Write Now! #14 by TwoMorrows Publishing

INSIDE: SPIDER-MAN WRITERS’ ROUNDTABLE!

695

In the USA

#January 14 2007

A POINTED POINTED INTERVIEW INTERVIEW WITH WITH A

BRIAN BENDIS! STAN LEE TODD McFARLANE J.M. STRACZYNSKI PETER DAVID MILLAR && McNIVEN'S McNIVEN'S MILLAR MARVEL CIVIL CIVIL WAR WAR MARVEL SCRIPT && PENCILS PENCILS SCRIPT

JIM STARLIN STARLIN JIM JOHN OSTRANDER OSTRANDER JOHN

The Magazine About Writing For Comics, Animation, and SCI-FI

M AG A Z I N E Issue #14

January 2007

Read Now! Message from the Editor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2

The State of the Bendis Interview with Brian Michael Bendis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

SPECIAL 45th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: SPIDER-MAN WRITERS ROUNDTABLE Amazing, Spectacular, Ultimate Q &A with great SpiderWriters past and present, including:

Stan Lee, Brian Michael Bendis, Tom DeFalco, Roger Stern, Todd McFarlane, and many more . . . . . . . . . .page 27

Conceived by

DANNY FINGEROTH Editor-In-Chief

Not A Platypus or The Rebirth of Mystery in Space Jim Starlin documents the winding road he traveled to get his current DC cosmic project approved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 47

Just The Facts, Ma’am: Secrets of Non-Fiction Comics Scriptwriting Fred Van Lente explains how you can create non-fiction comic books and takes you behind the scenes of his acclaimed Action Philosophers series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 55

Adapting To the Cinematic Sandbox Lee Nordling explains the realities of how movies are made from comic books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 67

Feedback Letters from Write Now! ’s Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 71

Cover art and coloring by

ALEX MALEEV Managing Editor

ERIC FEIN Designer

RICH FOWLKS Transcriber

STEVEN TICE Circulation Director

BOB BRODSKY, SEASTONE MARKETING GROUP Publisher

Nuts & Bolts Department Script to Pencils to Finished Comic: CIVIL WAR #1 Pages by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 17

Script to Pencils to Inks: MYSTERY IN SPACE #1 Pages from “Eschatology,” starring Captain Comet, by Jim Starlin and Shane Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 52

Script to Finished Comic: ACTION PHILOSOPHERS Pages from the series by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey . . .page 62

JOHN MORROW

Special Thanks To:

THE SPIDER-WRITERS!! And… BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS ALISON BLAIRE TOM BREVOORT BOB BRODSKY KIA CROSS RYAN DUNLAVY RICH FOWLKS CHRIS IRVING ALEX MALEEV BRANDON MONTCLARE ERIC NOLENWEATHINGTON ADAM PHILIPS CHRIS POWELL BEN REILLY BOB SCHRECK ALEX SEGURA JIM STARLIN VARDA STEINHARDT MICHAEL SWANSON FRED Van LENTE STEVEN TICE VARDA STEINHARDT

Danny Fingeroth’s Write Now! is published 4 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614 USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Fax: (919) 449-0327. Danny Fingeroth, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Write Now! E-mail address: WriteNowDF@aol.com. Single issues: $9 Postpaid in the US ($11 elsewhere). Four-issue subscriptions: $24 US ($44 Canada, $48 elsewhere). Order online at: www.twomorrows.com or e-mail to:twomorrow@aol.com All characters are TM & © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © the respective authors. Editorial package is ©2007 Danny Fingeroth and TwoMorrows Publishing. All rights reserved. Write Now! is a shared trademark of Danny Fingeroth and TwoMorrows Publishing. Printed in Canada. FIRST PRINTING.

ARTICLE NAME | 1

READ Now ! Message from Danny Fingeroth, Editor-in-Chief et’s keep it short and sweet this time around. Here’s what we proudly present in this issue: Brian Michael Bendis sat for an in-depth interview in which he gives us his take on the state of comics today. Not to be missed.

Marvel writer Fred Van Lente gives you the lowdown on his indy sleeper hit Action Philosophers— and shows you how he and Ryan Dunlavey put the book together.

Then, Brian joins over a dozen more Spider-Man comics writers, past and present, to talk about writing the wall-crawler’s adventures in our Spider-Man Writers Roundtable! Who are these other scribes, you ask? Here’s the list: • Stan Lee • Dennis O’Neil • Todd McFarlane • Howard Mackie • Roger Stern • Len Wein • Gerry Conway • Marv Wolfman • Tom DeFalco • Roy Thomas • Peter David • Danny Fingeroth (it was • J.M. DeMatteis tough to get this guy, but • Louise Simonson we were able to)

And Lee Nordling’s back to talk about your comic and Hollywood!

