On leaving Batman and Robin & Green Arrow. Project updates!
Some quick thoughts on closing out my runs on two books, my current workload, and what the future may hold
Happy middle of June! This year is going too fast!
After a few busy weeks, we’re back with some big project updates. We’ll do another newsletter this month, so this will be a shorter one.
And we might as well rip the band-aid off and get to what is in the header:
Batman and Robin #13 is my last issue of the series.
Green Arrow #17 and the Annual in October are my last issues of the series.
[Too early to show the Green Arrow covers for October as they ARE spoilers!]
BUT both series will go on! I know who the creative teams are next, and they are very exciting. I have total faith they are going to tell kickass stories with these books! DC picked some really talented creators to carry the torch!
I love these books and I’m proud of the work we did on them. I got to write two dream books these last two years. I wanted to write these since I got started at DC Comics and it was nuts to finally work on these characters. I’m thankful for that time, but also how the fans respond to the series.
I’ll miss writing Damian. One of my fav characters of the last twenty years that I’ve always felt a bit protected of. He’s so much more than the “brat” people sometimes see him as. I wanted to show different sides of Damian, but also showcase that as much as he’s this amazing fighter/assassin and one of the smartest characters in comics…he’s still a KID. It started with the Robin series, that I wish I could have spent more time on that series, its cast, and with the Lazarus Tournament, BUT I got to pick Damian back up in Gotham with his dad and tell some fun father and son adventures. Bruce and Damian have had a hard time the last few years, so I wanted to take it easy on them with some fun stories. Working with Simone Di Meo, Mikel Janin, Nikola Čižmešija, and Howard Porter was awesome as they brought that theme to life.
Right now, we’re about to begin our Bane on Dinosaur Island arc! Starting with Batman and Robin #11, drawn and colored by the amazing Juan Ferreya.
AND…I’m going to miss writing Ollie and the Green Arrow family. My goal was to reunite the family, while telling Green Arrow stories you don’t normally see. To take a street level character and throw them into a space and time adventure was a blast. I’m incredibly proud that Green Arrow went from a six-issue mini-series to 12 issues to then an ongoing that will continue after my time.
Sean is an amazing partner on this series. When we started to work together, it felt like I had known him my whole life. He brought so much of his love of these characters to the page. And then to have Phil Hester step in on a few issues was remarkable. One of my favorite comic storytellers of all time AND one of the best Green Arrow artists EVER!
Before we get to the end, we’re about to dive into the Absolute Power crossover with Green Arrow #13, featuring artist Amancay Nahuelpan. And then Sean returns to wrap up our story of the Green Arrow family! That Annual is going to be EPIC.
I’ll talk about the stories and endings more when my last issues come out. I don’t want to get too deep into it just yet. BUT I will talk about why I’m stepping away…
Leaving both books were my choice, just to be clear. It was a hard one, no doubt. One that I lost some sleep over, as I had stories left to tell with both books, but my gut told me it was time. And there were a bunch of reasons why I made the call, mostly coming down to these three things:
Reduce my workload: I’ve been feeling some burn out for a bit now. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for a few years and it was very clear that I needed to take some time off and reduce my schedule drastically. I’ve been writing a LOT of books the last few years, and as much as I loved every minute of it, I need to recharge and reset. Spend more time with my young family and adjust my priorities. I’ve talked about this a bit in past newsletters and then in the videos with Sal on YouTube. That I often times feel like I’ve been running a marathon, and I’ve learned how to be a better runner while on the move, but I’ve never taken the time to finish the marathon, rest, stretch, and run smarter. I’m often envious of directors or writers who finish a project and then take some time to just THINK about the next one. This is often difficult in comics as we’re a weekly business. But I knew I needed it.
ALSO…The new arc of Superman after Absolute Power is a MASSIVE one. Lots of big moves happening there and I recognized I needed to spend some time on it to really make it land in the way I want it to.
New comic projects: I’ve been offered some new comic projects that were difficult to turn down. I knew that I needed the headspace to really think about them. Give them the room to breathe and live in my head a bit before I start to put pen to paper. They are all projects I’m excited about, but I knew I couldn’t just add them onto my already busy schedule. I needed to clean my plate, take some time to think about the new work, and then get started. I’ve learned that I am at my best when I’m not rushed, so that meant taken my time with these new ones. News on these later.
Surprising opportunities: Because of my packed schedule, I’ve had to say no to a few projects in the past. But recently, I’ve had opportunities in front of me that were different and interesting in surprising ways. Different from what people would expect from me. It felt like the right time to work on them.
I’m always looking and hoping for surprises in comics. And I find we often lack them. This last year, I realized that I was also looking for that in myself and my own work. That it was time to try something new.
Now again, this was my choice, and we’ll talk more about the actual books and how they end later. I don’t want to spoil the stories of the next couple of issues. I’ll write a longer “goodbye” newsletter to these series and the people who worked on them as the issues come out.
NEW STUFF THIS MONTH.
Collections in stores!
Three trades over the next few weeks:
Duke Vol. 1 already in stores!
Dark Ride Vol. 3 in stores on June 26th! The final chapter!
Cobra Commander Vol. 1 in stores July 3rd!
Superman!
House of Brainiac update and proof of life. Action Comics #1066 had a shipping error that caused it to MAYBE be a week late. This was a bummer as we hustled to make sure we got the work done in time, but sometimes these things are out of our control. So now it seems like Action Comics #1066 and Superman #15 will be out on the same day NEXT WEEK. Be sure to read Action Comics #1066 first!
Energon Universe! Debut issues!
If you’re following the Energon Universe, I hope you picked up Scarlett #1 already and also grab Destro #1 this week, as they both continue the massive story started in Duke and Cobra Commander.
Tomorrow we have a new ALL-STARS WITH JOSH AND SAL on YouTube. It was recorded a few weeks ago, so don’t expect any news about this in that video, saving that for next time. This one is more about comic movies. Check that out tomorrow!
More next updates next week! Stay tuned!
