Green Lantern Corps - Nueva serie

CHAMPAGNE FOR THE CORPS: KEITH CHAMPAGNE TALKS GL CORPS



by Vaneta Rogers

When Keith Champagne wrote a two-part story for the ongoing JSA title last year, the writer got a lot of attention from DC fans, many of whom guessed incorrectly that the man known best for his inking must have garnered help from regular writer Geoff Johns to write a JSA story that good, as it fit seamlessly into the series.

Nope – all Champagne.

Now fans will have another chance to check out Champagne's writing as he comes on board Green Lantern Corps for a three-issue story arc beginning with Issue #7 in December.

Titled "Dark Side of the Green," the story follows how Guy Gardner and a new recruit go out on a routine mission and uncover a secret that "could shake the Corps to the core" -- while facing a little more action than even they can handle. Throw in a little Dominator action and a Captain Comet connection, and the story starts sounding like another must-read from Champagne.

To find out more about the story and how the inker likes crossing over into writing, Newsarama talked to Champagne about his gig on Green Lantern Corps and what's next for the multi-talented creator.

Newsarama: Let's start with how you got the Green Lantern Corps writing gig…

Keith Champagne: Right place, right time.

NRAMA: That's handy.

KC: I happened to be in the DC offices on the same day that Peter Tomasi was looking for a GLC pitch. I've had an idea for the Corps in the back of my head for a couple of years so I threw it out there and he liked it. A couple of days later, I started writing away.

Sometimes, fortune shines down and things work out pretty smoothly. It seems to happen more often when working for Tomasi -- and now that he's gotten his obligatory ass kissing moment in print, let's move on...

NRAMA: You can never really suck up to an editor too much. But it sounds like this is a story you really wanted to write?

KC: Yep. I have other pitches and ideas for the Corps but this was the one I wanted to write the most. Maybe someday, with proper training and diet, if I take my vitamins and say my prayers, I'll get to do some more.

NRAMA: So that's the secret of your success. OK, tell us a little about what happens in the first issue of this story.

KC: Guy Gardner and a new recruit to the Corps, R'amey Holl, are running a routine mission for the Guardians, kind of a simple task to break in the new recruit. They end up fighting for their life on a frozen planet and, shockingly, uncover a great and hidden secret tied to the previous incarnation of the Corps.

Meanwhile, on the Dominion Homeworld, one of those creepy yellow bastards has his hands on part of the space rock that originally created Captain Comet.



NRAMA: Uh oh. That doesn't sound good.

KC: He's not planning on using it to cure cancer, either.

NRAMA: They never do.

KC: Somewhere down the line, these two plotlines meet, very bad things happen to Guy Gardner, and several beings don't make it out alive.

Oh, there's also a Durlan named Daggle involved.

NRAMA: A Durlan Daggle? You'll get a few Legion fans interested with that tease. So are the Green Lantern Corps a favorite for you?

KC: Actually, I always liked the Corps more than the straight Green Lantern/Hal Jordan book. I dig the diversity of the cast and the larger scope that the stories can encompass. Anything is possible in space if you just imagine big enough. I always loved those weird and charming little Alan Moore GLC stories like "The F-Sharp Bell" and the original Mogo story. I think the book works best with some of that outside-the-box imagination mixed in with characters that the reader can relate to and care about.

NRAMA: How about Guy Gardner? Are you one of those crazy Guy fans who have been hailing his return?

KC: I never particularly liked Guy as a character, I always thought he was kind of an idiot and much more of a supporting character than someone who could star in his own title. Plus, Guy had gotten so convoluted that seeing him pop up into a book made me groan.

I did like Beau Smith's take on his personality, even if I thought the whole Vuldarian angle was not the best solution to finding a role for Guy in the DCU after the Corps collapsed. He was just one of those characters that got shafted due to circumstance.

However, I'm happy to say that now that Peter T. and Geoff Johns rejuvenated him and got him back to being Guy Gardner, I had a great time writing him.



NRAMA: He's really taken on a new life.

KC: He's the sort of character where you can just drop him into any situation and he basically writes himself. Probably the most fun I've had writing comics so far is coming up with Guy Gardner dialogue.

So I did a total 180 and now can't wait to write him again.

NRAMA: Another new Guy fan. But didn't you choose to write him when you put together the characters for the story?

KC: The great and powerful Tomasi asked me to incorporate Guy into the story. Most everyone else, I just made them up.

NRAMA: Let's talk about those made-up characters. What can you tell us about this new bad guy?

