When the Meek Inherit the Earth:
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This is our very first Heroes and Dragons interview — possibly pre-dating the heroesanddragons.com web site! It originally appeared in Dragon's Breath (print version) vol. 3 # 1 in January of 1997. The interview seems to have been conducted sometime in December of '96. What follows is Brett's original introduction to the interview. |
Recently I had the chance to "chat" via e-mail with Mark Waid, arguably the hottest funny-book writer on the planet at the moment. Mark is, of course, well-known for his reverent handling of super-heroes, from his long and popular run on DC's Flash to his recent and all-too-short stint with Marvel's Captain America. He's probably most-remembered (for now, anyway) as the scribe of DC's landmark Elseworlds mini-series Kingdom Come, on which he collaborated with painter extraordinaire Alex (Marvels) Ross.
DC announced late last month, however, that they weren't entirely finished with the Kingdom Come story; so it was on this subject, and others, that Mark and I chatted.
Let me tell you what I think I know about the recently announced Kingdom Come spin-off: It's called Kingdom, written by you, art by Gene Ha, with covers (and consultation) by Alex Ross. It's ongoing, set in DC continuity, and may or may not chronicle the events that may or may not lead up to Kingdom Come. How am I doing so far?
Spot on. It's also set in present day and will focus primarily on the younger characters, but will have healthy heaping helpings of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and others. The idea is to make this a flagship book for the entire DC line, a place where events of critical importance can occur.
Why the choice to go "in-continuity"?
Paul Levitz's idea, and a good one.
We're saying that Kingdom Come isn't just a possible future for the DC Universe: It's a probable one. We've just put a ticking clock on everything we know and hold dear, and you'll be surprised at the way certain events unfold in the months and years to come. We're not just allowed to have major DC continuity happenings occur in Kingdom; it's a mandate.
Will the book focus on just a few main characters, or will it span the DC Universe (as did Kingdom Come)?
A little of both. Too early to say. Look for, among other things, revivals and revamps of Kingdom Come players like Captain Atom and Hourman.
Will Magog or Norman McKay appear in the book?
Magog, certainly. Norman—we're talking.
Besides covers, how else will Alex Ross contribute to the book?
Alex and I are crafting the series bible together.
Is it true you will be taking a sabbatical from Flash for a short time to concentrate on Kingdom, and that Grant Morrison will helm the title during your absence?
Yes and no. I'm taking a one-year sabbatical from Flash not to concentrate on Kingdom, but to concentrate on two other important Flash-related projects for DC. Watch for an announcement.
What else is in the works for you, Mark? I'd read recently that you had a couple of creator-owned projects in the works, one for Event with Humberto Ramos and one for Homage with Brian Augustyn and Barry Kitson. Anything you can talk about yet?
Not yet, I fear. But thanks for asking.