LI'L BEHIND THE SCENES #5

Having the Li'l Gotham stories center around holidays makes a Valentine's Day themed story something to look forward to. It could've been very easy to have Batman out on a date with Catwoman or Talia. Bruce has had many loves in his life we could've drawn from. Or gone in the direction of having Damian with unwanted attention on this holiday. But ultimately it was decided to let the villains run the show in this story. And a chance for me to revise and rework an old idea.

This goes back almost 15 years ago. Even though I wasn't working in comics at the time, I was pretty ambitious wanting to break in. And I would write down ideas and even script out stories, in-between working on art submissions. And one of those was very similar to this issue. It was called "Poison Envy" and revolved around the idea of Harley and Ivy out on a crime spree with Harley bungling things up, as she is bound to do at times. Ivy getting annoyed for the last time and deciding to get back at Harley the only way she knows how…through her Mistah J. Ivy would use her alluring toxins to entice Joker under her control, to become the new Bonnie & Clyde crime couple in town. This would infuriate Harley to the point that she was planning to blow up the Gotham Botanical Gardens with Ivy and Joker as collateral damage. All until Batman showed up to save the day, and Joker once free of Ivy's control, could crawl back to Harley.

I always liked that story but like most ideas, it would be filed away, probably never to see the light of day. Then almost 15 years later, Li'l Gotham comes along, and a matter of coming up with a range of stories to fill in every month on the calendar. I could dust off the original idea and expand it. Have Joker accidentally pour that love potion on himself, and then have all of Gotham's femme fatales after him.

I think so far, most of the stories that Dustin and I have been able to do in Li'l Gotham, seem to fall under two categories… Capers and Sentimental Message. Damian learning about Halloween, Thanksgiving with the family, and Mr.Freeze experiencing the holiday spirit, can all fall under the sentimental area. New Year's Revolution and this Valentine's Day, turn into capers with the characters running around and getting into trouble. As we move forward, and double up stories each month, the idea is to expand on that. We'll have some more heartfelt stories, some wacky adventures and humor, and even some 2-part stories (one part at the beginning of the month and the other part near the end, as they relate to one another).

Some additional thoughts for this story…

I love writing any Harley and Joker scenes. There's a reason the fans love these characters and also why I enjoy seeing Dustin draw them. He gets a range of fun expressions and body language. Seeing Harl get Joker in a loving choke embrace, and seeing her devil-may-care dive into the back seat with the car still moving, are just a few of my favorites from this issue. And having the Hyenas take the wheel in her absence…too fun!

It's no secret that Dustin and I are huge fans of Batman The Animated Series. And there are so many interesting characters that were born out of that show. Some have made the transition to comics while others haven't. But something like Li'l Gotham gives us a chance to bring some of them back. Baby Doll is one of those characters, who is just such an odd ball fit and yet I always liked that character in the show to have her here.
 

How we made the jump from Baby Doll being tossed into a baby cart with Joker into this "Lone Wolf & Cub" homage…no idea. But thought it would be a funny visual. You get a brief visit to Japan Town in this story, but we'll be going to Gotham's China Town in the next one.

JUSTICE SERVED #12

The "Beyond: Origin" to Micron probably involved the most work from the ground up, compared to any of the other origins. Unlike most of the other members on the Justice League, Micron really was a blank slate. There wasn't the familiarity that came with Barda, or the family name recognition that came with Aquagirl, or the back history with someone like Warhawk. Aside from his brief appearance in the show, there was not a lot to go on. So it was both a challenge and refreshing to be allowed to see where we could take the character. And continuing the idea of the parents of these heroes, Dustin and I thought it would be a way to champion all the single moms out there raising kids. That Dustin made her an EMT driver, makes her just as much a hero as her son.

Also this story was a chance to get a bit geeky. To have a little fun and tie-in all sorts of things that had gone on in the Batman Beyond show and timeline. The story ended up being as much about Bruce Wayne as it was about Micron. I thought it would be a good chance to attempt to explain the things leading up to Bruce losing his company as well as his mantle of the Batman.

Just some of the fun continuity nods from the show…
 

I wanted to show Bruce, even nearing the end of his career of Batman, would have been the first to encounter Derek Powers' bodyguard Mr. Fixx. A younger Fixx would actually lose his eye in this encounter, to help explain where that scar came from in his appearance in the show.

In the opening episode of Batman Beyond, the merger of Derek Powers' company with it's takeover of Wayne Enterprises, could now be explained. With Bruce's failing health, he would now be that much more determined to focus his life entirely on Batman. And the expense that would take to his bank account to keep his technology up to date would be the leading cause of him losing his company.
 

