Foreword O'Neil Observer Fanzine: While THE O'NEIL OBSERVER FANZINE is dedicated to the storytelling of Denny O'Neil, it is also very much about the craft of comic book writing. This fanzine spotlights other writers and works of high caliber. We have one of those writers with us right now...Scott Beatty.
Perhaps best-known for his work on many of the SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS books produced by DC Comics over the past few years, many readers are going to instantly recognize Beatty's name from ROBIN: YEAR ONE, which he co-wrote with master-scribe Chuck Dixon. Scott and Chuck are also the major forces behind an upcoming Fifth Week event for DC Comics later this year, a special crossover series that has been kept top secret from fans and journalists.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Scott, I want to thank you allowing me to interview you for THE O'NEIL OBSERVER FANZINE. I hope we can discuss a few matters to allow readers the opportunity to get to know you just a bit more.
ROBIN: YEAR ONE is
a "times past" mini-series that looks at the Boy Wonder's
formative first year. The buzz on the books is phenomenal in all
the circles I've seen. From the Internet to talk in the aisles
of the comic shops, reaction has been very positive. For those
who haven't picked it up, I've got to recommend they should go
out with cash in hand and snag all four issues off the shelves
right now! This is ESSENTIAL reading for fans of Dick Grayson.
Now, since you've had a bit of time to breathe and sit back, how do you feel about the success of this mini-series?
Scott Beatty: I'm very happy with it. Chuck and I took great pains to present a story that wasn't some sort of retroactive origin, but instead was a real character-driven exploration of Dick's first year in the Batcave.
Frank Miller's BATMAN: YEAR ONE both reaffirmed and redefined Denny and Neal Adam's more serious approach to the Dark Knight, but how Robin fit into that vision has never really been developed to any large degree. We're all still tied to that notion of Robin as a "punning one-two punch," a product of comics Golden Age which doesn't quite fit into our modern dead-serious understanding of Batman.
The post-KNIGHTFALL Prodigal storyline laid the groundwork for us to delve more deeply into the conflict with Two-Face which forced Batman to seriously reconsider his partnership with Robin. It's a substantial new wrinkle to the story, and in the end, fans and critics seem to have enjoyed the final product. That in itself is pretty gratifying.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: While I'm not trying to butter you up here, I've got to admit that this mini-series was probably one of my favorite stories to hit shelves in recent times. I'll tell you from my own perspective: We were presented with a look at the genesis of the Boy Wonder which was handled beautifully by the whole team behind it. It read as a labor of love. This was a beautiful marriage of writing and art. Can you tell me how you and Chuck Dixon concocted this story? What was the exchange like in writing this?
Scott Beatty: Chuck and I had collaborated previously, but this story especially really allowed our creative partnership to define itself. When we collaborate, everything is split 50/50, from plot and proposal process to writing and final edits, passing it back and forth to mutual satisfaction. It's a real shared experience and one that's helped along by having similar tastes in story sensibilities. We like similar fiction. We're inspired by some of the same books and films, which we trade through the mail on a regular basis.
Very often the challenge for us is writing the other guy into a corner and daring him to find a way out. I once likened the process to a great old STRANGE SPORTS STORIES tale. It's called "Volley of Death" by Frank Robbins and Dick Giordano. This up-and-coming tennis player finds himself in a game involving a live grenade. If he misses the volley he's dead. Writing with Chuck is a lot like that. The grenade is hurled when we e-mail pages to one another, and the other guy has to serve it back harder and faster to stay ahead of the game and, ultimately, raise the stakes for us AND the readers.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: This was a treat to the eye also with artwork from pencilers Javier Pulido and Marcus Martin alongside inker Robert Campanella. It had a kinetic style that still flowed clean and crisp. I saw some influence from Mazzuchelli's BATMAN: YEAR ONE style with the rendering, while it was unique unto itself. In my opinion, it reads as a companion piece to this fan-favorite.
I also saw a hint of Bruce Timm's wonderful animated style, with a tip of the cap to the way Dick Sprang rendered Robin's mask, drawn straight across the brow just how I love. The Mothmobile rides again in this series, Mr. Freeze wore his original costume, and while there were elements from all those classic stories, it remained very modern and without all the campy qualities that makes current readers cringe.
