[SPEAKER_01]: What's up, everybody?
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Comic Book Club, I'm Alex.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm Justin.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we've got another bonus episode for you with a very special guest, one of our favorite guys to talk to.
[SPEAKER_01]: Joshua Williams and now normally we would be like, hey, Josh, welcome.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, excited to have you here, except when we got out of the Zoom, we were already chatting.
[SPEAKER_02]: We literally just started talking.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, we're just wet right into it.
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're gonna bring you to that conversation already in progress, you're gonna miss the stuff we talked about, Lagos, for a while, and some other things,
[SPEAKER_01]: We talk a lot about DC, we talk a little bit about some other stuff, check it out.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm out.
[SPEAKER_01]: They tempted by the way to break it and be like, you're listening to a new episode of Lego talk and we can just like, yeah, you're like, you're from there.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's funny though, on the same way, like what I'm like, okay, I want to do this fun thing.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll keep putting it closer to my work desk.
[SPEAKER_02]: So it sits there as a responsibility right off camera and I was like, oh man, now that's work.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is always weird about this job, is that, like, having your job also be so, it's basically your hobby at the same time.
[SPEAKER_03]: It creates your weird disconnect.
[SPEAKER_03]: I've actually been talking to the writers about this recently, that I've had a hard time reading.
[SPEAKER_03]: I thought I heard time reading modern economics lately because either I know wait, not all of us such as made, I literally have my hands on the wheel in some places, you know what I have like, you know a DC right now, you know, Scott and I are consultants like they pay us to go over everything, you know, it's like a year ago, Scott and I were to the offices and we sat there for
[SPEAKER_03]: two days.
[SPEAKER_03]: We had to read it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Not only to read everything that was current, we had to read some of what was coming and then we had to read the pitches and then we had to go down there, like book the pile.
[SPEAKER_03]: But it's got to go down there and basically give our opinion on every DC comic.
[SPEAKER_03]: And but also offer solutions to things we felt were struggling and it was like wow.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, uh, and now with next level, we do that where it's like every next level book.
[SPEAKER_03]: We have to read the pitch, talk to the creators, talk to us where I'll give notes the whole thing.
[SPEAKER_03]: And so it creates this weird like, disconnects with it, you know, um, or it's like, I know that creator in some places.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm like, I'm too friendly with that creators.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is very thing, but yeah, even with the, with my go sets and stuff, it's just
[SPEAKER_03]: and this is something else.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm sure you guys experience this too, or people send you stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, like send you stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: And so because I have a good relationship with Hasbro, Hasbro sends me boxes full of Hasbro toys.
[SPEAKER_03]: And D.C. for the last 10 years has sent me a box of everything they publish.
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh wow.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, except for absolutes.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't care.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, dude, unless the trick with abs just got get the absolute box and you get the everything else.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, he doesn't get absolute Tyler, but I didn't say the third before.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so he doesn't get absolute Tyler.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a chipping thing.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's that is one hundredths and a chipping thing.
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh, we hear it.
[SPEAKER_03]: So if he and I were in the office, or if I was like, I want this.
[SPEAKER_03]: If I texted somebody was like, hey, listen, I want that absolute.
[SPEAKER_03]: They would mail it to us.
[SPEAKER_03]: So like for example, I was texting with Larry about about the death of the Superman on a bus, the nice one that's in a coffin, right?
[SPEAKER_02]: And he was like, we don't have those for careers because they're so limited and you will not get one.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, that's okay, I can figure it out, you know, they only made whatever it was they made like the 1,094 of them, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: Because then that was it.
[SPEAKER_03]: So it's very limited.
[SPEAKER_03]: But then I was in the office.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I go into and to piece office talk to her about comics and stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's bullshit and the playing the the future of the company, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: So like, here's the plan of the next few years and she's like, cool, here's this for you and she gave me the she gave it to me.
[SPEAKER_03]: So this, this fucking,
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's exactly right.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's exactly right.
[SPEAKER_03]: they had a toy room so they had this room if you knew the right person they would let you go to that room and you can get whatever you wanted and it had all the toys, it's a t-shirts everything that was in that moment that was made, they had it in that room and they had models of it so it was like a toy store and one year I went it was me, Tom King, you see Marlando and I was like
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, Tom King was like, oh, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_02]: We got to get this.
[SPEAKER_02]: We got to get that.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm like shoving toys in his hands.
[SPEAKER_02]: Like he just got into it.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then, Cieberlando was like, he was having a weird thing where his landlord had been like, oh, what happened to the lease?
[SPEAKER_03]: So he was in his feelings.
[SPEAKER_03]: And he's like, no, yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: We're maybe gonna put this stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: So he wasn't getting anything.
[SPEAKER_03]: And guys, I was like, fuck, a supermarket sweeper next to you.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was just fucking, it's like, cause they told us they were like, whoever you want, and then we'll mail it to you.
[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, take on, everyone.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I was just like,
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, like whatever you know put in the box.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I would always make a point.
[SPEAKER_03]: Can I do the guys?
[SPEAKER_03]: So two people had the keys.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is just like a so funny.
[SPEAKER_03]: Only two people had the keys to that room.
[SPEAKER_03]: One was my friend Mike who I've known since he was like 14 years old and he works there in like a height, but he has a high position.
[SPEAKER_03]: with the company, and then Jeff Jones.
[SPEAKER_03]: They were the only people who had access to the room.
[SPEAKER_03]: You had to have, they were the only one piece of the room, and it was funny because Jeff would get like one of everything.
[SPEAKER_03]: You got a lot of everything.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, like a warehouse of like every DC.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's very him.
[SPEAKER_02]: Very Jeff.
[SPEAKER_02]: He literally gave me all of it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, yes, yes.
[SPEAKER_03]: So one year I went and
[SPEAKER_03]: said I might be the one one to let me in, as soon as Mike would let me in, but some else had to be in the room with us.
[SPEAKER_03]: They wouldn't just let us in the room, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: And so when here I go, I think it was me and James went into the room, which is a two of us, and we're in the room, and I'm getting stuff, and they had all the, this is the, they've had all the DC legos behind.
[SPEAKER_03]: a metal like fence, no, it has a key for that one.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that's the second.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was just satisfied.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's electrified.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, dude, I want to get in that.
[SPEAKER_03]: Let me get out of that.
