by Vaneta Rogers

It's easy to call someone a "people person." But the meaning of that term changes a little when you use it to describe Geoff Johns.

Oh sure, Johns fits the traditional definition of the phrase. He's got that raised-in-the-Midwest, down-to-earth thing going on -- so friendly that he's generally regarded as one of the nicest guys in the industry. And he's got to be a people person as he's collaborated with some of the biggest names in comics, from his early work writing JSA with David Goyer to his current collaboration with Kurt Busiek on Action Comics and Superman.

And with his recent assignment writing Infinite Crisis and working on the upcoming weekly comic 52, he has had to work with a lot of different personalities.

But the real testament to Johns' "people" skills is the way he approaches the people in that other world. You know -- the one in the comics. The world that is real to so many of us readers, and is obviously real to Mr. Johns in the same way. As you talk to him, it becomes apparent that the characters running around in comic stories -- those are the "people" he enjoys interacting with the most in this job.

One illustration of this idea that jumps out during a typical conversation with him: While most comic book writers will describe their story by talking about what they wrote and how they wrote it, Johns usually reports the story as if it really happened, embellishing it by describing the feelings the characters were experiencing. Instead of saying, for example, "then you turn the page and I have this panel where Black Adam is floating outside the window," the description will go more like, "and Black Adam is feeling betrayed by his friend. He thinks they've accomplished this great thing, and he doesn't understand Al's decision. So he goes to see him, and Al looks up, and there is Black Adam, floating outside of the window with his arms crossed..."

This "people" approach seems to be working for the writer, as his career at DC comics is cemented for the next two years thanks to his latest exclusive contract. And he's landed some of the most prominent projects at the company -- from the return of Hal Jordan in 2005 during Green Lantern: Rebirth, to the much-hyped miniseries Infinite Crisis, now more than halfway finished. And although something as anticipated and talked about as the seven-issue Infinite Crisis would usually draw a heaping plateful of harsh criticism, the story so far has gotten a thumbs up from most fans, which is reflected in the fact that it’s held the number one spot on Diamond's sales charts for three months in a row.

With the ending to Crisis, the beginning of Superman and 52, and the "one-year-later" versions of his other titles all hitting this year – we decided to take a look behind the page and ask Johns how he got into writing comics, why he writes stories the way he does, and whether or not he really does love every character as much as it seems.

Or, as Johns likes to say about the characters he writes, we "cracked him open" to see what "makes him tick."

Newsarama: A lot of people point to your respect for continuity and history in your comics as a sign that Geoff Johns has obviously been reading comics for a long time. Is that true? When did you first start reading comics?

Geoff Johns: I can't remember exactly when I started reading comics, but it was around the time -- I remember Killer Croc fighting Batman, and it was his origin, so I think it was the first appearance of Killer Croc. I don't remember when that was, but probably in the '80s. I really got into comics around '84.

NRAMA: His first appearance is listed as January 1984. So you were what, 10 or 11 years old? How did you first discover comic books?

GJ: My dad probably bought them for me first. But then, I also used to read old comics from the '60s in my grandmother's attic with my brother when I was about 10, and we'd find old Flashes and Fantastic Fours and stuff.

NRAMA: That was a fun discovery.

GJ: Yeah, they were all, like, checkerboard DCs, and then I remember Daredevil fighting Stilt-Man. They were really old, from my uncle when he was a kid. So I started reading those then started buying them.

NRAMA: What were some of your favorite characters and comics that you read back then?

GJ: I really liked Flash and Green Lantern.

NRAMA: Who would have guessed?

GJ: Yeah. And I liked the Superman stuff too because it was so crazy. Every title was really bizarre. He had a lot of Jimmy Olsens. It was like, Jimmy Olsen married a gorilla. And we were like, "What? What does this have to do with Superman?" So we would pick it up, open it up and check it out.

He also had a lot of 80-page giants, and those would take an hour to read, so that was great too.

NRAMA: You grew up in Detroit, right?

GJ: Yeah.

NRAMA: What was your family like when you were a kid?

GJ: I had a brother and sister, and my parents. My dad worked in downtown Detroit and we lived downtown when I was little. Detroit's very weird because once I moved out of Detroit, I realized that in other places, people usually come to the city to do things. Whereas in Detroit, if you wanted to do something, you'd leave the city. There was nothing to do in the city. They had four lanes of streets that were practically empty downtown. But they had the Joe Louis Arena for the Red Wings, and the Tigers played in the park down there.

NRAMA: Ah, yes. You're a Detroit sports fan.

