Writer Eric Trautmann on his own Rise of Kobra in DC Comics
Over the past several years, Eric Trautmann has been part of some of the biggest stories and projects in both the realms of video games and comics, such as his writing duties on the first Halo video game and his work on DC Comics’ Final Crisis: Resist. He now turns his talents to work on the six-issue mini-series, JSA vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith, a storyline that, like the fanatical Kobra cult, rose up with a force after a brief period of dormancy.
“I had prepped several story arcs, one of which was a continuation/upping-the-ante of the Kobra stuff that Greg(Rucka) had introduced, and which we had escalated in the final arc of our run (in Checkmate), “Castling”, said Trautmann. After some buildup on the potential story, Trautmann had put the idea on the shelf, until DC editor Rachel Gluckstern called up with the mini-series proposal, and those ideas took on what Trautmann described as a “surprisingly nasty turn” in the direction of the content. Read more
JSA vs. Kobra #1: Compellingly Constructed
The Justice Society of America emerged during the Golden Age of comics, a band of heroes known initially for their supporting status as individual characters rather than solo stars, but together they were a powerful and symbolic embodiment of American ideals of justice and truth during the time of their origin. What has made the JSA sustainable and all the more fascinating over the years has been the way they have managed to retain an air of purity in their vision and mission, even though they have certainly experienced their share of tragedy, death and roster changes over the years.
This concept is what makes the premise of the JSA miniseries, JSA vs Kobra, all the more intriguing: the JSA, with their mix of experience and wisdom with members such as Wildcat and youth and exuberance with the likes of Cyclone, against Jason Burr, a recently resurrected brother of the original Kobra who has established himself as the head of this fanatical cult of savage terrorists out to create an apocalypse.
