The World’s Finest caught up with artist Jon Sommariva to discuss his work on the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures mini-series, which wraps up with issue #6 on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. The series, co-published by IDW and DC Comics, features the Dark Knight from Batman: The Animated Series and the Heroes in a Half-Shell from the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, thrust into an world-colliding adventure. In the interview, Sommariva talks about his work on the book, his career, adapting his personal style to meet the needs of the mini-series, and much more. Preview images for Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #6 can also be found in the Q & A. Click on the image below to read the interview.
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #6 is available Wednesday, May 10, 2017 through comic shops and via digital outlets. Stay tuned for further updates and more right here at The World’s Finest!
The World’s Finest caught up with writer Matthew Manning to discuss his work on the new Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures mini-series. The series, co-published by IDW and DC Comics, features the Dark Knight from Batman: The Animated Series and the Heroes in a Half-Shell from the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, thrust into an world-colliding adventure. On the eve of the six-issue mini-series’ launch, Manning was able to answer a few questions about what fans can expect from the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures mini-series, along with his influences, his other works and why this is going to be a mini-series fans will not want to miss.
Preview images from Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #1 can be found at the end of the Q & A.
Click on the image below to read the interview.
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #1 will be available November 9th, 2016 through comic shops and via digital. The series is a co-production between IDW Publishing and DC Comics.
Stay tuned for further updates and more right here at The World’s Finest!
The World’s Finest caught up with Young Justice executive producer Greg Weisman to briefly chat about the Warner Archive release of Young Justice: Invasion, a two-disc Blu-ray title collecting the final twenty episodes of the acclaimed animated series. Weisman answered a few quick questions about his involvement in the bonus material slated for the Young Justice: Invasion Blu-ray release, and also talked about his acclaimed book series Rain of the Ghosts. Young Justice: Invasion, now available for pre-order, will be available starting Tuesday, November 18th, 2014 for $24.95US from the Warner Archive. Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam: A Rain of the Ghosts Novel are both currently available for purchase from retail and online outlets.
Please continue below for more from Weisman…
The World’s Finest: Young Justice: Invasion is the first Young Justice home video release to feature proper behind-the-scenes bonus content. Is there any prep work that goes into bonus features (the commentaries and featurette) on your part?
Greg Weisman: Maybe there should be… but no. [Producer] Brandon Vietti and I have pretty decent memories for this kind of thing, and it’s just so much fun to watch the episodes again together and spend some time with great people like [actors] Jason Spisak and Stephanie Lemelin. So we just show up and run with it.
WF: Do you pull out notes and information to prepare yourself for both the commentary and the interviews?
GW: Not so much. We all have more stories than we could fit into the run time of any commentary. We’re not worried about running low and needing crib sheets.
WF: Is it exciting to get to share some of the experience in making this show, and relive it with colleagues?
GW: Very. We had such a blast making Young Justice, and so loved the folks we were working with, that getting to revisit the series in any way is a total joy.
WF: All 46 episodes are now out on Blu-ray. Does it feel like this kind of closes a chapter for you, that Young Justice is put to bed for the moment?
GW: Not at all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic that the show is available in full now in a format that does it justice (no pun intended), but I think that Brandon and I would both jump at any chance to work with these characters and in this universe again.
WF: Did recording extras for the second set somewhat aid in that – getting a chance to put your final words on the property…for now?
GW: The key words there would be “for now,” because I’m not a big believer in final words. Never the end…
WF: Outside of your animated work, you’ve been keeping pretty busy with your Rain of the Ghosts book series, with the second installment released earlier this year. With the holiday season upon is, can you tell us why these make some solid gifts ….and particularly who for?
GW: Well, I’m biased, of course, as I’m very proud of these two books, but I think both Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam would make fantastic gifts. These books deal with some of the same themes and concerns that series like Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H. and Young Justice have dealt with. So if you or your friends or family like any of those shows, I really think they’d like these two books. In addition, they are – technically – YA novels, so if you have kids, teens, etc., (girls or boys) who love a great yarn with interesting and diverse characters, then the Rain books could be just the thing. Finally, any student of mythology should find interest in how I’m taking the myths of the pre-Colombian Taíno people and bringing them forward into a modern fantasy/horror/action context.
WF: The Rain of the Ghosts book have a pretty wide appeal to them, even outside of the marketed pre-teen/tween group. For those who haven’t tried the books because they think they’re “just” for the younger set, what do you say to them?
