Toronto has plenty to be proud of, those Canadian Heritage ads constantly reminded us that Superman may not have been originally from Krypton after all, we've been the backdrop of superflicks (even if they claim it's still NYC) and above all, writer, artist and inspiration Darwyn Cooke calls it his hometown. Earlier at Fanexpo I ran into a friend from one of my writing courses who told me if it wasn't for Darwyn, he would have probably gone on in life to do something awful, like become a lawyer. Darwyn had worked on the sidelines of comics but it was in 2000 when his groundbreaking Batman: Ego started turning heads. Four years later he revealed his magnum opus, The New Frontier, which literally seemed to revolutionize the superhero image by taking them back to their golden age roots. Today Cooke is a talent unmatched in the comic industry, by Canadians and otherwise.

How did you get into comics?

Well, y'know, I used to love em as a kid and when I was twenty DC had a book called Big Talent Showcase and I went down to New York and I took some work in and they actually bought it, so my first story appeared... twenty five years ago? But then I didn't do anything for another twelve years just because I couldn't find a way to make a living out of it at that time. That's how I got in, but it took me forever to get back to it.

Why did you decide to both write and draw and do you prefer one over the other?

I much prefer drawing. It's a far more natural thing to me. Writing's a lot harder for me. I thought it was important because I had stories I wanted to tell. I also wanted to have as much control over the work as I could have. I knew from looking at the guys I had always admired that writing and drawing was the way to go.

So you just wanted something that guaranteed, for you anyways, some depth or power or meaning.

Well I think everybody's shooting for that. At my age I didn't want to get teamed up on things and take what I was given, I wanted to do my best.

Your projects are off the beaten path or at least outside of the comic book canonical, is it hard to get these projects underway?

Yeah, absolutely. The New Frontier took four years for DC to approve, movies get made in less time. It's hard.

Do you think these are the stories that will matter, the one's that are easier to access or at least don't get washed away?

I don't know if these stories are better but these stories do stand the test of time compared to the stuff that's in continuity today. There are wonderful stories being told all over the place but I want to make sure that ten years from now my work still seems relevant. So to me that means avoiding the continuity of the week.

Why did you decide to go with your nostalgically inspired style?

It's just the type of work I've always loved. I've always appreciated it, it's always been a good fit for me. I just never really thought of doing it any other way.

Why do you think superheroes hold such cultural potency?

Well it's a pretty typical answer but superheroes really are the modern day myths and legends. If we look at every great culture of the world's produced, they've all had their own superheroes. The Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, they all had them, y'know, and now it's our turn. I think we've forgotten why they're there to be quite honest. They're there to give young people a rudimentary sense of what's right and wrong. It's hard for me to know what exactly they mean to me today anymore.

Do you like to think that the heroes in your story represent anything specific?

I like to think the heroes in my story represent the heroic ideal and the notion of people being the best people they can be.

Any tips for aspiring writers and artists?

Ignore print. Bring your own work on to the internet. Get it out there consistently and regularly. Believe me, if there's anything good about it they will find you.

You're not exactly the kind to captain a sinking ship then.

No! And why would anybody want to? It's an exciting time and it's an exciting new medium. It's an opportunity for everybody who's ever wanted to do this to just go out and do it. Think of the newsstand back in the forties, they were selling millions and millions of comics, that's what the internet is right now, just waiting for us. Everyone should very squarely focused on that, especially young people.

The ones who know how to use it.

Hahah, well said.