CATCHING UP WITH GEOFF JOHNS

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

There's no denying it: Geoff Johns is a busy man. By this fall, he'll be writing four monthly titles on top of his duties as one of the four writers on DC's 52 weekly series. Add to that his work on Blade: The Series for Spike TV, and you can't help but wonder if this guy sleeps.

Yet Johns found time this past weekend to meet his fans at WizardWorld Chicago. During one of the breaks in his con schedule, Newsarama sat down with the writer to discuss all the titles he's got coming out, who is in the Titans East and Justice Society teams he's developing, and what was up with that little bomb he dropped about the much-discussed status of Batgirl Cassandra Cain.

Newsarama: Let's start with the Titans East news from this weekend. Cassie Cain is on the Titans East team that will be showing up in your Teen Titans comic later this year?

Geoff Johns: Yes!

NRAMA: Last time we saw her, she was in Robin, killing people and acting an awful lot like a villain. In Titans East, is she a good Batgirl?

GJ: We're going to go with what they've been doing, but with some twists.

NRAMA: And the other characters we have confirmed for Titans East are ... Risk?

GJ: Yes, Risk is on there.

NRAMA: He lost an arm in Infinite Crisis during the fight with Superboy Prime. What's he going to be like in Titans East?

GJ: You're going to meet him in the next issue and see where he is in his life. He's still missing an arm. And his attitude is like, at one point someone's going to say, "Why don't you get a cybernetic arm?" And he says, "I only need one arm." That's his attitude. He's just kind of gruff and at the end of his rope.

NRAMA: There was speculation that you were using Argent on the team?

GJ: No, Argent is not on there.

NRAMA: Then there's Inertia from the new Flash series?

GJ: Inertia will be on the team.

NRAMA: Can you tell us anyone else we'll see?

GJ: You'll meet Kid Devil's arch enemy.

NRAMA: And his name is..?

GJ: ... [smiles]

NRAMA: OK, no name. But you say we'll meet him. So he's part of the team?

GJ: He's on Titans East. Kid Devil is actually kind of excited when he sees that, because he likes to brag that he has an arch enemy.

NRAMA: That sounds like Eddie. But he hasn't really been around as Kid Devil long enough to have an arch enemy, has he?

GJ: Yeah! That's what the Titans say. [laughs] But apparently he does have one!

NRAMA: Anyone else you can tell us from the Titans East team?

GJ: There's a brand new character who, in a very strange way, is a pre-cursor to a character from the far future.

NRAMA: Far future? Gee ... wonder what that could be. OK, that's a good hint for one character. But can you actually name someone we haven't heard yet?

GJ: OK. I'll reveal one more. Just 'cause it's fun. Um... Joker's daughter.

NRAMA: Duela Dent?

GJ: Yeah. We're going to really get into her. Tony [Daniel] did an amazing redesign on the Joker's daughter for Titans East.

NRAMA: Let's talk about the main Titans team. In the last issue, it was implied they would be recruiting new members. Right now we've seen Cyborg, Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Devil and Ravager. That's five. How many more are going to join?

GJ: By the time they meet the Titans East, the Teen Titans have eight members.

NRAMA: Before they meet the Titans East? This happens pretty quickly.

GJ: Yep. So they're going to get three members in the next few months.

NRAMA: As they travel around looking for Raven, right?

GJ: Yep. Looking for Raven. And the Titans East will have eight members as well, including their leader.

NRAMA: Fans of the Teen Titans title know there was a Titans East team in the Titans Tomorrow storyline from last year during which the Titans traveled to the future, but it was pretty clear that the future we saw in that arc was not a certainty. And with Conner having been part of that version of the future, it seems less likely to happen. So why is there a Titans East now?

GJ: The story reason is extremely specific. The Titans East want two things from the Teen Titans. I can't say much more than that. But the team has a very specific reason they're going after the Teen Titans.

NRAMA: Any other teases about Titans East?

GJ: They have their own tower.

NRAMA: Their own tower? Where are they based?

GJ: New York.

NRAMA: And eight members?

GJ: The team will evolve as the storyline evolves.

NRAMA: And then you're working on Justice Society of America, which will have a new #1 issue coming out in December. You revealed the cover to Issue #1 by Alex Ross over the weekend at the comic convention in Chicago.

GJ: Yeah.