[SPEAKER_03]: And they were like, actually, no, we have a policy now that only the IPs.
[SPEAKER_03]: They were like, no offense.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: And like, I know, I've known my students like 14.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, it's like a good friend.
[SPEAKER_03]: He was like, listen, they're just a policy.
[SPEAKER_03]: They won't want you to take the like a sense.
[SPEAKER_03]: only certain people are allowed to have a logo set.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, do that's fine again.
[SPEAKER_03]: Don't get wrong.
[SPEAKER_03]: They're giving us free toys.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I'm not going to like, y'all, we're here about it.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I'm like, cool, whatever.
[SPEAKER_03]: So then James and I go, they're going to box our stuff up.
[SPEAKER_03]: And it's just like, I got a shit ton of make farland toys.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like, right, when this happened with right and we've probably got the license that just happened.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I got a lot of toys and t-shirts and just stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then we're back, we're back in the editorial level, and we're walking around like an hour or two later.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then I fucking see Scott walkin' toward me and James, and he's carrying bags of fuckin' my nose.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, just fucking walkin' my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose, my nose
[SPEAKER_03]: I learned something in this moment that you know, Scott was, they opened that fucking thing up for Scott, but they wouldn't open it for me in James.
[SPEAKER_01]: No way, did you have a question for you about the end Scott thing, and this is getting back to something you said earlier, but, how do you, how do you feel about essentially moving into a bad material position?
[SPEAKER_01]: like you're still obviously creating this lot you're writing a lot yeah but you guys are i mean you're not exactly running the whole show or maybe you are but like you're definitely you know obviously is it but both of you have been very much behind a lot of the artist forward writer forward take the dc
[SPEAKER_01]: is winning with right now, essentially.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, I wouldn't say it's brighter forward at all because I think that those artists and I think part of the power of absolute was the fact that you had artists that were very stylistic.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't call stylistic, you know, but it's like, you had these amazing storytellers with Ricotta and Hayden, you know, and Rob, and people coming in that were leading the way and it was like, it really was.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is great.
[SPEAKER_03]: you know, symbiotic relationship, but both people have a voice, you know, in that process.
[SPEAKER_03]: With Scott and I, you know, we've, we've, I don't know, I, I was like, I'm a nosy person.
[SPEAKER_03]: When it comes to things like a DC, like, you know, I'm, I've always been,
[SPEAKER_03]: not afraid to raise my hand and ask the question in a room or to voice an opinion or try to help and present plans and I'm a big, a big planner person.
[SPEAKER_03]: So it was like, I think it was funny when Scott and I got the job and we would be started doing it.
[SPEAKER_03]: I remember at one point talking about it and somebody there was like, you've been doing this for like 10 years with his paying you for it now.
[SPEAKER_03]: Is he really what he's?
[SPEAKER_03]: Um, yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's a weird thing.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's a weird thing.
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, I don't necessarily see myself at that being my future.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I mean, Scott's like legitimately a teacher.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, he actual teacher.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think he sees it as teaching.
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, so I don't think he sees his manager.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think he sees it from an actual teaching standpoint.
[SPEAKER_03]: So like, we go, we, yeah, like, let me go.
[SPEAKER_03]: again we did that a year ago we went in to talk about the books when we went in there and we talked about it he was he did like a master class like he really went in like these are the things that I think are important and we pulled out different books you know we pulled out marble books DC books image books he was like these are the you know he was like I'm not saying you got to do these but you should recognize these patterns you know you should recognize these are some things it's got to talk to with us all in
[SPEAKER_03]: A lot of times though, you know, when you look at the stuff he does in a sub-stag, where you talk about the things that he thinks are essential or things to pay attention to, we talked about that.
[SPEAKER_03]: So Scott, I think Scott, he loves it because I think he sees that as an extension of his teaching.
[SPEAKER_03]: For me, I just love, I really love making comics, you know, and so for me, it's, and that's a piece of that too.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know, it's tough to see managerial, because the thing about managerial is,
[SPEAKER_03]: you manage people, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: And how do he miles?
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, oh man, let me tell you.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a lot of reading, I mean, we definitely recently, we get the pitches for the next level.
[SPEAKER_03]: We read them, we talk about them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Scott is more creator-facing.
[SPEAKER_03]: I end up talking to that toy a lot more.
[SPEAKER_03]: I have a practice with them and talking to Jim and Ann and Maria.
[SPEAKER_03]: Don't be moron, Scott also does that.
[SPEAKER_03]: But I end up doing, I feel I end up doing
[SPEAKER_03]: bit more of talking with that editorial and talking about them with things I'm thinking about and building out plans and like, do you be both their fans of Parks and Rec?
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: Sometimes, and last thing is how it turns, sometimes I feel like Scott and I are a little bit like Chris Trager and Ben, where Scott will go up and get the like, we are all at team.
[SPEAKER_03]: And we're all going to do this and we're all like this is going to be awesome.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like he gets up.
[SPEAKER_03]: He gives the Chris Trigger.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, we're all here.
[SPEAKER_03]: And he lives a room and I'm like, okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: How is what are we actually going to do this?
[SPEAKER_03]: Let's be this is this and this, you know, let's get let's pull out a calendar and actually look at that calendar and and you know, if you if you do this, where's the dollar effects of it, you know, and and.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's interesting, I think it's actually kind of where that we don't agree with each other.
[SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, I ended up going in looking at, like, let's put this off.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I always see DC Comics as like, it's big machine.
[SPEAKER_03]: There's different gears that have different roles.
[SPEAKER_03]: They should not be the same.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I'm a big believer that like, not all comics should be the same, obviously.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, and if it's about trying to, and the things Scott talked about, too, if it is that like, we're not trying to,
[SPEAKER_03]: tell people what to do.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a lot more like, how do we help you tell the best version of your story?
[SPEAKER_03]: How can we help you?
[SPEAKER_03]: What do we have?
[SPEAKER_03]: This came up today a little bit because it's that thinks that sometimes it helps to have a creative career conversation sometimes.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a different point of view coming for editorial and to have it.
[SPEAKER_03]: different kind of laid ability with it.
[SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, I give it a question.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if I see this manager, you're always not managing people as much.
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's interesting.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think there was a time being 10 years ago, I could have seen myself as an captain.