If that ain’t enough of an issue for ya, we’ve also got an incredible Nuts & Bolts section featuring a heaping helping of Mark Millar’s script and Steve McNiven’s pencils for Marvel’s Civil War #1! More? Jim Starlin’s here to tell you how his new Captain Comet series in Mystery in Space came to be, including some of his cool script and Shane Davis’s art for the series.

What’s happening next issue? Check out the ad below and be informed! See? Short and sweet. Oh yeah—remember to buy TwoMorrows’ How to Create Comics From Script to Print. It’s chock full of important how-to goodness, and Draw’s Mike Manley and I made the book just for you! Write away!

Danny Fingeroth P.S. Please join me in welcoming Managing Editor Eric Fein to the Write Now! team. Eric was an editor in the Spider-Man group when I was running it, and wrote all sorts of cool stuff, including the Solo limited series! Eric’s worked as an editor for DC’s licensed publishing division and, as a freelance writer and editor, has written numerous books for children and young adults and is currently working on several comic and graphic novel projects. Write Now! has him—and I couldn’t be happier.

NEXT ISSUE: Featuring an all-new cover by MIKE PLOOG!

M AG A Z I N E

This issue’s got:

#15

Plus: Incredible NUTS & BOLTS from DC’s smash hit 52*! • Script pages by WAID, RUCKA, JOHNS, & MORRISON! • Breakdowns by GIFFEN! • Pencil art by BENNETT and BATISTA! Plus: • OTTAVIANI! OSTRANDER! Tips on self-publishing! More Nuts & Bolts! • And much, much more! 2 | WRITE NOW

An interview with Justice League’s J.M. DeMATTEIS about his and PLOOG’s Disney-published ABADAZAD!

the state of the bendis:

THE BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS INTERVIEW

Conducted via telephone by Danny Fingeroth 10-23-06 Transcribed by Steven Tice

DANNY FINGEROTH: When we first spoke, which was almost five years ago, you were at the beginning of your mainstream success. It’s five years later, and you’re still riding this incredible wave. Did you think you still would be back then? BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS: No, no. I’m too show biz savvy, pop culture knowledgeable, not to know that you either get a two-year shelf life or you get to ride maybe a little longer. So, yeah, this is much more than I had hoped I would get. But I’m thrilled to bits and I take it very seriously, and I don’t take it for granted. But, no, this is way more. DF: I’ll flatter you by saying it’s because of your talent, but do you see any other explanation? BMB: Well, I appreciate that, but, as I just mentioned, I’m pop culture savvy enough to know that talent has very little to do with it. There’s a lot of talented people and there’s a lot better writers out there than myself, and it’s very amazing for me. DF: So is there anything you would attribute it to, or is that too much of a superstitious question to even ask about? BMB: It’s hard to say. The one thing I’ll pat myself on the back about is, I seem to be a little more business savvy than some people I’ve met in this business, both older and younger than myself. I do ascribe that to my wife’s

Photo by Alex Maleev.

rian Michael Bendis has become so prominent in the comics writers world, it’s hard to believe that he’s only been in the “mainstream” for about six years. After nine years of steadily increasing success in the indy world on his creator-owned titles such as Jinx, Goldfish, and Torso, he was hired by Todd McFarlane to write the Sam & Twitch minseries and soon found himself launching the then-controversial Ultimate Marvel line. Brian is still the writer (after over 100 issues!) of Ultimate Spider-Man, and has also become a mover and shaker in the regular Marvel Universe, writing often-controversial titles like Alias, New Avengers and The Illuminati. His and Mike Oeming’s indy noirsuperhero series, Powers, is still going strong and is now a part of Marvel’s Icon line. Brian’s jinxworld.com website is a vibrant hub of discussion about comics. He is also active as a creator of movies, TV and computer games, but his first love and loyalty is comics. I first interviewed Brian, back in 2002, for the premiere issue of Write Now!, and he, Oeming and Powers were the subjects of WN #6’s “In Depth” look at the series. Now, we check in with Mr. B again, to get his take on comics writing and a host of other topics in 2007 and beyond. —DF savviness. And also, I learn as many lessons as I can from those who came before me and study them very carefully. That is one of the reasons I love almost everything TwoMorrows publishes, because of that, because it’s right there, it’s accessible, and people are very honest about their place in the world, and you do study it and think about repeating their mistakes and making your own new ones. DF: What mistakes do you think you’ve avoided? BMB: There’s a sense of entitlement that seems to come over people when they get a book that sells, whatever gets into the top ten for whatever generation. Once you have a top book, there seems to be a royal entitlement. And I do not have that in me. I just don’t have that in me at all. I get almost neurotic about people spending $2.99 on a book that I wrote, and I take it very seriously, and that never goes away at all. And I do see that that does get across to a lot of people, even people who beat the h*ll out of me online. No one says I’m lazy. DF: No one could ever accuse you of that. BMB: So I take it very seriously, and I think people respond well to the fact that they know that I’m not using comics as a stepping stone, I don’t have an agenda other than to entertain and provoke and do something worth buying. BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | 3