GJ: Yeah, especially the Pistons, and they're kicking ass this year. And that makes me happy. Actually, the best year was two years ago because the Pistons played L.A., and I was in L.A. And hockey's back on, which is nice. The Lions -- I've always been a big Lions fan, but I can't remember the last time they were really good.

NRAMA: So your family moved out of the city when you were older?

GJ: We moved out of the city when I was like 12 or 13. We moved up to Pontiac, which is about 40 minutes north. Right outside Pontiac in this town called Clarkston.

NRAMA: What kind of teenager were you?

GJ: Oh, I don't know. One that got in trouble a lot. But that's everyone. You know. It was fun.

NRAMA: Did you ever try writing comic books when you were young?

GJ: I used to do book reports on comics and get really bad grades. I remember in English class, I did a book report on the death of Jason Todd. I think I got like a D+ or something.

NRAMA: When did you start getting into writing?

GJ: I always liked reading. Lots of books when I was younger. Phantom Toll Booth and all of that. I liked writing stories a lot when I was young. But I really got into writing in college.

NRAMA: You were a film production major at Michigan State. Was that your major from the start? Was it always about making movies?

GJ: It was always film. I liked comics growing up and I read them and I bought them. I drew a lot and I really liked drawing. But I always wanted to go into film production. I just always liked film and TV. I like telling stories visually. I just think something about it is really fun.

I loved comics too. That was probably my first passion. And I always thought about writing comics, so it was always push and pull.

NRAMA: Were you still a comics reader in college?

GJ: Of course. When I got to college, there were two comics stores, and I remember being so impressed and saying, "awesome -- two comics stores."

Plus they had 50 bars. So it was a good combination.

NRAMA: Comics and booze at college? A dream come true! But didn't you struggle to pay for your comics habit? There's been a story around about you not being able to afford many comics during college, but you always bought The Flash every month.

GJ: I didn't have a lot of cash, like all college students. I worked in a cafeteria in one of the dorms and had the morning shift. I suffered sleep deprivation because we’d be up until 2, and I’d have to wake up at 4 -- and I got a third-degree burn this one day. That woke me up! All that for like, I don’t know, thirty dollars a week? Then I remember we'd sell CDs to go get lunch. I'd sell one CD and go get four tacos at Taco Bell. That was rough.

But I used to have to trade comics more than anything. I'd just trade my old comics in for new ones, because I couldn't spend all my money on comics. But that was back in the mid-90s, and the stores would trade comics back then. It doesn't seem like they trade them as much now. But they would sell back issues, so you could turn it around in a month or so. You could almost get full price credit by trading.

NRAMA: You said you got into writing in college, but film production is all about directing and making movies. What was it that turned you in the direction of writing?

GJ: I wanted to direct, like everybody else. And I was in this filmmaker's club, and we got all this equipment and some 16mm Arriflex cameras. There were four of us who were going to shoot 10-minute films for projects. I wrote mine, and then everyone else had ideas, but they didn't really want to write it. I said, "I'll write it." That's when I really got into writing. I just like writing a lot more than anything else. I liked talking to people about their story, and figuring out how to script it and going over it and doing different drafts and things. That’s when I figured out I’d rather work with a director (or artist) and write the story. Then collaborate together on it.

NRAMA: The 10-minute movie you made -- what was it?

GJ: It was called... what was it? It was "Treasure Hunt," I think? It was about these four drunk kids who found a treasure map. There was this crazy guy who lived down the street who thought he was a pirate. And they're drunk, and they break into his house one night and find a treasure map in there. And they think it's going to lead to treasure. And chaos ensues. It wasn't very good.

NRAMA: Oh, c'mon. Those 16mm films from college are always good!

GJ: Oh, yeah, sure. They're always good. Hey, at least mine wasn't about suicide. I also did this other one, like 20 minutes, that I wrote and directed with my friend Geoff Murillo called Open ‘Til Midnight. Our star, Cameron Bender, went on to be in a lot of television. He was on Veronica Mars and CSI and a bunch of other things. He was just on My Name is Earl or will be.

NRAMA: Were you in any of the movies you wrote?

GJ: No, I never... well, wait, I'm in one. But I never got into acting. I'm only in one because we needed another actor.

NRAMA: Who did you play?

GJ: Some drunk kid.

NRAMA: Another drunk kid movie? I guess with 50 bars, that was a recurring theme in those Michigan State student films. So you graduated, and got your degree in film production.

GJ: Yep.

NRAMA: And you wanted to work in the film industry, so you moved to....

GJ: California.

NRAMA: Of course.

GJ: I threw all I had together. I thought $1,500 would be enough to live on for awhile.

NRAMA: In California? Oops.

