It was only recently that I really got into Joe's work, his recent WILDCATS issues and the MR. MAJESTIC finale is far superior to his earlier work. After speaking with him I see that Joe is the type of writer who isn't afraid to wave his dick in the air and cause some shit. Joe's work is ever-improving and he will soon be amongst the bigger names in the biz, where he belongs, pissing people off and steering your attention away from the spandex clad archetype to a better story-telling genre.

So Joe, why have you chosen to express yourself in comics? Is the Rock 'n' Roll lifestyle just too hectic for you?

Each serves its own purpose. Writing comics pays the rent. Rock 'n' roll, of course, gets me the chicks. I wouldn't give either one of them up. Luckily, I don't have to. Life is all about balance, y'see...

Having just broken into the biz in '97 you are already a big name. Do you feel it's a case of perseverance paying off?

I don't think I'm a "big name" by any stretch of the imagination. I've been lucky in the fact that I've been able to sustain myself - and stay somewhat visible - in an often-volatile industry, where personal investment in your work is rarely - if ever - rewarded. But, I suppose hard work IS rewarded, in certain circumstances, so it worked out for me in that respect. I've got perseverance in spades. But being a big name isn't what it's about. It's really about getting the work out there for folks to read and - hopefully - enjoy.

Now I've noticed a definite improvement from your work on HULK to your recent work on Majestic (the Canete issues being espescially great) and your amazing work on WILDCATS. You've said that diversity in your work is important, but what else influenced your work and made it what it is today?

Most of the gigs I've had were never "just a gig". Whatever's going on in my real life has to be reflected in the work I do. Doesn't matter what character I'm writing, doesn't matter how "far out" the subject matter might be, if I can't find some sort of personal stake in the material, then it just feels false. It reads false to me. Sometimes there's a reflection of what's going on in the comics industry itself, or my experiences within it (the last issues of both MR MAJESTIC and DEATHLOK, in fact, contained quite a bit of allegory referencing the cancellation of those books), and other times it's a reflection of what's going on in my emotional life. There are times where it's not even a conscious thing... it's only later on when I happen to reread something that I suddenly see the parallels to what was going on in my real life.

What made you change the direction of WILDCATS? Your first few issues have been very different than previous writer Scott Lobdell's. It must have been tough to convince the big boys to make such radical changes. I think it's paid off though, you've turned a book about covert spandex clad superheroes into a storyline that's actually enjoyable to read.

Well, aside from a few isolated runs (James Robinson's and Alan Moore's), the majority of WILDC.A.T.S. (Vol. 1) always came across to me like warmed-over X-MEN (and, as we all know, room temperature X-MEN is bad enough). Luckily, mi amigo Scott Lobdell had a different vision for the book when it came to Vol. 2. All that Sean Phillips and I have done is taken it even further in that direction. It wasn't difficult at all to convince the "big boys", since the advent of both Cliffhanger and ABC has taken the pressure off the Wildstorm Universe books to be the backbone of the company. That's given creators like Sean and I more freedom to go balls to the wall. The idea is to tell stories that are more accessible to a wider audience of wider tastes. That, to me, means pushing the material in the most extreme directions we can get away with. We want readers to become invested in the characters based on their personalities and their experiences, not their costumes or their superpowers. In fact, last I checked, we pretty much eliminated the costumes altogether. Things seem to be working out so far. Response to our run so far has been pretty damn good. Certainly, the characters are more real to me since I've been writing them, and I hope some of that investment on my part carries over to the readership.

What we're doing on WILDCATS is how we think "superhero" comics are going to survive in the Twenty-First Century. It's time to clear out all the old fart, spandex nightmare, pro wrestling crap that the mainstream has been trying to pass off as entertainment and get down to the business of making comics vital again! We're out to offend the conservatives... the ones clinging to the Silver Age like a fuckin' life preserver. Well, guess what, fellas... that ship is sinking fast. From now on, it's character instead of costumes, futurism instead of nostalgia, actual stories instead of pointless continuity maintenance, visionary creators instead of hacks who don't know what century it is. I'm really not interested in trying to recreate my -- or anyone else's --childhood with the comics I'm writing. It's time to write the next chapter in mainstream comics.

You seem very adamant in your statements, are there any particular creators or bad experiences that lead to such a decision?