NRAMA: Let's talk about some of these new characters on that cover. Who's the starry guy in the front? Starman?

GJ: That's Starman.

NRAMA: Can you tell us anything about him?

GJ: No, I'd rather not. But I can say he's very different than the other members.

NRAMA: Who's the colorful steel-looking guy in the front?

GJ: Commander Steel. A new Commander Steel.

NRAMA: Brand new one?

GJ: Brand new. New powers. You'll meet him in Issue #2.

NRAMA: Maxine Hunkel's in the back with the red hair. You told us her name in San Diego. Is her code name going to be Red Tornado?

GJ: No, it will not be Red Tornado.

NRAMA: Can you tell us anything else about her?

GJ: She's a very fun character. I don't really want to spoil anything else about her, because it's going to be so fun for everyone to meet her in the first issue.

NRAMA: Let's see, then there's Damage in the back, whom you've confirmed before. And then there are these glowing eyes in the background....

GJ: Ah yeah. The eyes. Everyone's been asking me who the eyes are. They're like, is it Obsidian? The eight ball says yes.

NRAMA: So does this cover include everyone who is on the new Justice Society?

GJ: That's not the final team.

NRAMA: So it's bigger than that?

GJ: Well, we're making it a real society, so the spotlight will rotate a bit. But we're going to make it a real society of heroes, so there's a few more who are going to come onto the stage that we just didn't want to get into yet.

NRAMA: But all the people who are in that picture are Justice Society of America members.

GJ: Yes.

NRAMA: Some of the more familiar, long-time members in this picture weren't around one year later. Can you tell us where they were during the missing year?

GJ: ... [smiles]

NRAMA: OK. Well, Hawkman's in the picture. We haven't seen him in a long time. He's obviously coming back.

GJ: Hawkman is coming back.

NRAMA: Where are we going to find out how he came back?

GJ: You'll find out in .... well ... he'll be back in the DCU very soon.

NRAMA: You won't say where?

GJ: Well ... the obvious book is Hawkgirl. [laughs]

NRAMA: OK. Moving on to Green Lantern, there are a lot of things being set up that look pretty bad for Hal Jordan. Angry Global Guardians, blood-thirsty bounty hunters...

GJ: Yes! Lots of bounty hunters.

NRAMA: Are we going to find out who hired them?

GJ: Yeah, we'll find out in Issue #14 who put that price on Hal's head. We'll find out why the Global Guardians are after him. We'll find out what happened to him when he was a prisoner of war.

NRAMA: All that in Issue #14?

GJ: Yeah. The next storyline is him dealing with what happened to him and his friends when he was a POW.

NRAMA: But in the last issue, he found someone right at the end that was kind of a shocker because we thought, and more importantly Hal thought, she was dead.

GJ: He found Arisia, who is like, his former girlfriend. In the next issue, they're reunited. And we'll actually learn a pretty major secret the Guardians are holding.

NRAMA: The Guardians? Did the Guardians know Arisia was alive and being held captive there?

GJ: The Guardians know a lot of things they're not telling the Green Lanterns.

NRAMA: Ouch.

GJ: The Guardians also have a very specific reason they let Hal back on the Corps. And it's not the best of reasons. And the ending has a pretty big twist that ties into the entire DC Universe.

NRAMA: The ending of this current storyline?

GJ: Yeah, Issue #13.

NRAMA: And you said in the DC Nation panel this weekend that we'll see more people getting yellow rings and yellow batteries?

GJ: Yes! The Sinestro Corps is coming soon. And you know how they used to do the “Tales of the Green Lantern” one-shots? We've been talking about doing a “Tales of the Sinestro Corps” one-shot. So we'd have little eight-page stories about members of the Sinestro Corps and how they got their rings, what they do, their M.O.s, stuff like that. I think that would be cool.

NRAMA: That does sound pretty fun. Can you tell us any members of the Sinestro Corps that people might recognize?

GJ: I really can't.

NRAMA: Well, we saw one.

GJ: This big guy called Arkillo in Issue #10. He's a new character who's like the drill sergeant of the Sinestro Corps.

NRAMA: But you can't tell us anyone else?

GJ: Hmmm. Sinestro's on it. [laughs]

NRAMA: Ha ha. Thanks a lot.

GJ: Oh! And, the Sinestro Corps has its own Oa-type planet, has its own Guardians, has its own oath.

