We got the chance to talk with comic legend Jim Lee about the release of DC Universe Online. He also hints that lucky players may get the chance to have their characters featured in the new DCUO comic book!

ZAM: You mentioned players using PS3s. SOE President John Smedley recently announced that the PS3 is slightly outselling the PC version. Is that what you expected or does it surprise you? Do you have a preference between the platforms?

Lee: I've been playing mostly on the PS3. I just installed Windows onto my Mac with Boot Camp and put the PC version on that. To me it's the preference of whether you want to sit on the couch and play or sit in front of your computer and play. I hook up a controller to my computer, so it's essentially the same sort of tactile experience. The controller is definitely the way to go. I played the beta all on my PC with a mouse and keyboard, which is typical for MMOs, and I thought it was a lot of fun. Then I tried the controller and started seeing what people are raving about. There's a certain amount of ergonomic compactness in having all the buttons very close in the palm of both your hands as opposed to spread out.

That said, I play on the PS3 with a controller and a USB keyboard to hit hotkeys to open up maps and inventory or communicate with people. I have a 70-inch TV at home so I have a lot of fun playing the game on that, especially as a speedster running up the side of the building and then hitting jump and flying through the air. It's pretty damn immersive. I've been having a lot of fun playing on the PS3 recently. What I like about the PS3 is you have a lot of first-time MMO players. I love some of the, for lack of a better term, “innocence” that you see, like people kind of flailing around trying to learn the ropes. On the PC you may have veteran MMO players that played beta and know all the things to typically do in an MMO. On the PC, I would regularly get my butt handed to me in PvP.

ZAM: Switching topics a little bit, you mentioned chatting with other players using the USB keyboard for your PS3. One of the main critiques I've heard from players is tied to the UI and chat window. What are your thoughts? Can players expect to see any changes?

Lee: I think Smedley's gone on the record saying the UI is a top priority in terms of the next patch. I think being able to communicate in the game is important, but I rarely group with people. It's a game that's fully soloable until you hit max level, and then there's more group play and instances. Part of the superhero experience is that you can form a League, but you don't have to. It's kind of a different mentality than a lot of MMOs that require grouping to achieve bigger things. But even at level 5 you're taking down some pretty iconic heroes or villains depending on your alignment. You do that almost every couple levels therafter. There's no scaling up of action. You get it from literally day one. From that standpoint, I feel like a superhero and that's what we were going for.

Another time my 10-year-old and I played together and we used Bluetooth mics and had no issues with it. We were running around and I got a complete Batman and Robin vibe. It was really a lot of fun because we weren't high levels, but we would go and fight people through PvP and a lot of times we could beat them even if they were higher levels than us. Again, it felt different from a typical MMO.

The great thing about it is I would much rather have these minor glitches and issues that can be patched and repaired. It would be horrible to launch and have people say the gameplay sucks or it's boring, or I don't feel like a superhero, or this doesn't feel like the DC Universe. Those are the things that would be very difficult to fix. Instead you have at it's core a fun game that really emulates the superhero experience and pays off on the DC license.

Admittedly there are UI issues here or there, and even Smedley fully admitted it could use improvement. I think that stuff can be patched. I think the most recent patch dealt with some of that already. The thing with MMOs is that they are at once a finished game and also a work in progress; new content and objectives are always being added. It's a living, breathing game. It's not something you play and toss off to the side when you're done. You're continually interacting with it and growing with it. To that extent I'm really happy with how it launched. It's a testament to the fine folks at SOE. They did an amazing job and really put their blood, sweat and tears into it and made it a reality. I can't think of anything worse than spending five years on a project and having it come out and be average. I think they really took the chance and did something different with it. I'm very happy with that final outcome.

ZAM: You played as Batman and the Joker in the “Battle of the Legends” beta-ending event. What was that like on your end?

Lee: It was pretty thrilling. On the one hand I was astonished to see screens just filled with red names and everyone using their powers. When too many elements got on, it would be overwhelming. It was awesome to see all the beta players come together and how intensely they were into the end-game and this event. You could see all the comments on the Facebook page and shouts within the game. I was in god-mode so I couldn't be killed until we decided to turn that off, but nonetheless they all came at me and blasted away. It was a lot of fun playing that kind of roll in an MMO. I've never been a “guest star” in a game like that. It was a pretty cool honor.

ZAM: Do you think players can ever expect to see another big GM-style event like that?

Lee: If I were the person in charge of live events then I would say for sure. It's super easy for me to say that. I think the monthly updates and building this universe that we launched is something that allows us incredible opportunities to do things that you normally don't see in games. Take from that statement what you will. I think it would be a shame not to have events where iconic characters played by real people are up there doing things. I've seen that in other MMOs where someone would come into the game and take players on an adventure. That kind of story resonates with fans and it gets carried out in the community. I think it's an easy thing to do within the game.

There are opportunities going forward to do cool things where we use elements in the game and reflect that in the comic book that's tied to the game. The DC Universe Online Legends comic comes out in early February. We're always looking for ways to cross-pollinate between the comic and the game, and just pay off on the license and the premise of you being a superhero. If that means Batman showing up and doing something, I think that would be really killer. I need to make a call to SOE to make that happen, but if I have that authority, I would be all over it.

Continued on Page 3.