Australian-native Tom Taylor is a trailblazer in the world of entertainment media. A best selling author, award-winning playwright, and prolific comic book writer, Taylor has built his career off of telling epic stories. His graphic novel series The Deep is being turned into a TV series. His work on DC Comics’ Injustice: Gods Among Us has made waves throughout comics fandom. An Injustice Annual is planned for release at the end of this year.
Recently, Taylor was announced as the new author of the ongoing Batman/Superman series and freshly minted mini-series Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion. The Comics Beat sat down to talk to Taylor to find out more about the huge plans he has in store for both series.
Alex Lu: Tom, congratulations! How does it feel to be working on Green Lantern?
Tom Taylor: It feels great. I got to write them for a year in Injustice and do terrible, terrible things to them, but I really do love them– especially Guy Gardner. He has a special place in my heart. I love characters like him, who can speak truth to power.
Lu: Was Guy the first Green Lantern you ever read stories about?
Taylor: No no, my first Green Lantern would have been Hal and then Kyle. I love Kyle as well, even though I once tore him apart in Injustice.
Lu: Who didn’t you tear apart in Injustice?
Taylor: That’s a very good point! Yeah, I tore off every one of his limbs– I feel a little guilty about that. I had this action figure sitting on my desk in front of my computer, staring at me while I did those terrible things to him.
Lu: Did you take off a limb every time you cut off one of his in the story just to remind you of what he had left?
Taylor: [laughs] No, no!
Lu: So for those who aren’t in the know, what is Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion about?
Taylor: It’s a six issue mini-series by myself and Ethan Van Sciver. Ethan kicks ass. Ethan’s amazing. Everyone knows what he can do with the Green Lantern world. I believe this is the first mini-series he’s done since Flash: Rebirth, though, so we’re very excited to have him.
Edge of Oblivion takes place not in our universe, but the universe before ours, and it’s right at the end of that universe.
Lu: Oh, so is this a pre-Flashpoint story?
Taylor: No no no, the story takes place in the present universe, but the Green Lanterns have been transported to this new place, stuck in a universe that they have to escape from right now. However, a number of the lanterns are lost in this universe, so they light a beacon. This beacon brings all their friends back, but it brings something else with them as well…
Lu: Interesting. Tom, you’re known for these epic stories like Injustice. Can we expect the same sense of scale in Edge of Oblivion?
Taylor: Yeah, this is not a small little story that happens in one person’s kitchen. This is about as epic in scope as anything can be. It’s literally a universe that’s tearing itself apart, shredding nebulas with stars gone cold. It is a big landscape we’re playing with, with a huge cast of characters.
Lu: Is this mysterious threat bigger or smaller than a sun-eater from the Superman stories?
Taylor: Smaller than that. Actually, we’ll see. I’m not going to spoil that just yet.
Lu: Fair enough. How’d you get involved with the project?
Taylor: DC had been talking to me about the project for a little while. They told me I’d be working with Mike Cotton, who was also my editor on Earth 2. We love working together, so I was really happy when this came up.
Even with Superman /Batman— see I still call it Superman/Batman when it should be Batman/Superman because Superman is my guy. He’s been my hero since I was a little boy. I’m wearing his shoes right now [he was – ed]. It’s fantastic to be able to write him — not in Injustice or Earth 2 because I had to write him as a douche both times, but now I get to write him being him. That’s been a lot of fun.
Lu: Now, you’re known for many things. You wear many hats, both literally and figuratively. You are a published playwright and create TV shows and movies. What does comics offer you that other storytelling mediums don’t provide?
Taylor: Comics are the single greatest storytelling medium in the world. I say that a lot, but it’s absolutely true. In comics, the only limit is your imagination. It’s Hollywood with a limitless budget. You can tell all these stories in comics without worrying about producers who need to give you notes or protect their assets.
Obviously, when you work with someone like DC, these characters aren’t your characters– they’re not your toys. However, they’re the best toys in the world and you get to play with them. That’s fantastic.
If I had a choice, I would just do comics. I have a TV show now, The Deep, that you’ll hopefully see on American screens next year. It’s a CG animated show that’s 26 episodes. It’s about a multi-ethnic family who live in a submarine and their adventures. It’s pure joy. That came from comics too.
I just love comics. It’s where I feel at home. I loved them growing up, and I’m very happy I get to contribute to them now.
Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four Annual #1 hits store shelves on December 30th, 2015. Batman/Superman #28 and Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion #1 are scheduled to arrive on January 13th, 2016.
Does he actually wear a lot of literal hats? If so, what are they? Pictures available?
REally excited to see Taylor work on the GL Corps!
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