From The Scoop: Meet the Wonder-ful Allan Heinberg

From the June 9 issue of Gemstone Publishing's The Scoop:
Allan Heinberg has made quite a name for himself as a success writer on numerous television shows through the late '90s and today, including work on HBO's Sex and the City, Fox's Party of Five and The O.C., and most recently the next season of the break-out hit, Grey's Anatomy.

In addition to his resume of writing for television, he has also successfully broken into the field of writing comic books. With credits that include co-creating 2004's Young Avengers with Jim Cheung, to co-writing a story arc with Geoff Johns on JLA, and now relaunching Wonder Woman after the events of Infinite Crisis, Heinberg has certainly made his presence as a writer know throughout the industry.

Scoop: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Was it some kind of profound discovery of talent or just something you always want to do?
Allan Heinberg: I actually always wanted to be an "author." When I was in the second grade, the kids in my class played a card game called "Authors" -- which was essentially "Go Fish" but with Shakespeare, Shaw and Louisa May Alcott substituting for diamonds, hearts and spades. So, from a very early age I can remember wanting to be an author -- someone who had already written something -- as opposed to someone who is actually in the midst of the (sometimes torturous) writing process. To this day, I prefer being an author to being a writer.

Scoop: What got you into writing for television? What steps did you take to stand out in a medium the sees hundreds of proposals never make it off the ground?
AH: My devotion to extraordinary shows like thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Picket Fences made me want to write for television. And I think the key to “standing out” in the field is to write very specifically from personal experience and/or interest. If you write about what's happening in your heart right now, it can't help but be unique, fully engaged, and hopefully engaging.

Scoop: The jump for writers from Hollywood is becoming increasingly common. Have you always had a desire to write comics? Was there are difficult transition for you between screenwriting and comic script writing?
AH: As a lifelong comics fan, I always had the fanboy fantasy of writing them one day, but I was simply too intimidated by the work of my heroes in the field (Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Brian Bendis, among others) to ever attempt it. And the transition from screenwriting to comics scripting was a very challenging one. Especially at first.

Scoop: What are your earliest comic book memories from growing up? Did you collect/read as a kid? If so, what was your favorite title/character?
AH: I bought my first comic book at age 7 at a convenience store called Quik Trip in Tulsa, Oklahoma where I grew up: Wonder Woman #212 by Len Wein and Curt Swan, guest-starring the JLA. Since then, Wonder Woman has remained my favorite character, along with the Barbara Gordon Batgirl, the Justice Society (appearing in All-Star Comics), and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Scoop: What is your average work day like (or do you even have one)?
AH: I get up early, hit the gym, and head off to the studio where I'm fortunate enough to be working on Grey's Anatomy at the moment. I usually spend my lunch hour and weekends working on comics.

Scoop: Is it hard settle in with such an established character as Wonder Woman?
AH: It's always a balancing act to honor the existing continuity while moving the character's story forward at all times. The temptation is to overwhelm the reader with one's own grasp of the character's history, but I try to provide only as much backstory as is necessary for a given moment.

Scoop: What can readers expect from Wonder Woman?
AH: The astonishingly gorgeous graphic storytelling of Terry and Rachel Dodson, with plenty of wide-screen superhero action, suspense, heart, and self-deprecating humor.

Scoop: With a resumé that includes Young Avengers, a story arc with Geoff Johns on JLA, and now relaunching Wonder Woman with Terry and Rachel Dodson, where do you go from there?
AH: I'm actually most excited about returning to Young Avengers full-time with artist and co-creator Jim Cheung in 2007. I can't imagine a more satisfying gig in comics.

Scoop: What are your greatest successes as a writer, both in comics and television?
AH: I don't know that it's for me to say. I've been ridiculously fortunate in the projects I've been able to work on and the people I continue to learn from. Success, for me, would mean constant growth and development as a storyteller.

• Produced for the benefit of all who enjoy the hobby of collecting, Gemstone Publishing's The Scoop is available free of charge to anyone who wishes to receive it. To view the latest edition, or to sign up, visit The Scoop online by at http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com.