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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...
I was wondering your opinion on the New 52. Not the execution, I have a hunch you don't have the time to read much of any of it, but the idea of it.
Although I have found a few books I really like, in general I object to heaving aside continuity and trying to rejam the history back into a too short time frame while wiping out character development. The idea of accessibility is a red herring because if they were capable of sticking to self contain arc inviting to new readers they wouldn't need a reboot to do so. Then again, I came into comics after Crisis on Infinite Earths and am conditioned into thinking it was necessary.
Greg responds...
As you noted, I have NOT had the time to read the New 52, so I will not comment on that specifically. Whether or not it works creatively depends more than anything else on execution. Since I haven't seen the execution, I can't respond to how it works creatively. But I KNOW that commercially it's been a HUGE hit. I like to believe that it wouldn't have done quite so well, if it wasn't executed well too.
But generally, on the idea of reboots, I do have a handful of thoughts:
1. I don't want to be a hypocrite. When we started Spectacular Spider-Man and again on Young Justice, we were effectively doing a continuity reboot. I feel when adapting something to a new media, that's essential, but it doesn't change the fact that (a) we did it and (b) I was relieved to be able to do it. Relieved to be able to jettison elements that I felt didn't work or were redundant or confusing, etc. Our goal, particularly on Spider-Man, was to come up with something Classic, Cohesive, Coherent, Contemporary and Iconic. So how can I object if the comics themselves want to do this?
2. In the end, whether or not either SpecSpidey or YJ was/is successful depends on our execution of our ideas, additions and cullings. I like to think both shows are successful, but that's a judgement each individual viewer would have to make for him or herself.
3. I was working on staff at DC Comics during the publication of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. In fact, during my very first editorial meeting, I raised the question as to why we weren't starting ALL our books over (with the numerical exceptions of Detective and Action Comics) with issue #1. I remember very clearly a collective groan rising up from the conference room table. (They had dealt with this question for months before my arrival.) On the one hand, they wanted Crisis to be a real sea-change, a true reboot (before we knew that term). On the other hand, if you truly reboot Batman, then Robin doesn't exist yet. No Robin, no other sidekicks either. So no Teen Titans. And at the time, the New Teen Titans was the company's best selling book.
4. So the end result was that some things got rebooted and some did not.
5. This was complicated by the fact that certain creators came late to the party, and certain characters got reboots too long AFTER Crisis.
6. And so, as a READER, I couldn't help feeling that - rather than simplifying the continuity - Crisis made it more complicated. This will happen in general, naturally, as time passes and more and more comics are produced by a variety of creators and editors, but Crisis seemed to exacerbate the problem for me personally.
7. In part this was because, I really liked the DC Multiverse. I agree that it was abused to the point of confusion. (And I think it was nuts that Earth TWO had the forties heroes and Earth ONE had the sixties heroes. Just the odd backwards numbering itself created additional unnecessary confusion.) But if limits had been placed on the number of parallel earth stories and crossovers, I think it could have been fine.
8. ESPECIALLY, if they had created a new Earth-THREE, starting over with heroes of the eighties, with Superman and Batman (being new to the hero thing but) remaining relatively constant. But with a new Green Lantern (for example) as different from Hal Jordan as Jordan was from Alan Scott.
9. But that didn't happen. And in fact, though I've read very few comics since 1996, my understanding is that reboots have hit over and over at both DC and Marvel. That negates reader trust in the worth and weight of the stories they're reading. It's more insidious than obvious. And you risk alienating old readers, even as you may or may not attract new ones. You'll always get a short term gain off of a reboot, because everyone wants to check it out. But long term...
10. And going back to my first point - which is that most everything depends on execution - I personally didn't love the execution of some of the post-Crisis rebooting. Some people may have loved it. And that's totally legit. But some of the rethinking on certain individual characters didn't work too well for me.
