Comics Interview — Issue #125

Main Topics: Batman KnightQuest/Knightfall Storyline, DC Comics Superhero Continuity, Hollywood Movie Serials, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Newspaper Comic Strips

Contents
  1. Denny O'Neil
  2. Lyle Talbot
  3. John DeLancie
  4. Ken Bald
  5. "Up Front" (David Anthony Kraft)
  6. "The Last Word" (Letters)
interview Denny O'Neil
Interviewed by Mark Lucas
Denny O'Neil Editor / Writer, DC Comics Working on: Batman titles (KnightQuest, KnightFall), Legends of the Dark Knight, The Question
The Batman group editor discusses the KnightQuest storyline in depth, explaining how Bruce Wayne's crippling and Jean-Paul Valley's assumption of the Batman identity were planned two years in advance as a deliberate reinvigoration of the titles. O'Neil reflects on Batman as modern mythology, the challenges of stewarding a 54-year-old legend through its fifth major reinvention, and his plans for a future Question story once his Batman writing commitments are complete.
interview Lyle Talbot
Interviewed by Dan Hagen
Lyle Talbot Actor, Freelance Working on: Reminiscing about Atom Man vs. Superman, Batman and Robin serials
The 90-year-old retired actor recalls his roles as the first screen Lex Luthor in the 1950 serial Atom Man vs. Superman and Commissioner Gordon in the 1949 Batman and Robin serial, discussing grueling six-day work weeks, the studio contract system, and his co-founding role in the Screen Actors Guild. He also shares an anecdote about encouraging his friend Milton Caniff to pursue Terry and the Pirates rather than an acting career.
interview John DeLancie
Interviewed by Jim O'Rear
John DeLancie Actor / Writer, Freelance Working on: Man and Superman stage production, Star Trek: TNG Annual
The actor best known for playing Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation discusses how he auditioned for the role and describes Q as a being with limitless capacity rather than a god, while also talking about writing the Star Trek: TNG Annual #1 for DC Comics. He reflects on his classical stage training at Juilliard and his current three-hour-plus production of Shaw's Man and Superman.
interview Ken Bald
Interviewed by R. Robert Pollak
Ken Bald Syndicated Strip Artist, Freelance / Genn Studio Inc. Working on: Advertising and TV storyboards
The veteran syndicated strip artist recounts his career from wartime comics (Bullet Man, Doc Savage) through three King Features strips: Judd Saxon, Dr. Kildare, and his personal favorite Dark Shadows, which he drew under the pseudonym "K. Bruce." He discusses the authenticity demands of adapting medical and vampire TV properties into newspaper strip form and why Dark Shadows ran only briefly despite strong coastal readership.
article "Up Front" (David Anthony Kraft)
DAK's editorial marking the milestone of issue #125 reflects on CI's longevity against the odds, comparing it to Stan Lee's run on Fantastic Four and musing on the unpredictable future of the comics industry.
article "The Last Word" (Letters)
Jim Smith of Spumco disputes factual claims from the previous issue's Ren & Stimpy interview; a reader urges Steve Englehart to take over Batman editorial from O'Neil; typography editor Don Markstein challenges O'Neil's claim about periodical longevity records.