INTERVIEW: Who has a CRUSH on Jason Hall?

[Interview for Toon Zone News: 24th October 2003]

CRUSH is the sixth title to be released through Dark Horse's new adventure comic line - Rocket Comics. This dark tale is the latest project from comic writer Jason Hall. Along with Star Wars Tales artist Sean Murphy, CRUSH takes us into the deeply confusing life of a young teenage girl who has to come to terms with the monster that lurks within her.

Toon Zone recently spoke to CRUSH writer Jason Hall about the new title.

Toon Zone: How did you get involved in writing CRUSH?

Jason Hall: I had been doing a good deal of work for editor Dave Land with my stories regularly appearing in STAR WARS TALES. He liked what I was doing on those and I think we both wanted to work on something together that wasn't Star Wars. When he and Dark Horse decided to start their ROCKET COMICS line of books, Dave asked if I'd be interested in doing one and I told him I was definitely in. I was given the very basic couple sentence pitch/premise for CRUSH and was told to run with it. And that's what I did -- creating the world of the book, the story direction, the back story, etc., from the ground up. It's been a lot of fun.

TZ: What will make CRUSH stand out above the rest?

Hall: CRUSH is about dealing with all different types of monsters: both the everyday (abusive parents, paranoid neighbors, high school punks) and those that are more "out there" (deadly agents of mysterious organizations, giant brutish goliaths, and nerdy teenage wolf creatures). and while most of us may be able to keep that "monster" we've all got inside of us in check, Liz Mason literally finds herself unable to do this. She's got a lot of built-up frustration and rage inside of her -- and because of a startling transformation on her eighteenth birthday, it's all coming to the surface. And it just may lead Liz to discover the terrible truth about her past and who she really is. Actually, you can probably bet on it!

In it's own way, CRUSH deals with all the self-discovery and change everyone goes through when becoming an adult -- physically and mentally. Liz's life is spiraling out of control in so many was, and I think that's something we can all relate to. But it's not all "oh, it's so hard to deal with change, woe is me!" Not at all. The book really does have it all -- there's action, humor, suspense, mystery, drama, romance, a bit of horror -- so hopefully there's something for everyone in there. At the same time, I think it's the introspective and emotional side of the book that will make it stand out as something different. All the ROCKET COMICS titles are pretty varied in genre and theme, etc. -- and I'd have to say that CRUSH is very different from what's come so far. It's definitely its own entity. I like to think of it as the "black sheep" of the ROCKET COMICS family. And I mean that in a good way!

TZ: From the images I've seen, Sean Murphy has done some great work on the title. What did Sean bring to the final product from the perspective of the writer?

Hall: Sean does a great job with visual story-telling. There are many sequences in the book that even without any dialogue you could easily follow the gist of the story. I write full-script -- and my scripts tend to be pretty detailed, but Sean has also added a few little moments here and there in the art that drives home the emotion of a scene. The art needs tell the story in conjunction with the writing and not simply rely on the writing itself to get the story across. I'm not a fan of comics that have large panels with two characters talking back and forth so the one panel is filled with a ton of dialogue balloons. That just might as well be an image with some text. Comics (to me) should be more than that -- and it's the writer and the artist working together and communicating that allows that to happen.

TZ: Female lead characters becoming more popular in comics. Does that make defining a memorable female character such as Elizabeth Mason more difficult?

Hall: I don't think so. I enjoy writing female protagonists, as evident from BEWARE THE CREEPER and PISTOLWHIP: THE YELLOW MENACE, and CRUSH itself not only has Liz, but also her best friend Jen Tanaka and the deadly Agent Bixby. But I don't think you can really go into it thinking "I need to make this character memorable" -- you just write characters that you feel are interesting and hope readers feel the same. I always hate to break anything down into its parts because then it becomes more of a science experiment than writing a story. I don't believe in formula at all. I just do what I think is best and most entertaining.