NRAMA: A Sinestro Corps oath? What's the oath?

GJ: I can't tell. You have to read the comic for something! [laughs]

NRAMA: Awww. Just the first line?

GJ: First line? OK. In blackest day...

NRAMA: Ooooh!!!

GJ: [laughs]

NRAMA: Great tease. OK, let's talk 52. How's it going?

GJ: Great! We're on issue #33 or #34. We're cruising ahead. And we have it pretty much wrapped up. We know exactly where everything's going. It's still fun, but it's a challenge because everything's getting really big right now. So it's all climaxing. And J.G. Jones has been doing some great covers. There's a great Teen Titans/Infinity Inc. cover coming up. It's really cool.

NRAMA: Can you tell us something you're looking forward to in 52?

GJ: I'm really looking forward to the expansion of the Black Marvel family.

NRAMA: Black Adam! And that's all going to be written by you, right?

GJ: Uh...

NRAMA: Oh that's right. You can't say who's writing what parts, can you? Little agreement you have with Mark Waid, Grant Morrison and Greg Rucka.

GJ: We're all writing everything.

NRAMA: Riiiight. Favorite issue you've written so far?

GJ: Hmmm. I really like #26.

NRAMA: But you can't say who wrote it nor what happens. Big ending, right?

GJ: 52?

NRAMA: Uh-huh.

GJ: Massive.

NRAMA: Bigger than people expect?

GJ: Um ... no, I don't want to oversell it. It's actually a really quiet ending. [laughs]

NRAMA: Undersell and overdeliver?

GJ: It's boring. It does nothing. [laughs]

NRAMA: OK, what else do you have? Action Comics coming out in October?

GJ: Oh yeah, with Richard Donner. I'm really excited. Adam Kubert's drawing it. We're going to be touching on a lot of Superman villains. Parasite, Brainiac, Luthor, Metallo, Bizarro and Bizarro World...

NRAMA: Villain overdrive.

GJ: Yeah! It's really fun to work with Donner because he has a fresh eye for this stuff, so I literally went through the DC Encyclopedia with him. I'd go through the book with him, and I get to Bizarro and he's like, "Oh! I remember Bizarro!" and he's all excited, and he's asking, "Is Bizarro World still there?" And I say, "No." And he says, "OK, let's figure out how to make it cool." And then we get to Brainiac and he freaks because Brainiac is his favorite. And eventually we got to Doomsday ...

NRAMA: So you finished the "B's" and got up to "D"?

GJ: [laughs] Yeah. We get to Doomsday, and I said this guy is super popular and he killed Superman. So he asked why he killed him, and I thought about it, and I said he just didn't like him very much. He didn't really have a big motivation.

NRAMA: So are you going to give him a motivation?

GJ: Well, I like Doomsday, but I don't know if we can get around him. But that's just an example of the questions he's asking. Looking at it fresh like that.

NRAMA: Is this comic going to feel like the movies he made?

GJ: Not really. Well, I mean, it will probably have a touch of the movies because Donner brings a certain touch to the characters, but it will still be a comic book in continuity, which is what is really fun. But there are things we are going to do that might echo the movies a little bit. The cool thing is we have no limiting budget like he did with the movies, so we can get really big. And yet it's very, very character-based. It's very personal with Superman. 'Cause otherwise we wouldn't be telling these stories.

NRAMA: And you're working on Blade: The Series for Spike TV. Spike was here in a big way at Wizard World Chicago with a two-story booth and plenty of promotions for the Blade series. You're listed on the credits as a consulting producer and you've written a few episodes, including the pilot with David Goyer. How's the series going?

GJ: It's going great. We wrapped awhile ago, but this week's episode is awesome. It's like a Blade: Year One with flashbacks.

NRAMA: Did you write this week's Year One episode?

GJ: No, this week's is written by a guy named Chris Ruppenthal whom I've known for a long time. He started on Quantum Leap and went to a lot of other shows. It just turned out really good. You see him meet Whistler, you see how he's done a lot of things, you see how he's raised after his mom died or was turned, as she was in the movies.

NRAMA: So this would be a good one for people to try out and watch if they haven't checked it out before?

GJ: This is the episode to me that the crew and everybody else and the directing and all the actors kind of snapped into high gear. I'm really happy with the upcoming episodes. I wrote one of them that comes out three weeks from Wednesday. It's a pretty intense, freaky epsiode about a serial killer who's a vampire, who's been around a long time and is based on the serial killer from the 1500s.

