Dan Jurgens on Batman Beyond and Nightwing

I continue to explore the Batman Family corner of the DC Universe with veteran writer / artist Dan Jurgens.

 

Among Dan's vast body of work is the 1992 classic Death of Superman, his run on Thor, Captain America and The Sensational Spider-Man.  Dan is also the creator of the classic characters Doomsday and Booster Gold.

 

I check in with Dan to see how he is faring during the coronavirus pandemic and how he managed to safely connect with local fans at a Minnesota comic shop during a recent signing event.

 

Dan is working with former collaborator Sean Chen, one of the current artists on Batman Beyond.  I asked Sean in advance to comment on working with Dan and shared his feedback. 

 

Both creators have in common working for Valiant Comics during the 1990s. Dan reflects on a few highlights while writing Solar Man of the Atom.

 

Dan explains why every comic he writes still contains enough exposition to make the issue accessible to new readers. 

 

We talk about comic book anniversaries and how they have lost some of their luster with the increasing frequency of these milestone issues.  Dan explains what is key for him to make an issue worthy of containing extra pages that demand a higher price tag.

 

Dick Grayson returns as the titular hero in Nightwing this fall with issue #75.  

 

Dick lost his memory from a gunshot to the head by KGBeast back in Batman #55 and his struggle continued beginning with Nightwing #50. Dan took over the reigns writing Nightwing with issue #59.  He explains his approach to keeping the series a Nightwing comic book until the return of Dick Grayson as Nightwing.

 

Both Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond and Dick Grayson in Nightwing suffered from memory loss.  Is there a connection between the two?

 

I ask Dan's his thoughts on Superman not being consider for another solo film, Henry Cavill in the title role and the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice Zak Snyder Cut. 

 

The final chapter of the Death of Superman was illustrated entirely with single panel pages. What ever happened to the original art from Superman #75? 

 

When I Kick Back With the Creator, I ask Dan about his favorite birthday which digresses into a discussion of 8-track tapes. For his island book Dan picks an ideal comic omnibus.

 

All this and more is in this installment of Creator Talks.

 

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