As was announced at WonderCon in February, writer J. Michael Straczynski is now making his comic book home at DC Comics, writing two projects for the publisher. The first, Newsarama has learned, is The Brave and the Bold with artist Jesus Saiz, beginning in November.

While the acclaimed creator of Babylon 5 and writer for both screen and television was most recently exclusive to Marvel - staying six years on Amazing Spider-Man and working on other titles, including Thor and The Twelve, which he will continue writing – this will be his first major work in the DC Universe (not counting his Teen Titans Spotlight issue in 1987 or Babylon 5 comic projects at the publisher). Straczynski’s run on DC’s team-up series will begin following an arc written by Marv Wolfman.

“We wanted to give him free reign to really touch on as many characters as possible,” says DCU Executive Editor Dan DiDio when asked what went into the decision. “The way we’ve been playing The Brave and the Bold is the same way we’ve been playing Superman/Batman – that is, it fits into DCU continuity somewhere, but it doesn’t run with the current continuity. That way, we can tell the best stories possible with the characters.”

Case in point, Straczynski’s first issue, according to DiDio, features Batman teaming with the Jim Corrigan Spectre. But that’s not to say that Batman will be in every issue.

“We have a lot of plans that I can’t get ahead of, but as I said, Joe’s first story will be Batman, and then he’ll be examining different pairings of the characters in the near future,” DiDio says. “Batman will be prominent, but that’s not to say that he’ll be the sole star of the series.”

And what other characters will be seen?

“Joe gave us a full checklist that ran the gamut from the most recognizable to the most obscure characters that we have in the DCU,” DiDio says. “But what we’re really trying to do is to create an overall plan and theme and arc for the series, and while the first issue or two might be standalone and fun in their own right, there is a bigger story that will be rolling out in the series.”

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As we announced last week, J. Michael Straczynski will be diving headfirst into the DC Universe later this year when he steps in as the new regular writer on the publisher’s Brave and the Bold. The series, as restarted by Mark Waid and George Perez in 2007 returned it to its earlier days of featuring team-ups between diverse (and often disparate) characters, rather than strictly a teaming with Batman as was the title’s norm for the bulk of its run.

The run on the series will be the first major DC work for Straczynski, and we spoke with him about the gig.

Newsarama: Joe, we haven't had a chance to talk since the first announcement of you going to DC. When your obligations were wrapping up at Marvel, and you were considering your options, was it an automatic thing to just look at the other company and see if they were interested, or did they give a call and start dangling worms on hooks?

J. Michael Straczynski: I'd always wanted to play in the DC universe, and once my period of exclusivity ended, there was no reason not to go and have a chat with them. I spoke with Dan DiDio and others and we tossed around some ideas. Brave and the Bold was one of the very first things Dan mentioned since it would let me play with as many of the characters as I wanted, in any combination, without having to worry too much about continuity or what was going on in other books.

NRAMA: For you, what's the appeal of the DC Universe as a storyteller? Obviously, the characters are a big part, but is there a tonal difference between the two (Marvel and DC) anymore?

JMS: I think the DC universe is a bit lighter and more polished in some respects, but that's neither better nor worse than being grittier or darker, it's mainly a philosophical thing. Growing up, I always enjoyed Marvel, but I was a massive DC fan particularly in terms of Batman, Superman and the core DC characters. I have one of the biggest collections of Superman stuff on the Western seaboard.

NRAMA: That said, what was the appeal of the book for you?

JMS: The breadth of the character list is appealing, and the ability to work outside continuity to some extent. Also, the plan is to do one or at most two-issue arcs, making the books more self-contained, which I think will be a blessing to readers looking to sample some of the characters. It's like, "Here's a cool Supergirl story," you tell it in one or two issues, and you get out rather than trying to drag it out or decompress.

NRAMA: Dan DiDio has said that your first issue will feature Batman and the Jim Corrigan Spectre - what led you to start your run with those two?

JMS: I gave Dan a list of possibilities, and he loved that one right off as a strong starting point.

NRAMA: Are there any other characters that you can name that you're itching to get your hands on?

JMS: Some of the choices are straightforward, others a bit odder. I'm looking for pair-ups that either haven't happened before, or have only happened rarely because that for me was always the appeal of the original Brave and Bold, seeing these pairings we hadn't seen before and wondering how the heck they’re going to work together. Batman and the Haunted Tank. Atom/Joker. Deadman/Wonder Woman. Flash/Blackhawks. Batman/Dial H. Legion of Substitute Heroes/Inferior Five. Doom Patrol/Legion of Super-Heroes. Superman/Sgt. Rock. Two-Face/Hawk and Dove. Challengers of the Unknown/Metal Men. Just going over the list is fun.

Newsarama Note: For more, check out the DC Nation panel report here.

NRAMA: What kind of stories are you looking to tell in Brave and the Bold? Are there any specific nooks and crannies you're really wanting to dig around in?

JMS: I want to do strong character stories underpinned by solid action setpieces. Really dig into the characters.

NRAMA: Finally, any broad hints you can leave us with? Big elements you've got coming in the larger storyline?

JMS: Again, I'm sticking with shorter arcs, so no larger storylines at the moment.

Newsarama note: the original article contained references to John Constantine and Swamp Thing team-ups which have since been changed. Those characters and team-ups are still in negotiations. Historically, there has been a relatively strict separation between characters in the DC Universe and those appearing under the Vertigo imprint.

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