>>> THIS IS QATANA.
SHE’S GOT MY BACK.
SHE CAN CUT YOU ALL IN HALF WITH
ONE SWORD STROKE JUST LIKE
MOWING THE LAWN.
I’D ADVISE NOT GETTING KILLED BY
HER.
HER SWORD TRAPS THE SOULS OF ITS
VICTIMS.
>> HARLEY QUINN.
NICE TO MEET YA.
LOVE YOUR PERFUME.
WHAT IS THAT?
THE SCENT OF DEATH?
>> THAT WAS A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
TO QATAMA IN "SUICIDE SQUAD."
MOST KNOW THE FAMOUS SUPERHEROES
LIKE BATMAN, SUPERMAN, THE FLASH
AND GREEN LANTERN.
BUT OUR NEXT GUEST IS REWRITING
THE STORY OF THE D.C. UNIVERSE
ADDING TO IT ANYWAY TO GIVE AN
INSIGHT INTO THE LIVES OF
PERHAPS LESSER KNOWN
SUPERHEROES.
ESPECIALLY THOSE OF COLOR.
THE NEW FIVE-ISSUE MINISERIES IS
TITLED "THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE
D.C. UNIVERSE."
JOINING US, AUTHOR AND
OSCAR-WINNING SCREEN WRITER AND
OUR DEAR FRIEND, JOHN RIDDLEY.
SO GREAT TO SEE YOU.
MIKA REFERENCED YOU AS A
"MORNING JOE" ORIGINAL.
BACK IN 2007 IT WAS YO YOU, ME,
JOE AND MIKA IN AN EMPTY STUDIO
IN NEW JERSEY TAKING ANY CALL-IN
GUEST WE COULD GET.
YOU ARE INDEED AN ORIGINAL.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> GREAT TO SEE ALL OF YOU.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE, WILLIE,
THEY PROBABLY THINK YOU’RE
JOKING.
IT’S THE TRUTH.
BECAUSE WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE
WITH THE SHOW OVER THE YEARS IS
MAKING A LANDMARK OF MORNING
TELEVISION.
AS SOON AS I LEFT.
>> WE CAN TALK ABOUT UNDERCOVER
BROTHER ANOTHER TIME.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR COMIC
BOOK SERIES.
IT’S SO COOL.
FIRST, GOING BACK TO THOSE EARLY
DAYS, YOU HAD SUCH GREAT
INSIGHTS ON THE COUNTRY AND ON
OUR POLITICS.
WE HAVEN’T TALKED TO YOU FOR A
WHILE.
WHERE DO YOU THINK WE ARE RIGHT
NOW WITH JOE BIDEN, THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT, DONALD TRUMP
WITH STILL TWO MONTHS IN OFFICE.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE COUNTRY
RIGHT NOW?
>> YOU KNOW, WILLIE, I HONESTLY
THINK THAT WE’RE STILL IN A VERY
DIFFICULT PLACE.
YOU OBVIOUSLY LOOK AT THE
PANDEMIC.
THE VACCINES OUT THERE.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET THEM TO
PEOPLE?
HOW DO WE RECOVER THE ECONOMY?
WHAT GIVES ME SOME HOPE IS THAT
MORE PEOPLE THAN -- SINCE I
DON’T KNOW WHEN -- CHOSE TO
VOTE.
WE MAY NOT AGREE ON THOSE VOTES,
BUT THEY EMBRACE DEMOCRACY.
EVEN IN THIS AWKWARD AND
UNPRECEDENTED TRANSITION.
IT’S LARGELY PEACEFUL.
PEOPLE MAY NOT AGREE WITH THE
OUTCOME, BUT THEY ARE LARGELY
ACCEPTING OF IT, EVEN WHEN
OTHERS ARE NOT.
SO WE’VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO
DO, BUT I REALLY, TRULY,
HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT WE AS
AMERICANS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO
GET IT DONE.
>> AMEN TO THAT.
A TON OF PEOPLE TURNED OUT AND
IT WAS, DESPITE ALL THE NOISE
WE’RE HEARING, A SECURE
ELECTION.
SO TELL ME ABOUT THIS FIVE-ISSUE
COMIC BOOK SERIES FOR D.C.
UNIVERSE.
YOU’RE NOT RETELLING THE STORY
BUT GIVING SORT OF THE SPOTLIGHT
TO CHARACTERS WHO PROBABLY
DESERVE MORE THAN THEY’VE GOTTEN
IN THE PAST.
TELL US ABOUT IT.
>> AS YOU KNOW, I LOVE HISTORY.
RED TAILS, 12 YEARS A SLAVE.
IT’S NOT JUST BLACK AMERICAN
HISTORY.
IT’S ALL OF OUR HUSTISTORY.
AS YOU ALSO KNOW, HISTORY IS
OFTEN TOLD BY THE PREVAILING
CULTURE.
SO BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE,
WOMEN, PEOPLE FROM THE LGBTQ
COMMUNITY, VARIOUS FAITHS, WE
SHARE THESE STORIES.
WE’RE INTEGRAL TO THESE STORIES.
WE HELP CREATE THE TAPESTRY THAT
IS AMERICAN HISTORY.
BUT OFTENTIMES, IF YOU AREN’T
JUST CHANGING THAT LENS A LITTLE
BIT AND ALLOWING US TO INCLUDE
OUR STRUGGLES, OUR SETBACKS, OUR
SUCCESSES AND PERSONAL FAILURES
AS PART OF THAT TAPESTRY, WE’RE
NOT TELLING THE WHOLE STORY.
SO THIS IS TAKING AN AMAZING
MYTHOLOGY, MAKING IT REAL.
USING IT AS SOMEWHAT OF AN ORAL
HISTORY.
YOU SHOWED "THE SUICIDE SQUAD."
A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHO
SHE IS.
IN THE COMIC BOOK, SHE HAS A
REAL NAME.
SHE HAS A HISTORY.
SHE WAS A MOTHER.
SHE LOST HER FAMILY.
THOSE ARE ALL THE KINDS OF
THINGS WE TALK ABOUT IN HER
STORY IN PARTICULAR, BUT ALSO IF
YOU DON’T KNOW WHO VINCENT CHIN
WAS.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW HIS TRAGIC
STORY IN AMERICAN HISTORY, READ
THAT ONE ISSUE IN PARTICULAR.
YOU’LL LEARN A FEW THINGS.
SAME AS YOU’D LEARN ABOUT
LATASHA HARLANDS.
IF YOU DON’T REMEMBER WHAT IT
WAS LIKE WATCHING ARTHUR ASHE
WIN WIMBLEDON FOR THE FIRST TIME
AS A BLACK MAN, THOSE STORIES
ARE PART OF THIRKS.
IT’S A STORY OF STRUGGLE BUT