Russell Burlingame Interviews Marc Andreyko On Manhunter #31
In this day and age, where books like Marvel's Ultimates 3 and DC's All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder routinely ship eight to ten months late because the creative team just can't manage to put it out on a schedule, it may not seem so remarkable that Manhunter #30 came out in April of 2007 and the series is back on the shelves with #31 today--a mere 13 months later. What's different about Manhunter, as most fans already know, is that it was cancelled with its twenty-fifth issue.
With a letter-writing campaign that surely made DC glad that Manhunter didn't have something clever like pretzels associated with it, fans barraged DC's editorial offices to keep the well-reviewed book alive, and DC conceded with a five-month extension that gave writer Marc Andreyko another shot to sell everyone on Kate Spencer, the Los Angeles attorney who dressed up in red tights at night and killed dangerous sociopaths while using the most-often-reused DC hero name this side of "Starman."
(By the way, Spencer is related to Jack Knight, the Starman who reinvigorated the franchise. But that's another story...!)
Of course, five months later, the dread words "final issue" were once again in the book's solicitation. And while the initial cancellation had been reversed quickly and with enough notice to keep the book running more or less uninterrupted, this second one stung. A second letter-writing campaign as well as public comments by visible creator-fans like Joss Whedon seemed doomed...until last year's New York Comic Con, where DC announced that the book was back.
Asked if he could explain how the return will be profitable for the publisher, Andreyko told Comic Related, "I don't know what the inner machinations are at DC and what their arcane formulas are for what's successful. I know that the first trade now is almost through its second printing and a third one will probably come out right after; and hopefully the novelty of being cancelled and uncancelled twice within six months and having some really high-powered professional fans will help."
Still, with DC and Andreyko working quietly behind the scenes and the series' principal artist, Jesus Saiz, working on books like Checkmate, fans had their doubts. It was only about four months ago that this writer, chatting with other fans over at the ComicBloc forums, quipped that it appeared even that promise of a comeback had been hollow, and that "the only person who really thinks another issue of Manhunter is coming, is Marc Andreyko." Andreyko, of course, politely corrected this impression and here we are, a year down the road from the explosive "teaser" that ended Manhunter #30 and staring down the barrel of a new story arc. And while, historically speaking, publishers and movie studios have a reputation for being resistant to overtly politically or socially-relevant stories, Andreyko says that Manhunter is expected not to skirt the issues.
"With 25 it was cancelled, then I heard we got a five issue extension," Andreyko explains. "Then it was cancelled again and then I got a call from Joan, my editor, and she said it was un-cancelled again." At that point, Andreyko says, he had already resigned himself to leaving the book and picking up with the characters at a later time in his career, "If I ever made it to the A list instead of the D+ list." Instead, he says, "Joan approached me with the edict that DC had wanted it to be a little more issue-oriented. Not in any didactic sort of way but, exploring these issues in a world where a man can fly and travel through time."
In a recent Comic Related interview, writer and artist Dan Jurgens said of the Tangent Universe that one of the main things differentiating it from the DC Universe proper, is that it's a world where the existence of superheroes and supervillains has substantially impacted the scientific and political community. With a Tangent Universe maxiseries on the shelf and Watchmen poised to hit the box office soon, it's no wonder that DC has decided to explore these themes in the mainstream universe--and Manhunter, who already had a real-world feel, is a logical choice for a character to do it.
Here in the REAL real world, though, some things about Manhunter remain unchanged. The "money-back guarantee" that got Andreyko so much attention when he was lobbying to keep the book alive, is still good. "If you buy an issue of Manhunter and you don't like it, send it to me and I"ll give you your three dollars and whatever the sales tax is," Andreyko says. By way of making it a little less inaccessible than most in-universe superhero comics, Andreyko also says, "I try to approach the story in a way that it's accessible to everyone if it's their first issue." He adds, "If you've been reading all along, its definitely a richer broth."
And while Saiz has left the series to go be a star on Checkmate and Countdown, among other things, Andreyko says that the art team on the book are bound to help keep him from having to shell out any refunds. "The book is beautiful--I'm really excited having Michael Gaydos and Jose on the book. Not only are they terrifically talented but they're great friends of mine, and they're making absolutely stunning stuff."
While there is no firm commitment from DC on a number of issues before the book could be in sales trouble, Andreyko says that the publisher has expressed to him that they're open-ended--at least for now--and that he has a number of issues plotted already, with six or seven arcs in various stages of development.
One of the most popular aspects of Manhunter, of course, is one she shares with DC's other critically-lauded, sales-challenged title, Blue Beetle. That is, a strong and well-developed supporting cast. With characters like Obsidian and Cameron Chase making regular appearances in Manhunter, upcoming interactions with the rest of the DC Universe will play a role in the title, with Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes himself playing a part in the initial arc, which takes place in Northern Mexico and explores the real-world disappearance of numerous women in the Juarez region.