[SPEAKER_03]: This whole process has actually, every coming has meetings, every coming talk about whole process, actually, we're just reminding how much I really love writing comics.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like that is my favorite part of this job is the actual process of the writing of the comics.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like I love that's so much that when we're in these rooms, there are times we'll be in the room.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like there was a moment last year we were sitting there and we were talking about all the the stuff like talking with the books and some of the plans to the books and you know, and I was literally in that room being like,
[SPEAKER_03]: Man, I should be writing right now.
[SPEAKER_03]: Cause I was getting close.
[SPEAKER_03]: But also, you're like, you know, you find the note you were giving sometimes the note you would give yourself, you know?
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's weird.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like a form of therapy.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like you're going through and you're like, oh, man, they made this a mistake.
[SPEAKER_03]: See, I made that mistake too, you know?
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, especially if you hit on something that cracks something going for you and you're like, hey, can I just, I just made a laptop for like one second, right?
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know what that's real, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, for real, I have it's often.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, you're talking about something else, a story, and then ultimately you're like, fuck, I just hear you ask something that I need to do.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, or only I need to write this down right now.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, so it's really interesting.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know, it's the interesting thing right now.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I have that between, so the consulting part and then it's like, yeah, then I'm writing Superman, you know, I'm writing Jaggio and Iron Man and also other stuff like Wolfman and the other things that have been announced yet, I've got a few things that have been announced yet that I'm working on.
[SPEAKER_03]: And it says there's always end in planning for the future.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's kind of crazy to you, right now, I can tell you what I'm doing in 28.
[SPEAKER_03]: for the most part.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's crazy.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's got a few.
[SPEAKER_03]: No.
[SPEAKER_01]: I did a talk to you about a specific writing thing that you did this week as we're taping this.
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh yeah, here you go.
[SPEAKER_01]: Superman 38, which I thought was great.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, just to spoil something for anybody who hasn't.
[SPEAKER_01]: Listen, I wasn't read the book issue in turn away, but while I was reading the book, you were driving me up the wall because I was getting to certain things Was going to provide for each and I was like, I cannot believe these are misspelled these words are misspelled how did this get through editorial?
[SPEAKER_01]: How did this printed and of course that's part of the plot?
[SPEAKER_01]: that you reveal at the end of the issue, which I was so satisfied to be from the editorial perspective.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I was going to say, did you, did you put the book down halfway through and be like, fuck, is I'm so mad.
[SPEAKER_03]: Or did you think in the end go, oh man, they played me.
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I mean, he was definitely, when we were reviewing it for the stack, he was pissed.
[SPEAKER_02]: He was like, maybe they say, I'm not going to say it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Why don't you guys talk about it and I'm gonna say it in a minute I was like oh, so you guys weren't as bothered by this that was it was like not that it was cool Yeah, well the first time it happened that was like all right this happened sometimes even You know DC comics at the second time.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like what is going on here?
[SPEAKER_01]: Somebody was asleep at the wheel This is crazy So when you got to the other it was actually very pleasing to be like oh, no, this is a plot point that was built in there
[SPEAKER_01]: So retroactively I loved it like I thought it was a wonderful device.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I was curious like, what did you hit on that and what what do you think was like, because I think this is what you're going to get at is what was like the modulating effect there to make sure that it wasn't too much so it was too obvious.
[SPEAKER_03]: But still, there was a lot of debate about it.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm so glad you asked this question because I'm like, I've been very curious today if people are picking up on it or if anybody is like, I can't believe there were time modes in this comment and then I have to question their reading coverage.
[SPEAKER_03]: Just because the thing is literally them saying, oh, there were time modes, this has been happening the whole issue is that it was gradually that black was messing with him and getting closer and closer.
[SPEAKER_03]: But that's why the time modes get worse.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's why there's that scene where he has a whole sentence.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's messed up and there are no old big ones.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm curious if anybody is realizing that as a reading it that like that those typos in the beginning are because of that I I would say I was like because of the super boy.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm always suspicious of a super boy prime comic.
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, I was I was with it once the saw the pattern was set I was like I'm I feel this You notice the only the typos only happen when he's talking.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, they're never anything else.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was intentional I came with this idea
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know when this was.
[SPEAKER_03]: It feels like a lifetime ago.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was working on while working on this.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I knew, imagine their black was going to be the villain of the story sometime last guy, man.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't even know, it's been a long time.
[SPEAKER_03]: So last summer, I was thinking about these issues.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I started figuring it out.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, oh, be fun to do some messing with the comic stuff, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, how far can I push it?
[SPEAKER_03]: And so with the typo thing, that one, I knew
[SPEAKER_03]: challenging.
[SPEAKER_03]: Because it is so funny.
[SPEAKER_03]: I haven't checked.
[SPEAKER_03]: I never looked to know if this was the case or not.
[SPEAKER_03]: I remember I was talking to Tom Taylor about it and I was pitching it to him at one point.
[SPEAKER_03]: And he was like, that's great.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, yeah, but I actually kind of want to make it.
[SPEAKER_03]: So there's a version without the typos that is in the previews.
[SPEAKER_03]: So nobody thinks that there's a problem or whatever about a block.
[SPEAKER_03]: And he was like, no, man, leave it, leave it, let them care, leave it, leave it, leave it, leave it, and I'm like, do you know how the internet works?
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, we talking about.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, um, and uh, I used to when I pitched, uh, it to, um, she maybe no really November,
[SPEAKER_03]: Um, and I was talking to Rom on his zoom and I told him about it and he was, he was very excited about, you know, Rom like to do everything stuff and a little Rom was like, I love that.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, you can only do that in comics and stuff and I was like, yeah, I know I got figured up.
[SPEAKER_03]: editorial was supportive of it, but they were definitely a little nervous.
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, it's shot across the valve for editorial.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think they were like, if I remember correctly, what the funny thing is is that I don't have my comps yet for that issue, my comps have been lately, so I don't have my full comps to read and see, like, exactly what the final final version and print looks like.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, so it's weird, I don't have to tell that experience you've had.
[SPEAKER_03]: I've only seen on my computer, you know, it's like I haven't
[SPEAKER_03]: But we talked about a lot.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was a lot of conversations, okay, how is this going to work?
[SPEAKER_03]: And the funny thing was was that I, what do these maybe nervous is that sometimes this happens where the book will go to print, not to print, but it goes to the printer.
[SPEAKER_03]: And they always do before someone hits that print button.
[SPEAKER_03]: They do it on their read through.
[SPEAKER_03]: They do another read through.
[SPEAKER_03]: And every once in a while has happened, I would say to mean to be twice, but like in the grand scheme of things, and the grand scheme of things.
[SPEAKER_03]: and completely well-intentioned people have corrected things that they weren't of the correct, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: Like a name will change by accident or something like that.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like there's some kind of miscommunication.
[SPEAKER_03]: And so that was the thing that made me the most nervous was like, we're gonna go through all this effort, we're gonna do all this stuff, and then somebody approved rear totally well-intentioned and be like, oh my god, there's this, there's this fix it, like, there's so much wrong with you, you gotta fix it.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was often reminded of, I think it's been at number four or five.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm blanking right now, but when Greg and Scott did that issue of court of owls, where you had to spend the comic, and that also created, there was a similar experience of Scott and Greg, were also arguing with DC about it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, no, you got to, like this, you know, this has to be upside down and like all that stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: And so there was a lot of conversations about that of like, okay, how is this actually going to work?
[SPEAKER_03]: And is it going to work here or there?
[SPEAKER_03]: I was your mind about a lot in this process.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I mean, they were supported, but they would definitely like, okay, like we have to find ways to sort of clue the reader in.
[SPEAKER_03]: We got to do a couple little, little things to make it so it's intentional to look like an accident.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I'm like, no, I understand, you know, because I don't want the reader's experience to be so jarring that they get upset or don't want to read it, you know?
[SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, I've been really curious to see if people picked up on that.
[SPEAKER_03]: But like the typos were intentional because they are.
[SPEAKER_01]: I did and I hated it.
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I didn't.
[SPEAKER_01]: Actually, I thought it was great.
[SPEAKER_01]: There was one other thing like sort of all the opposite of the spectrum that I've been dying to ask you about for months now.
[SPEAKER_01]: So Justin, I were both at the panel at D. or Comic Con, where you guys announced next level, which was great.
[SPEAKER_01]: We talked constantly about like how giddy both you and Scott were on the stage.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was delighting to watch.
[SPEAKER_01]: But, there was one thing that was announced towards the end of the panel, which was you doing Legion of Superheroes, which subsequently has been in zero press releases or information that DCS set out about anything next level.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's been no mention about it that I've seen.
[SPEAKER_01]: What's going on with Legion of Superheroes?
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, I'm actually the first to use totally drawn and we're like pretty far along.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think we're I don't want to give a date.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't want to give a date mostly because that's not my business to give a date here.
[SPEAKER_03]: Soon, I'll just keep.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, we've been working on it the whole time.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's not like it ever got put in the background.
[SPEAKER_02]: I have my theories.
[SPEAKER_02]: I have my theories on with all of that.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'll play something when I was in that panel.
[SPEAKER_03]: You remember what I said when we announced it.
[SPEAKER_03]: I sat on that panel, this is for the future, and I think we all thought I was making a pun, but I was like, That's your being cute.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, that's why I was being serious.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was like, this will not be in the next few months.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I was very like, this is something in the future.
[SPEAKER_03]: So it is cute because of it, but that's why I can't adjust so much your theories.
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I think it's all spinning out of the dark side, Legion, that we have here, I feel like.
[SPEAKER_02]: To me, it feels like the silence is because these characters are important for the story happening now.
[SPEAKER_02]: And then something's going to flip, they will lead to what you're doing.
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, I would say you have to read the suitman year 1,000 special that's coming out.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think it's July because...
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, doing Legion is challenging, but I said this on the panel, it's like it's the hardest thing I've ever worked on for DC.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is the most stressed out.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is the most like me sitting here in my office, losing my mind.
[SPEAKER_03]: I've ever worked on and that was part of it was like, how do I make this work right now?
[SPEAKER_03]: Because there are
[SPEAKER_03]: other favorites, how do I make all these pieces work?
[SPEAKER_03]: And it took time to figure that out.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I knew a lot of it then.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I've been working on Legion now for almost
[SPEAKER_03]: almost a year and a half and you know, yeah, I've been working out for a long time and I remember when I said yes, I mean, I said yes, so
[SPEAKER_03]: old year before we announced that I was doing it.
[SPEAKER_03]: And even then I was a little hesitant to announce I was doing it.
[SPEAKER_03]: But we wanted this like big full fruckle press with all the next level books.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, like there's books in there still like shout out the bat that I've been announced.
[SPEAKER_03]: And you know, I think recently they talked about genre hacks was all one of those things they showed.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's kind of like our team Titans had been, we knew the Titans was coming and then we didn't fully announce it until Comments pro.
[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, there's some stuff we just knew, but I was what hasn't been announced at then because of this, this funny talking a way about, you know, just the Legion fans are so hungry.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, well, so it's like it's, it's, it's,
[SPEAKER_03]: I was a little nervous to announce it so early and then it's like, I don't want to have pass it.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's like, I want to make sure and let me tell you when you start seeing the art and sort of seeing the stuff you're going to be like, if I'm going to blow away on it, I think it's it's some of the best looking.
[SPEAKER_03]: There's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a, there's a
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, or to make sense and and and you know, I really look at it like, yeah, there were just some pieces I needed to be aligned before we were able to really show stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: So you'll see, I mean, listen, it's it's it's pretty.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's pretty, it's pretty bonkers and I'm really happy with the stuff we're doing with it.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's still, I still get really nervous about it.
[SPEAKER_03]: I love writing it though.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's just, it's, it's, it's still get a little nervous.
[SPEAKER_03]: What's in the mind?
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, like you're saying, it's so big.
[SPEAKER_02]: And I feel like I'm a big Legion fan.
[SPEAKER_02]: I love the Legion air's run back.
[SPEAKER_02]: And the 90s was what like, yeah, I'm really comics.
[SPEAKER_02]: I really keyed into as like,
[SPEAKER_02]: There's a philosophy here, this is about bright society and the cracks underneath that lead to these large ideas, and that was something that I was like, I was really in a creptonic at the time, not like it was a piece of a bunch of pieces coming together.
[SPEAKER_02]: So the Legion and Legion are concept is so, so big, and it feels foundational to my understanding of the DC universe.