DF: You’ve anticipated a question of mine. You’re clearly not a guy who’s using comics as a stepping stone, because you could have stepped if that was your intent. Why haven’t you? BMB: Because, well, I’ve gotten a taste, I have gotten to write a couple of movies—I just wrote one recently—and I’ve gotten to work on television shows. I worked on the MTV Spider-Man show, which is a perfect example. See, when I was offered the show, I actually didn’t even understand that I was going to be working on the staff of the show. I was offered to write the pilot. I was writing the Ultimate Spider-Man comic, and it’s the greatest job I’d ever had in my life. It’s completely fulfilling on every conceivable level. So I figured that writing the TV show in addition would be twice as good. And when I started working on the show, immediately it was not fun. I would, literally, have a meeting where the executive would say, “Why does it have to be a spider?” And he wasn’t joking! And the movie was already out! And I’m like, “No, seriously, what’s the meeting about?” And then I find out that that was really what the meeting was about! And then you find out this is not as fun or–”fun” sounds immature—as inspiring and as fulfilling as working on the comic book. There’s this false thing that floats out there that movies and television are better than comics. And they’re not at all. In fact, there’s a lot of arguments that say that comics are five years ahead of every pop culture curve that has come our way. Whatever’s going on in comics, five years later happens in movies. I remember some executive telling me when I was working on the show and I was frustrated with some lines getting dropped or whatever, and he said, “Well, you know, in television, if you get forty percent of your script on-screen, it’s considered a success.” And I was like, “Wow! No wonder all of TV sucks.” Not that everyone ever thought it was genius, but you’re shooting for forty percent? You’re aiming for it? How about aim for a hundred? Which has never occurred. I mean, it was just so frustrating. And then I realized, oh, yeah. You get spoiled. Even though you’re working for a big corporation, Marvel Comics, every word you write gets on the page. Everything you write. You know, if I f*ck it up, it’s me who did it—not some faceless producer or whatever whose name no one knows. DF: And comics get out to the world much quicker. BMB: Yeah, it’s immediate and it’s visceral, and there’s a lot to be said for that. And that’s why you see so many television and film people actually coming towards us more than we’re coming towards them. DF: It’s been a remarkable thing. BMB: A lot of us in comics and TV and movies are friends and we put it out there, “Boy, every word I write gets seen by the public.” That’s an intoxicating feeling, especially for people who have been frustrated that a whopping forty percent of their work is seen on screen. And they come to comics and they have a blast. The double edge is that I love movies and I love great television, even though you can count the number of good television shows on one hand. 4 | WRITE NOW

DF: You’re doing comics and you’re doing the other stuff, as well. BMB: Yeah, I’ll do the other stuff, but I’m very, very picky, and I don’t hustle there. I wait until stuff happens. And also, because of the nature of the beast, like, my graphic novel, Jinx, just got sold. But from now on, I don’t sell it unless I’m the writer. Mike Oeming and I sold Powers to Sony and I wasn’t the writer, and they offered enough money where we could justify it. Plus, we were both just coming up and couldn’t afford to turn down the money. But the scripts that were being handed in just weren’t filmable. And they were by good writers, they just weren’t getting it, you know? They were writing superhero scripts instead of cop drama. And it took them five years to realize that they were on the wrong genre. And so, from now on, we don’t sell anything where I’m not the writer. And also, my comics success has allowed me to side-step a lot of the screenwriting ladder. Like, now I write major motion pictures. DF: Is that Jinx that you just wrote, or something else? BMB: That was Jinx, and I know the thing went well. I just found out this week. I’ve had other times when people tell me they love a script that they were lying right to my face. But when they offer you another job...