KC: The main villain in this story is a Dominion scientist who is still really, really pissed that the Dominators got their butts kicked during the Invasion. He's dreamed of revenge on the Earth ever since and, now that he has Captain Comet's space rock, he's planning on doing some damage.

NRAMA: And you're playing around with the new Corps recruits a little. That's got to be fun.

KC: It's fun in the sense that because the Corps is so large, you can basically create whatever type of character you need to fit the story. In this case, I wanted a female to play off of Guy a bit, but also one that has her own agenda, style, and way of doing things.

NRAMA: How has it been working with Patrick Gleason on the story?

KC: Pat Gleason is an amazing talent with the sideburns to match.

When people read these interviews, it's very standard fare to hear the writer kiss the artist's butt. It's boring and cliché and I wish I could say that he sucks just for the sake of variety but the truth is, he's really just that damn good.



NRAMA: Well, make it interesting and give us some reasoning for the butt kissing. What does he bring to the story?

KC: Aside from his distinctive drawing style, the thing that has impressed me the most about seeing Pat interpret my script is his visual imagination. If I ask for a rampaging beast in the script, he gives it back to me but skewed in a completely different direction than I may have been asking for -- but much better and more creatively imagined. He doesn't give me back the standard comic book fare; he spins things and creates in a really distinctive way.

It's hard to explain but it's really amazing to see what he does. He's got that unique vision that makes him perfect for a book like the Green Lantern Corps, where he's got room to let his imagination run wild. I'd work with him forever if it were up to me.

Prentis Rollins and Moose ain't no slouches either. Those boys put together a pretty good looking package.

NRAMA: Let the butt kissing continue! But seriously, Keith, you mentioned you had some other Green Lantern Corps stories. Are there plans for you to write more on this title?



KC: Just these three issues so far but there's been talk of doing more down the road if it fits in the book's schedule. I'd love to come back again, especially if I can keep working with Pat.

NRAMA: Your last writing gig was the JSA issues last year -- were you
itching to get back to the writing side of things?

KC: I was indeed itching to get back behind the keyboard and it was a little frustrating when, after the JSA stuff came out and was well received, that more doors didn't open up in terms of scripting.

Luckily, Tomasi believes in me and has an open mind to hearing my ideas, letting me pitch, and slotting me in when he has an opening. He's like my patron saint.

NRAMA: Oh, if you keep this up, Tomasi's got to get you more writing work. Then again, if this story lives up to your JSA story, that should help.

KC: I believe that the more writing work I get published, the more people behind the scenes will see that I'm someone who can do much more than ink. It's definitely been an uphill sprint though.

NRAMA: What is it that is so rewarding about writing compared to the rewards of working on the art side of things?

KC: I really enjoy inking and I've been very, very lucky to be able to do it for so long and on such a consistent, monthly basis. I'm just about to start my 14th year and I've never missed a day of work. Like I said, lucky. I've learned a lot working with some great artists, even some of my heroes in this business like John Byrne and Dave Gibbons. It's been very gratifying that way.

It pales in comparison to the love I have for writing and the outlet it provides for just being creative and telling stories.

NRAMA: But you're accomplished as an artist too. That's got to feel good.

KC: I hope to always be working both sides of things, art and writing. It's the perfect scenario.

NRAMA: Then we'll ask about both -- first tell us where we're going to see your writing skills utilized in the coming months.

KC: I had a lot of fun writing a Xena Annual for Dynamite called “Strange Visitor,” out next month, where Xena encounters an alien warrior that she has inadvertently wronged. Much like the process of learning to like Guy Gardner, I became a Xena fan over the course of writing it and hope to do more. I've written a 10-page story, which John Byrne drew and I inked, for the DC Infinite Christmas special called "A Hector Hammond Christmas."

And I'm in the middle of writing two issues of Batman that introduce a new villain called "The Mirror."

NRAMA: Batman? You really are getting more work! Anything else?

KC: After that, I believe I'm writing a stand-alone Nightwing tale. And I have a pitch in for a Green Lantern Corps mini-series that spins out of this three issue arc in the main GLC book.

NRAMA: And what artwork do you have coming up that fans will be seeing?

KC: Firestorm #32 is my last issue of that title. Jamal Igle and I are moving on to a different monthly assignment, something that hasn't been announced as of yet. I'm also inking an issue of 52 right now.

NRAMA: That's quite a list! OK, Keith, the last question -- why do you think people should give these three issues of Green Lantern Corps a chance?

KC: Pat, Prentis, and Moose doing what they do best. Every single one of us has gone above to make these three issues the best three of the series to date. And if you don't think we succeeded, I'll buy you a beer. Right after I get Ron Marz the drink I owe him.