Post by /\/\att on Sept 13, 2004 2:24:57 GMT -5
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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[shadow=green,left,300]A big thanks to Denny for taking time out of his busy life to chat with his fans here at LoG![/shadow]
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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
------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------
LoG:
Dennis O'Neil:
------------------------------------
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:
------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------
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!
-----------------------------------
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?
************************
[shadow=green,left,300]A big thanks to Denny for taking time out of his busy life to chat with his fans here at LoG![/shadow]
************************