DF: That’s the meaningful compliment, right? BMB: Right. Now I got offered a couple of gigs, one from the studio I wrote Jinx for. It’s like, “Ohhhh, okay. This is what lying isn’t.” You have to feel the other thing before you realize that. I’ve actually been invited to the Jinx meetings. I know that’s a miracle. DF: It’s like that in comics, too. The ultimate compliment is, “Here’s the next gig.” BMB: Exactly! But, you know, they lie to you in Hollywood with such blank-faced verve. You know, it’s on a whole other level. No one in comics has the ability to lie to you like film people can lie to you. I’m not used to it. When someone looks me in the eye and says “great job,” I figure I’ve seen the truth. DF: No, no. There’s always quotes around it. BMB: So I’ve learned. DF: They might even think it’s a great job, it’s just not what they or their boss want. BMB: Yeah. Or they’re speaking some kind of code. DF: There’s that saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad meeting in Brian first rose to comic Hollywood.” book prominence as the BMB: Mm-hm, that’s writer and artist of such right. That’s right. That’s crime noir series as another thing, too. In Jinx and Goldfish. Hollywood, there’s an [© 2006 Brian Michael Bendis] inordinate need to have meetings. They’re just so full of meetings so they can justify their jobs, and I really would rather just work. I need to go out there for Jinx and Powers and a couple other things, so I cram two days full of meetings, and we do all those meetings, and my manager distills down the ones that are b*llsh*t and he just gets rid of them. Because I just don’t want any more “get-to-know-ya’s.” Every moment away from my child has to be meaningful, so I need get out of L.A. real fast. DF: Is that why you don’t live in L.A. or New York, to keep a distance like that? BMB: I love New York. I would rather live in New York than L.A. I would never want to live in L.A. I totally despise the place. People just living off of other people’s fear and distrust. And it’s such a damn power play, and I know it’s kind of a cliché, but I’ve actually seen very talented friends of mine who are out there for a long period of time, and

you realize they’re being preyed upon, and you go, “Dude, dude, dude, dude! Cheer up! You’re doing really well!” But you can’t possibly do well enough out there. You go to a party and say, “Oh, I’ve got a show.” And the other person says, “You mean a show in development. Not such a big deal.” They just smack you down. They can’t be happy for you. It’s impossible. So I wouldn’t live there for a second. DF: But New York…? BMB: New York I like, but I think actually, in this day and age, it’s actually a plus not to live in New York. If Marvel saw me every day, I think I’d be out of work. I think it’s nice that they rarely ever see me. I think it makes them like me more. DF: Yeah, it makes you exotic. BMB: Yeah, exactly. DF: Now, you are the comics establishment, or a big part of it, and closely aligned with Marvel. That must be a little weird, considering your indy roots. BMB: I guess it’s all about state of mind. I think about this a lot. I was talking to [Ultimates writer] Mark Millar, and we’ve kind of been connected at the hip by fate because we both broke in virtually the same week. We’re both completely different animals with completely different agendas, but we’ve talked about, “Okay, we’re here now. We get to stay, and I’m under contract for a while, so I’m guaranteed the work and whatever. So what are we going to do with it?” And I do think that being part of the establishment, if that’s the case, is to not forget how you got here. And I got here by a little indy comic p*ss and vinegar, and that’s still in me, that’s not squashed. Let’s build that up, and at the same time, what was the goal before I got here? Oh, yeah, comics excellence. Let’s do that. Make comics that we would buy. Every script I write, I sit there and I go, “Would I buy this?” And if I wouldn’t, I just toss it. It’s that simple. DF: You’ve gone from the Ultimate universe to the mainstream Marvel universe? Any difference in writing those two? BMB: Yeah, there is. There’s a lot of baggage in 616 [the original Marvel universe]. I’m writing the Illuminati series right now, and I’m purposely and gloriously retconning BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | 5

some major events in the mainstream Marvel Universe. It’s just a big, giant bunch of baggage which the Ultimate universe just does not have. DF: Although the Ultimate universe now has five years’ worth of continuity. BMB: You know what, though? By 1967 the Marvel Universe had accomplished a lot more than we had in the sense that they had created the Universe, and told so many stories. DF: The stories generally take longer to unfold now, in terms of incident. BMB: Exactly. We’ve done over 100 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, but we’ve told fewer quote-unquote “stories,” with a beginning, middle and end. So a lot’s happened. DF: Do you find some of that continuity baggage, for lack of a better word, creeping up as you try to do stories for the Ultimate books? BMB: Everything is an excuse for creativity. It really is. I embrace it fully. Someone throws me a, “You can’t do that,” and it makes me think about this quote from [Bladerunner director] Ridley Scott. I was reading this article about him, and it really kind of got to me. I don’t know why, I’m not a huge fan of his. But he said that every time he’s had a tight budget, he’s done his best work. And then on other movies he’s had no limits on budget, he could do anything he wants, and his decision making gets bloated and lazy. I look at the 22-page comic format like he looks at a tight budget. To get it all in 22 pages—with all the emotions being pure and saying everything you want to say—it’s just very difficult. But again, it’s an excuse to be creative. 6 | WRITE NOW

