TALKING BRAVE AND THE BOLD WITH JMS

[MattBrady]

art note – cover at right is to Brave and the Bold #1.

As we announced last week, J. Michael Straczynski will be diving headfirst into the DC Universe later this year when he steps in as the new regular writer on the publisher’s Brave and the Bold. The series, as restarted by Mark Waid and George Perez in 2007 returned it to its earlier days of featuring team-ups between diverse (and often disparate) characters, rather than strictly a teaming with Batman as was the title’s norm for the bulk of its run.

The run on the series will be the first major DC work for Straczynski, and we spoke with him about the gig.

Newsarama: Joe, we haven't had a chance to talk since the first announcement of you going to DC. When your obligations were wrapping up at Marvel, and you were considering your options, was it an automatic thing to just look at the other company and see if they were interested, or did they give a call and start dangling worms on hooks?

J. Michael Straczynski: I'd always wanted to play in the DC universe, and once my period of exclusivity ended, there was no reason not to go and have a chat with them. I spoke with Dan DiDio and others and we tossed around some ideas. Brave and the Bold was one of the very first things Dan mentioned since it would let me play with as many of the characters as I wanted, in any combination, without having to worry too much about continuity or what was going on in other books.

NRAMA: For you, what's the appeal of the DC Universe as a storyteller? Obviously, the characters are a big part, but is there a tonal difference between the two (Marvel and DC) anymore?

JMS: I think the DC universe is a bit lighter and more polished in some respects, but that's neither better nor worse than being grittier or darker, it's mainly a philosophical thing. Growing up, I always enjoyed Marvel, but I was a massive DC fan particularly in terms of Batman, Superman and the core DC characters. I have one of the biggest collections of Superman stuff on the Western seaboard.

NRAMA: That said, what was the appeal of the book for you?

JMS: The breadth of the character list is appealing, and the ability to work outside continuity to some extent. Also, the plan is to do one or at most two-issue arcs, making the books more self-contained, which I think will be a blessing to readers looking to sample some of the characters. It's like, "Here's a cool Supergirl story," you tell it in one or two issues, and you get out rather than trying to drag it out or decompress.

NRAMA: Dan DiDio has said that your first issue will feature Batman and the Jim Corrigan Spectre - what led you to start your run with those two?

JMS: I gave Dan a list of possibilities, and he loved that one right off as a strong starting point.

NRAMA: Are there any other characters that you can name that you're itching to get your hands on?

JMS: Some of the choices are straightforward, others a bit odder. I'm looking for pair-ups that either haven't happened before, or have only happened rarely because that for me was always the appeal of the original Brave and Bold, seeing these pairings we hadn't seen before and wondering how the heck they’re going to work together. Batman and the Haunted Tank. Atom/Joker. Deadman/Wonder Woman. Flash/Blackhawks. Batman/Dial H. Legion of Substitute Heroes/Inferior Five. Doom Patrol/Legion of Super-Heroes. Superman/Sgt. Rock. Two-Face/Hawk and Dove. Challengers of the Unknown/Metal Men. Just going over the list is fun.

Newsarama Note: For more, check out the DC Nation panel report here.

NRAMA: What kind of stories are you looking to tell in Brave and the Bold? Are there any specific nooks and crannies you're really wanting to dig around in?

JMS: I want to do strong character stories underpinned by solid action setpieces. Really dig into the characters.

NRAMA: Finally, any broad hints you can leave us with? Big elements you've got coming in the larger storyline?

JMS: Again, I'm sticking with shorter arcs, so no larger storylines at the moment.

Newsarama note: the original article contained references to John Constantine and Swamp Thing team-ups which have since been changed. Those characters and team-ups are still in negotiations. Historically, there has been a relatively strict separation between characters in the DC Universe and those appearing under the Vertigo imprint.

[BinMan]

Luthor/Swamp Thing?? Swamp Thing's back in the DCU?

[preacher2041]

John Constantine in a non Vertigo book? Hmm....

[lewzzer1]

So its now going to be out of continuity?! ugh!! i think i will be dropping this then...

[canugrok]

YES to bringing back "Dial H..."...but, which one?

Love the idea of this. Not always Batman.

[Lupek]

I'm going to start sampling this book. JMS writing Barry Allen (mentioned in another article) and the Jim Corrigan Spectre sound excellent. I hope the Atom he is talking about is Ray Palmer.

[Clem]

This is probably the perfect book for JMS. He gets to do whatever story he wants and continuity be damned. I bet after those last few years on Spidey his first request to DC was "I don't have to tie in with a Crisis do i? cos i won't and you can't stop me"

[wespierce1]

Originally Posted by BinMan

Luthor/Swamp Thing?? Swamp Thing's back in the DCU?

Like how you try to psyche out the few who just read the comments and not the article. Either that or you are clueless... I'll stick with the evil genius compliment for now.

[wespierce1]

Originally Posted by lewzzer1

So its now going to be out of continuity?! ugh!! i think i will be dropping this then...

Did you even bother to read the current series at all?

