Big Shiny Robot talks with storyboard artist and director Ben Jones about working on the DC cartoons, and moving away from “the Bruce Timm style” for the upcoming Batman: Brave and the Bold:
The thing is, there’s only one Bruce Timm. If you look at the timeline of when the shows were made, you’ll notice that Bruce is busy on other stuff, either JLU or the DCU videos. So he’s just not available, to begin with. You could, I suppose, try to mimic his style for your show, but that’s kind’ve weird for a variety of reasons, especially when he’s sitting just down the hall. So in the end, you’re generally better off doing your own thing than trying to be a second-rate Bruce Timm.
The interview includes exclusive looks at Plastic Man from Brave and the Bold, and Jones’ designs for Red Tornado.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Looks like Aquaman will have the aqua-beard.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I completely agree with that statement. If you’re not Bruce Timm, don’t try and be Bruce Timm. Who knows? You may luck out and strike something even better if you and try and be original, whereas if you copy… it could just look like you suck at copying.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Points to Ben Jones for knowing Driq and for having done the Mad Mod episode of Teen Titans, which I love. Maybe B&B will be a good cartoon, even without Conroy. (Dietrich Bader is a good choice for a more old-school Batman voice.)
July 24th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
This looks pretty cool. I can’t wait to share the cartoon with my kids.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
The interview mentions a Green Lantern who has a great interaction with Batman. Later, it mentions that the Green Lantern is one who hasn’t been animated before. Then he says that after he said that, he realised that this Green Lantern actually *had* been animated before, he just didn’t know it when he dropped that hint.
Guy Gardner.
Of the four Earth Lanterns, he was the only one not shown at all in JLU. However, he did have an appearance in the “Green Loontern” episode of Duck Dodgers. He’s also pretty clearly going to have “amusing interaction with Batman.”
July 24th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Oh Bruce Timm, how I miss your style, your characters, and your world.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I think Dietrich Bader would actually make a pretty good Plastic Man.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Agreed, Batmansgirl.