Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Marvel Top 10: "Young X-Men"

      Josh Green
      July 8, 2008
      Columns, Comics Bulletin Soapbox, Top 10
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • 1.0

      Boris the Spider-Man: Spider-Man 2099 #11

      Josh Green
      July 9, 2016
      Big Two, Big Two Reviews, Marvel Comics
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Singles Going Steady 2/15/2017: That's Show Biz!

      Josh Green
      February 20, 2017
      Boom! Studios, DC Comics, Image, Reviews, Singles Going Steady
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.0

      140 Character Reviews 1/8/14: Delta Week

      Josh Green
      January 9, 2014
      140 Character Reviews, Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Fred Chao: Building Your Everyman's Hiro

      Josh Green
      July 16, 2009
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade: Valiant Masters: Ninjak

      Josh Green
      April 24, 2015
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • First Look at Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #1

      Josh Green
      August 20, 2019
      Boom! Studios, News, Press Release, Previews
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Review: 'Out of Nothing' is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Josh Green
      July 23, 2018
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: If I win Powerball, I will buy Amazing Fantasy 15
  • DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Interviews

J.T. Krul: Walking Through a Mindfield of Blackest Nights

Josh Green
September 28, 2009
Interviews

J.T. Krul took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with Josh Green to chat everything Blackest Night, Titans, Fathom, Soulfire, and Mindfield.

Enjoy!

WARNING: This interview may contain spoilers!


Josh Green: Tempest starred in your Titans #15 prelude to Blackest Night: Titans mini-series. But does his transformation into a Black Lantern from Blackest Night #2 mean that he will be the central villain of the mini-series? Is there anything else about Blackest Night: Titans that you can say without spoiling the series?

J.T. Krul: I’m rather tight-lipped about the goings on in Blackest Night: Titans, partially because I don’t want to incur the wrath of Geoff Johns or my editors, but also because I want the story to just unfold. It’s an exciting story and allows me an opportunity to completely tear down these characters to their raw emotional cores. Since Tempest was a Titan and now he’s a Black Lantern, I guess you could say it wouldn’t be out of the realm for him to appear in the pages of Blacket Night: Titans, but the relationships we’ve already revealed in the story are the driving forces behind it — Gar and Terra, Hawk and Dove, Donna and her family. That’s the primary focus of the story.

JG: What is like to be working with one of DC’s premiere artists in Ed Benes on Blackest Night: Titans?

J.T.: Amazing. Having Geoff Johns go to bat for me with getting the writing assignment for the series was incredible enough, but having Ed Benes on art really pushed it over the top. He is one the powerhouses in the industry and we’ve got the pages to prove it. The response has been nothing short of stellar regarding his work so far — and it only gets better and creepier from here on out.

JG: You are also writing other Blackest Night tie-ins with Teen Titans #77-78 as well as Titans #19. Tell us a bit about these stories.

J.T.: Teen Titans #77-78 is a two-part story that centers on the deadliest father/daughter combo in the DCU — Deathstroke and Ravager. Again, not going to spill too much on the story, but let’s just say it’ll be a family affair. Plus, both issues are oversized issues!

Titans #19 is a spotlight issue on Red Arrow. I’ve been a big fan of Roy Harper for a long time and jumped at the chance to write this issue. It required less heavy lifting, if you will, than my Tempest story in Titans #15 because Garth had been M.I.A. for awhile so he needed a bit more catching up. With these spotlight issues, it’s all about getting to the core the Titans characters and identifying what makes them special, and that’s what I am trying to do here with Roy’s story.

Roy is interesting because he tries to come off as reckless, running into danger out in the world and jumping from girl to girl in the bedroom. He’s kind of a player. But the truth is he already has a girl who owns his heart — his daughter Lian. For this story, I wanted to explore his role as a father and how it helps and hinders his ability as a hero, and vice versa. I mean, it’s one thing to be a superhero with no family — leaping into the fray, but it’s quite another when you know you are responsible for taking care of a child.

Plus, we also get to see what Lian’s life is like having Red Arrow for a dad. In some respects it’s the coolest thing ever, but at times it can be a real bummer. Essentially, it comes down to the question — Can Roy be Red Arrow but also be there for his daughter when she needs him? And, how can he have the biggest impact on his daughter as a father, but also as a superhero?

JG: Will your various Titans comics lesson your Aspen output?

J.T.: The DC work has been great. I’ve been talking with them for years and am excited to be working on some really high-profile projects with them. Playing in the Titans world has been the absolute best. It won’t lessen my output at Aspen, but it will lessen my output of sleep.

JG: What’s coming up with Aspen Comics’ Fathom and Soulfire?

J.T.: Both Fathom and Soulfire are firing on all cylinders right now. Fathom is just getting ready to finish up Volume Three, which has seen an epic war break out between the Humans and the Blue against a mythic force from the depths off the ocean called The Black. That will lead into a new Fathom mini-series that David Schwartz (who created Meltdown) will be writing. Plus, I’ll be getting started on Fathom Volume Four later this year.

As for Soulfire, Volume One has just finished up a few months ago with Joe Benitez coming onboard to finish up Mike’s vision. It was a long road for that story, and at times a very sad one, but it’s a great feeling to see it finished just how Mike wanted it to be. The New World Order mini-series is wrapping up. The final issue — issue #5 — will come out soon. And, we just premiered Soulfire Volume Two in early September with Marcus To, Saleem Crawford, and Beth Sotelo handling the art.

So, that a lot of Fathom and Soulfire, and I didn’t even mention the movies. Fathom is set up with Megan Fox signed to star as Aspen Matthews. And, Soulfire has been picked up by Valhalla Pictures.

JG: Has it been difficult to continue writing Fathom and Soulfire since the passing of Michael Turner?

J.T.: Everything is difficult since Mike’s death, but you do what you need to do to get through the days. In a way, it’s the hardest part of my job because every script, every piece of art, every book is a reminder that he’s not with us anymore. But on the other hand, everything is a reminder that he IS with us, you know? It’s bittersweet at times, but other times it’s nice to just sit down and revisit the stuff we worked on, the talks we had, and the times we spent together. He was more than a colleague, he was a true friend — and that is what made the work we did together even more special.

JG: Are you excited about the Fathom movie? Does it look like the film will go into production any time soon?

J.T.: Of course. It’s a great time for Fathom and fans of Fathom. Going back to the last question, the only sad part about it is that Mike didn’t get to see his vision come to life on the big screen. I don’t know when it goes into production. They are still working on the script right now.

JG: Let’s talk about your new creator-owned book at Aspen, Mindfield. What is the premise behind Mindfield? Also, what were the influences behind the conception of the comic book?

J.T.: Mindfield is a dark
tale about a team of telepathic CIA agents, who serve as the ultimate form of thought police to combat domestic terrorism. On one end, it’s an action-espionage story in the realm of The Bourne Identity or 24, but there is also a strong character-driven aspect to the story as these agents struggle with how their abilities uncover the darkest secrets of the human condition. The story itself comes from actual history. Like many others in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the CIA experimented with hallucinogenic drugs like LSD. For their MK-ULTRA program, the goal was to use the drugs as a kind of truth serum in order to extract information from foreign spies. So, I took that concept and stretched it to the next level in terms of what the CIA would be after given today’s current climate.

With regard to the tone of the story, I have been heavily influenced by dystopian fiction since I was a kid. It’s no coincidence that I refer to “thought police” when describing the project as George Orwell’s 1984 is one of my favorite books of all time. There are a host of other works in this arena that have an impact of Minfield (Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, the film Children of Men, etc.) as well as the scene during the 1960’s and the various personalities and events that spilled out from the rise of the counter-culture.

JG: Who is the artist of Mindfield and when can we expect the series to be released?

J.T.: The artist for the series is Alex Konat. He’s a major find that we’ve actually known at Aspen for years. He was a big fan of Michael Turner and we’d see him at all the conventions over the years. He’s really developed as an artist, went to the Joe Kubert School, and even worked on Gotham Gazette over at DC Comics. He has a very realistic style that meshes perfectly with the look and feel that we’re trying to achieve with this book. As of now, the schedule for the book is an April release of the #0 issue, with the first issue coming to stores in June of 2010.

JG: Despite this being a six-issue mini-series, is it your hope that it will continue as an ongoing saga? Also, is it a finite tale or is it open-ended?

J.T.: It’s not just my hope, it’s my plan. This first volume really scratches the surface of the characters and the world I want to explore. I actually have stories mapped out for 4 volumes. There is a definite overlying arc to Mindfield and as the volumes continue, readers will see the story and the focus grow and evolve over time. I don’t think people will expect where we are going, which I think is half the fun of reading something new.

JG: Would you say that Mindfield is your most ambitious project to date?

J.T.: It’s my first creator-owned series, how could it not be? I’m putting everything I can into this project because the story demands it, but also because I want to make sure if a reader is going to give my story a chance, they’ll be satisfied with the results.

JG: Do you have any other projects lined up with DC Comics or Aspen that haven’t been announced yet? How about with other companies?

J.T.: There is more Fathom stuff coming up that we aren’t announcing yet, and I have more DC work coming right at the first of the year, but again — nothing I can talk about.

J.T. KrulJosh Green

Share On:
Tweet
Sylvain Runberg: The Star that Defines Orbital
"The Long, Dark Pizza of the Soul"

About The Author

<a href="https://comicsbulletin.com/byline/josh-green/" rel="tag">Josh Green</a>
Josh Green
Managing Editor

Josh Green lives in Philadelphia, PA with his lovely wife Lauren. Having worked at Dynamite Entertainment and TV Guide, Josh is now at Comics Bulletin and its network of websites at Crossroads Alpha, so that he can still dabble in pop culture. While he is not dabbling, Josh lives a simple life, where his main enjoyment is spending as much time possible with his wife, whose very existence gives Josh purpose for everything.

Related Posts

  • 4.5

    Marvel Art Books Reviews

    Josh Green
    October 10, 2014
  • 4.0

    Arrow Season Two Blu-ray Review

    Josh Green
    October 7, 2014

Latest Interviews

  • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

    Daniel Gehen
    June 8, 2020
  • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

    Mike Nickells
    March 4, 2020
  • Simon Roy

    Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

    Mike Nickells
    January 29, 2020
  • Interview: V.E. Schwab on revisiting Red London in The Steel Prince

    Stephen Cook
    March 13, 2019
  • Interview: David Foster Wallace and Hellblazer, words on Wyrd with writer Curt Pires

    Stephen Cook
    February 27, 2019
  • “The Night Has Teeth” An Interview with Sarah deLaine, Artist of Image Comics’ “Little Girls”

    Jason Sacks
    February 26, 2019
  • Interview: Caitlin Kittredge talks the future of Witchblade

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2019
  • Interview: Andy Nakatani and the Future of Weekly Shonen Jump

    Daniel Gehen
    December 19, 2018
  • INTERVIEW: Todd Matthy talks robots, princesses, and bridging the divide with storytelling

    Stephen Cook
    September 13, 2018
  • INTERVIEW: Gallaher & Ellis discuss THE ONLY LIVING GIRL

    Daniel Gehen, Thea Srinivasan
    September 7, 2018
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders