Marc Guggenheim Interview Part Two

Marc Guggenheim was good enough to give us the inside word on a LOT of stuff--so here is part two of Kat Bittner's interview, wherein she discusses his other comic book work, including stuff coming soon!

BPD: Given in your infamous run in the "Vendetta" storyline with Wolverine surviving a ground zero detonation from Nitro not to mention a plane crash and a thousand foot free fall-- you don’t seem to have a problem covering Logan as mega-powerful.

Did you create the last year of the "Resurrection" story as a response criticism of that take?

MG: I don’t write in response to criticism. I think that’s sort of a fool’s errand. As far as people reacting to "Vendetta" that way, they probably won’t like or maybe they will love my next arc on Wolverine where in the first issue Wolverine swallows a bomb.

BPD: You hinted at the end of your run on Blade that we might see some more Blade-centric material from you in the future. Specifically involving Blade’s old partners.

MG: I don’t know if I would call it Blade-centric as more Blade involved. There’s two different projects I’m working on right now where Blade will appear and play a part. I grew very fond of the character in writing him for a year. I still hope to get another bite of the apple with him one day as a regular series for time being I’m taking little hits at him through these other projects (unfortunately attempts to probe deeper provoked finger wagging from Blade’s mother).

BPD: Why did Howard Chaykin change Blade to look less like Wesley Snipes and more like Billy Dee Williams?

MG: I can’t speak to the why of it. He just told me he was going to start playing around with the look and I said okay. He did so slowly and subtly that even though I was informed of that he was going to be doing, I didn’t even fully appreciate it until we flash back to that panel from issue two. Then you can see over the course of a year he really changed his look.

I kind of liked it--it felt very real to me, like in a television show when they rerun the season premiere at the end of the season, and you go "OMG that actor changed his hairstyle!" It was very much like that. It felt like Blade changed his appearance the way we all do, that it happens so slowly that you’re not conscious of it.

BPD: How did being an attorney influence your coverage of Punisher and Law and Order?

MG: In the case of the Punisher story, it's set in a courtroom. It’s all about the Punisher moving through the legal system. I was drawing very heavily on my background as an attorney and on my experience writing in Law and Order.

Except for rare instances where my characters intersect with the legal system, my experiences as an attorney really comes more to bear in terms of my ability to write fast. As an attorney you write a 75 page brief in a night. You learn the hard way to write well and to write fast. In many ways being a lawyer is like being in boot camp for writers.

BPD: You were on Flash for five issues. Do you think Bart will come back?

MG: I do, but in the same way that everyone will come back eventually. I think he ultimately will. It would be great to write him again one day.

BPD: Would it be more in the Impulse/Kid Flash mode or in the more "I’m growing up gotta get serious about life" mode?

MG: I think that commercially it would probably be better and more successful to bring him back as Impulse or Kid Flash, because that seems to be the version of the character that everyone seems really fond of.

Off the top of my head, I think there might be something really interesting in writing a guy who started out as this ne’er-do-well, devil may care kid who dies and comes back to life. How does that experience affect his ability to be impulsive? [We could] explore the real human emotion of that.

The truth is, that’s the tricky part of bringing characters back to life. That’s something that Geoff Jones does extraordinarily well. When he brought Hal Jordan back, he brought back the essence of the character without all the baggage he'd picked up over the years. I think that’s probably the way to go. It’s so hard to speak hypothetically, that’s certainly seems to work the best in terms of what fans are looking for.

BPD: Historically Flash has been one of the more light hearted upbeat characters.
MG: That sort of goes with a character who’s fast. If you’re writing a character who’s fast but they seem to be weighed down by all these emotions, there’s an inherent incongruity there.

BPD: Are you afraid of ever getting caught up in one of those gigantic mega-crossovers? You know, like getting a two sentence summary and they say "Go write this."

MG: I don’t write it. That’s the reality of writing comics these days. The reason why I love writing so much. I look at everything like it’s a challenge, a puzzle to solve that would be an interesting challenge to solve.

Since I’ve been reading comics all my life by the time I broke into as a writer I’ve developed this list of pet peeves as a reader, things that I promised myself I would address or at least avoid in my own writing. One of my pet peeves is when you have the big crossovers and the tie-ins are really trade dress only. That’s what I would really not want to do. If I was faced with "you have to be involved in this crossover," the trick is being involved without sounding out myself. I always approached it as an interesting problem to solve. Also I love writing comics so any problem to solve is a quality problem by definition.

BPD: Any future projects?

MG: I’m working on a TV show right now called Eli Stone, that I’m very involved in and very passionate about. It’s got elements of science fiction. We have more visual effects shots in our pilot than Heroes did, yet it’s not traditional sci-fi. It’s more spiritual, more metaphysical than your traditional science fiction. It’s about a lawyer who may be a modern day prophet. It’s a lot of fun. It’s got comedy and drama and law and musical numbers and visual effects and it’s one of those original pieces that people will absolutely love or absolutely hate. I think they’ll love cause it’s got a lot of heart to it.

