Post by /\/\att on Dec 5, 2005 1:14:40 GMT -5
LoG sat down with writer Michael Anthony Steele to discuss his many Batman and Krypto Scholastic book projects.
MICHAEL ANTHONY STEELE (ANT)
(writer of Scholastic The Batman & Krypto books)
'The Batman': "The Book of Crooks"
'The Batman': "Frostbite"
'The Batman': "Cool Cat"
December 2, 2005
**************************
LoG: How familiar were you with The Batman TV show prior to writing The Batman: Book of Crooks? Did you watch many episodes for research?
Michael Anthony Steele: As a Batman fan, I was anxious to watch the new series and see where they would take it, so I had already seen a few episodes when I received my first Batman assignment. After that, I began watching them with a different eye.
When you write for an established character or brand, you have to pick out the ?rules? that define the brand?s ?universe.? In the case of The Batman, one quickly discovers that this is young Bruce Wayne, learning what it?s like to be Batman. He makes more mistakes than his comic book counterpart. He?s not as sure of himself and his detective skills are just beginning to bloom.
This didn?t affect Book of Crooks too much, but it played a bigger role in my other two Batman books. Each episode of the series has Batman failing at first (somewhat), learning from his mistakes, and then beating the villain with his newfound knowledge and/or gadget. I tried to keep that theme in my stories as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: The Batman: Book of Crooks gives character stats, such as weight and height. Were these things that you crafted yourself, or were they provided by Kids WB?
ANT: Some of the character details were provided by the producers, others I researched from established DC sources (hey, I?m not about to change any time-honored facts all by myself). I did take the liberty of ?tweaking? a few facts where necessary. If I felt the TV characters? stats differed from their comic counterparts, I made the necessary changes. Luckily, the producers have final say over the manuscript so if I went too far or not far enough, they could make adjustments.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: What can you tell us about the upcoming Frostbite and Cool Cat books? Any idea on a projected release date? Who's doing the art?
ANT: Both Frostbite and Cool Cat are books for a younger audience. They are storybooks with only a few sentences per page. These can be especially challenging since you have to rely on the art to tell most of the story (much like comic books). Also, like comics, I described what the art should be on each page as well as wrote the dialogue and exposition. However, that is the extent of my input. The publisher chooses the artists, release dates, and sometimes the titles, so I don?t have any of that information until the books are published.
As for what they?re about, Frostbite involves (you guessed it) Mr. Freeze. And even though the title of Cool Cat sounds like a team-up of Freeze and Catwoman, Victor is nowhere to be found. Catwoman is definitely involved though (and she?s not the only feisty feline). I can?t give too much away, but both involve Batman taking on his foes and learning along the way.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: Did you see Batman Begins? What were your thoughts on the film?
ANT: I loved it! It?s exactly what a Batman movie should look and feel like. I heard it explained as a horror movie for criminals and I think that?s a perfect description. After all, half of Batman?s battle is won when he?s struck terror in the hearts of the heartless!
I was a fan of the first two movies. It was great to see the caped crusader on the big screen, albeit not for the first time (no offense to Adam West and the bat-shark repellant). But when I catch Batman Forever and Batman & Robin on TV every now and then, I still shudder. So, in my humble opinion (and I hope I?m not alone) Batman Begins is where the Batman movies should be headed. I hope they keep it up!
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: How did you get involved writing kids? books? Any tips for aspiring writers?
ANT: My path is probably not the best to follow, but here it is anyway: I used to work in Special FX for film and television. Occasionally, I worked in the prop department as well. When I was in the prop department for a PBS kids? show called Wishbone, I saw the scripts that were coming down the pike and thought, ?I could write one of these.? Not that the scripts were bad (in fact, they were the opposite), but I just knew I had it in me. I had already written and directed several sketches for a short-lived comedy troupe, and since comedy was a key ingredient in Wishbone, it was just something I had to try.
Long story short, I submitted some scripts and was subsequently hired to be a staff writer for the next season. There I met Kevin Ryan who was the new editor for Wishbone publishing (he was also the editor of many Star Trek books and writer for several comic books). He hired me to write some of the Wishbone novels and I?ve been writing for children?s publishing ever since.
It just goes to show that there are tons of ways to break into the business and many of them are unconventional. I?ve heard of writers and artists who intern in the mailroom at DC in order to break into the comic business.
My main advice for aspiring writers is nothing new or profound. You should read as much as you can (and not just in your favorite genre) and write as often as you can. remember, every writer (even the best) is always learning and perfecting his or her craft. And above all else, tell a good story!
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: You've written a great number of books for various animated franchises...as a writer. What do you think draws you to work on these types of projects?
ANT: I really enjoy working on established brands and characters. Believe it or not, the constraints of their already ?defined universe? is quite refreshing. I love the challenge of emulating the characters? voices in dialogue and especially enjoy writing action.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: Do you have any DC or Batman related projects coming in the near future?
ANT: I did write a Krypto storybook, but no other Bat-projects are currently in the works. Right now, I?m finishing a junior novelization for Garfield 2 and a storybook for the upcoming animated movie The Ant Bully.
I?m also busy with one of my own projects, along with partner Scott McFadden. It?s called Clown Commandos! It?s an unusual concept where, in an alternate universe, clowns evolved into an elite fighting force. A squad of these clowns crosses over into our reality where they are ridiculed and no longer command the honor and respect to which they?re accustomed. Yet, the clowns continue to fight crime while fleeing from the authorities (who consider them nothing more than eccentric vigilantes).
The series is full of action, humor, and well...pies and rubber chickens. You can learn all about it at www.clowncommandos.com. We also invite everyone to join the message boards and let us know what they think!