TZ: How does writing an original tale like CRUSH compare to writing for an already established universe such as some of the DC/Dark Horse titles you work on?

Hall: Well, there is certainly the freedom of having an entirely open slate from the start. On one hand, it's always fun to be able to write stories featuring iconic DC or Star Wars characters -- especially when you've always enjoyed those characters yourself. But with your own "world", you get to decide what happens to each an every person in it. You get to map out the future as well as the past. You can't go and cut off Batman's arm, but if I want to cut off Liz's arm in a story, there's no stopping me! That's what makes the PISTOLWHIP stuff (with co-creator Matt Kindt) so much fun as well -- it's your own world to play in. And I'm having a great time both creating and playing in the world of CRUSH.

But with most comics, their fate depends on sales and there was no guarantee how long CRUSH would go on -- but I made the decision to write the book as an on-going series for which I was in for the long-haul. I really strove to create characters with some depth and plenty of secrets. I basically put together an entire mythology for the book. This first four-issue arc is just the beginning of a much larger story that I'm eager to tell. I hope the book has a long life because I'm really looking forward to delving more into her character and past. Every character has a story to be told, a history to be revealed and examined, and I'm hoping to get the chance to tell those stories down the road. The first story-arc has a lot of surprises and revelations but also raises a number of new questions and mysteries, and I think the reader is going to have a lot of fun taking this journey with Liz.

Let's all hope it's a long one -- and you can help make it last by picking up a copy on October 29th!

TZ: Any projects you are also currently working on you'd like to tell us about?

Hall: I've got my second issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES coming up in #28 -- with artwork by Min S. Ku and Ty Templeton (I've seen Min's pencils, and they're phenomenal!). And it features The Legion of Super-Heroes! I've also written a follow-up to my Mr. Freeze story from GOTHAM ADVENTURES that will be appearing in an upcoming issue of BATMAN ADVENTURES, with artwork by the current cover artist on that book, Kelsey Shannon. I also just had a story in the recently released STAR WARS TALES #17 with artwork by Ben Templesmith, and I'll have stories in #18 and #19 as well. Plus, I've got a short two-part story featuring my favorite Golden Age character coming up, as well as a potentially major project that I can't announce just yet until it's official. I hope everyone will check that stuff out!

TZ: Finally, CRUSH deals with the manifestations of monsters. Is the CRUSH character Agent Bixby's name homage to TV's Incredible Hulk actor, the late Bill Bixby?

Hall: But of course!

CRUSH #1 was released on Wednesday 29th October 2003.

INTERVIEW: Aquaman author talkes Justice League Adventures: Friend of Foe?

[Interview for Toon Zone News: 8th January 2004]

Matthew K Manning is a comic book writer probably most asscoiated by mainstream comic audiences for his work on Justice League Adventures. With two new trade paperback compilations of the Justice League Adventures being released later this month, Matthew speaks to Toon Zone about his popular Aquaman story An Angry Tide, which is featured in the second volume, Friend Or Foes.

Toon Zone: It's been a couple of years since you wrote "An Angry Tide." How do you feel about it retrospectively? Do you think you'd have approached any elements differently now?

Matthew K Manning: Like anything that I worked on in the past, I'd change a few things here and there. When I originally wrote the script, the Justice League cartoon hadn't even aired yet, so I probably would have altered the scene where the Martian Manhunter morphs into Aquaman. I still really like that idea, and I think it still works very well in the context of my story, but the same thing kinda' happens in the Aquaman episode of the series. But I'm no George Lucas or Stephen Spielberg, so I leave my work the way it originally was and I move on.

TZ: What sort of reception have you received to your work on Justice League Adventures? I recall the feedback at the time was rather positive.

Manning: So far it has been pretty positive. My favorite comment was from a lady whose son was a big fan of the Justice League cartoon, and who'd come across a signed copy of my issue. Her son sleeps with the comic at night. That's about the best praise anyone can get, really.

TZ: If you had the choice of any established comic book to write for at the moment, which would interest you the most?