Just go to the comic store, pick up and read a typical, generic, "modern" superhero comic. Read a few of 'em. THERE'S your bad experience, right there. And the only creator I'll name is me... on certain occasions, early in my career, I've combated creative laziness and lost a few times. With the work I've been doing on WILDCATS and X-MEN: COTA, I consider myself paying penance for past sins of being generic.

What's in the future for WILDCATS? And do you have any plans for DEATHLOK?

Sean and I are about to kick out the darkest WILDCATS tale yet. It's a 6-part storyline starting in issue #14 called "Serial Boxes". We're putting these characters up against some real horror. This has nothing to do with alien nonsense, or any of the other stuff the book's dealt with before... we're talking about true, relentless evil here. Some of the characters are going to experience traumas like this book has never seen. Okay, I admit it... we're gonna' fuck some shit up! Most of the cast is involved, from Spartan and Grifter to Voodoo and Jeremy Stone (formerly known as "Maul", God help us...). Throw Void, Ladytron and Noir into the mix, and it's obvious that this one's going to be jam-packed with cool, intense stuff. For those readers out there who got off on our first 3-parter (which ended with the villain Kenyan shoving a gun into his own mouth and pulling the trigger), they haven't seen anything yet. Sean and I are just getting warmed up. I've written the first two chapters, and I'm already creeped out by what we're gonna' be doing.

It's pretty cool to see how we're starting to change people's perception of what WILDCATS is. By the time we hit 2001, I think most readers will forget that they were ever a "Covert Action Team", whatever the hell that is (shudder!).

As for DEATHLOK, it ended with issue #11. The story's been told to my satisfaction. I got to end the whole thing in a manner befitting a book that was experimental to begin with. No worries. No regrets.

The MAJESTIC series stopped rather abruptly, much to the disappointment of many fans. What stories did you have planned for the character that the readers didn't get a chance to see?

MR MAJESTIC started out as our foray into "big hero stuff" (an approach that was very in vogue when we first pitched the series back in '98). That got old around issue #6, and with the change in artists, we decided to go completely, out-of-our-gourds surreal with the storyline. The absurdity of a character like Mr. Majestic practically begged for it. I'm pretty happy how the series turned out. I don't want to say too much about what we might've done (had the series continued), because Eric Canete and I are planning a brand new monthly at Wildstorm, and if people thought MR MAJESTIC got a bit screwy at the end... look out.

What CAN you tell us about it?

The only things I can really say at this point is that the series is planned for early 2001. For me, it's another important step towards more accessible material in the mainstream. I can't say it's superheroes, but I can't say it's NOT superheroes, either. Hopefully, it'll be perceived as something new, as well as a step forward, creatively, for Eric and I. Expectations seem pretty high for this one...

Another of your books is X-MEN: CHILDREN OF THE ATOM, which is coming along slowly but surely...

Let's hope so. The final three issues are supposed to come out at a much more timely clip. Dare I say, monthly? X-MEN: COTA has been the most intensive - and the most draining - experience of my professional life. It's taken so much of my focus just to see this damn thing through to completion. I just want to tell my story and be done with the whole X-mess.

Which brings up an interesting point, it seems that when writers go on an X-Men title they seem to get, well, fucked. Did you find you received bad treatment while on the book?

Not at all. I knew the perils of the X-office from Day One. I'm a grown man, and I put up with exactly the amount of shit that I wanted to put up with (which, in the grander scheme of life, wasn't nearly as much as people might believe). I never felt like I was getting fucked. It was Marvel's prerogative, for instance, to remove my friend and collaborator Jose Ladronn from CABLE, a book he and I had nurtured and slaved over, and had become a labor of love for us. It was then MY prerogative to leave the title with him, even though Marvel asked me to stay on as writer. The relationship with my editor on all my X-projects has grown and evolved over the years we've worked together. At this point, there's been enough trust built up between he and I that X-MEN: COTA has emerged pretty much free of any real editorial mismanagement. That's all I can ask. My exit from the X-office has more to do with the subject matter involved rather than any behind-the-scenes stuff.

Who do you find are the largest influences in your writing?

I've been writing so intensely for the past four years, part of me feels like the sheer volume of work that I've done has pushed me past my influences. But there are still writers who I know inspired me to raise my own standards when it comes to quality. In comics, Mike Baron was a big influence when I was a teenager. I've always said that NEXUS was the best continuing series of the 80's. My first real influence - we're talking pre-teen years here - was David Michelinie. I thought his run on AVENGERS was top-notch. Alan Moore, of course, was a big one for me. I dug Frank Miller, more often than not when he wrote for other artists.

