If you haven't heard the name Charles Soule in the past year then you obviously haven't been reading comic books. Not only does he find the time to write for DC and Marvel, he also writes an indie title,
Letter 44. I recently had the opportunity to meet Charles at a signing at Comics & More in Madison Heights, Michigan and he was gracious enough to award me this interview. Below you will see a discussion pertaining to his DC and independent creative endeavors.
Superman/ Wonder Woman has been off to a most impressive start. Can you tell us how this book became so unique and what separates it from the solo titles and Justice League?
Charles Soule: Thank you very much! From my perspective, I think it just feels fresh. The idea that we have the relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman at the core of the book means I have beats to play that we haven’t seen over and over again. It’s an entirely different type of tension. I really get to explore the two characters in interesting ways – while showcasing the huge action beats that only Superman and Wonder Woman can really work with.
This title features Superman's first meetings with Zod and Doomsday in The New 52. How difficult will they make life for our heroes in the coming months?
CS: Incredibly difficult! It wouldn’t be fun to read if it was always – well,
ever easy for these heroes. Let’s not forget, too, that Zod may have a companion of his own who might enter the fray – I think Faora’s been showing up a fair amount on covers for upcoming issues, so I think it’s fair game to mention that she’ll be around too. And she is a
tough lady.
What's it like to write for Superman and Wonder Woman when they're about to team up on the big screen for the first time?
CS: It certainly feels like an exciting moment for the characters. Lots of amazing things happening with them in a number of different mediums, which I think is great. I’m really looking forward to that movie, although I’m certainly having fun telling my own story in
Superman/ Wonder Woman.
February will see the publication of an ambitious comic when Green Lantern #28 and Red Lanterns #28 ship together as a flipbook. Not only does it give readers quite the bang for their buck (it's only $2.99!), but it's said to be a rather important read when it comes to GL titles. Just how great of an impact will it have on the Green Lantern books?
CS: It’s a big deal – we wouldn’t have done such a cool flipbook if there wasn’t a great story to back it up. As you allude to in your next question, Kara Zor-El – aka Superman’s cousin, Supergirl – joins the Red Lanterns in this two-parter, but that’s far from all we’ll see in the book. The idea is to give readers who might not be reading GL or RL a chance to see what those books are about – the vibe and tone – without costing them any extra. It’s a done-in-one, 40 page story with awesome art for under $3. Hard to argue with that, you know?
Making Supergirl a Red Lantern is a pretty bold move. How did you arrive at the decision to bring in someone from outside the Green Lantern family of books and have them play such a pivotal role?
CS: Well, one of the things I like about the New 52 is that it’s an opportunity to make the universe more interconnected. (To be clear, that wasn’t my brilliant idea – it was one of the reasons doing the New 52 was a good idea in the first place.) It just makes for a stronger shared universe, and it’s a lot of fun. I do it when I can - I put Scarecrow in my first
Swamp Thing issue, for example. Crossing between DCU “houses” opens up story possibilities. Bringing a Superman character, who is young, alien, angry (for the moment) and rebellious and putting her on a team known for rage issues of its own just felt like something we could get some good stories from. To be clear, though, it won’t be Supergirl and the Red Lanterns. RLs will remain a team book – Kara’s an important part of the team, but it’s still a team.
What does the future hold for Swamp Thing?
CS: I just finished the first sort of mega-arc with issue 27. In it, Alec Holland, the Swamp Thing, basically destroyed his entire group of “minders” – the folks who were keeping tabs on him and holding him back from what he thought would be his full potential. So, the chains are off, and we’ll see Swamp Thing going to some weird, cool places. I’ve also expanded his supporting quite a bit, and having those personalities kicking against each other and the Swamp Thing himself is generating some really cool sparks. As I’ve said more than once, I
love writing
Swamp Thing – I think it’s some of my strongest work. If you like your stories a bit more complex, a bit deeper, a bit stranger, while still being totally accessible and not stinting on kickass, inventive action, I think you really might enjoy it.
You write for characters from very different corners of the DC Universe. Did you have to put in a lot of research into their histories and current continuity?
CS: Sure – the Lantern books are all very continuity-heavy, for one thing, but it’s nothing I really mind too much. First, it’s an opportunity to read comics… for
work. Second, the New 52 means that (more or less), I only have a few years of continuity to catch up on in most cases. Third, I was reading a lot of that anyway – not all of it, but a lot, enough that I wasn’t too far behind on the big beats.
Are there any DC characters you hope to one day write for?
CS: I’d like to write Green Arrow someday, and Hourman. It would be fun to do more Batman (to date I’ve just done one Batman story, although he pops up in
Superman/ Wonder Woman). Really, though, I couldn’t be happier with the slate I have – I’m very fortunate to be working on so many great books.
What would you like readers to know about your indie title, Letter 44?
CS: Letter 44 is a sci-fi thriller based around the idea that a new US President comes into office and discovers that his predecessor’s administration discovered some sort of mysterious alien construction in the asteroid belt and kept it secret. Now, it’s the new guy’s problem – not to mention the manned mission that was sent up some years back to see what’s up there, that’s getting closer to learning the truth, in their increasingly rickety spaceship. It’s sort of West Wing meets Alien, and I love it! It’s three issues in – an ongoing series put out by Oni Press. I certainly hope people will check it out – it’s done very well so far, but more eyeballs never hurt. If you want to find out more about that and my other projects, the best thing to do, generally, is to follow me on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/charlessoule. See you in the funnybooks!
(Artwork taken from Superman/ Wonder Woman, Red Lanterns, and Swamp Thing published by DC Entertainment.)