 

The scientist Nobu Otaka is a direct call back to the episode "Sneak Peak". Nobu was responsible for developing the Vibraspace technology that allowed the user to change their molecules to pass through solid objects. But also I'd expand that to allow for shape and dimension. This would help set up Micron's powers. Even though it would've been far easier to make Micron a sort of legacy decedent to "The Atom", I thought it would be more interesting to take a different path.
 

Eagle eyed readers might've been able to spot Terry's young father, Warren McGinnis, as one of the people to be rescued from the fire, by Micron's mother. He was still working for Wayne-Powers in their research division at this time.
 

It became a bit of a running joke between Dustin and I that Micron spent more time in containment tubes than out of them. And we'd always find a way to put him in one. He had that appearance in the show, then we used it in the "Konstriction" story, and now here. Well…it amused us at least. This is what happens when you toss ideas back and forth in the middle of the night over instant messaging.
 

I'm always looking for any excuse to showcase some of the more absurd villains from the comics and animated shows. The obstacle of writing a future based story, is a lot of those said villains might either be really old or dead. But I figured we could get away with it by using Toyman. Whether this is still the original version, an offspring, or a sentient toy himself…we'll just leave that open to interpretation.

Lastly let's talk about the art. Fiona Staples is getting all sorts of acclaim for her work on the hit "Saga". And even though this Micron story would be published after that title was already coming out, it was actually the Micron story that was drawn before Saga. Fiona was drawing Micron in November of 2011, before the first issue of Saga would come out in March of 2012. This is the magic of working for DC Digital, in which so much of our work is being done far in advance of when it's released, due to it being digital-first before eventually getting collected much later into print. So it was fun seeing how Fiona really exploded with the buzz around Saga, by the time our story came out. And she turned in a fine performance here.

JUSTICE SERVED #11

Still a little delayed updating my blog. Been a busy last couple of months. But I thank you for checking in as this was a favorite story to work on in a number of ways.

The "Beyond: Origin" for Big Barda, was a chance to continue my love for all things Jack Kirby. Unlike some of the other newer characters in the future Justice League, Barda is the one that should be the most familiar to readers, as she wasn't invented for the Beyond universe. So for her, it was more of a retelling of how she ended up joining the team. And really more of an opportunity to do something a little different with her and continue the theme of parents for these origin stories. To find out where our heroes came from in relation to their mothers and fathers.
 

I love a good tragic story. It's something I tend to gravitate to. The idea of two characters that grow up as friends, only for time and circumstance to pull them apart, and become bitter rivals and enemies. I thought that would be worth exploring for Barda's mother, Big Breeda, and her childhood friend who would ultimately become Granny Goodness. It's no shock to anyone that Apokolips isn't a happy place to grow up. The living conditions in the slums, the oppression, threats of war, and a constant state of death and gloom hang over the landscape of rock and fire. And those that do survive the process become stronger individuals. Barda is who she is because of how strong a mother she had.
 

I'm actually kind of surprised they allowed me to have Barda's birth on the battlefield. There might be some Conan The Barbarian similarities there, but I thought it would be just an insane brutal visual of a mother-to-be, bred to fight, that would continue doing so, right up to the delivery itself. Some things during a story's development get questioned, debated, and changed. But this one, they didn't even touch, and I'm happy for that allowance.

I just love the world that Kirby created with the New Gods and Fourth World. If it were up to me, and the company gave me free reign, that would be an area I'd love to explore more of from the very beginning. What Urgrund was like in the beginning before it split into two worlds, the type of family that Darkseid came from…there's a lot of mythical and biblical application to be found, I'm sure. Some people get bored by that type of stuff, as if they're being forced to hear a history lesson. But I would enjoy playing in that world, much like I would find it interesting what Krypton was like hundreds of years before its own demise. But that's just me. The New Gods look to be explored more by Azzarello in the Wonder Woman title, so I'm happy they haven't been forgotten in the New52.

And last, let me gush a little about the artist on our story. I was excited that we got to have Ben Caldwell draw this origin for us. A lot of times, the choice for artist is made for you by the editor and company. Writers give their suggestions when asked. But usually, the editor has a certain stable of people they've worked with or like to go-to. But I was really adamant about getting Ben for this one, because I'm a HUGE fan of his work.

