DF Interview: Deniz Camp mixes history, politics and comics lore into the saga of ‘20th Century Men’



By Byron Brewer

At the end of the 20th century, superheroes, geniuses, madmen, and activists rush towards WWIII! A Soviet "iron" hero, a super-powered American president, an insane cyborg soldier, an Afghan woman hellbent on building a better life for her people: these strange yet familiar beings collide in a story that mixes history, politics, and comics mythology into something totally new.

Welcome to 20th Century Men – from writer Deniz Camp and artist S. Morian – where the edges of our reality and fiction touch, overlap… and then explode! I had to learn about this new book right away, and so sat down and chatted with scribe Deniz Camp.


Byron Brewer: Deniz, tell readers about the inspiration for 20th Century Men, a very layered, speculative comic, I would say. Is this a concept you have been carrying around for awhile? It is very tight and concentrated, as good comics are.



Deniz Camp: I have been thinking about it for a long time, but the story has changed and evolved in the writing, as I think all the best ones do. The main goal is, and has always been, to put as much humanity into these pages as possible. I think people are their most beautiful when they are at their lowest, that vulnerability is the truest, bravest, most inspiring thing in the world. War doesn’t interest me for the sake of war, war interests me because it’s human beings in extremis, and there you can find every human characteristic in heightened state. Everyone is beautiful, and ugly, there, often at the same time.

In terms of being tight/concentrated, I think that’s just my overall obsession. Decompressed comics can be and have been great, but the ones that made me a fan were the ones that gave you a lot. It takes a lot more work, but I’m not here to make disposable comics. I want you to be reading and rereading my comics all month, all year, for the rest of your life.


Byron: Can you give us an overview of the atmosphere of the world you and artist S. Morian are building here? What is life like on this Earth (I assume), and how did it get this way?



Deniz Camp: This world is pretty similar to our own, actually. I wanted to keep the story grounded and historical, to intertwine the fantastic with real events. The major difference is that super soldiers have been a significant factor in the outcome of both world wars, Korea, Vietnam and, now, Afghanistan. The Soviet Union is stronger here than it was in the real world, thanks to the super-technology and economic reforms of one of our characters, Petar Platonov, The Iron Star. Much of what we know from our world still happened, but HOW it happened is different; for instance, there was a Chernobyl meltdown in this world, but it was the result of a super-powered conflict, not a technological malfunction.

Most of the action takes place in Afghanistan, during the incredibly brutal Soviet invasion and occupation of the 1980s. In our world, the Soviets have managed almost complete victory thanks to the direct intervention of the Iron Star. But things quickly change, and the International “Great Powers” — represented by super-powered stand-ins — converge on the country to fight their proxy war, without consideration for the damage they do to the Afghan people.
There will be a bunch of easter eggs and fun twists for fans of history and pop culture, but you won’t need to know of that to enjoy it.
This is a world very much on the brink, with sentient weapons of mass destruction working in the brutal interest of their states with almost total impunity. It’s a powder keg that seems ready to blow at any moment.


Byron: Introduce readers to your protagonists, which I am guessing are “...a Soviet ‘iron’ hero, a super-powered American president, an insane cyborg soldier, an Afghan woman hellbent on building a better life for her people”. Who are they, and what is their common denominator?



Deniz Camp: We have a pretty large cast, none of whom are the “main” character. Our POV shifts issue to issue, and the goal here is to establish for the audience one interpretation of events, and then, through other characters, undercut or challenge that interpretation.

We start with Petar Platonov, the soviet diplomat-hero the Iron Star. He’s an alcoholic genius weapons manufacturer who built himself a futuristic suit of armor. Sound familiar?
We also see President Thomas Goode. Goode was one of the first super-soldiers, emerging in WWII with the name The American Dream. He is America’s greatest hero, having defeated the Nazi Uber-mench, commanded American forces in Vietnam, and is generally one of the most beloved Americans to ever live. He’s also a sociopath who sees war as a purifying process, and as the president he’s got the power to do something about it.
There’s Egon Teller, an American technological genius who helped design American weapons as “The Big Idea” in Vietnam and has since become the richest man in the world. He regrets pretty much everything and is trying to atone, with mixed results.
Azra is an Afghan woman who is extremely smart — even smarter than she lets on — and is trying to balance all the various factions for the good of her people. When we open she works for Platonov as his right hand, but by the first issue she leaves to pursue her own goals.
Finally, there’s a Soviet reporter nicknamed Krylov. He comes to the war to report on what’s happening, “to find the truth about war”. It quickly becomes clear he was not at all prepared.
There are many, many other characters, and I genuinely empathize and love each of them, for all their madness and flaws. It’s a big, sprawling cast, but we try to make all of them come alive.