The real truth about "influences" is that just about everything you read and absorb will ultimately inform your work. Influences can be both positive and negative. There are plenty of writers out there that I've read that influence me in what NOT to do.

Favourite characters? Heroes? Villains? Mystic superhero who solves crimes while donning his oh so powerful house coat of mystery?

I go back and forth on this one. Sometimes I dig the icons. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, etc. I like their simplicity, their flexibility, their ability to reach a mass audience (when portrayed correctly, that is... which isn't often). Then, there are other times when I like the more obscure characters, like Mr. Majestic or the WILDCATS cast, simply because their obscurity allows for more freedom in their depiction. You don't get too much freedom playing with the icons... their owners won't allow it.

Most influential Author?
Elmore Leonard.

Favourite old school artist? Writer?
Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, hands down. Purity of vision and the raw skills to execute it with both style and originality (can't get any more "old school" than those guys, can you?).

Best Kirby creation?
Captain America

Most under appreciated creator currently in the biz?
Richard Starkings

Worst fanboy experience?
I don't have too many fanboy experiences, period. I always get a kick out of people thinking I'm Joe Kelly, mainly because he's so much better looking than me.

Proudest body of work?
WILDCATS is shaping up to be, for me, some of my most consistent, most personally-satisfying work. Plus, it best represents the direction I think superhero comics should go. But, to be honest, I look at most everything I've done as part of a larger body of work. It's really one, giant story that I feel like I'm right in the middle of telling.

Advice to those trying to make it in the Biz today?

Work on your craft with all the diligence you can muster, but don't let that stop you from experiencing life. Without a life... without wider life experiences to draw from... you're not going to be bringing anything new to the party. And we don't need more of the same ol' crap. We've got enough of that already. We're choking on it, actually...

And, above all, get laid as often as possible. Trust me on this one, fellas...

What has been your favourite book to work on?
CABLE was cool, because it was my first ongoing gig and for my collaboration (and friendship) with Jose Ladronn. Right now, WILDCATS -- working with Sean Phillips -- is as good as it gets.

Current titles everyone SHOULD be reading?
It seems like people are either reading en masse - or at least talking about - all the good stuff that's out there right now. Except WILDCATS, of course...

Favourite character(s), title(s) to hopefully some day work on?
My own.

Upcoming projects?

I haven't been so visible in comics for the past few months, aside from WILDCATS. My band is in the process of making a movie, so that takes up a lot of my time. But there's a lot of stuff comic-wise that's brewing for later this year and for 2001. A prestige format LADYTRON one-shot with Eric Canete (a very beautiful and violent tale that fills in quite a bit of the character's backstory... along with plenty of incestuous sex and twisted murder sprees), followed by our next Wildstorm monthly (as I said, a brand new title I can't really talk about yet). I'm writing the WILDCATS annual for later this year, with artist Lee Bermejo. Another WILDCATS-related prestige one-shot is on the boards, but it's too early to talk about. I can say that it'll be drawn by two of my favorite artists, fellow Wildstorm inmates and Southern gentlemen both.

DOUBLE IMAGE is coming soon from Image Comics. A creator-owned split book (like the old "Marvel Double Feature" or "Strange Tales" books), half by myself and the great Charlie Adlard, the other half by Scott Lobdell and Mark Badger. More news on that will be coming very soon.

Finally, I'm doing a big, top secret project for DC, using one of their biggest icons. Hell, it's one of the biggest icons in popular culture. I think that should be out in 2001, as well. I would go into more detail, but everyone involved has been sworn to secrecy. Needless to say, I'm predicting that when word starts to get out on this thing, calling it "controversial" will be a gross understatement. Like I said before, most people hate it when you screw with the icons, but we're doing it anyway.

About the movie, will it be a feature or a Doc about the band?

Kind of a cross between the two. Once it's done, we'll probably make it available somewhere on the Net.

What's your dream project? If you could work with any companies, characters, writers, artists, no restrictions, no rules, complete creative freedom, crossover as many characters from as many different companies as and if you wanted without any complaints, put together whatever creative teams you wanted, and no one would stop you, what would you do?

