The Lightning Saga Hardcover

Just got the hardcover for The Lightning Saga, which I think comes out this week (if I'm gonna whore and plug away, I gotta get better at this). But let me say this: working on that storyline -- especially with Geoff, who I love like a brother -- that was living the dream. All the hours spent playing "wouldn't it be cool if X met Y" when we were eleven were finally put to use. Dawnstar and the Hawks. Vixen and Gorilla City. Jay and Hal. Batman and Karate Kid. Wildfire and Red Tornado. All the character moments that I hope bring out the best in each character. Plus, we got to bring the old "real" Legion back, a detail that makes me as proud as can be (silly but honestly true). And we got to bring yet another character back in that lightning wand (see Geoff's current Action Comics story, which is breathtaking). I love these characters. And I love even more when we acknowledge the old stories that came before. Nothing makes me prouder as a writer.

JLA Statue

Been waiting for so long to reveal this. I still think the cover to issue 7 is my favorite piece of art Ed did, and now, you get to own it for yourself. I begged them to do this. Of course, I wanted the whole team too, but the financials and tiny details are so hard. Anyway, I think it's a knockout and next to my Dark Knight statue (the first one, duh) and a Charlie Brown one, will be the only one I'll put in my office.

JLA BUILD-A-SCENE STATUE: PART 1
Based on the art of Ed Benes
Sculpted by Alterton Bizarre

(click on image to enlarge)

Ed Benes' legendary image from the cover of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7 stands tall as it becomes a multi-part statue! Sold in three parts, each features two of the world's greatest superheroes and includes a piece of a bonus Red Tornado figure. (To fully assemble Red Tornado, all three Build-a-Scene statues are needed.) All of the pieces slide together to make a complete cover scene in striking 3-D!

• The first part of the statue includes Batman, Wonder Woman, and the base and tornado portion of Red Tornado.
  
• Part two will include Superman, Black Canary, and the torso of Red Tornado.
  
• Part three will include Green Lantern, The Flash, and the head and cape of Red Tornado.
  

The JLA BUILD-A-SCENE STATUE is a limited-edition, hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain statue measuring approximately 8" tall x 14" wide x 10" deep when fully assembled. (Each piece measures approximately 8" tall x 5" wide x 5" deep, except for Red Tornado, which measures approximately 10.375" tall x 8.5" wide x 5.5" deep.) It includes a certificate of authenticity and is packaged in a 4-color box. This limited edition statue is manufactured to order.

Advance-solicited; on sale August 13, 2007 * Statue * $150 US

Minor assembly is required.

JLA: Lightning Saga

Just got the proofs for the JLA hardcover of Lightning Saga. It's just packed with comics -- not just the JSA crossover, but issue 11 with Gene Ha, 12 with Benes and Wight, and issue 0 with everyone. Plus Patton Oswalt doing the intro. And the interesting part is the cover. This weekend, I saw two comics on the main octagons in Barnes & Noble: Dark Tower and Shooting War. Comics are competing for that mainstream eye. So expect a Mr. Alex Ross making a great appearance.

And for those who aren't watching, the next step in the story is taking place in Action Comics right now with Geoff writing. Superman and the Legion of Superheroes. Just check it out. Worth every penny.

Patton Oswalt

Just got the introduction for the next JLA hardcover, written by Patton Oswalt, who...c'mon...we love. And not just because he wrote a beautiful intro. The guy yells out, "Hal Jordan" in the middle of his act to signify will power. My hero.

And yes, this last hardcover has The Lightning Saga as well as issues 11, 12, and zero.

Simone Bianchi Interview

The best part of this is that the ONLY artist DC didn't let me approach for JLA 0 was Simone Bianchi. At that point, I'd just seen his 7 Soldiers stuff and said, "He's the next big gun. We have to get him." And that day, I heard he left for Marvel. I still give Loeb crap for stealing him away.

One day...

Full interview with him here.

Presents!

Still weaning off vacation, but came back to two of the nicest gifts around:

First, Alex Ross kindly sent the original pencil sketch (from our conversation) that became the cover for JLA 12 (Thanks, Alex -- truly first class);

And second, Eddie Berganza and DC Comics sent a framed JLA certificate with my name on it (and thanks to editors Adam Schlagman and Jeanine Schaefer who clearly had a hand in it). As I told them, I know the League isn't real. But c'mon...you know it is.

Still wiping the tears from my eyes.

Now...onto the novel...

Goodbye JLA

That's it...13 issues...well over 300 pages...11 members...and yes, despite Grundy, Amazo, Professor Ivo, Felix Faust, Dr. Impossible, Parasite, Electrocutioner, Plastique, Cavalier, Starro and others, plus the return of the "true" Legion of Super-Heroes, and Wally West, there wasn't enough action, fistfights or villains.

And so, let me answer the most asked questions:

Any regrets?

I wish I would've had Cyborg join. (Wanted to do it, but once 11 and 12 were planned out, just didn't have the room to make it happen).

What was the story with the older versions of Degaton, Despero, and Ultra Humanite?

As you can tell, The Lightning Saga is a smaller story within a bigger story (and it was our story -- Geoff and mine -- not a story that DC pushed on us). Geoff and I talked about whether to leave the villains in or pull them out entirely. Admittedly, this got a bit crunched for space (which is what happens when you have two writers and four different artists working simultaneously to make sure it all comes out on time), but this has clearly not been forgotten and was never meant to be a silly tease. Look at who the third team was. Time travel is a game of dominos.

What about Vixen's powers/Geo-Force/Deathstroke/etc?

Let me say this about all the so-called open threads: for each one, I asked DC: Do you want me to close this? Or would you rather build on it, in which case, I'll keep it open? The ones that are open, they said they wanted open. So check out JSA, and Geoff's Legion story, and the Green Arrow/Black Canary wedding special and, of course, JLA. Is that a ploy to get your money? Only if it doesn't involve great story. So, yes, the last thing I want is to be party to some fake "event" tie-in that simply has red skies in the background. But I feel these stories are in incredible hands, from Reddy to Vixen to Black Lightning to the rest. Even more important, this comic isn't a miniseries that was just for me. It's the Justice League of America, and it's ongoing, and at its best, its consequences should spill over into every part of the DCU.