GJ: Yeah. Oops! But I took off and moved to Hollywood. Actually, Burbank, right by Warner Brothers. We got an apartment off the internet. We'd never seen it before. We rented a U-Haul. We threw everything in there. There were four of us that drove out. I think we drove out in about four days. We got there and luckily, since our rent was divided by four, it was like three-hundred a month. And we lived off Jeno’s Pizzas and Pringles for two months. I remember when one of our roommates’ mothers sent a sandwich maker – like a press – and we were so happy we could be eating something else.

NRAMA: So you had to scramble for a job once you arrived?

GJ: Like everyone else who moves here who doesn’t know people – and it’s tough. If anyone out there has done this same thing they know what I’m talking about. But you can make progress. My friend was interning for a producer at Fox, and I thought maybe I could intern for awhile. But one day I just ... I called up Richard Donner's office. He was on Warner Brothers' lot and he was my favorite director. He directed Superman: The Movie, which is my all-time favorite film, and they were about to do X-Men. And so I called up his office, and they bounced me around and transferred me. And finally someone said, "What do you want?" I said, "Do you have any internships?" And they said, "One quit this morning. Can you start tomorrow?" I said, "Sure!"

So I went in the next day and started copying scripts and fetching coffee and running around. And then about a month into that I met Donner. And then about a month after that, he hired me as his assistant.

NRAMA: That's incredible how that happened. That was 1996, right?

GJ: Yeah, it was cool. And everything was going great, and then that's when TWA Flight 800 went down. In July.

NRAMA: Your younger sister, Courtney, died on that plane.

GJ: Yeah. I don’t have to say much more about that. Donner was awesome. I mean, when it happened, he literally bought my plane tickets and did everything. I just remember suddenly being on a plane because he took care of everything.

NRAMA: When something like that happens, you almost need someone to do those things for you.

GJ: Yeah. So I was glad I worked for someone like him. And so I flew back home. And I was gone for about three or four weeks, I think. And when I came back, it was tough at first. I was trying to sort my head out. We got Conspiracy Theory going. Mel Gibson was in it. Julia Roberts was being cast. We shot the film in New York, and we moved to New York for three months. And that helped me get through everything, being in that environment and working on a film. Just being somewhere new.

NRAMA: And was that about the time that you met people from DC Comics?

GJ: Yeah, I met a bunch of guys in New York City when we were shooting Conspiracy Theory.

NRAMA: They came to the set, right? What were they doing there?

GJ: I was Donner's assistant, so I was always on the set. One day we were in the trailer and working on the script. DC had sent over these Big Book of Conspiracies from Paradox Press. And nobody really knew why they had sent them over. I guess somebody over there had heard we were doing Conspiracy Theory and thought we could use them. I think Brian Helgeland, who wrote the script -- I'm not sure if he used any, but he might have. But we thought it was cool that they sent them.

And so I called the DC editor who sent them over and said, "You want to come to the set? C'mon down and we'll show you guys around. Bring whoever you want." They ended up bringing a few people. They even ended up bringing Eddie Berganza, who is editing Infinite Crisis, so that's when I met him. Eddie made me laugh. And Chuck Kim, who I owe everything to. Chuck was the editor that got me into comics.

NRAMA: Did they know you were a comics reader?

GJ: They came to the set, we hung out, and I asked them all kinds of questions about what they were doing. And they said, "Oh, you read comics?" And I said, "I love them!" So they ended up giving me a tour of their offices, which was totally cool. And I met Phil [Jimenez] there way back then too. This was around October 1996. We actually had coffee at some place in New York.

That’s when I met Chuck Kim and he said I should pitch something to DC. And I thought that would be great. But I just didn't have the time because we were working on that film. We worked on Conspiracy Theory all the way up until it was released the next July.

NRAMA: But you eventually got around to pitching Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.?

GJ: I ended up meeting James Robinson in L.A., and I started coming up with this idea for the Star-Spangled Kid. I wanted to do a teenage superhero who had her own legacy and would not be blood-related to anyone. Because it was always about sons and daughters, but I wanted to do a legacy that was more of a modern-day family. A step-family. Because I always believed that step-families could be as important as blood families, if not more so in a lot of cases. So I wanted to tell a story about a new hero in the DCU that was more about step-families, and I wanted to give her her own identity. I developed that with Chuck for awhile.

NRAMA: Did it evolve as you two worked on it?

GJ: I remember in the very first draft, STRIPE was actually a robot that Pat had built. DC wanted to do the book. They liked the concept and said they would take a shot on it. And Chuck had gotten [Lee] Moder on the book, which I was really excited about because I loved his work on Legion.