DF: Is everybody still doing full script at Marvel, or in the business in general? BMB: There’s a lot of full script. Everyone writes their own way. I do full script, even with an artist where I’ve made a commitment to have him be co-plotter. But in any case, I allow them a lot of personal freedom. When I try to not write full script, it takes so long, I just say to the artist: “I’m going to write full script just so that you know what I’m thinking, and you just do whatever you want. Just don’t follow it if you don’t want to.” So I write full script, and I know Mark Millar does, and Warren Ellis does, but everyone’s got their own different technique of how they produce the work. You convey to them whatever you want, “this is how I would draw it,” and eighty percent of the time they follow it, because I was an artist, so I’m not going to give them something they can’t draw, I get what can fit in a panel. And then Bagley, on Ultimate Spider-Man, for instance, will come up with a new way to present the story’s theme, and then that makes me think of a better line of dialogue, and that’s magic time. DF: Well, he’s the best. You just don’t get better than him. He’s leaving the book soon, isn’t he? BMB: I miss him. My plan is to give him a year to shake the Bendis off, then make him miss me and then get back together with him on something more mainstream, you know, just more superheroey. DF: You’ll be his Fabian for the new millennium. BMB: Yeah, that is my plan. DF: Now, when you started out at Marvel, they were recovering from a difficult period, and it seemed as if anything went as far as storylines. Anything for a press release, anything for a news item. The Bill Jemas era. BMB: The Jemas era.

DF: The general impression out in the world is that things have gotten more conservative at Marvel. Do you think that’s true? BMB: They were more conservative during the Gui Karyo era. He was a more conservative president. Bill and I got along very, very well, and recently we reconnected. Ultimate Spider-Man #100 was a special thing for all of us. Bill was very, very, very good to me. Not that Gui was not good to me, but he was just more conservative. And then publisher Dan Buckley came to Marvel with a plethora of knowledge from his previous run at Marvel. Dan gets sh*t done. I like Dan a great deal. I do not see him as conservative at all. I see him and Joe Quesada having very specific agendas at the company—one’s business and one’s creative and they don’t get in each other’s way, but make every idea work. I like to work for guys that, when you hand them something, they don’t automatically go, “No.” They think about it. Because I’ve worked with someone who goes, “Noooo.” And it just sucks the Brian’s controverwind out of you. You like a guy sial storylines for who goes, “Well, let me see if we can, let me see if we can do that,” New Avengers have you know what I mean? And fans talking and that’s what Dan does. sales rising. Cover

to #6 is by David

DF: Do you think Marvel would Finch, and to #14 is do, say, a gay Rawhide Kid again, by Frank Cho. or are those days over? [© 2006 Marvel Characters.] BMB: I think, not to be braggy, but here it comes: I like that there’s the number one ongoing series—New Avengers— and it’s got an inter-racial relationship between Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, with a child, people who weren’t married for a while, you know, and nobody blinks! Nobody has even mentioned it, not even in the mail. And that’s probably one of the greatest things that’s happened to me the whole time I’ve been at Marvel. I love that. To me, y’know, it’s so nice to incorporate real life and things into the work, just like Stan did. DF: How did you get Jemas’ attention originally? BMB: I got Joe’s attention originally. I’m very close friends and family with David Mack, who writes Kabuki, and he had gotten Joe’s attention first. I was sending in submissions. I’d already won an Eisner [Award], which I was under the impression was my golden ticket to stardom. But right after that, I was back drawing caricatures to make a living, and the frustration was at a high. I would send Jinx to Tom Brevoort, Ralph Macchio, and all these other editors over and over and over again. And I just didn’t understand

how big the submissions pile was. It wasn’t that they weren’t seeing it, it’s just, the pile was huge, you know. You remember the pile? DF: Oh, yeah. And now, with the Internet, the pile—real and virtual—must be even bigger. BMB: Yeah, it’s bedlam. But I remember also, when I was fifteen, I was part of the pile then, too. When I was a kid, sending stuff in. But even with my Eisner award, I was still starting on the bottom of the pile and I’m starving to death for the tenth consecutive year. DF: You should have mailed them your Eisner. Maybe they would have noticed that. BMB: Yeah, I was about to eBay it, I was hungry. Anyway, so I said to David Mack, “Let Joe see my stuff! Show him my stuff! Show him my stuff!” Because David was already there. And I did really like Marvel Knights. It wasn’t just, “I want to work here.” I really liked Joe’s and Jimmy’s and Nansi’s attitude and I liked the books they were making. I liked everything about what they were doing. I hadn’t read a lot of mainstream books for a while, and these were books I was reading and digging. And Dave finally got Jinx and Torso into Joe’s hands. Joe called me and said, “Brian, we like your stuff. What do you want to do here?” And I said, “What do you need an artist for?” And he nearly laughed in my face and said, “Artist? You suck! I want to talk about your writing.” I went, “Oh!” Because all that time BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | 7

