Blue Beetle's dead, new Beetle's red, Savage Dragon is black (and so is the mood at Marvel)--a colorful week in review

Red Beetle appears directly above Manhunter on the right.

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Erik Larsen Talks Savage Dragon #169 (My final Newsarama column)

A new age begins–officially, at least–today with the release of Savage Dragon #169, Malcolm Dragon’s first full issue as the titular protagonist after last issue’s, ahem, electrifying conclusion. A new era for us here at DragonQuestions, too, as we head back to our original home at Comic Related. 

Starting next month, the column will be running predictably on Wednesdays at Comic Related, although this month’s interview is going to be handled in a kind of odd way. Gavin’s questions, which nobody’s seen or heard before, will be published here and now, while tomorrow an expanded edition will go live over at Comic Related that will feature not only Gavin’s questions for Erik on the occasion of this momentous issue, but a number of questions transcribed from the podcast interview I did with Larsen last month (which have never appeared in the column, only on The Related Recap.

Speaking of the Comic Related podcasting network, this Monday I launched Panel Discussions, a biweekly podcast that will, after the technological fiasco that was our first episode, feature me with a rotating cast of guest-hosts. This week was just me, however, talking with J.M. DeMatteis about leaving Booster Gold in May to make way for Flashpoint and Troy Brownfield (formerly of Newsarama fame) about the Buck Rogers annual he recently wrote with former ‘Rama honcho Matt Brady.

All that said, let’s make way for Gavin and Erik to talk about a very special episode of Savage Dragon.

Gavin Higginbotham: The opening sequence being a reworking of the opening sequence from the very first issue was perfect. It’s a great way to introduce new readers while also giving a massive nod to old readers who were around at the very start.

Erik Larsen: That was fun to do. There are a few outright swipes there from myself and other panels that were simply reminiscent of what I’d done before. I think they work both as an introduction to something new and as a callback for old readers.

GH: We’ve had a few second generation heroes (or future heroes) in the past, but Cutthroat Kid is the first child to carry on their villainous parents’ legacies. Will this be a recurring theme?

EL: Absolutely. Though a lot of it will be somewhat behind the scenes because we haven’t exactly been privy to a lot of the villain’s family lives.

GH: Malcolm clearly doesn’t have the same confidence when it comes to witty banter with his enemies. Is it fun working out Malcolm’s character traits like this? That simple line of “Anyway… yeah” was brilliant. It showed that Malcolm isn’t quite as settled into his new role yet. Good fun.

EL: A lot of Malcolm’s speech patterns come straight from my son Joe and he actually suggested the battle with Cutthroat’s kid that started off the issue. Joe’s a few months younger than Malcolm is but I’m using him as something of a guide for Malcolm. But yeah, I don’t want Malcolm to be a carbon copy of his old man. Malcolm is his own man and it’s fun exploring his personality.

GH: Speaking of fun, the artwork really shines here. Did you enjoy yourself more than normal with this issue? There weren’t necessarily a lot of surprises in this issue but it was incredibly exciting in terms of building the future of this series.

EL: It’s an exciting time to be on the book because it’s transitioning into being something else. In a way that started with #151 where the kids started taking a more active role but with this issue it’s an even bigger step as they fully take control of the book. I had a ball. Malcolm is just fun to draw–as is Angel.

GH: The funeral scene featured a number of characters that haven’t really been seen for a while. Was this just to allow them to bid farewell to Dragon or is this a way of re-introducing these characters for more regular appearances?

EL: A little of each. Barbaric and Ricochet will be more active shortly and I wanted to touch on some of the others.

GH: With the confirmation that Dragon’s body remains and Virus is still being kept frozen in Rex Dexter’s laboratory, are these hints that Dragon could return one day?