I first stumbled across Ben with his first Action Cartooning how-to-draw book. I rarely even notice those types of books, but saw one on display at my local Barnes & Noble when it came out years back. I loved the style and energy he brought to his drawings. Maybe it's because I could instantly see the animation artists he was influenced by, which happen to be two of my favorites…Don Bluth and Bruce Timm (coming from many quarters spent playing Dragon's Lair and Space Ace in the arcades, and many years watching the Batman cartoons). And once I discovered Ben's work, I became an instant fan, picking up his work on various short stories and covers he would do, along with his Action Classics line of books and his own Dare Detectives creation.
 

I think the thing I appreciate most about Ben's work, is the actual design process leading up to the sequentials. It could be his background in toy design and animation concept work, but he really spends a lot of time in the preliminary stage of figuring out his characters and their environments. You hear the term "world builder" from time to time in the creative arts, and I definitely apply that to Ben's work. Comic artists aren't always allowed the time and freedom to develop their drawings before they have to jump into the job itself. But I knew with Ben, he'd take that time to figure it out. I also love that he colored himself on this story with a very limited palette. It comes off very european or Heavy Metal inspired, adding to the mood.

As you'll see below, these were just a few of the sketchbook designs and rough layouts Ben was working through before he jumped into the pages themselves. It's a fantastic behind-the-scenes process as you see him figure things out before he dove into the sequentials.

And this isn't the last we'll see of him. Currently I'm working on an upcoming story arc I've written for Justice League Beyond, with Ben on pencils and I'm inking him. It's a bit strange inking over someone you're a fan of. Sometimes it's less stressful to just sit back and be a fan and be separate from the art. But at the same time, I was curious to see what I'd be able to do. Below is the very first page of that story, yet to come out.

Children are our future. Our dark, manipulated future...

LI'L BEHIND THE SCENES #4

Working on Li'l Gotham is this sort of fun way to have a range of stories that Dustin and I want to tell. We'll have some serious or sentimental stories like our Christmas tale. But also have the lighter ones like this.

Our "New Year's Revolution" was something that Dustin had in mind for awhile. If I recall correctly, it was the first script ever finished as he had a first draft of it done before we pitched the Li'l Gotham title to DC. And with each story, what happens is we split duties. We have a "lead writer" on each script, with the other writer providing notes or additional suggestions. This is definitely a Dustin story, and we're all the better for it. I always count on him to provide the cute and fun, and I'll add in some silliness when it calls for it.

Pencils to Watercolor...before-and-after

Li'l Gotham is also a chance to provide something missing, I think, in the New52 titles… a little bit of fun. Having the Sirens together to get into their mischief tends to write itself. Harley & Ivy always go great together, as well as adding Selina into the mix. I think it's a chance for Dustin to shine since he enjoys drawing them and he really gets some great acting and exaggerated performances out of them onto the page.
 

"Fervor" in Li'l Gotham and in Arkham Unhinged

Showing the cosmetics company associated with "Fervor" was a little shout out nod to the character I created for an Arkham Unhinged story. One of those last minute instances where the story called for the Sirens to go after someone that was polluting the earth, and I had a ready made villain that could fit into that role nicely. Her fox scarf being the symbol in the factory sign.

I don't know if Dustin was intentionally influenced by it, but the "Holiday Knights" animated episode of Batman:TAS always sprung to mind when working on this issue. Some likely parallels with the girls going on shopping sprees, playing dress up, and getting into all sorts of trouble in both instances.

The New Year's story came quickly after the Christmas one due to their close proximity of holidays on the calendar. So it's a little bit longer of a wait to get the next story for Valentine's Day. But thanks for hanging in there in the meantime.

UNHINGING #10

The thing I'll always remember most about this issue was Rocksteady's reaction. And it was something I didn't find out about until I met up with them in person.

I had mentioned before about visiting the Burbank offices of DC in the process of writing the comic both before and during the release of the game. Rocksteady would have someone in town on other business, and it would be a chance to meet up, and chew their ear off on game details and notes as I was planning future stories. And one of the things brought up was their surprise over the Deadshot story, whose script had already been turned in.

There's a reveal towards the end of it, of someone who isn't who they appear to be, and we find out their true identity. Rocksteady felt the person in question was out-of-character, and things didn't mesh up with what they were doing in the game. They had gone through the process of writing down notes of things to change as they read through the script. Then when they got to the end, they got the rug pulled out from under them and it all made sense. Everything they thought was wrong would be explained by the reveal of the true character. And actually, I was at fault for their surprise.