NRAMA: Any word on a second season?

GJ: They want to do one. Our ratings are going up now, so we'll see!

[whitemarkd]

Teen Titans/Infinity Inc. cover? He better not be kidding...

[mourningstar]

Doomsday's motivation was already explained in the Superman TPB The Doomsday Wars. they JUST PUBLISHED it quite recently, and they're going to retcon it already?

alright. it could use a revamp anyway. stuff about him being created on Krypton, and it was a horrible mess of toying around w/ Superman's costume to make him look like a poor man's Boba Fett. Somehow, Superman w/ a gun was cool in the 90s.

[BradyKiller]

Great interview - I have never met Geoff but he seems like one of the good guys...

But seriously a bit let down with Infinite Crisis...the sizzle is done well its the sauce that is a bit lacking...would like to see what you would do with just 2-3 books only a month.

[The Thatguy]

So Cassandra's still a wacko killer in charge of the League? God damn it, I used to love Johns writing.

[Davy]

Batgirl, Duala Dent, Risk, Inertia, some Kid Devil arch enemy... could Titans East be super villains?

BTW, Geoff... if you're listening... will Tim be reacting at all to Stephanie's death? His GIRLFRIEND died and that's a very big deal, and that seems to have been swept under the rug. You seem to have him wiggin' out over Conner's death, but he's forgotten his father's death and his girlfriend's death. What gives?

Davy

[Ostjak]

Newsarama: Let's start with the Titans East news from this weekend. Cassie Cain is on the Titans East team that will be showing up in your Teen Titans comic later this year?

Geoff Johns: Yes!

NRAMA: Last time we saw her, she was in Robin, killing people and acting an awful lot like a villain. In Titans East, is she a good Batgirl?

GJ: We're going to go with what they've been doing, but with some twists.

Well doesn't that just get you f___ing excited.

Doesn't anybody care about little things like how there are so many continuity violations in Robin that that Robin arc can be in continuity only if no Batgirl story ever previously written is? The whole story is impossible, people. I can't have happened as written.

Oh, and apparently it's completely reasonable now that a god damn kid is a match for 1) the entire damn League of Assassins, 2) David Cain (and by extension, Batman) and 3) Cassandra fricking Cain - all on the same evening, no less. Why not throw Darkseid in there too, while you're at it?

[Lex]

Cool interview. I'm excited about everything Geoff's writing. I'm greatly looking forward to the new JSA. Tales of the Sinestro Corps one-shot would be very, very cool. And I can't wait to see how Geoff and Donner reinvent Bizzaro World (plus Superman's other baddies).

Originally Posted by mourningstar

Doomsday's motivation was already explained in the Superman TPB The Doomsday Wars. they JUST PUBLISHED it quite recently, and they're going to retcon it already?

What motivation? The character was designed as a mindless killing machine for the purpose of killing Superman. He was fine as a one-time character, but using him more than that has proven how weak the concept is.

[Zadillo]

Sounds good, especially liking the GL stuff.

Any news at all on Hawk & Dove? Hoping to hear more about the future plans for them....

[jmcl89]

Well, Geoff tends to be the go-to guy for rescuing victims of editorial malpractice, so hopefully he can figure out some way to repair Cassandra's character.

[Binkley]

And here I thought the Titans East were supposed to be another hero verison of the Titans on the East Coast. Now we get one more supervillain group. How long before the Society and Titans East combine forces to battle the JLA and TT?

[Simon DelMonte]

When does Geoff sleep?

DOES Geoff sleep?

[s*p rules]

Is it just coincidence that Joker's daughter has two-face's last name? Don't know much about her, but doesn't Ravager already have the "major villian's daughter trying to make good" part? And she does it so well; love the tension she brings to TT. The book has been great since OYL, and among the many cool plot threads running through the title now, it would be very interesting to see Tim and Cassie hook up. We know Connor is not coming back (not til the Superboy lawsuit ends, anyway), so I hope Geoff drops the crazy cloning scheme of Robin's soon.

