AMA @ BIC: Comic Book Legend Chuck Dixon Drops In To Talk ‘Horseman’, ‘Great War Of Separation’, And What’s On Deck For The Rippaverse
With our pilot discussion with the Rippaverse’s Andrew Rodriguez having gone down as a rousing success, we thought we’d keep our new AMA @ BIC series and bring you, our readership both casual and dedicated, another chance to chat, chill, and if it’s up your alley criticize, a notable individual in the world of comics – and who better to follow-up the Rippaverse’s newest writer than its most prominent, none other than the Bat-legend himself, Chuck Dixon.
If you’re at all familiar with Western comic books, whether as a brand new reader or someone with dozens upon dozens of long boxes in the closet, you’ve probably encountered Dixon’s work at some point in your readings; After all, the man is nothing if not prolific.
For Marvel fans, Dixon got his mainstream start all the way back in 1984 as a back-up writer on Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 1, his work on which would eventually open the door for him to pen notable runs on Marc Spector: Moon Knight Vol. 1, The Punisher Vol. 2, The Punisher: War Journal Vol.1, The Punisher: War Zone Vol. 1, as well as the whole of The Punisher: Kingdom Gone graphic novel (let’s just say the man knows Frank Castle).
In 1990, thanks to his take on the Ebony Executioner catching the eye of then-DC Comics editor Denny O’Neil, Dixon would be offered a chance to pen the first ever Robin Vol. 1 miniseries, its Tim Drake-centric story proving so popular that he would eventually go on to be the era’s core ‘Bat-writer’, his list of Gotham-related accomplishments including:
- Launching of the Boy Wonder’s first ever ongoing, Robin Vol. 2, which he wrote for its first 100 issues
- Helping define Dick Grayson’s solo identity in the Nightwing Vol. 1 mini and Nightwing Vol. 2 ongoing series
- Creating the Birds of Prey, for whom he would also write their first ongoing
- Lending his expertise on both respective heroes to the first Punisher/Batman Vol. 1 crossover
- Penning two of The Dark Knight’s most seminal stories in Knightfall, during which he not only broke the Bat but also introduced both Bane and Stephanie Brown (Spoiler/Batgirl) to DC canon, and Cataclysm/No Man’s Land
RELATED: Chuck Dixon Weighs In on James Gunn’s Future at DC Studios
And if your tastes lean more outside the Big Two, you’ve likely encountered Dixon following his exit from DC in 2002, after which he primarily focused his attentions on his work for the independent publisher CrossGen, but also found time to squeeze in work for Bongo Comics’ Simpsons Comics, IDW’s 2008 G.I. Joe Vol. 1 re-launch and the absolutely incredible The Transformers: Hearts of Steel miniseries, and even team with Moonstone Books for a new entry in his original Airboy series.
Of course, if you’ve picked up Dixon book in recent years, it’s likely to have been one of the the many he has written for the Rippaverse, for which he has helped create its premiere superteam in Alphacore, flesh out its core backstory in The Great War of Separation, and introduced both its first street-level vigilante and cosmic representative, the respective eponymous heroes of Horseman and Zalen: What Kills Must Die.
Regardless, no matter how you’ve heard of him, you’ve definitely heard of him, and he’ll be hanging out with us tomorrow to talk the Rippaverse, his new book Guns of Mars, and maybe if we ask nicely, his take on the current state of Batman.
Like last time, we’ll be hosting Dixon’s AMA on the BIC Community Forums from 1PM – 3PM EST, shortly after which he’ll join our friendly neighborhood BIC Editor-in-Chief for a live interview, as set to stream across our our YouTube, Kick, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook pages.
Hopefully we’ll see you then! If not, the entirety of his Q&A session will remain freely available to read via our forums and the VOD of our interview can be caught on the above video streaming platform of your choosing.