Andreyko also says of the relationship between Kate Spencer and her recently-discovered distant cousin Jack "Starman" Knight, that he would love to have the two characters meet in the pages of Manhunter--but that whether or not it happens is "entirely up to [former Starman writer] James [Robinson]. I would love to, because Kate's grandmother is Jack's second-cousin. So they are related and I would love to do an issue. I actually haven't spoken to James but I would love to do an issue of just Kate and Jack sitting in a coffee shop in San Francisco and talking. I think that as characters they have a lot in common. They both have kids around the same age, and they both have the legacy experience." Andreyko also says, though, that for it to happen he would want to collaborate closely with Robinson. If Robinson didn't write the issue himself, Andreyko says, he would like at a minimum to meet with Robinson (who has two major DC projects--Superman and Justice League--coming up soon) to discuss such an issue.
While James Robinson had expressed recently in a pair of interviews with comic Book Resources that he was glad DC had respected Knight's retirement and not continued to use Starman after the series ended, Andreyko says that he hasn't had any complaints with the way Kate Spencer has been handled as one of the members of DC's all-girl superhero team the Birds of Prey. Andreyko says, "There's definitely not a whole lot of character stuff going on there, but [series writer] Tony Bedard is a really good friend of mine and we talk fairly regularly. She's been on the cover of Birds of Prey like four times, and all press is good press. They've been really good; Gail checked with me and they kind of are more cordial about it than they actually probably have to be."
As for the existing cast, Andreyko says, "I like the Island of Misfit Toys approach to supporting characters because you can do a lot more with them than you can with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. That's what attracted me to some of these characters off the beaten path, because the expectations and the opportunities are totally different." He adds that giving each character the right amount of character development and page-count is a little tough with such a large cast. "It's a real struggle; I love ensemble casts, whether it's back when I was reading Spider-Man and Mary Jane and Norman Osborn were a huge part of it or whether it's a Robert Altman film," Andreyko says. "I love supporting casts because the more fully realized the supporting cast is, the more it reflects back on the main character. I'm always getting notes from my editors saying that we need to have more of Kate appearing in her own book, and I sort of joke that I forget that it's Manhunter, not Manhunter's Friends."
Regarding the friends, he describes Dylan Battles--the former villain tech guru whose life in Witness Protection has been disrupted by Manhunter and Chase--as "a real guy. Dylan Battles is a friend of mine who works at Golden Apple. He's much cooler in the comic." But the aspect of the book that has gotten Andreyko possibly the most attention is the inclusion of an openly gay couple--one of whom is a superhero with a long publishing history and an even longer family legacy in the DC Universe.
"Usually gay characters in comics are either the earnest guy from an after-school special, or they're known for their complete foppishness," Andreyko explains. "And while drag queens and leather daddies are absolutely part of the gay scene, that's the smallest percentage. It's the same reason I wanted Kate to be a character who happened to be female instead of a FEMALE CHARACTER. The same thing with Obsidian and Damon--it's part of them but it's not the be-all, end-all. DC's been totally supportive and there was no uproar when they kissed 'on camera,' there was no uproar when we saw them in bed after they'd just had sex." Andreyko, who is gay himself, says that he firmly believes most people don't care what other people do in their private life, as long as nobody is being hurt. He uses a recent episode of ABC's Brothers and Sisters as an example. "That just ended in a commitment ceremony that ended in a passionate kiss on camera, and not a peep from the religious community," Andreyko explains. He credits strong storytelling and organic, natural character development rather than flashy, "event" presentation a la the outing of Ellen DeGeneres's character back in the day, which drew all kinds of fire.
The title has had enormous acceptance from the gay and lesbian community, and won a GLAAD award last year. Andreyko also says that it has a huge female audience. He characterizes series editor Joan Hilty as one of the most valuable resources in comics, and says that "I'm so glad to have Joan be part of the book. I wanted to have a female voice; I didn't want to write Kate as myself with estrogen."
The bottom line: Manhunter #31 is on sale today from DC Comics, with a $2.99 cover price. In addition to subplots that involve Kate's blood ties to the Justice Society and some of Dylan's more nasty former employers, the first arc will revolve around Kate's search for missing women along the Mexican border, an issue that Andreyko calls "one of the most under-reported stories in the media right now." With a heart of gold and an editorial mandate that gives them license to play the role of a latter-day Green Lantern/Green Arrow, the already-stellar Manhunter is poised to become one of the books that's talked about in hushed and reverential tones, a la Starman, Chase and H-E-R-O. The first thirty issues have already been collected in four trade paperbacks, all of which are still available from comic book retailers everywhere, so there's no excuse not to jump on-board with this great title today.
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Review of Manhunter #31
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Page last updated on October 19, 2008