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Dennis O'Neil « Thread Started on Sept 13, 2004, 2:24am »
Denny O'Neil is a legendary Batman comics writer / editor.
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LoG: Knightfall is considered a legendary story arc amongst fans. When you introducted Azrael as the "new" Batman, was it your intention to portray him in such a negative light? Did you realize at the time the long-term effects the arc would have on the characters of Azrael and Bane?
Dennis O'Neil: We conceived of Az as a villain. The surprise was, I was asked to turn him into a hero. That, of necessity, altered his characterization. I don't think Bane has changed much from his original incarnation, except, maybe, for his portrayal in other media
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LoG: Do you have a favorite Batman arc? Why?
Dennis O'Neil: I guess it would be Knightfall because it involved me so deeply--I worked on it as a comic series, a novel, and a radio show. It was a very steep mountain to climb, but we climbed it and that was satisfying.
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LoG: Do you currently have any plans to return of any of the bat-titles or Batman in any capacity (book, film etc) ?
Dennis O'Neil: I maay do a Batman novel later this year. But that's all. Time to pass the torch.
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LoG:
Dennis O'Neil:
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LoG likes to give the fans a chance to ask a few questions on each of our interviews. Here are a few questions from your fans on our forum:
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Bullock: When the verdict came in and Jason Todd Robin was killed, were you overwhelmed and surprised by the sheer amount of coverage that it received? How did you feel about the whole situation?
Dennis O'Neil: Oh, yeah. Overwhelmed doesn't say it. It made me revise how I think about what I do/did for a living. I realized that I'm not a writer/editor churning out fiction, but the custodian of a piece of our national folklore.
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Roback: I'd like to know what challenges you face on a day to day basis while working as a group editor. How do you deal with rejecting someone's idea's? That sounds like a pretty hard thing to do especially when someone is proud of their idea
Dennis O'Neil: Editing is hard, which is why I took my retirement from it four years earlier than I had to. So much responsibility in so many areas and so few resources. The worst was having to fire people, knowing that I'd seriously mess with their lives, but a close second third worst was rejecting someone's idea. I've been fired and I've had what I thought were good ideas bounced, so I strongly identified with the misery of the person on the other side of the desk.
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ThatBlockoGuy: How were you and Neil Adams were able to do the GL/GA story where GA discovers that Speedy is on drugs. How did they get it to pass the code? Who initiated the plot? What type of pop culture hype surrounded it? It was a truly groundbreaking story.
Dennis O'Neil: As I remember it, Julie kind of negotiated it past the code. I think the original idea was mine, but it was a long time ago!
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peev34: I seem to remember an article I read some years back in which you stated that you were never a big fan of Superman, even though your days on the book were among it most successful(and among my favorite periods of the character). Is this true and if so, what led to those feelings?
Dennis O'Neil: The technical difficulties of writing about a guy who’s godlike. How do you get him in trouble? Where’s the conflict coming from? How can I, a scrawny human, identify with him?
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A big thanks to Denny for taking time out of his busy life to chat with his fans here at LoG!
Peev34 Hardcore Legions of Gothamite! member is offline
An oldie but a goodie
Joined: May 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 2,405 Location: Texas
Re: Dennis O'Neil « Reply #1 on Sept 13, 2004, 7:58am »
WAAHOO!! Dennis O'Neil! Even though we all knew this was coming it still takes your breathe away to know the the legendary DENNIS O'NEIL took the time for the LoG! Congrats to you, Matt. This is another fantastic example of your tireless efforts paying off BIG!
I would also like to thank Mr. O'Neil for taking the time out of his schedule to answer our question!
Faithfulbutler Hardcore Legions of Gothamite! member is offline
What if the Hokey Pokey is really what it's all about?
Joined: May 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 5,849 Location: Queensland Australia
Re: Dennis O'Neil « Reply #2 on Sept 13, 2004, 8:21am »
That was excellent,i am so glad to see that Knightfall is still such an important story to him.It will always rank as one of the most important and enjoyable to me. Thanks so much to Dennis for taking out the time and Matt for bringing another fantastic interview to us.
