by the YMB Staff

Union Jack

Why Union Jack? And why now?

Union Jack is a character a lot of people love. I've honestly been amazed by how many fans he has, whether it's from the Invaders run in the '70's, the Roger Stern/John Byrne storyline in the '80's, or people who just discovered him in the current Captain America arc by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. As for “why now,” UJ's appearance in that book gave us the perfect opportunity to put him back in the spotlight; it was Ed Brubaker who suggested it, in fact. Add to the mix that our penciler Mike Perkins (who draws alternate arcs on Cap) is both British and a huge UJ fan; that the current UJ's first appearance in Captain America #253-254 is one of my all-time favorite stories; and that editor Andy Schmidt was very fond of him from his time editing The Invaders, and it seemed like a natural.

Many fans were happy to see a return to the classic Union Jack costume - was that difficult to do given his recent appearances in other titles?

Not at all. We had to settle on a costume pretty early, since he'd be appearing in Captain America four months before UJ #1 hit the stands. Once we all started talking, it became apparent that everyone from Ed and Steve to me and Mike to Andy and Tom Brevoort wanted the classic costume back. It was unanimous.

Aside from his recent appearances in Captain America, did you draw on any past stories for your series? The Raab/Cassady mini? The Stern/Byrne run on Cap in the 80s?

There aren't any direct tie-ins; we really wanted the story to be accessible to new readers. However, UJ's history plays a key part in the subtext of what's going on. Andy told me from the start that he wanted a story that could only be about Union Jack; not a generic superhero tale in which you could plug, say, Captain Britain into UJ's place without anything changing. So I went back and looked at his history, especially the Stern/Byrne issues that introduced the current UJ, and realized that what makes Joey Chapman distinct from his predecessors is his working class background. The entire character arc for the miniseries grew out of that.

Is Union Jack's tenure in the Knights of Pendragon still in continuity, and if so, what does that mean?

Yes, but we're not referring to it in the miniseries because it doesn't really have a direct effect and would probably just confuse new readers. But if you check Union Jack's bio on Marvel.com (most of which I wrote), you'll see that he still has the Power of the Pendragon. Basically, it increases his natural abilities to or slightly above peak human levels, like the super-soldier serum does for Captain America. It also boosts his endurance and healing, so he can take a beating - and believe me, that's going to come in handy.

Will we see more vampires in this mini?

You'll see a few on pages two through five of issue one; that's it for now. With Marvel releasing a new Blade monthly, we wanted to show a different side of Union Jack than the vampire fighter.

How much research did you have to do for the mini?

A good amount, because I wanted the British setting to feel authentic. All I can say is thank God for the internet! I researched MI5 (Britain's secret service) quite a bit, both on and offline - Ed Brubaker recommended a 1970's English TV series called “The Sandbaggers,” and Mike Perkins suggested the recent “MI5.” It was helpful that Mike's British, because I could run things by him - he vetted all the dialogue and geography for authenticity - and while on vacation in London (he lives in Florida now), he took lots of photos. Virtually every exterior in the comic is true to life!

Are you hoping that this will result in a higher profile for UJ in the Marvel U?

That would be nice - he's a great character. I'd love to see the international side of the Marvel Universe used more.

So how will Civil War: X-Men affect your use of obscure Israeli mutant Sabra? Or will it not?

The Union Jack miniseries takes place before Civil War, and occurs almost entirely over the course of one day, like an episode of 24, so it's really not a problem. Marvel editorial has handled the coordination well; in fact, the Mike Perkins-designed new costume for Sabra is being used by the X-Men: Civil War creative team. I guess it spoils the fact that Sabra survives the UJ miniseries, but I'd imagine that isn't a huge shock to anyone.

What side would UJ fall on in the current Marvel Civil War?

He admires Captain America so much it would be tough not to be on his side, but I think UJ would also understand the pro-reg side's arguments in terms of superhumans needing accountability and training, given the risks their activities pose to innocent civilians. The question is whether he'd trust the government to implement the Act responsibly. Ask again at the end of the miniseries…

Any plans for more work with UJ after the mini wraps up?

Mike and I would love to, whether it's regular minis the way they used to do with Venom or some type of ongoing, like an Invaders book. It'll all depend on sales and reader reaction, so anyone who wants to see it happen should buy early and often and send Marvel lots of letters!

Stormwatch

Again, why Stormwatch?

Jim Lee and the folks at Wildstorm wanted to relaunch the Wildstorm Universe. I had been discussing a pitch with them that would have been self-contained, like The American Way; one day editor Ben Abernathy asked me if I thought it might work as a Stormwatch series. Approaching it that way opened up so many new story possibilities…it fit perfectly! My premise was about using the types of characters who have traditionally been in the background of comics - tech guys, girlfriends, sidekicks and the like - to explore the mean streets of a superhero universe in a book with the feel of Gotham Central meets the Suicide Squad. Given that so many other Wildstorm books take a widescreen, global or even cosmic view of things, this seemed like an ideal way to show the parts of the Wildstorm Universe that we don't get to see in those titles.

Does this incarnation tie into any previous incarnations of the team? How is it different?

Yes, there is a direct relationship to the original Stormwatch comic, from the early Image days to the end of Warren Ellis' tenure. The two familiar characters you'll see returning are Jackson King and Fahrenheit; the other core team members are all new. But they're living in the shadow of the famous Stormwatch Prime, the post-human crisis response team of previous volumes. The difference is that both Prime and our Post-Human Division are operating under a much tighter budget; they no longer have the unlimited resources of years past. P.H.D's job is to find creative, cost-effective ways for normal human authorities to take down post-human threats before they become big enough to demand Stormwatch Prime's attention.

