If this current media flap teaches us anything, it’s that calling people names is not inherently humorous.

Sorry about not posting for a number of days.

I haven’t been sleeping well, haven’t accomplished nearly as much as I wanted (needed) to with the writing, haven’t been able to concentrate much.

Time to take inventory, figure out what the hell — oh! THAT!!

It’s tax time again! Yippoo! The only time of year when my temperament gets uglier than it does around Christmas!

Hi, there! (Die.) Oh, I’m fine. (Die.) How are you? (Die.) Well, gotta go (die). Give my best to (hurl large, blunt objects at) the wife and kids.

Okay, so finally, I gathered my last remaining wit about me and got the return (of the living dead) done. (Die, return, die.) Now I have to write a check to George Bush. (Di– uh, no, that could land me in Guantanamo, couldn’t it? Live! Viva! Gambol! Cavort! Caper!)

I can’t think of an ending for this, so I’ll just

From Jack Holt:

I hope magic still has some tricks up its sleeve, some quirks that keep the good Doctor on his toes.

I like the idea of Doc using a system of magic, but somehow I hate the idea of magic itself being limited. Fairy queens, will o’ wisps, and the music of the spheres all have their place to me.

As far as I’m concerned, there are at least as many systems of magic as there are, say, branches of science. Over time, Doctor Fate will develop a system for his own use, but that in no way precludes the existence of others — or of magical personages and phenomena like the ones you mention.

Actually, it doesn’t even “limit” Fate’s magic. As with any sorcerer (or scientist), his limitations will be demarcated by the extent of his knowledge and skill.

What I want to avoid with Doctor Fate is the trap that ensnares so many supernaturally-based characters in comics: the ability to cast an appropriate spell for any occasion at the writer’s convenience. Just as Superman can’t suddenly gain the power to read minds or turn invisible to suit the needs of a story, Doctor Fate won’t have a spell on hand for every kind of peril.

From Kenneth W. Lieck:

1) Has your previous Dr. Fate series [the Flash back-up w/the delicious Mike Golden art] ever been collected, and/or is it fated to face collection if this Fate fares well and doesn’t fale… er, fail?

2) Since I asked the above question, I guess I should ask if this storyline will tie in to that one, even though your comments so far would already appear to indicate a clear “no”.

As far as I know, those older stories have never been collected.

The new series is completely separate and distinct from the earlier stories.

The digression, from Stephen Payne:

I was wondering if you gained any more appreciation for the character of Zauriel, of if he still seems distant to you?

If the opportunity ever arises, I would very much enjoy writing Zauriel again. He’s thoroughly engaging and completely infuriating all at once, exactly the type of personality I’m drawn to. (Like most of my ex-girlfriends, actually.)

From Forrest:

Could you give us a mission-statement type quotation for people who don’t read comics anymore but are open-minded?

DOCTOR FATE should appeal to anyone who believes real life can be its own mystical experience.

How’s that?

I’ll try to answer one question a day while I’m working on these scripts.

This one’s from Neil Bradbury:

I was wondering whether the Fate book would be rooted firmly within the DCU and it’s myriad crossovers, or whether you’re going to be allowed some degree of independence?

I asked for six issues to establish the character as a single act before involving Doctor Fate with the Justice Society of America again. So far I’ve been left alone to do just that.

As I’ve probably mentioned here before, I *want* Doctor Fate to appear with the JSA again evemtually, not only in deference to the character’s roots but also to attract new readers to the solo title.

More tomorrow…

By now, most of you have probably heard that the DOCTOR FATE book has been postponed. Let me asssure you that it *is* a postponement, not a cancellation. It happened for a number of reasons, including my speed (or lack thereof) with the scripts, the last-minute change of art personnel, and some on-the-fly editorial decisions at DC that affected DOCTOR FATE indirectly.

I know you’re disappointed. So am I. But the book is going to be better for this, and the release schedule further down the line will be much more reliable. I know it was a difficult decision for DC to make, but it was the right one.

I’ve promised Joey Cavalieri that I’d get a certain amount of work done by April 30th. Meeting this obligation is absolutely critical to the success of the book, so bear with me if the posts here are even sparser than usual over the next six weeks. I’ll try to pop in with a line or two during work breaks or between scripts. And I *will* answer the rest of your Doctor Fate questions. They help me crystallize my own thinking about the book, so working with them can be time very well spent.

Interesting Steven Grant column on how we “respect” the past in comics.

I’m letting some Doctor Fate ideas roll around in the back of my skull again, so here, via the front of my skull, are answers to some of your Doctor Fate questions:

Scott: Any chance of a crossover with Fate, Superman, and Steel?

I’ll take just about any excuse to write Superman, but there aren’t any plans for such a crossover in the immediate future. There is *one* particular crossover that I’d love to do sometime within the first year of the book, but I’ll keep that under my hat for now.

Bob Kennedy: Since he’s in Vegas and all, is Kent any sort of stage magician/entertainer?

No, that’s Sargon’s shtick. I’ve been intentionally coy about revealing Kent Nelson’s profession because it bears so heavily on the nature of his character. You’ll get the answer in the first issue.

Mario Di Giacomo: 1: Is there a specific reason why Fate switches the helmet from half to full (and vice versa)?

Yes.

2: Given that he’s hanging around Vegas, any chance he’ll run into a showgirl with a pet ostrich?

Nothing is impossible.

3: I love the idea of a new system of magic for Fate. He’s been stuck with the ankh imagery ever since Walt came up with it in First Issue Special, all those years ago, and it’s time to move forward. Any hints for the peanut gallery on what it will be like?

There are some hints in the ZAURIEL story, in one of the more outrageous statements Zauriel makes to Hyathis about the nature of the universe, but I’m not prepared to say more than that just yet.

Is the release of the first issue delayed?

I honestly don’t know.

Will there be room for satire/social commentary?

A certain amount of social commentary flows naturally from the characters themselves, but it’s not the main focus of the book.

Will Kent Nelson the Younger have friends? (These mystic types always seem to be loners, except for a faithful manservant, a true love trapped in another dimension, and/or the disembodied spirit of a predecessor.)

My intent is to build a very strong, very extensive supporting cast for this series. So far, I can state categorically that the book is manservant-, trapped-lover-, and disembodied-predecessor-free.

Will one of the early spells involve getting away with card-counting?

Not exactly, but you’re very, very warm.

Tim: What I’m wondering is how strongly do you think DC will support this book?

DC has gone to the trouble of promoting the book with the five one-shot lead-ins, and I think they would like to do more. We’ll see.

Outside of Vertigo, magical characters haven’t had a lot of success at carrying books lately ,,, the Doctor Fate legacy is somewhat complex — we’ve been through a lot of them, and a new character picking up an established mantle is often a recipe for quick cancellation. Satisfying longtime readers while attracting new ones is a bloody hard act!

True.

Of course, the only thing harder to sell than a new character picking up an established mantle is a new character who *doesn’t* pick up an established mantle. Absent some element of familiarity, most readers would almost certainly shun the book, and most retailers would be more than happy to ignore its existence. That’s just the nature of the industry right now. So I’ll take my chances with the mantle.

More answers to more questions later this weekend, I hope.

The fairness and balance are enough to make you weep — or throw bombs.