[SPEAKER_02]: But it's always feast or famine, I feel like, in my time for your comics, it's like Legion, then it's like no Legion.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, he had really, he hasn't been, I mean, you know, even, even Ben, this is Legion.
[SPEAKER_03]: God, that ended.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I mean, it was Justice League and the Legion, and that was still happening in 22.
[SPEAKER_03]: But it's been a while, you know, been a while since, because his book ended.
[SPEAKER_03]: in December of 2020, I think, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: If one issue 12 came out and made it to two issues of feature state and then they died into Justice League, then then it was we were, I might have the timeline wrong here, but then they were doing Justice League for some Legion, you know, we needed that many, but it's like,
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it's fascinating.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is crazily the lesion was basically a double-shave book for like 10 years.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, because there were two lesion books for a whole 10 years.
[SPEAKER_03]: That was a major and they were involved in offense and they were involved in the annual theme stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: They were always that they were a part of DC in a some point.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, and it's rough because I love, I love Legion, and so it's like, I think back to those different though that, you know, it's funny like that's definitely my region personally.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's funny like talking to other people who which which legions they love, and Paul Smith and Steve who's the editor of it.
[SPEAKER_03]: He actually, he ain't know anything about Legion.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was like a 100% blind spot to him.
[SPEAKER_03]: Wow.
[SPEAKER_03]: And when he became the editor for it,
[SPEAKER_03]: And so since the start of the beginning, and he has read, I don't want to say everything, but he's almost like everything.
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I mean, I know where he's at in the plot.
[SPEAKER_02]: He also read it out of order, because he didn't want to read digitally.
[SPEAKER_03]: He only wanted to read collections in single issues, but so it could be really hard because not everything is collected.
[SPEAKER_03]: So he started reading it in kind of a weird order.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's kind of funny, it's like he would be in the middle of like old Levitt's legion and then all of a sudden he would start reading like the three boot, you know, or he would start reading and he would do two stuff with the with the retro legion like he started bouncing around.
[SPEAKER_03]: But he's so in it it's so funny, like we'll start talking about stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: We'll start talking about zero hour legion stuff and I'm like, oh, we haven't got to this yet.
[SPEAKER_03]: You haven't got to this yet.
[SPEAKER_03]: You've got to this yet.
[SPEAKER_03]: He's like, oh, don't we just really stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm like.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I know, but then he'll be like deep into some of the Levits stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: He'll be deep into some of the stuff where he'll start talking about shit.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I'm like, dude, I don't know any of that.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, because he's still in it.
[SPEAKER_03]: He's living it right now.
[SPEAKER_03]: He's been that way as well, like the last year and half.
[SPEAKER_03]: He's just been.
[SPEAKER_03]: in in lesion land and it's always interesting to see what he prefers now reading and like that, right, like what is his vision?
[SPEAKER_03]: I find most of those favorite lesion is the one they started with, right, like that's the one that made the most of her ship of.
[SPEAKER_03]: So like for example, Tom King, you know, his favorite lesion is the fighter later lesion, but that's when he started reading, you know, I started reading with lesioners number one and that book was
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I actually like Legionnaires, but then you know, you're talking about 18 months later, it's like, here's the URL religion, and we're starting over, and it was like, that's when I really, I remember the time being kind of bummed, they were starting everything over, because I was reading both lesion books, but then when they started over, it was allowed me to kind of comment at the ground floor, I'm like, on it, you know, of the Legion book.
[SPEAKER_03]: Anyway, yeah, a sooner, soon people, I'm excited, I think the stuff that will show will really surprise people, like it's not,
[SPEAKER_03]: It, man, yeah, the opening is beautiful looking lying on his chest is freaking bonkers.
[SPEAKER_01]: So anyway, yeah, I can't wait.
[SPEAKER_01]: I do want to ask you a logistics question and I know you have a lot of other stuff we probably should talk about, but
[SPEAKER_01]: You've had pretty regularly these different acts that you've done through the DC all-in-storey, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the DC all-in-special, the DC KO, so my presumption was we were going to get something, potentially, I'm just calling it an absolute crisis, which was kind of teased at the end of DC KO.
[SPEAKER_01]: In October of this year, but we're getting an absolute universe event.
[SPEAKER_01]: Does that take the place of what was going to go on in the main line universe or even?
[SPEAKER_03]: No, not at all, not at all.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, we definitely shift things around a little bit.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I mean, we don't even move things around because it's all dependent upon the stories and where, you know, it's weird because it's like,
[SPEAKER_03]: You have the story, and then you have people, creators, you have the draw stories, you know, it's like playing that out and look at it.
[SPEAKER_03]: And it's really interesting, D.C. is doing so well right now, that we're actually able to rearrange some of our plans to be a little more schedule-friendly, you know?
[SPEAKER_03]: But no, no, no, we knew there was gonna be some time in between these different acts that we have planned.
[SPEAKER_03]: And like now I think we're in the second act.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's sort of where we're at now.
[SPEAKER_03]: we're not close to the third act yet.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like we know what it is, we know what it is, like all those pieces to it.
[SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, no, that did not, no.
[SPEAKER_03]: No, we, we, we, I mean, because even when you look at that, it's like, there's a year in between all in chaos starting, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: And it's like, now when you look at
[SPEAKER_03]: from when Kayo ended before we get to the beginning of the third act.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, because that's when, you know, we, we plant things out so crazily.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I, I, I, I love looking at a calendar and being like, this leads to this and the season this and this is going to happen.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean,
[SPEAKER_03]: There's that way some pieces that are coming, you know, like we'll have the the suitment year one thousand special that definitely works as like an Apple Logical KO, but it also does tease a few things like it's just a couple things on the table.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then you'll see some stuff in the fall.
[SPEAKER_03]: Everything is building like we're back into the building stage and then we'll see, you know, the stuff for next year that's going to build and explore and be able to get into a third act and then it'll
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, yeah, it's pretty boggling.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I think that this sort of structurally appboard, like the all insaga is
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think, I mean, we look at infinite crisis a lot, you know, we do like we look at the structure of it and the time it took between what you could argue is the beginning of that and then what you could say in the end of it, you know, because I think technically that error doesn't really end until you get to get to right, like if you look over a year after crisis over before you start saying, okay, I think we're at the end of this and then
[SPEAKER_03]: I had to think about this.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm not even sure if we're at the crisis party yet.
