Tom Taylor, now there’s a name that a good chunk of people should find familiar. If you know about the Injustice comics, that’s him. Or if anyone watches Netflix, they might be familiar with The Deep. So how does Taylor sign his signature with his work? It’s all about looking at things from a certain perspective.
Tom Taylor: From Shorts to Epics
Tom Taylor’s writing career begins as a playwright since the age of 14. Like any creative’s work, he has to start small with short plays. It’s more than enough since he wins a couple of awards. It really means something when this Aussie gets his plays in the Sydney Opera House. So why does he go into comics? To be honest, that’s anybody’s guess. One of his plays, “The Examples” does become a graphic novel though.
As for his first foray into comics, that honor goes to Dark Horse’s Star Wars timeline. Before Disney’s buyout of the franchise, this Legends Timeline details events before and after the trilogies. For Taylor, he focuses on popular characters like Boba Fett. The Blood Ties series is about Boba’s relationships including his late father Jango Fett. The bounty hunter in his early days is mainly a wallflower at best. In these series though, his character expands beyond his occupation. Boba’s moral code isn’t just an inheritance it’s his way of honoring Jango’s memory. Boba in turn wants to be a good if not better parent to his own child. Man… it’s not fair that this isn’t canon anymore.
The Legends of DC
Tom Taylor while working on one great media universe continues work in a multiverse. In DC, he gets the task of working on the last days of The Authority. At this point, WildStorm is all but a memory. It’s a rather sad way to look at a franchise that once gives the Big Two great competition. Taylor even gets the series at its lowest point. The only thing he can do is remind everyone of WildStorm’s greatest characters. Apollo and Midnighter are essential to the whole thing. That in and of itself allows the characters to thrive in the DC universe.
Still DC notices a positive change so they give Taylor another shot. His work in this period ranges from hits to misses. Rose and Thorn once again serves as a test; unlike Gail Simone’s take though that’s all she (they?) are. At this point, he’s really just a guy throwing out a bunch of one-shots to the editorials. However, it’s those tie-ins to video games that give rise to his most famous work in Injustice.
The Gods Among Men
Injustice is by far some of the most successful tie-in comics that even serve as jumping-on points to comics. Taylor’s writing shows the rise and fall of once great heroes. While Superheroes turning into dictators in DC isn’t exactly new; this story does allow people to reexamine all of their favorite characters. Superman and Wonder Woman distort from their recognizable selves into dark reflections. The terrifying part of it is that it could very well happen to any version of them. Batman even displays himself at his most pure; a man desperate to fight injustice. The entire universe shows a grapple between hope and despair. The stakes are personal with each loss and victory feeling like a war.
The series is so successful, Taylor gets to write the sequel series. This time, Injustice 2 details redemption and legacy. Superman is still a powerful force even while in prison with the lines between good and evil diminishing. Some heroes strive for redemption but are aware that they can never be forgiven. Others join causes that border on terrorism to fight societal problems. If anything, the series show how detached from the world the characters really are. It’s only by putting away ego can anyone can come remotely close to an understanding.
The Limits of Legacy
On the underrated DC Comics page, the Earth 2 comics by Taylor have a keen focus on legacy characters. While fans like having new versions of Superman, his friends, and the Thomas Wayne Batman; critics see this is as a sign of Creator’s Pets. Earth 2 introduces an Earth free from continuity or the restraint of having the main trinity. But with these characters including the return of Power Girl and Huntress, the status quo kicks in. Most critics consider this part a knock-off of Injustice; complete with an evil Superman. Furthermore, the three original leads of Flash (Jay Garrick), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), and Hawkgirl are now extras.
But there is a silver lining to all of this. Val-Zod, the new good Superman receives positive recognition. In fact his origins even provide fun topics for fans. For that matter, Tom Taylor’s run is the series highest in any reviews. That’s a blessing… and a curse. On one hand, you have characters with names so recognizable, people will throw money at them. Unfortunately that also means having less chances to innovate and staying in boundaries. To be fair though, I don’t think Taylor could’ve done anything with the Wonders after Robinson’s stumbles.