-------------------------------------------------------------
A huge thanks to ANT for taking the time to chat with us here at LoG! Collectors and parents - go out and pick up his books...they're fantastic!
MICHAEL ANTHONY STEELE (ANT)
(writer of Scholastic The Batman & Krypto books)
'The Batman': "The Book of Crooks"
'The Batman': "Frostbite"
'The Batman': "Cool Cat"
December 2, 2005
**************************
LoG: How familiar were you with The Batman TV show prior to writing The Batman: Book of Crooks? Did you watch many episodes for research?
Michael Anthony Steele: As a Batman fan, I was anxious to watch the new series and see where they would take it, so I had already seen a few episodes when I received my first Batman assignment. After that, I began watching them with a different eye.
When you write for an established character or brand, you have to pick out the ?rules? that define the brand?s ?universe.? In the case of The Batman, one quickly discovers that this is young Bruce Wayne, learning what it?s like to be Batman. He makes more mistakes than his comic book counterpart. He?s not as sure of himself and his detective skills are just beginning to bloom.
This didn?t affect Book of Crooks too much, but it played a bigger role in my other two Batman books. Each episode of the series has Batman failing at first (somewhat), learning from his mistakes, and then beating the villain with his newfound knowledge and/or gadget. I tried to keep that theme in my stories as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: The Batman: Book of Crooks gives character stats, such as weight and height. Were these things that you crafted yourself, or were they provided by Kids WB?
ANT: Some of the character details were provided by the producers, others I researched from established DC sources (hey, I?m not about to change any time-honored facts all by myself). I did take the liberty of ?tweaking? a few facts where necessary. If I felt the TV characters? stats differed from their comic counterparts, I made the necessary changes. Luckily, the producers have final say over the manuscript so if I went too far or not far enough, they could make adjustments.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: What can you tell us about the upcoming Frostbite and Cool Cat books? Any idea on a projected release date? Who's doing the art?
ANT: Both Frostbite and Cool Cat are books for a younger audience. They are storybooks with only a few sentences per page. These can be especially challenging since you have to rely on the art to tell most of the story (much like comic books). Also, like comics, I described what the art should be on each page as well as wrote the dialogue and exposition. However, that is the extent of my input. The publisher chooses the artists, release dates, and sometimes the titles, so I don?t have any of that information until the books are published.
As for what they?re about, Frostbite involves (you guessed it) Mr. Freeze. And even though the title of Cool Cat sounds like a team-up of Freeze and Catwoman, Victor is nowhere to be found. Catwoman is definitely involved though (and she?s not the only feisty feline). I can?t give too much away, but both involve Batman taking on his foes and learning along the way.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: Did you see Batman Begins? What were your thoughts on the film?
ANT: I loved it! It?s exactly what a Batman movie should look and feel like. I heard it explained as a horror movie for criminals and I think that?s a perfect description. After all, half of Batman?s battle is won when he?s struck terror in the hearts of the heartless!
I was a fan of the first two movies. It was great to see the caped crusader on the big screen, albeit not for the first time (no offense to Adam West and the bat-shark repellant). But when I catch Batman Forever and Batman & Robin on TV every now and then, I still shudder. So, in my humble opinion (and I hope I?m not alone) Batman Begins is where the Batman movies should be headed. I hope they keep it up!
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: How did you get involved writing kids? books? Any tips for aspiring writers?
ANT: My path is probably not the best to follow, but here it is anyway: I used to work in Special FX for film and television. Occasionally, I worked in the prop department as well. When I was in the prop department for a PBS kids? show called Wishbone, I saw the scripts that were coming down the pike and thought, ?I could write one of these.? Not that the scripts were bad (in fact, they were the opposite), but I just knew I had it in me. I had already written and directed several sketches for a short-lived comedy troupe, and since comedy was a key ingredient in Wishbone, it was just something I had to try.
Long story short, I submitted some scripts and was subsequently hired to be a staff writer for the next season. There I met Kevin Ryan who was the new editor for Wishbone publishing (he was also the editor of many Star Trek books and writer for several comic books). He hired me to write some of the Wishbone novels and I?ve been writing for children?s publishing ever since.
It just goes to show that there are tons of ways to break into the business and many of them are unconventional. I?ve heard of writers and artists who intern in the mailroom at DC in order to break into the comic business.
My main advice for aspiring writers is nothing new or profound. You should read as much as you can (and not just in your favorite genre) and write as often as you can. remember, every writer (even the best) is always learning and perfecting his or her craft. And above all else, tell a good story!
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: You've written a great number of books for various animated franchises...as a writer. What do you think draws you to work on these types of projects?
ANT: I really enjoy working on established brands and characters. Believe it or not, the constraints of their already ?defined universe? is quite refreshing. I love the challenge of emulating the characters? voices in dialogue and especially enjoy writing action.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LoG: Do you have any DC or Batman related projects coming in the near future?
ANT: I did write a Krypto storybook, but no other Bat-projects are currently in the works. Right now, I?m finishing a junior novelization for Garfield 2 and a storybook for the upcoming animated movie The Ant Bully.
I?m also busy with one of my own projects, along with partner Scott McFadden. It?s called Clown Commandos! It?s an unusual concept where, in an alternate universe, clowns evolved into an elite fighting force. A squad of these clowns crosses over into our reality where they are ridiculed and no longer command the honor and respect to which they?re accustomed. Yet, the clowns continue to fight crime while fleeing from the authorities (who consider them nothing more than eccentric vigilantes).
The series is full of action, humor, and well...pies and rubber chickens. You can learn all about it at www.clowncommandos.com. We also invite everyone to join the message boards and let us know what they think!
-------------------------------------------------------------
A huge thanks to ANT for taking the time to chat with us here at LoG! Collectors and parents - go out and pick up his books...they're fantastic!