>How did you meet Matt Weisman and what is the staus of your relationship
today?
He was reading a script aloud in my thesis screenwriting class at Columbia
University Film School. It was the funniest thing I ever heard. After class
I asked him to be my partner. We wrote and produced together for 17 years.
We're still friends, we are partners on previous projects that are still in
development, but we write separately.
>Which script of yours did Paul Schraeder send to his agent, and what was
the reaction it received?
It was a comedy called "SPOTS". Paul thought it was very clever -- he sent
it to his agent. I guess he liked it, they signed me as a client. The movie
never got made.
>Can you give us a timetable for your work in film? When did you write
the scripts for Teen Wolf, Burglar and Commando? How much involvement did
you have on the sets of these films?
Commando was written first as a spec, then Teen Wolf as a pitch was written,
then Burglar was adapted from a book. Various degrees of involvment at
various times.
>And what is it like writing an Arnold movie?
It's like any other movie. You write the best story you can and then try and
tailor it to your star. Arnold is very involved -- very good on script and
story.
>Tell us briefly how Firestorm came about.
A student in my screenwriting class at USC film school where I taught wrote
the script. When he graduated, I asked if he wanted to try and sell it with
Matt Weisman and I as the producers. He did, we did, and the movie came
together quickly.
>What did you honestly think of Teen Wolf Too when it came out?
I was disappointed. But, I wasn't very involved in the film. The studio
owed us a great deal of money and we agreed to do JUST the story (not the
script) if they would pay us. They did pay us a portion, but then they went
bankrupt. It was not a good experience.
>Which of your films do you enjoy watching most and why?
Probably Teen Wolf. It was my first film. That always has a special place.
>Which is a better Milos Forman flick--Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, Flint, or
Man on the Moon?
I prefer Cuckoo's Nest.
>Where would you be today had Dustin Hoffman been in more of a hurry that
day? :)
Probably very rich. :)
>What would your Flash movie have been about?
It was about a man who learns that life goes by too quickly, so you have to
slow down.
>How involved are you in the daily workings of Empath, and are there any
projects on the horizon?
Very. I run Empath now. We have a series on television called "7 Little
Monsters" on PBS and are about to start a new show -- which I will announce
soon. Blast! continues to go well. It's a good time.
>Comics Questions
>Let's do an Elseworlds for a second--imagine your letter in Amazing
Adventures had never seen print. How would your life have been different?
I'd have a different comic book collection. The letter got me a lot of
letters from people who wanted to sell their collections and one fine fellow
sold me the best stuff of my current collection.
>Who paid for Tom Chicarella's comics anyway and how much? Was the
collection as extensive as we hear?
It is extensive. And I paid for it. I worked from early on.
>How much of your career in comics do you credit to Barbara Kesel? Or to
Elliot Maggin (or maybe Elliot's guilt for stealing your story? :) )
I credit Elliot with giving me the inspiration for my work. I'm a bit
offended by the idea that Elliot "stole" my story. He did not. I never said
that or implied that. Elliot is one of my heroes. Barbara was my first
editor. She introduced me to Tim Sale. I can never repay her for that.
>Did Tim ever get frustrated with your constant revisions to the Challs
mini?
Oh, yeah.
>How has your collaboration process with Tim changed over the years from
its initial beginnings to the present day?
Well... at the beginning I knew what I was talking about and Tim put up with
me and now Tim knows what he's talking about and I put up with him.
>If so many people claim to have read that Challs mini, why was it
deemed unsuccessful by DC?
Sales. And I've always referred to it as a "critical" success.
>What would your sequel to the mini have been like, and what do you
think of what's been done with them since?
The "sequel" wrapped up some of the unfinished stuff from the series like
where Prof and June and the baby were. The only thing I really wanted to do
was bring them back from "the other side" at the end of the series, through
time, so they would be young men again, except they remembered what had
happened to them (their experiences), so they would be -- in fact -- living
on borrowed time. I haven't read much of what's been done since. I liked
the Karl Kesel/Art Adams 10 pager in the 80 page giant.
>And just how DID the bird get the worm? :)
Wow. Long time ago. I think it was you had to learn that what you want and
what you CAN do are not necessarily the same thing. The bird had to learn
NOT to want to the worm.
>Did you honestly think they would let you blow up the Batcave? :)
If it was a good story!
>Are you glad Round Midnight was NOT printed?
Yes, and no. I like all my stories, but Archie was right -- without the
Spirit it wasn't as strong and at the same time, it wasn't a Spirit story.
