I am now accepting characters for the new board RPG ‘Vagabond Knights’…The forum will be open to the public soon, for now I will give you simple guidelines to follow when writing a submission.

~ Original characters only
~ Cannot be alien or anything closely related to science fiction
~ Must be period appropriate, the game is set in the late 11th Century (1095)

The game is set around a band of traveling performers so please keep that in mind when you are writing up a bio; send all bios via PM to Theore.

If you have any questions please private message me with them.

- Theore

They are vagabonds, wanderers without a home in years of conquests and dark days; they are nothing more than a group trying to slake their wanderlust. All of them have come from respectfully different backgrounds, yet one evening they were drawn together in a seaside inn and it was there that they began their journey through Europe as traveling performers. More widely accepted than gypsies, and less threatening than most strangers; they entertain, they stay to themselves, they don’t raise suspicion in a world of distrust.

This group could be considered the world’s first superheroes; most, though not all have their own uncanny abilities, which in a world of superstition and tradition could get them killed, but in their wandering they have been able to help extinguish some of the danger, they have not sought it out but they cannot turn their head away when it is found in the villages and sleepy towns that they traverse through. They are their own brand of wandering Knight, not in it for the glory or the fame, but all the same they have protected many with their simple acts while still trying to keep themselves safe. Strangers do not get to know what they can do, but as a band of vagabonds they have built their own support for each other, just trying to move through life and stay out of the way of the holy wars of which started the same year as their journey began; 1095, five years before the end of the 11th century.

That is how these adventures and misadventures began, a group not looking for either but stumbling upon them anyway, in a world of war and darkness they are simply trying to find their way in the world. They are vagabonds, whom have been referred to as knights in some instances by those that they have saved, but their very survival hinges upon staying below public curiosity and maintaining their traveling performing troupe as their means of money and food. If they are found out, the consequences could be deadly…

-Theore

Ok, on days when I want to cheer up and I just need a stupid laugh. I pop one of the following movies in the VCR.

Evolution-with David Duchvony, Orlando Jones and Sean William Scott.
I can't help it. When we still walk around quoting lines from this movie, years later, it's funny. That and the fact that they kill the aliens with Head and Shoulders Shampoo!

Baseketball-PURE BRILLIANCE! I love this movie! It's an unwritten law that if it's on and we surf by it, we have to stop and watch it.

Don't be a Menace-Early Wayans Brothers when they were still funny.

So, what's your favorite stupid movie?

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Posted 22/05/2004
Source Newsarama
By Matt Brady

At today’s “Cup ‘o Joe” panel at WizardWorld East, it was confirmed that Runaways would be ending with issue #18. But that’s not the whole story – Newsarama spoke with writer Brian Vaughan about the series and its future.

First off, and this may seem like a technicality to some, the series is not “cancelled.” As the solicitation copy for issue #18 reads, August’s issue is the “Season Finale” of the series. What exactly does that mean?
“It’s the opposite of cancellation, actually!” Vaughan told Newsarama. “Six months ago, I knew that sales were entering the danger zone, and Marvel was cool enough to give us lots of advance warning that issue #18 might be our last. I was heartbroken, but appreciative that we got to tell as many cool stories as we did, and happy that we had time to wrap everything up right. I planned out the current ‘The Good Die Young’ arc to be a very satisfying conclusion to our whole series, but just as I was about to write the last issue, our first trade finally came out, and shocked all of us by doing phenomenally well. Marvel immediately called and asked if I'd be interested in keeping the series going beyond Issue #18.”

Vaughan credits Marvel’s willingness to go beyond issue #18 to one thing. “That's really a testament to our readers,” Vaughan said. “Runaways doesn't have nearly as many fans as some of my other comics, but the fans we do have are crazy insane-o for the book. They send us drawings, they start kick-ass fan pages like ‘The Hostel,’ they flood message boards with annoying posts berating other readers for not picking up the book, etc. If it weren't for these hard-cores and their unending dedication to spreading the gospel, we probably would have been canceled at issue #6. But much as I appreciate our readers and adore these characters, I didn't want to keep writing the book if I didn't have anything more to say - after all, you can only have kids running away from their parents for so long, right? After giving it a ton of thought, I came up with what I think is a really cool new direction for the book. It will still be called Runaways, and it will still be a parable about kids surviving the evils of the adult world, but our heroes will be in an all-new setting and have an all-different purpose. And since not everyone makes it out of issue #18 alive, we might even introduce a few new runaways - and villains - to the roster, too. But don't worry, the book isn't going to become West Coast Avengers or New Warriors Jr. or Wolverine and the Runaways. Our book is set in the Marvel Universe, and I'm not at all opposed to finding unexpected ways to further integrate our characters into that world - I think our Cloak and Dagger crossover was one of our better stories, but the higher-ups at Marvel definitely understand that the series works because it's fun and different and new, and they're not going to kill what makes the book special in order to save it. And no matter what Runaways becomes next, I promise that we'll still have psychic dinosaurs, magic decoder rings, secret hideouts, tortured romances, unbelievably shocking acts of evil, and all of the things that made me fall in love with comics when -I- started reading.”

