Jimmy Palmiotti

— Interview by Mel Lang —

March 2020

Jimmy Palmiotti’s name is impossible to escape in the world of modern comics.
Since his industry arrival in the early 90’s, his impressive resume includes work both inking and writing for comic book giants Marvel and DC, as well as independent and creator-owned projects via Event Comics, Image Comics, and Kickstarter. In 2013, he and his wife (and frequent collaborator), artist/writer Amanda Conner, successfully relaunched the ongoing series “Harley Quinn” as part of DC’s “New 52” campaign. They continued their time as creative team on the monthly comic past the next relaunch – 2016’s “DC Rebirth,” with a run of over 100 issues for the character (including miniseries and specials) – and that number is still climbing. Their new limited series “Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey” just released as part of DC’s new Black Label line of comics for mature readers.

First of all, I feel that congratulations are in order. In an industry widely known for its endless reboots and relaunches, 100+ issues with the same creative team is impressive for a single character. Spending that much time in the world of Harley Quinn, how do you keep the stories fresh and ever evolving?

Honestly, Amanda and I take a lot of random story notes all the time and spend a ton of time together since we are married and both work at home, so the story ideas flow. Add to that we are working on such a well-built multi-dimensional character that imagining new stories isn’t the problem… the real problem is finding all the time to actually get them down on paper and do them. Harley is a character that her interest and ambitions turn on a dime, so we try to keep up with her in each adventure we write. Add to that her group of supporting characters like Redtool, Sy Borgman and the Gang of Harleys and you have a lot to work with. Amanda and I are easily influenced by the world around us and try travel each month, so each new adventure we have inspires brand new ideas and stories constantly. At this point, if we had the time, we could easily write another 100 issues. Maybe one day we will.

After such a successful run with Harley for DC’s mainstream comics, were you at all hesitant to bring her to DC’s Black Label? Does one format feel like a more natural fit for the character than the other?

Nothing changes with our storytelling going to the Black Label except for pushing the boundaries of the story a little further with the violence and language, and understanding the limitations of the line as well since it is a 4-issue series. The [magazine size] page format allows Amanda to experiment much more with design.  We were asked to do this by Jim [Lee] and Dan [Didio] for a few different reasons…one being it would be nice having a book tie in with the Birds of Prey movie in a sideways way and as well to feature Amanda’s art on the entire series. After this we are looking forward to continue writing the Wonder Woman one shots. Amanda and I have a lot of ideas outside of Harley and we are going to explore them to whoever will have us or self-publish them through our company Paperfilms. Either way, it’s always busy around here. Our dream gig would be a Powergirl Black Label series.

Even though you weren’t officially on the writing team for the movies, your take on Harley Quinn is widely credited as the inspiration for Margot Robbie’s on-screen version of the character in Warner Brothers’ Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. What advice would you give to studio execs looking for the “next big thing” in the world of superhero cinema?

We were super happy to see our influence on both movies and especially with Birds of Prey. My main advice going forward to the people making these TV shows and movies is to simply just hire us when you are going to adapt something we write. Consult with us and involve us in the process. Imagine having Amanda on set during the making of Birds of Prey …with our experience, it would really help out. Personally, I think the next big thing for them is to take our Powergirl series and run with it as a cable series, and take [characters] Jonah Hex and Tallulah Black and make a western series featuring them, give them a chance again. After the Green Lantern movie, they are making another, the same should be done for Jonah… and again, involve the creators so they can avoid what happened the first time. People forget that I have experience writing screen plays, producing TV and film. I think the comic companies have to fight more to have their creatives present. Thank you’s are nice, but you see where they land in the credit roll. Loyalty is a two-way street.

Outside of Harley Quinn, you and Amanda have also been working on DC’s 100 Page Giant issues, which are released at Walmart in addition to specialty comic book stores. Do you enjoy the “one and done” aspect of these stories, or do you prefer the larger story arcs and event/crossover driven format that is widely emphasized throughout Marvel and DC?

I always prefer the done in one format mainly because I don’t believe in making a reader spend tons of money to get an entire story. I am not a fan of the year-long stories because at some point they can easily alienate readers. I much prefer graphic novels. I love the format of these books. A ton of bang for your bucks.

