Writer Matt Wagner and artist John K. Snyder III — the powerhouse creative team behind the critically acclaimed 1999 DR. MID-NITE miniseries — join Shag for a deep dive into the creation of this atmospheric reinvention of Dr. Mid-Nite. The conversation covers creative collaboration, visual storytelling, behind-the-scenes stories, and much more.
You can also watch this interview on the Fire & Water Podcast Network YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/MWlV_8AVGKA
Special thanks to Henry Bernstein for putting together the fantastic video edit!
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It’s hard to leave feedback on an episode where you interview a creator, because no one wants to be visibly/vocally critical of the interviewee who volunteered his/their time for the podcast, and too much praise would sound insincere or just dumb, like, “I really enjoyed how John told that story about his childhood…”
So I’ll be the first to say this episode was awful. Embarrassingly so. Every word Matt said rang false, like he was just giving you the answers you wanted to hear. And why didn’t you press them more on their political and social opinions?!! And did you have to talk about Doctor Mid-Nite so much?
Okay, enough of that nonsense. Great episode, as always, Shag. Matt and John sounded like a blast to talk to and I would’ve happily listened to another half hour of stories from them.
Also, for all the other listeners, I backed Matt’s DRACULA graphic novels with Kelley Jones. Go out and get them!
I echo Ryan’s comments, perhaps precisely because I’m NOT a fan of the art of this mini (I loved the story, itself, but the dark painterly style, while atmospheric, made it really hard for me to follow the story). Perhaps that’s more to say about my tastes (I’m apparently more of a traditionalist when it comes to comic art. I find that I *often* dislike art that other fans praise for being different) than anything else, and I want to respect the creators’ work (especially, as regards the art, that he put in such long hours to achieve it). My feelings are certainly not a reflection on the interview. Sounds like you all enjoyed yourselves immensely.
It was great to hear about the work that went into the creation of the new Doctor Mid-Nite. Not only did I get reminded of the trends in comics and the industry situation at the time, I also got confirmation on the ‘pulp re-inspiration’ of the modern character. Appreciated their approach at making him more of a “Doctor” than just in name, and him having assistants also added to the pulp feel.
More on this later — listened to the audio & watched the video!
I really enjoyed the interview. Shagg you always deliver top notch content. It amazes me to listen to these gentlemen reminisce about cons they were at together in 1987! I can’t remember who I was with at 7am this morning. After listening to these gentlemen episode, I immediately went on eBay and bought the series. Again, thank you for helping me find my joy!
I’ve not read this doctor midnight
I’ve bin doing a deep dive on the red bee
And the original golden age yellow
Jacket and wondering why nobody has put those two together as like a power man and iron fist team sorry sidebar.
Great interview Shag! The warmth and artistic respect Matt and John have for each other is obvious.
I was intrigued by Matt’s mentioning that Classics Illustrated were available at the supermarket checkout when he was a kid. What a neat idea, and a great way to get kids to start engaging with classic literature. I wonder when that stopped?
I also took note of JKS’ mention of working on Strathmore paper. I remember buying a lot of that in my art school days, and boy howdy was it pricey! But as he mentioned, it was durable and you could do a lot to it.
Great interview, Shag! Matt Wagner is not afraid of a microphone for sure! Both guests were very forthcoming and really seemed into the conversation. Great work.
Great interview.
What I loved was how crystal clear they remembered details around the mini so vividly. This clearly was a passion project and not paycheck project for these creators.
How cool to hear them talk about this little known, seldomly talked about mini-series so vividly.
Loved this mini.
Great interview, Shag! It was a ton of fun hearing Wagner and Snyder reminisce about their time on this book. From the sound of it, Doctor Mid-Nite was a project that had been developing for quite a while. I’m glad they touched on the influence pulp heroes had on Pieter Cross because that really stood out to me during my reread. I also came away appreciating just how unique all of the word balloons were throughout the series.
LOVED one this! Matt and John seem like great guys, so this interview felt like talking to good friends. Kudos to you Shagg for bringing the enthusiasm and love for this series to the creators. I’m also a sucker for hearing creative teams talk about how they approach a story. As someone who dabbles in writing, its great to see different methods. Once they mentioned they viewed this almost as a pulp-like character, I suddenly got very excited to re-read this mini through that lens. And you know how much I adore those pulp characters, so it’ll be fun to go back and see all the Doc Savage and The Shadow influences.
Finally, I don’t know but I’ve always dug the full face mask look for Pieter. Between that image in the JSA Secret Files and some of the art in the gallery for this episode, I think it looks good. It’s a shame it never stuck around, but then again with the emphasis on him being a doctor, it’s gotta be more comforting to talk to a patient or person in need with half your face exposed rather than a full face mask that’s a little too imposing for someone you’re trying to help.
Honestly, I thought this Dr Midnight was named after Peit Retief. He was a famous Dutch settler in South Africa around the time of the first Boer war. He was ambushed by Zulus. The reason I thought so was because his story is chronicled in the Alan Quatermain story Marie. I knew Wagner was an avid reader.
Cool podcast. Was Awsome to hear these two comic creators talk about their experiences and there inspirations that got them to want to create comics , but also hearing about their run on Dr. Mid- nite. Also learning that Matt Wagner is a great cheif is cool.
I can kind of cook myself. Though one of my girlfriends Donielle is also a wizard in the kitchen. ( we I mean she’s a good cook.) I think our other girl friend Alita just enjoys our food , but she’s a brilliant engineer so there is that.
Thanx Shagg and the gang for having these two titans of the industry on the podcast. I remember reading through the 1 st Valume of mage in barns in Nobel . After getting off work on my 20s and loving it. And loving it. Also buying the Madame Xanadu tbs and finding those brilliant as well.
And enjoyed seeing Dr. Mid-Nite return to the fold in JSA and watching the team build . And liking the comics Shagg and Rob are now covering in this podcast. -Wny way can’t wait for the next episode.
Fantastic interview, my friend. And finally. That’s how you pronounce “Pieter?”
Wow, Matt and John were great interviewees…their love for what they do truly shines through! I remember getting the trade of this series at the library when I went JSA-crazy in the early 2000s, and I remember really liking it. I read it on my lunch break at work and I still remember a coworker borrowing it and even though she wasn’t a comic book person, she really enjoyed it, too. I need to reread it!
I’d honestly not read this mini before, so this was the kick in the butt I needed. Shocking no one, I liked it a lot! But everyone here already knows it’s good, so I’ll leave it at that. And likewise, this conversation with Matt and John was a delight. Congrats on it, Shagg!
Shag, good job on this interview I seriously thought I was one of the of few people to remember this mini Although I probably didn’t realize the Bond Influence. Also I kind of wish you would have asked Wagner about his Demon mini series too.
Great episode Shag! Misters Wagner and Snyder were wondeful guests, and I think I could just listen to them talk about anything, let alone Dr. Mid-Nite! I’m ashamed to admit I have never read this series! I somehow didn’t even know it existed, even though I was always up for the JSA and was regularly buying a lot of DC at the time of publication! I’ve never ran into in the wild either. When Pieter showed up in the JSA title, that was my first indication this series had happened! I need to remedy that, ASAP. I just noticed it’s on the DCIU app! Huzzah!