That said, issue #18 still ends much the same way it was going to when Vaughan thought it would be the end of the series. “We wanted to give our characters a little downtime after this insanely epic season finale,” Vaughan said. “Issue #18 makes for a very natural ‘season finale,’ since we've been building to this final showdown between the Runaways and their evil parents since issue #1. I don't want to spoil how things end, but it's big. Joss Whedon is a huge inspiration, and we're definitely taking a page from Buffy here, where each season of that show was really its own complete story, with a beginning, middle and end. Like most viewers, I wasn't even aware of Buffy until its - very accessible - second season. That's when I fell in love with Buffy, and I hope it's when most readers will fall in love with the Runaways.”

Also – a hiatus between “seasons” will allow artist Adrian Alphona to uncramp his hand. “Adrian has been drawing nonstop since we pitched this comic almost two years ago, so we wanted to give him some much-earned downtime to recharge his batteries before our next phase begins,” Vaughan said. "And most importantly, we wanted to give Marvel a chance to put out the next two digest collections of Runaways, to help build excitement. I swear that you won't have to have read any of "Season One" in order to enjoy the all-new, all-different Season Two... but come on, Season One was effin' amazing! Those cute little digests look great, too, and they only cost eight bucks, so if you missed our stories the first time around, there's no excuse not to give them a shot now.”

Vaughan said that Marvel insisted that he and Alphona stay with the property, rather than bring in a guest team for an arc while the two geared up for the relaunch. “That's all Marvel, and the fact that they really care about their creators,” Vaughan said. “Either that, or Chuck Austen passed. Seriously, I like to think that Marvel recognizes that Adrian and I - and Jo Chen, and Craig Yeung, and Christina Strain - are a big part of what makes Runaways work, and they didn't want to do the book without us. And again, it's not about our schedules being too busy, or Runaways taking a backseat to anything else, it's about taking the time to do everything we can to ensure that the book relaunches as strongly as possible. Joe Q.'s been pimping this book so hard and so long, I feel like his queen ho. Editors C.B. Cebulski and MacKenzie Cadenhead have also fought tirelessly for this book, and I wouldn't have said yes to a relaunch without them.”

The kids from Runaways will be cooling their heels during the break, with no guest-shots planned. Although… “If John Cassaday wants to put them on the cover of Astonishing X-Men, he's more than welcome to, but I'm pretty sure that our kids will be going back into hiding for a few months after the end of issue #18,” Vaughan said. As for that “few months” it’s still up in the air, but Vaughan is projecting a return of the series sometime around the end of 2004. “And no, I'm not sure if we'll be coming back as Runaways #1 or Runaways #19. But I know fanboy numerologists hate new #1's, so I'd personally like to relaunch with a new #7, just to make their heads explode. I’m kidding. Kind of.”

If, God forbid, Vaughan and Alphona can’t return to the series (although everything, as the writer said, suggest that they will later this year), Vaughan’s happy with the work as it stands. “Hey, we gave the Marvel Universe six 100% brand-new heroes and at least twelve new villains. How many other books can say that? Plus, my aforementioned hero Joss Whedon wrote to tell me that he's a big fan of the book, so I can definitely die happy. That said, I really want more Runaways. For the past eighteen months or so, we've gotten a lot of emails from girls who said that this was the very first comic they ever bought, and dads who said that they loved reading the book with their kids. That matters to me. Obviously, I love writing books with severed heads and too much swearing – see Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina for all of that, but I recognize that it's important for our industry to nurture tomorrow’s ‘mature readers’ today. Our train can't keep pulling up the tracks behind us. Still, I don't want Runaways to become a ‘vanity book’ that's kept alive simply to please a small-but-important audience of new readers. I want it to be a Top Ten book! I know that sounds ridiculous, but a few decades ago, it was ridiculous to think that a fledgling little book called X-Men could ever escape cancellation, much less be the #1 book in America. A bald boy can dream, right? Love it or hate it, Runaways is something new, and new is important. I have nothing against existing superheroes: Bendis and Maleev's Daredevil is one of the best monthly comics of all time, and I'm honored to be working on Ultimate X-Men. But I flatter myself to think that Runaways is the kind of book that Lee and Kirby and Ditko would want to see Marvel publishing more of today. Those guys didn't get into comics to work on Batman and Superman, they got into the medium to help build a House of Ideas. Anyway, I know I'm starting to sound like a preachy, self-righteous douche, but I'm so grateful that Marvel has gotten behind more Runaways, and I really hope we can turn the book into enough of a success that it helps encourage all publishers to continue taking chances on new creators, new characters and new ideas.”

