Comic book writer heads to MegaCon
Greg Rucka worked on DC’s ‘Batman,’ ‘Gotham Central’
Greg Rucka has been writing comic books for nearly 20 years. At this point in his career, the Portland, Ore., resident doesn’t need to go to industry conventions to network or get exposure.
“I do cons now to sit at the table and meet the people who are, for whatever reason, waiting in line to meet me,” he says. “It’s so easy for the fan community to interact with creators via social media, but it’s just never the same interaction.”
Rucka is headed to Orlando for MegaCon, the annual comic book and pop culture celebration May 25-28 at the Orange County Convention Center. (Tickets, $20-$55 depending on the day, and packages are available at megaconorlando.com.)
A four-time winner of the Eisner Award, the highest honor in comic books, Rucka is best known for working on titles for DC such as “Batman” and “Gotham Central.” His debut graphic novel, 1998’s “Whiteout,” was turned into a movie in 2009 starring Kate Beckinsale. “When you see a character you created translated to screen, that’s gratifying in ways I find difficult to articulate,” he says.
One character Rucka, 47, has tackled repeatedly is Wonder Woman. He wrote more than 30 issues of her solo title from 2003-2006 and then returned to her with DC’s “Rebirth” launch of all their books last year. The 25th issue of the current run, due in June, will be Rucka’s last.
Celebrating her 75th anniversary this year with a movie coming out next week, Wonder Woman, according to Rucka, is different from the rest of the capes and spandex set. “When we talk about superheroes, we often forget about the hero part,” he says. “[Wonder Woman] will kick your ass three ways from Sunday, but that’s never her first choice. She’s an icon not just of acceptance and tolerance, but she really wants to understand. There’s a devotion to truth in the character that I think is unique.
“Maybe it’s a product of my age now, I think stories of people who do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, who do the right thing even though it is not the easy thing to do, arguably these stories are more important now than they were five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago.”
Rucka’s writing also extends to prose. He is the author of several thrillers featuring bodyguard character Atticus Kodiak, as well as novels about Batman and Star Wars characters. “I can’t draw,” he says. “Comics are by definition a collaborative effort. When you’re writing a novel, you’re doing that by yourself.”
Rucka has created several comic books for independent publishers such as Image Comics, including “Lazarus” with artist Michael Lark. He says there is a trade-off between the work he creates and writing for wellknown characters for the major imprints. “On the one hand, I love that ‘Lazarus’ is ours and we get to tell the story we want to tell,” he says.
“The flip side of that is, I get to put words in Wonder Woman’s mouth!”