Interview: Daniel H. Wilson Prepares for WORLD’S END

Nothing like an apocalypse to bring people together. The denizens of Earth 2 barely have a breather, as Daniel H. Wilson takes the lead on the new weekly series Earth 2: World’s End — the ultimate confrontation between the Wonders and Apokolips! Wilson took time out to catch up with Comicosity on his Futures End special, as well as what we can expect from the weekly series beginning next month!

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Matt Santori: Daniel, thanks so much for taking time to chat Earth 2!

Daniel H. Wilson: My pleasure!

MSG: Your Futures End tie-in issue focused almost exclusively on the Terrific pair — Michael Holt and Terry Sloane. What are your thoughts on them specifically and how they measure up among the god-like heroes of Earth 2 and against the actual gods of Apokolips?

026.DCC.Earth.1.0_384x591_53765561005989.19438275DHW: What Holt and Sloan lack in physical power (compared to the gods and godlike heroes), they make up for with their brains. The two guys use their mental gifts for different purposes, with Holt pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors and Sloan just manipulating his way through the multiverse.

But I like writing them both, because they share a sense of curiosity about the world around them, and they’re always looking to take advantage of what they can learn along the way.

MSG: You’ve centered on a lot of advanced technology in this issue — the boom spheres from Apokolips, the mother box, Red Tornado herself, and Sloan’s earth-defining lenses. How do you see the role of tech in defining the types of stories you tell, here and elsewhere?

E2WE-07-COVER-450-CMYK-d8ba5DHW: In my science fiction novels (like Robopocalypse) people mostly end up fighting against technology. In World’s End, however, technology is what allows human characters to hang with the superheroes. In comics, human beings have to be crafty to survive — and technology is an expression of that.

MSG: What was your thinking in choosing Sonia Sato to be Holt’s confident, and will she be playing a role moving forward into Worlds End?

DHW: Sonia and Holt go through a lot together in the weekly. As the world is ending, she takes on a level of responsibility that is breathtaking. I think Michael Holt can’t help but respect her. In Futures End, she is stripped of all her military rank and treated like nothing just because she comes from somewhere else. Of course Michael Holt would put her in charge of his lab — she’s vastly overqualified.

E2_WE_1MSG: With the revelation that Sloan is not from either Earth or Earth2, it feels like a lot of roads are converging in the near future with MultiversityEarth 2, and Futures End. As we move into World’s End, what is your thinking on how these “duplicates” and worlds relate to each other?

DHW: We haven’t been overly concerned with how Earth is going to react to an influx of Earth 2 refugees in the World’s End weekly. In fact, the population of Earth 2 doesn’t know much or care much about any other Earth — they just want to survive.

MSG: As show runner for the World’s End weekly series, what characters are you looking to focus on most, and how was that choice narrowed down amidst the vast possibilities of Earth 2 heroes?

DHW: We’ve got three writers including myself, and three main groups of characters have emerged: Mister Miracle, Fury, and Michael Holt; Val, Red Tornado, Kara, Huntress, and Batman; and Alan Scott and the other Avatars. Obviously, major ongoing subplots include characters like Jay and Kendra, Doctor Fate, Queen Marella, and Dick Grayson.

Honestly though, it’s heartbreaking to realize that there isn’t enough room to include every awesome character. My hard drive is littered with discarded plotlines that simply wouldn’t fit.

Earth_2_World's_End_Vol_1-1_Cover-2_TeaserMSG: Early mention has been made of Earth 2’s versions of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon joining the cast alongside Thomas and Helena Wayne, Lois Lane, Val-Zod, and Karen Starr. What can you share about this dynamic duo’s role and their history on Earth 2?

DHW: Dick and Barbara provide us with the perspective of regular people living through an apocalypse. They are on the ground, evacuating, dealing with looters and rioting, and trying to comprehend the massive scale attacks from Apokolips. Through their eyes, we see what’s happening to the ordinary people of Earth 2.

MSG: Readers have only seen glimpses of Apokolips to date in the New 52 in early issues of Justice League. What kind of world can we expect to experience and is it functionally different than what we’ve come to know previous to now?

DHW: We get to explore Apokolips itself in World’s End. It’s a hellish place, populated by a diverse group of entities — and we’ll learn how they got there and why. I had great fun cooking up a new Court of Apokolips. Through them, we will learn some of the deep secrets of Apokolips’ ancient history.

MSG: How has the writing process been evolving with co-writers Marguerite Bennett and Mike Johnson?

E2-WorldsEnd-2-2d4c8DHW: I’m so glad to be working with Mike and Marguerite. Everybody has been very easygoing yet determined to hit the deadlines. Working on a weekly is madness, but we’ve been able to find a nice rhythm. I break the story on two issues a week, the editors smooth it out, and then we script our pages. Two issues a week, like clockwork.

MSG: Any final thoughts or special teases for the Comicosity audience on your upcoming work on Earth 2: World’s End?

DHW: All I can say is that while I can’t guarantee every character will live, I can promise that we will never take a life capriciously!

Daniel H. Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, and Mike Johnson begin their run on DC Comics’ Earth 2: World’s End on October 8.

 

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