Posted 21/05/2004
Source ThePulse
By Rick Taylor

Dan Buckley (Publisher), Joe Quesada (Editor-In-Chief), Mike Marts (Editor), John Cassaday (Penciler Astonishing X-Men), Salavador Larroca (Penciler X-Men), Nick Lowe (Assistant Editor), CB Cebulski (Editorial/Talent Coordinator), Stephanie Moore (Assistant Editor), and Sean McKeever (Writer) were in attendance at today's X-Men Reload panel at Wizard World Philadelphia. Details about some of the new X-Men related series were revealed as well as confirmation on new artists and writers for existing series. It was revealed Jorge Lucas would take over the art on Starjammers, the Nightcrawler team was revealed, Andy Kubert was confirmed as taking over the art on Ultimate X-Men with issue # 50, and lots more details were learned.

Joe Quesada spoke about refocusing the titles over the next year so that each book has its own 'voice' and so they wouldn't all be similar in tone. Marvel will be bringing back costumes for the characters in the X-Men and the return of costumes will be incorporated into the plots. Most of these changes will start with the July and August releases.

Here are some highlights:

Astonishing X-Men - Josh Whedon writer, John Cassaday - artist, Laura Martin - Colors
District X - The 'Bishop title/gritty crime comic (their 'sleeper' title) - David Hine - Writer, David Yardin - artist
Excalibur - Mostly centering around the rebuilding of Genosha with Professor X and Magneto - Chris Claremont - writer, Aaron Lopresi - penciller
Exiles - The 'alternative reality' title - Tony Bedard - writer, Mizuki Sakakibara - artist
Gambit - Mostly espionage/high adventure in tone - John Layman writer, Georges Jeanty - penciler
Mystique - More 'covert' in tone. They will reveal who the Quiet Man is (I thought it was John Wayne!). Sean McKeever - writer, Manuel Garcia art, Mike Mayhew - covers
New X-Men: Academy X - Replaces/builds New Mutants. Young X-Kids adventures. Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFillipis - writers, Randy Green - artist
Nightcrawler - Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa - writer, Darick Robertson - penciler, Greg Land - covers
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe X-Men - Covers by Salvador Larroca and Richard Isanove. Marvel will release a handbook per title or universe to reestablish the origins and details of each character or group.
Rogue - Robert Rodi - writer, Cliff Richards - artist
Starjammers - Kevin J Anderson - writer, Ali Garza - art 1st issue and Jorge Lucas takes over with issue #2
Ultimate X-Men - New Villains, a new Mr. Sinister - Brian K Vaughan - writer (takes over from Brian Bendis), Andy Kubert takes over the art with issue 50.
Uncanny X-Men - Chris Claremont - writer and Alan Davis - artist
Weapon X - The book will focus on the core characters, Wolverine and Agent Zero, etc. - Frank Tieri - writer and Tom Mandrake artist (some of the nicest stuff I EVER seen Tom do.)
Wolverine - Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. beginning in the early # 20s.
X-Force - Fabian Niceiza and Rob Liefeld
X-Men - Chuck Austen and Salvador Larroca
X-Men:The End - Dreamers and Demons - A trilogy by Claremont and Sean Chen. Covers by Greg Land.

Only about 100 people attended and the question and answer session at the end didn't reveal too many key details or facts.

Posted 22/05/2004
Source Newsarama

A CUP 'O JOE @ WW PHILLY 04
by Ryan McLelland and Matt Brady

Keeping its freewheeling style, the Cup 'o Joe panel at WizardWorld East showcased a large handful of new projects, as well as new exclusivity deals with creators.

First up in news, Joe Quesada announced that Jae Lee will join current series writer Bruce Jones for a six-part Hulk miniseries starting in September, featuring a Hulk-Thing battle. The miniseries will replace the monthly Hulk book for the six months.

In Ultimate announcements, Quesada said that August will see the debut of an Ultimate Elektra limited series by Mike Carey and Salvador Larocca. The mini will follow the continuity of the Ultimate version of the character from the first miniseries, which starred Elektra and Daredevil, and was written by Greg Rucka. Quesada highlighted Ultimate Nightmare by Warren Ellis and Trevor Harisine, pointing out that the series will shakeup the Ultimate Universe, starting in August. Ellis’ first Marvel work in years, Ultimate Fantastic Four #7 ships in June, and will feature the origin of the Ultimate Dr. Doom. Two issues of UFF ship in June. Ultimates v.2 #1 is tentatively slated to ship in October, and while speaking of the title, Quesada announced that Mark Millar has signed an exclusive contract with Marvel for the foreseeable future.

