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DC has just started a new feature with CBR called B&B wherein EIC Bob Harras and executive editor Bobbie Chase answer questions and head off controversies. As old hands of more campaigns than you can count, both are uniquely qualified to deal with this month’s more…unusual moves, such as several books getting new teams before the first issue of the old team even came out. That CONSTANTINE cover above does NOT represent what happened to Zub and Venditti.

Just read it yourself:

Talking about dark, one of the books that immediately comes to mind is “Constantine,” which stars a character who has traditionally been on the darker side of Vertigo and the DCU. Both “Constantine” and “Birds Of Prey” are going to be getting new creative teams in April, before either team’s first issue even made it to publication. Who is going to be replacing Robert Venditti and Jim Zub on those books, and why switch them out before they got to write their first issues?

Harras: Robert came to us with a fantastic pitch for “Constantine;” we really loved what Robert’s doing — he’s working on “Demon Knights” now, and he’s also working on another project for us that I really can’t go into which is a big deal for us. But at the end of the day, Robert and Dan [DiDio] and I spoke, and “Constantine” was, for him, one book too many. It was the one thing that we had to go, “If we want you to focus on this one project, maybe we should make a change on ‘Constantine.'” Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes very professionally, very nicely stepped up to the challenge [of launching “Constantine”].

Chase: Very quickly, too. Those guys already had ideas because of what they were doing in “Justice League Dark.”

Harras: It was one of those things where we had to step back and say, “You know, Robert, we should concentrate you on these other projects right now.” And like we said, with Jeff and Ray stepping in on “Constantine,” weaving it closer to “Justice League Dark,” I think it was actually the best solution to — not a problem, but a challenge. We all sat down and said, how do we make this work?

Christy Marx is replacing writer Jim Zubkavich on “Birds of Prey”

Christy Marx is taking over as writer on “Birds Of Prey.” Does Jim Zub also have other projects at DC, like Venditti? Why the switch there?

Harras: Jim had a great pitch for “Birds Of Prey,” but as things came together in discussion and the creative churn, we all saw what Christy was doing on “Amethyst,” and we were looking at “Birds Of Prey” and internally and editorially we were thinking of taking it in a different direction. The decision was made that we were going to go in a different direction than what Jim had originally envisioned. We definitely, definitely want to continue working with Jim, but at this moment, we wanted to go in a particular direction. Bobbie started working with Jim months ago —

Chase: He’s a great writer. He’s a great idea guy, and I look forward to working with him again.


It’s a tough business.

Also revealed: Jim Starlin will be writing STORMWATCH.

3 COMMENTS

  1. I was actually really excited for Jim Zub’s Birds of Prey. He is one of my favorite writers and I love his Pathfinder and Skullkickers comics. I had pre-ordered it with my diamond order. I’ll still give Christy Marx a try because I liked her Sword & Sorcery book, but I don’t like DC pitching me on a book then pulling the rug out from under me, especially a few days before orders are due.

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