EL: That remains to be seen. But regardless of what happens in the future–this is Malcolm’s book now. The comic is set in real time and these characters age. If Dragon returned, he’d be pushing 50 and the reality is, at a certain point, crime fighting becomes increasingly less feasible. In the real world boxers retire, athletes retire, older police get desk jobs. We’ve all read enough comics to know that a resurrection is possible. The pieces are there and pretending they’re not is just silly. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that it can’t be done. At the same time, I want to make it very clear that the torch has been passed and that the focus has shifted.

GH: Angel’s feelings of being ignored are really quite sad. Was this purely part of the story or was it mirroring things outside of the book itself, i.e. readers referring to Malcolm taking over the book when Angel is the child that’s been around the longest?

EL: It’s funny. That page was originally going to be something else entirely–and the last page in the book–but I decided after it had bee sent to Tom that the scene with Captain Stewart which worked better as a lead in to the new reality. There was a time when I was saying to folks that Angel Dragon would eventually be the star of the book and, in a way, that is the case, but Malcolm’s a better front man, visually. The book’s going to be more of a shared title, like Powerman/Iron Fist from back in the day. I guess the closest equivalent now would be Batman and Robin but they’re not really partners or equals in the way that Power Man and Iron Fist were.

GH: Jerry Rivers returns for the first time in many years. His aging appearance is another reminder that in this series, the characters really do age.

EL: Yeah. I’ll be doing more of that. The clock is ticking with these characters. That’s actually something I’ve been thinking about more and more, especially given the size of the cast. We can literally go years between appearances. In some cases there are villains that appeared once or twice early on and haven’t appeared since and we’ve missed them in their prime. That’s a bit sobering. I recently came into contact with a friend I hadn’t seen in a couple decades and in the real world that can make one hell of a difference.

GH: Frank Jr. becoming a dependable older brother figure to Malcolm brings about a new incarnation of the Frank and Dragon relationship. The death of both their fathers brings them closer together and it’s nice seeing Malcolm get a stable home life for once.

EL: The one scene missing here was an establishing one showing the whole family unit. We got a glimpse of that in earlier issues but I could have stood to shown that here. Basic stuff–here’s the house–here’s who lives there. That sort of thing–but there’s time to do that and yeah, it is nice to show these things. Frank hasn’t had a lot of panel time.

GH: Krull’s visitation with Malcolm ties up the dangling thread about Kurr having sent a message to his people but a pretty major thread remains, just how did WildStar return to Earth and where are Glum and Angel?

EL: We’ll get to them in the next few issues. There are a lot of characters to get to. Just making a list it’s kind of overwhelming how much there is to do. There are tons of villains the kids have never met and there are a lot of characters to touch on. With Overlord too, his real identity may not mean a hell of a lot to Angel or Malcolm so I need to get the suspects in place so I can eventually solve that mystery.

GH: Krull acknowledging Malcolm as his brother is one thing but does either Malcolm or Angel still have any other family out there? With Angel, she had a great aunt and uncle at one point and her grandmother was seen alive not too long ago, and we never found out what happened to Malcolm’s grandmother (Rapture’s mother), so could we see the kids gaining new family eventually to upset the dynamic set up with the Darlings?

EL: Oh, sure–especially with them being thrust in the spotlight. It’s not inconceivable that they both would have surviving relatives. We’ve met several of Angel’s relatives in the past. Angel’s grandmother was in #139 in an old folks’ home and she dropped a few names and Malcolm’s mother’s past is something of a blank slate. Now that the focus is squarely on the kids it’s somewhat natural to bring in more supporting characters–especially ones that are human who could help ground the characters in reality.

GH: Was the mentioning of OverLord being at war with the Vicious Circle on the final page to simply set up future stories or also to remind readers that even though we’re in a new era, the old threats still remain?

EL: Yeah, and there’ll be more of that but I do keep in mind that every issue is somebody’s first issue so I do make an effort to fill readers in on who these characters are and what they’re all about.

GH: The setting up of the new status quo with Malcolm and Angel unofficially working for Captain Stewart sets up the series for the foreseeable future. With the city’s primary protectors being two teenagers, is Chicago in big trouble? Or should we have faith in Dragon’s kids?

