Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment

Two Films Based On Jimmy Palmiotti's Comics To Start Shooting In 2017

By J.D. Lombardi

I can remember picking up Event Comics' ASH #1 back in 1994…still have that initial 6-issue run in my collection. That was my first discovery of creator/writer/inker/producer/Renaissance Man Jimmy Palmiotti. Since then, with the help of comic book conventions and their late night party scenes, I've gotten to know the man a little better than someone who just writes (or co-writes) some of my favorite comics. Currently co-writing the DC Comics Rebirth adventures of Harley Quinn with his mega-talented wife, Amanda Conner, I thought it was high time to catch up with the man and see what he is stoking the fires with these days.

Our chat took place while the election was unfolding here in the USA. It has been an interesting, sometimes trying year in the comic industry and we cover a myriad of those beats. Jimmy Palmiotti has a unique outlook on the world and life in general. He is a man who doesn't mind a little hard work and offers nothing but positivity…don't believe me? See for yourself.

J.D. Lombardi: Okay, let's just jump into the "now," shall we? How many different projects are you currently involved with – not just comic books either. Also, if you can name them, feel free to do so. IF not, we'll just take them as part of the overall number.

Jimmy Palmiotti: I am co-writing with my wife the bi-weekly Harley Quinn series and about to start on The Jetsons. We just finished our part in the Kamandi series which is book 3, and I am putting the finishing touches on another Kickstarter for a third Sex and Violence book. Justin Gray and I just finished a three-part story with Juan Santacruz for Dark Horse Presents called Cell Block Earth – about Earth being turned into an intergalactic prisoner dumping ground. Outside of comics I work one day a week with my writing partner Craig Weeden on screenplays and we just finished an adaption of Back to Brooklyn, based on the graphic novel I wrote with Garth Ennis. I am also deep in the business end of a production company for independent features with my partner Kristanna Loken called Trio Entertainment that will premiere in 2017 and finally, I have two adaptations of books I co-wrote ready to start filming in 2017.

J.D. Lombardi: I'm exhausted just from reading that. But I've known you for years and it always seems like that amount of work is on your shoulders. Why do you do so much?

Jimmy Palmiotti: I think it may have something to do with not being in the business till I was 30 and making up for lost time, or, because I come from a background of growing up with no money, that the work may just up and dry out one day. Honestly, the root of it is that I really love writing and doing world building and do not want to miss an opportunity if it comes my way. That said, for everything you see there, I turn down a ton of work that just isn't the right fit for me or something that I think is a waste of time.

J.D. Lombardi: To some effect, it seems like there are two Harley Quinn characters at DC Comics. How in the world have you managed to get DC to let you make the book you're making, with what seems like minimal editorial tampering? When I say that, I'm talking about the lack of crossover issues, or famous character appearances, etc. I mean, for a Bat-character, her title has got to be the most un-Bat-like…if that is even a term.

Jimmy Palmiotti: When we took on the title, we asked DC if we could do our own thing and move Harley away from Gotham where she is always a supporting character in the Bat family, and give her a new cast of supporting characters that revolve around her. I think we caught everyone off guard with the launch and the book was a big hit. Because of our slightly different take on the character, we filled a gap that was missing with the company at the time and introduced more humor into the line. Since then, we have noticed a new group of younger readers picking up the books and the character, and the line continues to grow. In comics, and especially writing a character that other people own, it's important for a team to put their stamp on a character, otherwise you are easily replaced. It's always been my focus to do this with each and every character I work on. When editorial sees that a team is successful with a title, they tend to do less "fixing" and let the crew do what they do best. It's a matter of trust and with all of the companies I have worked with, DC has been the best to give us this trust. It is why most of my work is with DC and I have no desire to continue working for some others out there until they learn this simple thing.

J.D. Lombardi: Sales are good on her title, no doubt, right? This seems to be an era of creators not really sticking to a title for all that long, Snyder & Capullo's Batman-run aside. What is the draw for you, to remain on Harley Quinn and writing it along with Amanda Conner? How far does it go for you, past whatever potential financial perks there may be in writing a hit?

