By Ben “Zombie” Bedgood, Reporter

I recently had the opportunity to interview Jackson Lanzing, one of DC Comics’ newest writers. Jackson was born in 1986 in Santa Cruz, California. He attended Belmont High School before moving on to The University of Southern California. He graduated from The USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2008.

Upon leaving USC in 2008, he jumped right into the media industry at Electronic Arts as Producer and Editor of Battle Cast Primetime, a Command and Conquer motion comic. After EA, he moved on to write for a number of titles in the comic world, including Freakshow, Squids, and one of his more proclaimed works Hacktivist.

Most recently, at DC Comics, he is working with Scott Snyder and others on Batman and Robin, debuting with issue #9. Jackson managed to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for me.

When did you first decide that you wanted to work in comics as a career?

I don’t think I really thought of it as a career when I began – my plan was to be a filmmaker, but I was constantly running up against that invisible wall between what was possible in my imagination and what could actually be paid for on-screen. I was in high school when I picked up Ellis/Hitch’s The Authority #1, which made me realize the incredible nature of this budget-free storytelling. A page of character-centric dialogue was exactly as expensive as a page that exploded New York City – and suddenly I had encountered a medium that was expansive enough to accommodate my kinds of stories. I started working on my own creator-owned pitches by sixteen, then began working on my first published project (Freakshow, co-written and co-created with David Server) my freshman year of college.

Who has had the biggest influence on you outside the comics industry, and how did they affect your life/career?

Excluding family, there are a great deal of teachers who helped shape the person I became – including my incredible theater teachers Alex Zielke Picard and Margot Law. But I think the person who had the most influence on me was my high school best friend, Dan Pereira. When I was writing movies and short comics, dreaming of telling stories for a living with no real connections to that industry, Dan was doing the same thing. I’d read his novel, he’d read my screenplay. We’d jog on the way to soccer practice and share story ideas. We kept each other sharp and inspired. Plus, he was the best friend I could have asked for. We’re still close – though we live on opposite coasts, I had the honor of being the best man at his wedding. It wasn’t what Dan did for me as a writer, but what he did for me as a person.

Who has had the biggest influence on you inside the comics industry, and how did they affect your life/career?

That one’s easy: Rebecca Taylor, my editor on Hacktivist, who took a shot on Collin and I for that book and then supported us as we sold our first creator-owned series to Boom (Joyride, coming 2016). She championed Freakshow, gave the best notes in the world on both volumes of Hacktivist, and once she moved over to DC Comics, put us up for Batman & Robin Eternal. She’s the reason I have a “career” in comics, full stop.

What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

I game. That can be video games – I’m a huge fan of Assassin’s Creed and have played each game to nearly 100% completion – or tabletop gaming. I run a massive persistent Star Trek roleplaying game for about 30 of my friends, which I liken to “writer push-ups”. It sharpens my instincts and keeps me improvising. I also love to travel with my girlfriend Alex, eat incredible food, or listen to new music. As a former music blogger, my inner hipster likes to have some time to play on occasion.

What has been the most rewarding project in your professional career – in or out of comics – and why?

This is a bizarre answer, but it’s true: my Star Trek Game. I have had the good fortune to be surrounded by incredible writers, actors, directors, and gamers who are passionate about telling interesting stories in a collaborative way. And I can say it’s part of my career now – not just a hobby – because it led to a job writing on Wil Wheaton’s incredible RPG show Titansgrave. It’s a passion I fell backwards into, but one I’m so happy I was able to find.”

When working with a team on a comic what do you consider your best strength and weakness that you bring to the table/team?

My greatest strength is my critical mind. I’m rarely happy with something until it’s really been taken through the ringer, which is why I love working with partners. With both David (Server) and Collin (Kelly), story comes flowing out of conversation and geek-outs – and I think my best asset in those conversations is a willingness to both think well outside the box and kill my darlings once they’ve become vestigial. I’m a harsh god to my characters and the stories that surround them – and am harder on myself than anyone.

My greatest weakness is my exuberance – I can let my passion and excitement for an idea lead me down crazy rabbit holes that might not be particularly interesting to someone other than myself. I become enamored with intellectual concepts, sometimes at the expense of character. I find partners to be a useful solve for this as well – because they can often tell me when I’m too far up my own ass.

There are very talented newcomers who are trying to get their first professional projects. What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard given to a promising new creator?

I’ll give the advice that I got: Just make your comic. Don’t work on ideas for the Big Two, don’t spend your creativity on fan-fiction unless it’s really giving you something back. Work on your own stuff, find an artist, and get it done. Release online. Spend as little of your own money as possible. Give it to everyone. Expect nothing back except honesty – and even then, don’t be a dick if they never respond. This industry is one where nearly 100% of the creators are self-made… so make yourself.

Finally, If you could work with any Comic writer/artist in their prime (living or dead) who and why?

Moebius. Because this.

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