I’m Back, Baby!

By Priest June 1st, 2017, under About Me, Comics

http://boards.4chan.org/co/thread/92739997/deathstroke-vs-jesus

“Priest is a hack and Deathstroke is overrated.” by Anonymous

“A nigger.” by Anonymous

“He’s also a self hating nigger”

And this guy–

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/7017132.html?thread=185868972#cmt185868972

Such hostility. Sheesh.

FTR: No, I did not get permission from DC beforehand. And this nut–

“What’s his ‘Death of Jean DeWolff?'”

Actually, my “Death of Jean DeWolff” is “Death of Jean DeWolff.” I edited that book and helped Peter plot it in his living room.

It’s great to be back!!!

WikiPriest

By Priest May 27th, 2017, under About Me, Comics

I never look at my Wikipedia page, mainly because anyone can post anything there and have things accepted as fact:

Professional and personal disagreements eventually led to his removal as editor and his leaving Marvel. Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter, later recalled, “I fired Jim Owsley because his tenure as an editor was a train wreck. When I fired Jim Owsley, he thanked me. Seriously. He said, ‘Thank you.’ He admitted that he just wasn’t good at the administrative stuff (i.e., schedules). P.S.—there was plenty of work for him as a writer, so it was not such a big deal. In fact, it was like giving him a raise. He … [was] meant to be a writer, not an expediter.”

So, now, I guess I can run around the web trying to un-quote people or correct derogatory mentions, but chasing your tail is a real waste of time. I have to respond to this quote if only so somebody else can update my Wikipedia page with a quote from me.

Jim Shooter was my mentor and a tremendous friend. The last thing I’d ever want to do is say anything negative about him personally. People who turn on or lash out at friends who’ve helped them are, in my view, complete jerks. Jim opened huge doors for me, and I will be forever grateful.

Everybody’s entitled to their own memories but not their own facts. As Spider-Man editor, I never missed shipping. If my tenure was “a train wreck,” it was because I never missed shipping, which meant throwing in fill-ins as needed. And they were usually needed because Jim was driving me crazy. That was his job– drive the editors crazy by rejecting everything that came across his desk. Nothing was ever good enough, no writer ever talented enough. If my watch was a train wreck, it was Shooter himself piling driftwood on the tracks. Read the rest of this entry »

Lazarus

By Priest May 26th, 2017, under Comics

So, I got this note from Dave yesterday (I hope doesn’t mind me reposting it here):

The Flash (Wally West) seeks advice from Deathstroke's son

The Flash (Wally West) seeks advice from Deathstroke’s son

The end of Deathstroke #18 said nothing about a crossover. Just “Next: TITANS Finally: the truth revealed!” No “to be continued in Titans #whatever, so it just looked like there was going to be a guest appearance. And then #19 suddenly has a part 3 crossover banner on the cover, but nothing on the first page (or anywhere, really) saying where to look for parts 1 and 2. There’s one footnote box buried in the issue that I presume talks about part 1 or 2, but it could also have been referring to events of last year.

I actually hadn’t noticed and for some reason just assumed all DS readers would somehow intuit this. Whoops…

Surprise! The long awaited Titans-Teen Titans-Deathstroke Titansverse crossover is finally here. It begins in Titans #11, continues in Teen Titans #8, Deathstroke #19, and concludes in Teen Titans: The Lazarus Contract #1, which is written by yours truly.

This was a unique experience for a few reasons: Read the rest of this entry »

Deathstroke Meets Jesus

By Priest May 26th, 2017, under Comics, Faith
Deathstroke teaches a bible lesson to his son, Jericho.

Deathstroke teaches a bible lesson to his son, Jericho.

This next issue of Deathstroke, #20, is unique in that it breaks several longstanding comics taboos against (a) religion (Satanism is fine, can’t talk in any genuine way about God or, heaven forbid, Christ), (b) same-gender relationships (the super-villain is both a follower of Christ, a villain, and gay), and most absurdly (c) women’s feminine health issues (we are not allowed to mention or depict women going through their monthly cycle).

Next issue, the “Lazarus Contract” epilogue, includes all of the above. I have _no_ idea why I’m not fired. Read the rest of this entry »

Inhumane

By Priest May 26th, 2017, under Comics

Not-So-Mad Maximus

So, I’m writing The Inhumans: Once and Future Kings, my first new work for Marvel in nearly a decade. It’s easiest to think of this as X-Men: First Class with The Inhumans. 16-year old Black Bolt and his impish younger (and not-Mad) brother Maximus save the life of the King whose name is now Unspoken and, in so doing, set off several Trumpian political misunderstandings that leads the brothers and their cousin Medusa to flee the island city of Attilan to take refuge in a far-off, dangerous and exotic world– Greenwich Village. The King subsequently sends the remaining royals to hunt down the three and bring them back to face him.

Phil Noto is amazing. He has reimagined the classic Inhuman cast in an energetic and fun way. “Fun” is, pretty much, the keyword for the series– a word not usually associated with The Inhumans. Neither is “humor,” but there is a lot of that in here as well. Read the rest of this entry »