Manning: That's a really tough question since I'd love to someday get the chance to contribute to most of the titles I read. Right now I'd probably say Nightwing, because he's like a Batman you can relate to. Either his title or Batgirl's, since they've only really scratched the surface on her personality. With Batgirl you'd have a lot to work with and much more freedom than most of the other big name superheroes.

TZ: When you last spoke to Toon Zone you said you were hoping to return to Justice League in the future. Is this on the cards? If the opportunity arose, would you be interested in picking up Aquaman again, or would you prefer to move onto a different aspect of the Justice League universe?

Manning: Actually, I sold my second script to Justice League Adventures several months ago. Since he juggles so many different artists and writers on his book, my editor, Steve Wacker, is able to have several different issues in progress at the same time. Of course, I always try to simplify his life by offering to take the book off his hands on a monthly basis, but he always mumbles something about other writers needing to feed their families or something and quickly hangs up the phone.

In all seriousness, I'm very excited about my second issue. It sports the art of Tim Levins and deals with Robin's first encounter with the Justice League. I've seen Tim's pencils and what he does with the animated style it just amazing. This issue easily tops my last one since I had a bit more time to flesh out the plot, and Tim just makes everything flow perfectly. Just don't ask me when it's coming out, 'cause I don't know.

TZ: Is there a method to your madness? How do you approach writing for an established series?

Manning: Actually if I had had to choose which comic would be the toughest to write for, hands down I would have chosen Justice League Adventures. Here you have the most powerful characters on the planet, so you have to find a challenge big enough for them, but you can't really change the status quo because it has to tie in with the show, and more than any other comic on the market, you have to make this book very appealing to kids and adults simultaneously. It was a very daunting task when editor Dan Raspler asking me to submit proposals for it. But it was my first venture into mainstream comics, and since I absolutely love the Bruce Timm animated shows, I jumped at the chance. Now I'm at the point where I can't stop thinking up ideas for this series. I just hope I get the chance to do a few more in the future.

TZ: Are there any other projects you are pitching or working on you'd like to tell us about?

Manning: I have one pitch in at DC right now, but most of the stuff that's occupying my time is in the underground category. We're just now finishing up my new special for Meathaus Comics entitled For Best Results: Do Not Open, that should be solicited in about three months in Previews and be for sale at www.meathaus.com in about one month. I'm also contributing an eight-page story to the 8th Meathaus annual, as well as a four-page little story for a charity book for Avatar. It's keeping me busy, but I'm always working on one or two mainstream proposals. Just nothing I can fill you guys in on yet.

TZ: Finally Aquaman's beard: Yay or nay?

Manning: The look I like for Aquaman is the beard, the long hair, and the orange uniform without the gloves. But any look where he's not wearing that tiara is all right with me.

Justice League Adventures Vol 2: Friend Or Foes was released on January 21st 2004

ARTICLE: The Phantom Stranger Guest Stars in Justice League Adventures Issue 31!

[Article for Toon Zone News: 2nd March 2003]

Justice League Adventures #31, which is scheduled to be released in early May, will guest star The Phantom Stranger. It's an issue Justice League penciller Chris Jones is very excited about.

"Justice League Adventures #31 is a very special issue for me, in that it gave me a chance to work on the Phantom Stranger," explained Chris in a recent correspondence with Toon Zone. "I've always liked the character, and years ago I did samples in the WB Animation style that included designs for an animated Phantom Stranger.
Those samples were seen by Dan Raspler and ended up helping me get my first work for DC Comics doing fill in issues of Raspler's Young Heroes in Love.

"A few years later, when I had started doing issues of Justice League Adventures, I mentioned a number of times to editor Steve Wacker that if he ever got a script for a Phantom Stranger story, I wanted it. Finally, Steve paired me up with writer Josh Siegal and had us concoct a Phantom Stranger story for the book. Josh and I talked about what we liked about the character and stories he'd appeared in, and Josh did a fantastic job of creating a new story that contained a lot of those elements. It was a lot of fun to draw and is one of my favorite things I've done for DC Comics."

