GLC #9

Just a quick reminder that GREEN LANTERN CORPS #9, the last chapter of my three-part story "The Dark Side of Green" arrives in stores this Wednesday, the 14th.

Unless you live in England; then you've got to wait an extra day...right, Chris?

Anyway, the last three words on the last page are my personal favorite from the entire story. I'm sure you'll understand why after you read them.

I had a great time playing in the Green Lantern sandbox and I'm sure this won't be the last time I'm called on for honorary duty in the Corps. Or maybe even The Corpse.

Things I should like?

Does anybody out there watch Battlestar Galactica? I hear many good things about the show, is it worth the time to get caught up?

Things I don't like...

The Richard Donner cut of Superman II.

I watched this last night and, while I realize it's only an approximation of the 'true' version of Superman II that Richard Donner intended to make, many of the newly includes scenes left me cold.

For one, there's actually very little Superman in this movie. Aside from a brief appearance at Niagara Falls, Superman is really only in costume to battle against Zod towards the end of the second act. We get a lot more of Clark Kent (which I don't necessarily mind) but more superheroics wouldn't have hurt.

Speaking of the battle w/ Zod, while all the crazy teleporting around the fortress in the other version has always bugged me, this new version also left me cold. I don't mind seeing Superman outwit Zod. It's three against one, after all, so his quick thinking is really his only advantage. It just seems that Superman's "Don't throw me in the briar patch" solution is, well...lame. To be fair, it was lame in both versions. Watching Superman whisper his big plan to Lex made me wince, especially because Zod (with his super-hearing) is standing three feet away.

There's more of Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mind on Earth, in the Donner version but to me, the new footage makes Lex seem more like the greatest buffoon on Earth. In his own way, he's just as dumb as Otis. There's more of Lois and, to me, Margot Kidder is terrific. But the way she tricks Superman into revealing his identity sure does make him seem like the biggest idiot in the world.

There's also more of my own personal favorite actor, Marlon Brando, but his newly restored scenes didn't really add much to the mix. The special effects...well, you can tell that they were finished on the cheap. The climactic battle against Zod seems to come very early in the film and then, we're left watching some different character-oriented scenes to round things up. Superman's new solution to the dilemma that Lois now knows his dual identity doesn't work. As implausible as the amnesia kiss was in the first version, it tied things up much more neatly and with far less plotholes left to fill.

What the Donner version does have going for it is Christopher Reeve, who is iconic as both Clark and Superman. I enjoyed the extra Clark footage throughout.

This one was a real mixed bag for me, a big letdown from what I was hoping. The Donner version of Superman II seemed ill concieved on several different levels and I much prefer the version that we all grew up with. It's far from perfect but it's much, much better as a film.

Things I like...

Here's a few recommendations of things that I'm enjoying lately...

ROME.

Every Sunday night on HBO. Great show, well acted, lots of political manuevering, and a feeling that anything can happen at any time. I loved the first season and the second season is so far off to a great start.

TONY LOCO.

An independent comic published by Illusive Arts, written by Derek McCaw and drawn by Mark Teague. Moody, atmospheric, mysterious...I don't know where it's going but it seems to be a strange mix of Batman and Don Quixote. Ask your comic shop to special order the first two issues, it's worth your time.

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

The book, not the movie--although I enjoy the movie too. Some of the most unpretentious, straightforward, yet beautifully powerful writing I've ever enjoyed. I recently reread it for about the tenth time and it still makes me mist up as I read the last page. I am haunted by waters, indeed.

SUICIDE SQUAD

I've been rereading some of John Ostrander's first run on the title in preparation for the new series. Tight storytelling, suspenseful, and great characterization. They hold up well after all these years.

THE WIGGLES

My son loves them and I have to admit, they've grown on me. Our Wiggles collection has grown to six movies and are now in a heavy rotation, actually beating out Bob The Builder, the reigning champion in this house for months. I often find myself singing "Here comes Wagsy, here comes Wagsy..." without realizing I was doing it.

Beau Smith speaks!

This meant a lot.

