A 25th Issue Spectacular

Friends…twenty five weeks ago I renamed this The Weekly UpDave. I have been very happy with this decision, and in honor of it, I am celebrating this week’s official twenty fifth installment of the recently renamed newsletter. In comics we celebrate issues that are multiples of 25. 25th issues, 50th issues, 75th issues, 100th issues, you get it. So this The Weekly UpDave’s 25th Issue Spectacular.

How are we going to celebrate it?

Well I decided to solicit some friends and so something truly silly.

I am going to do twenty five, top five lists. You read that right. Twenty five, top five lists, in this one newsletter.

“Man, some of those upcoming projects he’s working on must be pretty far off if he’s doing this.”

They are! They are a little far off, but we celebrate them when they happen. In the meantime, I am keeping this newsletter weekly, I’m trying to have some fun. And we ARE going to have fun.

Special thanks to my friends who recommended some of these wild list ideas. You know who you are.

List #1: Top Five Batman Gadgets

Number Five: The Grappling Gun.

Number Four: Miniature Laser/soldering torch. Very underrated.

Number Three: Rebreather. This is a man who both encounters a lot of Joker Gas AND finds himself under water on many occasions. It’s a smart little gadget to have around.

Number Two: Smoke Bombs.

Number One: Batarangs. Normal ones. No electricity, no explosives, just the ones that hit people and come back to Batman like Batarangs.

No, the Batmobile is not a gadget. It’s a vehicle. And we are not doing a Batman vehicle list today.

List #2: Top Five Friends of Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm

Number Five: Jerry Seinfeld. Doesn’t show up on the show a lot, but every time he does…it’s golden.

Number Four: Marty Funkhauser. Funkahuser made me laugh endlessly, one of the best and oddest TV characters of all-time. And always funny when he told Larry that he was his best friend and Larry would respond “You’re not my best friend!” R.I.P Bob Einstein.

Number Three: Jeff Greene. Jeff is an everyday friend, but let him out of your sight…he might be on someone else’s side. That’s all I’m saying!

Number Two: Leon Black. The show runs past Season 6 because of the addition of JB Smoove as Leon Black. Every scene between Larry and Leon, even on the weakest Curb episode, was funnier than almost everything else on TV.

Number One: Richard Lewis. There are no greater moments on a Curb season than the episodes that were lucky enough to have Richard Lewis on them. The chemistry between Richard and Larry is clear, hilarious, and in that final season really tug at your heartstrings even though I don’t think either of them meant for that to happen. R.I.P and Godspeed, Richard Lewis.

List #3: Dave’s Top Five Boston Movie Classics

Number Five: The Verdict Directed by Sidney Lumet.

Number Four: Good Will Hunting Directed by Gus Van Sant.

Number Three: The Departed Directed by Martin Scorsese.

Number Two: The Town Directed by Ben Affleck.

Number One: The Friends of Eddie Coyle Directed by Peter Yates.

I will not be taking questions on this subject.

List #4: Best Punctuations

Number Five: Period, .

Number Four: Question mark, ?.

Number Three: Question mark combined with an exclamation mark. ?!

Number Two: Ellipses, …

Number One: Exclamation Mark, !.

List #5: Top Five Team-Ups (Sticking to Comics)

Number Five: The JLA & The Doom Patrol from JLA: Year One #5-6.

Number Four: Spider-Man, Wolverine, & Elektra from Savage Wolverine #6-8.

Number Three: The Question & Green Arrow from The Question #18 (1986 Series).

Number Two: Green Lantern & Green Arrow from Green Lantern (Vol. 1 ) #76-87 and 89.

Number One: Daredevil, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist from Daredevil Vol. 2 (Marvel Knights Run) #60, The King of Hell’s Kitchen Part Five. I took this graphic novel out from the library many times just to get to this issue.

List #6: Top Five Movies That Taught Me Something

Number Five: Ladybird, Directed by Greta Gerwig. The movie has empathy and an understanding of every single character who walks on screen. No one is a throway, no one is there just for the plot, and no one is there just as a joke. A lesson to me that every character in your story should have a purpose and have a heart.

Number Four: Brick, Directed by Rian Johnson. Genre mash-ups can absolutely work but you have to find what is the same about those genres you’re putting together and really delicately put them together. Setting a noir at a high school and having your Private Investigator character be an angsty teen boy who treats himself like an outsider is marvelous, but in the wrong hands could have been insufferable.

