James Tucker interview on Batman: Brave & Bold
James Tucker is a producer, an animator, and an artist. He is known for his work on Batman Beyond, Animaniacs, Justice League, and Scooby-Doo! He became supervising producer of DC Animation when Bruce Timm stepped down.
I interviewed Tucker to celebrate the TV and comics debut of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
CB: How did you learn to draw?
JT: I started drawing at an early age. The first thing I drew was Batman! I used to watch the old TV show and cartoon and it ignited my imagination. I willed myself to learn how to draw because I could not get enough of Batman, and had to create my own images of him and his villains. From there I kept drawing because it really allowed me to visualize the stories that ran through my head. I took art classes in school, and checked out art books from the library and copied the images in order to grow as an artist.
CB: What was the first art you did for pay?
JT: I believe when I was a junior in high school, I painted a mural for a church. I got all of 47 dollars for it! I felt like a professional artist then!
CB: What steered you toward cartoons?
JT: The Batman cartoons I saw as a kid primarily. I loved animation from the first cartoon I ever saw, but the Batman cartoons from the 60s and 70s combined what would be my love of animation and comic books.
CB: What shows have you worked on?
JT: I've worked on Tiny Toons, Tazmania, and Animaniacs; also Superman, New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Legion of Superheroes. Being the huge DC fan that I am, it's been great to work on these shows.
CB: What are some of the jobs you’ve done in animation?
JT: My very first job was as an animation assistant on Tazmania, which meant I cleaned up the rough drawings of the primary animator and then provided the in-betweens from the key poses. I had had very little prior experience at animation and actually didn't understand the process well until I got the job.
I read about this little studio in Homewood, Illinois that was doing episodes of Tazmania. So I called them up and got an interview to show my portfolio. Mind you, I didn't have a portfolio at the time. So that night I drew my portfolio from scratch pretty much. It was good enough for them to take a chance on me. For all aspiring animation artists, this is not the way to get a job. I just was very lucky and made the most of the opportunity. I then worked my way up to animator and learned all the ins and outs of animation along the way.
CB: You’re the producer on the new Batman show. What does a producer do?
JT: Different producers do different things depending on the show, so there is no one description that fits everyone who has the title of producer. On Batman: The Brave and the Bold, I'm involved with every aspect of the show. I design most of the primary characters; I have final approval on scripts, voices, storyboards, and backgrounds. Basically I have to sign off on every facet of the show from start to finish.
It's a lot of work but I have the help of some of the best talents in the business and a very efficient support staff here at Warner Bros. Animation is a team effort and even though I'm the Producer and set the tone of the series, it takes a small army of people to make my vision get to the small screen.
CB: Is working in animation anything like you imagined?
JT: Well it is and it isn't. When I dreamed of working on a Batman cartoon or on the comic book, I didn't know what it entailed. I just knew I wanted to do it. So I guess I was open to learning everything there was about comics and animation to achieve that goal. Working on Batman has been everything I imagined and more. For me, doing this show is a natural fit. It's the Batman that first got me into comics and animation.
CB: Tell us about Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
JT: The Brave and the Bold is an animated show based on the original The Brave and the Bold comics from the 60's and 70's. The tone is a bit lighter than previous Batman shows, but still maintains the action and adventure that the character has been known for since his creation. It's a fun, exciting show for all ages.
CB: What takes Batman out of Gotham?
JT: Just like the old comics, we just start our story with Batman in the middle of some adventure and let the audience figure out he got there. I very much wanted this show to be in the DC Universe I knew as a kid. In that universe, all the heroes knew each other and even had parties together. So it wasn't a big deal if Batman happened to be working a case in Star City and ran into Green Arrow, or Coast City and had an adventure with Green Lantern. The idea of this show is that these heroes are friends and acquaintances with each other and that crime fighting is a job they all share.
CB: How did you choose the voice actor for Batman?
JT: I wanted someone who could be a tough, no-nonsense hero and still have some warmth to his voice and show us the lighter, more likeable side of Batman.
CB: Who are some of the other heroes in the show?
JT: I'll rattle off a few at random: Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Wildcat, Black Canary, The Huntress, The Flash, Red Tornado, Jonah Hex, Kamandi, Omac, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Plastic Man, Deadman, Aquaman, Black Lightning, Katana, Metamorpho....
CB: How about the villains?
JT: Dr. Polaris, Sportsmaster, The Cavalier, Zebra-man, Polka Dot Man, The Top, The Scarecrow, Solomon Grundy, Catman, Kanjar Ro, Clock King, Gentleman Ghost, Gorilla Grodd, Despero, Sinestro, Crazy Quilt, Punch and Jewelee, Black Manta, Ocean Master, Felix Faust, and the list goes on and on.
CB: How does Robin feel about being left out of the excitement?
JT: Who says he's not going to appear? But when he does appear, the fans won't be disappointed.
CB: I haven’t seen Aquaman with a beard for a long time.
JT: Every king should have a beard!
James Tucker’s latest projects are Justice League Dark: Apokolips War and DC Super Hero Girls.