When are you coming back to comics?

Buffy is next. But right now (and actually for the past year), it's been new novel full-time.

Anything you would change?

Every single story I write, the moment it comes out, I find new flaws/mistakes/words that I can't believe I didn't catch the first fifty times we went over it. But as a whole, each writer should only ever write the story that they have to tell. And these were the stories I had to tell: not about the giant menace (and believe me, I love giant menace stories), but about what makes the hero within. Issue zero, The Tornado's Path, The Lightning Saga, Walls, and Monitor Duty all deal with that same issue head-on. I don't love these heroes for their super-powers. I love them for their greatness within (which is just another way to say their humanity). I love that every day, even though they can die, they keep fighting forward. I love that Red Tornado would risk everything to be closer to his wife. I love that the Legion and JLA and JSA will risk it all to save their universe. I love that Red Arrow doesn't give up even when he should. And I love that the League will exist long after we're all gone. That is what greatness means: to keep going...to never let anyone stop you from what you love doing...even when the most impossible odds stand in your way.

I believe there is greatness in all of us. And especially in the smallest of us. Every single story I write is about that. Every story -- from JLA, to my novels, to Jack & Bobby -- is about fighting the fight for what you love (whether it's your wife, your universe, your family, yourself, or your team). And the best fights are the ones where you're fighting for who you are. The odds never matter. What matters is who we are underneath. What matters is that we're true to what we love. And what matters is never ever ever changing to be anything but who you are. And that's what I -- again -- learned from the Justice League.

See you on monitor duty. And can't wait to see Dwayne's run. It's gonna be beautiful, and best of all, it's just beginning.

Leaving JLA

Today is my last issue of JLA. I miss it like you wouldn't believe. But I'm leaving the big post/goodbye for tomorrow, just so you have a chance to read it first.

Thanks so much for reading it. Really.

More tomorrow...

JLA & Eternal Sunshine

Last JLA is this week, so looking forward to and so saddened at the same time. Like last issue, this is also a sort of risky experiment (and yes, no fistfights, again), but one that also ties back to issue zero (not the future stuff, the opening sequence). One day of Monitor Duty to show what the League is really made of. It's got extra pages, Eric Wight doing his magic and Ed Benes doing his as well. Plus Alex Ross and the final Turner cover.

Also, this trailer is so fun. If it were anyone else, I'd say the movie might suck. But Eternal Sunshine is a personal favorite, so let's have some faith. The best stories are indeed the ones we tell each other.

JLA Logos And Disney's No Smoking

First, we're bringing back the logos on the monitor chairs. It's so sad how much this excites me. Some are obvious. Here are the others:

Also, check out this article about how Disney is taking out ALL smoking from its films. It's amazing how Congress can't change the world, but some well placed politics can.

Most vital new news -- casting in Watchman. I've tried to remain clam, but Jackie Earle Haley as Rorshach? Best. Ever.

From Newsarama:

According to both of today’s Hollywood trades, the long-awaited big-screen adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Watchman has the first additions to its cast, and they are Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Malin Akerman. Zack Snyder 300 directs.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, "Set in an alternate America, 'Watchmen' follows costumed hero Rorschach, who is living a vigilante lifestyle because most masked heroes have retired or been outlawed. While investigating a murder, Rorschach learns that a former masked-hero colleague has been killed, prompting him to begin investigating a possible conspiracy."

Haley - best known for this roles as a teen in Breaking Away and The Bad News Bears before mounting a comeback with his Oscar-nominated role in Little Children will play Walter Kovacs, aka Rorschach, "who ignores the ban on costumed vigilantes."

Crudup (Almost Famous, long-time voice of the Mastercard “Priceless” commercials) will play Dr. Manhattan, "a superpowered being with godlike powers and temperament."

Akerman will play Laurie Juspeczyk/the Silk Spectre, "who is involved with Dr. Manhattan -- but that relationship begins to fall apart as he becomes more disconnected from humanity."

Goode will play Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias, "a costumed adventurer who retired voluntarily, disclosed his identity and built a large fortune. He hatches a plot to avert a global catastrophe he believes will be caused by Dr. Manhattan."

Wilson will play the Nite-Owl, "a crime-fighter who uses technical wizardry and has an owl-shaped flying vehicle."

Morgan will play the Comedian, "a cigar-chomping, gun-toting vigilante-turned-paramilitary agent."

Shooting is set to start this fall in Vancouver, with Snyder reportedly employing many of the filming techniques he used for his adaptation of 300.

JLA 11 Redux

Just a huge thanks for the emails and postings and bits of love about JLA 11 -- and especially those who said they wanted to hate it and were surprised how much they enjoyed it. Gene and Art killed themselves on this issue. And to be honest, I was terrified we took too big a leap in a book that's lived so much with attacking aliens and world threats. But my one belief is you have to tell the story you have to tell. So thanks.

Gene Ha And Art Lyon

I love this Harry Potter New York Times story about the guy who does the audio books.

And with JLA 11 being previewed yesterday, people have been asking about Gene Ha's stunning art and what he did that's different from his other work. I can't explain it. So I asked him. And so...from Gene:

The short answer is gray Copic markers and Photoshop.

The first stage is tight thumbnails. I scan this into my computer and print it as a blueline onto good /inkjet/ paper or Copic marker paper.

I then go to work with graphite pencil, gray Copic markers, white charcoal pencil and white paint. I mostly used Copic paper on this issue for the grainy, dusty effect. I prefer good quality inkjet paper because it absorbs the marker better without bleeding.

I use the pencils for fine details (like outlines and facial details) and the markers for most everything else. The white media lets me to create clean highlights.

After that Art puts it into Photoshop and tints the gray originals (The finished artwork couldn't have been done without a fine colorist like Art Lyon.).

There are two main techniques. Our classic technique is to select an area and Ctrl-B it. The other technique is to create another layer that makes the area darker, lighter, glow, etc. You'll have to ask him for more details!