Most writers I believe will explain at the beginning of their script if there's some twist or catch that happens by the end of the story. In that way, it prepares the artist and editor when reading the script, to know this information up front as its being worked on, in order to avoid any confusion or errors. So of course, I unintentionally ended up doing the exact opposite. I wrote it without tipping anyone off until they got to the end of the script, just like the reader would. I wanted to know if it worked for someone reading it through for the first time without any previous knowledge. I wanted a natural reaction. And Rocksteady themselves gave me that! And it was fun hearing that from them in person.

As for the story itself, so many of the ideas came from sitting down and playing the game hours upon hours. You'll spot things while you play and wonder if there's a story to tell. One such thing was in the museum. That's Penguin territory in the game, and he has a map on the floor and a blueprint on the wall, simply labeled "Operation: Kill Joker". The game and the comic both go into the backstory of the feud between Penguin and Joker. But seeing the blueprint, I thought he must've been trying to assassinate Joker throughout the timeline of the game, to have labeled it as such. And who better a perfect assassin than hiring Deadshot to do it. We'd only seen Deadshot in side missions as he goes about picking off political prisoners. But here was a chance to give him more story than he had in the game.
 

Also, Arkham Unhinged gave us a chance to dive into backstories of the characters previous to being incarcerated in Arkham City. I always relished those, because it would provide the opportunity to visually show the classic versions of the characters. Most got redesigned for the game, but this allowed us to also show their original (and more familiar attire), whether that was Deadshot's classic metal face mask appearance, or even tying in Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad. I miss the huskier look to "The Wall" not seen in the current version of the character at DC comics. But as a flashback unassociated with the New52, we'd be able to to get away with it here.

JUSTICE SERVED #10

DECONSTRUCTING "KONSTRICTION"

With Batman Beyond Unlimited #10, we finally arrive at the end of our opening JLB story arc "Konstriction". What a long and crazy road it's been to get to this point. Various formats, release dates, chapters added or amended, grouped together, and stretched out. But yet the main story was told how it was originally pitched. It just took a little longer for it all to play out.

I should start by talking about the cover. Dustin's been drawing so many of these now, for both Batman Beyond and Justice League Beyond, that it's natural to take them all for granted. But with this last cover to end out the arc, he wanted to do a huge jam piece with as many characters as possible. Of course, I think after he proposed it, he regretted it for all the drawing it would entail. Be careful what you wish for. Since the end battle would involve the entire JLB along with the Thanagarians and Green Lantern Corps, he wouldn't be lacking for characters to draw onto the cover. Dustin also showed a bit of the creative process over on his tumblr, where he explained how his son was involved in helping him design some of the Green Lanterns he used on the cover. Such a cool dad, right? Link provided to go check that out:  Batman Beyond Unlimited #10 cover process

As for the story itself, I had been looking forward to these last chapters ever since we brainstormed up the original pitch over a year ago. A way to bring in one final Kirby creation, Etrigan The Demon, and his famous rhyming dialogue, which seems to come and go depending on who has written the character over the years. It was nice to sort of get Dustin out of his comfort zone. He's drawn so many traditional Batman characters during his run on Detective and Streets Of Gotham, that this was a chance to toss all sorts of other heroes and villains at him. The fan in me gets to see him draw all these different versions while having purpose for being in the story.

The return of Mister Miracle was an accidental surprise that really didn't come until the 11th hour. Back when Darkseid was revealing what happened to the New Gods in their battle with the snake, Miracle would be the first one to fall victim and "die". And as our story progressed and we'd have a somber ending with Jimmy Olsen's death, it felt like we'd also need to have some happiness to balance things out. And who could provide a better escape from death than Miracle walking out of the mouth of the dead snake. A happy accident that sort of wrote itself. Anything to bring a smile to the normally aggravated and dour face of Barda, works for me.

A few other easter eggs of note…

I figured it would be fun to have a descendant of Lana Lang that ends up reporting the news in Metropolis. And since most characters in comics seem to have alliteration in their names, it was just a matter of finding the right one here (Lindsey seemed the popular choice). Also the false front business building that Kobra was using called J & J Burr Financial, was a nice shout out to the very first Jack Kirby Kobra one-shot comic (for Jeffrey and Jason Burr).

 

Bruce is able to release Etrigan from Terry using a familiar tool from the Batman animated series episode "The Demon Within". As we saw in that episode, whoever holds the iron brand of Morgan Le Fey is able to command and control Etrigan. Definitely one of my favorite episodes and it was nice to be able to use it here as a nod to that show.

Jason Blood's fate is left a little more ambiguous. The character's history in the comics and his animated appearance have always shown his curse of being bonded to Etrigan. How he was able to break away from that fate is a story left to be told.

