatly packaged in Haunted Knights with a new cover by Tim.
Then in 1996, Archie Goodwin, who passed away this year and was my hero
and
mentor and editor, asked if we would do something larger. He suggested we
use The Roman from [Frank] Miller's "Year One". Mike Friedrich suggested
that we do it in 13 issues across two Halloweens (1996-1997). And it was
Mark Waid who suggested that we focus on Harvey pre-Two-Face.
The actual spark I got from watching a documentary on The Beatles and I
was
fascinated by the idea that here were four young men who were as close as
could be and because one of them turned away (a rather simplistic version
of John/Yoko's affect on the band), it destroyed them. I looked at
Harvey/Bruce/Gordon & Batman (and I tend to think of Batman and Bruce as
separate characters) and the creation of Two-Face seemed like an important
turning point in Batman's life. That was the back bone.
The Holiday character grew out of the mystery element and gave the story a
structure. It was originally Calender Man all along, but Archie suggested
creating someone new.
Lastly, I do owe a debt of gratitude to both Frank Miller for setting the
tone in Year One and more than a tip of the hat to The Godfather, both the
book and the movie which I have read/watched more times than is probably
healthy!
TIM: Q#2. I know I have not done my homework here, so tell me - was the
story nominated for any awards of any type? Did it win any? I honestly
have no idea!
JEPH: A#2. The Long Halloween was nominated for Best Limited Series both
by
the Harveys and The Eisners this year (The Eisners are next week, so we
don't know if we won). It has won in the best limited series 1997 in both
The Wizard Awards and The CBG Fan Awards. It was also picked as Best New
Series by Fan Magazine.
TIM: Q#3. Whoa - that's a lot of awards! It deserves them all, too.
The
best of luck to you at the Eisners! Back to "Long Halloween" itself, do you
have a personal favourite issue of this 13-part maxi-series?
JEPH: A#3. I think, probably, the Father's Day story because it was so
personal. As I wrote in the letter's section, I wrote that particular
issue on the anniversary of my father's death. He was not a great man, but
he was a good father and I know what Bruce lost when he lost his Dad.
TIM: Q#4. I've always tried to figure out whether this story was an
Elseworlds tale, or if it IS supposed to be one of the first tales in the
current Bat-continuity, which presumably happens a short time after Frank
Miller's "Year One"? What's the scoop there?
JEPH: A#4. Continuity, to me, is like the old joke where the man goes to
see a Doctor and says "Doctor, it hurts when I do this." and the Doctor
says, "Then, don't do that."
What I mean is, as long as the story doesn't stray from continuity --
(i.e. Jimmy Olsen as Two-Face), then trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle
together when Batman has a sixty year history and is still 25 years old is
going to be very hard.
TIM: Yeah...
JEPH: The story is "in continuity" meaning it took place, and
other Batman
writers can and hopefully, will refer to it.
But, to answer your question, it takes place in the Year One era (and yet,
it does follow the Miller "Year One" story) because, at least in my mind,
Year One means Gordon is a Captain, Harvey is not Two-Face yet, and there
is no Robin. Also, Batman is fairly inexperienced, so he can make
mistakes. If that defines "Year One", then the story takes place then.
TIM: Q#5. For how long have you and Tim Sale known each other? You
two
seem to be the new dynamic duo of all Batman comics - everyone loves your
stuff.
JEPH: A#5: Tim and I "met" through Barbara Kesel (then Randall)
who was my
first editor on "Challengers of the Unknown"; she introduced when I was
looking for an artist and she showed me samples of Tim's work. She was
both my first editor in real time (I had never written a comic book before)
and we eventually had 3 editors (Elliot S! Maggin followed Barbara and then
Katie Main finished after Elliot left) over the 8 issue mini-series.
Tim then went off and did "Blades" ("Legends of the Dark
Knight" (LOTDK)
#32-34) with James Robinson and that was his first Batman story. He became
friendly with Archie Goodwin (the editor on LOTDK) and Archie asked if he
wanted to do a second LODTK arc -- the first artist to be asked back twice
on LOTDK. Tim asked if I could write it and Archie approved that. Around
this time, Tim and I met in person and
really got along.
The first Halloween Special is 80 pages long because it was originally
going to be three 24 page stories in "Legends of The Dark Knight". But,
when we found out we couldn't have the October 1993 Halloween slot because
LOTDK #50 shipped at that time, I asked Archie about doing a Special.
Archie got it approved and we suddenly had this new franchise.
TIM: Q#6. Wow - that's a pretty lengthly process to get where you are
today...it just shows how much talent you guys have...many of us envy that!
As for future plans, what do you plan to work on after Superman's "Man For
All Seasons" is completed?
