Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir

So, apparently, we've made the DC Nation page this week.

DC Nation is the 'letter from the publisher' page in the back of each week's DC Comics.

We wrote a story for Batman: Confidential (a book that features 'untold' stories from Batman's past) a ways back. They paired us with a legendary artist, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. But Jose is a very busy man, so we knew it would be a while before the art was done.

Then news broke that Batman: Confidential was being canceled. So we figured the story would go in our editor's drawer and be used to sub into a Bat-book when they fell behind schedule.

Our editor, Mike Carlin (a true gentleman and a fine editor) assured us the story would see print. Not just for Jose's art, but for the central idea, which he very much wanted to see happen in the DC Universe (more on that below).

But still, it would be a while.

So this week's DC Nation was guest-written by Mike Carlin. And he's talking about what's coming up for Batman: Confidential. No mention of it being canceled. Maybe that hasn't happened after all.

But either way, he mentioned our story.

Now, what's fun about this idea is that we get to introduce King Tut to the DC Universe.

Or perhaps we introduce a new aspect of the Riddler.

Or maybe both...

Either way, we got to bring a favorite TV villain into the comics.

In his Who's Who entry one day, it might list us as creating him.

That rocks.

Jose's art is amazing. The story was a lot of fun. And despite being a comic professional for a while, I admit I geeked out seeing our names in DC Nation.

Plus, we got to write someone asking Tut if he really was "buried with a donkey."

God, I love Steve Martin.

And some days, I really love my job.

posted by Nunzio DeFilippis # 8:33 PM

Comments:

Coolness on all counts; I'll be looking out for it.

And it sounds like you had good reason for a moment of squee. Geek harder. ;)

# posted by

Suzene : April 17, 2008 at 11:35 AM

yay! i remember you guys mentioning the possibility of this story a while back, so it's awesome to hear it might finally come to fruition!

# posted by

Anonymous : April 17, 2008 at 2:36 PM

King Tut, wow, haha.

# posted by

Anonymous : April 17, 2008 at 8:50 PM

I love that we're getting to do Tut, but even cooler was the chance to write the Riddler - he's my favorite Bat villain (though I love a lot of those villains)

# posted by

Nunzio DeFilippis : April 17, 2008 at 9:01 PM

Wait... so, King Tut hasn't appeared as a Batman villian in comic before? Is he a villian elsewhere in the comics universe, or are we talking about the awesome-ness that is Victor Buono as King Tut on the 1960s TV show?

God, it's worth it just for the Steve Martin jokes.

I'm so glad it's going to see the light of day.

(Oh, and check it out, some dude made his very own Batman King Tut/Steve Martin mash-up.)

# posted by

Anonymous : April 18, 2008 at 7:38 AM

I am so glad there are regular posts--am enjoying my visits to your world. I am confused, though: Did you guys create a villain called King Tut? That's so cool! What are his powers? I can totally see him--he must be gold.

# posted by

ASW : April 18, 2008 at 9:56 AM

This comment has been removed by the author.

# posted by

Nunzio DeFilippis : April 18, 2008 at 10:01 AM

We didn't create him, per se... he existed in the old Adam West TV series - a very campy villain. He'd never been in the comics, or the animated series or the movies... he was just a product of that show, but a much beloved one.

We've brought him to the comics for the first time, which required re-inventing him for the more modern style of storytelling.

As for his powers... well, he's a Batvillain, so he's less about powers and more about his costume motif and mental hangups, which then affect how he goes about killing and/or attacking people.

And Julia... the Steve Martin gags are in the story. We tried to keep it very dark and serious, as fits the current Batman stories, but still kept a few gags about the song, and a few little bits of the TV show version's origin.

(I deleted this post and reposted it to fix my typo - don't know how to edit my comments here. Nice combination, huh? Anal AND incompetent!)

# posted by

Nunzio DeFilippis : April 18, 2008 at 10:29 AM

tut is my all-time favourite male villain from the old show. I pray that he translates to the page as well. my hope is that there's still a lot of buono-nesss in him! maxie zeus has always been such a cheap knockoff! i've been waiting 42 years for tut to appear in print (other than when alex ross snuck him in in the great portait in the restaurant!) bruce

# posted by

havok5 : April 20, 2008 at 6:24 AM

Got a condo made of stone-a!