I gotta' say, I'm pretty happy with the freedom I get right now on all of my projects. My work is getting out there very much in the way I intend for it to, so I've got no complaints. I've also reclaimed some of my life back after a few years of potentially-damaging workaholism, so that's always a good thing. I just wish the comics industry was healthier, and more risk-takers could be supported in the marketplace.

Comics journalism, in any form, how important is it?

Extremely. Both in terms of critical analysis and watchdogging the industry. For me, THE COMICS JOURNAL was essential reading as a teenager in the 80's, for both of those reasons. Thankfully, the Internet is starting to provide a new journalism, viable outlets for serious comics discussion and industry watchdogging. There are some great websites out there already, from POPIMAGE to NEWSARAMA to COMIC BOOK RESOURSES to SAVANT, each one serving a different, but important, function. And I think this is just the beginning.

So how does a day in the life of 'Joe Casey' work out?

Writing comics and prepping the movie during the day. Rehearsal and gigs at night. And in those rare moments of spare time... I divide them equally between girls and sleep.

Any personal beliefs on why the industry's in a slump?

Short-sighted publishers and an atrophied distribution system. Put 'em together and you're ultimately headed for a dead end. I think there are enough quality books out there right now, that if we only had a way of getting them to a wider audience, we'd be just fine, market health-wise. It seems to me that, generally, the creators are doing their part - providing good work - so it's up to the publishers, distributors and retailers to step up to the plate. What are they waiting for...?

Besides that, I think the format of comics is pretty outdated, as well. 22 pages of story per month for the money publishers are asking, it's pretty obscene packaging. Not to mention that the size, format, etc. is, to me, the major cause of the general public's bias against comics. The comic MEDIUM is going strong, progressing nicely, but the way we present them has, for me, outlived its usefulness.

Comics code, we want to get rid of it, you in?

Absolutely. A completely unnecessary tool (and I do mean "tool"). If individual creators can't be responsible for both appropriate content and good taste operating in conjunction with whatever material (or characters) they happen to be working on, then its their own damn fault, and no friggin' "code" should exist to catch them when they fall. If I'm writing SPIDER-MAN, I don't need a goddamned code telling me not to have our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler waving his cock around and yelling, "I'm gonna' fuck you up, Doc Ock!". I know better.

Finish these sentences;
Right now, in the industry we need more... Common sense
and less...Short-sightedness

You've just been given a chance to rework the industry, starting with the major publishers and distribution companies, what do you do, what DO you do?

Nuke 'em all and start over fresh.

Now one of my interview games;
Of choice; what is your drink of choice?
Water (bottled water, of course. I live in L.A., remember?)

Restaurant of choice?
Any ol' diner will do.


Movies?
That's a tough one. Apocalypse Now, The Shining, All The President's Men, Boogie Nights, Jackie Brown, lotsa' other genre flicks.

Books?
Lots of biographies and cinema-related books. The rest is all research. If I had to pick one right now, I'd say EYES WIDE OPEN by Frederic Raphael.

Music?
Beatles, Elvis Costello, Foo Fighters, Weezer, movie soundtracks, lots of other old stuff (meaning: pre-90's).

Artists?

Just take a look at a list of my artistic collaborators. I work with creators I respect. Whether or not an artist is "hot" doesn't mean shit to me. Jose Ladronn, Javier Pulido, Sean Phillips, Charlie Adlard, Michael Avon Oeming, Duncan Rouleau, Eric Canete, Leonardo Manco, Ed McGuinness. Not a lame bastard in the bunch.

Past time?
Sleep

Before we go, tell us something no one else knows. Something you've never told anyone...

How do you know I haven't already...?

And now...
Plug time! This is where you plug as many things as you want, comics, websites, movies, CD's, Band Shirts, homemade maps indicating various angel sightings, gigs, novels, anything old, new, current and upcoming, raffle tickets for a weeks stay at 'Joe Casey's Island of Monkey fun', where to buy your books, scripts, your collection of macaroni hats with glue on sparkles, and whatever else. Anything that could somehow lead to you getting a big shit load of cash. Huge shit load. I mean a big pile of a shit load. Of cash. Not a big shit load of shit, but rather a big shit load of cash. Not shit, cash. Definitely cash.

The thing I want to really plug at this point is WILDCATS. Sean and I have transformed the book entirely from anything it's been before into something I feel is pretty original in the mainstream (not often known for its originality in general), and we want to do everything we can to spread the word.