So let us move onto your next Big 2 book, this time to sequel of fan-favorite Spider-Man Noir. Can you tell us about this?
David: The new series takes place a few months after the death of the Green Goblin and someone is trying to take over as the new Kingpin of New York - no it's not THE Kingpin. In fact it's a re-working of a villain who featured in one of the earliest Spider-Man comics from the Lee/Ditko era. He turns out to be even more brutal that Norman Osborn and there are some gruesome crime scenes for Carmine Di Giandomenico to work his magic on.
[Besides Sandman] were keeping our villains under wraps for the moment. There are three major villains in this series and we also have Felicia returning as well as Robbie Robertson. Robbie is a contemporary of Peter Parkers so hes a teenager in this series. Hes working as a journalist for The Negro World and investigating the rise of Nazi organizations in America in the years leading up to the Second World War. In the first series we examined the politics of the Depression, concentrating on the socialist movement. This time we see the other side of the coin with the growth of Nazism among German immigrants with organizations like The Bund and The Friends of New Germany, both of which drew support from traditional racist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, who were losing popular support during the Depression.
Greg: In the first series, we were introduced to a much different Parker. He was a lot darker and in one scene didn't hesitate to actually kill one of his enemies until Aunt May tore him a new one for doing so. Will we be seeing more of this darker Spider-Man or is he still learning to follow his upbringings?
David: The whole tone of the new series is, if anything, darker than the first. Spidey can be quite brutal sometimes and there is one scene where he really does behave like a true pulp anti-hero. We got Carmine to draw Spider-Man with a Shadow-style hat to go with the long coat. With the aviator goggles under the hat, he really looks cool and menacing. He busts up an illegal drug and prostitution den and at one point grabs a tommy-gun to make his point. But after Aunt May yelled at him for killing the Vulture he is attempting to refrain from killing anyone. It remains to be seen if he'll stick to that. He does undergo some serious provocation in this series. Some truly horrible things happen to people he loves.
Greg: I've a feeling you're going to advance Felicia and Peter's relationship. Am I right? Will we be meeting another femme fetale?
David: Yes, their relationship has developed in the months since the first series ended. It's problematic though because while Peter is a young and fairly innocent guy with a very firm set of moral principles, while Felicia runs a club selling illegal hooch to a clientele that includes mobsters and bent politicians. She has had a lot of affairs with some dodgy characters including a strongly hinted-at relationship with Norman Osborn. This is not the kind of girl you take home to Mom (or Aunt May).
We'll see another of the traditional girlfriends in this series too, one that Aunt May would be a lot happier to see on Peter's arm but Felicia is the real femme fatale here.
Greg: Now what is it about Spidey Noir that you enjoy writing? It's not a particularly usual David Hine book although there are some touches here and there that has some of your trade-marks.
David: I like the history. The research is something I enjoy and often throws up plot ideas. And I'm a big fan of old black-and-white gangster movies so all those Noir and Pulp elements are appealing. I do have a soft spot for Spider-Man who was my favorite Marvel character when I first discovered American comics. It's really cool to be able to mess with the character, put him into a plain clothes version of his costume, make him darker. When Sandman first appeared he was already one tough bastard but the Comics Code didn't allow him to do much more than punch people really hard. It's fun being able to let him really give vent to his sadistic impulses. This is the kind of hard bitten characters and violence that were the trademarks of the pulp magazines of the 1930's.