Justice League Adventures #31 will be released in May. This week sees the release of Justice League Adventures #29, written by Matt Howarth, with art by Aluir Amancio and Rob Leigh, and a cover by John Delaney and Leigh.

INTERVIEW: Jason Hall speaks about storywriting!

[Interview compiled for the Toon Zone Storyboard Forum: 17th April 2005 - interview was complied a lot earlier with Jason, maybe even late 2004]

Jason Hall, co creator of the popular Pistolwhip series of comics and graphic novels, has written for many major imprints and publishers. Hall is most commonly known by Toon Zone visitors for his stints on numerous DC titles such as Batman Adventures, Justice League Adventures, Detective Comics and the Vertigo imprinted Beware The Creeper. He has also written for the Star Wars franchises published by Dark Horse as well as create the comic title Crush for Rocket Comics. His most current stint was on the creator-owned monthly series Trigger that premiered in December under the Vertigo imprint.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jason Hall was kind enough to take time off his busy schedule and answer a couple of questions for the Story Board that might help you in your creative writing =)

JAMES: What do you do to relieve writer's block?

JASON: I either work on something else, or read a book or watch
something else or listen to certain music (that's always a
good one!) that might inspire me or spark something in
me to get past the writer's block -- or I talk the story/idea
over with a friend of mine or my wife and get their opinion
and they end up being a great sounding board that allows
me to come up with new ideas I hadn't thought yet. Talking
it through with someone is always a big help.

JAMES: How did you get started?

JASON: I co-created Pistolwhip Comics with my pal Matt Kindt, and
we did mock-ups of our first two books that looked like actual
published books and we gave them to publishers at the Comicon.
Top Shelf loved them, thought they were already published books
that they were just getting comps of, then realized they weren't
and signed us on the spot with our books as is. No changes or
anything needed (except a cool new cover for one of them). And
we have total creative freedom with them on the Pistolwhip stuff,
which is nice (and something you don't get with any mainstream
publisher). The books were well-received by both critics and
readers (which was really great to see!), even getting a couple
Harvey Award Nominations. Based on my work on "Mephisto
and the Empty Box" (one of those previously mentioned
Pistolwhip books), I got to submit a script for Star Wars Tales
(which the editor loved, but couldn't use because it was too
similar to something already coming out -- but that led to getting
to send in another idea, which was approved, and led to doing
a total of nine stories for SW Tales over the last two years or
so) -- and based on both "Mephisto" and my first SW Tales
story, I got the editor of "Batman: Gotham Adventures" to
agree to read a complete script I wrote for that book, which
she really liked and decided she wanted it for the book right
off the bat (and that story is my first Mr. Freeze story from
B:GA #51 -- which you'll see the exciting follow-up to in
"Batman Adventures #15" this June!). And from those two
things, I was able to bring my work to the attention of other
editors, and that led to "Beware The Creeper", "Justice League
Adventures", "Crush", "Detective Comics", and more (and at
the same time, I contiued to work on the creator-owned indy
stuff, writing "Pistolwhip: The Yellow Menace", which was also
well-received and gave me yet another project to show to editors
at the bigger companies). But it was A LOT of hard work and
persistance and determination. None of it comes easy (or maybe
it does if you know people, but I didn't -- I started from scratch).

JAMES: What inspires you to write such great stories? Any pointers?

