Whether it's The Punisher and Wolverine for Marvel Comics or Gotham Central and Wonder Woman for DC, writer Greg Rucka is renowned for his work in the world of superheroes.
Rucka has faced challenges with both companies, though he recently returned to DC for Cheetah & Cheshire Rob: The Justice League.
Talking to Word Balloon (via Bleeding Cool), the writer was asked about 2008's War Of The Supermen being republished before next summer's Supergirl movie, and opened up on what was a tumultuous time for him in the company.
"That was me at my absolute lowest at DC. That was in the deep end when everybody was lying to me, using me, betraying me, abusing me," he shared. "My relationship with James [Robinson] was a bad one. He was writing whatever he wanted. We were not collaborating well. Collaborating with Sterling [Gates] was great—literally was the best thing about that period. But it was just a repeated kick between the legs."
"It was toxic when I was there and remained toxic until Dan DiDio left. It was an abusive, manipulative environment. Geoff Johns was an incredibly manipulative person to me – used me, lied to me, played me off against people. DiDio did the same thing," Rucka continued. "I was made promises repeatedly, and they were always broken."
Explaining the impact that had on him, he added, "When I left in 2009, I was mentally ill. I was severely depressed and suicidal. I nearly took my life. And that's all the direct result of the way I was treated from 2006 through 2009; it was done with malice. The people I'm speaking about are bad actors. I'm not in a place where I will ever defend them again. They did what they did with malice of forethought."
Admitting that his 2016 and 2019 returns to DC to write Wonder Woman and Wonder Comics were similarly problematic, Rucka was asked what's changed. "I'm going to be perfectly honest. It's a different company right now. The people there—it's healthy," he explained, revealing that the communication between editors has improved significantly, creating a more collaborative environment.
The full interview is worth checking out, as Rucka also addresses antisemitism in the comic book industry, a possible Gotham Central reunion with Ed Brubaker, and why he's unlikely to return to the Marvel Universe for the time being.
Dan Didio was fired in 2020, then-DC President Diane Nelson resigned, and Geoff Johns was pushed out of his executive role in 2018. It should go without saying that we're pleased to hear that Rucka is in a much better place now than he was while working under them.
You can hear more from Rucka in the player below.