And from super-colorist Art Lyon:

Let me elaborate on Gene's description of the coloring, if I may. Maybe no one cares and I will cry.

This issue had more than the usual number of insertions, meaning stuff Gene drew separately from the full page of art which I then inserted into the art. These are usually backgrounds, but are often common in situations where we have similar looking panels with limited but significant differences: an arm has moved, something has come into frame, etc. I've learned that in most cases it's best to insert these into the art and then flatten it and color it all as one thing.

So, yeah, Control+B calls up the Color Balance tool in Photoshop. I saved Color Balance settings for all the colors I knew would be cropping up a lot: character costumes and skin tones and hair color, rebar, cement, blood, etc. I spent a lot of time consulting with my oil painter wife Ellen, and with Gene, to get these colors just so. I knew we were going to be seeing A LOT of these colors, so I wanted to get them just right. I sampled colors from recent JLA issues, pictures of Halle Berry and Eric Johnson, and 9/11 and World Trade Center (the movie) images.

First I go through and do the Color Balance thing, which also occasionally involves the Hue & Saturation tool, too. This colors the grays in the original art layer. There are other ways to do this, but actually playing with the original art (rather than just layering in see-through colors on top of the art) will emphasize the texture of the original art, so I went with that.

I had a Shadows layer and a Highlights layer on top of the colored art. It's in these two layers that I do all my detailed coloring work, the stuff that hopefully "sells it". I lightly brush in all the niggly skin tones. I have a nice, fairly light rosey color, a pale green, and a purplish gray. Then reflected colors on an object are sampled from surrounding objects, and lightly brushed in to tint different areas. The advantage of these layers is that I can adjust their opacity, darkness, hue, and the like, and I can erase any area large or small partially or completely.

The Shadows layer is where I did all the blood effects, as well as some dust effects, the secondary light source colors, and dark reflected colors. The Highlights layer is where I did most of the dust effects and lighter reflected color.

Vibration effects are copies of this finished, colored art that have been made less opaque and less saturated. I erased different areas to let the base colored image peak through enough to keep it clear what we're looking at, despite the shaking.

Part of the trick was figuring out how dark to make it down there, and how much to make the characters costumes stand out. I darkened things a lot, and despite the need for grit and dirt and the like, I wanted to make the costumes still colorful enough to make the characters pop and to make the fans happy. Realism and flashiness was a big struggle here, color-wise.

So, that's basically it.

JLA 11

Tomorrow is JLA 11 with Gene Ha. It's a risky one, folks. Not as risky as a JLA/JSA crossover with no villains at all, or the last 5 full issues with no fistfights at all, but you get the pretty pictures. Can't wait to see if it works.

The preview for 11 has been posted to Newsarama.

Also, this is my favorite cover in a long time.

Spoliers for JLA/JSA

First, just want to make sure everyone saw yesterday's blog about the contest where you can recreate a scene from any of the novels. Really cool prize for the winner. Promise. Again, see yesterday's blog for details and for the example. Be famous! Win! Get the girl at the end!

Also, check out our MySpace Homepage (http://www.myspace.com/bradmeltzer) for your votes on the next Leaguer. Thanks to Sam for setting it up.

And so...onto JLA/JSA...

Okay, there’s the 11th member. And now, wait till you see Michael Turner and Alex Ross’s issue 12 covers (with Flash tucked in there right below Wonder Woman). For those who want to know why Geo-Force is there too…Alex liked drawing Geo-Force and I wanted to see him do it.
As for the issue, first the most asked questions:

Did you and Geoff know Bart was was going to die when you wrote it?

To give you a sense of timeline, Geoff and I pitched all of The Lightning Saga well before either of us ever knew that Bart was being killed. We always wanted the crossover to have a big ending, and like the original Seven Soldiers story we were playing with (where 7 characters return), we wanted the crossover to end in life, by bringing another Flash back. Then when we found out that Bart was going to die (and let me be clear, I love Bart), it was just unreal timing. (And more on this in our Newsarama interview that’ll go up today).

What was Karate Kid saying in Japanese as he braced himself for the lightning?

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.

What was the Interlac title for the story?

"The Villain Is The Hero In His Own Story"

Was Wally always the planned return?

Interesting. Who says the story’s done?

Who’s in the lightning rod at the end?

Man, that would be a really good excuse for another crossover.And as I told Vaneta over at Newsarama: All of you readers were amazing with the crossover. When the first issue hit, I saw dozens of posts with people explaining who certain Legionaires were, how their histories worked, and of course, how to speak Interlac. That was what I loved when I was growing up—that instant (and best) sense of community that the comic world could bring. So thanks for bringing that back for all of us.

Now, onto issue 11 and Gene Ha...

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JLA New Member

Been meaning to do this for awhile, but now, with two days to go, here's your chance to show the world who you want in the League (see the images below to put on your own pages). And since I'm doing this so late, this is our chance to ignore whoever you pick and go with who we already have. The nice part is, there's no fake come-on in this. The choice has been made. The issue has shipped. Your vote counts for nothing (just like in real life and high school elections).

So choose away and be ignored! Yay honesty.

In fact, staying with honesty: We'll check and see which of these is downloaded most and make sure that DC hears it. Honesty part: Of course, I have no idea how to check downloads, or if such technology exists, or how to operate it if it did -- and DC wouldn't care anyway. I'm off the book. They got a new love now.

As for JLA 10, may I suggest you stop reading the internet at this moment. Shut it off. Wait two days. And enjoy a nice surprise. I'll be back here on Thursday to discuss...

And thanks to Brad D for suggesting and designing. Here are the images for you:

Cyborg

Geo-Force

Green Arrow

Karate Kid

Lightning Lad

Nightwing

Build Your Own

New JLA Writer

Told you it was a good one, didn't I? Yes, DC officially announced Dwayne McDuffie as the new JLA writer starting with issue 13. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I heard he'd said yes all those months ago. The JLU is one of my all time favorites, hence the satellite design and the Javelin in issue 9. And I still credit him for bringing Vixen to the forefront. So hold tight -- the plans are set and the plans are amazing.

