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!



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With The Batman Part 2 going into early production, fans are eager for news, information and confirmations and we may just have one thanks to one of the newcomers to the franchise, Sebastian Stan. It’s been rumored for months that the actor who has played everything from Bucky Barnes to Donald Trump to Tommy Lee was moving to Gotham in the role of District Attorney Harvey Dent aka coin-flipping villain Two-Face, and while his casting was confirmed by director Matt Reeves a few days back, we have not had an official announcement on the part he will be playing. While speaking to Deadline about his film Fjord, Stan spoke a bit about his summer plans which include a trip to London to work with Reeves where he says he will be playing “many roles in this one”. The article states that he’s talking about the role of Dent and how the character transforms from D.A. to villain when acid is thrown in his face by mobster Salvadore Maroni. Stan goes on to say, ”I’m excited, I’m nervous and trying to keep surprising myself.” He also he has been working with hair and make-up already trying to figure out how his disfigurement will look. Stan doesn’t come out and say in the quotes that he’s playing Two-Face, but Deadline strongly implies it and are one of the sites that had been reporting that he had been cast in the role early on. The Batman Epic Crime Saga, as Reeves calls it, does have one hitch to overcome. During The Penguin series on HBO Max, Maroni was played by Clancy Brown and does not make it through the series. So, either the attack on Dent takes place prior to the events we’ve already seen portrayed or Reeves is going to change up who throws the acid. Not a huge problem but it will be interesting to see how the moment will be handled if we end up seeing it at all. The Batman Part 2 is beginning to film and is on track for an October 2027 release. 

Winter is coming to Gotham and Matt Reeves is heating up the internet with his social media posts. He started it off with a couple camera tests showing the Batmobile in the snow, letting us know that production had begun on the long-awaited sequel. Then he began letting fans know the cast for the upcoming The Batman Part II starting with a gif of Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader with the quote, “We meet again, my friend.” This led into a series of posts that welcomed back the Dark Knight’s to main allies, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon. Then we got the two sides of the city fighting for control represented by Jayme Lawson as newly elected Mayor Bella Real and Colin Farrell as crime boss Oz Cobb aka The Penguin. Then he welcomed back the true hero of the film, Gil Perez-Abraham as Officer Martinez. Martinez is the representation of how the GCPD views The Batman as he appears multiple times in the first film, each time becoming more comfortable with working with the vigilante. Reeves would return to posting the next day and introduce the new characters to the film, but through gifs from their previous projects and not officially naming characters. This would include three MCU veterans starting with Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan. Then Game of Thrones patriarch Charles Dance, from A Good Day to Die Hard, Sebastian Koch and from Atlanta and the Eternals, Bryan Tyree Henry. Stan has been heavily linked to the role of Harvey Dent aka Two-Face with Dance likely playing his father Christopher. Johansson is believed to be playing Dent’s wife Gilda but that has never been confirmed and there had been no rumors at all about Koch and Henry, though Koch’s management posted a tweet about him helping rid Gotham of evil. Many on-line are speculating that Henry could be playing Detective Harvey Bullock. What is interesting are the names not mentioned in posts such as Con O’Neil as Chief Mackenzie Bock, Barry Keoghan as the Joker and Paul Dano as the Riddler. I wouldn’t assume that not being mentioned doesn’t mean they don’t show up in the film, just that the character may not have a lot of screen time. The assumption is that the film will focus on Dent working with Gordon and Batman to clean up Gotham, so there will be lots of room for other characters in this film. The film has started production and is on track to premiere in October of 2027. 

We are in the age of Matthew Lillard and everyone except Quentin Tarantino seems to be happy about it. The Scream and Scooby-Doo actor has been having a bit of a resurgence lately coming shortly after Tarantino made some disparaging comments about the actor with no provocation. Many in the industry stood up for Lillard and now the actor seems to be popping up everywhere including the latest Scream film, the second season of Cross and the second season of Daredevil: Born Again. The latest news reported by multiple sites has the actor joining the cast of Man of Tomorrow, the next DC Studios film written and directed by James Gunn. Gunn, who is good friends with Lillard and has worked with him previously on both Scooby-Doo movies, posted the below image of the pair together, commenting on the news reports as “pure speculation” and saying that they are just “casually hanging out”. Most took the posts to be sarcasm and assume that Lillard is now in the film as that is where Gunn is right now, filming the project. Fans on-line have begun even more speculation as to who Lillard could be playing including various heroes and characters with the most notable being Jim Gordon from Gotham and Plastic Man, a character that Gunn and Lillard once tried to pitch as a project to DC/Warner Bros. It’s my belief that he will be a more Superman centric character such as STAR Labs Professor Emil Hamilton or police detective Dan Turpin. But that also would be pure speculation. 