JASON: Well, I can't say if any of my stories are great or not (but thanks
for the compliment!) -- but as far as inspiration goes, I try to write
the stories that I'd like to read. But because there are other hands
in the process, the end result might not always be exactly what you
imagined or were hoping for (sometimes for the better and
sometimes for the worse). And I never write anything according
to any kind of "formula". I don't think of stories divided into acts
(at least not in a formulaic way) and I don't think a story has to
have certain elements in certain places throughout -- when you
start breaking it down like that, I feel the end result can wind up
being kind of cookie-cutter. I think that's why so many Hollywood
movies are so bad and clichid. I just write it -- sometimes in pieces
which I rearrange and build a story from, or sometimes from start
to finish -- always in an outline first, which becomes kind of a road
map for the script (although you usually find yourself thinking up
new/better ideas or ways to do things as you're writing the script,
which keeps that part interesting as well, and not just expanding out
something you've already got down) -- and things are never set in
stone, because there's always room for a new idea or a different
way to do things.

The only advice I can give, for what it's worth, is to write what you
like -- write the kinds of stories that you would pick up off the rack.
Sometimes that's not always possible (hey, we all need to pay the
rent, right?) -- but even if you find yourself working on a project that
may not necessarily be something you'd buy yourself, you can always
do your best to make it something interesting to you and different than
what might normally be expected.

REVIEW: Duck Dodgers Season One Overview

[Review for Toon Zone News: 3rd January 2004]

Some called it a bold step. Others -- rather aptly -- declared it "looney." Whatever the opinion, Duck Dodgers has made it through its first season. So how did it fare? Did the creative team that dreamed up and produced the show manage to take these iconic characters from a future located in the past and bring them successfully into the present?

For those who missed Daffy and Porky’s original outing, or if you are simply from the UK, allow me to summarize.

The show is based on the classic 1953 Warner Bros. short “Duck Dodgers In The 24th ½ Century," starring Merrie Melodies' regulars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, with Marvin the Martian in villainous support. The short spoofed the rather glitzy science fiction that swamped cinema screens at the time with a ruthlessly simplistic tale about the battle to possess a single planet. Except for a rather uninspiring sequel in 1980, it’s been fifty years since we've heard from Dodgers.

When unveiled, the show promptly came in for heavy criticism from the Looney Tunes fan base. Times had changed, and so had people's expectations about cartoons and cartoon humour. Many felt the new show relied too heavily on verbal banter and lacked the slapstick humour of the original. Others questioned the quality of the animation and some of the visual redesigns. Such harsh scrutiny isn’t unusual, however; remakes and revamps always rest uneasy with the avid fan.

Just as the original short poked fun at 1950s science fiction, the new series shows no fear in doing the same with contemporary sci-fi, which provides a terrific resource for the show to draw on. Indeed, the first season sprang many identifiable science-fiction in-jokes on us. Some of them were subtle pieces of dialogue or tiny visual references that only dedicated fans would get. The battle on the bridge in "Duck Codgers" reeks of The Phantom Menace, for instance, and Dodgers' outfit in "Enemy Yours" is reminiscent of Dr Doom’s from Marvel Comics. Some episodes are actually keyed to infamous sci-fi moments. Star Trek‘s "The Deadly Years" and "Spock’s Brain" are both decimated in "Duck Codgers" and "They Stole Dodger‘s Brain," respectively. "The Green Loontern" is based in the same universe as DC Comic’s Green Lantern series and stars the title's heroes and villains. Another noteworthy source is Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, which has its title spoofed in "The Wrath Of Canasta," is cheekily quoted in "The Foul Friend," and has one of its final battles mimicked virtually scene-by-scene in "The Queen Is Wild." There is something for every sci-fi fan, but if you know your Trek, you‘ll probably get more of the sneaky references.


The show wasn’t above self mockery either. Dodger’s inability to recognise the disguised Cadet in "Big Bug Mamas" references the inability all Looney Tune characters have at recognising a friend or foe who is cunningly decked out in a wig and lipstick. "The Wrath Of Canasta" is both an homage to the 1951 Daffy and Porky short "Dripalong Daffy" and a satire of the cult film WestWorld.

The season provided a variety of guest characters from outside the original cartoon. Some characters will be at least slightly familiar to regular cartoon viewers. We’ve had cameos from Yosemite Sam, Nasty Canasta, Dr. Woe, the Goofy Gofers, Marvin’s faithful hound K-9, and those wonderful instant Martians. We have also seen some great new characters added to the universe -- the Martian Queen (Tia Carrere), and those robots voiced by Star Trek’s Michael Dorn.