EL: Well, they’re not alone. At this point Overlord is fighting the Vicious Circle and the Golden Age Daredevil is still active–but it’s a different world, to be sure. Neither have to experience or skill of Savage Dragon. It’s not going to be easy for either of them.

The Gold Exchange: J.M. DeMatteis on BOOSTER GOLD #41

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The Gold Exchange: Dan Jurgens on Time Masters: Vanishing Point #6

The first question here is a biggie, I’ll tell you that up front. And while many fans (notably Kevin Allen, who often comments on The Gold Exchange and who posts regularly on Boosterrific.com) have already guessed at it, it’s something that not only hasn’t been officially announced yet by DC, but which delayed the whole Gold Exchange interview by almost a full day while Dan Jurgens called around to get clearance and make sure we weren’t breaking any rules. So I’m happy to make it the first thing I ask in our last Gold Exchange here at Blog@Newsarama.

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #6 hit this week and has already been stirring up reactions from non-Booster Gold readers with a chalkboard at the end of the issue that’s dangling a number of enticing Flashpoint plot threads in front of readers months before Geoff Johns’ ambitious time-travel crossover story even begins in May…and with a “to be continued” tag at the end of this story that saysBooster Gold #44 and Flashpoint #1, it seems pretty likely that DC’s premier behind-the-scenes time-travelers (That’s Rip and Booster) will play a fairly substantial role in that story.

The Gold Exchange: So—as we’ve done once or twice before, last thing first: Back when it was announced you’d be leaving Booster Gold for a while to take on Time Masters: Vanishing Point, it became public knowledge after an issue of Booster Gold had “To Be Continued In…” tagged at the end. Now that story is finished and the last issue of Time Masters says “To be continued in Booster Gold #44.” Will you be the one continuing your storyline in a new title here, as you did after The Tomorrow Memory?

Dan Jurgens: Yes. I’ll be jumping back to Booster Gold as of issue #44, which I’ve just started drawing. It’s good to be home! 

GE: It’s interesting—the bookends in this series have really served as a stark reminder of something that I already have had in the back of my mind since the reveal that Booster is Rip’s dad—nothing really bad can happen to our hero, since he lives at least long enough to raise a son and do the stuff he does in The Tomorrow Memory. That being the case, Booster is left without one of the big “stakes” that a writer in an adventure story has to fall back on. How do you compensate for that?

DJ: I think there are a couple of things that come into play in a situation like that:
Yes, we’ve seen the older Booster. But we’ve also made it clear that, while the past is solidified time, the future can be changed. So it’s possible that something could happen to Booster, thus eliminating his older self.

I suppose it’s also possible that his older self could be from an alternate future.
Or he could be from Booster’s future and everything will work out just fine.

GX: Also—a lot of people know that Booster is from the future, but the idea of his stealing the artifacts is not (apparently) well-known. It’s not only mentioned here, but has become the premise of Keith and JM’s current plot, which has him being returned to the 25th Century for trial. Are these disparate facts all connected intentionally or was it just an easy way to remind readers that he’s from the same time as Reverse Flash?

DJ: The idea of Booster being pursued from the future for the crime of theft is something I dealt with in volume one, so it isn’t an entirely “out of the blue” element. And because it’s his origin– every bit as important to him as the Wayne’s murders are to Bruce– it’s a natural to play with and connect.

But, yes, I wanted to point out the potential connection between Booster and the Reverse Flash.

GX: Given that this version of Professor Zoom is really just a color-reversed version of Barry’s outfit, is there anything really notable you do differently in terms of how you approach drawing him versus The Flash? Or is it enough to separate them in your head because you haven’t really drawn that much Barry in your career as compared to Wally?

DJ: Yeah! It’s more than color! The lightning bolt on the chest goes the other way too!
And he has more of an evil look to him, which is always fun. In many ways, bad guys are more fun to draw than good guys.