Supreme Power will see a spin-off launch in August with Doctor Spectrum written by Samm Barnes, with art by Travel (Cla$$war) Foreman. Barnes is one of J. Michael Straczynski’s writing partners who wrote Jeremiah episodes for the second season of the Showtime series. Dale Keown will provide the covers for the series. Straczynski is now exclusive with Marvel as well, Quesada announced. Quesada highlighted both Powers and Kabuki, coming out from the new Icon imprint, as well as pointed out that in the realm of Brian Bendis’ books, Ultimate Carnage debuts in June in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man.

September will see the launch of a new Black Widow series, written by winner of the Philip K. Dick award for fiction, Richard K. Morgan and illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz, with covers by Greg Land. Keeping with the exclusivity theme, Quesada announced that Greg Land, as well as Steve Epting are now exclusive to Marvel. Announcements of their projects will be forthcoming.

Quesada announced that Runaways will come to a close with issue #18, and will return with an all-new direction in late 2004 – early 2005.

When asked if readers will see classic Marvel villains returning to the pages of ongoing series, Quesada said they’ll be returning, albeit slowly. “You’ll be seeing many more of them in the next year or so. They were being overused by Marvel in the ‘90s, and there were only so many times you could see Dr. Doom going against the Fantastic Four, so they were put on the shelf. We’re working on finding the proper time to use them.”

In regards to who X-23 was in the pages of NYX, Quesada deferred the question, saying that an X-23 miniseries, written by character creator Craig Kyle is planned for later this year, which will answer many questions surrounding the girl who may or may not be related to Wolverine.

Quesada said that there are no plans for an Ash series at Icon, although it’s a possibility. However, it’s not something he foresees in the near future.

The digest-sized trade paperbacks are a success, according to Quesada - good news for those hoping to see a return of Sentinel.

While speaking about how Joss Whedon landed at Marvel on Astonishing X-Men, Quesada said that AXM #1 sold an amazing amount of copies (over 225,000 according to sources speaking to Newsarama), he felt the issue was still underordered.

Quesada targeted the first quarter of 2005 for the debut of Bryan Singer’s Ultimate X-Men arc.

In talking about licenses Marvel used to hold, but has since lost, Quesada said that he wished Marvel would have held on to Conan. He loves the character, and would have loved to have put Richard Corben on the character, but the license got away from Marvel.

Early 2005 will see a new Ghost Rider book. Quesada wasn’t sure if it would be an ongoing or miniseries, but said it would be at least six issues. A new Black Panther series is in the works, however, it won’t be written by Christopher Priest. John Romita Jr. has commented several times that he is working on it. As for Kevin Smith’s Daredevil: Target and Black Cat, Quesada said that Smith has told him he’ll have it in, and he trusts Smith, but can’t force him to write.

Moon Knight may return in 2005. Quesada said that proposals have been turned in, but he feels there is a certain convolution around the character, and wants to see a good approach to the character before a new series.

In regards to new teams showing up in the Marvel Universe, Quesada said that there are proposals in for the New Warriors, and a new team will be introduced in Daredevil: Father. Quesada also hinted that Secret War may see a new group of heroes as well.

September will see the debut of JMS’ long-promised Dr. Strange miniseries. Brandon Peterson is strongly rumored to be the artist for the mini. As Quesada explained it, Straczynski had written a screenplay for a Dr. Strange movie years back, and has broken down the screenplay, and adapted it into a “Dr. Strange Year One” style story. “It’s a real ground-level take of the character.”

There will be no Blade series for the release of Blade: Trinity, however, the character will be making an appearance shortly.

Quesada promised more Neil Gaiman in 2005.

Images:
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Posted 22/05/2004
Source Newsarama

MARVEL'S AVENGERS PANEL

At today’s Avengers panel at WizardWorld East, post-Disassembled plans were announced, as well as a DC defection of sorts, as Ed Brubaker was announced as one of the creators who will be working at Marvel soon.

The teams for the core Avenegrs books were again named:
Captain America: Robert Kirkman, writing; Scott Eaton art; Dave Johnson covers.
Iron Man: Mark Ricketts writing; Tony Harris art; Pat Lee, covers.
Thor: Mike Oeming writing; Andrea DiVito art; Steve Epting, covers.