[cynic79]

Originally Posted by lewzzer1

So its now going to be out of continuity?! ugh!! i think i will be dropping this then...

Where are you getting that from? The bit about the Jim Corrigan Spectre?

It could simply be a story set before Jim Corrigan gave up that identity. It would still be in continuity, but set in the past.

[Kevin T. Brown]

Originally Posted by lewzzer1

So its now going to be out of continuity?! ugh!! i think i will be dropping this then...

Yeah, 'cause "out of continuity" stories are soooooooo lame....

Sheesh.

[comic lounge]

I'm so excited about this! JMS on Brave and Bold will get me back on this title.

[comic lounge]

I'm so excited about this! JMS on Brave and Bold will get me back on this title.

[edcoyote]

Interesting that he still mentions the Deadman team-up, since Deadman is supposed to be a Vertigo property now.

--Ed

[Jason Bryant]

Originally Posted by cynic79

Where are you getting that from? The bit about the Jim Corrigan Spectre?

He got it from JMS saying that he wasn't going to worry about continuity.

[Ace]

I'm very curious about sales.

They're tying it LESS to the DCU, the removal of the Waid/Perez team, but the addition of JMS.

I don't think that fun stories with new team ups are going to sell by themselves, not even with JMS' name.

[nietoperz]

Why would the book being out of continuity be a bad thing? If the stories are fun it shouldn't matter.

[Punchy]

Originally Posted by nietoperz

Why would the book being out of continuity be a bad thing? If the stories are fun it shouldn't matter.

Exactly, and the most famous Brave & The Bold run, by Bob Haney and Neal Adams was completely screwy with continuity, one issue Batman would be teaming up with the Flash, the next in WW2 with Sergeant Rock.

And even if it was in continuity, what impact would it have? Superman mentions a team-up in passing? Wow, what an advantage.

[cpahl2000]

I loved his plains for the book, the list of characters and possibles team-ups is excellent and full of possibilities.

John Constantine in DC universe ? I hope it´s not true.

[cynic79]

Originally Posted by Jason Bryant

He got it from JMS saying that he wasn't going to worry about continuity.

Ah, I see. That'll teach me to just skim the article before making a comment.

I would note that JMS does state that he took the book because he wouldn't have to worry "too much" about continuity or what was going on in other books. In other words, I don't necessarily read that as saying that his BatB is going to be out of continuity per se, but simply that he took the book because the very nature of the stories means that continuity is not as big an issue.

In other words, the book may still be in continuity.

[bsmith]

this book sounds great. I haven't collected a monthly in years (the Crisis minis, Seven Soldiers and Plastic Man were it really) but I just may have to dive in here. I can always buy the book, read it and give it to a friend's kid, not a bad idea.

[Pack]

Originally Posted by Punchy

Exactly, and the most famous Brave & The Bold run, by Bob Haney and Neal Adams was completely screwy with continuity, one issue Batman would be teaming up with the Flash, the next in WW2 with Sergeant Rock.

And even if it was in continuity, what impact would it have? Superman mentions a team-up in passing? Wow, what an advantage.

On the other hand, it's probably not such a good idea to cite those B&B stories since Haney was such a terrible writer. (Yeah, yeah, I know, comic book fans are somehow incapable of admitting that any creator in the past was anything less than a genius while simultaneously taking a dump on every current creators work, character and family but it's true. Pick up one of the showcase volumes and try to struggle through the work of a guy who obviously hated superheroes and teenagers and therefore was given the job of writing Teen Titans and the series that encompassed the entire DC universe at a time when such crossovers were rare.)

[newfoundma]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Newsarama note: the original article contained references to John Constantine and Swamp Thing team-ups which have since been changed. Those characters and team-ups are still in negotiations. Historically, there has been a relatively strict separation between characters in the DC Universe and those appearing under the Vertigo imprint.

Interesting. He also mentioned these at Emerald City Comic Con and fans heads exploded. I got the feeling that he was just listing off pairings, as it would be quite impressive for him to have plotted about a dozen team ups already. Still, Deadman is listed, and he is supposed to now be Vertigo-only. Interesting...
I believe that Didio of JMS said that these would be "in-continuity" but not always set in the present, for all of those fans who care about things like that.

[biffordmichael]

Somewhere Bob Haney is smiling!

This sounds cool as hell!

Biff

[Pack]

Originally Posted by newfoundma

Still, Deadman is listed, and he is supposed to now be Vertigo-only. Interesting...

Why do people keep saying this? One of the upcoming B&B's already solicited is Green Arrow/Deadman, isn't it?

BTW, not to further divert this thread but it makes me CRAZY that DC characters who appear in Vertigo titles can't appear in the regular line because it's sheer snobbery and arrogance. Sandman grew out of the DC universe and featured characters from JLA, Infinity Inc. and Metamorpho's old strip, for God's sake!
Batman meeting John Constantine? Alan Moore already wrote that scene!
This is just Karen Berger looking down her nose and saying, "My graphic literature characters will NEVER appear in your comic books! Your writers don't even have accents!"