Green Arrow
Comic Book Resources scored a great interview with DC Comics writer Jeff Lemire, here is an excerpt from the interview in which he discusses his upcoming project Green Arrow:
CBR News: Jeff, it was announced you were taking on “Green Arrow,” I was struck to hear that you initially weren’t interested in writing the character. Now that he’s much more in the zeitgeist with the TV show, was there something that really made the character kick over in your head where you felt like this was a story you really wanted to tell?
Jeff Lemire: It was a couple of reasons. It’s no secret that I was a huge DC kid. I grew up reading DC stuff, but Green Arrow was never a character I read or felt any connection to or read a lot of his stuff. There were tons of characters I’d love to write, but he wasn’t one of them. At the same time, I’d talked to [Co-Publisher] Dan DiDio at San Diego about doing a new book, and I didn’t want to do another horror book. I’ve been doing horror stuff since the New 52 started. And I don’t want to abandon that, but I did want to do something maybe a bit more grounded in the DC Universe. When he suggested Green Arrow, I kind of went. “Oh. Green Arrow.” [Laughs]
At that point I hadn’t seen the television show, so that wasn’t really a factor. But what I felt was that he was kind of a blank slate where I could do a real street-level/crime/superhero story with him. Some of my favorite superhero comics are Frank Miller’s “Daredevil” or Denny O’Neil’s “The Question” or even Brian Bendis’ “Daredevil” from the early 2000s. I thought doing one of those kind of books – not copying them but doing something in the same vein with the same tone – really appealed to me. “Green Arrow” in a lot of ways seemed like the perfect vehicle because he’s that street-level kind of character. So once I tapped into that, the wheels started turning, and I got really invested in him.
Check out the full interview here.
Here’s a first look at pencils from the upcoming issue:
GREEN ARROW #17
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Pencils & Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
Time Warp
Vertigo is bringing back Time Warp as a one-shot issue featuring the talents of Damon Lindelof, Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Dan Abnett, Peter Milligan, Ray Fawkes, Simon Spurrier, Gail Simone, Rafael Albuquerque, and Tom Fowler! Here’s an excerpt from an interview with Lindelof and Lemire courtesy of CBR, click it here for the full interview!
CBR News: After Vertigo announced “Time Warp,” Jeff revealed via Twitter that the pair of you are telling a Rip Hunter story. I realize it’s early still — and your story’s only eight pages — but what can you share about it?
Jeff Lemire: There’s not too much to say just yet because we’re just putting the story together.Damon Lindelof: We’ve had very preliminary discussions about what kind of a time travel story we want to tell. Obviously, when you are doing a story that is short and sweet, it’s just an appetizer. It’s not an entrée so we have to limit ourselves.
But one of the things that I learned working with Jeff on the Batman story that we did is that I have to try and think graphically in my head, in terms of what’s going to give him some really, really cool things to draw. And I promise not to disappoint in that arena. But considering that he’s twice the storyteller I am, I will lean very heavily upon his sensitivities of what the story is going to be, as well. I am really looking forward to the collaboration.
Lemire: Me too. I think it’s going to be great.
Look for Time Warp to hit comic shops sometime this March, or preorder it at TFAW.com!
Swamp-Thing
The departure of Scott Snyder from Swamp-Thing upset many people. Snyder’s macabre style is perfect for the title and he will be missed. Rot World is wrapping up in issue #18, and starting with issue #19 we will see a new creative team taking up the duties! Charles Soule (27, Strange Attractors) will be responsible for penning the future stories of our favorite green machine! Here’s what Soule had to say in an interview with Io9 (check out the full interview here):
IO9: People praised your creator-owned comic 27 for its innovative take on fantasy tropes such as deals with Gods and mythical figures. Do you think you can bring a similar fresh take to the Green and the other Swamp Thing tropes?
Soule: Hope so! I’ve always loved the idea of mythologies linked to or underlying everyday life, like the kami gods of Shintoism, where every rock, tree and stream has its own little god associated with it. I tried to establish some of that with 27, by creating deities of creativity, decay and fame. That’s nothing new – writers have been doing this stuff for millennia, just like every other idea under the sun.
Something very cool about Swamp Thing that I think makes the book distinct from some other superhero titles is that it has a very thoroughly developed mythology that spans back to prehistoric times. Avatars of the Green have existed as long as there has been plant life on Earth. Plus, Swampy’s powers are essentially infinite but also tightly defined – he can’t do anything that plants can’t do, and while plants can do plenty, there are also some strong limitations. I also like that Swamp Thing’s goal as an avatar of the Green isn’t necessarily to defeat or destroy – his job is to seek balance, which is cool. As a writer, all of that gives me a HUGE narrative toolbox to work with, which is inspiring. You can tell stories about some of the deepest philosophical questions mankind has ever considered, while still featuring a giant green leafy dude punching bad guys. It’s a blast!
Look for Swamp-Thing #19 to hit stands sometime April/May!
Stay tooned 😛
~CynicNerd