GW: Again, I always write primarily for myself. It’s the only way I can prove out my passion for a given project. So if you’ve enjoyed my previous work on television or in comics, odds are you and I share a common sensibility. And if so, then you’re sure to enjoy Rain. The characterization, the plotting, the mythology, the backstory, the environment should all work for a younger audience, but I don’t believe in writing down to kids. So there’s plenty of meat on these bones for an older reader to sink her or his teeth into.
WF: Do you have any further comments on the new Young Justice: Invasion Blu-ray release, and anything to add about Rain? The Blu-ray and the book sure would make a solid one-two punch for solid entertainment. Why are both worth checking out?
GW: We’re very proud of Young Justice‘s second season. We told a powerful story, introduced a bunch of new fan favorite characters and took a big step toward adulthood for our Season One cast. Plus each episode is simply jam-packed with content and can easily hold up over repeat viewings. And, of course, I feel the same way about Rain, and am really hoping that more of my Young Justice fans check it out!
For further details on Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam, including purchase information and readers reviews, please click on the respective artwork below for each title.
If you want to see further installments of Rain, please support these titles!
Young Justice: Invasion arrives on Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection, the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment specialty label, and will be available starting November 18th, 2014 for $24.95US from the label. Please note the release then goes wide to all major online outlets starting December 2nd, 2014. The collection is currently up for pre-order through most online retails outlets.
Check out the The World’s Finest Young Justice subsite for more information on this fan-favorite series. Stay tuned for additional news and updates right here at The World’s Finest.
Batman: The Complete Television Series and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham are both now available to own from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive, respectively. Click on the links below to discuss these new releases!
The World’s Finest caught up with artist/writer Ty Templeton to discuss his work on The Batman Adventures, the classic comic series based on Batman: The Animated Series, and a handful of other projects past, present and future.
Winner of the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Writer, nominated for countless others, and inducted in the Canadian Hall of Fame, Templeton’s career spans a multitude of mediums, characters and publishers, working on everything from Batman and Superman in both comic and animation form, to writing and drawing for The Simpsons, Vertigo Comics and assorted independent publishers. Even teaching classing classes to aspiring artists, Templeton has his hand deep in the comic and art community, both in Canada and abroad.
And now, DC Comics is releasing the classic The Batman Adventures comic series, featuring work by Templeton, in a new series of trade paperback collections, with the first volume hitting shelves Wednesday, November 12h, 2014. To find out what Templeton has to say about his work on that comic, and other projects, continue on…
The World’s Finest: DC Comics is reprinting the classic The Batman Adventures comics in a new series of trade paperback collections. Now, when the comic first started off, you had to start working on the comic before an episode of Batman: The Animated Series even aired. Can you walk us through how you managed to navigate such tricky waters to get that first issue out without having seen the show?
Ty Templeton: Well, that’s not strictly true. I’d actually seen the “On Leather Wings” episode when I was working on the first issue, and I think I saw two or three more before the general public did. It helps to be in the biz. Also, I had a set of turnaround and layout designs already from when I was briefly a storyboard artist for Lightbox Productions in Toronto, which worked on the first season of the show. It was the primary reason I was hired, was because I was already associated with the production before it made it to the air.
WF: And when you did see the first episode, did you think, in retrospect, you and Kelley Puckett (the writer) nailed it with your first opening arc?
TT: Again, the premise of the question is slightly off. And as an artist I’m never happy with what I do. I’d love to go back and fix all the mistakes in that first issue. There are plenty.
WF: After the initial three issues of The Batman Adventures, you stepped aside for the most part, save for the odd appearance, but then came back basically full-time with Batman & Robin Adventures. That opening two-part story remains, personally, one of the best Two-Face stories ever (“It was Tuesday” – brutal). Did your artist approach change when it can to drawing these characters again, now that the animated series and comic were established?
TT: I was originally only approached to do three issues, it was meant to be a micro series to test the waters, but we came out of the gate with enormous sales. Sales so good they could not cancel the book, so it kept going. I was unavailable for anything past issue #3 so the wonderful Mike Parobeck came and took over and did it for the next twenty eight issues before I returned, first as a writer (Batman Adventures #32) then as a writer artist with Mike for a few issues when Kelly Puckett left, then as an artist with Paul Dini, then as the writer/cover artist for the rest of the series, stepping back into the artist shoes for the Dan Slott scripted issues because, well, who wouldn’t want to draw a Dan Slott script?!?