For a series based on a five-minute cartoon, there was clearly an effort to experiment with duration. Of the thirteen episodes, ten were split into a two-story format while the other three episodes developed over a full twenty-five minutes. Overall, the quality of the episodes has been good, and some have been fantastic. In my opinion, the animation and production have been of high quality. The theme tune and opening credits certainly are the finest I’ve seen this year.

The show also benefits from a strong and reliable cast. Joe Alaskey and Bob Bergen are top-notch, and we are also treated to some great semi-regular and guest-starring roles from the likes of Michael Dorn, Kevin Smith, Tia Carrere, John DiMaggio, Lauren Tom and Tara Strong.

The main characters have all got off to a good start and the interplay between them has been refreshingly varied. Dodgers -- a character whose lack of charm and talent could have become tiresome very quickly -- is unpredictable and quirky. Sometimes he is the most useless imbecile in the galaxy, while at other times he shows himself the hero we’d expect to bear a title in the Protectorate. The same goes for Porky’s Space Cadet. To my pleasant surprise, he wasn’t there to constantly save the day, and he would even occasionally show himself to be as stupid as Dodgers (okay, perhaps not that stupid). By not making the characters too rigid, they have kept each story from becoming too formulaic.

The scripting feels as if the writers are conscious that they must keep the show interesting and not fall into formula. "Quarterback Quack" deals with time travel; "The Wrath Of Canasta" takes us to the Wild West; "K-9 Kaddy" takes Marvin golfing on Mars and into an unwitting battle with a pair of Martian gofers. Whether you feel this is the Duck Dodgers of the past's own future, one cannot deny that every attempt has been made to keep the show fun and diverse.

To be fair, in one respect the show does occasionally fail: the structure of its plots. With the 24th ½ Century now being a far richer place, it seems the writers get a little too bogged down with fleshing the story out to the detriment to the humour. "The Green Loontern" is perfect example. It’s an episode which has a nice idea and oodles of in-jokes, but it just spends too much time being a proper story and not enough time playing for gags. I found each of the extended stories suffered this way, with the jokes dragging and the story swamping the dialogue. If the first season has provided any lesson, it is that the stories suit a short format rather than a longer one. I found the other two longer shows -- "Hooray For Hollywood Planet" and "Shiver Me Dodgers" -- both slow and tiresome. Indeed, I must agree with criticism that the show can be on occasions too mouthy -- a little more visual humour would be good. Overall, it's true that Duck Dodgers is very dialogue heavy.

But humour is a subjective thing, of course, and I’m pretty sure that each episode offers a joke for someone. I may not have laughed at every line, but I finished most of the episodes feeling pleasantly amused. The show is not stomach-burstingly funny, but it is very enjoyable.

I’d have to recommend "K-9 Kaddy" as the best story of the season. For me, it captured the simplicity and charm of the Warner Bros. cartoons I watched as a kid. It was a delight to see the Goofy Gofers again, and while the story was pretty vacant, the jokes were plentiful. Marvin and K-9 were also on top form -- a pure treat. Other gems this season included "The Fowl Friend" -- which offered the most politically incorrect resolution this side of South Park -- and "Big Bug Mamas." As for the show's characters: while Marvin will always be my favourite, the Martian Queen was really proving her worth by the end of the season in stories like "The Queen Is Wild" and "Enemy Yours."

Reinventing Duck Dodgers was a daring exploit, and thanks to some good writing, strong production values and a great cast, they have done a fine job. It’s not a perfect show, but hopefully the team will have learned from its mistakes this season and will produce a second that is more consistent. Duck Dodgers is a great place to go for sci-fi parody and humorous jibes. Put away your expectations for a return to the Golden Age of Warner Bros. and just sit and enjoy this fun cartoon. You’ll have a good time.