The Hidden S in Phone Booth

The Hidden S loves the only journalist more mysterious than he: The Phantom Reporter... A very strong, noticeable trend in comics during the last couple of years has to do with the rebooting of Golden Age superheroes who are not only forgotten but in some cases have seen there copyrights lapsed and fallen into the public domain (at least temporarily). This trend has made Dynamite Entertainment into a major independent company as they have mined a great stable of characters with their high profile Project Superpowers title. Marvel has also rebooted some of its very early heroes (created for the Timely Comics line-the predecessor of Marvel) in its series "The Twelve" that debuted a year ago. This series introduced an obscure group of characters back into the Marvel Universe including The Blue Blade, an Errol Flynn type fencing superhero and Rockman, a Hulk- type superhero who lives at the center of the earth. Another character from this group, The Phantom Reporter makes his solo debut this week in Marvel's Daring Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special. This issue, penned by prominent author David Liss (A Conspiracy of Paper) will help provide the backstory for the Phantom Reporter and attempt to bring the character into the 21st century. The Hidden S' alter ego Mark Rhodes was fortunate enough to catch up with Mr. Liss via email and interview him about his work on this character from Marvel's Golden Age. Omnicomic: How do you build a superhero origin? What are the considerations? Limitations? Liss: Essentially I reversed engineered the character. It thought about who he was, or who I wanted him to be, and then considered some reasonable ways he might have become that person. Foremost in my mind was the fact that costumed heroes were relatively new in that time period, and putting on a mask to fight crime isn't a natural or inevitable decision, especially for a character without powers. So why would a guy with money, prestige, power, and an outlet for his sense of social justice -- in this case, journalism -- choose to go the extra step and become a costumed vigilante? I put all of these questions into play, and then tried to come up with a story that would make the outcome seem logical. Omnicomic: Was there anything that set the Phantom Reporter apart from other firearm wielding superheroes/vigilantes? Liss: I think the main difference is that for him, it's not really personal. He's not Bruce Wayne or Frank Castle -- Dick Jones hasn't been devastated by a personal loss. In the book he has an emotional connection to the crime he is out to solve, but it is not a deeply personal, life-changing tragedy. Rather than being driven by revenge, he is driven by a sense of social justice and the obligation that a fortunate man has in a world full of unfortunate people. Omnicomic: You are a writer and the Phantom Reporter is a writer. Did that help you understand the character? Liss: I hadn't previously considered this, but I think so. Dick Jones wants to try to fix what is broken in his city with his writing. He wants to expose evil, and by exposing it, destroy it. Over the course of the story he discovers that simply exposing evil isn't enough. In my own writing, I often address, in a historical setting, contemporary problems and evils, and it is very frustrating because talking about a problem is not the same as solving it. So I think there is some vicarious pleasure in creating a character who sets aside the written word and actually goes out to fix what needs fixing. Omnicomic: Do you admire the Phantom Reporter? Can you imagine being friends with him? Is there something about him that makes him understandable and admirable? Liss: That is a tough question. I think there is something admirable in a character who is determined to use his social advantages and to risk his life to help people he really doesn't have to care about at all. The Phantom Reporter is all about the individual's obligation to the society in which he lives, even if he takes that sense of obligation to an extreme degree. It's hard to say what I would think of him in real life because he occupies a fantasy world in which costumed vigilantes, while new and relatively rare, are still a part of the fabric of society. If he were a real person, he'd have to be insane, wouldn't he? If, on the other hand, I lived in his world, then sure. We'd hang. Omnicomic: The alterego of the Phantom Reporter is split more than one way. Why is this? Do you think he has identity issues? Liss: The original Golden Age Phantom Reporter had three identities -- the millionaire, the reporter, and the vigilante. In The Twelve, JMS [J. Michael Straczynski] streamlined it to two, and my editor and I both agreed that we wanted to continue that trend of melding the reporter and the millionaire into a single personality. Having it split three ways made no sense to me. The character, as he developed in the script I wrote, is actually very well integrated. The Phantom Reporter is a natural extension of Dick Jones rather than Dick Jones being a cover story to hide the Phantom Reporter. In the classic model of secret identities, people who know Clark Kent -- to use the most obvious example -- would be shocked to discover he is Superman. People who know Dick Jones, upon discovering that he is the Phantom Reporter would probably feel like it makes a lot of sense. Omnicomic: What is the Phantom Reporter's legacy? Is he a minor superhero or a manifestation of everyman's potential if put to the test? Liss: Can't he be both? He is unambiguously a minor superhero, but the character, as he is now, has a potential to be a great deal more -- if nothing else, a fascinating bridge between the Golden Age and the Marvel universe today. It's good stuff, and I hope writers continue to take advantage of his unique circumstances." Omnicomic: Can you imagine an actor cast as the Phantom Reporter? Who do you see when you think of him? Liss: I'd never thought about this before, but the name that comes to mind is Clive Owen. Someone should call his agent.

(for more about the author visit www.davidliss.com) Mark Rhodes (AKA The Hidden S)