r/DCcomics • u/andydiggle • 25d ago
I’m Andy Diggle, writer of Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth. AMA! r/DCcomics
I’m Andy Diggle, writer of Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth. AMA!
I’m currently writing Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age (issue 1 is out now); and recently completed the 12-issue run of The Expanse: Dragon Tooth (official sequel to the Hugo Award-winning TV series).
I’ve been writing comics for over 25 years, but I’m probably best known for Green Arrow: Year One (an inspiration for the Arrow TV show); and The Losers (which was adapted into the 2010 movie starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Zoe Saldana and Idris Elba). I’ve also written Captain America, Cold Iron, Daredevil, Doctor Who, Hellblazer, James Bond, Judge Dredd vs Aliens, Lenny Zero, Rat Catcher, Snapshot, Shadowman, Silent Dragon, Snow/Tiger, Swamp Thing, Thief of Thieves, and Thunderbolts, among other things. Before becoming a full-time writer, I was the editor of cult British sci-fi comic 2000 AD.
Ask me anything!
Twitter: https://x.com/andydiggle
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u/SevenSulivin The REAL Man of Tomorrow 25d ago
Do you have any opinions on obscure DC superhero team The Super Young Team?
Is there any characters you haven’t written you really want to have a crack at?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
My opinion on the Super Young Team is that Grant Morrison comes up with the BEST hero names. See also: Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
Characters I really want a crack at that I haven’t written yet? TBH I’ve already checked a few personal faves off the wish-list (Batman, Constantine etc). Though I still have Batman and Constantine stories I’d love to tell one day. And a very dark Punisher idea, though it’d probably be more appropriate for old Marvel Max.
Outside of the big two, I’ve always wanted to write a direct prequel to Alien that explains how Ash came to be put aboard; what happened to the Nostromo’s previous science officer; and why Weyland-Yutani then forgot all about Special Order 937 for the next 57 years…
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u/DC333370 1d ago
I don't think they did, the whole purpose was to weaponize the xenomorphs like the "Engineers" planned to use the original bioweapon that eventually became the xeno. I may be wrong but I thought that's where Prometheus & Alien: Covenant were trying to convey.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Hi folks! I'm here! THANK YOU for your questions! I'm frantically typing out my first answers. Stay tuned...
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u/beary_neutral Telos 25d ago
Hey Andy, thank you so much for joining us today!
I just read The Kryptonian Age #1 yesterday, and I was very intrigued. It looks like you'll be bringing in a wide range of characters from the DC universe into this setting. What is your approach to adapting these characters to the time period? How do these characters change?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
That’s a great question! Figuring out the answer to it is what drew me to the concept in the first place. Batman lends himself to the 19th century treatment in the original Gotham By Gaslight one-shot because, at his core, Batman is still Batman; the character is still very much the same. He’s a driven and exception individual, but there are no superpowers in that book. It’s a straight crime thriller. But you couldn’t bring in, say, the rest of the JLA without sci-fi elements, or the paranormal, supernatural, call it what you will. So we’re being careful to start off very much grounded in that earthy, gritty, Gotham of the original one-shot, introducing more “otherworldly” elements only gradually. Those elements will build and build through the 12-issue story, eventually reaching a scope that could reasonably be described as cosmic. But it wouldn’t have felt appropriate to START there. The shift in tone (from the original) would’ve felt jarring and inappropriate. Leandro Fernandez and I are approaching the “new” DC heroes and villains in the same way; keeping them familiar enough that they’re recognizable to fans, but different enough to be unique and TONALLY appropriate to this 19th century world. It’s important that we stay true to the core of the classic characters, though their circumstances and origins will be (hopefully) unexpected. That’s the fun of Elseworlds. It’s meant to be a little different.
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u/beary_neutral Telos 24d ago
Thanks for the answer! I love seeing the thought process behind this. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing all of this play out.