[SPEAKER_02]: You know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_02]: Like we're big as some of you've gotten.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think the said that we have come is bigger.
[SPEAKER_03]: So the least I mean.
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're not even, you're not even at the beginning yet.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, this is the beginning.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'll preamble.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is the, I feel like we're entering, I feel like we're just now entering the second act.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: Of this story.
[SPEAKER_03]: So we, you know, you got a bunch of stuff to have before we set third act.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then, you know, third act, so we started.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like something happened.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like,
[SPEAKER_03]: is that oh shit moment, you know, the argument for the dawn and all these things.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, the way we have a structured, yeah, we have some, we have some time.
[SPEAKER_03]: But it's because, you know, we want things to breathe and that's everything is like, we don't want events sitting on top of each other.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's okay to have crossovers and small crossovers, like we have a cement crossovers and some of those two months, they have a Batman crossovers, two months coming.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I'd say now bad seeds have been announced, you know, so it's not like I'm saying, it's already out there.
[SPEAKER_03]: But those are different than like,
[SPEAKER_03]: big events, you know, we didn't want to have these big things.
[SPEAKER_03]: We want to be able to pace them out and let these books breathe.
[SPEAKER_03]: We want to, of course, that's what next level is breathe a bit, like let those books have some room to just be kind of evergreen stories for those characters, you know, it's like you want to be able to
[SPEAKER_03]: I think Carpal has spoiled my thing, but like dead man, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: Like if you read dead man, that book is great.
[SPEAKER_03]: And it's like it comes out in a few weeks.
[SPEAKER_03]: And you can completely read it on itself.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think we look at a lot of these books and we want to make sure you can read them on their own.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then I connect to a fan to being soundtopped by a band.
[SPEAKER_03]: So we want to make sure they're in room in between these things.
[SPEAKER_02]: I have a friend that the dad and my kid school who's like, yeah, I'm just reading Firestorm.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm like, really?
[SPEAKER_02]: It's awesome.
[SPEAKER_02]: Why don't you choose that?
[SPEAKER_02]: He's like, I don't know why.
[SPEAKER_02]: I really like it.
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's it.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm like, great man.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think right now it's an interesting moment where it's like DC's doing so while, you know, they can afford.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't want to say take risks.
[SPEAKER_03]: But I think five years ago people were like a fire song book.
[SPEAKER_03]: What?
[SPEAKER_03]: Right.
[SPEAKER_03]: But now, you know, and it's awesome.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think that the creators, you know, I think things are very creator focused at DC right now.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like they just are, you can, you can see it and you're bringing people.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, the fact that we, Lisa's in the panel, you guys were there.
[SPEAKER_03]: The fact that you guys go to creators and just be like, you know,
[SPEAKER_03]: What do you want versus in the process or sometimes things came from the top down?
[SPEAKER_03]: The amount of times I had, it is weird.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I've had long conversations with the creators of the last 10 years about this or it's like,
[SPEAKER_03]: It's pretty, at least in my experience, I've never had, I've never had an editor of Pitch Me story.
[SPEAKER_03]: I had a Pitch Me ideas, and I've had better as Pitch Me, like, oh, what if this happens, kind of thing?
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, within the story, I'm already building.
[SPEAKER_03]: But I've been pretty lucky in that, you know, I've been able to come in and don't mean wrong.
[SPEAKER_03]: There's been elements that have been throw at me for different reasons, but like,
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I've been able to come in and be like, this is my book.
[SPEAKER_03]: Here in my vision, here's my plans for it.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I think where I was the one that went to them was like, I want to write this character.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think there's a few instances and where like that like Superman was when they came to me and they're like, do you want to write Superman?
[SPEAKER_03]: I was like, I don't know, but I had a notebook full of ideas, you know.
[SPEAKER_03]: So it's like, that there was a time that we're creators.
[SPEAKER_03]: I would talk to them and I'd be like, what do you want to do?
[SPEAKER_03]: What do you mean?
[SPEAKER_03]: And then like, what characters do you like?
[SPEAKER_02]: And they were like, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_02]: I like all of them.
[SPEAKER_03]: But I'm waiting for them to come to me and say what we need to tell you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, but I like
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, don't you go to them and say, I like this character.
[SPEAKER_03]: I do something with it.
[SPEAKER_03]: It felt like there was a disconnect there where it's in now.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, with Scotty, I do Scotty, you wanted to write Lobo forever.
[SPEAKER_03]: And it was like, I had talked to them about doing Lobo one point.
[SPEAKER_03]: I couldn't make it work with the schedule.
[SPEAKER_03]: I didn't have it.
[SPEAKER_03]: But we had a meeting about it.
[SPEAKER_03]: We were asking you a comment, we're talking.
[SPEAKER_03]: And we're like so many needs to do Lobo.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like somebody needs it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Now's the time.
[SPEAKER_03]: a certain kind of logo book and I left that meeting and I was walking through uh... signal comicon I was walking through the the the maria you know yeah and I'm walking through messy sky at the bar sky and I was like he means
[SPEAKER_03]: and he was like, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like two years ago.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think and he was like, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm like, no man.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's time.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's time to stop.
[SPEAKER_03]: And here we are.
[SPEAKER_03]: Everyone will love a book and that's awesome.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm in freaking early.
[SPEAKER_02]: We got to your kill in it.
[SPEAKER_02]: So we talked to him a few weeks ago and he's so high.
[SPEAKER_02]: He's still so hyped about it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he's been writing it for however long it takes away.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and he's awesome, but it's like that was a situation where it was like we knew this creator wanted that character We didn't go to him and offer him other stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was like we know you want to do this and I think that's where we're at now a lot of the stuff is going to people and being like what do you actually want to do?
[SPEAKER_03]: We said this in the panel, so it's not like
[SPEAKER_03]: And then sometimes there are moments where there are, it changes around, but the freedom and the, like, how it feels fluid a little bit more is better, I think.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I see it's coming through as as a reader, I can feel that energy and it feels good.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, but I know we're going to have to let you go and like one minute minutes.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think for probably the next six minutes.
[SPEAKER_03]: So go six minutes.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: So we got two minutes for GI Joe two minutes for blood of the wolf man and two minutes for.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's go Iron Man rocks.
