Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: abadazad, Comics, dc comics, entertainment, idw, jm dematteis, Justice league 3000, keith giffen, Kraven's Last Hunt, Marvel Comics, mike ploog, The Adventures of Augusta Wind

JM DeMatteis Is Aflutter About New Project with Mike Ploog in 2015

Published Thu, 23 Jan 2014 15:00:00 -0600

by Hannah Means Shannon

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By Abdulkareem Baba Aminu

J.M DeMatteis is a comic book writer famous for many things, including the classic 'Kraven's Last Hunt' storyline that ran on all the Spider-Man titles of those days, stellar Justice League work with constant collaborator (or partner-in-crime, really) Keith Giffen, with whom he's co-writing Justice League 3000 for DC, among lots of other cool stuff. Bleeding Cool caught up with the extraordinary gentleman…

Abdulkareem Baba Aminu: When will fans of your well-received all-ages book Abadazad see new installments?

J.M DeMatteis: At the moment, Abadazad remains in limbo. I've made several attempts over the years to work with Disney on a way to bring it back, but nothing has materialized yet. That said, it remains one of my favorite projects ever and I will not give up. Speaking of which, I've got a new project in the works with the great Mike Ploog—who illustrated all the Abadazad stories—it will be out early in 2015 and we're both very excited about it. Can't say much about it yet, but, if you like Ploogian monsters, this one will delight you.

ABA: We've seen many a list detailing 'The Greatest J.M DeMatteis Stories Ever Told'. Which of your past work are your favorites?

JMD: Now that's a hard question, especially considering how long I've been at this. Certainly the more personal projects, like Moonshadow, Blood, The Last One, Seekers, Brooklyn Dreams, Abadazad, Stardust Kid, The Life and Times of Savior 28.

I've had a great time working on just about everything I've done with Giffen—with Hero Squared holding a special place in my heart.

As for the more mainstream superhero universes: I'm very proud of my Spider-Man work (especially "Kraven's Last Hunt" and my Spectacular run with Sal Buscema)…the Batman story "Going Sane," which originally ran in Legends Of The Dark Knight… Well, I could go on and on.

ABA: You write humorous stories as well as deep, psychological ones. How do you initiate the process for each?

JMD: Doesn't really matter if it's a so-called serious story or a comedy, kid-friendly or something deeply personal…I just follow the story and follow the characters. The more I surrender to the story, let it lead me, the better the work is.

ABA: You're currently doing a lot of work for DC (including the brilliant Justice League 3000). Which title do you enjoy working on the most?

JMD: Honestly, I'm having a wonderful time with all of them.

ABA: You and Keith Giffen are obviously among the go-to guys for anything League-related. But what DC book would you really, really like to work on?

JMD: With Keith, it's less the project than the collaboration. We just love working together. We could be writing Millie The Model and I'd be happy.

ABA: You've done some fantastic work with IDW in the past. Should we expect more?

JMD: Yes. We're in talks right now to bring back my all-ages series The Adventures of Augusta Wind. The six-issue mini-series I did with the amazing Vassilis Gogtzilas last year was just half the story. It gets even bigger, and wilder, from here and we hope to have something in print before the end of the year. Fingers crossed!

Abdulkareem Baba Aminu is an award-winning journalist, cartoonist, comic book creator, painter and poet. The Nigeria-based writer has reviewed comics, novels, movies and music for a variety of platforms, including Komikwerks.com, where he worked as Special Features Editor. He is currently the Creative Editor of Daily Trust, the most influential newspaper in his country. You can follow him on Twitter @KareemReal

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