I was trying to get work as a penciler, just to show you how way off course I was. But he said: “Your writing’s where it’s at,” and I remember thinking, “Boy, he’s honest. We’ll get along great, and I will like him.” And it’s true to this day. He will still tell me when I’m f*cking up. So he said, “You know, our biggest problem book is Daredevil. The book’s a year off schedule and we need someone to take the book. Hey, I’ve got an idea. How about you and David Mack do the book for a few issues? Do you want to do Daredevil?” Do I? Daredevil and Spider-Man are my two favorite characters, so of course I wanted to do it. And I remember writing it in a very pure state. It was odd. Something about me was very Zen and able to write what I wanted to write. Also, I guess because I was working on it with my best friend, who is a genius, I figured, how bad could I f*ck up? Because it would look gorgeous. It’s David Mack. It doesn’t matter what I do, it’s going to look amazing. And I also told David that I’ve been writing in my head about what I want to see him do next in his work so I could write it for him to try it, so we were able to push each other a little bit. So I handed in the first Brian, along with artist two issues and Joe called Alex Maleev, turned me up, and we were Daredevil and his world getting along, we were kind upside down. Covers to of digging each other. And Daredevil #63 and #70, he says: “Hey, do you like Spider-Man?” And I said, both by Maleev. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.] “Yeah.” He said, “Well, you’re going to get a weird call from this guy, Bill Jemas, and he’s got an idea about starting Spider-Man over from scratch. Do you think you’d be interested in that?” “Are you sh*tting me?” And lo and behold, Bill called. And the proposed line was called “Ground Zero Comics” at the time, which would have been a disaster post-9/11. It would have been the marketing nightmare of all time. Bill had hundreds of pages of scribbles and napkin notes and back of sheet notes and just notes and notes and notes that he’d written about this idea of starting X-Men and Spider-Man over from scratch. There were a lot of just crazy notes, but there were also notes that were pure, unadulterated exactly what I would do. I also wasn’t the first writer. There was another writer who had done probably what I would have done if I hadn’t seen his script first, which was a too-faithful adaptation of the original 8 | WRITE NOW

Spider-Man origin from Amazing Fantasy #15. The guy’s idea was, “It’s not broken, I’m not going to fix it, here it is exactly the way Stan wrote it but a little longer.” And reading it, you realized what a flat as a pancake thing that approach is. If you’re going to do this, adapt it like you would adapt Shakespeare. Don’t be smarter than it, but be faithful to it, and at the same time express yourself. DF: These notes Bill sent you, these were his own ideas? BMB: It was every idea he ever had on Spider-Man. It was more about the webshooters, his ideas about Venom, and there was a thing about Norman feeding the Oz serum to the whole football team at Peter’s school, and they all turn into Goblins and attack SpiderMan. Those are ideas that I didn’t want to do. But on top of those ideas were ideas about the emotional purity of the character, and Aunt May being younger than in the mainstream Universe, and Peter never not being fifteen, and all the things we’ve seen, and that’s the stuff I liked. DF: Was any of it based on the screenplay of the first Spider-Man movie? BMB: No, this is way before. It’s funny, because when I first saw the movie, I thought, “Wow! We had the same job,” which was to take this source material and adapt it in a cinematic way. It was interesting to see the similarities between how we did this, and the differences. DF: Did the movie people see the comic before they did the screenplay? BMB: I don’t know. [Director] Sam Raimi’s been very public with his affection towards Ultimate Spider-Man, so they may have seen it on some level, but I don’t know how much it affected what they did. It’s my genuine feeling that we had the same job, take this story, make it take place today, and tell it cinematically. Just to finish up about how things developed with Bill…I had gotten the job writing Ultimate Spidey, so I just wrote the first issue. And it was a miniseries, too, it was only supposed to be six issues. I wrote the first issue, and it wasn’t exactly what I promised him, but I felt really strong about it, and, again, I had this weird kind of, “listen, if they love this, they’ll love me, and I’m not going to f*ckin’ try to make them love me, I’m just going to do my thing.” And I

Brian’s collaboration with Mark Bagley on Ultimate Spider-Man will end in 2007 with an amazing 110 consecutive issues. Stuart Immomen will join Brian after that. The covers shown—for USM #s 5, 75, and 103— are penciled by Bagley. #5 is inked by Art Thibert, #75 by Scott Hanna, and #103 by Bagley himself. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.]