Do you feel that DC is reaching a wider audience (not only for this series, but comics in general) through big box retailers like Walmart? Or is that taking away precious sales from smaller businesses?

It’s not hurting retailers one bit since they now can order all of them, so they will have them for sale as well. What these books do is become a gateway for new readers to get into the comic book world and this will hopefully get the new readers to eventually track down a comic shop to find more. We need to do as much as possible to get new readers and introduce them to the wonderful world of comics. This takes a lot of effort and I think DC really is leading the pack on this end.

Not all comic books see the success that Harley Quinn has. You and readers alike have mourned the cancellation of some of your other series, such as Power Girl, Jonah Hex, and G.I. Zombie. If you could resurrect one of your cancelled titles, which one would you pick and why?

I have had dozens of books cancelled, but Powergirl, we left the series… that was our choice when Amanda Conner left the book. We decided we could not continue without her.

Choosing from these characters listed is hard, but I would say out of the gate Powergirl is the first one to come to mind mainly because every single fan asks us daily to do more of the character. We have asked DC many times over and over to let us take another shot at the character, but they have other things they would like us to do. Part of our relationship with them is finding the middle ground. After [Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey], we will be looking to see what we can do going forward. It is super flattering and says a lot about the work we did when people miss a run of a title so much. It reminds us we are making some sort of impact to the fans and that’s the nicest thing we can hear.

Black Label isn’t your first foray into ‘mature readers’ territory. In 2002, you and Amanda worked with writer Garth Ennis to publish The Pro through Image Comics. (The one-shot graphic novel chronicles the story of a prostitute who is given superpowers by an alien.) Given the recent success of other “mature” properties in the comic book world (television series for Ennis’ Preacher and The Boys, a film and an HBO series based on DC’s Watchmen, and of course the recent R-rated Birds of Prey movie), are you hopeful that The Pro will find a home on-screen? The last I heard, it had been optioned back in 2017, but I haven’t seen any recent updates.

We did a development deal with Paramount, but after them getting a terrific screenplay written, they decided that the project was not for them. Big mistake, but it’s their money. We have the property back and are looking for a home for it as we speak. We really need whoever is interested to understand the humor and what makes the property tick. Amazon gets it with THE BOYS and I think it’s only a matter of time that the right person will find it. Honestly, my focus is on new books and ideas and my agent’s business is handling the properties. I have to keep working on my end and let him do his thing. If you check out our site PAPERFILMS.COM you can see what else we are pushing all the time on to the multimedia platforms.

While licensed characters from the big companies like Marvel and DC are always fun, you are a vocal supporter of creator-owned projects. In the past few months, you’ve had successful Kickstarter campaigns for a new hardcover graphic novel, Painkiller Jane: Trust the Universe, as well as a digital release for your Creator Owned Heroes anthology collection. You recently posted a teaser image of an upcoming Kickstarter project via Twitter. Can you give us any details?

That will be our next Kickstarter - dropping beginning of April - and it is called Pop Kill.  It’s a 138-page graphic novel written by Dave Johnson and myself and I can talk more about it when we are ready. The cool thing about this book is it will be a monster of a book and it is all finished… so we will be able to deliver it as soon as the Kickstarter is done and the book printed. It is another adult only book in a long line of fun graphic novels.

Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! Having met you multiple times at shows and cons, your love of what you do is evident. Thank you for sharing that joy with your fans!

Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey #1 is available in comic book stores now.
Issue #2 is scheduled to release in April - preorder now from your favorite comic book retailer.
For more of Jimmy and Amanda’s creator-owned projects, signed comics, and original art,
visit their PaperFilms website (www.paperfilms.com).

Mel Lang is a self-proclaimed nerd. Currently located in Topeka, KS, she lives with her husband Matt and their two (soon to be three) Labrador Retreivers. A life-long reader, she spent 20 years as a bookseller - 7 of which were managing a comic book store in Wichita, KS. She has previously been published on StashMyComics.com and was also quoted in Wizard magazine. Her “to be read” pile is ever-growing, but she wouldn’t want it any other way.