But I remember that as we were working on a proposal, and I was working on breaking out the first script, Chuck had called and asked if we could change the robot. I said, "I'm not sure what you mean." Well, it ended up that there was already a book that had a robot hanging out with a girl, and they wanted to make it different. So we talked and talked and I said, "Why don't we put Pat inside the robot so it's more like a big robotic suit?"

NRAMA: Which is what made it unique.

GJ: That's what made the pair work. It was like one of those happy accidents, and they always happen in comics. Sometimes you'll have to look at something a little differently, and that's when you'll get the best idea. For me, having Pat in that suit and Courtney with the belt was what made the concept of those two work. And even though the book got canceled relatively quickly, I think that's why it still works.

NRAMA: The fact that it still works is evidenced by January’s JSA #81, which you wrote, because it relied upon the idea that Pat and Courtney had grown close while working together that way.

GJ: Oh, definitely. Originally I was going to have him talk through the suit. And it just wouldn't have been the same. He's got to be there, and present, and be able to get out of that suit and talk to her. Dale Eaglesham did such a wonderful job on that issue. It was just terrific.

NRAMA: The character Courtney Whitmore was also inspired by your sister Courtney, who had just graduated from high school when she passed away.

GJ: Absolutely.

NRAMA: In what ways is she inspired by your sister?

GJ: My sister was very, very smart. She was very confident. She was always looking out for other people.

NRAMA: For being so young, she had a lot of accomplishments, not only as an honor student and leading tennis player, but she had also been recognized for her years of volunteer work for people in need.

GJ: She was just a really cool kid.

NRAMA: Do you still think of your sister when you write stories about Courtney Whitmore?

GJ: Stargirl has taken on a life of her own. The initial inspiration was there, but now she's become something completely different. She's her own character now. You know, she's in the DC universe and growing within that framework. And I'm glad. She was never supposed to be her. She was just supposed to be the inspiration. The good qualities instilled in the character.

NRAMA: So it doesn't bother you when other people write her?

GJ: I love when other people write her. I absolutely love seeing her. Even if they have a different take on her, I don't care. Because she's always a fun character. I mean, she's got stars on her and a big smile. She glows. She's a fun character. And I love seeing her in other books. Interpretation is part of the joy of comics. Everyone has a different take on a character, and I just love it when someone puts the effort in to do something different with her.

NRAMA: After getting the job writing Stars and STRIPE, the next title you were writing was JSA with David Goyer?

GJ: I had lunch with James [Robinson] and David about JSA because they wanted to use Star-Spangled Kid. And it was the first time I'd met David Goyer. And Peter Tomasi was the editor of JSA, and I had gotten to know him because he was the editor on Stars and STRIPE #0. Peter is one of those guys that just knows story. He’s a great writer.

Then I got a call from Peter about a month later, before JSA had even launched. James was leaving the book and had suggested I come in to help, and David wanted me on it. So I got involved fairly early, around issue #4, and came on full-time with Issue #6. I started writing with David Goyer. I learned a lot from him too.

NRAMA: And all this time you were still working in film?

GJ: I was working on JSA and Stars and STRIPE and working at Donner's still. So I was working a 90-hour week. We were in post-production on Lethal Weapon 4, and it was crazy busy.

NRAMA: 90 hours?

GJ: Writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., it would take me about three or four days to write an issue. And you know, I was still trying to figure out how to write comics. I was really, really green. It would take about two weekends to write it. And then JSA was different because Goyer and I would go have dinner, and we'd break it out page by page. I could write my half -- 11 pages -- in about two days.

So the workload of comics wasn't too bad, but throwing in a 60-hour or 70-hour work week at Donner's -- it just made for a busy time.

NRAMA: You had been a reader and fan of The Flash for years. How did you land the gig on that title? It started as a temporary fill-in stint, right?

GJ: Well, I knew Stars and STRIPE was going to be canceled around Issue #6 or so. We just knew sales were really low. But they were canceling books left and right back then, like Chronos and Major Bummer. All these really good books. Stars and STRIPE got canceled at #14. I was obviously disappointed because I had all these ideas about what year-two and year-three would be. I had it all mapped out for I think three years. Again, me being green.

At the same time that happened, they called and said I could do a Flash arc. Six issues. And I loved The Flash, and I said sure. Joey Cavalieri called me and gave me a shot.

NRAMA: And the temporary gig turned permanent?

GJ: Joey called me and said, "You want to just stay?"

NRAMA: That must have been a welcome call.

GJ: That was the greatest call ever. And I owe Joey a lot for giving me a shot on that, because I was writing one-and-a-half books, and my one book was getting canceled. I’ve been very fortunate at every step of the way.

Check back tomorrow for part two, where Geoff remembers having "the talk" with Richard Donner, and his cascade of books, characters, and titles since then.