According to Quesada, the first wave of “Disassembled” stories would run though November (including the arcs in Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, and when a second wave of stories would begin. In addition to the three “core” Avengers books named above, the storyline will spill into Spectacular Spider-Man #17 by Paul Jenkins and Michael Ryan – something which will parlay into physical changes for Spider-Man, as seen by the accompanying cover (see below). Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo will bring the Fantastic Four into the fray with issue #517.

Portions of the “Disassembled” storyline will double-ship, and Quesada said that he’s hoping to keep David Finch on as the series’ regular artist indefinitely, but acknowledged some fill-in artists will probably pitch in, as the series will ramp up to shipping 18 issues a year. Brian Bendis and Finch are slated to remain as the regular creative team on The Avengers following “Dissassembled.”

Speaking to his upcoming run on Thor, writer Mike Oeming said that he’s aiming to deliver a classic-feeling run of the series. “My favorite run of Thor, besides Simonson, was Buscema’s run, so what I’m hoping to do is a combination of Buscema and Simonson, but also bit of Thor from other periods as well.” Avengers editor Tom Brevoort said that Bendis has Avengers stories for the next 20-30 issues of the series, so he won’t be going anywhere. Oeming said that he’s not planning on drawing Thor - at least not for the first six issues, but he may go on the book later.

There will be a second core Avengers title after “Disassembled.”

Brevoort said that something that will be coming in the Avengers will be a new Masters of Evil. “We talked a little, Brian and I, about the Masters of Evil, and probably throughout the course of the first year, there will be a new Masters of Evil.” The editor added that the goal is to make the villain team very powerful and “live up to the name.”

The Thunderbolts may return in their own series following Avengers/Thunderbolts, according to Brevoort.

“Disassembled” will come with a changeup at the top, as it was revealed that someone else, other than Captain America, will have the chance to lead the Avengers.

When asked if Captain Marvel would appear in Avengers, Brevoort said that the character would appear regularly in a new series following the cancellation of his own, but not in Avengers.

New characters who have never been Avengers before will be in the new lineup for the team. When asked if Beast may return to the team, Brevoort said it’s not likely at first, but closer to the end of the year, it may be more likely for him to make an appearance.

Following “Disassembled” some Avengers-related books will be cancelled. No further information was given in regards to which titles.

New villains will be part of Avengers following “Disassembled,” created by Bendis. The book will then feature a mix of new and old Avengers villains.

Avengers Masterworks v.4, along with new Fantastic Four and X-Men editions will be released shortly.

Ultron will be seen in the Avengers in the immediate future. Thor will not have any alter egos during Oeming’s run on the series. The writer said he wanted to use his time to focus on Thor himself, not Donald Blake.

When contacted by Newsarama about his upcoming Marvel work, Brubaker said: “I can't comment, other than to say that yes, I accepted the job. I start work after my exclusive ends, so it's going to be tight, but I'm really psyched about it. I'm not leaving DC or WS, I still have a lot of work there, and I have no problems with them, I just got a nice job offer that I couldn't turn down, and I wanted to go freelance for a while anyway.”

Images:
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Ok, did I miss something somewhere??
I mean, I know every guy in the Marvel U has had Wanda, but this??!??!?!


Ok, someone tell me what's going on!

Posted 20/05/2004
Source ThePulse

BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
There's a new Robin in town and, although this one may be a wonder, she's no boy! The Dark Knight Detective is taking on Spoiler as a pupil after Tim Drake gives up being Robin. Spoiler's dreamt of being the Batman's partner, but is the reality going to be all she's expected? Writer Bill Willingham's very tight-lipped about what this summer holds for the new Robin, but we did get a few details to whet appetites.

THE PULSE: A lot of people were surprised to see your name attached to Robin.
BILL WILLINGHAM: You needn’t be so polite. I think the term you were looking for is: a lot of people were horrified to see my name attached to Robin. A quick stroll through various message boards – particularly the DC message boards – shortly after the news came out that I’d be taking over the series, yielded some interesting opinions, most of which were along the lines of: A) The current series sucks and so there better be big changes coming;
B) The new writer better not change anything.

THE PULSE: Do you read a lot of message boards? I know some pros who won't look at any ....
WILLINGHAM: Not often, and much less as time goes by. I found out with my first experience with message boards that they can be a great waste of time. Plus, most of them are run as cesspools, where reasonable voices are overwhelmed by those who take advantage of anonymity to post any sort of bile. Still, from time to time I check a few of them to see what’s being said about the books I write, but even that has scant utilitarian value. Most message boards seem to be dominated by a very few people endlessly messaging each other. I certainly don’t believe any writer should let message board reaction, pro or con, influence any aspect of his work.

