NYCC 2011: Interview With Eric Wallace On ‘Mister Terrific’

A Terrific Time With Eric Wallace

Last Thursday, after the lights of the New York Comic Con dimmed to signal the close of our first day, a quartet of CBN staffers received some inside information about a late-night signing at one of the coolest comic shops you will ever visit — Jim Hanley’s Universe!

It didn’t take long for us to find the quaint shop nestled in the heart of Midtown NYC, but as we opened the door, we were taken aback by the sea of comic talent that mingled with fans inside. Sam Humphries (Fraggle Rock), Joshua Fialkov (Echoes, The Last of The Greats), Sterling Gates (Hawk & Dove), J.T. Krul (Green Arrow, Captain Atom), Eric Wallace (Mister Terrific) and many more hung out at tables, selling their latest books but most of all — talking comics!

Being a huge fan of Echoes, I talked to Joshua Fialkov first, but he was kind of tight-lipped when I asked him about a possible trade paperback or plans for a second series. But he did give me this little tidbit: “Right now, we are trying to shop around for a possible movie deal and that will determine where the future of the book takes us.” That’s enough to keep me satisfied!

As the night progressed, Cosmic Book News E.I.C. Matt McGloin and I found ourselves drawn into some very interesting conversations with two of DC’s top talents — J.T. Krul and Eric Wallace!

While our conversation with Mr. Krul will be coming later, I wanted to share what Mr. Wallace, who also wrote for SYFY’s Eureka, had to say about his ideas for Mister Terrific. And I have to tell you, after listening to Eric Wallace talk and seeing how excited he got about not only the characters he is working on but about comics in general, I think we can expect some amazing things coming to your local comic shops each and every week.

“There is something really cool in issue #9 that connects all the way back to issue #1,” Wallace offered. “By listening to the characters, this creates something so fresh for me and not just for you guys. When I was writing Titans, it was so religiously structured, I had an 18-issue master plan.”

Wallace continues mentioning how excited he is about the coming storyline, comparing it to one of his favorites from his younger days as a comic book reading youth.

“Because this is brand new, what I want is for folks to have the feeling I did as a kid reading Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 1-38,” he said. “Issue 1, ‘that was kinda fun.’ Issue 2, ‘oh a new villain!’ Issue 3, Spider-Man loses, ‘Wait! That can’t happen — that’s insane!'”

With that, Wallace talks Mister Terrific #3 and what’s to come, including possibly taking Michael Holt to the edge of the Universe and beyond.

“When you read issue #3, something happens that — now that I told you that — might echo Amazing Spider-Man. Our hero comes to a point — already in issue 3 — where he has to question everything about him, every single thing. It will send him on a crazy journey, a journey into outer space to be quite honest with you. It takes the book into outer space. So it’s all about trying different stuff and we’re not locked into anything. We are just trying something different, and so far so good,” he said.

From there, Eric Wallace talks about the many interesting facets of Mister Terrific’s life that can be used for stories.

“To me, the sky is the limit with the stories that we can tell with this guy. We can talk about his personal life. We can talk about his playboy life. We can talk about his business life being a billionaire running Holt Industries. We can talk about his cosmic life,” Wallace said. “He’s floating out there in the ninth dimension, ‘There’s stuff out in the ninth dimension coming for you, dude! You just don’t know it!’

“We have so many different arenas to play with,” Wallace continues. “Then something kinda special is going to kick in right around issues 6 and 7 that I don’t want to spoil. It is going to change the dynamic of Aleeka, Michael, and Jamaal. Jamaal is this 192 IQ 16-year-old kid genius, but what does that feel like? We are going to find out what that really feels like,” he explains. “Michael is going to take him on as kind of a mentor because he sees himself in him. Now he’s like a dad, and he’s a superhero, and he’s banging hot chicks — and he’s going to outer space! There’s a lot going on. So it’s all about raising the stakes.”

So what will happen next to Mr. Terrific? Stay tuned to your LCS to find out! And thank you for your time, Mr. Wallace!

Look for Mister Terrific #3 in stores next month!