I'll be buying every issue and can't wait to see where it all goes.

For some more talk about it: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=116926

Issue 0

Issue 0

Reader Noah asked this about the hardcover of JLA:

Why no issue #0?

This was a hard one. We went back and forth over and over. Personally, I think the zero issue may be one of the ones I'm most proud of. But I worried that for the novel readers and/or people who just pick up the hardcover, it somehow got in the way of The Tornado's Path storyline. Then, once DC decided that the zero issue would be free for everyone via Free Comic Book Day, we decided, well, everyone will have it, so let's let the first storyline be just that. My hope is to sneak it into the third trade.

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Trophy Room

When I first got the JLA job, DC's Georg Brewer and I talked about how cool it would be if we could have a real Trophy Room with real artifacts. In fact, in JLA 7, that trophy room page was written as a double page spread with every item -- big and small -- that in an ideal world, could be created by DC. Sadly, because of page count and keeping Ed on time, the spread was shrunk. But the dream wasn't.

And so, here's first peek at the first item. And yes, I wanted a JLA Communicator or the Despero chess set to be first. But as always, the DC folks still came up with geek goodness.

And yes, the next wave of JLA figures are: Hawkgirl, Amazo, Batman and Dr. Impossible.

Dr. Impossible!

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Kryptonite Prop PREVIEWS.pdf

JLA Hardcover

The first hardcover collecting JLA 1 through 7 (The Tornado's Path) hits today. Yes, it's got all the covers and that usual nonsense. But for the added dough we're asking you to fork over, it also has a commentary section by yours truly and the rest of the creative team (similar to what we did in the trade for Identity Crisis). Lots of original script pieces too so you can see how it really evolved, including how we asked Ed to make Wonder Woman's boobs smaller.

Haven't seen if they pulled off the gatefold/pullout pages from issue 7, but for those who couldn't make it to the comic shop on a monthly basis, here's the collected story for the first time.

And thanks to all who did buy them as they came out. Also, just got the thumbnail for the final issue (12), which is called "Monitor Duty." One day in the JLA life. The one thing they all have in common. Man, will I miss this book.

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Alex Ross Cover For JLA 12

A good writer knows when to shut up...

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Sneak Peek At Gene Ha's JLA

While researching The Zero Game, I went 8,000 feet below ground -- that's 6 Empire State Buildings -- straight down in an abandoned gold mine. It gave me my favorite scene from the novel. And now, it's the inspiration for JLA 11. The whole story takes place with two characters trapped. Nothing else to interfere. Just character character character in the scariest death-trap around.

Yes, it's an experiment. But I'm so glad we're trying it. Even if we fail.

So here's the first look at Gene Ha's incredible art and the stunning colors of Art Lyon. It's truly mindbending.

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Legion Newbies

Have been asked if I was worried using the Legion in Justice League would confuse readers. But been getting tons of emails like this. Just makes me realize how much great undiscovered work there is out there. And how fun the Legion is.

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From Shane:

I had never been a big Legion of Superheroes fan as I had always seen their history as a tad complicated but since their involvement in this storyline I have borrowed a few of the DC archives of a friend, bought the Legion Showcase vol. 1 and the Great Darkness Saga and I can officially say that I am hooked. To me he legion is one of those books that was so ahead of its time, its unbelievable.

Free JLA

This isn't a post for the comic book readers. It's for the novel readers. Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day (Saturday, May 5th), which means comic stores across the country are giving away...wait for it...FREE COMICS! (Hoo Yay!) So take the day, bring a couple kids (nieces, nephews, friends, or of course your own) and let them come grab-bag all the FREE COMICS!

For me, this is the single best day to get new readers: all the books are approachable, all are good, and all are free. Plus, you can also help the local store by actually buying stuff. And if you don't know where a local comic store is, go here:

http://csls.diamondcomics.com/default.asp

And don't forget, JLA 0 is one of the freebies.

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Gene Simmons Reading Brad

Reader Mitchum S. sent this one:

So I am watching the newest episode of Gene Simmons: Family Jewels on A&E tonight (I've got a little crush on Nick), and lo and behold, during one scene Gene is reading JLA #5.

Anyone got a screenshot?

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IGN Interview

Some of this I've answered before, but much of the interview is a real nice look at my writing thought process. And the IGN guys are first class.

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http://comics.ign.com/articles/783/783746p1.html

The Past, Present and Future of the JLA

Brad Meltzer chats about DC and his novel, The Book of Fate.

by Dan Phillips

April 26, 2007 - Not many writers can claim to have a best-selling novel and a top-ten comic book series out at the same time, but writer Brad Meltzer has both. With his best-selling novel Book of Fate hitting bookstores in paperback form this week and Justice League of America continuing to sell like crazy, Meltzer is enjoying huge success in both literary forms.

Much to most comic fans' delight, this month marked the beginning of the JLA/JSA crossover, "The Lightning Saga." Alongside Justice Society writer Geoff Johns, Meltzer is weaving a thrilling tale that includes not only both of DC's flagship superhero teams, but the 31st Century Legion of Superheroes as well. We sat down with Brad to talk about the Book of Fate, the Justice League of America, the JLA/JSA crossover, and his past comic book work, which includes the successful Identity Crisis and Green Arrow: Archer's Quest.

IGN Comics: Your latest novel, Book of Fate, comes out in paperback this week. Can you tell us a little about the book's premise?

Brad Meltzer: The Book of Fate has a very simple plot: The President's aide watches his friend die right in front of his eyes, and then eight years later finds out his dead friend is actually alive and on the run. Trying to figure out what happened takes him back to these buried secrets in Freemason history and a 200-year-old code invented by Thomas Jefferson, and he has to figure out if this is all coincidence or is it fate. And of course, I managed to sneak in as many comic references in the book as I could.

IGN Comics: What gave you the initial idea to write the book? Are you a conspiracy theorist at heart?

Meltzer: I think every thriller writer is paranoid - that's why you're a thriller writer, so I definitely think I have that in me. This book came about in the most surreal way ever. Former President Bush wrote me a letter one day saying he liked my novel The Millionaires, and asked if I would sign a copy for him. I don't care what your politics are, if you're a former President, I'll send you a free book. So I sent him a free book, but then I started thinking - how much free time does this guy have on his hands if he's actually writing me a letter?