Jimmy Palmiotti: We started this from issue #1 and we will stick with it as long as the company and the fans ask us to. We both feel very close with the character and the way we have been portraying her and it never gets boring, or feels like work, and when that rare thing happens, you stick it out. As well, I think comic fans want some consistency with their teams on their books and characters and having us stay around has helped this. The specials and spin off series have a consistency and feel of the regular storyline, which helps as well. I think this is important to the evolution of the character and how most people that follow entertainment like to see the creators get branded with the characters. When I reference a book like Daredevil, for instance, I look back and say "I love the Frank Miller run" and not the issue numbers. I think this still holds true and it's easy for me to say my favorite Harley stories are the Dini and Timm ones.

As far as financial perks, when a book sells past a certain number, you make royalties on top of your pay. Work in the business and have a hit, well, it's only natural you ask for a raise every year. Take a book and have it come out twice a month, well, that's double the income. We have had three great years with Harley and being a freelance artist with no retirement fund or pension, it always helps to put some money aside for retirement one day. A lot of people forget that the older artists and writers mostly are living off social security…so they have to do what they can to get by. I have never really had money growing up, so it's important for us to be smart during the times where a book is a hit, because like the flipping of a light switch, you can find yourself without work, or working on a book for years that has never really made a royalty, like a Jonah Hex. I loved working on that series, but the trades are out of print and past the page rate, residuals are very, very limited.

J.D. Lombardi: Do you think that is why there are so many of the Batman/Superman/Justice League titles out there? Like, despite a creator's love for a Jonah Hex (we'll just use your example), since the possibility of a royalty may not seem possible, is everyone just pitching the heavy hitters or looking to work on their satellite characters instead of trying to build up other 2^nd/3^rd tier characters?

Jimmy Palmiotti: I think DC has done a great job building up their secondary characters every chance they get. Look past their main line and it's filled with characters with limited audiences that they are always trying their best to make into major players, but it's not an easy thing to do because these characters, at times, are aimed at an audience that either gets them or has history with them and do not get picked up by new readers, no matter how great they are reviewed. Overall, the comic book audience is not an easy one to break out new characters. Look at a company like Image and every month there are 40 new books and only a handful are here years later. It is rough on a number of levels. People like familiar, it's as simple as that.

J.D. Lombardi: You get to make a lot of comic fans happy in December with Harley's Little Black Book #6 and the return of the "classic" Lobo to the DCU proper. How did this happen? There was such fan revulsion for the "updating" of Lobo's image for the New52, I'll bet you didn't have to twist any arms in bringing back the true Main Man.

Jimmy Palmiotti: Amanda and I were doing a comic con in Sicily, Italy when we were discussing who we should have as the guest star for issue 6. We were bouncing between Big Barda and some other characters when Simon Bisley, a few tables away, asked to borrow some red markers for a Lobo sketch he was working on. When he went back to his table, both Amanda and I had the same idea. We discussed if it would be possible to team classic Lobo with Harley since there was a new 52 version of Lobo. We just figured maybe a little time travel could nail that and we asked Simon if he would be up to doing a team-up that was 38 pages. He told us if it's classic Lobo and the company gave the green light, he was in. I emailed Dan DiDio the pitch and he wrote back immediately that he thought it was a fun idea. We were just in as much shock as Simon to tell the truth. Sometimes it's the right thing at the right time and Dan has been pretty open-minded with a lot of our requests. What he did tell us later, was to make sure we bring the character somehow into the current storyline of the Rebirth books and that we did within the story. I think issue 6 will be the most popular issue of the series since issue 1 with Wonder Woman.

J.D. Lombardi: As a complete dork, I can't help sitting here thinking of how well they'd go together, Harley and Lobo. Badass interstellar biker dude, hot crazed punky gal…Would Lobo care even a little about the Joker as a threat if he decided to try and get in their way?

