Nrama: Are Frankenstein and Black Orchid out of the title? Or will you be checking back with them? Because it seems like you opened the door for more stories featuring them.
DeMatteis: They’re gone for now, but they’ll be back for the Justice League Dark Annual in the fall.
After that, we’ll be seeing more of them…as well as another former member: a certain vampire I created very early in my career.
DeMatteis: All I’ll say is that it’s a hand from Deadman’s past and it leads to a summer-long exploration of Boston Brand — and his mysterious connection to Nanda Parbat.
Deadman is one of my favorite characters in the supernatural corner of the DCU. Despite being a ghost, he’s the most down-to-Earth and human character in the book. Great sense of humor, very open and relatable. He’s the big, beating heart of the team.
Nrama: In September, Justice League Dark is one of the titles that's going five years into the future. How will that issue tie into what’s happening in the book?
DeMatteis: In many ways, it doesn’t. We’re going to jump five years and find ourselves with a status quo that’s very, very different from the current one. The characters have been through a terrible ordeal, they’re all changed. Some old members are still there, some new members are on board. The fun is creating this future storyline and then building bridges to it once we return to current continuity.
Nrama: Anything else you can tell us about the September issue?
DeMatteis: Yes. It’s got the Demon in it. I love the Demon!
Nrama: The Demon, the vampire — you've got a lot of fan-favorites coming. To finish up, how would you describe what’s coming in the comic over the next year or so?
DeMatteis: Three words: character, character, character. With the crossover done, we have a chance to really focus on the individual team members, explore their psyches, give them time to breathe and evolve.