Screenwriter John Ridley offers a new perspective on the DC Universe in a long-awaited comic book series.
The 1986 comic book seriesHistory of the DC Universeleft a powerful impression on12 Years a SlavescreenwriterJohn Ridley.
“It was very important for me to [put] these stories on a real timeline.
Credit: DC Comics
Why [also] did the Justice League not to do anything in the Iranian hostage crisis?
What was it like to watch Arthur Ashe win Wimbledon?
It’s one thing to be able to [generically] save a planet.
DC Comics
It’s another thing to watch an uprising in Los Angeles where the city is torn apart.”
Below, EW chats with Ridley about this ambitious work.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This book was announced two and a half years ago.
Kevin Sullivan/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Certainly throughout history that’s been done.And done well.
Stop, it’s time to put it out."
They really supported us making this the most robust book that it could be.
To DC’s credit, this was going on for two and a half years.
This wasn’t [them] going, “Oh geez, this happened.
Here’s more money.
Here’s more time.”
For the past couple years, they were just sending my comic books back.
[I asked them] to just read it and “what do you think?
Can you give me your opinion?
Can you direct me to other philosophical think pieces about gender, orientation, gender politics?”
And just make a run at digest as much as possible.
Like I said, it was giving to other people I trust to read.
But really just trying to say, “I wrote it.I’m Black.
Then it was making choices about the narrative.
For this book, this series [or] this event, this moment.”
Even [deciding] which costume are they going to wear.
And then in terms of the information people gave me.
I’ll say this, they were exceedingly personal and that was very powerful.
In the books it’s Jefferson Pierce, it’s not Black Lightning.
It’s Tatsu Yamashiro, it’s not Katana."
Obviously, Renee Montoya was Renee Montoya first before she became the Question.
But it’s really trying to treat Mal and Karen as Mal and Karen and not Herald and Bumblebee.
That was very important to us.
My approach was the difference between writing an unauthorized biography or an oral history.
We don’t shy away from it.
I take it seriously.
For me, you’re free to go back toAmerican Crime[where] we dealt with it.
And it happens on a cycle.
you might go back to Rodney King.
I felt it needed to be acknowledged and dealt with.
In the past you’ve talked about how much Black Lightning meant to you growing up.
Mal and Karen, I’ve always loved them as a couple.
I always felt like they never knew what to do with Mal.
Ironically, they actually did a really good job with Karen, you know what I mean?
Every one of them represents different phases in my life, in terms of being a reader.
I remember Renee Montoya.
One of my favorite, favorite characters was The Question and here’s Renee who became The Question.
So it was great to finally be able to write some Question stories.
I hope when it comes out that people feel that enjoyment.
We wanted it to be a hopeful series.
Throw whatever you’re free to at us.
Being heroic is not just the costume and the powers.
It’s the endurance for all of these individuals."
The Other History of the DC Universehits stands Nov. 24.
A version of this story appears in the December issue ofEntertainment Weekly,on newsstands now oravailable here.
