BRAD MELTZER: ‘Fifth Assassin’ author comes to D.C. to ‘out-nerd’ us on American mythology

IF YOU’RE A COMICS FAN, you perhaps best know Brad Meltzer for his Eisner-winning work on DC’s Justice League of America, or Superman/Batman or Green Arrow, or perhaps even Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Brad Meltzer, author of “The Fifth Assassin.” (Eric Ogden) But as a curious mind forever probing the depths of American mythology, Meltzer is just as interested in writing about the Kennedys as Kal-El.

On Wednesday, the best-selling author and “Decoded” host will come to Washington’s Politics & Prose bookstore to talk about his newest book, “The Fifth Assassin” (Grand Central), a thriller sparked by a mystery surrounding Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.

In advance of the crime novelist’s arrival to D.C., writer/educator Carole Burns caught up with Meltzer for a Q&A that appears in Wednesday’s Style section. Here is an excerpt from that piece:

TWP: How much did writing comic books influence your writing of political and legal thrillers?

MELTZER: Whether it’s George Washington or Superman or Abraham Lincoln, to me they are all part of American mythology. Their stories persist because they reveal something about us.

TWP: Your characters are very meticulous, and a little nerdy — especially the fictional archivist Beecher White, who also was featured in your previous novel, “The Inner Circle.” Are they like you?

MELTZER: You officially just called me a nerd. Hey, I can’t help it! I’m a guy who spent four years studying historical details about the deaths of presidents. Of course I’m a nerd. I’m obsessed with history and always have been. I write comic books for a living! I out-nerd anyone in that alone.

To read the entire piece, click here. For more information about his Wednesday appearance at Politics & Prose, click here.; and for more about his Thursday appearance at Barnes & Noble (Tysons Corner Mall), click here.