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?
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.
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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