I was just obsessed with the idea of these former Presidents - because we all know the West Wing, we've all seen it - and the idea of what happens when you leave office? What happens when you know for a fact that you've peaked in your life, and everything else is downhill? What happens when you're the most powerful man in the world one day, and the next day you suddenly have to stop at red lights like the rest of us? I was just obsessed with that.

So I wrote him back and of course signed the book for him, and I asked him if I could come see what his life was like. He was nice enough to say yes, so I spent nearly a week in Houston with the Bushes and then went up to Bill Clinton's office in Harlem. All the details you see in Book of Fate are based on all the things I saw there. They're pulled from reality.

IGN Comics: So other than those experiences, how much research went into the book? You mentioned that the Freemasons play a role...

Meltzer: Well honestly, I love the Freemason stuff, but I think the publisher - either rightly or wrongly - sees it in their own way, and it becomes a marketing ploy whether I like it or not, because they know people are interested in it.

I think people who read the book will see that [the Freemasons] plays a small but vital role. I mean, you can write tons of books on the Freemasons if you just want to accept every conspiracy theory out there, and there are people out there who will tell you that the Freemasons are responsible for everything from taking over the world to stealing your car right there - which they are. [laughs] But there are only a few things that can be proven about them. For instance, you can prove who was a Freemason, and that alone is fascinating. I didn't know what Freemasonry was, and then someone sent me a list of all the powerful Freemasons in the world, and it was a list that included everyone from George Washington to Winston Churchill to John Wayne to Mark Twain to Harry Houdini. Eight signers of the Declaration of Independence, nine signers of the US Constitution, and 15 Presidents were all Freemasons. Now we've had 43 Presidents; if 15 of them were all part of the same secret club, you better believe I want to know about this club. So I really tried to limit the conspiracies and leave it more to the facts, because I'm far more interested in that than the whack job theories that are out there.

IGN Comics: One of the strongest and most recognizable aspects of your comics work is your use of multiple perspective narration, a fairly common device in novels but one we don't really see too often in comics, at least to the extent you were able to do in Identity Crisis and now Justice League of America. Has it been at all difficult to apply the technique or device to your comic book writing?

Meltzer: I'm one of those people who really try not to pull the thread on the sweater to figure how it all happened, because I'm worried the sweater will just evaporate. But I'm a firm believer in trying something new.

When I started writing novels, I remember my editor telling me that if you do point of view, you have to stay in that point of view no matter what. As a 24 year old kid, I figured those were the rules and that's it, I can't change it. And then I wrote my second novel, and I said - well why can't I write from two perspectives, because I wont be constantly changing perspectives, it'll just be a two perspective story? He said ok, but I can't change perspectives mid-scene, and if I write in third person, I have to stay in third person. Then when I wrote the First Council, whether it was a matter of feeling older or more confident (although I'm always terrified of writing), I certainly felt that I wanted to try something different. So I said, why not take third person and first person and mix it, and you know what? The world didn't end that night, and I realized the first rule of writing - as clichéd as it sounds - is there are no rules.

I've tried to do something different in every book, not so I could say "look at me, I'm different," but only because, as a writer, I don't want to get bored. If I have to write the same book in the same way every single time, then I'm just going to be some hack who's churning it out book after book. Again, I think we all like to pretend we know the way the craft works and all start from this great place, but I didn't. I stumbled my way there, and it's taken me a decade to get there. But I feel like what I've found now is my voice. I realized I like multiple perspectives. Why? Because it becomes complex. You get to see everything from different perspectives, and it's not just a Roshamon effect, you actually get to see everything from different perspectives, and the same instance becomes twenty different instances, just because it's seen through different eyes.

To go back to that line in Identity Crisis - "people see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear." That was one of the essential points I wanted to get across, because that's obviously the moral dilemma the league's going through in that book, but it was all derived from the fact that they're all looking at the same instance differently. So it's nothing more than, to me, the way I can bring the fullest emotional experience to any situation. That's where I'm going to get the emotional resonance from.

IGN Comics: Do you ever struggle to capture the various characters' voices, and did whether or not you wanted to or could capture a character's voice come into play when assembling your JLA lineup?

Meltzer: It's definitely a question of preparation. I'd be a moron if I just started and assumed I knew everyone's voice and just started writing whatever the story's going to be. I really had to break down and keep notebooks full of details about the characters, things you'll never see in the novels or comics, but details that I need to know. I'm figuring out people's voices, figuring out who they are, and I may just write a back-story or back history about them.

A character like Hawkgirl I just could not crack in my head because I couldn't figure out who she was. For all the time, even since Kendra has been around, I just couldn't find a voice for her. She was basically just a female character who has wings. But I kept thinking about the character, and I fell in love with the idea that maybe this broad has a death wish. Maybe she does subconsciously want to kill herself because she really wants to be her original self again. Suddenly that character became far more interesting than anything else I could work on, and now I had a voice for her. Now I had a new tone for her, a new cockiness to her that for me cracked open the character.

I'll say there were characters who didn't make the League, not because I didn't like them, but because I don't think I write to their strengths. There were characters that were too internal. I'll admit that some of them I have found voices for, but some of them I never will. I don't think you should include anyone because all the readers out there want you to, because then your writing for approval and writing to be liked, and that to me is one of the most dangerous trends that is happening in comics right now.

IGN Comics: How did you decide to make Black Canary the leader of the team?

Meltzer: It's funny, I - again, that came from as I was walking through the plot. I didn't plan on it when I originally thought about it in a global sense and pitched the whole league to DC, but as I started thinking about the characters and watching who was making what move.

I tend to write the general big arc in my head so I know where I'm going, and then the details I kind of break down arc by arc as I get to them - and as I started looking at the "Tornado's Path", I just kept coming back to this thing that, you know, the whole point of it was to show that the Big 3 are the center of the universe but they're also not the center of the universe. When I looked at those scenes when they're not the center of the universe, it wasn't Hal Jordan who was jumping to the front. It was partly because of the dynamic that was playing out between Hal and Roy, but it just was very clear to me that there was someone who was the bigger anchor than any of those other characters.