wrote it, I handed it in over the weekend, and they called and offered me Ultimate X-Men, as well. So I knew it was golden. And it was a great first year on Ultimate Spider-Man. It was really, really special, especially after having tried for so long, to be able to just slide right in there doing it the way I wanted to do it. It was a big deal for me. And then, cut to: I was invited up to the office, and I remember walking into Tom Brevoort’s office and introducing myself to him, and I saw my very thick Jinx envelope on the bottom of the pile and realizing how many months away I was from even getting the rejection letter. So I was very, very happy that I finally snuck my way in. DF: Do you ever see yourself coming on staff at Marvel as an editor, or even editor-in-chief, if that came open? BMB: No. Well, first of all, my joke about being chief is I couldn’t take the pay cut. I love that joke. But I was offered Marvel Knights years ago, and I’ve been offered stuff like that, and I really considered it. But, really, the whole point of my career was to not have a job, so... You know, it’s maybe probably one of the top ten coolest jobs of all time, like being a Motown record executive or something. DF: But it’s still a job. BMB: Right. You still have to put on your pants, and besides that, I don’t know that I have the temperament to be an editor. I think at one time I would have fired everyone in comics, because I get way frustrated with people’s unprofessionalism—no one that I work with, but other people whose behavior does affect you or offend you. It offends me when someone takes advantage of

their situation, or forgets how special the job is, or how many people are waiting for your job. I once told Joe, “If I was editor-in-chief, I would literally buy a McDonald’s franchise, and I would, during the editorial retreats, make everyone who works on the top 20 books do shifts at McDonald’s just to remind them what a really sh*tty job is. Because I had that job. I’m not mocking. I had that job. It was a horrible job. My manager said to me, “You’ll always have a place here.” And he meant it as a compliment. “You’ll always have a place here at McDonald’s.” So while I’m writing I keep that voice in my head. I don’t want a place there. So you should take these f*ckers who can’t finish a book and make them work the fry vat for six hours, and then to get right back to f*cking work. DF: You know, they should do that. That’s a great idea. BMB: That’s why I’m not an editor. But you know what? What I did see when Marvel offered me a regular job was an incredibly complimentary view of my role at the company and how they saw me, which was as more than just a writer. They saw me as a publisher because I was coming to them as someone who could do every job in comics—with varying degrees of success, but I could do them. I knew how to put a comic book together. DF: Did they offer you the publisher gig? BMB: No, but they saw me as someone who, from my selfpublishing days, just knows how to make comic books. DF: Could somebody break in the way you did today, or do you have to be a Hollywood director or screenwriter now? BMB: Well, see, the thing with the Hollywood directors and screenwriters is that they come in with a resume. But I know there’s another hundred Hollywood guys that have not gotten books off the ground. There’s this false impression that there’s an open invitation to anyone working in film to work at Marvel. That is absolutely not the case. There are guys, name guys, who have produced material that was unpublishable just because he didn’t understand the medium. Like a lot of comic book guys BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | 9

who are trying to go to film and they have trouble because they didn’t understand the medium. But there’s other guys—Allen Heinberg is a great example—who completely understand it. They know how to make a comic book, or they know how to write a script for a comic book. So there’s no set way for people. But, people ask this all the time, and having now heard my story, it’s laughable when people ask me how to break in. “Look, I don’t know. Have your best friend write Daredevil.” That’s my response. If that hadn’t happened, I don’t know what I would have done. I was trying everything else. I had a lot of false starts. DF: You were among the first of that trend of people with resumes. You had these comics you published yourself and through Image, you had a viable body of work. BMB: I was part of a large group of guys. A lot of us came from Caliber Comics, which is kind of interesting, because we were kind of the bastard children of indy comics at the time. You know, we weren’t getting a lot of press or anything, but we believed in each other. Me and David Mack and Phil Hester and Mike Allred and J. O’Barr, Jim Calafiore—the list goes on and on—and everyone’s Fortune and Glory is working in mainstream Brian’s tale of his comics. Every single person. adventures in No one left behind. But I Hollywood. Total Sell actually do think that, if Out features a mix of you’re trying to break in, you do have to go and make crime tales and short your own comics. I think it’s autobiographical stories. really the only way to get Covers are both by Brian. people’s attention. It’s almost [Both © 2006 Brian Michael Bendis.] impossible for an editor to read an unsolicited script, because now it becomes a question of legality, you know, some guy suing Marvel because he feels that his script got stolen. DF: Doesn’t Marvel have a form you can fill out, a release form, on their website? BMB: Yeah, but you’ve got to fill out the form, and blah, blah, blah. You know, even connecting those dots is difficult. But meanwhile, if a comic book comes out that’s a pure expression of who you are as a person, and you hand it to an editor, they can tell right away if they’re going to like you or not, or they generally can make a phone call that says, “Well, what’s on your mind? If you came here, what would you do?” And that’s the phone 10 | WRITE NOW

