NateCosBOOM

Fred Van Lente has written & co-written many comic book projects: Cowboys & Aliens, Dead Avengers, Marvel Zombies, Chaos War, Incredible Hercules, Iron Man Legacy, MODOK’s 11, Halo, etc. He changes the pronunciation of his last name constantly, because correcting people makes him feel superior. I asked him four goddamn questions.

NATE: If the Mets were a comic, would they have been cancelled after 3, 5, or 10 issues?

FRED: Considering how their first season went in 1962, I think they would have been cancelled as you were turning the first page over. 

NATE: Biggest difference between writing a comic and writing a television/movie script?

FRED: Comics are a series of static images experienced actively, through reading; films are a series of moving images experienced passively, through watching. It’s taken me a while for this to sink in, but as ductile as the comics medium is there are some things you can’t do in them because the continuity of movement is so crucial for getting the emotion or idea across. 

Also, there’s a level of exposition you can get away with in comics (and is sometimes 100% necessary) that will bring your screenplay to a teeth-grinding, deal-breaking halt. 

NATE: Your dream Justice League team? 7 members only.

FRED: Blackhawk (my dad’s favorite comic book character), Firestorm, Martian Manhunter, That Crazy Batman From When Bruce Wayne’s Back Got Broke Not His Other Costumed Identity But As Batman, Heather Ledger Joker, Dr. Manhattan, and one of those Archie super heroes, uh, let’s say…Jaguar. Is that seven? 

NATE: Who should’ve replaced Katie Holmes in Dark Knight instead of Brokeback’s sister?

FRED: Ingrid Bergman. Or, in the case of Ingrid Bergman’s death, my dad. Dressed like Blackhawk.