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Waiting For Tommy XXIX
By Richard Johnston 
RICHARD: Maybe that exploring could get you in trouble... the sexually active website you helped start, Brooklyn Bizarro, seems to be still going strong. Do you ever find any conflict between your name being attached to that project, and some of the simpler, more innocent comics work you do? Is this like Hugh Hefner writing Powerpuff Girls?

JIMMY: Not at all. It is for adults, my friends, and immature individuals. Hell, The Pro was probably more brutal than some of the stuff on the site, but who really cares. The day when my credits include " Jimmy [Brooklyn Bizarro] Palmiotti" is the day I get more hits on the site, LOL. I do not write articles on the site. It's all fun and games, for adults. It's a side project, like my script writing and TV and film work. We do not make a dime on the site; we just break even and have fun seeing our t-shirts on famous people. It's just a silly kick.

The site is the baby of my two friends Buddy and Joe Delfini. They both have a bit more to do with the content than I do. I shot some of the girl's photos on the site, but nothing X rated, just topless sexy stuff. There are parts of the site I have never visited... I am not into the gore. I like fun links, silly photos, reviews and all the party pictures. I really think everyone over 18 should go take a look... and remember, we post almost anything people send in. It's like a bulletin board in a friends basement that his mom and dad will never see.

RICHARD: You mentioned your friends in high places. Let's look at a few... Dan Didio. He's a mate of yours. What makes him tick, and is he your ticket to high profile DC gigs?

SUPERBOY #100 - SIGNED VERSION

JIMMY: I have known Dan Didio since I first got into comics. He lived next door to me in Brooklyn with his family. We became friends and stayed friends and wrote together. Now he is a big shot at DC and nothing has changed except that we now have more in common than ever. We have helped each other on so many projects over the years, from writing together on Superboy, to working on Gatecrasher and developing it for MTV and Fox, and to helping Amanda and I pitch and sell Surf & Turf for animation.

So now he is at DC. Before he was there, I was working on 4 books for them, now that he is there; I am working on 4 books for them. Is it to my advantage to know Dan? Hell... it has been to my advantage since the first time we met. and I am sure he would say the same to me. Friends look out for friends and I would never use that to pressure him for anything... ever.

Remember, the first thing he did when he got at DC was cancel Superboy, the book we were writing together. Now Resistance is canned... and so on. I understand the business and do not pull favors from people. I bring in projects that I think will benefit the company and create steady work gigs for myself as well.

When was the last time you have ever seen me not have work?

As far as what makes Dan tick... well, we both share the same energy about everything and we both grew up in Brooklyn, so the attitude is there as well. Dan loves what he does for a living and loves his family. It's the best of both worlds for him, and I personally think having that harmony in your life makes everything else goes smoother. The other thing that Dan has is that people meet him for 2 minutes and not only like him, but trust him as well. He gives off a confidence and humility at the same time. He will make the most of his new job for sure. DC will benefit tremendously from having Dan in their court.

RICHARD: Your co-collaborator on Pro, Punisher and others, Garth Ennis, says he hates superheroes - and his work certainly supports that. What's your take?

JIMMY: Garth grew up reading war comics and 2000AD. Real world stories and hardcore science fiction. He simply cannot relate to superheroes and sticks to what he knows best. Punisher... A guy with a gun? Easy to understand and run with. Just a Pilgrim... guy with a bigger gun...easy as well. You do not see Garth writing anything that doesn't interest him and I respect him for that totally. The Pro was his answer to fans asking him to write superheroes and he said all he wants to say on that subject, that's why The Pro is and will always be a brilliant one shot comic. He really is one of my best friends and a real influence on my work. He is one of the few people I trust the opinion of besides Amanda.

RICHARD: And your co-collaborator on Vampirella and Reload, Warren Ellis... has he, as he put it recently, lost his shit?

JIMMY: Ha! Well...Warren is the wonderful enigma that we need more of. Someone who speaks his or her mind and is a friggin talented motherf***er to boot. I currently have two Warren projects in my studio as we speak, and they couldn't be further from each other in concept. I think I have spent a total of 15 minutes in Warren's presence over the years, but have worked on and off with him so many times. The work speaks for itself and to tell the truth, I don't read everything that is written on line, so you definitely might know a lot more about Warren losing his shit, and really... it's better to lose shit than find shit somewhere we didn't want it to be.

RICHARD: And finally Bill Jemas vs Nick Barrucci in an arm-wrestle. Who wins?

JIMMY: Nick, because he cannot be beaten ever. He is smarter than most people think he is and has better connections to the underworld. He will be here longer than Marvel and DC comics and will have corpses signing books if he could figure out a way to re-animate them. Trust me, he is the PT Barnum of comics. You got to love that crazy man!

RICHARD: Well, I have to right now, as this is the eighth Waiting For Tommy interview. The challenge has been completed... and Nick Barrucci now has to fly me out to some US convention of other. I'm sure he'll be along with the details any second now. Nick?

[ED. NOTE: Nick's trying to get in to see Jemas about the arm wrestling thing, but he has to go a round with Willie Lumpkin first, and that's proving to more difficult than it sounds]

As for the future of Waiting For Tommy... well, it looks like you could be getting double helpings every week soon. One day a piece on the comics industry, such as the planned "How To Get Distributed By Diamond" and a few days later a new interview. Possibly shorter and punchier because time and tide wait for no Tommy.

Let's see what happens next week.

Jimmy Palmiotti's work can be seen most prominently in 21 Down and The Resistance from Wildstorm. Rich Johnston's comics gossip and rumour column, Lying In The Gutters appears every Monday.

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