Byron: No spoilers, but you can tell from issue #1 that there will be a great deal of subtext in this mini-series – which, I agree, is for readers to interpret each to his own. But from a writer’s POV crafting such a tale, talk about juggling historic fact and fiction, trope politics and, best of all, comic book lore into such a satisfactory blend. Very different!



Deniz Camp: I’m glad you think so! I guess it just comes out of a mix of a lot of stuff that interests me. You can’t really understand characters without understanding their context, geographical, historical, cultural. It’s all one thing, and I spend a lot of time reading about all that, even before I started planning this story.

The deeper you go the more complicated you realize it all is, for everyone — and also, beautiful. And terrible. And funny. I think we’re able to get some of that complication into the book. I’m really proud of that.
The key is the characters. I know it’s a cliche, but it really is true; everything is in service of making these people come alive.


Byron: 20th Century Men has some brutal character work, especially the first issue. What character in the limited series best reflects its creator (scribe Camp)?



Deniz Camp: There’s a character we introduce in the second issue, a Russian reporter nicknamed Krylov. The artist based his face on mine, so that’s the obvious one! He’s a young man way out of his depth, not as smart as he thinks he is, no less destructive for being “well meaning”. Sounds about right!



Byron: Haha!… Talk about your collaboration with S. Morian, and the artist’s epic contributions to this saga.



Deniz Camp: This has been the most intimate collaboration of my life, without a doubt. S. Morian is a natural storyteller and a total genius. Our process is chaotic and work intensive and beautiful. We brainstorm together before I start to write a script, then I write a full script with panels and all the traditional stuff — then he changes what needs to be changed, sometimes drastically, sometimes not at all. He compensates for my weaknesses in a big way, and magnifies my strengths; he gets what I’m TRYING to do, and often has a better way of doing it.

He has such a variety of styles and techniques at his disposal, and changes them almost every scene to better fit the story. It is impossible to overstate how much he adds. There is no book without him.
When the art comes back I basically rewrite the whole thing from scratch to better fit his work. The end result is something that feels as though it were made by one person, I think, a person more talented than either of us alone.
And the process is dynamic, always changing. Occasionally I’ll give him just a basic description of something and he’ll go and make a scene, and I’ll letter it from scratch. It’s such an incredible experience, truly. Chaotic and scary at times, but I think that comes out on the page.
He isn’t just a collaborator, he is my brother, and the friendship that has emerged from creating this book is one of the best things ever to come out of my comics career.


Byron: Deniz, what other projects in which you are involved can you tell readers about?



Deniz Camp: My creator owned series, Agent of WORLDE, comes out from Scout Comics June 29th. It’s a mad, sci-fi spy story half a decade in the making in the vein of Hard Boiled, the Filth, and Casanova, with the most intricate, beautiful art you’ve ever seen from series artist Filya Bratukhin (and colorist/designer/saint Jason Wordie) — comparisons are often made to Geof Darrow and Frank Quitely, and with good reason. Each issue is a self contained mission, as Agent Philip Blank faces time travelers, aliens, robot armies, and his belligerent Orangutan boss.

Bloodshot Unleashed launches in September from Valiant Comics. My partners on that are Jon Davis Hunt (of The Wildstorm fame), Jordie Bellaire and Hassan Otsmane Elhaou. Another “done in one” series, we are doing beautiful violence in 20 pages, as Bloodshot tracks down a bunch of escaped living weapons and struggles with his own demons. Every issue is centered around an incredible action set piece, but we also go very deep into Bloodshot’s head (figuratively and literally). I’m extremely happy with how it’s turning out; there’s never been a Valiant book quite like it.
And then, soon to be announced, I’ve got a middle grade graphic novel coming out sometime in 2024, I think. It’s different for me, but exciting. But I’m not allowed to talk about it.


Dynamic Forces would like to thank Deniz Camp for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. 20th Century Men #1 from Image Comics is slated to be on sale Aug. 17th!



For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces, www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces.

There is a major movie franchise out there that is not going by its original name and it’s thanks to the star. When screenwriter Derek Kolstad finished what would become is most popular film, he was inspired by revenge-thrillers with one-word titles like Payback and Shooter. He dubbed his film, Scorn. The problem came when the star of the film went out and talked about it, he always referred to it by the lead character’s name rather than the title. After a while, the studio realized that their star, Keanu Reeves, had done millions of dollars worth of brand recognition for the name John Wick… they decided to go with it and renamed the film. Why Reeves did this is unknown, but Kolstad has since admitted that John Wick is a better franchise name, saying, “I can’t imagine it being Scorn now.” Was this an intentional thing on Reeves’ part or just a happy coincidence? We may never know. 

