Greg Weisman is a writer and producer. He has worked on many shows, such as
Gargoyles,
Young Justice, and
The Spectacular Spider-Man. Check out what he had to say down below.
What inspired you to be a writer, and how was your career like early on?
"I've always been a storyteller, first and foremost. I've wanted to be a writer since at least second grade. I began my professional career writing comic books for DC Comics. Writing professionally can be extremely frustrating and extremely gratifying. Often alternating back and forth over the course of a few seconds."
Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam are two books you've written, can you talk a little bit about them?
"These are the first two books in a nine-book series about Rain Cacique, a thirteen-year-old girl of Taíno descent, who lives on a chain of Caribbean islands called the Ghost Keys, or the Ghosts, for short. Rain's parents work in the tourist service industry, and Rain lives with them in the Bed & Breakfast that they own and operate. Already, at age 13, Rain is making beds and serving breakfast to tourists. She feels trapped, like she'll spend her entire life serving tourists on these same eight islands. But Rain soon discovers that she can talk to Ghosts. She has a mystery to solve, a mission to complete and a destiny to fulfill. These books have horror and humor, adventure, mystery and even a little romance. I've tried to explore the unique mythology of the Taíno in the context of stories that feel authentic - both to the teen experience and to life as a local in a destination resort."
Will you end up writing more books in that series?
"That's the plan."
Gargoyles was a brilliant show. How did the idea of it come about?
"I've always been fascinated with gargoyles, conceptually. We set out to create a show like Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears - but one with a bit more edge. Gargoyles seemed like the perfect fit for that."
On the final episode of Young Justice, "Endgame" we see Darkseid and Vandal Savage meet. Any idea in your head as to how the show would continue?
"Yes. But no spoilers."
In all your shows you've worked on, romance has been a main factor. How important is that pertaining to character interaction?
"I think it's very important since it's one of the human races prime motivators."
Watching Young Justice, it reminded me a lot of Geoff Johns' run on Teen Titans. Were there particular story arcs you looked at for input on the show?
"Not from Geoff's run specifically. But I read through old 60s and 70s Teen Titans, 80s New Teen Titans and 90s Young Justice. Plus some more recent stuff."
Animated television shows, have heavily relied on toy sales. Would you say its fair that it remains key in making sure shows stay on the air?
"Absolutely. That's where the budget comes from to pay for a quote-unquote boys action show."
The Spectacular Spider-Man has utilized elements from the Sam Raimi films. If the show were to continue, do you think we'd see some elements from The Amazing Spider-Man films?
"That's too hypothetical to answer. But we weren't shy about "borrowing" from any source that fit our interpretation."
Do you happen to have a favorite superhero? If so, why?
"Black Canary. Just like the mix of her origin, her human abilities and her personality. Plus as a kid, I had a crush on her."
Think you would be interested in starting another animated series sometime in the future?
"I'm working on another series. I just can't say what it is yet."