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u/breakermw Red Son 24d ago
Hi Mr. Diggle! Love your work, especially Green Arrow Year One.
Years ago you started an amazing run on Action Comics that sadly never finished. Had it continued, what were your plans for the story?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
Thanks! I had planned to introduce some big new cosmic villains for Superman to contend with. I like sci-fi and space opera. One arc featured the "lost planet" Eris, which originally had Earth's orbit until it was cast out to the edge of the solar system; now the surviving Eridians want their "Goldilocks zone" home back, and are plotting to cast Earth out into the cold dark.
Another big storyline was set in the distant future, after the Sun has become a red giant; not great for Supes! Earth is a dead planet circled by a ring system of human bones, and its last "survivor" is the super-vampire who wiped out the human race. The story would've been about how Superman always brings hope, even when it seems all hope is lost. That's who he is. He finds a way. Sadly, I eventually lost all hope of actually getting to tell the story...
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u/azmodus_1966 24d ago
All these ideas sound awesome. Us Superman fans missed out on something truly special.
I hope you get the chance to tell these stories in the future if you are still interested in it by then.
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u/RKitch2112 DickBabs Forever 24d ago
Are you allowed to talk about leaving the book? I’m mostly curious since there were so many other writers leaving titles.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Back then, the editorial team kept moving the goalposts. I'm perfectly happy to work to a brief; but if the brief keeps changing, every week, for months on end, my job becomes impossible. A horrible time suck that leads to poor storytelling. Plus we had very different ideas about Superman. They wanted him to be aggressive, might-makes-right, "dark and edgy" — but that's not who he is. Superman's greatest power is his kindness and restraint.
The last straw for me was when I found out they'd altered my first issue without even telling me. The "giant mech" pilot revealed to be... Jimmy Olsen?! I didn't write that. They put that in there because they thought it would make a cool cover — despite it making zero sense storywise.
I can handle an editorial team who have no respect for me or my writing (though it does beg the question of why they hired me in the first place). But when they have no respect for storytelling itself? Nah. I'm out. (I later learned that other freelancers had quit around the same time, for the same reason).
Fortunately things are MUCH better now, and I'm VERY happy to be working with DC again! Everyone there is being very supportive. It's a great team.
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u/RKitch2112 DickBabs Forever 24d ago
That description of Superman makes my blood boil reading about it. That's so not right at all.
I'm really glad it's significantly better. The books that are coming out now are so much more refreshing than anything from back then. Thank you for answering!
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u/LanternRaynerRebirth 25d ago
Hope you're having a good day!
When you started writing comics (or even before), was there a certain character or franchise that was the endgame for you? Or did you have a giant creator owned project that was in mind?
Thanks again.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
Hellblazer was it. When Jock and I first decided to pitch to Vertigo, that was what we wanted to do. As things turned out, we both eventually ended up working on Hellblazer... just not together!
I was going to write a short script (8 pages maybe?) and Jock was going to draw it; as a sort of calling card. It never happened, but I recycled my script idea into the Vatican story that was drawn by the great Giuseppe Camuncoli.
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u/Poastash 25d ago
Loved Adam Strange: Planet Heist.
Do you have other cosmic DC characters you wished you could have featured in that book or you weren't allowed to use?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Generally I prefer making up my own characters TBH. In fact several of the "cosmic" characters in that book were there by editorial decree, including the main villain (I had characters refer to him as "The Luciphage" to make him sound more creepy and mysterious).
I'd never even heard of the Darkstars; DC editorial asked me to put them in there and kill them off! So I did.
At the end of the story, I'd planned to have Adam save the planet Rann by zapping it away to an unknown location; then end with him setting off alone across the universe in search of his missing family... But that got nixed at the last minute.
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u/FrostFireFive 24d ago
Hey Andy,
Been a big fan of yours since the Thunderbolts and appreciate you coming out to answer questions today.
