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Congratulations on your new deal with DC Comics. Why go exclusive with DC at this point in your life?

TONY: Lots of reasons, but the biggest one is for the chance to work on COUNTDOWN, the biggest book of the year!  Also, after a couple of years at Marvel, my focus had pretty much shifted to pursuing DC projects, anyway.  And being exclusive has a nice sense of stability, which is hard to come by when you work on a freelance basis.  But mostly DC has been kicking ass for several years now and I want to be a part of that.  It’s the most vibrant era of DC comics since 1986.

What’s the term of this exclusivity agreement? Can you do your own creator-owned comics under this agreement?

TONY: Everything I’m doing comics-wise is for DC.  But DC publishes such a tremendous range of books that if I have my own project to do, it shouldn’t be hard to find a home for it here, whether it’s a adventure, horror, romance, Western, or whatever.

Speaking for yourself, what is the appeal of exclusivity contracts between creators and publishers?

TONY: As I mentioned above, one great appeal for both parties is stability.  A publisher knows the creator won’t bolt in the middle of a project, and a creator knows he can count on a certain amount of work each month.  It makes it easier to make a publishing plan and to live your life, especially if you have a family to take care of.  And for a lot of us, it’s nice to feel like you’re officially part of the team, one of the family. 

I’m most familiar with your writing from Route 666 at CrossGen and Exiles from Marvel. Do the DC characters offer different challenges and opportunities than the other characters you’ve worked on? How so?

TONY: In a way, all characters have their own unique needs and challenges, so working on stuff for CrossGen, Marvel or DC all demands the same attention to the individual needs of a given project.  But I have to admit that if I’m writing Superman or Batman, the character comes with such stature and history that it can be a little intimidating.  But you have to sort of put that aside and just try to tell a good story that delivers some surprises.  Of course, it’s nice to be able to tell a stranger who asks what you do for a living that you write Batman stories.  It’s certainly more recognizable than saying your write “Sigil”!

Of the DC characters you’ve written so far, who is your favorite character to write, and why?

TONY: Tough question.  I’d have to go with Black Canary at this point, mostly because the BLACK CANARY mini-series I’m working on is such a joy.  A lot of that has to do with the artist, Paulo Siqueira, who makes me fall in love with Dinah on every page.  And he draws her foster-daughter Sin so charmingly that I wish she was my daughter.  I have a son her age and I totally relate to the fierce parental feelings Dinah’s experiencing right now.

DC has already announced that you’re part of their next mega-series, “Countdown”. How were you selected, and what has the process been like so far? How is it working with Paul Dini?

TONY: I spent the last two years working with COUNTDOWN editor Mike Marts on Exiles over at Marvel, so we have a good working relationship.  I think when Mike got COUNTDOWN, he thought it would be a good fit for me since I play well with others and can handle a wide variety of genres and a diverse cast.  Plus, Mike likes how I look in tight jeans. As for the process and working with Dini, it’s all been frighteningly smooth so far.  Everybody likes each other, we’re all on the same page creatively, and Dini has worked up such a thorough outline for the story that it’s pretty easy for each of us to work up the individual issues.  Dini also gives us the freedom to alter or expand certain things so we don’t feel like we’re just painting by numbers, if you know what I mean.  This sort of collaboration may not be ideal for every creator out there, but IU enjoy it and it’s how all your favorite TV shows are written, so it’s good enough for me.

Tell us about your new Black Canary mini-series with Paulo Siqueira.

TONY: It’s a 4-issue look at Dinah as she’s left the Birds of Prey to try to give Sin a shot at a normal childhood.  Sin is the little girl Dinah met when she was training with Lady Shiva’s old master in Southeast Asia.  The League of Assassins was training Sin to take Shiva’s place one day, but Dinah took Sin with her, sparing her that fate.  Now Dinah has to weigh her responsibility to Sin against Ollie’s proposal, and the completely tumultuous nature of her relationship with Ollie.  And, of course, many, many butts are kicked along the way as enemies from the past show up to separate mother and child.  This is an in depth look at a character who’s reached a turning point in her life, and I’m very proud of how the story has come together.  But mostly I’m dazzled by Paulo’s amazing art.  If Greg Land and Jim Lee had a love-child, he’d still be only half as good as Paulo.  Really, you need to check out this guy’s work.

Rewinding to the past for a second… I was a big fan of the Route666, and was really disappointed by its discontinuation. Can you tell an old Route666 fan, will we ever see the conclusion to Cassie’s story? If not, can you hint at what was in store for her, Agent Gunnar, and the whole infernal conspiracy?

TONY: The crystal ball says…you will probably NEVER see the rest of Cassie’s story!  And that was the conspiracy, my friend: to lure you in then leave you wanting more!  Cassie was last seen in the Siberia-like environment where the forces of evil had set up a factory to manufacture “ghost nukes” – bombs that would leave a whole city haunted.  Cassie and her spetznaz friends where going to disable the place, but Sheriff Cisco would get killed in the process and they’d all end up in Perdition where they’d meet the Adversary face to face.  And if you just read that and have no idea what it means, then where were you when we needed you to keep Crossgen afloat?!  It’s all your fault!

What are your greatest strengths as a writer? Your personal kryptonite?

TONY: I don’t know that I have any particular strengths or gifts.  I just love this stuff and I try hard.  Hopefully the effort and affection comes through in the stories.  You can always tell when someone phones it in, can’t ya?  As for my kryptonite, I’d say the thing I have to work on is ending my stories better.  I think I sometimes rush the endings after spending so much time setting up the situations and trying to hook the readers.  But it’s always nice to feel like you have to improve something.  It gives you something to work towards.  I’d get scared if I thought I really had this writing thing licked.

What’s the best comic book you’ve read recently, and why?

TONY: Tough call because right now there are a lot of good reads out there.  Garth’s Punisher is consistently great.  I devour each issue of The Walking Dead like a zombie goes through brains.  I’ve enjoyed the hell out of Winick’s GREEN ARROW run. But pound for pound the guy who impresses me most these days is Brian Vaughn.  Y THE LAST MAN, EX MACHINA and Runaways are all little masterpieces of structure, surprise, and dialogue that never fails to make me think, “I wish I’d thought of that!”

If you had to choose one blockbuster movie to see this year, comicbook-based or not, what would it be and why?

TONY: I’d like to see 300…but haven’t been able to because my 8-year-old son isn’t ready for that stuff, and getting a baby sitter and all that is such a pain in the butt!  Still, I might be able to catch it next Friday…

What is your strangest comic convention experience to date?

TONY: Oh, there’s stuff that’s not fit to print, but one particular San Diego lives in my memory.  Bill Tucci had four of us in his Crusade Crew out to work the convention. We all shared one hotel room (it stank like feet by the end of the week!).  It was me, Jeff Zapata, Jason Orfalas and JG Jones.  We worked that Crusade booth like dogs!  Billy had a motorcycle displayed up on a stand made from steel tubes that slid together.  We were moving the bike and the stand collapsed.  The full weight of that bike fell right on the toe of Billy’s mother’s boyfriend, Leo – a former biker in his seventies who’d just had bypass surgery.  Time stood still as I looked at his face, his eyes bugging, his mouth puckered in a cartoonish “O”.  And all I could think was “What the %#*$ do we have a %$@& motorcycle in here for?!  It’s a funnybook show!” Well, Leo spent the rest of the show in a scooter, but he turned out okay in the end.  JG went on to fame and fortune.  Zapata emerged from that show as the biggest Casanova I know.  And Jason and I teamed back up years later on our Image book, RETRO ROCKET.  So there!

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. The folks at DC are lucky to have you!

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