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Written by Jason Green Friday, 30 September 2005 17:00

After announcing at Wizard World Chicago 2005 that he was jumping from DC to Marvel, superstar writer Jeph Loeb catches us up on the end of his runs on Supergirl and Superman/Batman and his upcoming work with Joe Madureira on the hotly anticipated Ultimates 3.

 

Comics fans, like sports fans, can be an obsessive lot. A star quarterback changing teams may not seem like much, but if Jeph Loeb, DC's go-to writer, suddenly hopped ship over to rival Marvel, that'd be a pretty big deal, right?

 

At this summer's Wizard World Chicago, it was announced that Loeb was doing just that. Why now? "It was time," he reports.  "My father always said, ‘Leave the Party when it's roaring.'" That certainly seems an apt description of Loeb's DC-exclusive tenure, where his runs on Batman with Jim Lee and Superman/Batman with Ed McGuinness and Michael Turner lived at the top of the comics sales charts. The latter title also saw Loeb bring back the original Supergirl. Her solo series debuted in August.

 

"A good idea is a good idea and Supergirl is a great idea," Loeb enthuses. "As much as I admire Peter David's work on Supergirl, the concept of a protoplasmic being from another Earth who bonded with an angel -- OW -- head hurt. By returning her to being Superman's cousin from Krypton, it is simple, clean, and allows for new conflict and hopefully exciting stories." Is Loeb disappointed that his time with the new character is being cut short? "Yes and no. Yes, I adore Kara Zor-El. [The Supergirl team] all contribute their very best to make this book as good as folks seem to think it is and that's a huge reward. But I have a bit more to tell with her, and how long that will be is still being worked out. DC is being very understanding about my leaving...and Marvel is being very generous to allow me to continue telling the stories I want to. I can only promise this - I will not leave an unmade bed."

 

As Loeb wraps his run on Supergirl, he'll be gearing up for his first high profile Marvel assignment, following Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's on The Ultimates, an alternate take on the Avengers that has battled Loeb's own books at the top of the charts. Loeb's Ultimates has built even bigger buzz when it was announced he'd be joined by superstar artist Joe Madureira on his first series work since Battle Chasers ended 5 years back. The book won't bow until some time next year, but as Loeb points out, "Ultimates is an event book, awareness is half the battle. One of the benefits of having Joe Mad and I on the book is we are different enough that the interest in Mark and Hitch's story won't flag. They aren't the lame ducks, they are the kings who are going to leave and ransack another kingdom. Our job is to keep the lights on!"

Loeb won't yet reveal what else he'll be working on for the Mighty Marvel ("That would be telling," he says, slyly), but variety is assured. "I don't think -- or at least I try not to have the same flavor in every book," Loeb states. "Supergirl is not Catwoman: When In Rome and neither of them are Superman/Batman or Hush. I like to try and have fun. I like big stories -- like summer popcorn movies -- that are thrilling but also have an emotional impact on the heroes. By the same token, some of my favorite issues of anything are quiet character studies, so I can't really pigeon hole it. I'm not sure I'd want to." | Jason Green

 

The complete Jeph Loeb interview (interview conducted by Comics Editor Jason Green)

 

What drew you away from DC and back to Marvel?

It was time. My father always said, "Leave the Party when it's roaring." I had completed Hush, launched and delivered 25 issues of Superman/Batman, reintroduced Supergirl to a new generation of readers - it's been a wonderful experience with some of the most talented people working in comics, both at DC editorial and in the creative community.

Having said that, it has been a while since I worked at Marvel "proper." While
Joe Quesada kept Tim Sale and I busy with Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, and
Hulk: Gray, there were a number of things that have arrived -- new toys -- that weren't there when I left. There was no Ultimate Universe and those characters. Mark Millar, Brian Bendis, J. Michael Straczynski, Brian Vaughan weren't working there. Now, along with Quesada, I am really excited about working with new people, new ideas, and
new characters...maybe even visiting with some old ones.

Is there any disappointment in leaving the new Supergirl behind so soon?
 
Yes and no. Yes, I adore Kara Zor-El. [The Supergirl team] all contribute their very best to make this book as good as folks seem to think it is and that's a huge reward.

But I have a bit more to tell with her, and how long that will be is still being worked out. DC is being very understanding about my leaving and working very hard to make the transition to the new writer (whomever that may be) as seamless as possible. And Marvel is being very generous to allow me to continue telling the stories I want to even though I'm exclusive. I can only promise this: I will not leave an unmade bed. I have too much respect for the readers, the fans, and the retailers.