WF: While the three issues included in the new The Batman Adventures collection highlights your pencil work, you also wrote this title for quite a few years. Which did you find easier – getting the look of the show down, or the voice? Why?
TT: There’s not really an “easier” between the two disciplines, but I enjoy both and didn’t want to step back from writing when I had my hands on the character. I kept up with the covers because I simply couldn’t write and draw an issue every month, so it was a question of schedule more than anything that kept me from doing it all. When Slott came aboard near the end, and scripted half the stories, I could write mine and draw his and was quite happy with everything at that point (though I missed doing covers! What a selfish bastard I was on that series!)
WF: The Batman Adventures is considered one of the best unsung Batman comics of the 90s. Any thoughts on that? Was it because the series wasn’t enveloped in countless ongoing crossovers, or perhaps because it ignored the other bad practices that popped up throughout the decade, or maybe…because, simply, there was just great storytelling. Thoughts?
TT: If it’s unsung, it ain’t considered one of the best anything. It’s like being a tall midget, it doesn’t work logically. Unsung means unnoticed. We weren’t unnoticed, though … we won a bunch of Eisner awards and Fanny Awards during this period (I have most of ‘em on my wall), and were quite happy with the recognition and very healthy sales. At one point, Batman and Robin Adventures was DC’s best selling comic worldwide, as it was, by far, their most translated. We were in dozens and dozens of countries and outselling everything DC put out in Europe, except Gaiman’s Sandman book. There’s a pair of contenders, eh? So your contention that we were ignored is slightly off. But … the book was not particularly supported in editorial at the time, because DC was going through a real “identity crisis” of sorts at editorial, where they really didn’t like the idea of kids reading comics. Obviously, you need kids to have a new generation of readers every ten years, but I had constant requests to get off the book from editors telling me my career would be better if I did a more mainstream book. I was happy where I was (stayed there off and on for like fifteen years!) and was happy to connect to the audience. It was editorial that didn’t love us, and gave us no promotion, no reprint series, little attention when we won awards. We were only unsung around the DC offices, actually, not around the biz.
WF: Switching gears for a moment, you’ve kept yourself quite busy over the years, but you always seem to pop back on to a Batman book every once and a bit. Given this is Batman’s 75th, do you have any comments on the character’s enduring appeal? Maybe perhaps those 1980s Zellers commercials (laughs)?
TT: The character’s appeal is simple. His story is the ultimate metaphor for control vs. chaos, which is the basic story of existence. The living impose order on a chaotic structure, like the planet Earth for instance,, and Batman is the embodiment of that struggle. It’s not a coincidence that all of his best villains are centered around madness or temptation.
As to the Zellers commercials….my work animating and doing layout for those commercials was where I connected with Lightbox Productions in Canada, which is what led to them being part of the original set of animation studios working on Batman The Animated Series, where I was hired to do storyboards, and hooked up with the whole thing. So domino theory in action.
WF: Continuing this off-topic track – You recently worked on the Batman ’66 Meets Green Hornet mini-series. Is there any intimidation to working on such beloved interpretations of these classic characters? How….careful are you when approaching these characters from an artistic standpoint? Do you ask yourself how close you need to stay to their look while allowing yourself a little room to put some of yourself in there?
TT: No intimidation at all. I lobbied for the gig, and sent the editor likenesses of all the major actors and some of the villains as part of my lobbying. It’s what got me the gig, so I knew I could catch the actors well.
WF: Is it safe to assume you’ll be losing many, many days watching the new Batman: The Classic TV Series Blu-ray/DVD Collection? Any episodes in particular you’re eager to revisit?
TT: I’ve had a set of those episodes on DVD for more than a decade. It’s good to have connections! As a result, I went through a bunch of them again while doing this recent series. My favorites are always the ones with Penguin, by far. Though the Joan Collins/Siren episodes tickle me for some reason. Obviously I watched the ones with Green Hornet and Colonel Gumm a bunch of times lately.
WF: And swinging back to the topic on hand, any last thoughts on the new The Batman Adventures collection, particularly your issues included within? Given that it’s been over twenty years since these have seen print, is it humbling to revisit these early works?
TT: Humbling is the wrong word. I’m never a fan of my old work (and barely a fan of my current work), so when reprints come out, I confess that I don’t look at them. I get sent copies and I put them on a shelf in my house so there’s a copy if I need it, but I’m never comfortable looking at my work in print. It’s almost impossible to get me to read a printed copy of my work, especially if I drew it, rather than wrote it. I sometimes go back and re-read scripts I’ve done, but there are damn few of those I think I did just right, so I tend to see mistakes, rather than stories.