[majorjoe23]

Originally Posted by Lex

Cool interview. I'm excited about everything Geoff's writing. I'm greatly looking forward to the new JSA. Tales of the Sinestro Corps one-shot would be very, very cool. And I can't wait to see how Geoff and Donner reinvent Bizzaro World (plus Superman's other baddies).What motivation? The character was designed as a mindless killing machine for the purpose of killing Superman. He was fine as a one-time character, but using him more than that has proven how weak the concept is.

In the "Hunter/Prey" story they explain that Doomsday eventually wiped out every being on a prehistoric Krypton, and that his hatred of Superman was due to him being Kryptonian, which he saw as a threat.

Of course, this doesn't really make much sense, since clearly Kryptonians would have either had to evolve or colonize Krypton after Doomsday left, so Superman would have had no real connection to the beings Doomsday had encountered on Krypton.

[kingofcities]

Originally Posted by s*p rules

Is it just coincidence that Joker's daughter has two-face's last name? Don't know much about her, but doesn't Ravager already have the "major villian's daughter trying to make good" part?

Check out last years Teen Titans Secret Files. There's a story in there where they address how Duela isn't sure who her dad is. She latches onto whichever one suits her fancy at the moment. It's a pretty fun little tale worth checking out.

[Spade]

I wonder who joins the titans? Could it be Red Star, Zatara, and Miss Martian?

[Davy]

Originally Posted by s*p rules

Is it just coincidence that Joker's daughter has two-face's last name?

At times, she's claimed to be the daughter of pretty much every major Batman villain. It's Two-Face where she gets her name, but it's Joker's Daughter she's primarily known as.

EDIT: All pre-crisis, of course.

EDIT AGAIN: Here's a link to a good history: Titans Tower: Duela Dent

Davy

[caats19]

yep, it sure does sound like titans east are villains. that's kinda cool, legion of doom for the titans.

[Ghostrider]

I think I have an idea of what Kid Devils arch nemesis name is going to be.. Geriatric Angel. anyone with me?

[samfish]

Damnit...I was really hoping for a good ol' fashioned retcon of what they did to Cass with Titans East. Looks like she's still all F'ed up.

Which is really a damn shame.

[JamesJesse]

I'm a huge fan of Geoff Johns' work. I was so disheartened when he left "FLASH." I really think he had more stories in him. Especially rogue stories. I REALLY wish he had at least stayed till the end and given Wally's run a more suitable ending.

With Infinite Crisis, I too was disappointed with how it turned out but the first three to four issues were GOLDEN. Who can forget the Freedom Fighter massacre, the confrontation between Superman and Batman, the return of E2 Superman and Superboy Prime's tearing through the Titans?

Those issues made my jaw drop more times that recent memory. I think Johns set it up better than anyone ever could, but there was a bit of a fumble somewhere.

(Hmmm. I just realized I have the EXACT same opinion of Identity Crisis...)

Anyhoo.

I am so looking forward to the new JSA and the Titans. Aside from JLof A and 52, it looks like I'll be adding mostly GJ titles to my list. (Flash is dangerously close to being dropped because the current run hasn't hooked me yet)

Green Lantern is also picking up and I am really hooked on the latest storylines.

Dammit GJ, I thought I was cooling off on comics after 52. I BLAME you for the impending big hole in my wallet.

[J.D. Lombardi]

Excellent, info-filled interview gang!

[GSHAG]

im still hoping to christ that offspring gets to join the titans. one thing ive taken to notice is that there were ALOT of titans during the missing year and i just figured with the OYL team getting 8 members tops, that most o fthe 52 titans would be joining titans east. but now its not lookin like it. does this mean the ex-titans we meet for the next couple of months are going to go to comic book limbo after johns is done with them?

[dorwaystudios]

So wait, the giant guy in the back is Damage? I thought that was just Atom-Smasher in new (very cool) duds...

Can anyone tell me when Damage got the ability to grow? I must have missed that...

[VocalMan81]

Originally Posted by The Thatguy

So Cassandra's still a wacko killer in charge of the League? God damn it, I used to love Johns writing.

And now you don't because of...SOMEONE ELSE'S storyline? Honestly, I don't get your logic. Geoff had nothing to do w/the turn in Cassie's character, and DC isn't about to immediately retread what's happened with her, regardless of what we all hope. All he is allowed/able to do is tweak her within his TT story to hopefully round her out and explain some motivation. But that's cool, if you'd rather not read one of the best books on the shelf by a writer you "used to love", all because of another writer's f**k up, be my guest. You won't be missed.