Do you have a favorite Wildstorm storyline? Are you allowed to reach back to the pre-Worldstorm material in what you're writing?

I guess my favorite storyline would be the very first Warren Ellis run, starting in Stormwatch #37 and culminating in “Change Or Die,” which ran through issue #50. It really redefined superhero comics in ways we're still seeing today. I am allowed to reach back to the pre-Worldstorm era, and will be doing so, but in ways that will not require the reader to have a knowledge of Wildstorm history to follow the story. To use the first issue as an example, there are both new and classic villains in it. I treat both the same way: as if they've always been around, but the reader hasn't seen them before. A new reader will be told that The Ferryman is a supernatural entity who feeds on the energy released by death, and that Deathtrap is a post-human mercenary who can materialize weapons in his hands seemingly out of nowhere. A longtime reader will know that Deathtrap's appeared before and the Ferryman hasn't…but in terms of understanding what's going on, it won't matter. All the information you need to follow the story is in it.

How coordinated are the relaunch titles? Is there any kind of theme running through them?

If there's a theme, it's excitement and accessibility. We want both longtime fans and people who've never picked up a Wildstorm book in their lives to be excited about the Worldstorm relaunch and to feel like we're making it easy for them to get in on the ground floor of this new era for the Wildstorm Universe. As far as direct coordination, the various titles do all happen in the same world, but aside from some background stuff like offhand references to the Wildcats' HALO Corporation, you won't be seeing any out-and-out crossovers in the short term (except for Wildcats and the Authority, both of which are written by Grant Morrison). Down the road I'm sure we'll be getting into some of that, but the editors want the books to establish themselves and stand on their own before that happens. No one wants readers to buy all the books because they feel they “have” to. We want them to buy them because they've got great stories and great art…because they WANT to buy them all.

Along those lines, how much freedom did you have to run with the concept, or were you constrained by the other launch titles and what they were doing?

The only constraints had to do with what characters I could use. For instance, I couldn't use any of the former Stormwatch members who are now in the Authority, because they have their own book. Aside from that, there's been a tremendous amount of freedom - I've been amazed at just how much. It seems to be the management style of Jim Lee, Ben Abernathy, Scott Dunbier and the other WS folks to let the creators have a lot of latitude, which I think is why they've attracted top names like Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison and Gail Simone. We're being encouraged to push the envelope creatively, which is something I think every creator gets excited about.

Other Stuff

How do you feel about how an element from your Deadshot miniseries (his relationship with his girlfriend and daughter) has been picked up on by other creators? Do you look for ways to add to the continuity, or do you look to meet the ends of your own ideas first?

I think it's great. I figured they'd be killed off within a few months of the miniseries' end, because it's a fast, easy way to do the “Deadshot on a rampage” thing, but Gail Simone has proven once again why she's such a great writer by using Deadshot's relationships to flesh him out as a character. When I write a story, telling a good tale is the first and only goal, but when others respond to things I've done enough to make it an ongoing part of continuity, it's really flattering and satisfying…especially when the creators are as talented as Gail and the artists she's collaborated with.

Any intentions to return to Deadshot? Or any intentions to do any work for DC proper?

Funny you should ask! I recently wrote a single-issue story for my original Deadshot editor Joey Cavalieri that features Batman against Deadshot. I believe it's going to appear in Legends of the Dark Knight #214, but I could be off by an issue or two. Phil Winslade is illustrating; I loved what he did on The Monolith and, having seen his layouts, I can't wait for the finished product. The story explores the different ways Batman and Deadshot use intimidation to their advantage. After Batman scares a crooked accountant into testifying against a mob boss, the boss hires Deadshot to take him out. Batman thwarts the initial attempt on the opening day of the trial, but the accountant hears Deadshot is after him and clams up - he won't testify. With only a few days left for the prosecutors to put their witness on the stand, Batman must race the clock to find a way to get Deadshot out of the picture somehow. It's a done-in-one tale, and it was an absolute blast revisiting Deadshot, who I love to write.

What are the characters that you would like to work on that you haven't had the chance to?

I tend to gravitate towards the quirky and obscure, like Devil Dinosaur or Enemy Ace, but there's always a hankering to take a shot at the icons like Spider-Man (which I've done), Batman (check) and the Avengers. If I had to name one, I would love to write the Suicide Squad at some point…with Deadshot on the team, of course.

How is it moving from screenplays to comics? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

The advantages have to do with already being familiar with telling stories in a visual way; I'd imagine it's a lot harder for a novelist, who is used to describing everything verbally. But you still have to remember that each medium is different. The main disadvantage is remembering that comics don't employ motion; each panel is a moment frozen in time. I still sometimes find myself calling for more actions in a single panel than the artist could possibly draw. Even Superman has to pick up a truck before he can throw it!

Mark Millar recently wrote about how Hollywood will start to draw away the comic talent from comics, leading to a decline in the industry - you seem to refute this. What is your take on things?

I believe Mark is talking specifically about artists, who are less able to juggle both fields the way writers like me, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Marc Guggenheim or even the super-busy likes of Joss Whedon can. It would certainly suck to lose the likes of Bryan Hitch and John Cassaday, though I fault no one for pursuing exciting (and lucrative) opportunities when they're offered. But, having worked in both comics and Hollywood, I can tell you that working in comics is more fun, more creatively satisfying, the people are nicer and saner, and the end product is a lot more likely to be true to your vision. I suspect that anyone who does jump ship will be back.

Union Jack hits stores next week, September 20 and Stormwatch: PHD #1 comes out on November 8.

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