The last real man in comics, Beau Smith, mentioned my first issue of Green Lantern Corps in his latest online column, Busted Knuckles. Here's the linkage...

http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/busted/

Beau was nice enough to email me a 'heads up' that he was talking about my writing of Guy Gardner, a character near and dear to his heart. The very nice things he said really made my day.

For the uncounted trillions of Green Lantern fans who have enjoyed my characterization of Guy, I'm just following the template that Mr. Smith laid out for two some odd years. He pretty much wrote the textbook on how GG should be portrayed. He gave Guy Gardner a soul behind the sometimes-asshole facade and the fact that I'm doing him proud makes me feel like I did something right.

To me, Guy Gardner's rough exterior masks the fact that he's got the biggest heart in the world. He doesn't let that love slip through too often but I think it's the key to what makes him tick.

Beau, if you read this, I didn't feel like I really got a handle on Guy until issue #9. Or at least, that's the issue I would have gotten a good handle on him if I didn't kill him off in issue #8. So I hope I continue to make you proud and most of all, I look forward to your inevitable return to Guy Gardner's life.

After all, John Ostrander is back on Suicide Squad. It's only a matter of time before you get yours.

Your amigo,
Keith

Big Daddy

A few months ago, my son Jack started calling me "daddy" instead of "dada." Speech development and all that jazz. He's almost three so he's pretty much a nonstop chatterbox and his pronunciation gets clearer every day.

A couple of weeks ago, out of the blue, he started calling me "Big Daddy" instead of just daddy. "Big Daddy, come play with my trains." or "Big Daddy, can I have a juicebox?" Things like that.

I don't know where he came up with Big Daddy but I've got to say, it's pretty much my favorite name ever. It literally cracks me up everytime he says it.

transcription

I'm 8 pages out from being finished with my commitment to WORLD WAR III and, if everything continues to go smoothly, I'll be able to move on from this project next week. It's been a remarkably easy ride--aside from the tighter-than-usual deadlines--and I'm increasingly anxious to move on to my next project.

Anyway, I'm waaaaaaaaaaaay late in linking to it so, instead, I'm just going to post the full text of the interview I did w/ Newsarama covering WWIII. If I wasn't tired and had something to actually say, I'd write more but I'm brain dead and I'm taking the easy way out. Some things have changed since this interview posted last week, mainly the amount of writing work and projects that I've got lined up. But I can't announce anything for a while so for now, here's the interview.

Every time Newsarama talks to Keith Champagne, the intro to the article talks about how he's an inker trying to break into the world of comics writing.

Time for that to stop.

With the announcement on Friday that DC is trusting two of its Week 50 "World War III" one shots to Keith Champagne -- pairing him up with veteran writer John Ostrander -- it's pretty safe to say he's done broken in. And this is no small project. Four 32-page issues of World War III will be released on the same Wednesday as the Week 50 issue of 52 on April 18 and will tell many of the stories of what happened during the "missing year" between Infinite Crisis and the One Year Later mark. Two of the issues -- titled Call to Arms and The Valiant -- will be written by Champagne, while the other two -- Hell is for Heroes and United We Stand -- will be penned by Ostrander.

Newsarama caught up with Champagne to talk about the story that will be told in the four issues, how he got the gig, and what he thinks about getting an opportunity to work on the story of 52.

Newsarama: You're part of the story being told in 52 - how does it feel?

Keith Champagne: Well, the 52 crew leave some pretty big footsteps to follow, and this has been a very reference heavy project -- there's been a lot of catching up on material I've only half read. Oh, and the amount of lead time is a little shorter than usual --which might be the biggest understatement ever. Plus, all four books are coming out the same day, coinciding with the release of 52 #50, which I don't think has ever been attempted before.

Aside from that, it's just another day at the office.

NRAMA: Oh, yeah. No biggie. How did you get this gig, Keith?

KC: I answered my phone to hear the deep growl of that svengali of all svengali's, Peter Tomasi, tell me he just got out of a meeting with Dan Didio and had an interesting project for me to write. After he explained the whole thing, he asked me if it was something I'd be interested in. I said yes. He asked me again, making sure I understood the tight deadlines and amount of reference involved. I said yes. He explained it again to make sure I knew what I was walking into but, since no one has ever accused me of being the sharpest knife in the drawer, I continued to say yes.

