Joe Casey has had a long career writing some beloved classic comics (X-Men) and some beloved weird experiments (too many to name) and co-created a beloved cartoon characters (Ben 10, Big Hero 6) but he’s always….interesting. (Remember when he made an indie movie based on Officer Downe?) And now he will share that characteristic in his brand new newsletter, Joe Casey Writes. The first edition is out and it promises some history, (NüMarvel!) some sneak peeks (a new Marvel project on its way) and, as always, more.
Casey alerted us to his new endeavor and even offered to answer a few questions about why and how.
THE BEAT: Joe I’m told that you are stepping out from behind the sunglasses to actually connect with your readers. What’s happening?
JOE CASEY: I must be getting up there, Heidi, because you know I’ve never been interested in social media as a platform for any kind of genuine interaction. My work was always my platform. But I realized that this newsletter format is — for me — more akin to creating actual content than it is trying to boil down a stray thought or a worthless opinion in 150 characters or whatever the limit is these days. And, since my timing is always impeccable, I figured I would jump on the Substack bandwagon (only a few years after there was any real money to be made there). Then again, this isn’t about money.
THE BEAT: So Substack, eh? What will we see in this newsletter?
CASEY: Twice a week, every Monday and Thursday, I’m gonna unload my fevered brain all over this goddamn thing and see what comes of it. I’m gonna dive into my personal archives and pull out things that no one has ever seen, some stuff dating as far back as 1980!. There’s gonna be a ton of behind-the-scenes material — both on well-known projects of mine and also projects that, for whatever reason, never saw the light of day. I’ve got a few comicbook-related think pieces ready to unleash. I may even conduct a few random interviews with certain folks I’ve always wanted to talk to. For me, this thing is a wide open landscape ready to be exploited.
THE BEAT: How much of starting this newsletter is a reaction to the loss of reliable channels for promotions like X/Twitter and how much is you just wanting to spill the tea?
CASEY: Well, here’s the thing… of course I’ll use the newsletter to announce new projects as they come up. On that front, I don’t see that I have much of a choice, since the state of modern comicbook marketing is so completely broken. I mean, it’s as bad as I’ve ever seen it. The whole song-and-dance of “getting the word out” has become such a confusing mess for creators… and the publishers, in particular, seem to be having a hard time adapting to whatever new world we now live in. For those of us doing significant work for those publishers, it can be more than a little frustrating. So there’s that aspect of it. Then, like I said, the newsletter format allows for 1) more original content creation and presentation and 2) more control when it comes to how it gets out into the world. It’s a lot like publishing my very own mini-fanzine… which is actually a lot of fun and a great way to let off a little steam.
THE BEAT: And will we see the tea?
CASEY: I guess it’s safe to say that you’ll see plenty of so-called tea. I don’t gossip in public, that’s just not my style… but there are certain things, certain events, certain eras in our recent history that I was there to witness — and often participated in — first hand. So why not talk about them? Maybe put them into some context. Provide some perspective. In fact, one of the first things that’ll be a regular feature over the next few months is an exploration/excavation of my stint writing UNCANNY X-MEN back in the early 2000’s during the prime “NuMarvel” years. I’m going deep into that time period and the comicbooks that resulted from it.
THE BEAT: What other projects do you have in the pipeline?
CASEY: Still cracking away on BLOOD SQUAD SEVEN at Image and JONNY QUEST at Dynamite. But the newsletter will also be teasing a specific, upcoming project — fairly big, I think — that should be officially announced in the next couple of weeks.
Consider that a teaser then. As the heady days of “Ultimate Jemas Marvel” are now firmly in the historical spotlight, I’m definitely looking forward to hearing Casey’s side of things…and more on his staying interesting.
English (US) · 