WF: Lastly, can you fill us in on your current works and list off, perhaps, some upcoming projects you can share with us?
TT: Currently, as of this writing, I’m on vacation! I just finished up the Green Hornet Batman series and am taking a delightful two weeks off before plunging back to work. I’m doing some small work on a creator owned thing at the moment, and, in theory, am supposed to start something with Dan Slott at Marvel this fall, but he’s been a bit overbooked and I haven’t gotten a script out of him yet. So I owe him a phone call about that…
The World’s Finest would like to thank Ty Templeton for his participation in this Q & A. To find out more about Templeton’s work, check out his Ty Templeton’s Art Land website.
The Batman Adventures – Volume One, a ten-issue trade paperback collection from DC Comics, hits shelves on Wednesday, November 12th, 2014 for $19.99US. More details on the The Batman Adventures comic book series can be found at The World’s Finest Batman: The Animated Series subsite.
Stay tuned for further news and updates right here at The World’s Finest.
Batman: The Complete Television Series and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham are both now available to own from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive, respectively. Click on the links below to discuss these new releases!
The World’s Finest caught up with writer Matthew K. Manning to discuss his latest project – the epic Batman: A Visual History tome – along with his thoughts on the classic DC Comics character and his storied past. Manning has a long history with DC Comics, particularly when it comes to the animated adventures of the World’s Greatest Superheroes, having written for some of the “animated” titles the last few years. And now, Manning is channeling all that history, along with his own love of the character and the mythos, into an epic hardcover release celebrating Batman’s 75th anniversary.
Batman: A Visual History – now available to own – is a massive hardcover collection which offers something new even for the most diehard of Batman fans, Manning promises. He dives further into the book, his past work, and his own personal influences, in the Q & A below…
The World’s Finest: First off – tell us about Batman: A Visual History Why is this massive tome worth adding to the bookshelf? And, secondly, why are you the perfect person to write it?
Matthew K. Manning: This particular Batman books is about as thorough as you can get. We start in 1939, and tell the character’s history from a real-world perspective month-by-month up until 2014. Not only do you get a bit of behind-the-scenes history here and there, but it’s essentially a complete summary of all the Dark Knight’s important adventures throughout his entire career. There’s not a book on the shelves that’s ever attempted quite this level of detail.
As for why I’m a good fit for this book, well, I mentioned on my website that I’ve been training for this book since the 5th grade, and I really wasn’t exaggerating. The Tim Burton Batman movie hit theaters back then, and it forever changed my life. I’d always liked Batman when he appeared on Super Friends and such, but I never really sought out the comics until that movie debuted. Since then, I’ve read over 10,000 Batman-related comics, and really enjoy every era of his history. I’ve also been lucky enough to write a dozen or so comics for DC about the Caped Crusader, and plenty of books on the subject. But none quite like this. I co-wrote a book called The Batman Vault for Running Press, but that was more of a general overview with great little pull-out “artifacts.” My book The Batman Files for Andrews/McMeel was a faux scrapbook/journal written by Batman himself about his entire history, told through the character’s voice. It dealt with his fictional timeline, rather than the real world one. So this book is unique in that it shows how the character’s history has changed and evolved with the times.
WF: You’ve commented this is the book you were born to write. Can you expand on that and tell us about how influential the character has been on you and why he’s a pivotal part of your life?
MM: Like most kids, I grew up a fan of superheroes. I was also fascinated with newspaper comic strips, and really wanted to write and draw them. Back then I started reading a few Marvel Comics, but didn’t get truly immersed into the superhero world until the ’89 Batman movie. It was a great time to be reading comics, with recent hits like Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns still on the shelves, and I was completely hooked. From there I branched out to the Outsiders and the Justice League, and eventually back to Marvel to see what Spider-Man had been up to. But really, those hours spent reading the likes of Denny O’Neil, Frank Miller, Grant Morrison and the like really influenced my worldview and my own personal morals.
WF: Why do you think Batman has remained so enduring all these years, and has been able to amass such a history? There are many other comic character who have been around for roughly the same time, but what makes Batman so…predominant among them?
MM: Firstly, I think kids can identify with Batman’s origin. They understand what that particular pain would be like. And both kids and adults are fascinated with the idea of a person literally being as good as he can be. It’s something we all wish we had the willpower to do, and like Batman, we want to be our personal best without the use of powers. Plus, there’s the simple fact that he looks cool. He’s fun to draw, so he attracts the best artists. And that makes for some great looking comic books, which in turn constantly attract readers.