THE PULSE: What interested you about working on the Teen Wonder?
WILLINGHAM: He’s a comic book icon, the archetype of the teenage sidekick. I don’t think that iconic status will change, now that ‘he’ is becoming ‘she.’ Also the book presented a big challenge, as it isn’t really the type of book I could imagine myself writing, prior to being invited to do it.

THE PULSE: What were the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of this run?
WILLINGHAM: To explore the nature of the superhero business through the eyes of someone still in the process of learning that business.

THE PULSE: You've said before Robin was lacking some serious rogues. How are you hoping to change that with your run?
WILLINGHAM: By adding to Robin’s rogues gallery.

THE PULSE: [laughs] OK, so who are some of the rogues you're adding to Robin's gallery?
WILLINGHAM: Let’s let the readers discover them as they’re introduced.

THE PULSE: Fair enough. In general when considering new rogues, what elements/characteristics did you think needed to be present?
WILLINGHAM: Pretty standard stuff. All characters, good, bad or otherwise, need to make sense in their own contexts. Their motivations need to be believable, and a bit more complex than just “I’m the bad guy.” In the Batman corner of the DC Universe a degree of freakishness seems to also be required.

THE PULSE: What challenges do you face working on this all ages comic as opposed to the mature readers Vertigo series Fables?
WILLINGHAM: I don’t consider it particularly challenging to conform a story to an all-ages readership, rather than a mature readership. Don’t get me wrong. Any writing is chock full of challenges – just not so much in that area. The rules of good storytelling remain the same, no matter the readership at which any given story is aimed. With the Robin series it’s mostly just a matter of cutting back on Alfred’s wild sex scenes, before I hand any given script in; Changing “scumbag” to “dirtbag;” and scaling back the scenes involving Robin’s secret program to hunt down potential evil-doers and slits their throats, before they can grow up to become super villains.

THE PULSE: Sounds simple enough. Who are some of your writing influences for Robin?
WILLINGHAM: Each of the writers who’ve come before me, on the Robin series, has influenced what I am doing with the book – contrary to one of the more popular internet rumors, that I never read a single issue of Robin, before taking over. I read as many issues of the series as I could find – which were most of them – before starting my work on the series. Michael Wright, the series editor, helped a great deal in that respect, by sending dozens of the previous issues my way. However, I didn’t allow any previous writer’s take on the character to automatically trump my plans. As with most new writers on any given series, I considered everything, kept what I thought I could use, ignored what I couldn’t use, and made up the rest – with lots of helpful advice and unreasonable demands from the legion of Bat Editors, of course. When I leave the series, I expect the next writer to do much the same.

THE PULSE: How are those influences different than what inspires your work on Fables?
WILLINGHAM: On Fables I am the final authority on what does and doesn’t get used. I draw from the source material I like and craft the stories I want to tell. On Fables there’s no editorial board telling me I have to work these big cross-company events into this given issue – and so forth. In Fables every writer of the past tales, with whom I collaborate, are all long dead and so can hardly get a word in edgewise during our plotting sessions.

THE PULSE: Why do you think it was in character for Tim Drake to give up being Robin?
WILLINGHAM: He always said he would some day – although one expects the plans of children to change often and adamantly. As far as the specific reason Tim quits -
[spoiler]it came down to the fact that his dad was against it, and when all is said and done, a boy has to do what his dad thinks is best. Tim’s known all along that keeping his duel life secret from his parents was wrong. On some level at least, I suspect he was actually relieved to have his secret come out.[/spoiler]

THE PULSE: Some people have responded positively to the announcement, given the type of man Tim has shown himself to be. Since details of this story became known, what kind of feedback have you received about the decision from fans and peers?
WILLINGHAM: True, there has been some positive responses, but in the entirely unscientific method of browsing the internet, most of the reaction seems to have been one variation or another of, “How dare I?," and "just who the hell do I think I am?” One of the more entertaining anonymous posters has deduced that I obviously think I am God. That’s not true, by the way. It’s been years since I even applied for the job. Others are calling openly for Chuck Dixon to return and wrestle the series away from me. This is fine. My one real worry, when taking over Robin, is that no one would care. I can deal with fear and loathing, and even get a kick out of it, because it takes a lot of reader involvement to work up a good rage. But yawns scare me.

THE PULSE: When you started your run on Robin were plans already in place for the teen wonder to give up the costumed life?
WILLINGHAM: No comment.

THE PULSE: You hinted in another PULSE interview that Spoiler's future was already kind of planned out before you took over.
WILLINGHAM: Yes, the future of Spoiler was one of the pre-ordained events, before I was brought on board.