Scott Beatty: Javier established that hybrid "timeless" look for ROBIN: YEAR ONE and deserves heaps of accolades, as do Robert and colorist Lee Loughridge. Marcos also for lending a hand on the final issue and making it a virtually seamless transition. Javier has so many styles he's capable of rendering, plus you can see his obvious nods to comics legends like Toth and Kirby.
After seeing his first few pages, Chuck and I tailored our writing to take full advantage of Javier's sense of panel arrangement and composition. Robert finished it beautifully. And Lee's really inspired choices for the color palette just brought it all home. I also think letterer Sean Konot should be commended for giving each character such a unique "voice" through some rather ingenious fonts. Editor Matt Idelson really assembled a great team.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: I hope there's a follow-up with the same team of writers and artists. Is there a ROBIN: YEAR TWO possibly in the works?
Scott Beatty: It's not entirely out of the realm of consideration. Chuck and I certainly set ourselves up for a sequel in the concluding pages of the mini. that's all I'm saying.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: There were new players added to Dick Grayson's world. The introduction of the deadly Shrike seems to be only the tip of the sword. While I don't want to spoil the story for readers wanting to pick up the mini-series, it looks like We're also seeing some repercussions in the current storyline of Dick Grayson's NIGHTWING monthly comic series with characters introduced in ROBIN: YEAR ONE making modern-day appearances. How much of this was planned to coincide?
Scott Beatty: From the very start, ROBIN: YEAR ONE was about Dick Grayson and his life in the Batcave. We were happy to involve such a diverse cast, including all the classic Bat-villains, too.
The new players were meant to supplement the back-story involving Dick's falling out with Batman. We knew that some of them would live beyond R:Y1 and Chuck works far enough ahead on his monthlies to enable their returns to take full advantage of the momentum generated from these initial appearances.
Shrike actually predated ROBIN: YEAR ONE by quite a while with an intentionally cryptic profile page in the NIGHTWING SECRET FILES. If you go back and read it again, you can see quite a few veiled references to R:Y1.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Not that It's a spoiler since ROBIN: YEAR ONE #4 has them spotlighted on the cover, but we do get to see a young Dick Grayson as Robin use Escrima sticks for what looks like the first time! The Escrima have been one of his prominent weapons of choice in his career as Nightwing in recent years.
Scott Beatty: Yeah, but it hasn't really been established where or when Dick picked up those "exotic" weapons. It isn't a great leap of logic to assume that the elder Shrike taught Dick to wield Escrima during his brief time at the Vengeance Academy.
I tend to believe that, prior
to Tim Drake with his slingshot and Bo staff, Batman preferred
his partners to rely less on weaponry and more on their individual
fighting prowess. I can also make a pretty strong case that Dick
may have brought Escrima with him to the Batcave, having picked
up the art of stick-fighting in his travels with Haly's Circus.
Dibs, by the way, on THAT story.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Like you mention, this wasn't the first time you have collaborated with Chuck Dixon. you've worked on a few stories in the past, including YOUNG JUSTICE IN NO MAN'S LAND and a SUPERMAN 80-PAGE GIANT story. You're also lined up to co-write ROBIN and an issue of JLA with Chuck. First, can you tell us a little about what is in store for your venture in ROBIN? What will readers be seeing?
Scott Beatty: Beginning with this month's ROBIN #88, Chuck and I send Tim Drake on a globe-trotting adventure to finally discover the root of the weirdness surrounding his schoolmate Danny Temple. By issue's end, and I don't think I'm spoiling much since this is merely the first of a four-issue arc I'm guest-writing with Chuck, Tim learns that Danny's "family" troubles rhyme with Kobra.
Chuck and I have gone back to the original KOBRA book and concept to reinvent a few aspects of DC's long-running secret serpent society. Fans of the original series, which lasted just seven issues, will see the return of a few nifty Kobra "props," and hopefully a re-establishment of what should be a MAJOR threat to the power-balance in the DCU. Kobra won't be the same when we're through.
As for JLA, Chuck and I have been asked to write the October issue since it coincides with our Fifth Week event. We're both pretty thrilled to get our hands on the BIG GUNS of the DCU for twenty-two pages of high-concept adventure. I wish I could say more, but fans will have to wait until April 1st for details on the crossover.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Good to see that KOBRA will be back in a big way! You were a big fan of comics during the 70s explosion at DC Comics? What kind of stuff did you grow up loving as a kid?
