Post by /\/\att on May 10, 2004 22:16:19 GMT -5
Thread started on: Nov 15th, 2003
Mr. Templeton is the longtime writer and occasional illustrator on the various animated Batman comics. He is also the author of 'How to Draw Batman'. This book can be found on Amazon.com here:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1560103264/qid=1068892024/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7548270-1588810?v=glance&s=books
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LoG: Do you have an issue of any animated Batman comic you've worked on that stands out to you? Any favorites?
Ty the Guy: The first one I did is still a favorite, cause you never get over that FIRST time you get to write a Batman story. It’s like singing with the Beatles or dancing with Astaire, you know? That was Batman Adventures Volume 1, issue #33…Bruce is out on a date with a young woman who happens to be a single mom. In the middle of the date, the trio is mugged by a man with a gun, and Bruce has to relive his parents murder from the point of view of his father.
After that, pretty well all the issues drawn by Rick Burchett are tied for first, and there’s about twenty of those. Gotham Adventures #10, with Joker and Harley and a Bruce Timm cover stands out as a good one, but then again, I’m pretty fond of all the Riddler stories I’ve written.
And Batman And Robin Adventures #22 with Two Face has some nice twists.
I tend to prefer the ones I write to the ones I drew. I’m a better writer than an illustrator, and I don’t really understand why anyone likes me to draw Batman Adventures. I’d take Burchett or Timm over my drawing ANY day.
LoG: Why do you think the animated style Batman is so poplular?
Ty the Guy: It’s the version of Batman that takes all the best bits from all the other interpretations and blends them together in a very satisfying way. This Batman doesn’t have any dead Robins haunting his nights. Joker never crippled Batgirl, etc.
PLUS: The source material from the TV shows is very very well done. Timm, Dini, and the gang at Warner Bros did such a good job of building Batman again from the ground up that we have such a strong foundation. It’s hard NOT to do well the animated version.
LoG: Do you have a favorite bat-villian?
Ty the Guy: Joker. Ra’s. Two Face. Riddler. Catwoman. Freeze. Penguin and Ivy in an eight way tie. But I still like Man Bat, Clayface, The Spook, the Gorilla Boss and everyone else.
LoG: Have you ever considered pulling a Dennis O'Neal and creating your own villian for the comics?
Ty the Guy: Well, I did add a few characters to the Batman Adventures world with “Dagger Dixon” (named after Chuck Dixon, one of the best writers to every live in Gotham) and the “Hunchback” character who has some of Clayface’s powers, that lived in Paris. I have some notes for characters I'd like to toss into the mix, but to be honest, I have SO much fun playing with the characters that Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Denny O'Neil and Frank Robbins have created, that I can't wait to get at them.
LoG: Do you collect any Batman toys? If so, which ones?
Ty the Guy: Do I collect Batman toys? Do I COLLECT BATMAN TOYS?!?!?
The sad truth is, after the hundredth Batman figure, I had to stop buying so many because I was running out of room in my house. Those hundred Batmans go with the almost three dozen Robins, the dozen or so Jokers, ten Supermans, fifteen Batmobiles, countless Looney Tunes characters, dozens of Star Trek figures, Simpsons toys, and Pez heads.
When you add my kids’ collections of toys, we are a frightening house to behold.
I also collect movies, pulps, and albums, and I have a pile of comics that takes up an entire refurbished garage. When I moved a few years ago, the movers said I had more weight packed in my house than any house thay had ever moved.
LoG: Why did DC feel the need to cancel the existing 'Gotham Adventures' comic and launch 'Batman Adventures' in its place?
Ty the Guy: We were changing the direction of the comic with some big events in the lives of our characters, AND moving the series forward by a year.... Other than that, you’d have to ask them, it wasn’t my call.
LoG: The new 'Batman Adventures' book has been fantastic thus far. Can you provide any forsight as to what the future of the book holds? Is there any specific storylines or villians that will be explored in the coming months?
Ty the Guy: But if Dan or I told you…..then you’d KNOW!! Just let me say this….Penguin will get some front and centre time soon, and we’ll be seeing all the missing members of Batman’s team that we haven’t seen in the first half of the year. PLUS: I have a Catwoman story coming up I’m proud of, and we’re doing stuff with Riddler that gives me the giggles. Dan Slott (who writes the other story in each issue) has some ideas coming up that make even MY head spin! Dan's interest is in bringing characters from the comic history that haven't been seen in the animated versions yet. He's already done that with the Cavalier and Black Mask, etc
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A HUGE thanks to Ty for taking time out of his very busy schedule to talk with us here at LoG!
Mr. Templeton managed to do this talkback amist writing two scripts and helping take care of his sick kids!