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was so great.
[SPEAKER_01]: It really felt.
[SPEAKER_01]: like it rejuvenated Tony Stark in a real way, set up some new villains.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's fun.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's actually Just I know you've talked about this a lot, but like What do you think help you crack Tony Stark?
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I feel like he's been stuck in this.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's the MCU's Tony Stark for so long This felt like something new and fresh, but also inherently comics
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean read the comics.
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, I think that's where I came from.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was like, I hit that and I just went back.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is why the story kind of starts the way it does.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I just went back and looked at the origin in the comics.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's something with these characters.
[SPEAKER_03]: There's so much mythology and there's so many different sections and there's so much that it's like with a character like Iron Man.
[SPEAKER_03]: And it'll be interesting to see how people respond as we progress with the character because as you know I do like to play tricks on the reader a little bit and I'm curious if some of those tricks are getting picked up or not.
[SPEAKER_03]: that's who the world thinks of and they think of that tone and it's like I'm not necessarily thinking that things need to have so much that kind of synergy where it's a it's a wonder one or an exact I just went back with the honestly I just went back with the comics you know and but the one thing is is that the one piece I did put into it that does a lot of why I'm with Robert Dine Jr. is like I'm not always the biggest fan of writing characters when there are bummer
[SPEAKER_03]: Mm-hmm.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: But then Damian wasn't a bummer.
[SPEAKER_03]: He was sarky.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, look at Prime Superman.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't like writing characters.
[SPEAKER_03]: They're like, oh, um, burdened.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think sometimes we'll be into that with Tony.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, Tony's very burdened.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I didn't really want to write that character.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then also it was like looking back at what people had done over the last like five years, you know, post-bendous on Iron Man.
[SPEAKER_03]: A lot of times he was written a bit more sombra.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, he was written a little more subdued because he was so incredibly burdened, you know, even when we saw it was doing, you know, a can't well and Jerry, like everyone was writing a little burdened.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I never really enjoyed writing that.
[SPEAKER_03]: So with Tony, I was like, what means I have to pick up the pace a little bit.
[SPEAKER_03]: You got to
[SPEAKER_03]: Um, but that's also, you know, Tony, it's a mask, you know, like when he's like that, it's a mask, he's not always, he's not really like that.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a little bit of a defense mechanism.
[SPEAKER_03]: And so I needed to to tell the star wanted to tell I had to get him into that zone, a little bit of that version of Tony, which I don't necessarily see as the Robert Aung Jr., but I know there are elements that that piece into it.
[SPEAKER_03]: But yeah, it is that's your question.
[SPEAKER_03]: I had to go read the comics and just really think about what a wider, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: real quick on G. I. J.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're in the middle of this crystal ball arc.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, a character that is so deep cut Pete our G. I. Joe expert to know who he was.
[SPEAKER_03]: I know it's a no.
[SPEAKER_03]: My question is clear in there.
[SPEAKER_03]: No, dude.
[SPEAKER_03]: I like taking the weird.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think that I think the mistake I shouldn't say mistake.
[SPEAKER_03]: Here's the thing about G&J, Mr. Turner.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'll make this work.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: So G&J, the thing about G&J is that I sometimes can flip it on this because as much as I love writing G&J, I feel like only one person should write G&J and that's very common, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: Like that's how you feel.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was about it.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I can never be Larry.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like that's just not going to happen.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm not going to emulate him.
[SPEAKER_03]: I can try to copy him.
[SPEAKER_03]: I can try to like one of Larry that I will fail
[SPEAKER_03]: And when it comes to that kind of precision for the characters, but also that kind of military aspect of it, you know, I think some people are like, well, the way to do it, you know, it's not a layer is you make it super realistic.
[SPEAKER_03]: Right, you mean, yeah, really grounded and don't grow on people have done that like when costs it was doing that that was great.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that book was awesome.
[SPEAKER_03]: That was real good, you know.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's part of why I get nervous.
[SPEAKER_03]: I've been using chuckles, you know, it's like the the best chuckle story in college was written, you know, so it's like, I think sometimes, and again, the offense later on, but I get like, weird about it and so put that was my solution, is like, you got to lean into the weird, you know, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're like, you're
[SPEAKER_03]: I think, I think, GiGio for me personally with the cartoon and everything.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's better when you lean into the weirdness of it all, right?
[SPEAKER_03]: And let me say, GiGio is weird.
[SPEAKER_02]: It's weird is weird.
[SPEAKER_02]: On the front.
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, that's why people are like, it's too weird.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm like, it's very weird.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, but it's supposed to be weird.
[SPEAKER_02]: And so when I started on the book, I was like, okay, where's the weird stuff?
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: Where's this stuff?
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a little different.
[SPEAKER_03]: Where's the people are nervous to use?
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, oh, okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's crystal ball.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, they would probably trip off.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think somebody else a different ride would trip away all the weirdness.
[SPEAKER_03]: The camping is of it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I could be a very camping rider.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, I enjoy camping stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: So they would trip away on the camp.
[SPEAKER_03]: They would trip away all the weird and they would make it him and a suit.
[SPEAKER_03]: you know, he's just a straight up interrogator with no weird face tattoo, you know, no actual physical crystal ball.
[SPEAKER_03]: It'll be like, oh, the nickname is personal ball.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, it's like, no man, this dude calls himself crystal ball.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's where he has work in the uses it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: Soaring that's on fire.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: She has this in the comics too.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like,
[SPEAKER_03]: you got into the weird.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's why I used things where it's like, I used raptor, you know, it's like, and now I think about what why I enjoy.
[SPEAKER_03]: Because that's also going to come down to you sometimes in your writing, you say, like, if you're not liking it, if you don't like it, why would you work with a reader like it?
[SPEAKER_03]: You have to like it.
[SPEAKER_03]: And so it's like, would you I Joe, it's example of like, you know what characters I like, Mercer?
[SPEAKER_03]: I thought Mercer was cool, and Mercer has a cool story.
[SPEAKER_03]: So guess who's like a supporting character in this book, Mercer?
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, it's things like that that are a bit,
[SPEAKER_03]: selfish in some ways, but I think you're going to get better work out of me if I'm doing what I want.
[SPEAKER_03]: I was like, how did be I look?
[SPEAKER_03]: I crystal ball.
