Writer Devin Grayson may have ended her long run on DC Comics�
The Titans, but that doesn�t mean she still isn�t a fan of
everyone�s favorite team of twentysomethings. Although she�s been
replaced on the series by friend Jay Faerber, Grayson would love to
head up a project starring the group�s resident redheaded weapons
expert.
`I�d love to develop a series for Arsenal,` Grayson says of the
hero about whom she has already written one action-packed
mini-series. `I think he�s unique in the DC landscape. He has the
potential to become a really lovable rogue, almost a James Bond-type
adventurer. Creators talk a lot abound finding a lesser-known
character and really developing them into something wonderful and
cool, and I�d like to think I did that to some degree with Roy
[Harper, Arsenal�s public identity]. I feel extremely connected to
him--he�s sort of my male alter-ego. And I honestly believe he has
unique contributions to make to the DC Universe.`
Grayson�s decision to quit The Titans earlier this year
came as a surprise to many fans. The Brooklyn-based writer says she
had to leave the series, which she helped launch in early 1999 and
helmed for 20 issues, because of several factors. A big one was the
demand on her time created by her newest project, Batman: Gotham
Knights. Another was the dissatisfaction she felt while writing
about heroes that were also characters in other comics--and
therefore were being manipulated by other writers.
`Sometimes you find a character you�re working with is having
his/her fate influenced by creators you don�t like or trust, and
you�re expected to play along, and it�s really hard,` Grayson
explains. `I�m actively working on this because I think I need to
mature past it, but I still sometimes have the reaction of wanting
to put down all my toys and leave the sandbox in disgust when some
bully comes in digging a moat around my sand castle.`
The die-hard Titans fans were sometimes a little hard to
take, too, according to Grayson. `This feels weird to say because I
was one of them,` she says almost apologetically. `They struggle
with the same frustration of loving--and in some cases really
over-identifying with--these characters while being wholly unable to
influence their fate. And they take that frustration out on anyone
who gets anywhere near the franchise.`
Speaking of franchises, you don�t have to be a comics
professional to see that DC�s biggest cinematic franchise,
Batman, is in serious trouble. Grayson says one solution
could be a film about another of her favorite Titans: Nightwing, the
former Robin. `I do fantasize a lot about writing a Nightwing film
for Tom Cruise,` Grayson says. `I think it�s a brilliant match.
Cruise as an actor would be eminently capable of communicating Dick
Grayson�s passion and intense life force. And he seems to be very
attracted to dramas that revolve around difficult father-figure
relationships, stories of a young man�s struggle and redemption
under the tutelage of an older male mentor. That�s Nightwing�s
story, man, and I would give anything to introduce Mr. Dick Grayson
to Mr. Tom Cruise. I�ve always had a strong feeling that they would
really like each other.`