SCOTT BEATTY ON JSA CLASSIFIED

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

Black market body parts. The concept is horrifying, but in a world where transplants are common, the idea of buying and selling human organs isn't that far-fetched.

But here's where imagination can make things interesting -- what if those body parts were attached to people with superpowers? Wouldn't that make them all the more desirable for trade on the black market?

Writer Scott Beatty is exploring that possibility -- and bringing Dr. Mid-Nite along for the investigation -- in a two-part storyline within the pages of JSA Classified beginning in November. Featuring Rags Morales on art, the storyline begins with November's Issue #19 and
tells the tale of what happens when metahuman body parts are stolen and sold for profit.

Pieter Cross, the alter ego of Dr. Mid-Nite, is no stranger to the darker side of humanity -- and on a philosophical level, it makes sense that the hero featured in such a dark story can see perfectly in the dark. But while his night-vision superpower will surely be called upon during the investigation, his medical expertise may be even more important as he tracks down who is stealing and selling metahuman body parts -- and what evil villain may end up benefiting.

Newsarama sat down with Beatty to talk about how he came up with the idea for the Dr. Mid-Nite story, what readers can expect to see, and why Charlie the owl is so amazingly cool.

Newsarama: OK, Scott, how in the world did you come up with the idea to write about metahuman body parts?

Scott Beatty: I wrote a poem about organ-napping for a poetry workshop when I was in graduate school years ago. I was stuck for ideas one night while studying/doing my laundry and came across an old LIFE magazine at the Laundromat. The cover showed a kid from Brazil whose eyes were stolen so that his healthy corneas could be sold on the black market. The poem wrote itself... and the image just got stuck in my head.

NRAMA: So you drew upon that experience when you pitched the idea?

SB: When I was pitching JSA Classified concepts to series editor Mike Carlin, that story just sort of dragged itself up from my subconscious. I'm strangely drawn to medical oddities -- mostly out of an obsessive-compulsive tic for considering worst-case scenarios.

NRAMA: Well, it is kind of gruesome.

SB: Completely gruesome, and horrific because it's real. That well-worn
"urban legend" of the guy waking up in a tub of ice and finding his kidneys surgically removed isn't too far from a really sick and twisted reality.

NRAMA: Are we going to see characters become victims of this black market trade?

SB: A few fairly well-known DCU heroes and villains, and a couple more obscure but recognizable to hardcore Johnny DCs, are victims of the metahuman body part black market. Fittingly, the story's called Skin Trade. Because of his medical background in treating metas, Dr.
Mid-Nite is called in to offer a "second opinion."

NRAMA: Makes sense to call the doc. Any other familiar characters that might show up in the story?

SB: Oh, yeah. Someone old, someone new, someone borrowed, someone blue... literally. A character I wrote fairly recently shows up to "keep the fire burning," so to speak. But the spotlight is squarely on the good Doctor and a classic JSA villain.

NRAMA: From the look of the solicitation for the second issue, you have a new character too?

SB: Well, if you've read the previews you know that Endless Winter makes her debut. Fans of the JSA might recognize her surname, altered just a bit. Her current incarnation is all new, however, and a logical extension of her character. Did I mention Strongarm? He shows up, too.

NRAMA: But Dr. Mid-Nite is the main focus of the story, which makes sense with his medical expertise.

SB: Well, at the heart of it, the story is a medical mystery. With any other hero, it's just an unsettling supervillain story. For the Doctor, it's not just about kicking the villain's butt -- it's about curing the malady and ultimately helping the patients.

NRAMA: Are you a Dr. Mid-Nite fan?

SB: I always liked the character on a superficial level -- the Golden Age Doc Mid-Nite, I mean. I suppose I was drawn to the cool costume and inventive conceit that he was blind in daylight but could see clearly in total darkness. I'm a sucker for O. Henry bits of irony like that. Pieter Cross was more an enigma to me, even after reading and re-reading Matt Wagner's brilliant miniseries. I needed to make him more than "Dr. Batman," and that involved finding his narrative "voice" and running with it.

NRAMA: There's more depth to him than most stories can really explore, with his history and what drives him to be a superhero.