THE PULSE: How much of it was set in stone and how much of it did you have the chance to alter?
WILLINGHAM: No specific comments, until after it plays out. But Spoiler’s future was one of the things locked in before I came onto the series. I got to add one important development to the planned events, but I can’t reveal what that is yet. Let’s talk about this again, a few months down the road.

THE PULSE: Ok. What do you think sets Spoiler apart from the typical teen hero? She doesn't seem to fit the mold of most of the Teen Titans or Legion ... yet.
WILLINGHAM: She needs to learn the job. One thing I didn’t like about the previous takes on Robin was that Tim came into the job already prepared for it, and as many critics have now pointed out to me, ad nauseum, Tim no longer needs Batman’s training and instruction. This made little sense to me. Robin should always, at its core, be the superhero in training. If he’s ready to be out on his own, what is he still doing in the Robin suit? So Spoiler needs to learn how to be Robin, and that is what I find compelling about this story.

THE PULSE: Why do you think Spoiler's colorful background and past mistakes could help her become a better hero?
WILLINGHAM: Everyone has past mistakes, current mistakes and future mistakes. No one ever gets to the point where they don’t make them – or if they do, why bother telling their stories? Perfect people are dull, boring, tedious and did I say dull?

THE PULSE: I think once or twice. What do you view as Steph's greatest strengths so far?
WILLINGHAM: She wants the job. She wants it like a drowning man wants air. She isn’t planning on just dabbling in the superhero trade, until something better comes along. Damion Scott has perfectly captured her enthusiasm in her first appearance as Robin.

THE PULSE: What areas does she still need improvement in?
WILLINGHAM: All of them. Isn’t that fun?

THE PULSE: Sounds more dangerous than fun. In fact, due to her inexperience and other problems, a lot of people find it tough to believe the Batman would even let Stephanie take on the role of Robin after Tim leaves.
WILLINGHAM: A lot of people should read the story, when it comes out.

THE PULSE: I'm sensing a pattern. Some think this might be one of those imaginary stories.
WILLINGHAM: Nope – except that all of these stories are imaginary – these being works of fiction and all. But no, this is definitely part of the so-called reality of our fictional DC Universe.

THE PULSE: Is this story really happening and, if so, why would the grim Batman let the not-as-skilled teen take on the mantle of Robin?
WILLINGHAM: Alfred gets to ask that very question of Batman, so I won’t step on his scene by answering it here.

THE PULSE: How tough was it for you to get to know Stephanie Brown and get into the Spoiler mindset?
WILLINGHAM: As tough as it is to get into any fictional character’s mindset. Teenage girls who fight crime on the sly don’t think like middle aged men whose crime-fighting days are long past – at least I hope they don’t. Then again, how many of us have actually put on gaudy clothes to go out and battle super criminals; or fought against sword-wielding barbarians in some forgotten kingdom; or hung out with talking animals? Writing in the various fantasy-adventure genres is all about getting into the mindset of fictional characters who bare very little resemblance to you. It’s not easy, but it beats shoveling dirt for a living.

THE PULSE: What is Spoiler's mindset? Does she really take all this seriously or just have the wrong idea about what it means to be a true hero?
WILLINGHAM: How does one answer this question? In truth, anyone who puts on a costume to use ropes and sticks to fight gunmen has the wrong idea about what it means to be a true hero. Within the admittedly bizarre fictional conceits of a superhero universe, one presumes she better be taking this seriously. She’s the devoted one. She’s already convinced this is a job that needs doing. Tim is the one struggling with the level of his commitments to the cause.

THE PULSE: How intense is the training Batman has planned for Steph?
WILLINGHAM: There’s a fun scene coming up that shows just a bit of the answer to this question. Let’s wait for it.

THE PULSE: How will Steph react to constantly being compared to Tim, Dick, or, even, Cassandra?
WILLINGHAM: Funny you should ask. Once again I’m going to dodge giving you a candid answer.

THE PULSE: You're getting good at dodging. You've worked with a lot of female characters and showed things from each's point of view before. How does Steph relate in comparison to some of your other leading ladies?
WILLINGHAM: My template for writing female characters is simple: Design each as an individual character. None of my characters could (or should) be able to serve as a role model for whatever group they might be perceived as belonging to. In fact none of them should ever be perceived as representing any given gender, group or lifestyle, or I’ve failed miserably.