It's like the Supreme Court definition of pornography: you know it when you see it. I just knew it when I saw it - this was Dinah's time. I just felt it. She has a strength that's anchoring the League at this moment. Maybe it's because she feels ties with all of these characters, or maybe it's because Roy is there and she feels a little more maternal and protective, but whatever it is, she just felt like the right person to put in charge.

IGN Comics: Speaking of Roy, you first explored the character and his relationship with Ollie in Archer's Quest, and their relationship has certainly played a big role in your first JLA arc. Have you always wanted to give Roy a more prominent role in the DCU?

Meltzer: When I wrote Archer's Quest six years ago, my plan was to have Roy in the Justice League. It's in there. You can look at it. There's a line in there where Roy asks Ollie, "Are you gonna join the League now that you're back to life," and Ollie looks at Roy and says, "Why don't you join? You're the same age I was when they asked me to join." Then there's a silent panel of Roy's face. That was my seed right there. I put it out there. At that point in time I never knew if I was going to write another comic again or if anyone would like what I was writing, so I was putting it out there hoping that someone might grab on to it and run with it. I had no idea that six years later, I'd get to do it myself. But my plan all along was - why is this character stuck in this adolescent limbo?

IGN Comics: The only character that didn't join the League through a trial by fire is Geo-Force, so I'm curious why you decided to make him join this way?

Meltzer: Well he didn't join. [laughs] You said it in your question. He may be in the last spread on JLA/JSA, but he's not officially a member yet. He's not in the League, which is why he isn't in the picture in issue #7. He may be soon, but not yet.

IGN Comics: Moving on to the crossover - how and when did the idea to do a JLA/JSA crossover come about?

Meltzer: I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment, but the truth is, Geoff and I have been talking about this since I've known him. Not in direct ways, like "Hey let's do this together," but more along the lines of "This is our fanboy dream come true." When I first met him and he was stuck at my house during a hurricane in Baltimore, he was stranded, so he started reading the scripts to Identity Crisis as I finished them. I remember talking about our favorite Justice League and JSA stories, and we always came back to those great old crossovers.

The most beautiful things in life are the things that you don't plan and you don't try to do because you hope people will like them or like you, or because you want to make money and be successful, they're the things you do because you love them. This was one of the ones where it wasn't DC saying "Hey, take the two re-launched books and do a crossover." DC did not even know we were doing it until we went to them and said we wanted to do a crossover. They said great, and now they get to put out there that they're having this great crossover, which we appreciate, but it really came about when we said, hey you're doing this book, I'm doing this book - we should do a crossover. It really did come from those best of places.

IGN Comics: So when did you figure out that you wanted the Legion of Superheroes to come into play in this story?

Meltzer: That was early. To show you how far back it goes, if you look at the first image that we put out there of the Justice League, The Karate Kid is in there. I remember when I asked Ed [Benes] to put him in, I said, "Do I want to put this out there, or will they start guessing it too quickly?" I figured you'd have to be a really good guesser to get that one, so we put it out there.

This was over a year ago when I was still waiting for approval on the team, and we already knew it'd be cool to do it with the Legion. We really wanted to do an homage to Seven Soldiers for a new era. That to me is the ultimate JLA/JSA team-up, even better than issues #21 and #22. Geoff and I are both huge Legion fans, so this was our way in. Again, this is cliché in any comic book interview today, but you know the saying - if you get to play with the toys, you might as well play with the good ones.

IGN Comics: The Legion has undergone a ton of reboots and relaunches, more so than most properties. How did you and Geoff decide which version of the Legion to use?

Meltzer: Geoff and I just have a very similar eye for what we like in geekdom. I just can't say it better than that. We're similar in age, same generation, so we read and grew up on the same comics, and the same stories affected us in the same way. So when it came to which version of the Legion we were picking, it was literally like - this one? Yeah! That was it. We knew it in a heartbeat. I don't even know who said it, because we were so in sync.

I think people are going to be surprised next issue when they're able to see the new explanation of the Legion, and I think it'll all make more sense. I'm someone who doesn't like writing about the old stories. Everyone calls everything a retcon, and I don't even like the word because I think it acknowledges that you can just ignore things. As much change as I've been lucky enough to make on certain parts of the DCU that I've worked on, the one thing I've tried to do is pull in as many of those old stories as I can and bring them back into continuity, as opposed to just looking at them and saying "those are cute coloring books, but we don't need them anymore."

IGN Comics: Will we be seeing any major villains, or will this be more of a mystery surrounding why these seven Legionnaires are stranded in the present?

Meltzer: Oh, you'll see some villains. Well you already saw one in the first issue, but certainly what [the Legion members] are doing here is the biggest part of the story.

IGN Comics: Were there any character interactions that you really enjoyed writing?

Meltzer: My favorite character to write, which surprised me, was Powergirl. This has absolutely been the best collaborative process I've ever been a part of. As a novelist, I'm not good with collaboration. I do my own thing, my editor keeps me in line, and I get to steer my own ship. Then suddenly in something like this, in comics, it's a full collaboration. You know, it's absolutely 50/50 artist and writer. And this time, we've got two writers in there. So we kind of had the JLA and JSA draft, where we got to kind of say - who do you want? Neither of us were going to take all the good ones and just walk away, so with dumb smiles on our face, we kind of said, who do you want? I remember Geoff definitely wanted Superman and Black Lightning, and I wanted to write Powergirl and wanted a crack at Hawkman. You want what you can't have, so that's what it came down to. But writing Powergirl for me was just a great deal of fun. Mr. Terrific was also a fun character to write, because I just like those real cerebral characters.

IGN Comics: The crossover wraps up in issue #10, so what do you have planned for your last two issues?