SB: I like the fact that he's a disgraced physician who feels the need to redress his sins by wearing a costume and using his medical skills to fight crime. He also turned a crippling disability into his greatest asset. Even after finishing the JSAC arc, I keep thinking about the character and possible directions to take him. Batman does what he does on a well-honed intuitive level. Doctor Mid-Nite has to work it out in his head and go at it step-by-step. Like complex surgery, he can't skip over parts because he's in a hurry. The ankle bone connects to the shin bone and so forth... in that order. When you're blind and feeling your way through the dark, you can't afford any missteps.

NRAMA: But then there's the real reason Dr. Mid-Nite is so cool. Charlie the owl. I mean, you can't beat an owl sidekick.

SB: What's not to love? They can rotate their heads 360-degrees, see in pitch black... and they're the cuddliest and cutest bird of prey in the tree. [laughs]

NRAMA: OK, since we've got all kinds of Dr. Mid-Nite admiration going on here, let's give you a challenge. You've written the Batman Handbook and the Superman Handbook, where you tell fans how to do things like build their own Batcave, take a kick to the head or knock out a villain -- with a chapter devoted to each. What would be some of the chapters in the Dr. Mid-Nite Handbook?

SB: HOW TO EXECUTE A PARALYZING NERVE-BLOCK

HOW TO BUILD A BLACKOUT BOMB

HOW TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY TRACHEOTOMY WITH A BALLPOINT PEN AND A
SWISS ARMY KNIFE

HOW TO CREATE A KICKASS COSTUME WHEN YOU'RE TOTALLY BLIND SO THAT THE
OTHER HEROES DON'T LAUGH AT YOU

NRAMA: That Dr. Mid-Nite costume rivals the owl in coolness. And you get to work with Rags Morales on this series. How has that been?

SB: Rags is absolutely great. It's a real coup to work with an artist of his creative caliber, and someone who both "gets" and "likes" the subject matter you're delving into. In fact, the experience working with Rags on JSA Classified has been so positive, we're collaborating on something else.

NRAMA: Something else? See, this is when we always ask you to tell us what else you're doing, so you have to spill on the new projects.

SB: I've written a couple issues of The Batman Strikes! The first is a Catwoman heist tale with Selina working hard to break out of a bank. That one's out this November. The second is the Joker's attempt to create his own crack team of supervillains. Emphasis on attempt. Robin learns a few lessons from the Batman Handbook in that one.

NRAMA: You've got to believe he's got a copy of the book somewhere in his utility belt. But you're also working on ... ?

SB: I'm also hard at work on another animated property. Hopefully, I'll be able to speak on that in more detail very soon.

NRAMA: And ... with Rags ...

SB: ... and as I hinted at earlier, Rags and I are teaming again on a WildStorm miniseries slated for 2007 release. I can't divulge the content or title, but it'll be big.

NRAMA: Big is good! OK, then, getting back to JSA Classified, any final reasons you want to share with readers on why they should check out this story?

SB: Icemaiden skinned alive. Or howzabout literal supermodels with metahuman "enhancements?" In a world peopled by superhumans, even celebrities need a little help. That's what JSA Classified #19-20 is all about. 'Nuff said.

[rroch]

This looks very interesting, I'll give it a try.

[Ace]

woo. Son of Vulcan cameo.

That was the most slept upon mini of last year.

Aww.. poor Icemaiden. Oh well, no one liked her anyway.

[Spaz_Monkey]

How many Icemaidens have died so far?

[Poolman]

Is just me, or this sounds a lot like what John Sublime was doing in Morrison's New X-Men?

[RockLeefan]

Scott may have had the idea years ago but unfortunately it's not a new idea in comics anymore as, like poolman, i instantly thought of Morrison's new x-men storyline. Anyway execution's everything and it is a chilling idea i'd be willing to read more if that's where the similarities end.

[Kolimar]

Sounds interesting and he's got a killer artist.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Poolman

Is just me, or this sounds a lot like what John Sublime was doing in Morrison's New X-Men?

Nope, it's not just you as you can see but, like RockLeefan said, it's all in the execution of the idea.

[BriGuy]

Love the character. Dig the creators. Intriguing premise. I'm all over this!

Sounds like Ultra-Humanite is the obvious guess for the classic JSA villain.

Wonder if anyone gets Risk's arm after it was torn off in IC by Superboy Prime?