Jimmy Palmiotti: Lobo wouldn't…and the setup of the book has Lobo and Harley stranded on a planet -almost alone, dealing with each other and survival. This book was one of the easiest we ever wrote. These two characters belong together for a million different reasons, mainly because both of them can be so damn Heavy Metal when they want to be and they are both capable of great destruction and humor. If this goes over well, we look forward to bringing Lobo back into the regular series for a guest spot sometime in the future.

J.D. Lombardi: Over the weekend, it was announced that Painkiller Jane is now full steam ahead with actress Jessica Chastain not only in the starring role, but also producing. How much are you involved in the process of this film and did you have a hand in luring Chastain into the fold?

Jimmy Palmiotti: I am really excited to have Jessica and her company Freckle Films on board. She is perfect for the part and I am one of the executive producers, so that's a good thing. I am extremely excited on so many levels. Jane has always been one of my favorite characters to work on.

J.D. Lombardi: This isn't the first time that Painkiller Jane has been in media other than comics. There was the 2005 television movie on the SYFY channel as well as their subsequent 2007 22-episode series. It is early on, no doubt, but how do you think the feature film will differ, in terms of story and/or content?

Jimmy Palmiotti: The first adaption was a military take on the character and the Sci-Fi series took a science fiction approach which I was not super crazy about but rolled with because at the time I was just happy it was being made. This was at a time when we were just thrilled someone cared. That said, I found a lot of good in both adaptions and as usual when working with a group of people, made some friends for life while there. Overall both experiences were a learning process for me on a number of levels so that was a good thing. We learn and apply.

J.D. Lombardi: Earlier, you mentioned actress/producer Kristanna Loken, who was also TV's Painkiller Jane but is also a business partner of yours. Will she be involved in the upcoming film as well?

Jimmy Palmiotti: When we were filming the TV series, Kristanna and I bonded pretty quickly and became the best of friends. Over the years after the show ended, we stayed in touch and I would visit and meet her at conventions or her place time and time again, and we got to talking about the idea of creating smaller films that were idea driven and how much Hollywood can throw money away on special effects at the price of a great script and so on. We both felt there was a need to try to put together our own projects and create our own properties using the contacts we have made over the years. It was then that we decided to get together and form our new project Trio Entertainment. As far as the feature film, Kristanna is not involved. Kristanna is, now producing her own films and still taking acting gigs here and there when she can. She wants to do other things in her life and our company together is a reflection of that. We have some cool things planned.

J.D. Lombardi: So, will Margot Robbie be consulting you and Amanda to set the tone for her Harley Quinn solo film that is being talked about, in terms of fast-tracking? She is one of your Hollywood pals, right Jim?

Jimmy Palmiotti: Because of the generosity of DC Comics, we met Margot Robbie after the premiere (of Suicide Squad) in New York and had a quick conversation about how she handled Harley and about her reading the books we do, and then we all took a photo together. As far as Warner brothers consulting us, I do hope that the crew up at Warner decides to do that at some point in the film process…but it is wait and see. No one has mentioned it yet. I think it would benefit everyone on a number of levels since we have been working on the character now over 3 years, but in the end, the ball is in their court. Since Geoff (Geoff Johns – DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer) is now in the position to make things like this happen, having one foot in the publishing side of things and the other overlooking the films, I think we have a decent chance of this becoming a reality on some level. Amanda and I would love the chance, that's for sure. It just sends a great message to the fans having creators involved in the process. There is no downside really.

J.D. Lombardi: You're right, there isn't. I think it would lend to a little more continuity too, in that, comic book movies aren't being adapted like popular novels. There are so many epic storylines from these DC Universe characters, but the films often go their own way instead of taking a popular story from a given title. I've always found that odd. Adding some comic minds could help curtail some of these sometimes far out ideas, no?

Jimmy Palmiotti: I think it is narrow-minded, not involving the creators in the production and it shows when they are completely removed. Over and over Hollywood has to learn this. I think the smarter bet is to understand that maybe the people that can keep an audience coming back month after month for a character would have some idea how to make it work in all media.