Now he's stuck with me.

NRAMA: Or you're stuck with him -- with the tight deadlines, it could be seen either way. So you're writing two of the four issues, with John Ostrander writing the other two. Are you coordinating the story between the two of you?

KC: Originally, I was slated to write all four issues. Then when we realized there just wasn't time for one person to write all four issues, John Ostrander came aboard with about a million ideas to take this project to the next level. As it stands now, I'm writing the first two and John is writing #3 and 4. John and I are working pretty close together to make sure the story flows seamlessly and with two editors watching our every move, we've got a good safety net in place to catch any balls we drop.

NRAMA: You mentioned the short lead time. I guess four 32-page one-shots is a lot of script and art to have done and ready to go for shipment on one day. How is that working from a timing standpoint?

KC: I'm going back and forth between scripts right now. All these books are being produced simultaneously so I'm basically writing half of #1 to get the penciller going, then half of #2 to get that artist working, back and forth that way. It's an interesting way to work but I've plotted everything pretty tightly so there shouldn't be any surprises or missed opportunities.

NRAMA: Does knowing that all four issues will, for many people, be read at one sitting influence the way you're writing the issues?

KC: There's a definite advantage to having all four issues being read in one sitting. Mainly that people won't forget what happened while waiting 30 days for the next issue to ship. I know if I read a comic, I only vaguely remember what was going on by the time I get the next one. But the fact that this is just BANGBANGBANGBANG one after another, it makes me feel like I can really lay in a ton of subtle touches and Easter eggs and not worry that people reading won't pick up on it.Aside from that, I'm following the same little set of guidelines I always try to. Character first!

NRAMA: What do you think of the idea of four one-shots that tie together with a fifth issue -- all being released at once?

KC: It's honestly the only way to do these books. Week 50 is World War III, and it doesn't make sense to have books shipping during weeks 51, 52, one, two, etc. -- after the fact. There's too much story here that is integral to the overall continuity.Personally, I like it. It's never been done before and it gives this project a whole different kind of event feel to it.

NRAMA: "Never been done before" seems to apply to a lot about 52. Have you gotten to talk to the writers involved in the 52 series, or are you mainly talking with the editor?

KC: I'm working with Peter Tomasi and Mike Siglain, who are co-editing. I guess Mike didn't have enough stress in his life with a weekly book so he decided to try something really challenging and ship four books in one day. Liz Gehrlein, their shiny new assistant, has been coordinating quite a bit and I've also been going back and forth with John Ostrander, who is writing the other two issues.

NRAMA: Dan Didio addressed this a bit, but from what you've seen in the stories -- what is the real purpose of doing one-shots outside the main 52 series? Is this something that further fleshes out the content of Week 50, or is it something they just couldn't fit in there? And most importantly, do you have to read these four issues to understand Week 50 of the 52 series?

KC: You know, I've read the WWIII issue of 52, and it's great. It's a homerun story, and it stands quite nicely on its own.Having said that, this is WORLD WAR III. For the past year, everything has been building up to this week. It's an event, and Dan Didio wants to make sure that the people who have been following all along are treated to just that -- a comics event. It's a bang, not a whimper.What our series is doing is weaving a story in between the events of 52 #50, both fleshing out certain elements and also introducing a lot of new content, showing much more of what's going on around the world during the war. It turns out that week 50 is one of the most pivotal seven day periods in the history of the DCU. You want to talk about ramifications, about characters living, changing, and dying ... much of what we're doing here answers the questions that were posed about the DCU when One Year Later began.So, if 52 #50 is the entree, then World War III is the bread, drinks, salad, appetizer, desert, and midnight snack.

NRAMA: You're just trying to make everyone hungry. But let's talk about that "52 entree" a little. Have you been reading 52?

KC: I'm usually behind on the issues because my comps arrive three or four weeks later, but I've been reading pretty consistently.

NRAMA: What did you think of it before you got involved?

KC: I think the book is exactly what you'd expect it to be, considering the talent involved, and I honestly think it's a legitimate achievement. When the last page is turned, they should all take a bow because they're pulling off something that no one really believed they could.

NRAMA: It sounds like you weren't really knowledgeable about the secrets of the mysteries in 52 before. Did they have to bring you up to speed?

KC: I was brought up to speed so fast, my head is still smoking.

NRAMA: Okay fanboy - does it suck to have the end of 52 spoiled now?

KC: Nah - it doesn't suck, but I'm happy to say the ending more than lives up to the hype.

NRAMA: To get to that ending, you're having to cover a lot of ground. We've been told, at least loosely, in the solicitations about some "secrets" that are contained in each one-shot. But they're called "Part One" through "Part Four" because you are tying them together with an overall story, right? I know you can't give details, but in general terms, what is the story that runs through them?

KC: Set against the backdrop of World War III, one hero goes on a journey of self-discovery to learn who he is and what role he should play -- if any -- in the DCU.

NRAMA: You call World War III a "backdrop," but the words "world war" implies a pretty battle. Is this really the big one? Or as the folks in World War I liked to say: "The war to end all wars?"

KC: This is the mother of all wars, at least until World War IV someday comes down the pike.

NRAMA: [laughs] OK, that's a safe description. But you know this is frustrating not to really know any of the answers for what you're writng. How's this: Tell us the last thing you wrote -- the last panel or page -- and what it was about.

KC: The last thing I wrote was the first ever, in continuity, appearance of Jason Todd as Nightwing. The scene I'm writing tonight concerns Supergirl and how she ends up in the 31st century -- if it is indeed her in the 31st century.

NRAMA: "If?" Argh! You're a horrible tease. OK, since you're sticking to general terms, let's talk theme. The writers of 52 have said one of the main themes of the series is "what it means to be a hero." What's the theme of these four issues?

KC: Wow, I hate these types of questions. I think the theme to these books is "how many giant changes can we make to DC continuity while still making those changes organic to the story."In terms of the characters, like I mentioned before, the theme is one of self-exploration and finding one's role in a sometimes brutal and dangerous world.

NRAMA: It seems like I've interviewed you a lot lately about your writing. Miss inking yet?KC: Inking is still my bread and butter, I inked two Jamal Igle pages today. I'd like to miss it someday but right now, it's still a big part of my daily life -- and yearly income.

NRAMA: But it does seem like doors are finally opening for you as a writer. Are you ready to switch your career entirely to writing? Or do you see yourself dabbling in a little writing while still being an artist?

KC: You know, I think about this a lot and it's hard to plan ahead like that. Doors are starting to really open for me as a writer, largely thanks to Tomasi who really champions me in the DC offices. At the same time, I equate it to David Caruso, who left his hit TV show to make movies and then fell flat on his face for a while. I don't want to be that guy, the one who ends up screwing himself over by going for too much, too fast. Ideally, and I've said this before, I'd like to ease into writing full-time. I have the chops to do it and more opportunities are popping up. On the flip side, with most of my income still coming from inking, I don't have to take every writing gig in front of me. I can be more selective and choose the ones I feel fit me better. I don't foresee leaving inking completely until someone offers me the security of a contract to write full time. I have a family to support and that's the bottom line.

NRAMA: More opportunities are popping up, huh? Can you tell us what else is coming for Keith Champagne?

KC: I'll be taking over the writing chores for my first monthly book later this year. I just wrote a 12-page Two Face story for this year's Batman Annual. And we're talking about doing a follow up to my Green Lantern Corps story when I finish World War III.

Plus, I'm inking Nightwing over the great Jamal Igle every month. So there's going to be plenty of me going around for fans to get sick of.

linkage

Here's a couple of links for those keeping score at home.

My week of Comic book Internet Media whoring continues.

This one covers my Xena annual, finally coming out Wednesday the 17th (I believe). Vaneta did an excellent job (as always) of making my boring answers sound like a real conversation.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=97114

And this one reveals the big project I've been working like a dog on the past couple of weeks, a little ditty called World War III.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=97276

One more interview coming up on Monday, again at Newsarama, containing everything you ever wanted to know about World War III and more. And then I'm shutting up for a while.