THE PULSE: Many are wondering if Spoiler will also appear in Teen Titans, taking over Tim's spot there. Will she? And, if not, are the Teen Titans stories taking place at a different point in time to current Robin continuity?
WILLINGHAM: You’ll have to ask the Teen Titans people about that. I don’t talk to them – quite purposely – because I can’t write the Robin books with Teen Titan continuity in mind. As I was instructed by the DC Batgang, while considering whether or not to take on the book, I have to conform Robin to what is happening in the other official Bat-titles, but I can ignore anything outside of that – which includes the Titans book. This creates some frustrations, because Geoff Johns is a terrific writer and I would love to pass the time talking shop with him – simply as a fan of his work. But that would inevitably lead to temptations to try to work Titans continuity into the already continuity-burdened Robin book; or worse – trying to force my Robin continuity on Geoff. And so I don’t pick up the phone to him. Too bad, huh? The nice part about this though is that the Titans book comes as a surprise to me each month, and I am able to continue to enjoy it as a reader. Robin stealing a Batmobile was a hoot. I wish I’d thought of it.

THE PULSE: Yeah, that was a lot of fun. Let's talk about the other female Robin. How does Steph compare to Carrie from Dark Knight Returns?
WILLINGHAM: Well, since the Dark Knight takes place some unspecified number of years in the future, Carrie would still be an infant now, or not yet be born, so I would imagine Steph could easily take her in a fight.

THE PULSE: [laughs] How does it feel to be working with Gotham veteran Damion Scott?
WILLINGHAM: I’ve always liked his work, but I was truly blown away by his first issue of Robin – particularly his take on Alfred. If DC ever offered me an ongoing Alfred series, I’d take it in a heartbeat, provided that Damion drew it.

THE PULSE: How many parts is the first arc featuring Stephanie as Robin the Girl Wonder?
WILLINGHAM: No comment.

THE PULSE: Which villains show up in Steph's inaugural outings as Robin?
WILLINGHAM: A new gang of thugs for hire, and she may or may not have a run-in with the new villain Scarab.

THE PULSE: What inspired your creation of Scarab?
WILLINGHAM: A desire to create a villain whose basic methodology is sound. In real life most criminals tend to be stupid thugs, who’re able to get away with as much as they do because most law enforcement officers aren’t exactly the brightest bulbs in the pack either. Since this book posits smart heroes, we need smart villains to provide them a reasonable and interesting challenge.

THE PULSE: How did you want Scarab to be different from the typical Gotham thug?
WILLINGHAM: Is there a typical Gotham thug?

THE PULSE: Well, you always seem to see a gang of crooks with every rogue ... so there has to be some kind of typical "thug."
WILLINGHAM: Scarab isn’t insane, which seems to be one of the common characteristics of many Gotham bad guys. One of the ideas I’m playing with, and already introduced, is the notion that Gotham is a magnet for the world’s criminal lunatics. No, I don’t claim it’s an original idea. Other Bat-writers have played with the idea. But it’s one of the concepts I find most intriguing and worthy of further exploration. Like Rick’s Café American, everyone comes to Gotham.

THE PULSE: How does Tim react to the news that Steph is taking over?
WILLINGHAM: You’ll have to wait and see. I think it’s a good scene and I don’t want to spoil it (if you’ll forgive the pun).

THE PULSE: hakes head: How does the rest of the Batman Family feel?
WILLINGHAM: You mean, when they gather together at the end of each case for the group hug? Sweaty? Warm? Snuggly? Seriously, you’ll have to wait and see.

THE PULSE: How open will May's issue be to readers who have no clue who Spoiler is and just a passing knowledge of Tim Drake?
WILLINGHAM: Fully open? At DC we have the policy that anyone who wants to buy an issue of Robin can. As usual, one should be able to pick up most of the story in its own context, but knowing something about their past adventures would be helpful.

THE PULSE: What other Batman related projects are you working on?
WILLINGHAM: The big Bat Books crossover is just over the horizon and I’m working on those books now. During the three months of this event, I’ll be writing the Batman book as well as the Robin issues.

THE PULSE: How did you come up the idea for Batman: War Games or was that something someone else came up with and said, "Hey Bill, want to write this?"
WILLINGHAM: I didn’t come up with it. The entire Bat crew of writers and editors were put in a room for three days and fed good orange juice and bad doughnuts, until we came up with something, which we did. I contributed many ideas to the event, but not more than every other person there and not necessarily the best ones. For better or worse, this is the result of true collaboration.

THE PULSE: There have been a lot of Batman crossovers before ... how is War Games going to be different?
WILLINGHAM: Different things happen, than in other crossovers. Different characters appear than in other crossovers. But seriously, folks, this is my first of these things as a participant, so I can’t speak about past events from an insider’s perspective. This crossover is designed to make some permanent changes in the Batman books – as much as anything is permanent in a funnybook universe – and to more firmly cement some of the guiding principals of the Batman mythos. I don’t want to speak in specifics, because that’s what we want readers to come and discover for themselves.