Number Three: No Country for Old Men, Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. I am a dialogue fan. It’s the first thing I fell in love with and realized I could write. Because of that, I save dialogue for last and I write the visuals first because I think I could always get better at constructing the visual parts of a story. No Country for Old Men has some phenomenal dialogue but it’s quiet, the storytelling is next level, and it trusts you to follow along. It was one of the first movies like it I had seen when I was fifteen and I was mesmerized by it, and it’s a movie I return to constantly. I would love to eventually write something that has some good dialogue but is just masterfully done visually first and foremost. Visual storytelling is key. That’s what I learned here.

Number Two: Diary of a Teenage Girl, Directed by Marielle Heller. Don’t pull your punches. If you’re going to do something, do it all the way, and don’t hold back. Do it with compassion, understanding, and intelligence, but also do it with passion and if it requires it anger. I was so floored by this movie when I first saw it and I feel like it’s one that doesn’t get talked about enough. A remarkable movie with sharp teeth.

Number One: The Social Network, Directed by David Fincher. David FIncher the directed is an undeniable auteur with a specific style and perspective. Aaron Sorkin is an undeniable auteur with a specific style and perspective. When two people who are so good at what they do, and have the ability to compliment each other so well like these two did…you can make something amazing that didn’t exist before. I love most of the work that both of these guys have done, but I don’t think I’ll ever love anything as much as I love what these two joined forces to do together. It taught me how incredible the possibilities of collaboration can be in film and in making art in general.

List #7: Top Five Live Action Network Sitcoms

Number Five: Boy Meets World.

Number Four: Cheers.

Number Three: New Girl.

Number Two: Community.

Number One: Parks and Recreation.

List #8: Top Five Comic Characters I’m Low-Key A Big Fan Of

Number Five: Silver Surfer.

Number Four: Green Lantern.

Number Three: Moon Knight.

Number Two: Swamp Thing.

Number One: Thor.

There’s characters I find myself talking about constantly who lead my comic book personality but then I’ll look at my bookshelf and go “Wait, I clearly love all of these characters too, I just don’t talk about them as much.”

List #9: Top Five Non Marvel/Non DC Comics

Number Five: Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba.

Number Four: Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley.

Number Three: The Goon by Eric Powell

Number Two: Stray Bullets by David Lapham

Number One: Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

List #10: Top Five Places in Holyoke, Massachusetts

Number Five: Northampton Street. From the edge of Easthampton to the edge of West Springfield.

Number Four: Mt. Tom.

Number Three: The Holyoke Mall at Ingelside. 

Number Two: Francie’s Tavern.

Number One: The Merry Go Round.

List #11: Top Five Comic Book Series from 2007 When I Was 14/15

Number Five: Thor by J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel.

Number Four: Captain America by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, and Mike Perkins

Number Three: Green Lantern by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis.

Number Two: New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis and Lenil Francis Yu.

Number One: Batman by Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert, and JH Williams III.

List #12: Top Five Songs I’m Listening To Now

Number Five: Blister by Parallel.

Number Four: Last Girls At the Party by The Beaches.

Number Three: This Movie Sucks by Durry.

Number Two: Gruesome by Slowjoy.

Number One: Through the Landslide by Grayscale.

List #13: Top Five Books About Writing

Number Five: The Essentials of Screenwriting by Richard Walter

Number Four: The Artists Way by Julia Cameron

Number Three: Story by Robert McKee

Number Two: The War of Art by Steve Pressfield

Number One: On Writing by Stephen King

List #14: Top Five Performances by American Icon Joan Cusack

Number Five: Shameless, The American Version of the TV Show.

Number Four: Broadcast News, Directed by James L. Brooks.

Number Three: Working Girl, Directed by Mike Nichols.

Number Two: High Fidelty, Directed by Stephen Frears.

Number One: School of Rock, Directed by Richard Linklater.

List #15: Top Five Boston Sports Teams

Number Five: The Springfield Falcons. The Hockey team we used to go see when I was kids in Springfield, Massachusetts. They’re not called that anymore but they’ll always be in my heart.

Number Four: The New England Patriots.

Number Three: The Boston Red Sox.

Number Two: The Boston Bruins.

Number One: The Boston Celtics.

List #16: Superhero Movies Not Based On Comics

Number Five: Sky High, Directed by Mike Mitchell.

Number Four: Super, Directed by James Gunn.