Meltzer: Issue #11 is the most experimental piece of writing that I've ever undertaken. We went out at got Gene Ha to do it, because I think he's one of the people who pushes the medium and the craft more than just about anybody out there. It may be the single story that I'm most proud of, because it takes so many chances. We're either going to fall on our face, or not, but I'm glad we took the chance. The last issue kind of gives you the bow on the package and gives you the big picture, and you get to pull out a little. Then we do our parade wave and say goodbye.

IGN Comics: Do you have any plans for future comics work? Any characters or series you'd really love to write?

Meltzer: The truth is, if you asked me what my favorites are, there'd be the JLA, the JSA, and the Legion.

IGN Comics: So you've already tackled all three...

Meltzer: I'm very fortunate for that. I still love the Titans. I still love the X-Men. I mean, there are characters I like, but my dream has always been to write the Justice League. That's the one thing I wanted to do, and in my head, if I came back to comics, I would write the Justice League again. I would love to do that again.

I'm by no means done, it's purely a function of just having to get back before my publisher kills me. In truth, I probably should have signed up for four issues or six issues and done it like I did Identity Crisis and Archer's Quest, but I felt like I just didn't want to do that to the reader. If they were going to sign on, then I needed to commit as well. So I took on the thirteen issues, and four of them are double issues, so it wound up becoming this immensely bigger project than I ever intended, which is never a complaint in any way.

IGN Comics: One of the things that's recognizable in both your and Geoff's work is your love and respect for the characters really comes through. We asked Geoff this question when we interviewed him, and we'd love to hear your answer, too: What is it about the DC Universe that you find so appealing?

Meltzer: People always say the DC Universe is full of archetypes and Marvel is full of flawed human beings. I think in broad strokes, all those overstatements can be true, but for me, any superhero story is about an ideal. That's all its about.

Anyone who loves comics, whether they admit it to themselves or not - and I include myself in this group - has an issue with self-esteem, an issue with right and wrong, and very strong opinion on where those right and wrong lines fall. I want to believe that there's someone out there that will do good when everyone else is doing bad. I want to believe that someone will have my back, no matter what it costs them personally. I want to believe that people will do good through their own self sacrifice. I want to believe that this world exists. That can easily get lost in the popular press as, "Look, he likes superheroes!" But anyone who reads comics knows that the stories are far bigger than putting on a mask and running around with underwear outside of your tights, and that's why I think the popular culture today is obsessed with this fantasy.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Spider-Man and comic book movies - whether it's 300 or Ghost Rider, or whether it's good or it's bad - are doing so well right now. I think you always get the heroes that the time requires. I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you look at when Superman was created, right before he was created, Tarzan and Flash Gordon were the most popular comic strips. At the time of the Depression, strips that took people to a different time and place were big, because it took people away from this miserable time and place in our country's history and took them to Mars, the 25th Century, or the Jungle, or wherever. And then Hitler and World War II looked like they were encroaching on our shore, and here comes a character named Superman to save us all. That's not a coincidence.

After 9/11, it's no coincidence to me that Spider-Man did the numbers it did at the box office, and it's no coincidence to me that all the other superhero movies followed, because the world again became a very scary place, and people wanted someone to save them. I do believe that in history, you don't get the heroes you want, you get the heroes you need. I want to believe that these characters exist. I've wanted to believe that for the past 36 years of my life. I'll never apologize for that, and that's what has always appealed to me about any fictional universe.

IGN Comics: Thanks, Brad!

Meltzer: Thank you!

Podcast

Here's the woodballon podcast with me and the amazing John Siuntres. It starts with Book of Fate, then eventually does some great chat about JLA/JSA. Enjoy...

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Capes And Castaways Collide

From today's Pop Candy blog (not reading Whitney? We love her!)

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Capes and castaways collide

Do you like Lost? Do you like comics? I just got a scoop from DC Comics that the introduction for Brad Meltzer's forthcoming Justice League of America hardcover will be written by Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof. Yay!

"I met Damon at the super-geek-happy-clubhouse (first rule of the super-geek-happy-clubhouse -- there is no super-geek-happy-clubhouse)," Meltzer told me via e-mail yesterday. "Damon is one of the kindest, nicest people around, so I just begged and cried and held tight to his ankle until he said yes.

"Plus, every time he's on TV, I get a hundred e-mails telling me they just saw me on television (bald and in the comic industry, like that's hard to do). And what he wrote about JLA is as insightful and cool as Locke getting out of that wheelchair."

The book comes out June 7. Meltzer is also the author of the best-selling novel The Book of Fate, which just came out in paperback this week. Check 'em out.

PS here is a reprint of the "Celebrity Blog Tour" Q&A with Damon from The Book Of Fate release last year.

Damon Lindelof: When you were a little kid, what was your favorite thing to do in gym class? I ask this because most of us spazoids were terrible at the jock-attracting activities like basketball, football, baseball... well, ANYTHING with a ball really... but yet elementary school gym offered a wider curriculum of activities. So give it UP!

Brad Meltzer: Red Rover, Red Rover, we call Damon right over. No ball, no brawn, no athletics involved -- and the first little mind game they let us play. I wasn't strong or fast, but man, did the meatheads get pissed if they didn't get their name called. I took the smallest amount of pathetic joy in that.

Lindelof: You have a time machine. You can go back to ANY time in your own life and tell yourself to do something differently. You may NOT place any bets or give stock tips. To what point in your life do you travel and what do you tell yourself? Paradoxes are welcomed.

Meltzer: Brooklyn, New York, July 5, 1984. The day my family left Brooklyn to move to Florida. I was fourteen, my mom and dad had no jobs, no place to live, and only $1,200 to their name. They packed me and my sister in our crappy Dodge and began driving to Florida. So there, yes, it would've been nice to have someone whisper in my ear that things would be okay. But I was a cynic at fourteen and would've thought the current Me was a bald, uncool white dude, so I would've screamed, "Stranger!" and run away, thinking, "What a turd." Nice going, Me--brilliant at fourteen. Besides, all that fear and anxiety is the core of everything in my belly, so I'm glad I'd think I was a knob. Go, young cool Me!

Lindelof: Would you rather be referred to as a comic-book writer or a novelist in your obituary. You can only choose one.