>How big an influence was Archie upon your life and career?
He was a giant of a man in a body too frail to contain all his magic. I'd
like to think I'm a better writer and person for knowing him.
>Do you regret your time on the X-books at all? Do you resent Bob Harras
or Mark Waid?
No. No. And no, why?
>What about your work on Captain America? Any rivalry with Waid over
that, or is it all in fun?
All fun.
>How about the Warren Ellis misquotations? Was that issue ever resolved?
I never got into it. I believe in leaving some things alone and they go
away. It went away.
>How involved are you in Awesome's daily business? (And a friend wanted
me to ask if Glory was ever going to come out again, but I told him I
wouldn't. :) )
I think Glory will come out. I talk to Rob often, but the responsibilities
of the company are his now. He'll do it.
>Did you expect to have made money at the end of the whole Wizard collector
business?
Oh, please. I thought I was going to LOSE every dime. I'm amazed that Brian
Cunningham did as badly as he did and I didn't.
>What exactly does your average Superman script require?
Time.
>TLH and DV Questions
>How constrained were you by the "official" Two-Face origin from the
Batman Annual by Andrew Helfer when writing TLH?
Not at all. I like telling stories that take place in between pages of the
stories we already know.
>And how constrained have the multiple takes on Robin's origin (Year
Three, LODK 100, Gauntlet, and the upcoming Year One mini) made you feel?
Again, it is the challenge of telling a good story. If the story works, then
it that's what the readers remember. If you want to find a problem with
"continuity" you can find it anywhere.
>Why exactly were you disallowed to use Calendar Man as Holiday? And
what did you think then of the 80-page giant in which he became a killer?
I wasn't "disallowed." It was a suggestion and made a better story.
Calendar Man as Holiday was only in the original proposal and more of a hold
over to the other Halloween specials where "lesser" villains played a bigger
part.
I never read the other story.
>Who is Charity Klugh?
A family friend. She was grand.
>Why was the Penguin in issue 13 of TLH?
He was part of the plan. We saw more of that in DV.
>And who was Holiday again? (Let me guess; your answer is going to
involve an ack and a thud, isn't it? :))
Have you read The Long Halloween? It's in there.
>But seriously, were you specifically referring to me when you spoke in
the Comicology interview about nuts from the Net with wild theories? (If
so, I take that as the utmost of compliments. :) )
Now... that would be telling!
>Why did you choose August 2nd as the Roman's birthday?
It's my Dad's birthday. =blush=
>Do you have a favorite of the Halloween specials, and if so, why? (How
about your fave issue of TLH? or DV?)
I like them all. They all have different memories. The first Halloween
special, because it was my first. I like the Father's Day story in TLH. I
like Battle and Orphans in DV. Not really more the others, they just come to
mind.
>Is there any more backstory to either TLH or DV, along the lines of the
lost pages of TLH in the trade, that you wanted to tell but were unable to,
and if so, can you let us in on it now?
Um... there'll be more later.
>And why was Toots's name in the coroner's Holiday files when it was
Joker who killed him? (Sorry, this is my nitpicky fan question.)
He was part of the Holiday murder files.
>General Questions
>What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything to you? Or
perhaps more appropriately for you--Fill in the blank: I believe in ...
family.
>In the future, we can expect you and Tim to reteam for Daredevil:
Yellow. Give us a brief preview if you can, and tell us when we can expect
that to hit shelves.
In March, a six issue mini-series that deals with the first few months of
DD's career. It's about the thrill of being the hero. It's great fun.
>How much longer do you plan to be involved in Superman, and what can
>you tell us about your involvement in the upcoming Fantastic Four
>celebration?
I've pretty much said I'm on through Superman #175 -- after that, who knows.
We'll see. Right now, I'm scripting the F.F. monthly and I'll be scripting
an issue of World's Greatest Comics. That's all I'm doing right now for the
F.F.
>Be my tour guide for Metropolis IL for a moment and tell me what to
>definitely see while there and what I can skip.
Oh, just go! It's not very big. You won't need a tour guide. It's more
like Smallville than Metropolis! It's so great -- you just have to go. Say
"Hi!" to Jim at the Superman Museum. He's the King.
>If you had to choose between only writing comics and only writing
movies for the rest of your life, which would it be and why?
I don't want to have to choose. They are both magical things I get to do.
>And finally, where do you see yourself ten years from now? Still at
Empath? Still working with Tim?
I have no idea. I'd like to be traveling with my wife and happy.