BPD: Who’s in the cast?

MG: We have a great cast. They are the reason the show is fun to write because you can’t wait to see the actors deliver these lines. Jonny Lee Miller is our lead; he was in Trainspotting. Natasha Henstridge, Julie Gonzalo from Veronica Mars, Victor Garber from Alias, Loretta Divine, Sam Jaeger from Catch and Release, Tom Amandes from Everwood. There are lots of great people on this show.

BPD: What network is it gonna be on?

MG: ABC. The trailer is up on YouTube and the ABC site.

BPD: Do you have any favorite genre writers?

MG: I’m a big fan of writers who are working in comic books like Brian K. Vaughn. Y the Last Man is my favorite comic book right now.

I like a lot of different forms of SF television and film like Joss Whedon’s Firefly/Serenity. I’ve been really enjoying his comic books lately. He’s an amazing writer. I read his stuff and simultaneously love him and hate him at the simultaneously. There are certain writers I don’t feel in competition with and Joss is definitely one of them.

And course Star Trek and Star Wars. Kind of hard for any male of my generation not to be heavily inspired by it.

BPD would like to thank Marc for his time and courtesy in granting us this terrific interview. Look for Resurrection #1, on sale now, and watch for Eli Stone coming on ABC.

BPD EXPRESS: First Edition

SUPER POWERED NEWS BITES

Zombie Persecution
The entire subculture known as Zombies has filed for a restraining order against Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams and The Coyote Kid, under claims of persecution. "What's so wrong with wanting brains." says Zeeeedddd leader of P.E.T.Z (People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies.) "Most of you aren't using them anyway."*

The Things That Change Boys To Men
Superboy-Prime has been re-dubbed Superman-Prime. Apparently acts of complete bastardy are developmentally defining .

Pantha’s head glad it could help.


Green Sure Is Sexy
In a recent study doctors have related promiscuity to the color green. Green Arrow, Hal Jordan, Savage Dragon and She-Hulk happy to, finally, be understood.

BPD Lacks Estrogen
A recent study shows most women don't read Bugle's Planet Daily. The report extrapolates that while Femme-Fans have highly developed senses of humor, the rise of the online 'feminist-hive-mind' may be sucking the joy out of comics. Comics-Sociologist Big Mike Pellegrino claims "That is so money!"

Flash Cited for Moving Violation in NYC
Flash has collected his 259th ticket for speeding in Manhattan, according to local authorities. "He zooms around like a maniac here and we'll ticket him," promised Police Chief Harlan McElroy. "That sort of stuff may be okay in little burgs like Keystone but it don't play in the Big Apple." Flash's lawyer, Harvey Birdman, insisted that his client will be declared innocent and his record cleared now that he has taken the case.

Ronon Dex Cuts Hair; Wraith Proclaim Victory In Pegasus Galaxy
News reaches us through the Stargate that Ronon Dex, fierce warrior of Sateda and member of the Stargate Atlantis off-world team, has decided to cut his trademark wild dreadlocks for reasons unknown. The move was greeted with mixed feelings by members of the Atlantis expedition, particularly the female members.

"I'm happy to see Ronon doing more to fit in with the team," said expedition leader Colonel Samantha Carter. "Those dreadlocks get in the way in a firefight. Funny that Teal'C grows his hair out and Ronon cuts his, but they end up with the same style. Must be an alien thing."

"I don't like it," said base physician Dr. Jennifer Keller. "He looks like he should be on 'Baywatch' now. He's gonna look mighty silly running around in that big duster with short hair."

Dex himself was unavailable for comment, but the news apparently reached as far as a Wraith Hive Ship, members of which took time out from their war against the Replicators to comment on the fashion move.

"This is further proof that we shall reign victorious over the humans once we're done with these machines," said a Wraith who only identified himself as "Bob." "Our hair is naturally superior--smoother, silkier, and a sign of our prowess in battle. All the humans we feed off of do great things for our hair's health, let me tell you."

* BREAKING NEWS!!! Zombie Persecution Con't
Members of P.E.T.Z. appeared to be demonstrating at sites unrelated to Williams or the Kid. Locals found their moaning noise "annoying" and asked police to arrest them as a public nuisance. Locals were later devoured by demonstrators.

NEWS BITES COMPILED BY
MARTIN BOSWORTH, DREW BITTNER & SHERIN NICOLE

Superboy-Prime Claims "I Was Framed!"

METROPOLIS - At a press conference today, youthful supervillain Superboy-Prime insisted he had been framed for crimes against humanity and murder.

"I never knocked Pantha's head off," he insisted. "That was cooked up on somebody's computer. I hit her, sure, but it was clearly Cyborg [Vic Stone] who decapitated her. Yeah, I did rip off Risk's arm but that was an accident. I'm sure he could regrow it or get a mechanical replacement or something--so it's really like I did him a favor."