Thanks a ton Ty!
Mr. Templeton is the longtime writer and occasional illustrator on the various animated Batman comics. He is also the author of 'How to Draw Batman'. This book can be found on Amazon.com here:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1560103264/qid=1068892024/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7548270-1588810?v=glance&s=books
--------------------------------------
LoG: Do you have an issue of any animated Batman comic you've worked on that stands out to you? Any favorites?
Ty the Guy: The first one I did is still a favorite, cause you never get over that FIRST time you get to write a Batman story. It’s like singing with the Beatles or dancing with Astaire, you know? That was Batman Adventures Volume 1, issue #33…Bruce is out on a date with a young woman who happens to be a single mom. In the middle of the date, the trio is mugged by a man with a gun, and Bruce has to relive his parents murder from the point of view of his father.
After that, pretty well all the issues drawn by Rick Burchett are tied for first, and there’s about twenty of those. Gotham Adventures #10, with Joker and Harley and a Bruce Timm cover stands out as a good one, but then again, I’m pretty fond of all the Riddler stories I’ve written.
And Batman And Robin Adventures #22 with Two Face has some nice twists.
I tend to prefer the ones I write to the ones I drew. I’m a better writer than an illustrator, and I don’t really understand why anyone likes me to draw Batman Adventures. I’d take Burchett or Timm over my drawing ANY day.
LoG: Why do you think the animated style Batman is so poplular?
Ty the Guy: It’s the version of Batman that takes all the best bits from all the other interpretations and blends them together in a very satisfying way. This Batman doesn’t have any dead Robins haunting his nights. Joker never crippled Batgirl, etc.
PLUS: The source material from the TV shows is very very well done. Timm, Dini, and the gang at Warner Bros did such a good job of building Batman again from the ground up that we have such a strong foundation. It’s hard NOT to do well the animated version.
LoG: Do you have a favorite bat-villian?
Ty the Guy: Joker. Ra’s. Two Face. Riddler. Catwoman. Freeze. Penguin and Ivy in an eight way tie. But I still like Man Bat, Clayface, The Spook, the Gorilla Boss and everyone else.
LoG: Have you ever considered pulling a Dennis O'Neal and creating your own villian for the comics?
Ty the Guy: Well, I did add a few characters to the Batman Adventures world with “Dagger Dixon” (named after Chuck Dixon, one of the best writers to every live in Gotham) and the “Hunchback” character who has some of Clayface’s powers, that lived in Paris. I have some notes for characters I'd like to toss into the mix, but to be honest, I have SO much fun playing with the characters that Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Denny O'Neil and Frank Robbins have created, that I can't wait to get at them.
LoG: Do you collect any Batman toys? If so, which ones?
Ty the Guy: Do I collect Batman toys? Do I COLLECT BATMAN TOYS?!?!?
The sad truth is, after the hundredth Batman figure, I had to stop buying so many because I was running out of room in my house. Those hundred Batmans go with the almost three dozen Robins, the dozen or so Jokers, ten Supermans, fifteen Batmobiles, countless Looney Tunes characters, dozens of Star Trek figures, Simpsons toys, and Pez heads.
When you add my kids’ collections of toys, we are a frightening house to behold.
I also collect movies, pulps, and albums, and I have a pile of comics that takes up an entire refurbished garage. When I moved a few years ago, the movers said I had more weight packed in my house than any house thay had ever moved.
LoG: Why did DC feel the need to cancel the existing 'Gotham Adventures' comic and launch 'Batman Adventures' in its place?
Ty the Guy: We were changing the direction of the comic with some big events in the lives of our characters, AND moving the series forward by a year.... Other than that, you’d have to ask them, it wasn’t my call.
LoG: The new 'Batman Adventures' book has been fantastic thus far. Can you provide any forsight as to what the future of the book holds? Is there any specific storylines or villians that will be explored in the coming months?
Ty the Guy: But if Dan or I told you…..then you’d KNOW!! Just let me say this….Penguin will get some front and centre time soon, and we’ll be seeing all the missing members of Batman’s team that we haven’t seen in the first half of the year. PLUS: I have a Catwoman story coming up I’m proud of, and we’re doing stuff with Riddler that gives me the giggles. Dan Slott (who writes the other story in each issue) has some ideas coming up that make even MY head spin! Dan's interest is in bringing characters from the comic history that haven't been seen in the animated versions yet. He's already done that with the Cavalier and Black Mask, etc
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A HUGE thanks to Ty for taking time out of his very busy schedule to talk with us here at LoG!
Mr. Templeton managed to do this talkback amist writing two scripts and helping take care of his sick kids!
Thanks a ton Ty!