Joined: Jul 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 97 Location: Bludhaven
Re: Dennis O'Neil « Reply #5 on Sept 13, 2004, 1:39pm »
great questions guys!
when reading these interviews, I always think of things I wanted to ask the person, but luckily, most of my questions in this case were addressed, and answered!
Denny is one cool guy, I'm glad to have met him, and even happier that he took the time to answer your questions!
I want you to do me a favor...I want you to tell all your friends about me....
"Wh-what are you!?"
I"M BATMAN.
DBrennan3333 Legions Of Gothamite member is offline
Joined: Jan 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 31 Location: Oakland County, Michigan
Re: Dennis O'Neil « Reply #7 on Jan 17, 2006, 2:47am »
There's a lot of evidence which suggests that the entire 'Knightfall' saga was the spiritual conclusion to the Batman that Dennis O'Neil presented in the short story, 'The Man Who Falls.' His quote here about how arduous and rewarding 'Knightfall' was to create is now another exhibit in this case.
The most immediate piece of evidence of this strong connection between 'Knightfall' and 'The Man Who Falls' that I'll direct anybody to is the conclusion to 'Knightfall,' LOTDK #63.
In it, Bruce defeats Azrael by crawling into the very hole he fell into as a child and then luring Azrael back to it (then, very cleverly removing the covering on the hole while Azrael is still wearing his night-vision visor, thus blinding him. Great thinking, Bruce!)
After helping Azrael climb out, Bruce is calm, retrospective, almost in a trance. He tells Azrael, "A long time ago I fell through that opening. I haven't really STOPPED falling. Maybe it's time I go the other way...."
It's a bittersweet, dare I say it's even a tender moment. And it was a fantastic finish to a great saga.
Anyway, what was good news for Batman turned out to be an extended run of bad news for fans, as the Batman comics themselves then took an astonishingly sudden fall. Fans had the rug of O'Neil/Breyfogle goodness pulled out from them and were subjected to maxi-series after maxi-series, anime-style art rather than legible and grand art, the absurd Batman family filled with physics-defying female fighters who weigh 90 pounds but who lift and destroy powerful men who weigh 220, etc., etc., etc.
Perhaps now it's time for the comics to stop falling into a hole and, just as Bruce did, walk in the sun....
« Last Edit: Jan 17, 2006, 2:57am by DBrennan3333 »
DBrennan3333 Legions Of Gothamite member is offline
Joined: Jan 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 31 Location: Oakland County, Michigan
Re: Dennis O'Neil « Reply #9 on Jan 17, 2006, 6:46am »
Quote:
Now, see...where were you when I was looking for good interview questions! lol. Very interesting analysis.
You weren't looking hard enough! You should've been looking in Farmington, Michigan.
Thanks, though. I could talk about the '90 to '95 period of Batman for days on end. (I've actually hung out at O'Neil's board but it's a joke of a sight: they censor any and all criticism and it's utterly barren of meaningful discussion.)
SuperPa Legions of Gotham Police Officer member is offline
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Re: Dennis O'Neil « Reply #10 on Apr 25, 2007, 12:23pm »
Dennis O'Neil did a Great Job on the Batman Stories With Neil Adams and his more recent Novels Like Helltown and Green Lantern Heros Quest were a delight to read.
BruceBatman Hardcore Legions of Gothamite! member is offline
"I am vengeance, I am the night...I am Batman!!"
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Re: Dennis O'Neil « Reply #13 on Jul 7, 2008, 10:17pm »
Wicked interview!! It was great! I LOVE Denny O'Neil! Knightfall was great! Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, Oh, Oh, Denny doesn't like Superman! *Sticks tongue out* Batman Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks again Matt for another awesome interview!
Oops, I already posted on this!
Oh well, According to the interview he's writing something maybe! I hope he does!!
"Who the hell are you?" "I'm Batman!!" "Don't Sware to God, Swear to Me!!"[My5:http://www.myspace.com/brucebatman3]
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