NYCC: Meet the Justice League's Mister Fix-It

It's kind of an obvious question, really, but who takes care of the Hall of Justice? I mean, Batman and Superman are busy saving the universe, so who's changing light bulbs and fixing leaky faucets? DC Comics is debuting a new free comic in a partnership with Craftsman at New York Comic-Con that aims to answer those questions.

Written by Joshua Williamson (Voodoo, Uncharted, Masks and Mobsters), this giveaway comic will feature a new character called the Technician, who is more or less the Justice League's Mr. Fix-It. We talked with Williamson about the development of this new character. If you're swinging by NYCC, be sure to stop by the Craftsman booth (#2046) on Saturday, October 13 at 11 AM to snag a signed copy from Williamson himself.

IGN Comics: First, I love the idea of a mister-fix-it guy that hangs around the Hall of Justice. Honestly, when hearing about a “Craftsman crossover” I scoffed a bit, but this is actually incredibly amusing. What’s the story behind that character?

Joshua Williamson: The Technician is a character that we created just for this story. From the very beginning when Craftsman contacted DC about this project, I knew that I wanted to tell a story about a guy who worked at the Hall of Justice. The place is huge and yet has never really had a caretaker. Sure, there was Snapper Carr but he got into more trouble than took care of things. The Justice Society had Ma Hunkel helping out for a bit… why doesn’t the Justice League have anyone?

But also, I always love those stories where a supporting character gets into their own crazy side adventure that the rest of the cast doesn’t know about. There was the amazing Booster Gold episode of Justice League Unlimited, or the classic Xander episode of Buffy where he saves the school from getting blown up while the rest of the cast saved the world. So we started thinking of having a guy who is proud to be working at the Hall of Justice as a respected partner, knowing that he is the best in his field (he’d have to be to get Batman’s approval!) that gets into a bit of trouble and has to save the day.

The Technician started out as an everyday man who knew his stuff and then transformed into a full-fledged hero. Because you know that that feeling you get when you finish a do-it-yourself project? It can make you feel like a superhero, and Craftsman wanted to bring that to life in a way that was fun and creative.

IGN: You also did the Subway comics that appeared a while back – are there any greater or different challenges in working in a sponsored story like this as opposed to a regular DCU tale?

Williamson: Yes and no. In some ways you get to cut loose and just tell a short story using the amazing DC characters. Something we rarely get to do or see now. But at the same time you have to keep in mind the whole reason the comic exists, which is to help promote product. In this case, it is to introduce the Craftsman brand and their new product, the Bolt On tool, to a new generation of tool user. You have to find that balance.. For me I try to always use a character that I love that I haven’t been able to write in the main DCU yet. So for this story it was Cyborg and The Key.

Honestly the biggest challenge with these things is trying to not take them too seriously and to just have fun with them. Working with Craftsman was great because they had an awesome sense of humor and wanted to have a good time with it. For Craftsman, they wanted to show that tools can be fun. It was all about showing the creative comic book reading community that tools can used to create amazing works.

IGN: As for the Justice League, who’s on the team here? Is this the New 52 incarnation?

Williamson: Yup, New 52 all the way. Couldn’t imagine doing it with any other version. It’s Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Cyborg for this short story. Mostly Cyborg takes the main stage. Cyborg because he’s the tech guy and Batman well, y’know… Batman’s the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be. It’s always fun getting to write the Justice League and the rest of the new DCU.

IGN: Where can we get our hands on this book?

Williamson: Fans can pick up a complimentary copy of the comic book inside the Craftsman booth at New York Comic-Con. For those not attending the show, it can be downloaded as free digital download on the DC Comics app store or available at www.craftsmancomic.com.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 Preview

One of the major points of contention in the New 52 with continuity sticklers is just how exactly Jason Todd, Batman's second Robin and unfortunate recipient of a crowbar beating from the Joker, returned from the great beyond. Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 aims to explain just that; assuming that this time he wasn't brought back by a reality-shattering punch from Superboy Prime, that is. Which was kind of awesome.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 hits on Wednesday.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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Batman #0 Review

Batman #0 is kind of a strange beast. It seems to serve as a precursor to the upcoming Death of the Family in that it explores the old Red Hood and his gang – where Scott Snyder suggests that this is indeed a pre-chemical bath Joker -- but it ends with a disappointing “to be continued in 2013” without any resolution. To that end, on its own, Batman #0 doesn’t really feel like a complete story, instead just snippets of some great character moments for Bruce Wayne, Alfred, and Jim Gordon. There’s a lot of interesting stuff in here, but I suspect this issue will read better once the full context is known.

That said, Snyder has a lot of fun with pre-Batman (and pre-Matches Malone, it seems) Bruce Wayne. The opening infiltration sequence is fantastic, exciting fun that is rendered with intensity by Greg Capullo, and Bruce’s musings to Alfred that he needs to do more for Gotham will give you that tingly “man, I love Batman” feeling in your guts. Especially amusing is the scene between Gordon and Wayne, each of them just as cautious as the other, both conversing rather cordially with vastly different motivations spurring them on.

This conversation plays out like the most well-acted dialogue scenes in a movie, with each character working towards a clearly defined goal regardless of the words they are actually saying. Wayne is seeking an ally on the force, and Gordon is trying to find Wayne’s involvement with shady business dealings. It’s a tense but endearing scene that showcases Snyder’s knack for scene construction.

Capullo shines once again, but is able to stretch some different muscles due to the lack of actual Batman in this issue. The bank heist, as I mentioned, is thrilling, but he also gets to dabble in some subtle character work in the aforementioned Bruce/Gordon scene. There are a lot of little facial emotions that go a long way to selling Snyder’s words, and that doesn’t go unappreciated. Also, Capullo’s inclusion of Joker’s patented flower on the jacket of Red Hood is a clever and inspired way to underline Snyder’s suggestion of who this man will become.

However, my favorite portion of this issue is actually the back-up tale by James Tynion IV and Andy Clarke. While continuity hounds will likely rub their temples at the further complication of the Robin timelines (not to mention potential ties to Killing Joke in the main story), Tynion effectively uses one of the most underappreciated elements of the Batman world – the Bat-signal – to frame a brief but impactful tale about the Batman’s influence and inspiration on these kids.

We get to see how Batman inspired the Bat-family – Dick, Jason, Tim, and Barbara – before ever actually meeting them. It’s a great framing device that works on multiple levels, including giving Tim Drake his only worthwhile, significant moment since the New 52 launched last year. Plus, Clarke’s nod to the original Nightwing costume is fantastic.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

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