Interview: Jeph Loeb

Matthieu-David: Who and what are your influences ?

Jeph Loeb: First and foremost : My father. He loves to tell stories. He is not a writer but he is a great story teller.  Then I’ll say that I’m like a sponge : I’m influenced by movies, magazines, the news, and by people like Ford, Coppola, Howard Hawks, Michael Cortese…

A lot of my influences come from Life. If i hear something, something funny for exemple, i’ll ask myself what makes it funny and i’ll try to recreate it.

J.L.: Because of my background as a screenwriter, I only know how to do a very detailed, panel by panel breakdown of the physical action and the rhythm of the story. 
The dialogue is mostly there for the artist to be able to know what to do with the expression on the characters and while I like to use most of that, when I see the artwork, it's usually weeks later, so I will go over the dialogue again before it goes to my good luck charm, Richard Starkings who letters everything I do.  He's magic!

M-D: I feel that writers in comics are more recognised now than ever. I think that people pay more attention to writers, and they follow their carreer like they used to do 10 or 15 years ago only for drawing artists. It’s not really a question but if you want to comment it would be great J

J.L.: I think folks are more aware of the writer’s role, but I’m not sure if they are the stars.  This is still a visually driven media.  I’m very glad that people got caught up in the story of HUSH for example, but I’m not foolish enough to think that without Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair and Richard Starkings my story wouldn’t have had nearly the impact.

Remember, more people probably know Stan Lee more than anybody else in the business, so the role of the writer has always been out front.  

And remember, I did The Long Halloween in 13 parts before anybody was thinking about trades.  But, I welcome trades into the market.  Like DVD and Movies, they allow for an even larger audience to get to enjoy the material.

M-D: If you hadn’t worked in comics, what would you have done for a living ?

J.L.: I would continue writing for movies and TV.  And I would have liked to have a restaurant.

M-D: If you were a comic book character, who would you be ? and why ?

J.L.: Pa Kent

M-D: What’s your favourite movie ?

J.L.: It really depends… « Godfather » part 1 and 2, « Once upon a time in the West », « Once upon a time in america », « Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid », « To have and have not », and anything with the Marx Brothers.

J.L.: Robert Duvall or John Malkovich. And to play a younger me it would be Kevin Kline.  

M-D : you’re working for comics but also for TV and for movies. Could you explain to us the similitudes and the differences in writing for those different medias ?

J.L.: They’re cousins.  Both are stories telling driven media.  All of it works best with stories that are filled with heart, humor and emotion.  Budget, obviously effects the film and TV work -- you have to write what CAN be filmed, where as Comics you can let your imagination really go. Although you can’t write “Then, TEN THOUSAND AMAZON WARRIORS attack all of New York” and expect anybody to actually DRAW that!

J.L.: I think it's fantastic.  Comic Book Movies ARE a genre and with the success of Spidey and the X-Men we really have stories that are well done and good movies and are true to the material. I've seen some of BATMAN BEGINS and it ROCKS!

J.L.: It depends.... But if I'm on deadline, I'll get up at about 4:00 AM and write until 8:00 and then I have to take my kids to school.  I show up at SMALLVILLE at  9:00 AM and we're there until 7:00 PM every day ( Jeph is Supervising Producer on the show ). There's a break for lunch, but other than that it's working on the scripts and checking out the other aspects of the show, casting, editing, looking at dailies (the footage from the previous day) and coming up with the next story!  I try and get home for dinner and get to bed by midnight and then it starts all over again!

M-D: What’s your favourite song ?  

J.L..: a song by Frank Sinatra probably

M-D: What’s your favourite book ?

J.L.: Oh, that’s a tough one… I read so much.  I’d be an idiot not say it’s something that I’m working on because I’m such a huge fan of the artists I work with -- Tim Sale, Ed McGuinnnes, Jim Lee, Mike Turner, Carlos Pacheco -- who died and made me lucky?!

J.L.: Superman or Batman… depends on the day.

J.L.: Team books.  Except for the Avengers, I don’t think I’d like to spread the story that thin.  I remember on the X-Men I always wound up either keeping certain characters out of the story or having some of them doing nothing and that bothered me.  With team books you have to have team villains so now you’re servicings a LOT more characters.  I leave all that to Geoff Johns.  He’s the king of the group books now!

J.L.: My children. I got two.  One is starting to learn french by the way. 

Honestly, I’m very lucky to have had the career I’ve had in movies, television, animation and especially comics.  Comics have been part of my life since I was a kid and to be able to give back to that is a real thrill.

J.L.:Actually, I've been very lucky.  Yes, it was hard at first getting into the film
business, but looking back, it happened very quickly out of Film School. I've never stopped working since graduation and that's really something.  What I never take for granted is that now, more than ever, I'm doing what I love between comics and Smallville, and hopefully it shows in the work.

M-D: Any funny or emotionnal memory from a convention ?

J.L.: Just a lot of thrills meeting both fans and other pros who I’ve gotten to know through their work over the years.  Everybody is pretty nice.  Like I said, I’m very lucky.

M-D: What surprised you the most when you arrived in Paris ?  

J.L.: Honestly?  My friendship with Olivier Jalabert.  I never would have met this man without coming to France to sign at Album ( Olivier is the owner of a Parisian comicshop called “Album” ;) ) and I'm usually very shy around the people who organize these sorts of things.  It's  often just a business relationship, even though I've met some very nice people. But, Olivier and I just hit it off on the way back from the airport!  He's been a close friend to me and my family (and his family and I) since then!

Catwoman: When in Rome.

J.L.: I’ve written a screenplay with Mike Kunkel on Herobear and The Kid.  I return to SMALLVILLE for its fourth season as the Supervising Producer.  And with all my free time (ha!) I still have to get in CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME and the new Carlos Pacheco arc in Superman/Batman called ABSOLUTE POWER.  When folks see Carlos’ artwork they are going to be floored.

Superman/Batman #14

M-D: Is there a question you wish people ask you in interviews and never do ?  Which one, and what would be the answer ?

J.L.: Never been asked that one!  And I guess that’s my answer! 

M-D: And since My website is on Dr Doom mainly and that you wrote him, i wanted to know how do you see Dr Doom ?

J.L.: Well i didn’t got to really write the character in Heroes Reborn, Scott ( Lobdell ) did. I just did the dialogue.

I love that he is a very tragic and brilliant man…Very much like Bruce Wayne. But unlike Bruce who is trying to make something of his life, he is destroyed by it.

M-D : What about a mini-serie «  Dr Doom Green » with Tim Sale? J

J.L.: Tim and I are HUGE fans of Dr. Doom.  I doubt we’d do an entire series on him, but more than once we’ve talked about doing some kind of long one shot, like the Halloween specials with him. 

M-D: Thanks a lot Jeph  !

J.L.: Thanks for taking the time to talk -- and enjoy the tales!