If you check the major Hollywood sites like Deadline and Variety, they’ll tell you that October 2025 has been the lowest box office take in almost 30 years. It sits currently at $440 million with a few days left to add. In 1998 the box office did $455 million, which this month should just creep past. By comparison October 2018 did $832 million with just three films: Venom, A Star is Born and Halloween, taking in $481 million. But last year, October only took in $478 million showing the decreasing trend. Adding to the decline is the fact that no major releases were scheduled for this weekend because of the Halloween holiday. And what was put into theaters the whole month really didn’t get people’s attention. Tron: Ares was the highest profile film and that hasn’t even broken $70 million in its four weeks in theaters.   When you look at numbers like that, it’s hard not to think about what might have been. There was a big budget film slated for release this month, a film that got delayed and delayed and hasn’t even started filming. A film that finally has a finished script and is set to release in October of 2027… that of course is Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part 2. One of the most anticipated films currently in production, the sequel to the 2022 hit, bolstered also by the fan favorite HBO series The Penguin, would easily match and likely succeed the success of the first film. The Batman opened on March 4, 2022 and ended that month with $338 million domestically.  It was originally scheduled to be released October 3rd, looking at that release date, this year there really wasn’t any big film put in its place. The film would’ve done better than the first and that amount would’ve driven 2025 towards the top of the list, maybe even surpassing 2018. Ah, what could’ve been. 

DC Studios has potentially taken a significant step by filing for a trademark for a film titled "Salvation Run." A move that isn’t too surprising since the Salvation planet and the idea of using it as a prison for meta humans was introduced in the season finale of Peacemaker season 2. But the filing does indicate just how big this idea could be for the DCU. "Salvation Run" is a storyline from DC Comics that originally ran in the late 2000s. The story centers on the mass exile of some of DC's most notorious villains to a hostile alien world, forcing them to band together for survival. It was a concept originally pitched to DC by Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin. The trademark filing by DC Studios suggests that the company is considering developing "Salvation Run" into a feature film. While trademark filings do not guarantee that a film will be produced, they often indicate serious intent or early-stage development. The filing protects the title and concept, ensuring that DC Studios retains exclusive rights as plans evolve. Should "Salvation Run" move forward, it could introduce a fresh dynamic to DC's film slate. Instead of focusing on heroes, this story would shine a spotlight on villains, possibly expanding character development and offering audiences new perspectives on well-known antagonists. It also opens opportunities for ensemble casting, complex storytelling, and connections to other DC properties. 

For many MCU fans, there has been concerns about when or even if Jeremy Renner would be returning to the role of Clint Barton aka the Avenger Hawkeye. Renner first portrayed the archer in 2011’s Thor and returned in 2012’s The Avengers. He has been popping up as the character in various films and even his own Disney+ series that had been rumored to be getting a second season. And then came New Year’s Day 2023 and a horrific snowplow accident where the actor sustained over 30 broken bones, including a shattered leg, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a punctured lung. Renner has made a miraculous recovery and has returned to working on projects like Mayor of Kingstown and Wake Up Dead Man… but his future in the MCU is still unclear. Earlier this year Renner gave fans a disappointing update when he revealed that Marvel had talked to him about returning for season two but only offered him half of what he made for season one, which he turned down. None of this was looking good, even with two Avengers movies on the horizon. Shift to now where Renner is out doing various interviews and talking about the character again. He spoke of how Clint Barton has repeatedly tried to retire but keeps coming back and how he believes that it will continue that way until the character is killed off. He also said of the Hawkeye series specifically, "We got to where we’re trying to do the second season. And I think I’ll get strong enough to be able to do it. And we’ll work it out. It’s gonna be great." He was also asked by another Avenger actor, Brie Larson, if he would be returning for Avengers: Doomsday, to which he said “no” and then turned it back on her asking, “Are you?” The whole thing was done very playfully. And even if he doesn’t return for Doomsday, there’s always Secret Wars a year later. 