Scott Beatty: I grew up loving DC Comics. Period. And I'm not just saying that to endear myself to the Powers-That-Be signing my freelance checks. As a kid, I gravitated directly to DC books. I can't recall thumbing through a single Marvel title until much later in life.
For me, the DC Bullet stood out like a beacon on the newsstand. I have a real fondness for "70s-era" DC books: SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS, KAMANDI, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, plus quite a few titles like KOBRA that barely made it past the five-issue mark.
It was always a banner day when I picked up the giant-sized WORLD'S FINEST or ADVENTURE COMICS, which were only a buck back then and included five or six different stories each issue. From Aquaman to Zatanna, it was all there in what Mark Waid likes to call "an all-day sucker," that yummy everlasting comic lollipop to wile away an entire rainy afternoon.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: With your love for some of the second-string characters and such, you've also gained a sort of reputation as one of the main "go-to" guys at DC when it comes to continuity and history. you've written numerous SECRET FILES & ORIGINS that have included timelines and character profiles. Every writer has their own unique story of how they broke into comics. Was this your first professional work with DC?
Scott Beatty: My first DC paycheck was BATMAN SECRET FILES #1 for former DC editors K.C. Carlson and Darren Vincenzo. That book led to an ongoing contribution with the SECRET FILES books through various editors. Darren gave me my first shot at scripting with the third DCU HOLIDAY BASH. That led to several BATMAN CHRONICLES stories and various one-shots along the way.
My continuity savvy still gets me phone calls and e-mails all the time from fellow writers. I really need to start charging for consultations. As far as DC lore goes, Mark Waid and Bob Greenberger always give me a run for my money. Someday we'll have a big Jedi duel and reestablish the pecking order. [LAUGHS]
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: I've always been curious if you keep up with the whole DCU by reading every title as a part of your work on the SECRET FILES & ORIGINS?
Scott Beatty: Luckily, I'm on the DC comp list, which enables me to stay in synch with continuity even if I have to catch up by going back and reading a few month's worth of books piling up in my office. I wish I had time to read every book in the box. Ultimately, I probably will if it means defeating Darth Waid and assuming his mantle of power.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: you've got a good handle of the entire DC Universe and you've written a diverse range of characters in the company's stable, ranging from Superman and Batman to the Sentinels of Magic. Do you feel comfortable or lean to a certain "family" of characters over another?
Scott Beatty: Well, obviously I've got a certain affinity for the Bat-characters. Some voices seem to come more naturally than others, but I welcome any opportunity to tackle a character in the DC stable. I put it on the record here that my goal is to write each and every DC character with at least one word balloon of dialogue before I'm through.
Oh jeez, I think I just might have cursed myself.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Is there a certain character or two that You're fond of? Are there any favorites that you want to work with in a greater capacity down the road?
Scott Beatty: Sure. Dick Grayson tops the list, followed in short order by Tim Drake and Batman himself. In my original notes I intended to kill off "lost" Green Lantern Raker Qarrigat from the tale I wrote in GREEN LANTERN 80-PAGE GIANT #3, but couldn't bring myself to do the deed by story's end. I've still got some GL ideas I need to exorcise before I'm through. I left Raker stuck on Apokolips - again.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Are there any characters that you haven't had a chance to write yet that you would like a crack at?
Scott Beatty: The list begins with Captain Comet and ends with Manhunter Paul Kirk. I would forsake vital organs for the opportunity to write either character just once. I'd have to raise the stakes for a Comet or Manhunter monthly. My soul, maybe? First-born? My entire comics collection?
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: I don't mean to put you on the spot since we all love Chuck Dixon's work, but he stated recently to the readers on his message board at www.dixonverse.net that if he were ever to leave ROBIN, he would want you to be his successor. I have to add the obligatory admonition that Chuck also said he would write the book until the wheels fell off. But he felt you had the greatest understanding of the current Robin, Tim Drake. that's quite a compliment.
Do you think Dixon's respect comes out of your working closely together on certain projects? You mentioned that you share similar views in characterization and storytelling.
Scott Beatty: It's all payola. Seriously though, It's high praise and I'm sincerely flattered by it. Check's in the mail, Chuck! And I filled in those extra zeroes just like you asked!