J.D. Lombardi: How have you managed to remain such a seemingly well-grounded, positive individual? In the social media age – which you've pretty much took off running with, in terms of sharing your life online – why don't we ever hear about Jimmy Palmiotti getting into a tweet war with another creator, or snarking out an annoying fan on Facebook? Many times, you come across with some pretty inspiring words in a time when people really seem to strive in writing (or saying) the exact opposite.

Jimmy Palmiotti: It is a delicate balance these days, that's for sure. I try to be true to who I am. I am a supportive, hard-working, open-minded person that has empathy for others. I don't believe in doing negative press and saying bad things about others, and I have no interest in supporting or becoming friends to those that do. I understand that because my private life is made public at times, I have to be careful about everything I say and it's hard at times because I am very Italian – I like to react and then think. What I have learned to do is to step away from a situation and look at it from both sides and then if I choose to comment I will, but most of the time, I choose not to. Sadly, there are a lot of people online with no lives looking for anything to get angry about, or anyone to attach to their own cause and anger, and I try my best not to go there. I just had someone accuse me of not caring about something because they did a search of my Tweets and saw I had no comment, so she made up a story about me not caring because of my lack of tweets about the subject. Think about that for a second. Let how ridiculous that is set in. Sadly, that is what is out there, so when people are going in dark or bad directions, I like to keep positive and celebrate what is working and not to be the one enjoying others mistakes or failures. I am embarrassed as hell when I see professionals fighting online. If I have a problem with someone, I call him or her or talk it out to his or her face. I just don't feel the need to argue in a public forum. I am a happy person that loves life, his friends and family and understands that I have the best job in the world. That said, I have to deal with bad things, sad things, losing friends, failures and so on all the time, but I just don't have the need to lay that on others. That's just me.

J.D. Lombardi: Since you made mention of it, this has been an especially tough year when it comes to those who have passed away within the industry – and outside the comic world too for that matter. You were close with artist Darwyn Cooke, who passed in May. I know you've worked with artist Steve Dillon, who also just passed in October. What are we missing now, in a world without these two incredibly talented gentlemen?

Jimmy Palmiotti: On a personal level, it's just heartbreaking. Both of these guys were good friends. My time with Steve working on the Punisher was some of the most fun years of my life. He was a friend from overseas that I would always stop everything to run into the city to meet for a dinner and drinks and a good time. With Darwyn, it was more devastating for me because he was a best friend and I saw him a few times a week, 6 months out of the year. We were close, would work together, play together and we were a big part of each other's lives. Darwyn and Amanda were like brother and sister…the times they were together were priceless. His art and influence is everywhere around me. It just isn't the same anymore…there is a huge gap in my life that is not going to go away because of him. I think of him on a daily basis and…well, it's just hard.

As far as the loss in comics, with Darwyn, we all lost the next few series he was going to write and draw. He spoke to me about what he had planned for the future and did drawings to show them…and these will never come together. We had a Harley Quinn hardcover we had planned as well. We lost a great storyteller that will go down in history as one of the greats, and we lost a voice that believed in the pure essence of these characters and was able to present them in a timeless way. With Steve we lost a storyteller that anyone could understand; an artist that taught me so much in our time together about focus and character acting. Both of these guys, beyond their art, had such big hearts…and anyone that met them should consider themselves lucky.

J.D. Lombardi: Comic Cons, there are a million of them today all over the globe. I know you've made it a point to limit your and Amanda's attendance so that you're still able to work on what has made you famous, but how much of a nuisance have they become for the actual comic industry in terms of work productivity for creators? I'm not saying writers, artists, inkers etc. are miserable attending the conventions, but more that there seems to be more fill-in creators than ever before. This just a coincidence?