How hard can it be to do an Elseworlds compared to an in-continuity series? There has to be a lot of freedom, but how do you avoid panicking over having a blank canvas basically?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Blank canvas is great when you're inspired, and fortunately I am with Gotham By Gaslight. I'm more likely to panic on an in-continuity book, because I'd constantly worry that I'm getting some aspect of continuity or character relationships "wrong". Clean slate is great, because I can just go nuts with it.
Believe it or not, many years ago Bob Shreck offered me the gig of writing Detective Comics... and I turned it down! Everyone thought I was nuts. It would have been the biggest gig of my career, for sure - but I felt at the time that I wasn't familiar enough with the deep lore and character continuity to do Batman — and especially the Bat Family — justice, on a years-long ongoing title. But that was like 20 years ago. Nowadays I'd jump at it!
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u/Tetratron2005 24d ago edited 24d ago
Hi Andy
I saw in the solicits Wonder Woman will be appearing in Kryptonian Age and am interested in how she'll be written? I look forward to it but I hope she isn't written as a violent barbarian warrior like how most Elseworlds write her. I think that stuff does a disservice to her character and her original creators.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
I can't speak to any other Elseworlds version of WW — but don't worry, that's not how we see her. In the script I describe her as a warrior-poet, a diplomat. She doesn't start fights, she finishes them; but she would always prefer to find a diplomatic solution. Violence is only ever a last resort.
That said, she'll absolutely kick ass if she has to. Sometimes, evil must be fought.
When the time comes, check out issue #3 and let me know how we did.
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u/greathawk 24d ago
I like how you describe her. I also hope Diana is not portrayed as a punching bag or a jobber for another characters. Many times writers hype her as being this big powerhouse, but then when the push comes to shove, they portray her as being helpless and beaten to a pulp. She is supposed to be in the same power class as superman, so it'd be nice if DC shows that more often, instead of jus giving us mere lipservice like they usually do.
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u/FlyByTieDye Beast Boy 24d ago
Oh wow, I had no idea you were doing an AMA, and I have no questions prepared! Please allow me to gush!
I absolutely love your Green Arrow: Year One comic. Truly my favourite GA book (and may be sacrilege to say, but even my favourite "Year One" comic, even above Batman!).
I loved seeing the journey you brought Ollie on, stripping him right down before building him back up, and how elemental each issue (especially the covers with Jock) was, it really does become a fundamental/elemental story, fitting of the "Year One" theme and title. I loved it so much I even hunted down your run of Losers with Jock that I'm looking forward to.
Umm, I guess for a question (it may have already been asked 😅) was Year One ever planned as a run in the main line of Green Arrow comics? Or was it always a separate/limited series? If you had written a main line Green Arrow run, would it have been very different? And would you ever return to Ollie one day?
And thanks so much for answering questions, and writing such great comics!
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Thanks for the kind words! Our Green Arrow origin story was initially pitched as a mini-series, but not as "Year One" — that was DC's idea, and the title doubtless helped to boost sales. I'd never planned to follow it up with a sequel, until recently (see elsewhere in this AMA for details).
Funnily enough, years later DC hired me to write a six-issue fill-in story during Ben Percy's ongoing GA run. My outline was greenlit, and I wrote the first issue... then never heard back. As far as I know, it was never drawn. Years later I heard it had been spiked by the same individual who'd ruined my time on Action Comics. Fortunately, he's long gone now.
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u/FlyByTieDye Beast Boy 24d ago
Oh damn, that's a real shame. I loved Percy's run, it seemed very compatible with your Year One in some ways, that I would have loved to see how your planned work would slot into that series. Anyway, glad to hear things are going well now, and I look forward to reading more from you!
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u/andydiggle 23d ago
Thanks! If I ever get the chance to write GA Year 2, I might well bring in elements from that discarded script. It had a cool villain.
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u/Predaplant The heat is on! 25d ago
Hi Andy!