Why do you think that the DCU needed the Kara Zor-El Supergirl back?

A good idea is a good idea and Supergirl is a great idea. As much as I admire Peter David's work on Supergirl, the concept of a protoplasmic being from another Earth who bonded with an angel -- OW -- head hurt. By returning her to being Superman's cousin from Krypton, it is simple, clean, and allows for new conflict and hopefully exciting stories. But this is not your grandfather's Kara Zor-El. For her, the sun doesn't rise and set because of her cousin - she is determined to make it on her own. And she'll make mistakes and have calamities like any teenager who has something to prove. This one, however, can bring down a mountain, so it's a little interesting!
 
 
It's been announced that you're taking over The Ultimates, a book that fans associate very closely with its creative team. Both your writing and Joe Madureira's art are very different in approach to the style of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. What drew you to try to follow up that team's work on the book?  And do you have any worries about fans' preconceived notions of the differences between the two approaches?

Well, I don't see Joe Mad and I as "following up" to anyone. Comics are a serialized art form -- they always have been. I see my role as to continue the legacy left from not only the previous teams, but all the previous teams before that.

Mark and Hitch are doing the work of their careers. It deserves the loyalty that it has earned. Hell, I buy two copies of every issue so I can keep one upstairs and one downstairs because I'm too lazy to go looking for it! It's smart, it's beautifully rendered -- it's a smash.

Will the book look and feel different from it is now? Probably. But all I can do is tell the best story I can and hope folks like it. I think Joe Mad is a superstar and I don't have a second thought other than it's going to be so cool -- I'm incredibly excited.

Why did you choose to take on the Ultimate version of these characters instead of the traditional Marvel universe version?  Is there anything about your take on the characters that wouldn't work in the Marvel U?
 
This is simply the first announcement. There will be other stories I'll be telling in both Universes, but the first one up happened to be Ultimates.

The book has been announced already, even though your predecessor, Ultimates 2, isn't set to wrap until some time next year. Why announce so far in advance?
 
Ultimates is an event book. Like event movies, awareness is half the battle. Why announce Spider-Man 3 when the movie is coming in 2007? To create excitement about what is coming. One of the benefits of having Joe Mad and I on the book is we are different enough that the interest in Mark and Hitch's story won't flag. They aren't the lame ducks, they are the kings who are going to leave and ransack another kingdom. Our job is to keep the lights on!

You have plenty of time between now and when your Ultimates run hits stands. What else will you be working on? 
 
Ah, that would be telling. And plenty of time is relative term. As we've seen with a book of this caliber, it takes time to produce. It is something I found somewhat frustrating about some of the things people say about Superman/Batman and its shipping. We did the math the other day and realized that we launched in August of 2003 and it's now September 2005. That would be 25 issues of a standard monthly comic. We've produced 22 thus far. I wouldn't say that's a shipping nightmare. And when those books are collected and you see the length and breadth of the color, the design, the detail in the artwork, I think people appreciate it. I know that my oversized hardcover of Ultimates Vo.l 1 is something I return to all the time because it doesn't have a weak page, or a fill-in. And quite frankly, I can't remember the delays we all went through to get the 12 issues finished. It just doesn't matter (to me) anymore. It's all about the quality of the finished product!
 
How did Marvel coax Joe Madureira out of comics retirement? Did you choose him expressly for this project?

Joe Mad and I have stayed in touch ever since he left comics. Other than some cover work, the last thing he's done as interiors was in Superman #165 where he did three pages of Superman and Batman. It was exciting, but it wasn't enough for either one of us. So we would talk about finding something -- someday. This project became that special something.

Short answer: Joe Mad was my first, last, and only choice. I'm thrilled that we're doing this.
 
If you had to describe your work to someone who has never read it, what would you say it is that makes a Jeph Loeb comic a Jeph Loeb comic?
 
Honestly? I don't know how to answer that question.

 

I don't think -- or at least I try not to have the same flavor in every book. Supergirl is not Catwoman: When In Rome and neither of them are Superman/Batman or Hush. I like to try and have fun. I like big stories -- like summer popcorn movies -- that are thrilling but also have an emotional impact on the heroes. By the same token, some of my favorite issues of anything are quiet character studies, so I can't really pigeon hole it. I'm not sure I'd want to.

Click here to see IGN.com's exclusive preview of Loeb and Madureira's Ultimates 3!