Comics Interview — Issue #111

Main Topics: Batman Returns (film), RoboCop vs. Terminator, Hollywood screenwriting, comics freelancing

Contents
  1. Wesley Strick
  2. Walt Simonson
  3. Editorial: Up Front (DAK)
  4. Letters: The Last Word
interview Wesley Strick
Interviewed by Dan Hagen
Wesley Strick Screenwriter, Freelance Working on: *Batman Returns* (uncredited rewrite); *Final Analysis*
Strick discusses his uncredited work rewriting the Batman Returns shooting script, explaining the Writers Guild credit arbitration process that cost him official recognition despite his having essentially rewritten the entire film. He shares behind-the-scenes details about Tim Burton's dissatisfaction with the first Batman film, the decision to drop Robin (and Marlon Wayans, who had been cast), and Michelle Pfeiffer's moderating effect on the film's tone. He also reflects on the screenwriter's marginalized status in Hollywood.
interview Walt Simonson
Interviewed by Patrick Daniel O'Neill
Walt Simonson Writer/Artist, Freelance Working on: *RoboCop vs. Terminator* (Dark Horse); Valiant *Unity* covers; DC *Armageddon Inferno*; Superman Annual
Simonson discusses drawing the four-issue RoboCop vs. Terminator series for Dark Horse, scripted Marvel-style by Frank Miller, detailing how the two collaborated and praising Miller's careful story structure. He covers his wide range of concurrent freelance projects and reflects on his career-long approach to page design, panel composition, inking technique, and the tradeoffs between regular monthly assignments and the freedom of freelancing.
article Editorial: Up Front (DAK)
DAK's personal column touching on New Age relaxation music, Yoga, and general musings; sets a casual, off-beat tone for the issue.
article Letters: The Last Word
Reader Jan C. Childress praises the earlier letterhacks interview (CI #107); typographer Don Markstein fact-checks a Walter Koenig claim about actors appearing in comics as multiple characters; Lou Mougin and DAK exchange banter about country music vs. classical/opera preferences.