I’m on the Tee-Vee!

June 21st, 2016 by Max Allan Collins

Actor Rick Gonzalez will play Wild Dog on ARROW

Plenty of people have been congratulating me on the addition of the character WILD DOG, the costumed hero Terry Beatty and I created in 1987, to the CW TV series ARROW. When I was preparing to put this update together, I decided to see how big a splash this news had made on the Internet. I stopped counting at 31 links to that news and to summaries of the WILD DOG comics from DC.

So I thought you might like an inside look at how this works for a creator of a comic book character. For example, you may be wondering how exactly DC informed Terry and me of this exciting news. The answer: they didn’t. You may be wondering how rich Terry and I will get from this wonderful windfall. The answer: we won’t.

Other comics creators in a similar situation have told us we can expect $100 for our trouble. I don’t know if that’s a C-note for each WILD DOG episode, or for his overall use. I also don’t know if Terry and I have to split that C-note.

Maybe we should haul out a Ouija board and see what Siegel and Shuster think.

* * *

Tyler Hoechlin will play Superman on SUPERGIRL

In addition to the WILD DOG news, I’ve been popping up all over the Net due to the casting of Tyler Hoechlin as SUPERMAN on the CW series SUPERGIRL. (I am Trump huuuuuuge on the CW!). Tyler, as many readers of these updates surely know, played Michael Jr. in ROAD TO PERDITION. Many of the write-ups about Tyler’s good news point out that he’s played a comic-book hero before, which is how I managed to worm into a lot of the stories.

I remember vividly meeting Tyler on the set of ROAD. He was a smiling, friendly young man, and he got a kick out of it when I told him, “Don’t mention this to Tom Hanks, but you are the hero of this movie.” He was always a sunny, slightly shy presence at the various premieres of the film, and I am happy for his ever-expanding career.

In slightly related news, I received advance copies of the novel version of ROAD TO PERDITION, the complete book at last, something like 30,000 words longer than the previous paperback, with all of my dialogue and action restored. Brash Books has done a lovely job on it. Look for it in November (I’ll be signing copies at this year’s Bouchercon in New Orleans).

Here’s a link to one of the many “Tyler Hoechlin as Superman stories” that hit the Net this past week.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette published this terrific BETTER DEAD review.

By the way, Amazon (and other reviews) of BETTER DEAD, MURDER NEVER KNOCKS and ANTIQUES FATE would be much appreciated it. There’s an amusing BETTER DEAD review at Amazon that accuses Nate Heller and me of being left-wing loons – I’ve gotten a lot of that for SUPREME JUSTICE and FATE OF THE UNION, but this is a Heller first.

Finally, this nice WAR OF THE WORLDS MURDER review also popped up, appearing a couple of places.

M.A.C.

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10 Responses to “I’m on the Tee-Vee!”

  1. Tom Zappe/St Louis says:

    I’m looking forward to having ROAD TO PERDITION all filled out, in one place and in the proper order.

    On another matter, have I been asleep at the wheel or is the Roy Cohn/Donald Trump connection as just recently reported in the New York Times just now coming into general knowledge? This is why we study history.

    And on one final matter, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE is the funniest movie I have seen in the past decade.

  2. Patrick Herman says:

    DC Comics recently canceled the Wild Dog TPB compilation. I wonder if this means it will be put back on the schedule? Are you and Terry typically informed of such decisions, Max?

  3. John Platt says:

    It’s time for a collected Wild Dog book. Now that would put at least a few extra dollars in yours and Terry’s pockets!

  4. Max Allan Collins says:

    Tom, the Cohn/Trump connection is mentioned in the last chapter of BETTER DEAD. When I wrote it, he wasn’t a presidential candidate yet.

    Patrick, DC informs us of nothing. The Wild Dog trade pb may have been cancelled due to poor advance sales, or postponed to take advantage of his new TV fame. We’ll see.

  5. Mike Doran says:

    Talk about Prophets Without Honor …

    Looks like you and Terry are in a worse place: Prophets Without Profits.

    Are you guys at least going to get an on-screen credit for the character?

    (… and in the opening, and not in the subliminal speed closing credits? …)

    Well, at least we now know that you’re going to NOLA for Bouchercon, which means that at some point you’ll likely be making a day trip to Forest Park (sooner rather than later, I hope).

    Anyhoo, thanx for the opportunity to think about something other than Thumper the Wabbit and the Steaming Hot Mess (and if it gets any grislier, I may feel a tirade coming on …).

  6. Terry Beatty says:

    I was told we’d likely be splitting $200 — so that’s $100 each. Probably arriving about a year after the show airs. But that’s based on another cartoonist’s experience. We might get more. Or less. And I don’t know if that’s per episode or a one time deal. Of course, I’ve heard not a peep from DC.

    I’m also amused they seem to changed WD’s name from our Jack Wheeler to “Jason Seaborn.” I wonder if he has a pal named “James Seabond?”

  7. Terry Beatty says:

    I should also note, that as one of the few to have read the original ROAD TO PERDITION manuscript — before the extreme editing — I’m looking forward to having the REAL version of the book on my bookshelf. Congrats on this finally happening.

  8. Richard Piers Rayner says:

    From Perdition to the Man of Steel. Sometimes, you just don’t know where the Road might take you.

  9. Chuck Dixon says:

    A hundred bucks! That’s fifteen bucks more than I got when they used one of my characters on Arrow. And it’s a one time only check.

  10. Tom Zappe/St Louis says:

    At what point is it safe for a writer to quit his day job? It sounds as bad as being a musician!

    Q. What’s the difference between a professional musician and an extra large pizza?
    A. An extra large pizza can feed a family of four.