Former CIA Agent-turned-Comic Book Writer Tom King Discusses the DCU: “Feels like a DC renaissance.”

We know that James Gunn has taken over the former DCEU and turned it into the DCU, whose proper premiere is coming next year. But, while we haven’t seen much of the DCU, we know that a lot of projects are on the way and one of the highly anticipated upcoming projects is the Lanterns series.

Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country) will be serving as showrunner and executive producer and will also write Lanterns alongside Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and comic book author Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), also known for his run on the Batman comic book series some time ago.

Tom King is going to be the focus of this article, as we are going to reveal more details about the author’s private life, as well as some of his comments about the upcoming Lanterns project, as we found two interesting interviews that we wanted to share with you in this report.

Tom King was born on July 15, 1978, and he is an American comic book author best known for his work on The Vision for Marvel Comics, The Sheriff of Babylon for the DC Comics imprint Vertigo and Batman, Mister Miracle, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow for DC Comics.

He also authored the novel A Once Crowded Sky. He is an Eisner Award-winning author, and while he is absolutely best known for his stories, did you know that he was formerly an undercover CIA agent? Yes!

As he told Business Insider, Tom King started his working career in comics, but when the then-Marvel editor told him that comics were dead, he studied philosophy and history at Columbia University and worked at the Department of Justice for over a year after he graduated in 2000.

At that point, remembering his grandmother’s tales about how his grandfather volunteered to help the country after Pearl Harbor, he decided to join the CIA.

King believed he would get a desk job, but he ended up being a counterterrorism officer, working for seven years in countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, in the post-9/11 era. King was supposed to be a chemistry businessman while undercover, but he rejected that idea, as he revealed:

I thought it was such bullshit. ‘Tom, you’re a pretend chemistry businessman.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know shit about the chemistry business!’ So I threw that away and I’d be like, ‘Oh, I’m a comic writer.’ If I ever got interrogated, they’d be like, ‘Let me talk to you about comics.’ I’d be like, ‘Let’s go!’

I love writing. I really liked the CIA, I very much enjoyed the work. But I thought ‘I like this even more.’ This feels so natural to me. The most important thing about being a CIA officer is not the gunplay and all that stuff — the most important part is empathy. I was what they call a case officer, which means you’re trying to get people to spy on other people.

I had to find what was in common with them, and I had to get inside their head and immediately understand what they wanted, how to make their lives better, what their motivations were.

Source: Business Insider

As you can see, this must have been a very interesting and thrilling life, but after the birth of his first child, King quit the CIA and returned to his first love – comics. How did that work out for him? Well, he led several series and won several awards, so we can conclude that his career is quite successful.

At this moment, Tom King is working on the upcoming HBO series Lanterns, and in that same interview, the author revealed some interesting details about the show:

I was friends with Neal Adams, the co-creator of John Stewart, and every time I was in the room, I felt Neal yelling at me: ‘Don’t forget where you come from kid.’ Damon, Chris, and I came with a lot of love for the material and we wanted to do what I’ve always done in comics, which is take these original creations and show why they’re still relevant today, and why they can speak to both the audience and the issues of everything we’re dealing with.

He also added that the DCU “feels like a DC renaissance. We’re at the beginning of creating an entirely brilliant world,” further expressing his excitement about the upcoming projects, one of which he himself is working on. In an earlier interview with ComicBookMovie.com, King confirmed this excitement clearly:

I mean, I would say I’m over the moon but that’s not far enough for a Lantern. I guess I’m over Oa? That’s pretty far. You should see these two together. They have amazing chemistry and I couldn’t be more excited.

I’m not allowed to say anything except that I can say it’s awesome! We’ve got the perfect cast. When you look at Kyle, you see someone who used to fly jetplanes and embodies Hal. When you look at Aaron, his heart, his soul, and his strength are so John Stewart. He’s so perfect. It’s going to be great.

Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!