Fans of Matt Reeves’ film The Batman got excited this week because of driving in the snow. The director posted images to his social media showing test footage of the Batmobile driving in winter conditions, which were the first signs that the long-awaited sequel had begun production. Though it has been postponed many times, it is set to be released in October of 2027 and will make the first time live-action Batman and Superman films will be released in the same year. The cold weather setting has long been assumed for the film based on the timeline created in both the first movie starting on Halloween and ending on Election Day and then The Penguin series on HBO Max which took place over a week or so immediately after the flooding of Gotham. The new film will pick up right after the award-winning series which places the time frame squarely in December. The plot for the film is still under wraps, but along with returning stars Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan and Jeffrey Wright, the project has reportedly added Scarlett Johannson, Sebastian Stan and Charles Dance. Stan is reported to be playing Gotham DA Harvey Dent aka Two-Face while Dance is said to be his father, Christopher. These castings have been reported by multiple reputable outlets but not confirmed by DC Studios or Reeves. With production having begun, the film is on track to keep its release date of October 2027. 

James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, has addressed the strange “partial reboot” of the DCEU and why he didn’t just start completely fresh. With the new DCU starting with the animated Creature Commandos series and the new Superman movie, certain elements from the previous regime carried over like Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and there were some questions about more recent projects like Gunn’s own The Suicide Squad and Blue Beetle. And Gunn’s first DC movie also had elements from previous films including Margot Robbie as Harley Qiunn. So why not just start over? Turns out a lot of it has to do with the John Cena lead Peacemaker series on HBO Max. According to a social media post by Gunn, “Peacemaker Season 2 deals were all in place when I became head of DC. It was either break everyone's contracts and pay out all that money and take away HBO Max's biggest show at the time or find a way to make it work. I chose the latter. Mostly tho because I love the character and the show and thought he/they could be an important part of the DCU.”   Now, this has left quite a mess trying to figure out what is and isn’t cannon, and Gunn realizes this. He posted, “I've been thinking about this a lot in regards to The Suicide Squad & Blue Beetle and I've been meaning to rewatch both with an eye towards that knowing what I know now almost three years into the DCU (with a couple more years of scripts being actively filmed or created). Maybe after MoT Jenn & Steve & I can get together for a special couple podcasts to discuss. What do you guys think is potentially or definitely NOT canon from TSS & BB?” He is referring to Jennifer Holland, his wife and actress who plays Harcourt and Steve Agee who plays Economos. The three of them did the post-episode podcasts for Peacemaker season two.   Doing The Suicide Squad film makes sense with its ties to Peacemaker, but the reason for the Blue Beetle is that there are talks of an animated Blue Beetle series based on the 2023 film with Xolo Maridueña continuing in the role of Jaime Reyes. The fact it’s included here confirms the animated series is still happening. 

David Harbour is heading into the jungle. The actor has joined the cast of John Rambo, an upcoming origin-story film set before the events of First Blood. Harbour will portray Major (also known in earlier films as Colonel) Sam Trautman, the tough-minded commander and mentor figure long associated with the franchise. The film stars Noah Centineo as a younger John Rambo and is directed by Jalmari Helander (Sisu) from a screenplay by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. The project is expected to explore the experiences that forged Rambo into one of action cinema’s most enduring figures—years before he returned home to the confrontation that launched the original 1982 film. John Rambo is backed by Lionsgate and Millennium Media, with Templeton Media and AGBO also involved, and has reportedly wrapped production in Thailand. Additional cast members include Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White, and Tayme Thapthimthong. Sylvester Stallone—who originated the role across five films—is attached as an executive producer, alongside Anthony and Joe Russo and other producers tied to the project. 