11. Though personally I think the Bates-Weisman-Broderick reboot on Captain Atom from his Charlton incarnation was brilliant. ;)
12. So, personally, my feeling on reboots in general is that you either do them or you don't. You've got to be thorough and ruthless about it, or don't bother, because otherwise - long term - you're creating more problems than you're solving.
13. And still and all, ultimately, it all depends on execution.
bob writes...
why did clu kill his own men on tron betrayal.
Greg responds...
I have no expertise on Tron. And I'm betting you knew that.
Artemis writes...
Is the Teen Titans show coming back, or is that just a rumor?
Greg responds...
No idea.
Is that even really a rumor - or are YOU trying to start a rumor here?
Todd Jensen writes...
Recently, somebody asked you if you were familiar with C. S. Lewis' work, and you said "No", apart from seeing a couple of adaptations of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". I thought that you might like to know that Lewis and Roger Lancelyn Green were friends, and that it's thanks to Green that "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was finished and published.
When Lewis was writing "Lion", he read some of it to J. R. R. Tolkien; Tolkien had done the same to him with "The Lord of the Rings" when he was writing it, and Lewis wanted to return the favor. Tolkien thought that "Lion" was dreadful, however, and made that clear. Lewis was so saddened by Tolkien's critique that he considered abandoning the story, but first read it to Roger Lancelyn Green. Green told him, "No, this is a great story, you mustn't drop it," and his words encouraged Lewis to complete the story and get it published.
Green also included a tribute to Lewis in his King Arthur book. One of Lewis's fantasy novels for adults, "That Hideous Strength" had Merlin awakening in the modern world to help the main characters defeat an Illuminati-type organization; Lewis had Merlin sleeping beneath a forest called Bragdon Wood. In Green's "King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table", one of the places where Merlin is said to be sleeping is "beneath the Wood of Bragdon". Since you especially liked Green's book on King Arthur (and even drew on it for Blanchefleur, and Percival's parentage), I thought you might enjoy hearing about that (and I hope the Wood of Bragdon wasn't on your list of places for King Arthur and Griff to visit during their search for Merlin, since it was Lewis' invention!).
Greg responds...
I did not know about the Green/Lewis connection. I did know about Tolkien/Lewis, but this is great additional info. Thanks.
Onesweetsuprise writes...
I heard somebody asked Dwayne McDuffie this question about Ben 10, so I'll ask you 'cause I'm curious.
If you could have Young Justice crossover with any other TV series, what would it be?
Note: By any TV series, I really mean ANY. X)
Greg responds...
My mind just doesn't work that way, really. But I guess... hmmm.... we've already kinda crossed over with Super-Friends, so...
I'll say Scooby-Doo.
After all, we've got meddling kids and a big dog and a neat vehicle to go around and solve mysteries. It's a perfect fit.
I mean wouldn't you just love to see Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby as reimagined by Phil Bourassa?
(Actually, I'm cheating. This is totally Brandon's idea.)
Phoenician writes...
So the story behind this ramble actually goes back two years, starting when I first read your Ramble on EQUIVOCATION:
http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?rid=817
Regrettably I would not have the chance to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival that year, dedicating my travel expenses to the last Gathering in Los Angeles. Before I go any further, can I say that I am quite jealous that you and your family go every year to Ashland? Because I am d:
Anyways, it didn't hit me until about month or so later that I could simply buy a copy of the script just as you had mentioned doing. A thorough look at (and a telephone call to) the OSF's Tudor Guild Gift Shop revealed they had quickly sold out of their entire supply, and that odds were, it'd be a while till they got more, if ever. Of course, by the time I DID check back with them, the OSF was done foe the season and Equivocation was not being performed again in the near future.
Fast forward to summer 2011, where I stumbled upon a copy of the play script at my old college in Los Angeles. I don't know how the conversation started, but the person I was talking to mentioned that the school was trying to get permission to perform the play that school year!
But before I allowed myself to get excited, I remembered I was only in town for the week to visit some friends I hadn't seen in over a year since I graduated in May 2010. My friend sympathized that my horrible, horrible timing wouldn't have me in Los Angeles if and when they did perform the play (and especially after hearing me recite your ramble from 2009 with alarming precision) he was generous enough to let me take a script with me back home!