The highly anticipated Marvel series, Fantastic Four: First Steps, is set to make its debut on Disney+. Fans of Marvel’s first family have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new adaptation, which promises to bring fresh storytelling and exciting action to the beloved characters of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. The film, which was directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman, will be available for streaming starting November 5th. The Fantastic Four have long been favorites among comic book readers, and with Marvel Studios now handling the property after the luke-warm reception of the first two Fox films and the universally hated reboot. First Steps is not a retelling of the origin story but rather moves on to the team having been well established after four years and dealing with their greatest threat, the world-devourer Galactus. The new cast includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the quartet of heroes along with Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatis and Natasha Lyonne. The film did moderately well in theaters, taking in a worldwide box office total of $521M and an 86% critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes.   

When James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the new co-heads of DC Studios, they put out a list of projects as part of their first phase called Gods & Monsters. And while some of those projects like Creature Commandos, Superman and Lanterns have moved forward, one of the projects seems to be stalled. That would be the DCU version of Batman in an announced The Brave and The Bold project. This is a different Batman from the one Robert Pattinson portrays in the Matt Reeves films and would be a bit older and paired with his son Damian as the current Robin. Andy Muschietti, the director of The Flash, has been attached to the project the entire time and appears to still be in line to helm the project. But in the last week we’ve gotten the first movement on the project in a while. First Gunn said in various interviews that the project is still in the work and has changed some since the initial announcement, but he didn’t go into any specific details. Then Muschietti and his producing partner and sister Barbara were asked about the project while at the premier of their new series Welcome to Derry, and IT prequel story. When asked if they were still doing the film, Barbara said, “The intention is yes, but we can’t talk about it.” Andy added, “We have to wait a few, a couple of months to start talking about it.” But then realizing he may have said too much: “I screwed it already.” This is leading fans to speculate that an announcement is imminent and that we may finally learn who will be donning the cowl opposite David Corenswet’s Superman.    

Though we have yet to see season two of the Percy Jackson series, season three is adding Kate McKinnon, known for her energetic performances and comedic brilliance on “Saturday Night Live,” as the goddess Aphrodite. McKinnon brings her unique charm and wit to the role, promising an exciting new take on the goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite is one of the most famous figures from Greek mythology. She is the goddess of love, beauty, desire, and passion. Ancient Greeks believed Aphrodite had the power to inspire love and attraction in gods and mortals alike. According to myth, she was born from the sea foam and emerged fully grown, captivating all who saw her. Aphrodite’s stories often involve her relationships with gods like Ares and mortal heroes, and she played a key role in the legendary events leading up to the Trojan War, most notably by awarding the golden apple to Paris. With Kate McKinnon stepping into the role, viewers can expect a fresh, humorous, and dynamic portrayal of Aphrodite. Besides her time on SNL, McKinnon has been in various movies including the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters and the 2023 mega-hit Barbie. 

In an interesting turn of events, someone posted an image of the wrap gift for the upcoming Lanterns series, showing a baseball hat with the Green Lantern symbol and in the center of that symbol, a series of concentric circles. That person then commented that the modified logo could be indicating an involvement of The Centre, the main antagonist in Darwyn Cooke’s celebrated DC: The New Frontier series. That post was then removed by Warner Bros… In completely unrelated coincidence, have you read The New Frontier? Let me tell you about The Centre, a metaphysical, almost Lovecraftian presence, embodying existential dread and posing a challenge unlike any other faced by the world’s greatest superheroes. The Centre made its debut in "DC: The New Frontier" (2004), a miniseries that bridges the gap between the Golden Age and Silver Age of superheroes. In this alternate history, The Centre is portrayed as an ancient, primordial being that predates humanity itself. It is described as the very source of life on Earth, a sentient landmass that witnessed the rise and fall of prehistoric creatures and eventually grew to despise humanity, whom it perceives as a threat to the planet’s balance. The Centre is not a conventional villain. It is a massive, floating island with psychic and reality-altering abilities. Its consciousness spans across its entire form, making it nearly impossible to attack or reason with in any traditional sense. The Centre’s powers include: <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Telepathy: The Centre can communicate with and manipulate the minds of others, sending visions, inducing madness, or telepathically broadcasting its intentions. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Physical Invulnerability: Its immense size and composition make it resistant to most forms of attack, even those from the world’s strongest superheroes. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Creation of Monsters: The Centre spawns various mutated and monstrous creatures to defend itself and attack humanity. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Levitation and Flight: It can float above the Earth, moving with intention and purpose. In "DC: The New Frontier," The Centre’s appearance catalyzes the unification of the DC universe’s heroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Realizing that The Centre’s power is too great for any single hero to face alone, they join forces, combining their unique abilities and intellects in a coordinated assault. This is basically the precursor for the Justice League and would be an interesting story to loosely adapt if you were, say, building a new cohesive universe. 