Asked about collusion with Alexander Luthor Jr. (a dimensional counterpart of criminal mastermind/scientist Lex Luthor), he said, "I was misled by an evil genius. What, none of you were ever deceived by someone pretending to be a friend? Just 'cause I'm Kryptonian doesn't mean I don't extend trust to the wrong people sometimes. Sheesh! These questions are getting me so upset... where is Pantha? I need to kick her head into orbit!"

Asked about being seen with the Sinestro Corps, Superboy-Prime said, "I have a few new friends, what's the problem? They want to shake up the status quo a little. Nothing wrong with that. The Green Lanterns are just authoritarians who don't understand. Lock me in a green cage in Oa's sun, huh? Heh, I sure showed them. I mean, I was released from confinement once they realized the error of their ways. That's what I meant to say."

Superboy-Prime agreed that the (temporary) death of the older Superman from a parallel Earth was a tragedy but that he wasn't responsible. "He flew me through a red sun. C'mon, what am I supposed to do about that? He and the Flashes and that other Superman--you know, the impostor?--beat the stuffing out of me and I have to be okay with that? No way, pal.

"One other thing: I go by the name Superman-Prime now."

Whatever he wants to call himself, in our book, he's still a jerk.

Superboy-Prime artwork copyright DC Comics, all rights reserved

Earth-2 Says No More; Demands to be Called "Earth Awesome"

"We Were Here First!" Insists Justice Society

EARTH-2 - Well, the writing was on the wall for a long, long time. Earth-2, home of the Earth's mightiest heroes of World War II and their modern-day descendants--many of them legacy heroes carrying on a proud tradition of heroism--isn't going to take it any more.

"We were here first," declared Jay Garrick (aka Flash 1, 'the first Flash' or 'classic Flash') of the Justice Society of America. "Where do they get off calling us 'Earth-2'? That's demeaning! How would they like it if we called them 'Earth-Johnny-Come-Lately'? Or maybe 'Earth-Copycat'? I don't think they'd like that much at all. We're polite and didn't raise a fuss until now... but this whole new Crisis thing has opened up a big can of worms, I can tell you."

To improve the image of this unhappy parallel world, a decision was made at the highest levels. From now on, Earth-2 will insist on being known as 'Earth-Awesome.'

This decision provoked immediate controversy from many quarters.

"It'll confuse us with that dreadful alternate Earth where someone named Supreme is running around," said Wonder Woman of Earth-2. "You know, the fellow who seems like a bad carbon copy of Superman? I believe I read that he's had a few good adventures but honestly, I don't know..."

Asked for clarification on the naming convention post-Crisis, Under Secretary of State for Alternate and Parallel Worlds Dan DiDio said, "We're investigating the matter and intend to issue a statement very soon. We believe we can resolve this amicably, without resorting to another Crisis... though I cannot confirm or deny that a Crisis is being planned at this moment."

In the meantime, Earth-Awesome is putting out feelers to the 50 other "also-ran Earths" to see if they want to alter their naming conventions as well. "Just because they call themselves Earth-1 doesn't mean they're better than we are," huffed Power Girl (aka 'the Supergirl of Earth-2'). "I mean, really! What did they contribute to the multiverse that we didn't do first?"

Artwork copyright DC Comics Inc., all rights reserved

Flash: World's Fastest Fraud?

KEYSTONE CITY - Local attorney Giuseppe James thinks famed superhero The Flash is pulling a hoax over everyone, pretending to capture criminals with powers he doesn't have.

"I've never seen him actually do anything. And if he wants to keep that museum our tax dollars pay for, he should prove he's actually doing something," James said in a press conference this afternoon. "We, the fair citizens of Keystone, owe it ourselves to get the truth."

James, a relative unknown in local politics, has caused quite a stir with his repeated assertions that The Flash is a fake. His tirades have gotten the notice of city council members, and The Flash, himself.

When asked to prove his powers, the Scarlet Speedster turned slightly, and then handed me a Gotham Gazette, the late afternoon edition which would have only been available twenty minutes before.

But Giuseppe James has heard of many of The Flash's feats, and doubts them all.

"How many times must we see guns 'mysteriously' vanish from people's hands and see this Flash 'produce' objects from thin air before we call these 'feats' what they are. Tricks. And not even elaborate ones, at that." Mr. James then seemingly caused the podium to float for a few seconds to some shock and much applause. "Now that's a trick The Flash couldn't pull off. He's a David Blaine, at best!"

Not everyone is swayed by James' speeches. Everyday Keystonians are almost unanimously on the side of their fleet-footed hero. Bobby Nesmith, an accountant and community advocate, has unwavering faith in The Flash. "He's saved this town and the worlds many times, and many times over. How anyone can doubt that is beyond me."

Rachel Grant, a bank manager for Keystone Providential, was saved by The Flash not three moths ago from a robbery gone awry by Mirror Master. "He just rushed in, and yeah he broke a few of the windows and dented the countertops, but if it wasn't for Flash, well, that green helmet freak made some offensive threats to me."

With The Flash spending much of his time dealing with catastrophes and criminals, who knows when Giuseppe's claims will be verified or dismissed. James remains resolute in his claims.

"If he's so fast, why is he so slow to respond?"