SDCC '08 - New Green Arrow/Black Canary Writer Talks

There's a new scribe for DC’s Green & Black.

Green Arrow/Black Canary that is.

Coming onboard with December's #15, writer Andrew Kreisberg is the latest to join the comics medium from the world of television. Currently a writer on Eli Stone, his comics credentials show through on the two-part "Legends" episode of the Justice League animated series. His inaugural work in comics was the Helen Killer miniseries from Arcana Comics and he's also writing a four-issue arc of Batman Confidential starting in October.

Kreisberg is taking over for long-time Green Arrow scribe Judd Winick. And just where is he taking the series? Home – Star City that is, for Oliver and Dinah. For more, we talked with Kreisberg.

Newsarama: Thanks for talking, Andrew. You're coming into write Green Arrow & Black Canary with issue #15. How would you sum up what the series is and where you're taking it?

Andrew Kreisberg: To date, there's been a lot of globe trotting and grand adventures with big time guest stars. My goal is to bring things back to Star City and focus on Green Arrow and Black Canary and their life in their city. I also want to populate their rogue's gallery with, as the Joker says in The Dark Knight, "A better class of criminal." Throughout his long history, Green Arrow hasn't had the world's greatest enemies. I hope I can add a few that might stand the test of time.

NRAMA: Your first issue – what's going on in it?

AK: I should probably tell my editor and guru, Mr. Mike Carlin, before I tell everyone else.

NRAMA: Ok. Tell him first, and then call us next.

Since we can't talk specifics on that, let's just get into your take on the whole book. How do you see the characters of Oliver and Dinah?

AK: As a married couple who also happen to be super heroes. I've been married for two years now, and I love my wife (who also looks great in leather and fishnet stockings!) Being married is amazing...and hard... and sometimes trying... and beautiful... and tiring... and fulfilling... and every other emotion under the sun (Red or yellow). I'm going to try and incorporate that marital craziness into our heroes' lives.

NRAMA: Yes, there's a lot of stories for a married super couple. Tell us more about that – Oliver & Dinah are newlyweds, after all.

AK: To me, that is the comic. As you say, there are practically no other comics that feature a married couple. You do have Clark and Lois butit's kind of hard to pin the normal everyday wonderment and tribulations of marriage on those two. Ollie and Dinah are as close as you're going to get to "normal" people. So, to tell fun exciting super-hero adventures with a current of real life marriage coursing through, hopefully, will make for interesting stories that people haven't read before.

NRAMA: Will the extended Arrow/Canary family also play a role in this?

AK: I have always been a big fan of the extended Arrow family, especially Mia. Rest assured, she and Connor and Roy will all play a part. But for the time being, I'm going to be focusing in on Ollie and Dinah.

NRAMA: You're taking the reigns from Judd Winick, who has been Oliver Queen's scribe for quite some time. How has the handoff been from him to you?

AK: I haven't actually spoken with Judd. I've been a huge fan of his work, especially the "Road to Jericho" storyline, which was drawn by one of my favorite artists, Scott McDaniel (who, I'm very excited to say, drew my upcoming run on Batman Confidential). I just hope that all the fans who have enjoyed Judd's stewardship on the title continue to enjoy it as I take my crack at the wheel.