Countdown!

[Tony Bedard]

So the news has leaked about this upcoming event, and I get to play along! yay!

So let me know if you have any questions.

I probably won't answer them :evilsmile but your posts will bring me closer to my nefarious goal of catching Ron Marz's post total!

[Joe Acro]

This seemed more appropriate to post here.

Yeah, get 'em all. The others are written quite well, actually. I'm especially delighted by McKeever's stuff, but was laughing out loud at some clever stuff in Beechen's last script and wishing I'd thought up some really cool stuff in Justin & Jimmy's last script, so...


Another thing -- COUNTDOWN has some cool really cool changes in store for certain characters that you won't wanna miss.

Honest.

But it's a weekly series. That means I'd have to spend more money. :(

[Tony Bedard]

Ah, you're in the comics store every week, anyway, right?

[the4thpip]

My wallet was kind of looking forward to 52 ending.

(moan)

Maybe I'll just drop my last 4 monthly Marvel titles.

[Joe Acro]

Ah, you're in the comics store every week, anyway, right?

Sadly, no.:( But maybe I'll get the chance to look at them anyway and see which ones I want to buy.:)

[MatthewDiCarlo]

First off Tony, Congrats! It must rock to be part of such a big project, and I was excited to see your name there, since I've been a big fan of yours since Crossgen, and I swear that your Rogue arc was my favorite 6 issue Marvel arc of 2005 (and i barely even like Rogue as a character, so that's saying a lot). I'll give you some ones that you might even be able to answer.

#2. Tell me that you're going to get to play with some of the DC Sci Fi elements. I've been wanting to see you write Vril Dox forever(or at least since you used a bunch of "shades of grey" characters in Negation), but the Fourth World stuff that they've mentioned could be right down your alley too.

#3. What DC characters, past those, are you looking forward to working with the most?

#4. You've got to tell us about some of the creative environment here. This is unlike anything I've come across comics wise, with one lead writer, and a number of guys doing the individual issues. I know it's not a direct collaboration like 52, but I'm still a little iffy on exactly what it IS like.

#5. and for the heck of it, what are some of your favorite DC runs? Since you can pretty much tell some of your favorite Marvel stuff from Exiles, but I'm not sure where you stand when it comes to DC.

Thanks,

Matt

[Tony Bedard]

Matt, I'm dying to write L.E.G.I.O.N. Vril Dox rox! But I have gotten to fill in on LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES some and I hope to have more to do on that title. Stay tuned...

I'd also love to do a LOBO story and/or a GL CORPS story. Oh, and COUNTDOWN should offer some cosmic action, too!

I'd love to do something with Aquaman some day. I also like Wonder Woman.

Working on this series is probably closer to working on a TV show. It's the same system that yields LOST, 24, ALIAS, and all the other shows we love. It doesn't work for everyone. For example, I'm good friends with Garth Ennis, and I think he'd rather crawl through broken glass than work in this style. Me? I like collaborating. I think I did better work under similar circumstances at Crossgen, where all my creative team was on site. So I'm really jazzed aabout this. Plus, you get a friendly competition going in which each writer tries to outdo the others and everyone ends up bringing their A game. At least that's how it should work!

Favorite DC runs include Alan Moore on SWAMP THING, Grant Morrison on ANIMAL MAN, DOOM PATROL and JLA, Mike Baron on THE FLASH, Mark Waid on THE FLASH, John Byrne's SUPERMAN, John Arcudi's MAJOR BUMMER, Tom Peyer on HOURMAN, Denny O'Neil on THE QUESTION...there's more but that's enough for now, right?

[MatthewDiCarlo]

Peyer's Hourman is such a great run! Course all that you mentioned were, but that's overlooked way too much.

Pull in Snapper. There hasn't nearly been enough Snapper Carr/Jimmy Olsen interaction in DC history.

Are you going to get any issues with Jim Calafiore, since you seem to do a really good job at giving him great scenes to draw that are right down his alley?

[Tony Bedard]

Yeah, Jim's working on an isssue of mine right now.

Great idea about Snapper. Has he been seen since HOURMAN? I wonder what he's up to.

[Karl O'Neill]

Cool tony,

as you know General grievous knew in advance about COUNTDOWN.(Generals like to keep up their info database on everything)

anyways i look forward to buying this countdown.

but Tony, the day they start missing dates and falling behind and being late i will drop them as quick.

Ps. just looked at my siderman collection,
and you wrote breakout, mandrill, controller, ironclad ect ect????

two words tony. brilliant story

[MatthewDiCarlo]

Yeah, Jim's working on an isssue of mine right now.

Great idea about Snapper. Has he been seen since HOURMAN? I wonder what he's up to.

Best as I can remember, he was used briefly as the advisor to Young Justice (this was in the very scary period where PAD was writing both Snapper and Rick Jones at the same time, which I think is one of the causes of global warming). I don't remember seeing him used since.

Great to hear that you're working on an issue with Jim. You guys make a good team.

Thanks for answering the questions.

Matt

[elias_A]

Tony, can you give any hints if the Bat-Family is involved in Countdown?

Especially Cassandra Cain?

And is there any chance War Crimes wasn't the final word on the fate of Stephanie Brown (The Spoiler), or that her death might at least be addressed in Countdown?

[MatthewDiCarlo]

Tony,

Is it set up so the different writers each get a single character/story or do all of the stories get time each issue?

If so,is there sort of a DC Challenge thing going where P&G or Sean McKeever are going to leave you with some absurd cliffhanger that you'll have to think your way out of?

[Tony Bedard]

What's happened is that Dini has laid out a basic outline for all the sub-plots, and we have weekly phone conferences to figure out what little bits will appear in each issue. Sometimes, a particular sub-plot won't make it into a given issue. Once we've gone over the basic story beats, each individual writer goes off and writes up a script.

We have a lot of latitude to come up with our own stuff or change up the order of events, etc. Whatever will make the story work. It;s a very dynamic process, not color-by-numbers or writing by committee.

[Karl O'Neill]

i would reckon any issues or story arc's pertaining to the new gods in COUNTDOWN will be aptly delt with by Grant morrison?????

Mr Miracle??? Grant morrison????

i'd say so