JLI Podcast – J.M. DeMatteis Interview and 30th Anniversary Celebration

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL: BWAH-HA-HA PODCAST! It’s the 30th anniversary of the JLI and we’re celebrating with a very special guest. This episode we interview J.M. DeMatteis, co-writer and scripter of the Justice League International era!

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16 responses to “JLI Podcast – J.M. DeMatteis Interview and 30th Anniversary Celebration

  1. One thing I would have liked you to ask about was the Order vs. Chaos war that seemed to be building at DC in that time, with JM, Paul Kupperberg, and John Ostrander all touching on it in their titles.

  2. Great work Shagg, and thanks for coming on, Marc. Happy 30th Bwaa-ha-ha-day! It’s always great to hear about comic creators who just flat out like one another and their characters.

    Of the new information, the most interesting was the behind-the-scenes look at JL3000/3001. I loved that series, Lord knows I blogged about enough issues and pushed it on social meeja at every opportunity … but Lord, if an Andy Helfer had been editing, it might still be running. Yeah, I love the Giffen wackiness and ridiculous level of creativity, but the unfinished storylines as Keith got new ideas was really frustrating. A Helfer-style editor to reign in Keith just a tad, to remind him to tie up the odd plotline before introducing three more, would’ve been a real boon. Heck, it might still have been cancelled but we’d not have so many loose ends.

    Sigh. I miss that book.

  3. Great job on the interview Shag. I’ve always enjoyed Mr. DeMatteis’ work, but now that I’ve heard how humble and intelligent he is, it’s endeared me to him that much more. One of the most natural comic pro interviews I’ve heard, and I’m not just saying that because you write the Fire and Water paychecks.

    I’d love to hear him back on the show and discuss further his handling of the League in animation. Can’t wait for his return to the show. You guys had a great back-and-forth there!

    Chris

  4. Superb episode Shag, JMD is one of the greats and he managed to put up with your nonsense quite well and with a lot of aplomb (I could learn from him). I liked his insights as to writing JL/JLA/JLI, as well as his numerous other projects.

    I still remember going to Heroes World on a Saturday (special trip!) to pick up the first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE. After the way the original JLA series sputtered to a conclusion, I was so excited over this new series. Pretty amazing first issue, especially considering JMD was only five years old when he wrote it.

    Nice way to mark the anniversary!

  5. Excellent show, Shag! You asked some great questions! I was very fortunate to meet Mr. DeMatteis at a signing at Shinder’s Bookstore in downtown Minneapolis in the mid ’80s and he signed my copy of Defenders #100. He was very polite to answer all the questions I (this young kid at the time) had and we had a nice conversation (and it turns out we share December 15th as our birthdays).

    His kindness and forthcoming hasn’t changed at all. I really enjoyed hearing him and the rapport you both had. Great stuff! Thanks to you both!

  6. Great show! DeMatteis has always been one of my favorite comic writers. Whether it’s Spider-Man, JLI, Moonshadow etc, DeMatteis has always delivered his best. I thought we’d finally get the origin of Bwah ha ha but alas it’s seems to be a mystery lost through time or at least in Giffen and DeMatteis’ memories. It’s great to hear when the creators collaborating get along and seem to be good friends. A terrific and fun interview by the always brilliant (Bwah ha ha) Shagg. Truly Shagg thanks and Happy Anniversary JLI!!

  7. Terrific interview. Nice job Shagg. There really was no doubt that DeMatteis would provide some thoughtful content, given that most of his work is quite thoughtful, and I’m glad you didn’t stick to just Justice League content.

  8. Irish Embassy calling – great interview with JM – he has written some great stories and it was great to hear his insight into the story behind the JLI. Hopefully you might be able to get more interviews from other creators on the Bwa-ha-ha era in the future.

  9. Great interview, Shag! I don’t think that i could recognize a DeMatteis story without looking at the credits, but listening to him made me want to seek out more of them!

    1. As well as Dr Fate and, obviously, JL stuff, I heartily recommend I… Vampire, which appeared in House of Mystery from #290 and Captain America from #261 – that’s available on Marvel Unlimited. And his Spider-Man and Defenders work was great fun.

  10. Just wanted to say I enjoyed the interview and may have to steal your product plugs from whenever I finally run my own interview with DeMatteis from two years ago when he was still promoting Justice League 3000. I ran all the Martian Manhunter and Captain America-related material on anniversary podcasts, but the world is still waiting for our dialogue on Doctor Strange and The New Defenders.

  11. I can’t get over just quite how spontaneous and in-the-moment the creative process was back then. So many great comics were created under minimal supervision, and the JLI crew is a great example of what can be done with the right players at the right time. The proof is in the pudding; it’s why JLI stands the test of time.

  12. Great job, Shagg! An interview was an interesting change of pace for the podcast, and it sounded like you had fun doing it. It was certainly fun to listen to.

    Hearing JMD was such a treat. I have so many of his comics, and I can always count on his stories to be intelligent, literary, and emotional. Quite recently, I read his run on Captain America for the first time. What a ride! Sincerely, get Marvel Unlimited. You’ll get your money’s worth just reading those comics.

    And see? It’s all about G’Nort. BWAH-HAH-HAHAHAHA!

  13. Great job, (as always, of course) Shag. JM was super cool, which is always nice, when a creator you admire turns out not to be a monster of some kind 🙂 Perhaps the biggest shock for me in this episode was finding out how the Clone Saga was really supposed to end, as that was the ending I wanted back in the day!

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