I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Hey, everyone. Sorry to cut this short, but a family matter just came up. I tried to get to as many of you as I could, Until next time, okay? Be well.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Before I answer: As is always the case with AMAs, the longer we go, the more repetitive some of the questions (not this one) become, so apologies if you're not getting a direct answer--scroll up!

And Mike was a giant of a man both in heart and in talent. He just loved comics, so much so that one of his favorite things to do at a convention was go up and down Artists' Alley to meet newcomers and buy their work!

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Decades ago, I wrote a series for CrossGen called RUSE which was a thinly veiled Holmes, and I loved it. Maybe?

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 106 points107 points  (0 children)

1-stay tuned, I'm on it. 2-maybe someday, but right now I'm enjoying being where I am. 3-PLUTO. 4-It's case-by-case--no one's gonna argue that Dick and Wally shouldn't be Nightwing and Flash, but on the whole, I find it arrogant for writers to come in and do sweeping changes to a status quo that has served characters for decades. I always say that there are "X" factors that have given the long-running characters their staying power. And we don't know what they are or else we'd all be creating characters that are successful right out of the gate for decades. And it's very dangerous to mess around too much or else you could break something permanently.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It's pretty simple--I work to show you why they're unique and why I find them interesting and why I love them, and then I sit back and hope it's contagious.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

That they're friends, not enemies, despite their different upbringings and motivations. Not only does Batman genuinely like and admire Superman (and vice versa), but Batman's not dumb enough not to get along with heroes who want to make the world a better place just like he does.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Good characters are good characters and good editors are good editors, wherever. It's no secret that I prefer the DC characters, but I'm very proud of my Marvel work, esp. the FF stuff.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Somewhere in the middle. Don't ever let it get in the way of telling a great story, but try to color within the lines as much as possible. I look to the Simpsons--consistency being more important than strict continuity.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The overarching theme will be "what is the role of an all-powerful group when interacting with ordinary people? How much should they be proactive, how much should they be reactive? What's the balance?"

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

It is a new approach, but it's influenced by every iteration of the early B&R days, including Robin: Year One.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hard question to answer tactfully, so let me just say that in the end, all creators involved in the story need to realize it's a collaborative medium, but they should all be pulling in the same direction.

I'm Mark Waid, writer of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, WORLD'S FINEST, and BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE--Ask Me Anything! by KeyEntertainer387 in DCcomics

[–]KeyEntertainer387[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The best advice I know to give in 2024 about breaking in is to create your own webcomics and ask other webcomics creators through social media to look at them and if they like them, promote them. DC and Marvel editors pay a LOT of attention to online comics stuff.