Chuck's one of the most "ego-less" creators I know. Our creative partnership wouldn't even begin to work if we didn't share some sensibilities and a willingness to trade-off on ideas and directions. And to be frank, my "understanding" of Tim Drake is borne out of Chuck's long run on the book. He set the bar.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Moving a bit to look at you as Scott Beatty the comic writer, let me ask some questions that I hope aren't too mundane for you. Can you let us know if working in comics has been something you've always wanted to do?
Scott Beatty: Definitely, though I may not have always known it at the time. Since beginning college, I had been sort of angling towards some sort of career in writing. My undergraduate school had a "program of emphasis" instead of a major, which is really just fancy talk for making you select your classes and then defend to the registrar and your advisors why the course selection merited a degree in say, Creative Writing, which was where I ultimately finished.
While I was in graduate school working on a Master's in Fiction Writing, I really thought I'd be toiling away on short stories, but comics kept gnawing at the back of mind. In the last ten years, I've been a radio personality, college English instructor, and magazine editor, but I've never been happier than writing for comics.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Who are your writing influences in comic books or other media?
Scott Beatty: Obviously, Denny's right at the top. My "understanding" of DC characters' personalities and raison d'etre comes right out of the wealth of material Denny wrote for DC. To be honest, I don't think I'd even be drawn to Batman in any significant way if not for Denny and Neal's work steering the entire mythos 180-degrees away from the camp and hokiness of the '60s.
I'm also a big fan of Bob Haney. So many of DC's writers during the '70s and '80s come to mind - Frank Robbins, Gerry Conway, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Bob Rozakis, Marty Pasko - the list is long.
Outside of comics, my tastes vary pretty markedly. I'm a voracious reader and just as insatiable when it comes to films. I get a little stir-crazy if I'm not engaged on either level.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Another loaded question perhaps, but are there any certain artists that you would like to continue to work with or any you haven't that yet that you would like to rope in?
Scott Beatty: I'd really like to lasso Graham Nolan into another project if he can find the time. Collaborating with Javier Pulido again is another priority. Pete Woods, Andy Kuhn, and Damion Scott are guys I could seriously enjoy working with on a monthly basis. Scott McDaniel and Rodolfo DiMaggio also.
The "pie-in-the-sky" picks would be Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Steve Rude, or George Pérez. Plus, no matter how long my tenure in comics might be, if I don't work with Jim Aparo on a Bat-related project, it'll all be for naught. I'm also given serious consideration to calling up Jose Ladronn and seeing if KAMANDI interests him as much as Kirby's Marvel creations do.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: While you've established yourself as a DC Comics kind of guy, have you ever got the bug to work with Marvel Comics or another publisher? What established characters potentially would you want to work with on the other side of the fence?
Scott Beatty: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT. Seriously. I could
really sink my teeth into a character named Jack Russell. [LAUGHS]
Maybe DEVIL DINOSAUR - but only if Moon Boy wears pants. TOMB
OF DRACULA intrigues me, too.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: How about creator-owned characters and the independent market? Is there a Scott Beatty self-published project in the works one day that perhaps you might do yourself or with an independent publisher?
Scott Beatty: I won't rule out the possibility. But by and large, the plot points running through my head usually end up leading to DC characters. Blazing my own trail does have its allure, but I'd much rather play in that older and well-worn playground. The toys there are just too much fun.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: Some writers take up certain matters in their work, be it nostalgic, political, therapeutic, provocative, or just a straight-forward aim to entertain. Is there an agenda in the work of Scott Beatty?
Scott Beatty: I save all my rants for occasional one-sided tirades against the Sunday morning political pundits - which continues to surprise my spouse, who had almost given up on me as "anti-political" at one point.
I think agenda-directed stories almost always leave an audience feeling like they've had their buttons pushed repeatedly as they're nudged and cajoled towards some sort of overriding "mission statement" or the writer's epiphany filtered into some grand sweeping and ultimately meaningless generalization. My only agenda is to tell good stories.
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: What would you like to do next?
Scott Beatty: The question is, what don't I want to do next?
O'NEIL Observer Fanzine: I want to thank you again for answering these questions. Best wishes to your future. I'm sure readers will be keeping an eye out for your work!
Scott Beatty: Thanks for having me!
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interview conducted by Scott McCullar
copyright 2001