It's a collaboration in the gaming world that's sure to interest comic
book fans. When players create new characters in the DC Universe Online
video game , not only will the look of the character be crafted by
artist Jim Lee, but the origin story will be written by comics scribe
Geoff Johns.
As announced today by Sony Online Entertainment, Johns is writing the
backstory for the massively multiplayer DCUO. The game, which is being
developed by Sony for both PC and Playstation 3, will allow players to
create custom characters that can be either heroes or villains that
fight alongside well-known characters in familiar settings of the DC
Universe.
As current writer of the ongoing DC series Green Lantern, Action Comics and Justice Society of America, as well as an upcoming episode of Smallville,
Johns said he's using his knowledge of the vast DCU to plot the various
choices that players can make as they develop their hero or villain.
"It's almost like you have a Secret Origin. That's what I look at is
as," Johns said. "If you're a new hero; what's your Secret Origin? Your
Secret Origin is going to take you throughout the DC Universe, from one
end to the next, from The Daily Planet
to the inner dungeons of the Doom Patrol's castle in Prague. That's my
goal, is to really have you be able to visit and interact with any
corner of the DC Universe, whether it's the world of the Flash or the
Suicide Squad."
One of the first challenges Johns had as he tackled the game's story
was its premise, as the DCU is suddenly filled with new heroes and
villains in this online world. "I'm writing the whole overall story of
the world. It's the story of what's happening, where all these new
heroes and villains are coming from, and what's happening that's
demanding a surge or influx of superhumans and magic users. What is
that event?" he said. "[It's] like a call to arms for something that's
about to happen."
The game takes place in the current comic book DCU, Johns said,
indicating there wasn't a connection to the universes of movies or TV
shows. "It's pretty current with the comic book universe. The game
doesn't come out for awhile, but I also know where the DCU is going to
be then," he said. "I know what the DC Universe is going to be like, so
some of the stuff, I can get into synch and make sure it will be as
close to modern day as possible, like a neo-iconic version of the DC
Universe. It's pretty close to being a modern day comics version of the
DC Universe."
Being current also means that, as the story of the game continues, it
may reflect specific stories within comic books. "There's a lot of talk
of things that will happen in the comics that will later happen in the
game, or things that have happened recently in the comic that they'll
implement in the game. So yes, there is a lot of discussion of that.
Some storylines might be adapted full-on," Johns said.
When asked if players might even see familiar storylines like The Death of Superman or The Judas Contract in the game someday, Johns replied, "You might see something like that."
For now, Johns is only writing the original back story of the game and
not further storylines, although he said there's been some discussion
of his involvement in the future. "It depends. We've talked a lot about
doing things down the line, other stories down the line, but right now
I'm focused on the initial Secret Origin story," he said.
Comic book readers have already noticed in promotional trailers for the
game that some characters who are favorites of Johns -- like Black Adam
and Sinestro -- are featured quite a bit in the game. The writer said
that's not an accident, as a few of his well-known storylines make an
appearance.
"There are a few in there. The characters that I work with on a
consistent basis, obviously, are in there in a prominent way, but the
other DC characters that I haven't had a chance to work with are in
there too," the writer said. "I'm hoping that Cheetah becomes a pretty
big, major character with a piece of the virtual world that I created.
I think she's a great character. And there are a few others that I
haven't really had a chance to play within the comics that I played
with in this."
The writer said he and Jim Lee had been talking about working together
for years, and although this project wasn't what they originally had in
mind, he liked the unique challenges and opportunities this project
presented when Lee offered him the job.
"I'd heard about the project for quite awhile. I think everyone has.
And a little while ago, Jim Lee called me and asked me if I'd like to
work on it with him. He said he wanted me to essentially develop the
story of the game and kind of outline how you get into the game and
where the game takes you," Johns said. "I've known Jim for a long time,
and we've wanted to work together on something. We always talked about
comics, but this is like a whole different level of comic books, I
guess. A virtual comic book. So I was really excited about the
opportunity to try and recreate the DC Universe in a virtual
environment.
"I was like, how detailed can I get? And they said, as detailed as you
want," he said. "I'm kind of a freak when it comes to the far-reaching
corners of the DC Universe, so to do that and be able to say, 'Can you
build this?' or to say, like, 'can we use the Rogues?' And to have them
come back and say, 'Sure! Which ones? Any Rogues you want!' It was
really pretty freeing, and it was a kind of experience I'd never had in
the DC Universe. It's a totally different way to write."
While the writer said there was no way he could write every line of
dialogue, he did outline the details of what would happen to players as
they weave their way through the game's virtual DC Universe. "It's
gigantic. I can't tell you how big the world is going to be. For me to
do every single line of dialogue, I would have to quit comics to do
that," he said. "It's a little bizarre, because I had to write these
stories from a lot of perspectives. There's a lot of different ways to
write this story. But again, it's the story of who you are coming into
this, what your path is, and which path are you going to take. It's all
about choice, too.
"It's really a virtual Secret Origin. In a Secret Origin, you make a
decision to go one way or the other. We see it in all the comic books
-- in Green Lantern's Secret Origin, in Superman's, Batman's,
everybody's Secret Origin," Johns said. "You see things happen, and
then there's a choice that's made. And that's up to you this time. In
the DC Universe context, which way are you going to go? There are a lot
of different ways to go, and a lot of different ways to operate. You'll
have help along the way, and you'll have a lot of people who don't want
you to succeed along the way as well, on both sides."
But before any of his fans start thinking that line about the story
being "gigantic" means Johns will back away from comics, he put that
thought to rest right away. "No way. Most of my work on the game is
done," he said. "I've been working on it for quite awhile. So this
isn't anything new for me. It's just been under wraps."
Johns, who is already known among his fans as an avid online gamer, has
often joked that he pretty much lives in the DC Universe in his head
because he writes so many comics each month. "And now it's a chance to
actually do it. I'm very afraid when the game comes out," he laughed.
"It's actually going to be weird playing it. I'll know where to go, all
the secret places to go."
And although Johns said his online persona would be a hero, the writer
admitted that it's tempting to turn toward the dark side. "I'll be a
hero first. I might have two secret identities. I'll be a hero and a
villain," Johns said with a laugh. "But the idea of being able to enter
the DC Universe will be a lot of fun. Your secret identity's outside
your computer. You put on your mask and you log on and you get into the
DC Universe Online. Part of the fun is going to the Bat Cave and either
learning from Batman, or Batman beating you down and tossing you in
Arkham Asylum, and now you have to escape. And the way it's structured,
and the way the story's structured, with who your mentors are and the
people you follow and break off with, I think it's going to be a lot of
fun."