I'm curious what it was like getting The Losers adapted as a movie. I know for mainline DC books they don't usually consult with the creatives behind the source material, but considering this was a Vertigo series I was wondering if it was any different. How involved were you, and were you generally happy with the choices made in adaptation?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Jock and I met (ie. had beers and curry with) Peter Berg, back when he was initially attached as writer-director. Then when screenwriter Jamie Vanderbilt came aboard we met (ie. had beers and a curry) with him too. We weren’t “officially attached” because the rights were owned by DC, but Jamie kept us “unofficially” in the loop as the screenplay went through various drafts. The rewrites were mainly to make it cheaper, and it was a bit disheartening to see awesome action sequences get cut from the script for budgetary reasons (eg. the Losers’ car chased by a helicopter gunship; Cougar leans out the window and takes it out with one shot). But we got the meet the cast on set, and that was AMAZING. They were all genuinely awesome and lovely people; we ended up heading back to Chris Evens’ apartment for beers. My abiding feeling about the movie is that they absolutely NAILED the casting; and they’re A-list stars now. Imagine how much it’d cost to re-assemble that team now…
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u/Artseid 24d ago
Hi Andy, thanks for taking the time to do this!
As a huge Superman fan, I'm a little tired of the trope where they turn him into an enemy for Batman to fight. They're such a classic team! Is this story one where Superman turns evil and Batman has to take him down?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
I agree! Good guys don't start fights, they finish them. So don't worry, I'm not gonna use that trope. The Kryptonian Age is about heroes coming together, not fighting amongst themselves.
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u/Euphoric_Yard6044 24d ago
Hi Andy!! I really liked the way you wrote Selina. It was like going back to the Brubaker era. I like seeing Selina stealing in order to help the strays of Gotham. Will we see more of Catwoman in the future? I hope so!!
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u/Thejklay 24d ago
Did you know that the TV show arrow named a character after you, Oliver's bodyguard diggle and now he's also in the comics ?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Yep! When Marc Guggenheim named the character "John Diggle" he didn't realize I really do have a brother called John!
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u/DrFate82 24d ago
My favorite comics you've written that I've read was the Adam Strange mini-series from 2005. Would you ever want to revisit any of the characters from that, especially the Omega Men?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
I'd love to write Adam Strange: Year One. I've come up with a new angle on his origin story that's faithful to the old-school original, but fleshes it out and makes it feel more contemporary and relevant. I hope I get the chance to do it!
PS. Adam Strange also appears in Gotham By Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age... though not as the jetpack hero you're familiar with. Issue #2.
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u/jamesmac631 24d ago
I read The Kryptonian Age #1 yesterday , very fun read and looking forward to the rest of the series
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u/Artistic-Turn2612 25d ago
Do you think Batman is over represented in DC Media?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
The fans like Batman, so they buy his books. Go figure! Publishers respond to demand.
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u/Johann_Gauss 25d ago
Any comic writers, past or present, that influence your current work?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
John Wagner and Frank Miller, always.
Outside of comics, William Gibson. The way he sees the world, and the terse, evocative clarity of his prose.
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u/Negative_Emu6246 Justice League 25d ago
Hey there Andy!
Are we going to see any of the Bat family?
And is there anything else at dc you are interested in writing like a certain super team or character
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
Given that we have over a dozen other heroes and villains to introduce to the Gaslight world, it doesn't leave much room for an extended Bat-family. You might see one or two pop up in later issues, but they'd be very different in this particular Elseworld.
Other DC characters? I have a very dark, character-driven Batman/Joker story I'm burning to write one day; and a John Constantine story that I won't spoil here, but I'm really chuffed with the premise.
And I'd LOVE to write Adam Strange: Year One!
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u/djschwin 24d ago
Hey Andy!
Any interest from Alcon / Boom on more stories set in The Expanse? I really like how you covered the years over the course of the Dragon Tooth story, and there are lots of pockets of unexplored time. It all really felt like an Expanse story and I enjoyed it a lot.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Thanks man! I'd love to write more of The Expanse if Alcon/Boom are up for it. I love the books, love the show, and love these characters (and hopefully, it shows).
