DC Comics recently launched a New Talent Development department in order to find and nurture new creators. Two workshops have taken place with Scott Snyder leading the classes for writers and Klaus Janson and Jim Lee met with artists.
This week, DC is releasing New Talent Showcase #1, an oversized one-shot with nine stories. Erica Schultz is writing a Hawkgirl story with art by Sonny Liew. We spoke with Erica to find out about her story.
Comic Vine: Did you get to choose which character to write?
Erica Schultz: I did. I had narrowed it down to a few other characters, but Shayera/Hawkgirl was the one I enjoy writing the most.
How do you see Shayera? What does the character mean to you?
Throughout the years, Shayera has had several origins, but I’m fond of the “alien cop/soldier from another planet” (not the resurrection story with Kendra) and the spin that the Justice League TV show had built on.
What are her greatest strengths or weaknesses?
Overall, her greatest strength is her determination and tenacity. If she has an idea in her head, she’ll relentlessly pursue it. That can be exploited, however, as we’ll see in this story. I’d also say that her arrogance toward humans is a weakness, as well. She underestimates us.
What's the set up for your story?
This is the set up for the longer miniseries I wrote during the workshop: Having escaped a Thanagarian outpost just before its destruction, Shayera is discovered floating in space by a S.T.A.R. Labs satellite. She’s brought to Earth to be studied, but breaks out of the observation room to make a dramatic getaway. While in Chicago to lie low and get her bearings, she stumbles on a weapons smuggling ring that provides Thanagarian weaponry to several gang factions in the city.
What made Chicago the perfect setting for the story?
There are a few reasons why I chose Chicago. It’s not New York, Metropolis, or Gotham (though there’s references Gotham as Shayera is posing as a detective on loan from the GCPD). It can have the same grittiness as Gotham, but without the extra baggage of a million heroes already populating the city. Lastly, the Hawks, especially Katar Hol/Hawkman, have had stories set in Chicago, so I thought it was a nice homage to that.
Will we see any other familiar faces besides Hawkgirl?
If you read The New 52 Savage Hawkman, you’ll see one of the Great Old Ones from Thanagar. Later in the miniseries (not yet published), GCPD’s Harvey Bullock makes an appearance.
Be sure to check out New Talent Showcase #1, on sale Wednesday, November 30.
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