Number Three: The Incredibles, Directed by Brad Bird.

Number Two: Darkman, Directed by Sam Raimi.

Number One: Robocop, Directed by Paul Verhoven.

List #17: Top Five Comic Moments I Was Part Of

Number Five: DC YOU. The era we started when we moved to Los Angeles…Batman & Robin Eternal and Midnighter stick out in my memory the most in terms of the books I worked on and loved but I remember being young, discovering LA, becoming close friends with that class of editors I came out with…it was a beautiful time.

Number Four: DC Rebirth. This is when I feel like I really started coming into my own as an editor, I got to learn so much about story from Geoff Johns who was a massive hero of mine growing up, and the Rebirth runs on certain DC books are some of the ones I’m still proudest of to date.

Number Three: The DC Anthologies. I’ve talked about them often on this newsletter, but I could have edited four of those books every year with Alex Antone for the rest of my life. I worked with so many amazing people and they’re the place I got to write for DC for the first time…I look back at them with a lot of love.

Number Two: DC Future State/The Infinite Frontier. It was during covid which was a staggeringly difficult time, but…it was also a time where I never felt closer to my editorial colleagues and I worked on some of the books I’m most proud of with creators I had forged deep creative bonds with over the course of my career. It was such a good time in my career that it allowed me to cross off everything I wanted to do on my editorial to do list and gave me the peace to leave and start full-time writing. Not everyone gets to leave a job completely fulfilled by it. I did. And I’ll always feel fortunate for that.

Number One: The DC Anniversary Issues. I got to be a part of Detective Comics #1000, Detective Comics #1027, The Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special, The Joker 80th Anniversary Special, The Robin 80th Anniversary Special, and closest to my heart The Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Special. These books were all love, and some of the best love letters I will ever be a part of. I also got to work with so many creators who meant everything to me, and to some of the best characters in the world. What a gift.

List #18: Top Five Movies of Gene Hackman

Number Five: Superman: The Motion Picture, Directed by Richard Donner.

Number Four: Unforgiven, Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Number Three: Night Moves, Directed by Arthur Penn.

Number Two: The Royal Tenenbaums, Directed by Wes Anderson.

Number One: The French Connection, Directed by William Friedkin.

Good night, Gene.

List #19: Top Five DC Animated Shows

Number Five: Batman: The Brave & The Bold.

Number Four: Teen Titans.

Number Three: Batman: The Animated Series.

Number Two: Batman Beyond.

Number One: Justice League Unlimited.

List #20: Top Five Comic Formats I’d Like to Write that I haven’t yet

Number Five: 38-40 Page Annual.

Number Four: 64 Page Prestige Format Issue.

Number Three: Original Graphic Novel.

Number Two: Interconnected series of mini-series and or maxi-series making up a massive project like Seven Soldiers of Victory.

Number One: Ongoing Series.

List #21: Top Five Types of Diet Coke

Number Five: Tiny Can Diet Coke.

Number Four: Diet Coke out of a 2 liter bottle.

Number Three: Plastic 20 oz bottle Diet Coke.

Number Two: Cold Canned Diet Coke, normal size can.

Number One: McDonald’s Diet Coke.

List #22: Top Five Ways My Last Name Has Been Mispronounced

Number Five: WineGlass

Number Four: Wigless.

Number Three: Wiggles.

Number Two: Willgeese.

Number One: I give up, say your name for me.

List #23: Top Five Candy

Number Five: Junior Mints.

Number Four: Crunch Bar.

Number Three: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

Number Two: Kit Kat.

Number One: Twix.

List #24: Top Five Things I’m Looking Forward To Right Now

Number Five: Seeing Sinners next Friday.

Number Four: Watching Hacks Season 4 Episode One this weekend.

Number Three: Brunch with friends on Saturday.

Number Two: Vacation with Family in June.

Number One: All the Comic Projects I Have Coming up This Year and Some Next year.

List #25: Characters I’ve Written I Want to Again

Number Five: Batman.

Number Four: Green Lantern, John Stewart.

Number Three: Plastic Man.

Number Two: Green Arrow.

Number One: Superman.

Wow.

That was a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be.

If you read all of this in one sitting? You’re the best.

If you took a few sittings? I still think you’re great.

Like all anniversary issues that was a little more work than it should have been, and it ran a little late, but I’m happy I did it.

That’s it for this week. We’ll be back next week.

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz