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Interview with Bill Messner-Loebs, Writer of the Original Batman 89 Sequel Comic



As a follow-up to our dive into "The Original Batman 89 Sequel Comic" covering the 1989-1991 newspaper strip, we interview the writer Bill Messner-Loebs about his unsung contributions to the Batman mythos! Also featuring previous guest John Hefner/About-Faces.


CHAPTERS:

0:00 Introduction

We previously covered the 1989-1991 newspaper strip in our episode The Original Batman 89 Sequel Comic, since the strip had very loose connections to the ending of the 1989 Batman film, as shown in the opening by Max Allan Collins:



2:21 How did Bill End up Writing on the Batman Newspaper Strip?

After Collins wrote the arc featuring a recap of the Joker's ending in 89 and a story with Catwoman, Bill Messner-Loebs ended up taking over as the writer, starting with an arc about the Penguin.


21:30 Did DC Give Any Editorial Direction on the Newspaper Strip?


26:58 What Was it Like Working with Carmine Infantino?

Andrew has a recurring joke in the podcast that Carmine Infantino was connected with the mob, given his name.


38:13 How Bill Came Up With the Idea of Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent Being Friends

As covered in our episode, the newspaper strip predates other media in having Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent as friends. Technically, however, Sam Hamm had this idea first in his 1986 draft for the Batman film. However, Bruce and Harvey only had one scene together and it was an argument. With the newspaper format and no editorial restrictions on the Bruce Wayne character, Bill was able to flesh out Bruce and Harvey's friendship a lot more (and arguably more than any of his successors).


45:50 The Rooftop Scene with Batman, Harvey, and Gordon and The Strip's Connection to Batman Annual No. 14


58:32 Did Bill Think The Dark Knight Had the DNA of his Comic Strip?


1:01:56 BREAK: BarkBox promo

Check out our link for Barkbox here.


1:03:14 Why Bill Focused So Much on Harvey Dent/Two-Face


1:15:37 Whether Bill Had Any Plans if the Newspaper Strip Continued


1:19:20 Why Hasn't the Comic Strip Been Collected?


1:23:26 What's Bill's Proudest Accomplishment in Comics?


1:28:09 Bill's Current Projects & How Fans Can Support Him

We'd like to thank Mike Jones of YEET Presents and Scott Mollon for their help in making this interview with Bill possible!


1:43:02 Closing: Fan Comments/Shout outs & Social Media Promotions


BIG THANKS TO OUR GUEST, BILL MESSNER-LOEBS:


Fans of William Messner-Loebs Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295015277858659



THANKS TO OUR OTHER GUEST, JOHN HEFNER/ABOUT-FACES. John worked with us in coming up with the questions.


And thanks to our research assistant Dan Yamat for the chapter time codes and doing QC on the episode!


Below, please check out this gallery of pictures of Bill and his work, courtesy of Mike Jones:

































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Website: http://www.benwanwriter.com ZACHARY JACKSON BROWN (who also did the thumbnail art)



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