I tried to be patient, reminding myself that I had waited two years to find a copy and that the AskGreg queue was closed during the Young Justice hiatus, but that VERY short flight back to Phoenix was suddenly felt like an eternity. Of course, its just my luck that even though I read it back in early August, I only JUST now remembered to write this rambling as yesterday (November 5th, 2011) was Guy Fawkes Night.
So did I enjoy the play, even when I only read it as a script?
In a word: YES. :D
But one thing is for sure: I really, really want to catch an actual performance now. I won't go into too much detail here (since you've seen the play and I don't want to spoil others that might read this before catching/reading the play themselves), but I will say this play reminds me quite a bit like Shakespeare in Love (a film I also remember you writing about more than once), though its obvious that (even if Stoppard and Cain were working with the same muse) this is a noticeably older Shag than the Will we saw in the 1998 film. For one, Shag's working for the King James VI/I and not Queen Elizabeth. For another, the only person caring for him these days is the very mature Judith. Finally, he's now an established name (he'll still be remembered in, oh, fifty year's time!), though the romances and comedies seemed to have been eclipsed with his slew of historical plays, earning him the reputation of killing "more Kings than any man alive."
The various references to Shag's other plays were fun, especially Hamlet and Macbeth. Speaking of the Scottish Play, remembering what you said about how Macbeth (in the Gargoyles Universe) was a drinking buddy of Shakespeare's, I vaguely wonder how the events in Equivocation looked from his perspective. ;)
I'll also say that after briefly mentioning "Doc Shakespeare" in your Equivocation ramble, I made sure to pay close attention to Judith's interactions with Shag, if only to one day have them as a reference point in understanding the characters . . . much like I hear Roger Lancelyn Green's works are a good place to see your early inspirations for King Arthur.
I must also admit to re-reading your thoughts from 1999/2000 about how Shakespeare in Love opened a door to understanding Will as a man . . . and having missed out on the 2005 Gathering in Las Vegas, I can only imagine how you treated Will (and Judith) in Doc Shakespeare. I guess I'm just hopeful to one day see you a work of yours introduce William Shakespeare the man, be it in the Gargoyles Universe or some other original work (and references in shows like The Spectacular Spider-Man will always be fun too).
I'll end this by saying THANK YOU so much for recommending Equivocation. I look forward to watching a performance one day (may the stars align soon) and its only a matter of time before I find my way to Ashland for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Greg responds...
Well, I've seen Equivocation twice now. That first time in Ashland, and again here in Los Angeles (Westwood, specifically) at the Geffen Theatre, starring Joe Spano (from Hill Street Blues) as Shag. He was also fantastic in the part. I just love this play.
His take on Judith is different from mine, as is his take on Susannah (who doesn't appear but is mentioned). But I've got no complaints.
I do tend to shy away from portraying Will Shakespeare himself in my stuff. It makes me nervous. Even in Doc Shakespeare, Will is an off-screen presence. Talked about - but never appearing.
We do try to go to Ashland every year, and I've never been disappointed. Ashland was also the first place I ever saw Stoppard's ARCADIA, which may be one of the most brilliant plays I've ever seen.
hallofjustice writes...
Greg, do you have any favourite DC couples? I'll tell you my favourites. My favourites are Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon as well as Traci Thirteen and Jaime Reyes.
Greg responds...
Dinah and Oliver is the big one for me. Then probably Bruce and Selena.
Others I've enjoyed (depending how they were written) include John and Kathy, Arthur and Mera, Barry and Iris, Cameron and Bette, Clark and Lois.
This is all historical. NONE of the above should be meant to imply anything about our plans for YOUNG JUSTICE. And for that reason I've intentionally NOT included any couples I've liked involving teen heroes.
Gareth writes...
Love the work you're doing on Young Justice so far. Really enjoying the detail the animators are putting into the animation (i.e persistent mud on heroes) and your usage of macguffin plot items to damn good effect (Helmet of Fate in Revelations). Seriously, kudos to you for having the heroes actually use the gamebreaking artefact they have stored away in their trophy room. Heaven knows there're enough shows in circulation now which wouldn't dare do the same.
Question;
Was the recent reference by Red Volcano to "Meatbags" a HK-47 Star Wars reference or simply a general anti-human robot thing?
Greg responds...
I don't know what HK-47 is, so I'm guesing no.
I've seen and enjoyed Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back many times. I probably saw Return of the Jedi twice, maybe three times. I've seen Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones once each. I never did get around to seeing Revenge of the Sith.
a random nobody writes...
Hey greg a couple months ago you answered a question asking about avatar the last air bender and I think you said you were near the end of book 1. So I was just wondering have you had the time to finish watching the series? And if you have finished what did you think of it?
Greg responds...
ASKED AND ANSWERED.
Masterdramon writes...
Hiya, Greg! Glad to see Station 8's question-asking feature back from hiatus, despite the absolute flood of "ZOMGSPOILYOUNGJUSTICEPLEEZ" comments that've come in over the past three days; speaking of which, I finally saw "Targets" in television-level quality and loved every single minute of it all over again, and simply cannot wait for "Terrors." The villains in YJ are, in my humble opinion, the single greatest aspect of this wonderful show, so I was quite ecstatic to read the summary for that one.
Anyway, I'll apologize in advance if this question grows ridiculously fanboyish, but I'd really like to follow-up on a little blurb you typed way back in March. To whit:
"I don't know about Brandon, but I've begun watching Avatar with my son Benny. We're near the beginning of Season Two. I like it. I don't know how much of an influence there's been, since we started YJ before I started watching Avatar."
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I was pretty much reduced to happy giggles the moment I read that. Personally, I consider "Gargoyles" and "Avatar: The Last Airbender" (alongside several shows in the DC Animated Universe) to, together, represent the absolute pinnacle of Western television animation, and the notion of the creator of one watching the other excites me in a way I can't really describe. As such, if you'll permit me, I'd like to ask a few more questions about your experience watching this fantastic show:
1. Have you completed watching the series yet? If not, how far do you still have to go? If so, do you have any general thoughts? What do you think "Avatar" did especially well, compared to other animated shows you've watched and critiqued? Where do you think it could've been improved?
2. Do you have a favorite character or episode? I realize that you dislike being asked this question with regard to your own shows (as they're all pretty much like your children, a viewpoint to which I can certainly relate), but I'm curious as to whether you think about these sorts of things when watching shows you aren't necessarily connected with?
3. Did you and Benny discover the series together, or did he introduce it to you? The latter is pretty much what happened with my Dad and I, LOL, so I'm interested.
4. Have you seen the Comic-Con 2011 trailer for the sequel series, "The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra"? If so, do you intend to catch it when it airs in 2012, if you happen to have the time (an unlikely prospect for you, I know, but still XD)?
Aaand...yeah, I think that's enough. Thank you so much for your patience and dedication to your fanbase, and I greatly look forward to seeing what YJ has in store for us all in the coming months!
Cheers! :D
Greg responds...
1a. No. We have it on DVD, so the stuff we watch together on the DVR takes precedence, because my DVR is pretty much full to bursting... and it's even deleted some stuff that we were planning to get to because it was overloaded.
1b. Still in the middle of Season Two.
1c & d. I like it. Quite a bit, actually. But I don't think it's appropriate for me to go into detailed analysis of the work of my peers. It's one thing for me to talk about live action movies or television and/or stuff from long before I was working in the business. But it's awkward otherwise.
2. I guess I just don't think that way.
3. Benny introduced it to me. He's seen the whole thing, but enjoys rewatching it with me.
4. No, I haven't seen the trailer. I'm reluctant to watch the new series BEFORE I've finished the old one. SPOILERS, right?
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