C. David Cole writes...

Hi Mr. Weisman

When writing a series, especially a superhero series, there usually are a set of recurring villains that the hero(es) face off against.

My question is once you've introduced a villain for the first time, how do you decide when or if you'll bring a villain back for another episode/issue?

Is it random? Do you say to yourself "I haven't seen this character in a while so I'm bringing him/her back"?

Or

Is it more situational/theme-oriented? Do you say to yourself "This is the place my hero(es) are in right now and this is the message I want to convey"?

I'll use Batman as an example of what I mean by situational/theme-oriented. Let's say Batman has just lost a loved one, and since Batman is dealing with lost you use this as a perfect opportunity to introduce Mr. Freeze, a villain who is also dealing with the lost of a loved one. Mr. Freeze is thematically tied to the idea of isolation and lost; but you can't keep killing Batman's love ones just to bring Mr. Freeze back, so what do you do?