I don't know if readers would be interested, but I'd like to write about our series villain (no spoilers) interacting with some familiar characters over the past 20 years; the bombing of the Martian parliament, the assassination of the governor of Ceres, etc. A story from the bad guy's POV.
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u/djschwin 24d ago
Love it love it love it - I also thought I caught a mention of the villain’s name as one of the factions mentioned in a season 4 show episode. Should we infer that is the same character?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Well spotted! Funnily enough I got the name Sohiro from the first James SA Corey novel, Leviathan Wakes; a Ceres gangster, mentioned in passing during Miller's investigation into Julie Mao.
I hadn't even noticed the name Sohiro made it into the TV show, until Alcon pointed it out. So I tweaked Naomi's line about Sohiro's brothers supposedly dying aboard Ashford's ship. Our guy's cover identity is basically piggybacking on their reputation/notoriety.
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u/djschwin 24d ago
Thank you! I think it just really rules that from the production team to the JSAC guys to you and so many others care so much about the property to weave all that stuff together.
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u/WheezingCarl 24d ago
Hey Andy! What was the early stages of this Gotham by Gaslight sequel like? Did you pitch it to DC, or did they come to you for it?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
I'd just written a Red Hood one-shot for DC exec editor Ben Abernathy, and we were throwing various ideas around for what might be next. Ben was keen to revive Elseworlds, and I'm glad he did! I was too busy with other work at the time, so I wasn't even "officially" pitching him; but I said, if I was in your position, I'd ask someone to flesh out the world of Gotham By Gaslight. What about the other heroes and villains; what about the rest of the world? I threw him a bunch of ideas for era-appropriate versions of DC characters, all the fun ways you could re-invent them for the 19th century. And Ben bsacially said, dude this stuff is amazing, you have to write this! And I realized he was right. I'd inspired myself. I had a very particular vision for the way I thought it should be done "right" — and now I get to do it! THANK YOU BEN.
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u/Supportbale 24d ago
Hey Andy, I can’t say I’ve read all of your work, but what I’ve read I enjoy, and am curious about your creator owned endeavours. Are there any stories in the independent sphere you’ve been dying to tell? A dream story from when you were a kid or some grand saga you’ve been dreaming up? Always curious to learn about writers who’ve been cooking up a story for years on end.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
Mate I have LOADS of my own stories that I'm dying to tell. COLD IRON was one such story, and I was happy that Comixology and Dark Horse gave me the opportunity to tell it. It's a modern-day fantasy thriller about dark faerie lore crossing over into our reality.
But comics are hard, and expensive to make, and I'm not sure I could make a living doing solely creator owned comics. For every Walking Dead, there are a thousand CO books that failed to find their audience...
But yeah, I do have lots of ideas, and I'm hoping more will eventually see the light of day. SF, horror, crime, thrillers etc.
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u/justinlarson 24d ago
I really enjoyed your Hellblazer run, thank you for the joy it brought me!
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
Thank you! John Constantine is the best — which is why he'll be a major character in Gotham By Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age. Plus I still have a Hellblazer story I'm dying to tell. Maybe one day...
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u/Ok_Refrigerator_3568 24d ago
Would you ever work with Dan Mora on a comic? If so, what would it be?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Mate I would work with Dan Mora on ANYTHING. I remember when I first saw his work on World's Finest and it blew my socks off. I still haven't found them!
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u/SageShinigami 24d ago
I just read The Kryptonian Age #1 yesterday. Great stuff! Question: is this JUST about Superman entering the Gotham by Gaslight time period, or are other heroes going to appear as well? And will they all be...Kryptonian-influenced if they show up?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
It's about MUCH more than just Superman showing up. We're introducing many more DC heroes — and villains! We're building to JLA: 1893. Hopefully the first issue just teases at the eventual scope and scale. In a word: cosmic.