Interview time

Fanboy planet just posted a very Green Lantern Corps-centric interview we did together on their site. Here's the linkage:

http://www.fanboyplanet.com/interviews/mc-keithchampagne3.php

I'm pretty much an interview machine lately, I'll have links to a few more posted over the next week. I never seem to shut up but that's how the game is played these days...promote, promote, promote.

Don't worry though...just when you're on the verge of being sick of me, I'll disappear for a couple of more months.

Did I mention...

Did I mention that Green Lantern Corps #8 arrives in stores today? What are you waiting for, people? Get out there and spend that money!!

All lines currently busy

Haven't had much time for blogging lately and that's actually a good thing.

Similar to this time last year, when I was working overtime inking my first issues of Batman and Firestorm, this year finds me swamped in much the same manner, exception being that this year, it's writing work that has me up at the wee hours of dawn.

About a week and a half ago, I was offered my highest profile writing gig (by far) from DC and took it without hesitation. The flip side is that, because this project was decided on at a very late hour, there's no lead time and the shipping date (April) is absolutely inflexible. Unlike the Green Lantern Corps work, where I basically went off on my own and did whatever I wanted, I'm currently living in a world of editorial mandates. It's forcing me to use different sets of muscles creatively, trying to build a story around things instead of building things around a story.

It's fun though, and exciting if not stressful and a bit nervewracking. I'm also getting to work with another creator whom I admire very much and have for a long time.

All of this is very vague because there's nothing specific I can say. The project will be announced in about another week, if not sooner. Anyone who pays attention to the DC solicitations will recognize what I'm talking about pretty easily.

Oh, by the way, Green Lantern Corps #8 (written by yours truly) and 52 #36 (pencils by Jamal Igle, inks by me) are both shipping this Wednesday, January 10th. If you check them out, I hope you'll enjoy them.

podcasts

So I got an Ipod for Christmas. Actually, my wife and I got each other Ipods for Christmas, neither one of us knowing what the other one was buying. So I think we are officially the last two people in the world to finally get Ipods.

Anyway, I've been having a lot of fun with it so far. One of the things I've been enjoying are podcasts, a bunch of which I've subscribed to over the past few days. My favorite of the bunch, one that I plugged here on my blog long ago, is Indie Spinner Rack, produced each week by Charlito and Mr. Phil.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that I went to the Kubert School with Charlito and he's one of my best friends that I almost never talk to. So even though he and I only bump into each other on an infrequent basis these days, I'm still kind of biased.

Biased or not, Charlito and Mr. Phil put together a very funny and entertaining show every week. They have good chemistry together and you can tell they're having a lot of fun. Their show is very popular--they even have their own forum-- and they often have big name independent artists on as guests. It makes me rue the fact that I'm a mainstream superhero guy. I don't think I'm quite interesting enough to be interviewed on the Spinner Rack.

Anyway, I had forgotten how good their podcast was because I had fallen out of the habit of listening. Now that it's being delivered to my shiny new Ipod, I'm glad to be able to catch up on all the episodes I missed. You can find it at www.indiespinnerrack.com if you're interested.

And if anyone has any interesting podcasts that they listen to, feel free to share. I'm looking for good material to listen to.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everybody! Wishing you all, friends and anonymous readers alike, a happy holiday.

The Aftermath

Well, my first issue of Green Lantern Corps has been out for about a week now and I think it's safe to say that the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. I've yet to read a single negative comment online and I spent a good chunk of time reading different message boards and reviews the other night, seeing what people had to say.

Here are a few links that are demonstrative of the voices of the fans...

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=94245

http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?threadID=2000099844&tstart=15

http://www.comicbloc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40326

If anyone runs across a review online, feel free to post a link in the comments section.

It's very gratifying and good for the ego to see something I worked so hard on received so well by the people who plunk down their hard earned money to read. One point I would like to make, however...

A lot of people, after enjoying my first issue, seem to be jumping on the Champagne bandwagon and suggesting that DC replace the regular writer, Dave Gibbons, in favor of me.

That's insanely flattering but you guys are CRAZY!! Dave Gibbons is comic book ROYALTY and we're all lucky to be getting the guy to write (and sometimes draw) the book on a monthly basis. Believe me, it's much easier to jump into the mix for a few issues, throw everything at the wall, and walk off stage hopefully having made a big splash instead of a big mess.