JEPH: A#6: Personally, I will continue to write The Coven with Ian
Churchill and I am doing a 3-issue mini-series with Rob Liefeld called
"Re-Gex".
As for my work with DC, we are talking about a number of things and I
think
at the end of the month I'll be able to discuss them.
Tim Sale and I would very much like to go back to Batman in some fashion
and that will probably happen in 1999. We also have talked about doing a
Christmas Spirit story for Kitchen Sink.
TIM: Q#7: Do you plan on writing a "Legends of the Dark Knight"
Halloween
Special every year? I just recently purchased "Tales of Madness",
featuring the Mad Hatter, and I loved it.
JEPH: A#7: Again, we are talking to DC. It is very different without
Archie being there, but we are hoping to be able to get beyond that hurdle.
TIM: Q#8: As a last note, I have one question: Is it just me, but do many
of your recent works have many "time/date" references? There's "Long
Halloween" which centres around holidays and observances, and "Man for all
Seasons", which, as the title says, involves the four seasons - one season
per issue of the min-series.
JEPH: A#8: Actually, it IS just you. <g>.
TIM: *ANGRY KRUSTY THE KLOWN VOICE* Hey hey hey hey hey! Watch yerself,
buddy...*FAKE GROWLS*
JEPH: No, I think that if you give the reader a structure that has a
beginning, middle and end, you tap into something that people like.
Or, at least, that's what I keep telling myself. :)
TIM: Q#9: Also, both of these stories seem to be set in a "Year
One" type
setting, just as the "Legends of the Dark Knight" specials you write are.
Any response to this? Are the first years of Batman's career the most
interesting to write
about, in your opinion?
JEPH: A#9: Well, I like that period because I like those characters
and
Tim likes drawing those characters. You don't have all the baggage that
has built up over the years, and it is purer in a sense. But, in the end,
it's about the story and the artwork -- and for us, it seems to work.
TIM: Q#10: It certainly does. Your stories AND art have a very
distinct
style which many fans love. Now, onto "Batman: The Animated Series". What
are your opinions on this show?
JEPH: A#10: Best thing on television. (A long with the Superman Annimated)
TIM: Q#11: They paid you to say that, huh? Just kidding - Superman
rocks,
too - but Batman is my first love, that's for sure. By the way, what are a
couple of your favourite episodes?
JEPH A#11: Anything with Harley. Brilliant character.
TIM: Q#12: What is/are your favourite character(s)?
JEPH: A#12: Harley, Poison Ivy. I think Mark Hamill does an
incredible job
on The Joker.
TIM: Q#13: If it was up to you, in what direction would you steer the
series? Would you change anything?
JEPH: A#13: Nope.
TIM: Q#14: I'm just curious, but has a talented writer like yourself ever
been approached by the BTAS crew to write an episode for the series, much
like how many writers (including editor Denny O'Neil) wrote various
episodes in the first season? If not, do you hope to?
JEPH: A#14: My background is in screenwriting having written both films
and
television shows (Teen Wolf, Commando, Burglar, Firestorm, Model By Day),
so I'd be delighted to work on the show. I've met Bruce Timm a few times
and this year in Chicago, I met Paul Dini who was very kind about "Long
Halloween" and "For All Seasons". We talked about the show, but my
writing
an episode never came up.
Those guys have a pretty great handle on it.
TIM: Q#15: Yeah, that's true, but it would be kinda cool to have more
guest-writers from other parts of the Bat-empire. How about for the
"animated" comics?
JEPH: A#15: Again, I look at books by who is drawing them. I think I
would
probably do one of those if the situation arose. The people who write and
draw those books are very talented.
TIM: Q#16: The final section of this interview focuses on getting into the
comics industry. I know that, like myself, many Bat-fans would LOVE to get
their foot in the door and have a place in this thriving industry. Any
helpful hints?
JEPH: A#16: Keep writing. Send in short proposals to the submissions
editor. Do character driven stories and don't worry about the action --
that will come. No more than a page for a submission. Go to conventions
and meet editors! Write mail and get to know the people who work on your
favorite books!
TIM: Q#17: Hmmmm...sounds like a plan. Perhaps we can e-mail YOU in
the
mean time? Hee hee hee...*SENDS YOU ZILLIONS OF PAGES OF WRITING* How did
you get started in the industry?
JEPH: A#17: I got in sideways. I was writing, of all things, a Flash
movie
that never got off the ground. I met Jennette Kahn and she asked if I
wanted to do comics. It was like getting a free pass to Disneyland. It
took a while to find a project (ultimately it was Challengers Of The
Unknown), but it was Dick Giordano who really took me under his wing and
showed me the ropes. You need an editor to support you or else it is very
hard.
