Comics Interview — Issue #038

Part two of Gerber's interview focuses on the Howard the Duck film: Gerber recounts how Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz approached him after the Marvel lawsuit settlement, describes his limited consulting role including helping develop a horror sequence and writing ad slogans, and discusses the collapse of his DC Spectre project (he skipped a deadline to visit the set). He also reflects on how his lawsuit against Marvel helped establish creator rights for a new generation, his admiration for the Dark Knight format, and his hope to eventually return to comics as a publisher.

Part one of DeMatteis's career retrospective covers his origins in Brooklyn, his years as a musician, and his gradual entry into comics through DC's anthology titles. He discusses creating Creature Commandos and I, Vampire for DC, his discomfort writing straight superhero fare, and his preference for dark psychological fantasy in the vein of The Gargoyle and Greenberg the Vampire. He argues that the Kirby/Lee era remains unsurpassed for superhero work, and that Gerber and Englehart's 1970s run kept him reading comics into adulthood.

Part two of Hama's interview picks up with his time at Neal Adams' Continuity Studios, describing the Crusty Bunkers inking collective. He recounts his detour into professional acting — landing a principal role in Hal Prince's Broadway musical Pacific Overtures entirely by accident, earning Equity and SAG cards, appearing on M*A*S*H and Saturday Night Live — before returning to comics and eventually editing at DC, where he championed Michael Golden early in Golden's career. Hama reflects on the importance of long-term creative commitment to a title and discusses his Army service as useful research for G.I. Joe and The 'Nam.

Ito, a veteran animator and cartoonist, discusses his career from his apprentice days on Lady and the Tramp at Disney through six years at Warner Bros. with Chuck Jones' unit, then Bob Clampett's Beany and Cecil studio and various comic-book work (Baby Huey, Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Looney Tunes, Crazy Magazine). He is now in Disney's character merchandising division, working on licensed publications and the Gummi Bears presentation strip, and also describes his extensive Disneyana collection — begun in WWII internment camps as a child — which has toured Japan and been exhibited at the Bowers Museum.

Katz, co-screenwriter and producer of the Howard the Duck film, explains how George Lucas originally introduced them to the comic for its offbeat humor, and how years later they independently optioned the rights from Marvel. She describes the challenge of building everything to Howard's 38-inch scale, praises Lea Thompson's sincere performance, and notes the film is more realistic and less satirical than the comic while remaining faithful to Howard's spirit. She expresses hope for a sequel and stresses that the film is decidedly not a children's movie.

Liebowitz, a former CPA who opened the Golden Apple stores in Los Angeles as a weekend hobby, describes his philosophy of making comic shops welcoming, informative meeting places for fans and creators alike. He discusses promotional events (Jack Kirby at the DC 50th Anniversary, Roy Thomas, George Perez, and over a hundred other creator appearances), his policy of discounting independents 20% to build readership early, and his views on the professionalization of comic retailing and the likely emergence of national chain stores.

DAK continues his "trade-secret-busting" series on the direct sales industry, this issue focusing on the retailer tier: how retailers must order non-returnably and thus both put "their money where their mouth is" and are prone to irrational herd behavior (over-ordering Dazzler #1, under-ordering Dark Knight #1).

E. Nelson Bridwell of DC Comics writes in at length responding to the magazine's recent Batman history interviews, clarifying the disputed origins of the Joker (crediting Jerry Robinson for the concept), Two-Face (Bob Kane), Robin's costume, and Batman's gauntlets, drawing on personal conversations with Bill Finger.