GX: It might just be that I just re-read The Tomorrow Memory, but I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I never saw the Daniel twist coming until this issue—and that this month I saw it immediately. Is it kind of a nice tool to have in your arsenal that Old Booster can pretty much turn up when he’s needed now?

DJ: The Supernova suit can provide excellent cover for a time traveler. I tried to kind of play it down the middle, thinking there was enough for people to come up with the idea, or certainly connect the dots once I revealed it.

GX: Is Booster’s “I’m not really an expert on time travel” comment heartfelt or is that for Hal and Superman’s benefit?

DJ: I’d say that’s heartfelt. He isn’t an expert on time travel– yet. He’s a Time Master in training who’ll eventually get there. But if he was on his own it’d be a struggle because it’s not as though he has the knowledge or skill to actually build a time sphere.
Don’t get me wrong– he understands a great deal more than he did but there’s still room for improvement.

GX: It kind of looks like Supernova isn’t fighting back while Black Beetle whomps on him. Is that a sign that Black Beetle has a role to play, and that Old Booster isn’t comfortable with the possibility of taking him out of action at this stage in his career? Rip is similarly blasé about the fact that he can’t pick up the Beetle’s trail when Superman asks him to.

DJ: It isn’t that Supernova didn’t fight back– more like the speed and ferocity of the attack took him by surprise.

And, yes, Rip was blase, but there were clearly other, more urgent matters to attend to.

GX: A handful of fans have asked on message boards about whether the DC Universe at large had ever found out about Booster as Supernova. Did he make an announcement at some point or is it only a few select people, like Superman here, who know?

DJ: I’ve always worked under the impression that only a few people know. I think that’s part of him saving the Multiverse and keeping that a secret.
Remember– Booster is the greatest hero you’ve never heard of.

GX: The change made to Liri Lee’s character is an interesting one—I really expected The Linear Men to bring back Waverider in a more conventional way and enter Flashpoint as a counter to Rip, Booster and Skeets.

DJ: I think there’s some fun to be had there and some good stuff to explore. A natural evolution for where the characters were left.

GX: That asked, what do you see as the central difference between the Time Masters and the Linear Men?

DJ: The Linear Men, in my opinion, were always more open to changing and altering time to fit their grand vision. After all, Waverider himself is from an alternate time. As I see it, Rip is much more firm on the idea of leaving time alone and not changing it.

GX: Will we see The Linear Men coming up in Flashpoint and/or Booster Goldanytime soon?

DJ: Stay tuned!

GX: There’s a little bit of a workaround built into the end of this story—were you handed the facts that “Vanishing Point is destroyed” and “Batman may infect/ruin the timeline by returning home” as starting points for this series? They were both very important early on, but dispensed with pretty quickly here at the end.

DJ: More or less. But it’s important to note, and we said this from day one, that the series would transition from a “Return of Bruce Wayne” tie-in to aFlashpoint tie-in.

GX: I really do like the explanation Rip gives at the end of the story as to why they couldn’t find Batman earlier but now they can. It makes sense in the time-travel logic of your Booster stories and it also gives readers a little gift: From here on out it’s established that while the present may not be solidified time yet, it’s also not necessarily something Rip can mess with any more readily than anyone else. Is that part of the “setting the rules for time travel” that you guys talked about at the start of this series?

DJ: Somewhat. It sort of leaves the window open as to concurrent events. Yes, Batman might have been lost in the past, but he was still experiencing those things at the same time as Rip and company were looking for him. Batman had to complete his journey and actually solidify that time for them to find him.

GX: So the look at Mrs. Carter here really does suggest a blonde—something that we chatted about a little bit early on but that you sidestepped, saying that it could have just been an artistic choice by Hi-Fi. Is Mrs. Booster someone we’re likely to see soon, or someone the readers have already met, perchance?

DJ: No comment! There’s still more to come on all that!

GX: I know a lot of the longtime fans will take a blonde as a pretty decent indication it could be Trixie Collins.