Tom Taylor Reexamines and Reaffirms
Let’s step away from DC a bit and focus on Marvel. Taylor’s first job at the House of Ideas is in the Superior Iron Man comics. You gotta admit that with material like this as a transition, you’re gonna stumble. Tony Stark already has a reputation as a pretentious butthead, but making him a full-on anti-villain is something else. The idea behind this is actually a fascinating exploration of how genius heroes might function in the modern world. The problem is that people are already familiar with all of Tony’s man-child phases. If this idea is with anyone other than Iron Man, it might work better. He’s no Mighty Thor, that’s for sure. He’s not even slightly Superior, the entire line feels more like trolling.
Fortunately for Tom Taylor, he gets more opportunities to show his stuff in Secret Wars. With the Agents of Atlas, he gets to share a fun time with the Marvel fans. During the “Marvel Now” movement, Taylor uses that chance to refocus a fan-favorite character. The All-New Wolverine on premise alone shares several similarities with the Blood Ties series. A clone takes the mantle of their parent. But for Laura Kinney, it’s about securing her independence from her life as X-23. Unlike the cash cow Logan, Laura explores what it means to live with expectations. As Wolverine, she lives Logan’s legacy but also has to carve her own. Laura actually has a leg up on Logan with her self-discovery. She doesn’t even share Logan’s bad future.
Seeing Red
Laura isn’t the only X-Man who gets Taylor’s attention. With the return of Jean Grey, Tom tackles a problem that the Children of the Atom has regularly. But what on God’s Earth does he do that’s so different than pre-Hickman? As it turns out, real-life social commentary. Now racial/sexual/gender tensions are nothing new. But today most of those frictions are more artificial than before. Confirmation bias and conditioning are troubling things that continue today. This is actually the perfect way to illustrate the conflicts of the X-Men in modern times.
The villain of the story is a returning character from the Morrison era, Cassandra Nova. Her history has Cassandra going through conditioning to be an anti-mutant weapon. As a result, she is devoid of nurturing feelings and is trying to instill those feelings into others. With so many people on social media (and wacky comic tech), she has the voice to do so. As for how Jean defeats her, it’s not by a simple psychic fight. It’s instilling within Cassandra what’s she never had, empathy. This is actually a plan Grant Morrison wanted Cassandra to go through. The X-Men are about clearing up misunderstandings to live alongside humanity. After so many empty plots, this is a breath of fresh air.
Tom Taylor on the Power of Empathy
Empathy is a very powerful theme that comes in throughout the rest of Taylor’s work. It’s actually what drives Taylor to his family series. The Deep‘s creation is a reaction Taylor has with his kids. Rather than tell a story about how hitting each other makes things better, The Deep is about in-depth thinking. No characters get violent, even to the villains who deserve a fist in the face. The Netflix show expands on this where conflicts require knowledge of oceanography to solve. That’s not to say that the educational value makes it kid friendly. There are very real stakes with danger at every corner. It really is an all-ages show for young and old viewers; the awards and nominations agree.
Those empathetic traits have Tom Taylor refocus his efforts with subsequent work. Batman/Superman reminds readers that these heroes are influential friends rather than bitter rivals. Batman himself has more to his past than just tragedies and his butler Alfred fully supports his altruistic side. Spider-Man after a long period of stories that lack any meaning, returns as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It even includes a tribute to one of the most beloved stories in the character’s history.
Family Too I Guess
Taylor even gets the opportunity to work in Star wars again in the Age of Resistance. These stories are hit-or-miss critically but they all share a sense of purpose, found family, and hope. Each of these actually enhance the new movie trilogy and give Carrie Fischer a proper send-off.
Some of Taylor’s other series like DCeased certainly benefits from all of these themes. I feel like Grant Morrison is a very powerful force of creativity for him. From Darkseid using the Anti-Life Equation to Damian Wayne becoming Batman. Not to mention a few other messages from Taylor’s other works. This guy is not a fan of internet outrage at all.
With all of these in mind, one has to wonder what this entails for the Suicide Squad. Thanks for coming and as always, remember to look between the panels.