[SPEAKER_03]: You'll see there's more weird stuff coming.
[SPEAKER_03]: I actually was funny even when we had moments where it was like, it could be way weird in this.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, way more weird stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: No man, I think Chris the ball might be the same Bosch.
[SPEAKER_03]: Wow.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's some of the weird deep dive you know stuff that I've considered.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we've been loving it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Also looking forward to blood of the wolf bad, but we do really well.
[SPEAKER_03]: You guys know what you're going to do?
[SPEAKER_03]: What's your blood of the wolf man question?
[SPEAKER_01]: No, it's just my question.
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't really necessarily have a question.
[SPEAKER_01]: Other than that, it's a wolf man.
[SPEAKER_01]: A college is he some sort of teen wolf.
[SPEAKER_03]: No.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's so funny.
[SPEAKER_03]: Somebody else brought that up recently.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm a who really likes teen wolf.
[SPEAKER_03]: who likes both those movies, both and the TV show.
[SPEAKER_03]: Second one, right in my Jeff Loeb.
[SPEAKER_03]: I know the first one, well the first one was Jeff Loeb.
[SPEAKER_01]: The first one was Jeff Loeb.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the first one was Jeff Loeb.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I got a lot of, like I enjoyed the movies and the TV show.
[SPEAKER_03]: I remember finished the TV show.
[SPEAKER_03]: I didn't watch the movie, but I, I am a team of fans.
[SPEAKER_03]: I did not put that together until someone brought up recently.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was like, oh, I guess he has a team.
[SPEAKER_03]: We'll sing college, technically.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: Uh, so no.
[SPEAKER_03]: No, he's on it.
[SPEAKER_03]: You're technically, but that wasn't the beginning.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, the biggest bump of that.
[SPEAKER_01]: As long as becoming a wolf man makes him good at basketball, I think we're all good here.
[SPEAKER_03]: The natural progression of, yes.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I get good basketball, get good at boxing apparently.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then what was it?
[SPEAKER_03]: It was, what was the TV show was, um, okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know, that's beyond my knowledge.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the end to the play.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, the cross.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, oh, the end to the cross.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, the cross and the TV show.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I should know that I worked at MTV.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was going to say you worked there with that was that.
[SPEAKER_03]: I should have had him do some kind of sport.
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I'm going to change a lot of dialogue.
[SPEAKER_03]: I haven't talked about not liking sports.
[SPEAKER_03]: Being like, you always want me to play sports dad.
[SPEAKER_03]: I got to write this down.
[SPEAKER_03]: I got to figure out a place for that because uh, perfect.
[SPEAKER_03]: That's a funny little, little joke.
[SPEAKER_03]: If the thing isn't that with that book, can you read it?
[SPEAKER_03]: She wanted they sent you.
[SPEAKER_03]: I haven't read it yet.
[SPEAKER_03]: No.
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's super dark.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is not a funny story.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is not.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is not a funny comic.
[SPEAKER_03]: So I'm not sure if I can drop a sports joke in the middle of it, but uh, you can do it.
[SPEAKER_03]: I believe in you.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's arguably, I think, one of the darkest things that are written.
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh, it is static.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like,
[SPEAKER_03]: I think when I look at like nail biter and and and ghosted all those in dark eye and I'll get rogues.
[SPEAKER_03]: I think rogues is actually probably pretty dark once he's at the ending.
[SPEAKER_03]: But I feel like this is definitely uh it's it has a dark ending.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like I feel like it is as a progresses or just like even when there's moments where you're like oh hell yeah this is cool you.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then it then really goes and like all this is bad.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like this is this is rough.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is a rough.
[SPEAKER_03]: So uh
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, but I'm I'm I was really glad to work with Leo again with the old Max because we did roads together and I really enjoy working with them.
[SPEAKER_03]: I felt like his aesthetic was like perfect for what we were doing for that book.
[SPEAKER_03]: So yeah, I hope you enjoy it.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's definitely a dark one dude.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's definitely like Adam's like when it's collected, I feel like it's going to be one where people are going to be like, I'm going to take a walk after it.
[SPEAKER_03]: If you want to read it all one thing, I got to go walk or smoke a cigarette.
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm going to talk with therapists, like go hug my mom
[SPEAKER_03]: Some kind of that stuff.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.
[SPEAKER_03]: Maybe it'll be like, oh, that's fine.
[SPEAKER_03]: I can deal with that.
[SPEAKER_03]: It needs to be in, you know.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it's definitely like, it's funny because I say this, it's a universal property.
[SPEAKER_03]: But when I started writing, I was really looking at like a 24 movies.
[SPEAKER_03]: And I was really thinking about like that kind of aesthetic, you know, I was really looking at those.
[SPEAKER_03]: We'll send a lot of those movie scores while I'm working on it and just think of that school.
[SPEAKER_03]: Awesome.
[SPEAKER_03]: Awesome, Joshua.
[SPEAKER_03]: We did it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you so much.
[SPEAKER_01]: Great chatting with you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Hopefully we'll talk very soon.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that was Joshua Williamson, since he had to run off to another Zoom.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to give you a couple of dates to look out for here in Nipptech in the order.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to try to put them in order.
[SPEAKER_01]: Iron Man No.
[SPEAKER_01]: 6 is coming out June 3rd from Marvel, then on June 17th, you've got issued 23 of GI Joe, which is going to have Crystal Ball, and the origin of risk, I believe, or, I remember correctly.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you get a double hit of Joshua Williams said on June 24, Blood of the Wolf band No.
[SPEAKER_01]: 1 is coming out from Skybound at Image Comics, and Superman No.
[SPEAKER_01]: 39 picking up
[SPEAKER_01]: on the crazy editorial thing we were talking about earlier in the podcast, where he takes on Manchester Black and goes literally through the page of the comic books, so that should be a fun type.
[SPEAKER_01]: Pick up all that stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: As for us, if you want to support this podcast on the podcast, we do patreon.com slash comic book club, also a video of live show every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to YouTube coming out.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'd love to chat with you about comics, Apple Spotify, Android, or the app of your choice to subscribe, listen and follow the show.
[SPEAKER_01]: Comic Book Love Live.com for this podcast, and many more.
[SPEAKER_01]: Until next time, we'll see you at the Comic Book Club, bye.