Rich Bernatovech Talks Polar Boy

I was delighted when I saw my friend Rich Bernatovech's name among the creators who worked on DC's 2021 holiday anthology, 'Tis The Season To Be Freezin'. My delight grew when Rich informed me he was submitting a Legion story to the mix, featuring the debut of a new version of Polar Boy.

Discussing it with Rich via Facebook and at New York Comic Con, I set up the chance to interview him for Super-Bloggers. I apologize for my lack of content this past year, so I was happy for the chance to submit something really special.

Jude: Hi, Rich! So, to begin, this is your first published work from DC is it not?

Rich: Yes, I’ve spent my comic career in the independent comic world until now. I’ve published six different titles through my own company, Drumfish Productions, in addition to writing for other comic book publishers.

Jude: Your story in “Tis the Season To Be Freezin’” is a Legion of Super-Heroes tale, specifically one taking place in the current continuity established by Brian Bendis and Ryan Sook, right?

Rich: Yes, I was told this is considered to be in the current continuity.

Jude: What’re your overall thoughts about the Legion and getting to work on them professionally?

Rich: I love the Legion of Superheroes! My favorite comic titles have always been team books and I discovered The Legion when Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen were working on it. So, I’ve been a fan for a long time. What initially attracted me to the Legion was the amount of history it contained. And then there were so many characters and worlds, each with different perspectives and development. The possibilities for what could happen were endless. The characters and costumes were unique and even though it was set in the future, they looked to the past to inspire their heroics. Getting to contribute, even slightly, to this new continuity is an honor and I hope fans will like our re-introduction of Polar Boy and Comet Queen.

Jude: To go with the ice and snow theme framing the anthology, you went with debuting a new version of Polar Boy who so far hasn’t been featured in the current Legion. What was it like getting to flesh out and redesign Polar Boy for the new Legion era with artist Travis Mercer?

Rich: Polar Boy is a very interesting character to me. His history, being rejected for membership from the original Legion team and then helping form the Legion of Substitute Heroes, only to later join and lead the Legion, showed great growth. And throughout, he was always longing to be a hero. I drew upon that characteristic of wanting to help to drive this story. Travis Mercer gets all the credit for his look and I love what he came up with.

Jude: What’s it been like working with Travis on this story?

Rich: It was exciting to see each page as Travis turned them in. He has a very detailed and clean style that’s full of energy! He captured the action scenes with ease and he changes camera angles to give different perspectives in many panels. The body language and expressions between Polar Boy and Comet Queen made me want to see more of them together. It was a pleasure to see him illustrate this story and I can’t wait to see what he does next!

Jude: Are there any other Legionnaires or Legion associates appearing in this tale alongside Polar Boy?

Rich: It was shown in the preview page DC Comics released that Comet Queen appears in the story and since its titled "Snow Date," it’s safe to reveal that they’re on a date. As I mentioned, I’ve been a longtime fan of the Legion and it’s the lesser spotlighted characters that really interest me. When I was assigned the Polar Boy story, I remembered their brief connection and thought it would be nice to see them together. I would love to see their relationship grow and become one of those fun and odd Legion couples. I hope the humor and light-hearted tone of the story is enjoyed by Legion fans of the past and current versions.

Jude: Since this is also DC’s anthology for the holiday season, what was focusing on that aspect like? Will we be seeing any new holidays befitting the far future-scape associated with the Legion?

Rich: That was the toughest part. How do you create a believable holiday story set in the 31st Century? Naturally, what we believe and enjoy today is going to be much different in the future. But without revealing too much, Polar Boy’s optimism and eagerness to be a hero made him the perfect character to bridge the holiday theme and the future. We got to create some small new holiday elements that could possibly be used elsewhere.

Jude: On the anthology in general, what was it like getting to work on the book alongside Travis and the other creators such as Paul Dini, Tee Franklin, and even Bobby Moynihan.

Rich: I’m very thankfully to have been given the chance to write alongside so many talented creators. All of the stories in the book are great, but I had no prior knowledge about what others were working on while we did ours. I was very glad about that. In my opinion, it’s always best to not think about what others are doing. That way you don’t doubt or second guess yourself when you think about being included among creators whose work you really enjoy. Overall, I’m very excited for people to read Polar Boy’s adventure and enjoy all the stories!

Jude: What are your hopes for this holiday season, with all the frustrations and challenges that seemed to have carried over from last year with the constant threat of the pandemic and everything else going on?

Rich: I hope that kindness for others becomes something more people strive for. As you’ll see in our Polar Boy story, the desire to help others is very powerful to me. For too long, people have seemed to be divided and many became isolated during the pandemic, which only got worse. The Legion of Superheroes represents the optimism we have for the future and a sense of unity. We need more thoughts like that!

Jude: Thank you again for taking the time to speak with us over on Super-Bloggers, Rich. And thank you for your contribution to Legion lore.

Rich: It was my pleasure! Thank you for the questions. Long live the Legion!!