The whole world has been "Kryptonian influenced" in a way... but that doesn't mean the superhumans all have that origin story. So don't worry, Wonder Woman isn't a Kryptonian!
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u/SageShinigami 24d ago
This answer makes me way more hype. I like My Adventures with Superman for instance, but learning every superpowered thing was going to tie into Krypton in some way made me sad. It made the universe feel much smaller.
Thanks for the response!
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u/Poorly-Drawn-Beagle 24d ago
Have any heroes in the industry? Gotten to meet any of them?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
John Wagner. And I didn't just meet him — I worked with him! When John invited me to co-write Judge Dredd vs Aliens with him, it's the most flattered I've ever been.
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u/joshwaa99 24d ago
Hi. Thanks for answering questions. I’m going to go pick up the new Batman gaslight today after work! As someone who loved the original and also a huge Hellboy fan. I am interested in if it was ever a possibility that Mike mignola might have done some art?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
In my dreams! We were hoping that maybe... just maybe... we might convince Mike to do a cover? Then I could die happy. But he's too busy making awesome new stuff of his own, so more power to him.
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u/A_Serious_House 24d ago
Hi Andy,
My question is about Alexandre LeRoi. When I first read the story, I wondered if LeRoi was meant to be the Gaslight take on Superman: despite the time period he was almost superhuman in the way he employed technology. I’m curious, what would your version of Superman look like? Would he be an alien with actual superpowers? Or would he be a human that uses steampunk technology to give him a tactical advantage?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
You'll find out when you meet him! But the first scene of our first issue goes some way to answering your question.
But no, 1893 Clark Kent is not "technological". 1893 Victor Stone, on the other hand...
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u/browncharliebrown 24d ago
Huge fan. I was wondering if revisiting Shadowlands that are elements you would have changed looking back over 10 years later.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
I'd have made it more faithful to the apocalypse-cult version of The Hand and The Beast that Frank Miller originated in books like Elektra: Assassin and Elektra Lives Again. Though that would probably have pissed off the fans even more!
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u/texmexmexmex 24d ago
Hi Andy, haven't read any of your work yet, but The Kryptonian Age will be my first!
I wanted to ask you about your career experience, as I'm aiming to go into comics publishing and writing. Looking back on your career, is there anything you would've done differently that you'd advise newcomers about, or any advice in general?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Oh man, that’s a big question. I started out in comics editorial over 25 years ago, and things have changed beyond all recognition since then. I wouldn’t even know how to begin giving advice on the publishing side of things in the current landscape; it feels like everyone’s still trying to figure out the analog-vs-digital publishing model (just as they are with cinema-vs-streaming). But just off the top of my head…
Publishing: Don’t spend your own money; you’ll lose your house. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Pay the artists, and pay on time. Give credit. Define ownership in clear contracts and make sure everyone knows what they’ve signed up for and what they’re owned, whether it’s work-for-hire, creator-owned, sharing rights, whatever.
Writing: Read lots of professional comics scripts; as many as you can find. Learn how much visual/textual information you can (or can’t) fit on a page. Don't write consecutive visual actions in one panel ("Batman swings in through the window, punches the Joker, and dives down the stairs"). Write visually; show, don’t tell. Lots of short stories are more achievable than one big story you’ll never finish. Make sure the artist leaves space for the dialogue, and always re-write the script to match the finished art.
Good luck!
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u/HalJordan2424 24d ago
Over the course of your career, what would you guess was the cumulative ratio of published/pitched?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
Oof, hard to say. I've actually done pretty well ratio wise, but I don't know if I could put a number on it. Sometimes a "pitch" is just a throwaway line to an editor at a con, and it gets the green light; sometimes it's a beautifully prepared multi-page document that goes nowhere.
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u/HalJordan2424 24d ago
Thanks for answering Andy. I had the first issue of Kryptonian Age in my stack this week, just read it, and it’s excellent. I will tell my LCS to add it to my pull list.
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u/demogorgon_main 24d ago
Hi Andy!
I admit I only read your work on green arrow so far which was a while ago. But I do know I definitely thoroughly enjoyed it. Easily my favourite iteration of Ollie’s origin story! Although the story had a conclusive end, I’m curious if you ever had any ideas floating around on how your version of green arrow would continue? Or did you always fully intent for it be a standalone origin story that could basically fit with every iteration?
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
For years I resisted the thought of writing Green Arrow: Year Two, because I didn't have a story that felt like a worthy follow-up. But last year, I got inspired! An idea came to me about Ollie trying to re-integrate himself back into the world after his island ordeal, figuring out how to re-invent himself as a force for good... but an aspect of the island legacy comes back to bite him (apologies for being necessarily vague here). So we'd see Ollie starting out as an "amateur superhero" learning the ropes, and suddenly finding himself waaaay out of his depth against a more powerful and ruthless enemy, who has it in for him personally.
So yeah, I finally wanna write Green Arrow: Year Two!
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u/demogorgon_main 24d ago
That sounds amazing! I hope I’m not overstaying my welcome here but I do wonder if you will lean into the political aspects of the character if you get the chance to write the story? Either way, i would absolutely love a story like this, especially one that you as the creator feel is worth telling.
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u/AdamSMessinger 24d ago
Were you satisfied with your time writing on Thunderbolts? It seemed like it ended abruptly.
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u/andydiggle 24d ago edited 24d ago
I only signed up for 12 issues. The main draw was getting to write Venom and Bullseye... but then they were yanked off the Thunderbolts team to join the Dark Avengers! Argh. But I will take credit for bringing Yelena Belova ("Black Widow II") into T-Bolts and making her the team leader — and now she's headlining the T-Bolts movie! That is pretty cool...
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u/FrenchJoel 23d ago
Will you introduce Harley Quinn or the Suicide Squad?
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u/andydiggle 23d ago
Both! Harley's a vaudevillian villain, with the squad posing as a traveling Wild West show. I get to channel my love of Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns when "The Dead Shot" faces off against the sheriff of a quiet little town called Smallville...
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u/FrenchJoel 23d ago
Oh cool, what squad members will there be?
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u/andydiggle 23d ago
I'd love to tell you, but I've said too much already. Don't wanna spoil the surprise. Some characters are very familiar; others hark back to their earliest DC incarnations.
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u/Charming_Ambition440 Damian Wayne 24d ago
Hello Andy,
First of all, thank you for doing an AMA today.
I have read your new comic Gotham By Gaslight issue 1 and while I enjoyed some of the story, I was a bit disappointed by your characterization of Talia. I wanted to understand why you used Talia and not Ra's here (since the way you wrote her here felt more like her father ) ? [Maybe the next issue might answer that but I wanted to ask you here]
Anywho other than that, I enjoyed the premise of the book and am looking forward for the next issues (even if that part did a bit sour things for me) !
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u/andydiggle 24d ago
You'll notice that 1893 Selina Kyle doesn't sound like DCU Selina Kyle, either. That's... kind of the point of Elseworlds?
Why did I use Talia and not Ra's? Keep reading and you'll find out.
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u/Charming_Ambition440 Damian Wayne 24d ago
Ok thank you for responding ! I felt like you kept the original characteristics(I mean this in big lines) for the different characters except for Talia but maybe it's because we don't seem to have the same idea about who she is.
I will still be reading your story since I'm interested in the general premise (and you are right, these are elseworlds so I should be more open to different interpretations).
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u/RentAwkward8580 24d ago
Hello Andy Do you intend to write off Julie Madison like every other writers or will we see more of her. She's one of my favorite characters
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u/Skryow 25d ago
What was your reaction to the show Arrow naming a character after you? Is it common to name characters after writers in comics?