DJ: Really? She isn’t the only blond in the DCU!

GX: So…Darkseid put all of this in motion, but Rip actually says he planned it all. He IS a god, but how far ahead do you think it’s reasonable to say he could be planning? Could he have a hand in Flashpoint? Beyond? Or just until Bruce returned and the Omega Effect wore off?

DJ: I think Darkseid would be capable of planning Batman’s push through time, but not the reception he’d necessarily get when he returned, or anything to do with those who were searching for him.

GX: You know, it’s funny—as much as the pizza runner is played for laughs here, it begs the question: How long has it been since this miniseries started and any of these heroes ate anything? Alternately, of course, you can fall back on the oldMystery Science Theater 3000 mantra (:Repeat to yourself, ‘it’s just a show—I should really just relax’.”).

DJ: In my head, I’d say it was a couple of days for Rip, Booster, Superman and GL, while much longer for Batman.

But it’s the kind of reaction we should see more of.

GX: Over on The Source, David Hyde spotlighted the reveal at the end of the issue—a “Rip Hunter blackboard,” the fans’ favorite plot device from the Geoff Johns run on the title and 52—but this one’s not written by Rip. Whose idea was it to bring the board back into play after it’s been absent, or at least substantially downplayed, for a while?

DJ: It was something that Geoff, Eddie Berganza, Mike Carlin and I came up with as we were trying to find a good way to set up Flashpoint.

I had used it a couple of times and loved it. It’s a great device, which I’m sure my good friends at Marvel must agree with, since they started using it as well.
That and black bags with a “Death of…” issue inside.

GX: I know you can’t really say it—but I’ll put it out there: All that writing, and all of it supposedly meaningful, done in five minutes? What’re the odds that some anonymous super-speedster made that blackboard happen?

DJ: If it’s a time travel story, why would it have to be a speedster? It might not have been there a few minutes earlier, but moving in time between moments, well… anything is possible!

EXTRA: While Comic Related got this item first, Blog@Newsarama gets a few extra questions coming from some bona fide Booster Gold superfans: frequent Gold Exchange commenter Kevin Allen, and Boosterrific webmaster Walter Stephens.

Kevin Allen: Is Mrs. Booster Gold wearing the exact Goldstar costume that Michelle wears, or is that merely another one? And is the fact she is wearing it at all a hint to her identity?

DJ: The only answer I can give on that one is that what you see is what you get.

For now.

KA: People have said that Time Masters had little to actually do with “The Return of Bruce Wayne” and was more about Rip and Booster going on an adventure with Supes and GL along for the ride. Some view this as a fault, others view it as a strength. Do you feel that this is a valid point? Why so or why not?

DJ: I don’t think we ever said we were going to tell a story in which Rip Hunter finds Batman.

Did they go looking for Bruce Wayne?

Yes.

Did we continue to build the relationship between Rip and Booster?

Yes.

Did we try to clarify some elements of time travel within the DCU?

Yes.

Did we build a connection between Rip and some of the main players in the DCU?

I’d say yes.

Had we said Rip would find Batman and bring him back, I think there’d be room for complaint. But that’s not what we did.

Walter Stephens: Were you able to tell the story you wanted to? (i.e., how much of what we got was editorially mandated [issue count, guest stars, story tie-ins, etc.])

DJ: The only thing that was editorially mandated was the issue count, which is simply the way things work. It wasn’t a problem. Had I said I could only do four issues or wanted to expand it to eight, we might well have been able to do so. It never came up, however.

WS: How satisfied are you with the finished product?

DJ: This may sound like a cop out, and I really hope it doesn’t come off that way, but I’m too close to the project to judge it. That happens all the time– not just on this one.

In general, I’m satisfied with it and accomplished what I wanted to. But every once in a while, four months later, the light bulb will suddenly appear and a writer might say something like, “Whoa! I should have put Anthro in Booster’s costume! That would have been awesome!”

So I generally wait a bit to draw any final conclusion.