TIM: Q#18: What inspired you to write comics?
JEPH: A#18: Childhood fantasy. I still collect 20 years later.
My garage
has over 100,000 comics and occasionally, my wife lets me bring them inside
so I can play with them. :)
TIM: Q#19: Is Batman your favourite character to write about? Or
Superman?
Or any other characters you've written about?
JEPH: A#19: They all are my favorites. Mostly, it is about the
artist and
who I get to work with. When I was doing Cable, I had a ball with Ian --
now we work on Coven. Liefeld on Cap, same thing. I brought Adam Pollina
onto X-Force and that was grand. Joe Mad on anything (we're doing a movie
together called BLAST!).
The only book I would chase down the street is FANTASTIC FOUR.
That's just
a fanboy's dream.
TIM: Q#20: Is there anyone you would like to thank?
JEPH: A#20: As always, there is only Archie Goodwin. He was the
best.
Everyone else, I thank whenever I work with them!
TIM: Q#21: Thank you for participating in our little interview Jeph - I
hope we can do this again sometime! Oh, and just one more question - I
just noticed you weren't on our newsletter's mailing list! Care to
subscribe?
JEPH: A#21: Please!
TIM: *HOMER SIMPSON VOICE* WOOHOO!!!
Thank you for participating, Mr. Loeb!
JEPH: Thanks for asking. I hope that I've done what you wanted me to
do!
TIM: Yes you did! It was a pleasure to have you here for this edition of
the newsletter! I'm sure everyone reading has enjoyed it! It's just a pity
that I didn't manage to get in that magical number of TWENTY-TWO
questions...ah well! Thank you Mr. Loeb!
Tim "TWO-FACE" Leighton.
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There I hope you enjoyed the little Q-&-A session. We'll hopefully have
more up in the forthcoming newsletters! I'd like to thank Jeph Loeb
(naturally) for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer these
questions! Thanx!
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EDITORAL
(by Laura Hysert, aka "Phoenix")
*Note to editors: Holy windbag, Batman! This thing is bloody long! The Batfemme extends her apologies.
"Batman vs. Malibu Barbie"
In every friendship, inevitably, the question arises, spoken with a deceptive casualness:
"So...what TV shows do you watch?"
Always I hesitate to answer, not wanting to lie and yet fearing that the truth will make me the target of silent ridicule. For I am a 22-year-old woman, pursuing a second university
degree, and my favourite television show is commonly understood to be a kiddie toon.
I know many of you who would tell me (with an ample helping of self-righteousness) to stop being so sensitive, who cares what other people think, proclaim your tastes proudly and get on with it. But God strike me
down if I ever achieve perfection on this earth, and besides, my social insecurities are not the topic of this article. What is the topic, however, is our (and if you're reading this newsletter I'll assume you have at
least a passing interest in the animated Batman series) devotion to a show that is interrupted shamelessly by ads for Malibu Barbie and neon-coloured breakfast cereals.
In other words, the loyal viewership of the animated Batman series is paradoxically older than the audience it seems to be targeted at.
There are two possible answers to this riddle.
One: Batman is a kid's show, for crying out loud, so us shamelessly immature teens and grown-ups should leave the things of childhood behind and watch Jerry Springer instead. (Uh...yeah.)
Two: the series is actually targeted at an older demographic, but the marketing gurus haven't caught up to that fact yet. Either Batman is a kid's show, or it's not. Right?
Certain elements of the show favour the "it's-for-kids-dammit" argument. Batman is a keen guy in a Halloween costume who swings around like Tarzan and fights nifty bad guys attired in lollipop shades. Batman has
lots of neat toys and a really cool car and his sidekick is a kid, and even the KID gets to beat up bad guys, too. Whoa. Some of the bad guys, like the Joker or Penguin, can be slapstick-funny and pull all sorts of silly
pranks that would make your average six-year-old fall off his couch in hysterics. Many of the more action-and-spectacle-driven episodes of the series are filled with this kind of juvenile eye-candy. Just watch "I've
Got Batman in My Basement" or "Torch Song" and you'll see what I mean. All in all, the Dark Knight is pretty popular with the kiddies.
And yet, just as the Clown Prince of Crime has a dark, malevolent edge, so, too, do the series themselves. When I found out my five-year-old niece sometimes watches Batman, I grew uneasy. Why? Because I don't think
Batman
- the character, the myth - is for kids. While he is an excellent role-model who exhibits how to be strong in tough times and fight hard for what you believe in, I think many of Batman's traits and messages make him best
left to the understanding of adulthood. How do you explain Batman's obsession, his primary motivations, to a five-year-old? How to soothe a child frightened by Batman's pain-filled rage, by the evil that emanates from his
domain, Gotham City? Although to skim by the censors they cannot show the complete abyss of Batman's suffering nor the bloody realm he inhabits as shown in the comics, the animated series, both of them, have given us
terrifying glimpses of this darkness...sometimes, more than just glimpses.