How many dead Ice Maidens? This makes two.

[AlterEgoComics]

I love me some Doc Midnite. I am looking forward to reading this. And I can't wait for the Dr. Midnite Handbook.....gotta learn how to make a cool costume when your blind.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Spaz_Monkey

How many Icemaidens have died so far?

One, iirc. Tora Olafsdotter, from the JLI era.

[Kevenn]

JSA Classified has been a pretty great title with interesting stories. This one sounds like no exception. JLA Classified should take notes.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by BriGuy

How many dead Ice Maidens? This makes two.

Beat me to it.

[Steve J.]

Originally Posted by AlterEgoComics

I love me some Doc Midnite.

c'mon dude, get your slang right...it's "I loves me some"...otherwise you just sound like you're trying to sound like you're black

[jza1218]

Originally Posted by Poolman

Is just me, or this sounds a lot like what John Sublime was doing in Morrison's New X-Men?

Terror Inc is what I thought of

[Drcharles]

Rags Morales drawing JSA great, I'm on board for this arc,
Damn it,
love his art......

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

NRAMA: And ... with Rags ...

SB: ... and as I hinted at earlier, Rags and I are teaming again on a WildStorm miniseries slated for 2007 release. I can't divulge the content or title, but it'll be big.

NRAMA: Big is good! OK, then, getting back to JSA Classified, any final reasons you want to share with readers on why they should check out this story?

I'm freaking curious now.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

NRAMA: Something else? See, this is when we always ask you to tell us what else you're doing, so you have to spill on the new projects.

SB: I've written a couple issues of The Batman Strikes! The first is a Catwoman heist tale with Selina working hard to break out of a bank. That one's out this November. The second is the Joker's attempt to create his own crack team of supervillains. Emphasis on attempt. Robin learns a few lessons from the Batman Handbook in that one.

NRAMA: You've got to believe he's got a copy of the book somewhere in his utility belt. But you're also working on ... ?

SB: I'm also hard at work on another animated property. Hopefully, I'll be able to speak on that in more detail very soon.

Comic book creators and their work in other fields. What do you think?

[izzatrix]

The idea of "Organ Legging" in fiction dates back a long time. The first exposure I
had to it was A Gift from Earth and The Long A.R.M of Gil Hamilton from Larry Niven. Those stories date back to around 1968. I'm pretty sure the idea was used in a few comic stories in the 70's such as Killraven and Deathlok. I will be interested to see how the idea
is incorported into this JSA story although I'm hoping they keep the gore "off camera" so to speak.

[ElijahSnowFan]

JSA Classified has been so much better and more relevant than JLA Classified, it's comical.

i'm looking forward to this storyline.

[BriGuy]

Originally Posted by ElijahSnowFan

JSA Classified has been so much better and more relevant than JLA Classified, it's comical.

i'm looking forward to this storyline.

In JLA: C's defense, it's still trying to burn off the remaining stories from the rotating creative team direction of the JLA series.

[ElijahSnowFan]

Originally Posted by BriGuy

In JLA: C's defense, it's still trying to burn off the remaining stories from the rotating creative team direction of the JLA series.

is that it? wow...that's from a while ago -- what...three years now?

if that's the case, i hope they blow through them soon and start doing what JSA:C's doing -- spotlighting characters who really need some "airtime," but not rewriting their origins every time they appear.

just solid two-parters, quick adventures.

[whitemarkd]

Are we going to see any of Pieter's supporting cast? That was one of the best parts of the Wagner mini-series, IMO.

[BriGuy]

Originally Posted by ElijahSnowFan

is that it? wow...that's from a while ago -- what...three years now?

if that's the case, i hope they blow through them soon and start doing what JSA:C's doing -- spotlighting characters who really need some "airtime," but not rewriting their origins every time they appear.

just solid two-parters, quick adventures.

At the very least, I believe, the Gail Simone and Dan Slott arcs are from that era. There may be a Roger Stern/John Byrne arc from then as well coming up.

[I am MODOK]

I'm pre-ordering this for certain. It's funny, I'm enjoying these Classified books because I can add or drop depending on creative team. This is actually two in a row for JSA, with Bedard and McDaniel's Hourman/Bane story being pretty good right now.