May
6 Spotlight on: Joe Casey, Part 2

The conclusion to our interview with writer Joe Casey. The first part can be read here.

Variety: You make the point several times in Kafka that comics seems to be a world that can’t be escaped: Kafka himself can’t escape it, Charlie Brown can’t escape it … is that how you perceive comics as a culture or a biz? Will the established company-owned heroes leave enough room in the market for other ideas to thrive?

Joe Casey: It’s not just about company-owned vs. new ideas. It’s more about individuality and experimentation vs. the same old shit. I have no problem getting my geek on when it comes to superheroes. A bigger "Avengers" fan, you’re not gonna find. However, I’m also indebted to guys like Howard Chaykin, Matt Wagner and Mike Baron who strove to create new mythologies out of whole cloth. Books like "American Flagg!" "Grendel" and "Nexus" are as important to me as the "Avengers" or the "JLA," from a fan point of view. For my own self, I know the value of being a creator that can resuscitate old characters because the direct market is built on that. But I also know that I couldn’t sleep at night if that was all I was known for. But I’ve been pretty lucky in that I have been able to get some of my own ideas out there, from "Kafka" to "Codeflesh" to "The Milkman Murders." Most of what I’ve got coming up is creator-owned material, so I feel like I’m in a pretty good place. I don’t want to escape … not yet, anyway.

Variety: Where do you see comics in today’s culture? Are they just disposable entertainment or is there value in the fact that you can get subversive ideas like "Kafka" published by a major (for comics) publisher?

Casey: Lately, I’ve been content with the fact that if DC and Marvel do nothing but cool, slickly-produced superhero comicbooks, that’s fine. They shouldn’t be expected to be producing Shakespeare every month. Nor should they be expected to reinvent the wheel. That’s what companies like Dark Horse, Image, AiT/PlanetLar, Oni and Tokyopop are here for. Good pop art doesn’t necessarily have to be “disposable” in a quality sense, but it’s the nature of pop to eat itself. What’s “in” today? Let’s see it, let’s celebrate it, then let’s get it out of the way for the Next Big Thing. Now, if you take one step back from that, you can definitely find areas where subversion can occur. And that is what I’m interested in, to a certain degree. But, again, I’m also interested in creating some comicbooks that people can read, enjoy and then toss away. Whether or not they save the book as a piece of “high art” has no bearing on whatever experience they had actually reading the thing.

Variety: What have you not done in the comics biz that you’d really like a crack at doing?

Casey: I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve been able to do a lot without being anyone’s favorite go-to guy. I’m not in DC or Marvel’s “inner circle” of favored writers, but I’ve still cultivated relationships with editors I respect. I’m not a “fan-favorite,” but my name is out there enough so I can get things done. I had my “Teen Beat” moment where my picture was all over Wizard magazine (but it was a much bigger deal personally when I was interviewed by The Comics Journal). Like I said, most of what I’ve got coming up in the next two years is creator-owned, so I’ve got no real complaints. When I’ve gotten my mainstream opportunities in the past, I’ve generally taken them. I’m sure I’ll have more in the future, but I’m honestly past the point where I target specific characters or series to do. Although, if I got a crack at the "Avengers" monthly, that would definitely be a blast. But I’m getting to do "Earth's Mightiest Heroes," so in a way, I am writing the "Avengers."

Variety: What noncomics writing and projects have you done and, now that "Wildcats" is ending, what do you plan to do next?

Casey: I’ve written for television, videogames, animation, you name it. Last year I wrote a minimovie for VH1 about the final days of Notorious B.I.G. Man Of Action (the company I co-own with Steve Seagle, Joe Kelly and Duncan Rouleau) wrote the "X-Men: Legends" videogame coming this fall from Activision, not to mention our own creation, "Atom X." We’ve also got a few animated series in development, most notably "Ben 10" at Cartoon Network. Comics-wise, I’ve got the creator-owned horror series, "The Milkman Murders" coming this summer from Dark Horse. From Wildstorm, a new teen superhero series called "The Intimates," co-created with big-time art god Jim Lee. And of course, there’s my fanboy dream gig, the "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" miniseries from Marvel, delving into the first year of the "Avengers." Hopefully, before this year’s out I’ll also be launching a new monthly series through Image Comics and a few new OGN’s from AiT/Planet Lar.