Mr. Gibbons is in the trenches, month in and month out, patiently developing a longer term plan for the book. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the story that he's weaving. I think when he's finished his tenure on the book, you'll be glad I was only interrupting things for a few issues.

Seriously. I'm not even in his league! At least not yet...

United 93

I saw the movie UNITED 93 last night.

Probably the most powerful film I've ever seen. I had tears rolling down my cheeks for the last half an hour.

It gets my highest possible recommendation but I wouldn't watch it unless you have some time afterwards to digest it.

Big day

Big day for me and my little writing career Wednesday as the first issue of my Green Lantern Corps story--along with my Green Lantern Xmas story--hit the stands. If you check it out, I hope that you'll enjoy them both.

When I got my comps last week, it was interesting to note that DC changed the title of it's Christmas special from "Infinite Christmas" to "Infinite Holiday." Since when did the word 'Christmas' become such a landmine that it's considered offensive to use it in the title of a comic? The world is ridiculous.

Anyway, if I can just figure out what's going on with the Xena annual I wrote, my December will be complete. I have no idea when it's getting released at this point and I can't get a straight answer out of Dynamite.

By the way, don't be surprised to see me take on my first monthly writing assignment at DC in 2007. It's going to be a fun year.

The test of time

Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas.

Dungeons and Dragons: The Cartoon.

Swamp Thing: The Movie.

Disco Duck, as performed by Rick Dees.

Question: What do those five things have in common?

Answer: They're all things I loved when I was a kid that I cringe at when seeing/hearing now. Too often, our childhood memories don't stand the test of time. I could go on and on almost endlessly, listing examples, but instead I'm going to point out one that I still think is just as good as ever.

Popeye: The Movie. Directed by Robert Altman, with Robin Williams and Shelly Duvall.

Although I didn't know it when it was first released, Popeye was a critical and commercial failure. It got horrible reviews and did lousy business. I remember seeing it with my father and two brothers at the Cinema Six in Groton and then watching it an infinite number of times on HBO the following summer. I still watch it every now and again if I catch it while channel flipping. I caught the second half of it tonight while inking backgrounds before bed and, like a visit with an old friend, it just made me warm and happy.

I thought--and still think--that Robin Williams is terrific as Popeye and Shelly Duvall is an absolutely perfect Olive Oil. She steals the whole movie. The songs are great, the entire cast is terrific, from Wimpy to Brutus to Oxblood freakin' Oxheart and his crooked old mom. The entire movie is filled with character and charm. I still buy into it, even after all these years and to me, that's the ultimate test of time.

Out of all of Robert Altman's movies, how bizarre that this one is my favorite. I would never be taken seriously as a movie critic but... I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam.

Jesus Antonio

Jesus Antonio, are you still out there? I can't find your email address but if you see this, please drop me a line. I'd like to see some of your latest samples.

Thanks,
Keith

GL Xmas story

Here's a page of art from the upcoming GL Xmas story written and inked by yours truly and pencilled by the great John Byrne. For the record, this is page one.

I wonder who Green Lantern could be visiting at Andrews Air Force Base on Christmas day?

It was a great thrill to work with Mr. Byrne on a project, even if it was only a ten page story. I hope to work with him again as soon as possible but I think I'll let him get a 'real' inker next time.

The DC Infinite Christmas special drops (check out my super-hip lingo!) on 12/6 or 12/13.

This time, it's Nightwing...

I did a quick interview with Jen Contino today regarding my upcoming run on Nightwing with Jamal Igle. She beat out Vaneta from Newsarama for the fastest posting of an interview by about...8 hours so, give or take a few minutes.

Take a bow, Jen. You get the trophy!

Here's the link:

http://www.comicon.com/pulse/

Don't ask why I insisted on the pic of the shirtless Chuck Norris to be included. In lieu of any Nightwing art to post, I just thought it would be funny to include something that made no sense whatsoever. And what makes no sense more than a shirtless pic of the legendary Walker: Texas Ranger?

That's rhetorical, by the way.

How's everybody doing out there these days?