Deadline is reporting that Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance will be joining the cast of the upcoming The Batman Part 2, which is set to start filming in the next few weeks. While this is unconfirmed by DC Studios, Dance is believed to be playing Charles Dent, the father of Harvey Dent aka Two-Face played by fellow newcome to the franchise, Sebastian Stan. There had been many reports over the last few months of other actors turning down the role of the elder Dent which is believed to have some parallels with the role Dance is best known for, Tywin Lannister. He joins a cast that also returns Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell and that has added Scarlett Johansson in an undisclosed part. Prior to joining the Matt Reeves’ sequel, Dance appeared recently in Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein and the Peacock series Day of the Jackal. 

FX is doubling down on one of television’s most unlikely success stories. The Emmy‑winning docuseries Welcome to Wrexham has been officially renewed for three additional seasons, ensuring the show will run through at least Season 8. The announcement comes just weeks ahead of the series’ Season 5 premiere on May 14, 2026. The series chronicles the ownership journey of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney—often credited onscreen as Rob Mac—after their 2020 takeover of Welsh football club Wrexham AFC. What began as a celebrity‑owned sports experiment has evolved into one of FX’s most successful and beloved nonfiction franchises, following the club’s extraordinary rise through the English football pyramid. FX Entertainment president Nick Grad called the renewal “nearly unheard of,” praising the creative team and the global connection audiences have formed with the club and its community. Reynolds and McElhenney echoed that sentiment in a joint statement, crediting the documentary crew and Wrexham’s rapid on‑field success for making such a long‑term commitment possible. Season 5 will continue to track Wrexham’s pursuit of promotion to the Premier League following three consecutive promotions, a feat never before achieved in English Football League history. With cameras set to keep rolling for years to come, FX has made it clear that Wrexham’s story—both on and off the pitch—is far from finished. 

As anticipation builds for DC Studios’ upcoming Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, speculation around its final unannounced role has gone into overdrive. Over the past several days, a wave of casting rumors surged online—only to be decisively debunked by director and DC Studios co‑chair James Gunn himself. The most prominent rumor centered on the alien queen Maxima, a character from DC Comics long speculated to appear in the film. An initial report from Deadline claimed that Ella Purnell, Marisa Abela, and Adria Arjona had screen‑tested for the role. Gunn fired back on Threads, calling the report “shoddy & incorrect” and stating that he had never even met two of the actresses named. He emphasized that had anyone from the outlet checked with the production, the story would have been immediately denied. Gunn further clarified that his statement was not an indirect confirmation that Maxima is in Man of Tomorrow at all. When pressed by fans, he said he was “absolutely not confirming” the character’s inclusion, while adding that the film has only one remaining role left to cast, with all major roles already announced. Shortly after Gunn posted, the Hollywood Reporter came out with its own list of finalists for the role that included Arjona, the one actress in the first report that Gunn has worked with previously, along with Eva De Dominici, Sydney Chandler, and Grace Van Patten. Another rumor floating around is that Maxima is just a cover character and that they are really casting the DCU’s new Wonder Woman. While the character’s stories are very different, the physicality of both women are similar enough and it would be a good cover if DC Studios wanted to keep the introduction of a major character quiet. Which ever it is, a decision will need to be made soon as Man of Tomorrow is slated to begin filming sometime this month down in Atlanta and is slated to be released July 9th, 2027. 

Marvel fans may finally be getting the reunion they’ve been waiting for. Mike Colter and Finn Jones were recently spotted on the New York set of Daredevil: Born Again season 3, sparking widespread excitement that The Defenders are officially back. Photos from the production show Colter and Jones alongside Krysten Ritter, who reprises her role as Jessica Jones, strongly suggesting that Luke Cage and Iron Fist are once again entering Marvel’s street-level corner. While Marvel Studios has not formally announced their return, the presence of all three actors together during filming points to a deliberate reunion rather than a coincidence. The sighting is significant because Colter and Jones last portrayed their characters during Marvel’s Netflix era, where they joined Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Ritter’s Jessica Jones in the 2017 crossover miniseries The Defenders. With Daredevil: Born Again already reestablishing that continuity on Disney+, season 3 now appears poised to fully reassemble the team for the first time in nearly a decade. Although plot details remain under wraps, the set photos alone have reignited fan enthusiasm for Marvel’s grounded, Hell’s Kitchen–based heroes. If the reunion is confirmed on screen, Daredevil: Born Again season 3 could mark a major turning point—bringing The Defenders back together and firmly reintegrating Marvel’s Netflix characters into the broader MCU.