Will Ryan spars with Batman star Paul Dini on his favorite characters, hangouts and the effects of Green Lantern's incantation.
Paul Dini. © Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.
Paul Dini entered the animation field in the mid-'80s at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, where he worked for four years on the Droids and Ewoks TV cartoons among other projects. In 1989 he joined Warner Bros. Television Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures, from which he was assigned to help develop a new Batman TV cartoon series. He has risen to fame as the Emmy Award-winning writer/producer of WB's Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman/Superman Adventures and Batman Beyond, not to mention the Eisner Award-winning writer of key issues of DC Comics' Batman comic books (notably the Mad Love graphic novel), plus authoring some excellent Batman coffee-table animation art books.
Will Ryan: What is your favorite Fleischer Studios animated series?
Paul Dini: Betty Boop.
WR: What is your favorite 'Golden Age' comic book character?
PD: Captain Marvel.
WR: What is your favorite 'Silver Age' comic book character?
PD: Zatana, Zatara's hot daughter. (Watch for the upcoming Vertigo comic book.)
WR: Favorite Carl Barks' character?
PD: Unca Scrooge.
WR: Favorite John Stanley character?
PD: Little Lulu.
WR: Do you have a motto?
PD: "The world is not enough." It worked for James Bond, it'll work for me.
WR: Favorite poem?
PD: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
WR: Hey! Anapestic hexameter! Favorite city?
PD: San Francisco.
WR: Favorite fictitious city?
PD: Gotham.
WR: Do you prefer Lana Lang or Lois Lane?
PD: Lois.
WR: Phyllis Coates or Noel Neille?
PD: Phyllis.
WR: Betty or Veronica?
PD: Sabrina over either.
WR: Jingle Belle or Tinkerbell?
PD: Jingle Belle. I'm true to my girl.
WR: Alfred the Butler or Bat-Mite?
PD: Alfred.
WR: Curt Swan or Wayne Boring?
PD: Curt Swan.
WR: Did you ever meet Bob Kane?
PD: Yes. At Burbank Warner's Store. A signing.
WR: Did you ever meet Jerry Seigel or Joe Schuster?
PD: No.
WR: Favorite live-action superhero TV series?
PD: Wonder Woman.
WR: Favorite country?
PD: The U.S. of A.
WR: Favorite planet, not counting Earth?
PD: I'll have to go with Neptune on that.
WR: Favorite President of the U.S., historically?
PD: Ronald Reagan now.
WR: Favorite L.A. restaurant?
PD: The Ivy.
WR: Favorite Vegas hangout?
PD: "Venus at the Venetian." They built a bar that actually looks like Vegas.
WR: Can you recite Green Lantern's incantation from memory?
PD: Yes, and it's got me truckloads of women.
WR: Fave century in past?
PD: 19th. All the cowboys and Indians.
WR: Fave century in future?
PD: 32nd.
WR: Anything to say about the upcoming Duck Dodgers series?
PD: It'll be a blast!
Will Ryan plays ukulele, draws cartoons and asks a lot of questions.