WF: Can you walk us through your process for creating this book? The research, the writing, deciding what stays and what goes … how big of a project was this for you?
MM: Unlike past volumes of DK’s chronicle series, I attempted to write this one solo, so that meant a lot more work. The hardest part was the outline. It was a process of going through every single issue of my Batman collection, and flipping through hundreds of issues I haven’t read yet. There was an attempt to record the debut of every new Batmobile, Batwing/Batplane and costume, as well as every major and minor villain and supporting character. After the outline was finished, the rest was just reexamining those stories and trying to fit in all the important details in the limited space available. As it happened, a deadline change caused me to have to give up writing the 1960s and hand that chore over to the capable Matt Forbeck. I would have loved to handle that one as well, but I was content with just supplying the outline for it. All told, the book took at least a half a year to write.
WF: When some folks see these types of books, the “ultimate guides,” etc., they usually scoff at them because they assume they already know everything that’s going to be in the book. How is this book different? Why is this book a must-read for fans?
MM: I doubt there are many people that will know all the information in this book. It’s more than a summary of a handful of major story lines, and even I learned plenty in the course of writing it. This covers everything from the debut of Batmouse to an obscure future Batman of New York City from the old Hex title. There’s plenty of new info for diehard and casual fans alike.
WF: The animated adventures of Batman have played a huge role in the character’s popularity? Can you give us an idea of how you handle their importance and role in this month-to-month breakdown of major Batman events?
MM: Unfortunately, because of licensing issues, we weren’t really able to get into the movies or TV shows here. Those would require separate negations between DC and DK. While they shows and cartoons are mentioned here and there, this book remains mainly about the comic books themselves. Which is probably just as well. It’s already 350 pages as is…
WF: Now, you’ve been a part of the animated comic lore, having contributed to some of the popular DC “animated” comics. Care to run through some of your favorites with us?
MM: I absolutely love writing those types of titles, so it’s hard to pick my favorite. I really enjoyed my first issue of The Batman Strikes (# 10), the tie-in title to The Batman cartoon. We were able to tell the story through flashbacks in an interesting way, really adding to the mystery of the issue. Also, my final issue of Beware the Batman (# 6) was a lot of fun, as the entire story was told from Alfred’s point of view, like a first-person shooter video game. It was an interesting experiment that I think really worked thanks to the very fluid and lively work of the artist, Luciano Vecchio. And while not an animated comic, I was really happy with how my Calendar Man story ended up in Batman: 80-Page Giant 2010.
WF: You’ll be appearing at New York-Comic-Con, starting up later this week. Can you give us a rundown of your schedule and appearances?
MM: I’m signing this particular book at the DK table on Thursday (October 9th) from 5-6 and on Friday (October 10th) from 5-6 as well. I’ll also be at the Insight Editions table on Saturday (October 11th), signing The World According to Joker from 3-4.
WF: Before we wrap this up, can you tell us about your next related project – The World According to The Joker?
MM: Insight’s new “World According to” series are essentially small “advice” books written by the title character. They include lots of great paper pull-outs and the like, and have been extremely fun to write. My first book for them is out now, titled The World According to Wolverine. The World According to Joker is out on October 30th, but I think they might have advance copies of it at the New York show. It’s written entirely in the Joker’s voice (except for a guest spread by Harley and notes from Dr. Arkham), and gives you all the twisted advice you can every need. You can even spin the wheel of death, to decide which way you can kill Robin. I’ve also written two upcoming “journals” for Insight, which are essentially blank journal pads, with a short Batman and Joker story starting each one off.
WF: Now, to bring this to an end, can you give us one last reason to run out and pick up Batman: A Visual History, now available online and retail outlets everywhere?
MM: Without this book on your shelf, you may never read about the most Earth-shattering team-up between Batman and Superman in the history of comics: the day they went to a bar and drank milk. That story actually happened and was even penciled by the great David Mazzucchelli. But you have to read the book to find out when…
Special thanks to Matthew K. Manning for his participation in this Q & A!
The massive Batman: A Visual History hardcover book is now available at retail and digital outlets everywhere for $50US. Published by DK Books, the visually stunning, definitive guide by Manning arrives in a slipcase featuring specially commissioned artwork by DC Comics artist Jason Fabok plus two original prints. Check out the The World’s Finest review for this book here.
Stay tuned for further updates right here at The World’s Finest!