Meltzer: This question haunts me. Daily. It cuts to the heart of all my fears and self-focused fantasies. Novelist is easily more "impressive" to the large group. It impresses my mom. It lets her brag to her friends. But as a matter of pride, I’m truly more in my own skin in the world of comics. I didn't read novels growing up. I don't read that many novels now. But comics? I read comics. I know them. I understand them. And they let me be part of the coolest, geekiest, saddest, happiest, smartest secret-club around. Comics are like high school sweetheart, and novels are like the sexy sultry blonde who would never date you when you were nothing, but shows up now once you've found a sliver of success. But even with all that ridiculous self-confession -- I still have to say "novelist" for my obituary. Not because it's cooler or more prestigious or more impressive to my mom. I say it because, when I write a novel, it's mine. The creation is mine. The creative process is mine. And to build that entire house with nothing but your own hands...to be the sole architect from idea to end...and to not need a large conglomerate's property to do it...that's something to be.
And Damon, I owe you a good two bills for that therapy session.

Lindelof: Earth has been ravaged by a hundred year war as humanity is forced below the earth, cowering in underground caverns until a victor is declared between the two mighty combatants. Robots vs. Zombies. Who wins that war?

Meltzer: Zombies, easy. Please, it's the first rule of Zombies: Nothing stops Zombies. Robots may make it through a sequel or two. The cybernetic forearm may survive until they can afford morphing effects. But lava eventually stops robots. Keanu stops Robots. Nothing stops Zombies. (Tomorrow I'm changing my answer. Robots can always create more of themselves).

Lindelof: What is the WORST ending of the BEST story?

Meltzer: I hate giving this answer--I actually regret it as I say the words: The easy answer is The Phantom Menace (just a shame), but the real answer has to be the last two Matrix movies. I remember exactly where I sat in the theater when I saw Star Wars at age 7. I remember where I sat when I saw the first Superman movie. And it never happened again until The Matrix. It was like that scene in Kavalier & Clay where they see Citizen Kane and they feel like the whole wide world just opened and expanded. That's how I felt with The Matrix. I came out of there and just felt the whole world of fantasy and geekdom and film and story all change at once. I was thrilled, inspired -- thankful even -- just to witness it. But the sequels...all the emotion was gone.

JLA 8 Cover Revealed

Seven days until JLA/JSA kicks off, so here's a peek at Michael Turner's actual cover. Also, just got the new covers for all the novel covers (publisher is redoing them all (from Tenth Justice to Zero Game) for when The Book of Fate comes out in paperback in 2 weeks). As I get the final images, I'll post them here next week as well.

Plus, wait till you see who's doing the intro for the JLA hardcover collecting The Tornado's Path...

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JLA Interview And Commentary

Here you go, from Newsarama:
(and this time, the only typo is when I said "thanks in no SMALL part about Gail and Chuck"). :)

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=107787

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Thanks For The Hearts On JLA 7

Just a note to say thanks to everyone who has written me about JLA 7, and more important, who lasted through the first 7 issues to see the full story. I know we made you wait, and I appreciate the patience. Just really wanted to earn the League's return for all involved.

And for all those who have asked, yes, that's Karate Kid. Yes, he's here. And yes, the crossover is SO much JLA/JSA/LSH fun. I think we'll put the real cover to issue 8 up during the middle of next week, so get ready for the geekasms (or at least mine).

Also, just got the final pages for issue 11 from Gene Ha. This issue is a huge experiment for all involved, and at my most pretentious, really pushes what we can do with the medium. It is just stunning. Red Arrow and Vixen...

Three more adventures to go...

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Mistake in JLA 7

Wish this weren't so, but just found out there's a misplaced page in JLA 7. Thanks to an extra ad, Page 30, for some reason, runs before page 26. It oddly still somehow reads okay (kinda), but for the optimum reading experience, there's how it should go. (The whole Star City scene should read together). Sorry for that one.

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Ed Nominated For The Eagle

Just finally saw that our own Ed Benes was nominated for the Eagle Award for "Favourite Comics Cover published during 2006" for JLA 1. So so happy to see that one. And for fun, look at that cover and then look at the team shot in issue 7 -- and see how he's grown in the last year.

Congrats, Ed.

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JLA 7 Preview

For some reason, this made the rounds last week, but for those who didn't see it, here're the first two pages of tomorrow's JLA issue...

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http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/mar07/previews/mar28th.html

JLA 1 Reprints

The best part is Ed's quote. And just fyi, the reason for the reprint now? With issue zero as the free comic in the Free Comic Book Day giveaway, they wanted to make sure all the kids could go and buy the next issue, rather than having to search out the hardcover.

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Press Release

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1, the first issue of DC Comics' new series written by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Ed Benes and Sandra Hope, has sold out its Second Printing and is going back to press for a new, Third Printing.

"This is totally awesome," says Benes. "I feel like we did a great job and delivered a great story! I'd like to thank the fans for all the kind words on the message boards and blogs - and I also would like to thank Dan DiDio, Brad Meltzer and Eddie Berganza for all their faith in my work and . . . I still can't believe it!"

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Third Printing (FEB078133) features a pencils-only version of this issue's variant cover art by Michael Turner and is scheduled to arrive in stores on April 11 with a cover price of $3.99 U.S.

To ensure delivery on April 11, retailers must place orders by Sunday, April 1. Please note that quantities will be limited and may sell out before April 1.

Also, retailers may order one copy of the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Variant Edition, featuring a color cover by Michael Turner, for every ten copies of the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Third Printing (FEB078133) ordered through April 1. The JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Variant Edition now may be ordered under the Diamond item code FEB078172. Quantities on the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Variant Edition are limited; orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Retailers may order these issues by contacting their Diamond Customer Service Representative or DC Sales Representative, or by email at reorders@diamondcomics.com.

JLA 1 Redrawn

I love it so much when people do these...

Here's another artist redrawing the first few pages from JLA 1 from the original script. So say hello to T. J. Frias (find more of him at http://www.tjfriasartanddesign.com/comic_book_art.html).

There's a really cool art experiment to be done here...

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Click on the images to enlarge

Cover of JLA 10

As promised, here's the fir