Rian Johnson, the acclaimed writer-director behind the “Knives Out” franchise, has made headlines with his latest entry, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” Johnson has openly described this third film as the closest the series has come to emulating the classic structure of an Agatha Christie novel—a deliberate shift from the subversive approaches of “Knives Out” and “Glass Onion.” At the Deadline Contenders London event, Johnson explained that “Wake Up Dead Man” adopts a “more traditional murder mystery structure,” echoing the formula Christie perfected. In his words: “This is how most Agatha Christie books work, where in the first act you meet all the suspects, you meet the protagonist, who’s not the detective. Then the murder happens, and the detective shows up.” This marks a departure from the previous films, which played with audience expectations—solving the murder early in “Knives Out,” and presenting a deceptively simple case in “Glass Onion.” In “Wake Up Dead Man,” Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc returns to tackle a darker, more gothic mystery, set in a remote stone church and featuring religious intrigue. The film’s protagonist, played by Josh O’Connor, is a priest who becomes Blanc’s sidekick, further grounding the story in classic whodunnit territory. Johnson also cited inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe, aiming for a “grounded, gothic tone” that predates Christie’s work. With the release of “Wake Up Dead Man,” Johnson completes his two-film deal with Netflix. So, what’s next? Johnson has confirmed that he will be taking a break from the “Knives Out” series to focus on an original project. “I’m writing right now, [but] it’s not one of these [Knives Out] films. It’s just something completely different, an original thing. I actually feel very energized after making this one [Wake Up Dead Man], but this is three in a row. It’s probably healthy to see other people.” He hasn’t revealed details about this new project or whether it will be with Netflix, but he’s made it clear that he wants to explore a different genre. Johnson’s creative philosophy is to “empty the well and then start from scratch,” ensuring each new film is a fresh challenge. Despite the break, Johnson remains enthusiastic about returning to the world of Benoit Blanc. He’s stated that as long as Daniel Craig is interested and audiences are engaged, he’d be happy to keep making “Knives Out” mysteries for life. Producer Ram Bergman echoed this, saying future installments are possible, but for now, the focus is on Johnson’s original script.

The Season 2 finale of Peacemaker has left fans with mixed feelings and a lot of speculation for the future. Known for its irreverent humor, brutal action, and surprising depth, the closing episode focused more on wrapping up emotional drama but also planted significant seeds for the future of the DC Universe (DCU). This was done through the introduction of Checkmate and Salvation, signaling the long-term direction for the first phase of the new universe. Checkmate, for those unfamiliar with DC Comics lore, is a covert intelligence agency known for operating in the shadows, often handling threats that are too dangerous or politically sensitive for public superhero teams. They first appeared in Action Comics #598, created by Paul Kupperberg and Steve Erwin. While in the comics, the organization is created by Amanda Waller, in the HBO Max series, it is founded by Amanda’s daughter, Leota Adebayo and the rest of the 11th Street Kids using the drug money that Vigilante had been saving. Their arrival marks a significant turning point, suggesting that future seasons—and perhaps other DCU projects—will explore the complex world of espionage, betrayal, and secret wars within the superhero community. Salvation in the comics is a prison planet where Waller and Rick Flag started sending metahumans too powerful to be held in regular prisons. This was introduced in the Salvation Run comic series, originally pitched by George R.R. Martin, written by Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges and drawn by a variety of artists including Sean Chen and Joe Bennet. This lead into the Final Crisis event which had Darkseid coming to Earth. In the series, Salvation is an alternate reality discovered through the Quantum Unfolding Chamber that appears to be Earth-like and ideal for Flag and Lex Luthor’s plan for a place to send Metahumans. The season ends with Chris Smith aka Peacemaker, forced into Salvation by Argus and left to fend for himself. These introductions show that James Gunn overall plan for Gods & Monsters, the first phase of the DCU, is going to loosely adapt Salvation Run and may lead us to a version of Final Crisis. Even though there is a cliffhanger ending, Gunn has said that there are no immediate plans for a third season of Peacemaker, but he’s promised that these characters will be seen again soon, and the existence of Salvation will playout over all of the DCU including the upcoming Lanterns series and the 2027 film Man of Tomorrow. Reaction to the finale has been mixed with some fans disappointed with the lack of action nor any big cameo that many had speculated. Other fans though appreciated the emotional catharsis achieved by the characters and the new direction which included a few members of Argus, specifically Sasha Bordeaux, Langston Feury and Judo Master, becoming members of Checkmate along with the 11th Street Kids. Where and how we’ll see this story continue has yet to be announced.