Another backstory is a reason for Superman's cape being here. To actually get into why Superman is dressed how he is in the Beyond timeline, and it's not because the fashion of the day calls for black and white. I always felt there was a more somber reason why he might've decided to abandon the red and blue cape and tights. Whether the cape was given to him or something left over in the cave as part of his collection, Bruce would bring the cape along to use to cover Terry after the ordeal he went through. Also on a side note, I never saw those white arm and leg panels on Superman's costume to just be some fashion accessory or sewn into the costume, but rather purposeful…solar paneling. Fandom or even past history of the comics have stated or assumed that Superman will grow stronger over time, the longer he ages and absorbs sunlight. But I always felt that over time, his body would weaken. Maybe not absorb the sun's rays quite the same. So the solar panels are a means to help collect, save, and transfer that to Kal-El.

And one last chance to toss in a familiar face. Bruce had mentioned Selina Kyle in passing in an episode of Batman Beyond. But we never did find out what happened to her. This was a way to have her show up and see that she's still alive and looking good for her age. What their relationship entails in their later years is left open. But from time to time, she might be called on by Bruce to help out as a confidant. It's sort of sweet seeing her here as his driver. A service once faithfully provided by Alfred, and also Terry.

So that's that. The end of our first JLB arc. Thanks to all the patient fans that have stuck around, reading it digitally or waiting for print, and for sharing their thoughts, questions, and enthusiasm. And I'm always interested in hearing more of what the readers think as we move along. Much gratitude!

LI'L BEHIND THE SCENES #3

First a word of thanks. We can't thank the fans enough for their support of Li'l Gotham, which has turned into a nice success. It's not often that you get a chance to work on something you enjoy for yourself as well as sharing it with others. And while most people reading the stories are currently enjoying their holidays with their families, the work actually still continues for us. It takes quite a bit of time for the art to be drawn and painted, the stories finessed, and the lettering and editing applied. And even with the DC work offices closed for the holidays, our home offices are very much burning the midnight oil to keep things moving ahead. Time away from friends and family, with some of us foolishly working to the wee hours (I know how Santa must feel). All that said…it wouldn't be worth it without our fan support. We read your comments online and your enthusiasm is very much appreciated. Our gift to you is nothing but our best. And your gift back to us is your love for the material. Thank you!
 

I can't recall who came up with it, either our editor or Dustin, but the idea was to try something different with the credits this time around. To have Dustin paint "Li'l" versions of each of us. A fun idea that definitely brings a more handcrafted approach to putting these stories together. Since I'm usually never without wearing a cap, it made for an easy painting for Dustin to draw.
 

As far as the story itself, Mr.Freeze has always been my favorite Batman villain, in no small part due to Paul Dini's reinvention of him as a tragic character in the animated series. After his wife contracted an incurable disease, he froze her in a state of suspended animation to work on a cure, but an accident resulted in his cold living condition and loss of emotions. The best villains really are the tragic ones. The ones that we can relate or empathize with. The ones doing the wrong things for the right reasons. And therefore, also one of the hardest characters to write. It's not a shock to know there are very few great Freeze stories written out there. Some see him as very one-note in his longing for his wife. He isn't used that often. And while I've always wanted to write more of him, I also feel he's one of those that really needs a compelling story to be used to its fullest. When the Christmas issue was discussed, he became our villain of choice for obvious reasons associated with the holiday…snow and cold. But how could he be used to pull at our heartstrings?
 

With Freeze always carrying around a figure skater snowglobe related to his wife, we thought it would make for an interesting visual to have a giant snowglobe used to hold children. Victor sees it as a way of protecting the kids from the harsh cruelness of the world, but everyone else would see it as him holding them hostage against their will. And it is that differing opinion that throws Batman and Nightwing into battle with Mr.Freeze over the fate of the children. And plenty of cute little forest animals for Dustin to continue to draw into the story.

Something I always look forward to is anytime there's a chance to come up with song lyrics or clever puns. It probably never calls for it in most mainstream "serious" comics, but we get away with it to reckless abandon in Li'l Gotham. I wanted to take the popularized "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin Lays An Egg" lyric, and do a different version of it. The funny thing here is the mention of Batman falling into the ice. That was originally in an earlier draft of the script, where Batman (fighting solo) would fall into the ice lake while dodging Mr.Freeze. But rewrites later would add in Nightwing and allow Dustin to rework the fight choreography. The falling into the frozen lake bit was gone, yet wasn't changed in the song. Still works regardless.

And on that note….happy holidays to everyone out there! And make sure to check out our next issue, which actually goes on sale today. It's the gift that keeps on giving.