Jake Black is a comic book and television writer. He’s comics work includes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Legion of Superheroes and worked on adaptations of Orson Scott Card’s Ender series. He’s also written materials for Smallville and episodes of Ben 10 and Batman: Brave and the Bold, among others.
He was kind enough to talk to us about his involvement with Supergirls fiftieth issue, hitting comic book stores and newsstands tomorrow. His contribution was co-written with Helen Slater, who played Supergirl on film in the 80s, and was drawn by Cliff Chiang.
Big Shiny Robot!: You’ve done story in Supergirl #50 with Helen Slater, who played Supergirl in the 80s. How did you get put together with her and what was that process like?
Jake Black: A couple of years ago, Helen and I were guests in the annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL. We both loved Supergirl, and as we talked, developed a story we wanted tell for DC Comics. DC passed on that first pitch, but as they were looking at the 50th issue, revisited the initial story we wanted to do. While this is a much shorter version that we’d originally pitched, it’s thematically *very* similar.
Helen and I had several conversations about the character, and went back and forth on the story. We each did pass after pass, back and forth, until we got a script/story we were happy with. It was a very positive experience, and something I’m very proud of.
BSR!: Tell us about the story (but not too much about the story) and where it fits into Supergirl’s mythos.
JB: Our story is a celebration of 50 years and 50 issues of Supergirl. OBviously Helen has a deep, long-running affection for the character, and we both had things we wanted to say about her. This was our chance.
BSR!: #50 seems like a milestone a lot of comics reach, why is Supergirl #50 so special…
JB: It’s a big year for DC Comics. The company is celebrating its 75th anniversary. As part of that year-long commemoration, special event issues such as Supergirl 50 are being emphasized as something special. 2009 was Sueprgirl’s own 50th anniversary, and he 25th anniversary of the Supergirl movie Helen starred in. This issue celebrates not only 50 issues, but also 50 years of Supergirl, and 25 years of the Supergirl movie. With the covers by Michael Turner, who created the look of the modern Supergirl as well as a variant by Josh Middleton who did amazing work on past issues of the series, it’s become a huge event for the anniversaries its celebrating.
BSR!: What is it that draws you to the character?
JB: I love Supergirl. I love watching her evolve, grow from girl to woman. I also love strong female characters. I grew up with a lot of strong women around me. Seeing Supergirl evolve in such a way is rewarding and exciting.
BSR!: What do you have coming up comics-wise?
JB: I’m doing a few issues of DC’s “Cartoon Network Action Pack” featuring “Ben 10.” I’m also one of the lead writers on the “DC Comics Super-hero Collection” which is a series of magazines that profile DC characters and are packaged with a small lead statue of the featured subject. Throw in a couple of Smallville DVD things, and I’ve got some exciting comics projects going on.
BSR!: I know you work on a lot of superhero cartoons, what’s cooking there?
JB: I’ve done some stuff like “Chaotic” and “Ben 10” for Cartoon Network. I also recently wrote an episode of “Batman: Brave and Bold” that will premiere on CN later this year. Can’t give too many details about that one, yet. But it’s a fun romp that Batman comics fans will love!
BSR!: Big Shiny Robot! ran a few stories in support of the T-shirt Mirage put together for your cancer treatments, as well as the comic benefit Ryan Ottley and a few others came and did for you. Our readers are curious how you’re doing now and how all that worked out.
JB: It’s good! I was overwhelmed by the love and support the comics community showed me while I was fighting the disease. I truly appreciate BSR’s help in getting word out about those fundraisers. I had a scan right before Christmas a couple of months ago, and everything showed up good. I have exams and stuff every couple of months, but I pleased to report that the fight has been won.
Again, thank you to everyone who helped. You literally saved my life.
BSR!: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us!
Supergirl #50 hits stands tomorrow, be sure to go to your local comic book store and check it out!
To read a preview of the book, check out the one over at Newsarama.