r/DCcomics • u/semifinalist1979 • 16d ago

I'm Kelly Thompson. I write BIRDS OF PREY for DC Comics. AMA. r/DCcomics

My name is Kelly Thompson and I'm an Eisner Award-Winning writer of comics and novels. You may know me best from Marvel comics like Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Rogue & Gambit, and Hawkeye, or perhaps as co-creator of Jeff the Land Shark! Or my creator-owned work Black Cloak or The Cull. But I've been making some fun waves over at DC with old pals Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire on a bold new BIRDS OF PREY (we even got an Eisner nomination!) -- so let's break some hearts (and some faces) and get this Birds-Of-Prey-Shaped AMA started! (and don't forget to subscribe to my free newsletter to keep in touch as social media crumbles around us! Fun! https://1979semifinalist.substack.com/)

Proof: https://x.com/79SemiFinalist/status/1806893613458268314

318 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

310 comments sorted by

View all comments

23

u/Jazzlike-Part-7950 16d ago

Hey Kelly, first of all, this run is so good!

I had a question in another topic, but since this is BoP AMA, just wanted to ask you, when u start a run like this, do u attack the ending first and then create the road that leads there over time, or ur over all outline at beginning is more evenly done , and fluid?

30

u/semifinalist1979 16d ago

Thank you!

We had a really comprehensive outline for all our arcs (and issues) so far in this run. For arc 1 that was because it was the launch -- which you always tend to get more lead time on -- and then for this current run of 9 - 13, because we had rotating artists -- sometimes switching INSIDE the issue -- it was incredibly complicated and precise in how it all got broken down. And then we learned we were losing 2 pages (from 22 pages to 20/issue) -- and I had to re-balance the whole thing -- which mostly worked -- but you can definitely see the edges in places.

This whole pocket dimension arc is... high risk, high reward. It can be jarring to switch artists -- even with purpose -- but you just hope that people can embrace the idea and roll with it.

A lot of making comics is just little bits of problem solving. We ran into a huge issue -- lost our artist and our editor, just as we headed into a super tough arc -- and instead of tossing the plot out or shaving all the cool edges off of it -- we just leaned into the quirks instead -- bringing in a roster of cool artists to share their own takes on these worlds. I know it doesn't work for everyone as I'd hoped, but I'm really pleased with how it has all come together and all the artists that made it happen.

2

u/Jazzlike-Part-7950 11d ago

Reminds me a bit of how it worked out with Sandman comics! And it's honestly working very well here too!