Hence, for every merry "Christmas with the Joker," there are five episodes with the poignancy and sophisication of "I Am the Night" or "Robin's Reckoning"; for every toy-fest like
"Torch Song", there is the overwhelming grimness of "Over the Edge". To label the Batman series as "just for kids" is to ignore the subtle shades of tragedy, pain, hope and redemption that
resonate through so many of their characters and stories.
Perhaps, then, the answer lies in neither side of this opposition, or both. And perhaps, to those who raise an eyebrow at my love of a "kid's show," I could defiantly proclaim this: Batman's is a story
that operates on many, many levels. It offers fun adventures and colourful characters that appeal to the child, or to the heart that yearns to feel the breathless swoop of childhood again. And it reveals endless emotional
and psychological depths for the mind ready to delve into its compelling
questions, the dark beauty that lies within. With so much to give us, it is no wonder that Batman has endured, enticing our imaginations, while so many of his pop culture kin have faded into forgetfulness. He, truly, is a
man for all seasons and all ages.
-Laura
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BATMAN:THE ANIMATED TRIVIA
This section tests your knowledge of (Before and during WB) Batman episodes. (Remember: The new episodes that air on WB are in the same continuity as the older ones). The questions can be anything from the littlest thing
mentioned by someone or what happened to who in which episode and how. The majority of these questions will be multiple choice.
So start rackin' yer brain! Here goes!
Answers are provided beneath the "Animated Batman/Superman Sites" section.
7. What is the name of the eatery in which Pamela Isley poisoned Harvey Dent on BTAS?
A: Jack's Bistro
B: Conroy's Cafe
C: Rose Cafe
D: Rainforest Restaurant
E: McDonald's
8. In "The Laughing Fish", the Joker makes references to TWO North American restaurant chains. What are they?
A: BURGER KING
B: McDONALD'S
C: JACK IN THE BOX
D: DENNY'S
E: KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN
9. Which type of food is totally disgusting, in Harley Quinn's opinion?
A: Cattle
B: Beet Juice
C: Pork
D: Fish
E: Hyena
10. In "Mad as a Hatter", what type of food did Alfred prepare for Bruce, but was never able to serve him because Bruce had to work late?
A: Steak
B: Caviar
C: Turkey
D: Sloppy Joes
E: Veal Parmesean
CLIPS
This tests your visual knowledge of the show. The scenes can be taken from any episode or movie based on the animated series (or a Batman/Superman team-up). Click on the URL to go to the picture. These picutres are
courtesy of Robin III's site, BATMAN:THE ANIMATED HOMEPAGE.
CLIP A
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/HOI_01.jpg
CLIP B
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/WFp2_03.jpg
CLIP C
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7636/pov_04.jpg
Answers located under the 'SITE WORTH CHECKING OUT' section.
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THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN 'COMIC' ADVENTURES This section will give you a brief synopsis of the upcoming comics based on both THE NEW BATMAN ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN:THE ANIMATED SERIES. Cover price for both series is $1.99
(US) (that's $2.85 in Canada) and are both Standard format and 32 pages in length.The covers for these comics cna be seen in the COVERING THE BASICS section.
BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES #5
Release date: August 5, 1998
Written by: Ty Templeton
Pencilled by: Rick Burchett
Inked by: Terry Beatty
Bruce Wayne suffers a concussion while trying to foil the kidnapping of several cryogenic scientists from Wayne Tech! Now it's up to Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl to save them with help from an unexpected source: Mr.
Freeze! *GASP!* This issue also includes the return of a villian thought long gone.
Next Month: Deadman is dead! Its up to Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne to solve his murder with help from an unexpected source...Deadman himself! (Confused? I am!) All that and more in GOTHAM
ADVENTURES #6
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #24
Release date: August 12, 1998
Written by: Mark Millar
Pencilled by: Aluir Almancio
Inked by: Terry Austin
The Parasite - AKA Rudy Jones - is back in Metropolis and has Superman's powers...AGAIN! With time he's destroying the city while robbing it blind! The name of the game is POWER! He's plans on using his newfound powers for
power and to impress...a girl???
Next Month: Superman shows up in Gotham to help rescue Bruce Wayne from the Mad Hatter, so he calls upond Batgirl for assistance. Nightwing and Robin and some of the Gotham supporting cast
show up as well! All in SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #25
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