Jimmy Palmiotti: Comic Cons can be a problem for anyone with an intense regular working schedule. I love the shows mostly because I love traveling to a place and talking about what I do with others. I love meeting people and celebrating comics whenever I can, but they get costly and can totally screw up your work schedule…and for some freelancers, cause them to lose their jobs. When Harley was announced as a twice-a-month book from us, we instantly had to cancel half of the shows we had planned for 2017. There is just no way to do this and the cons at the same time. What people need to understand is that doing a 3-day con typically destroys about a week of work days. Two days for travel, three days for cons and then a prep day and a day after to catch up with stuff that includes laundry, deadlines and more. As well, these cons cost us a lot of money at times. We have had to charge for appearances now because of this. Financially they just don't make sense to anyone that is working on schedules like us. Cons are great if you are an artist working on an open schedule, but this last year of shows has taken its toll on us. We looked back on 2016 just this week and realized that we have done a lot of good will for our books and name, but understand that we can't do this again. We have to be more selective with the shows and to be honest; we are only doing the shows that are either in new areas, or ones that have treated us very well. Just because a show is big doesn't make it good. We have just as good a time at smaller shows when the crew running it treats us well – something the bigger shows need to remember.

J.D. Lombardi: I just notice you're doing a comic con…cruise? What is that about?

Jimmy Palmiotti: The FAN2SEA cruise is going to be the comic book event of the year, and its January 19-23 and already it's probably the coolest thing I am a part of in 2017. This is a cruise that features comic, TV and film guests and about 2000 fans that leaves from Tampa Florida, stops in key West and then in Cozumel. They have panels, workshops, and a ton of interactions, movie nights and so much more planned. It's 1000 times better than any comic convention simply because you are also on a beautiful fully loaded cruise ship with bars, 4 pools, movie theatre and casino with a Sin City theme and with it all meals are included. When they called Amanda and me to be part of this we jumped at it. Some pros were teasing me, but I had to remind them that we have some of the greatest fans on the planet in comics and it is always a pleasure for Amanda and me to spend time with like minds. This is a boat full of people loving the same things we do and it's like going on vacation with all of them. I look at it like this: In my lifetime I don't know if this will happen again, and I live for new experiences. We all work too hard, so having a convention type thing on a boat means no parking, no hustling lines, sold out panels, no difficulties getting food and seeing fans and creators relaxed and enjoying themselves. It is win-win in our eyes and we are thrilled to be a part of it.

J.D. Lombardi: Lightning Round:

–the comic book movie YOU are waiting for (other than your own characters)

Jimmy Palmiotti: Another Jonah Hex movie where they bring us in to help out and actually flush out a story. A Tallulah Black series for Netflix, A Harley Quinn animated series based on our book as well as a Daughters of the Dragon movie…and a Powergirl TV series. I know I am asking for a lot. Since we are imagining, why not go for it.

J.D. Lombardi: –Think Beautiful Killer will ever resurface? How about Ash, or Monolith?

Jimmy Palmiotti: Monolith has landed and been announced as a Lionsgate film shooting in 2017 already, so that's good and on its way. ASH is tied up at the moment with Paramount I think, but you never know what will happen there. Beautiful killer rights are mostly owned by Gareb Shamus, with Phil (artist Phil Noto) and I owning a %, so whatever happens with that property, it is in his hands. Would love to see that make it to the big screen as well as New West and Gatecrasher, and now is the time in my opinion.

J.D. Lombardi: –Today is Election Day. What do you hope tomorrow brings?

Jimmy Palmiotti: Well, since this is after the fact, what it brought is more divide to the country and a man who looks like he may be over his head. I just hope he gets good people around him and does the right thing and pulls away from all the negative noise he made to get himself in that position and looks at the real problems facing the country. Would be nice if he addressed the protests and gave a speech where he calmed people down, but it hasn't happened yet other than him just saying to stop.

J.D. Lombardi has either written for, or been banned from most comic book sites in existence – and quite a few that have also met their maker. His lone comic credit comes as writer of a short in Image Comics Outlaw Territory Volume 2. Were he single, that'd be quite a depressing fact. But now a husband and father, he doesn't find it quite so bad after all. You can find him trolling somewhere on the internet, or even just on Twitter: @jdlwrites

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!