call you want. I do tell anyone, if you want to make comic books, it shouldn’t be only if Marvel wants you to. It should be because you want to make comic books. And when Marvel is done with you, you’ll go back to make your own comics. You’re not beholden to them for your desire to make them. It’s got to be about you, and I think the only way to show your work to a company, be it Marvel or DC, is to show them what you can do. And there’s a lot of people who feel, and I’m one of them, if you can make a comic book from scratch with the knowledge that you’re not going to get paid anything for it, if you’re just going to make comics because you love them, that says a lot about you as a person and what kind of work ethic you have, and make publishers go: “Imagine what he would do if he could feed himself…!” DF: I should probably ask Joe this, but he once gave a talk that I emceed, and I think I’ve seen it in print, that Marvel this year will print the work of 27 new writers, or some number like that. Are those writers from Hollywood, or are they from the slush pile, or from where? BMB: Quite a mix. There’s a couple that are up and coming, there’s a couple that are novelists that the company has been cultivating over the years, there’s a couple of screenwriters they’ve been cultivating. And there’s quite a few indy guys. A couple of them, I’m proud to say, I’ve even pointed towards Marvel. You’ve been in that situation, too, at the cons, you hate to throw most of the good indy samples out, or give them away. You like to keep as many as you get. If you keep a lot, you feel really good as a person. And so I do tend to point someone out even if I don’t know them as a person, but it’s always dicey because a guy could really be a pain in the *ss, but I do point out to the editors, “Boy, I read something really great, you guys should check this out.” So there’s quite a few guys that are coming up. DF: Could somebody new still come send something over the transom and get “discovered” that way? BMB: There’s no right or wrong way to break in. There’s no agenda, like, if you do this, this, and this, and this, like

guess, and that’s what started everyone thinking that way again. And after that, House of M was one. And, again, that wasn’t pitched as an event, it was pitched as a story that was Avengers-sized. It was flattering to have that happen. You can’t turn it away when the company says, “We’re going to market the sh*t out of this. Okay?” That’s hardly something you can say no to. And, yeah, I’ve been in the meetings for all the other ones. DF: Including for Civil War? BMB: Yeah. I was there at the birth. It was on an editorial retreat. Me, Mark, Loeb, Straczynski...

becoming a lawyer or a doctor. But you’ve got to be creative in your approach to submitting your stuff. You have to be creative while you’re writing it, you have to be creative to get in to write. DF: Moving along…we now seem to be back in the era of the big crossover, and you seem to be the guy who is involved with all of them even if you’re not writing them. Do you think that trend will run its cycle and all the big crossovers will stop? BMB: I think it’s going to settle down a bit after Civil War. We’ll see if greed overtakes us. I think that everyone can see that this is like the pinnacle, it’s the highlight of that. It’s funny, because it kind of happened organically. Like, I have a really big Avengers story to tell for next year that could have been an event kind of summer thing, but I’m going to lock it just into my books and do it there. And I like these mini-events like “Planet Hulk,” that involve a really big story for a section of the Marvel Universe, but you don’t have to “Civil War” everything. As a reader, I’m wary of crossovers and whatnot, so we want to make sure they’re special. DF: Are you involved in pretty much all the big deal Marvel events even if you’re not writing them? BMB: Civil War is Mark Millar’s, that is uncontested. I had three that were mine. I had Secret War, which kind of started the whole thing, that was the first one of this era, I

DF: Marvel has the Icon [imprint], which prints your and Oeming’s Powers, of course. Does that indy title feed a different part of your soul than the other stuff than the Marvel stuff? BMB: Yeah, a very important part of my soul. And I’m actually working on two Michael Oeming’s covnew creator-owned things, ers for the first Powers probably for Icon. Icon’s the hardcover, and for issue best deal in the business. It’s #3 of the series’ current the best distribution, and you Marvel/Icon imprint run. own it, and that’s all you need, [© 2006 Jinxworld, Inc.] you know. So I’d have to be a fool not to take it as much as I can. But, yeah, Powers is a very important part of my life. I do believe that my ability to do that book feeds part of my brain that needs to be fed while I’m doing mainstream work, and vice versa. I think they feed off each other in a nice way. DF: I can see that. BMB: Emotionally, if I’m ever at my wit’s end about something in my Marvel books, I just go do Powers. As nice as it is to be as creative as possible and make use of all the trappings of the mainstream comics, it’s nice to have an unfettered look at the world in the monthly Powers comic. And there’s something really–I don’t know how to put it, there’s something very funny about putting out Powers at Marvel. The book is so salacious and seedy, and I just can’t believe Marvel’s publishing it and no one even blinks. It’s hilarious. DF: You’ve had two incredibly long relationships with artists, with Oeming and Bagley. And tips for writers and artists looking to maintain such a relationship? BMB: I’ve had just as long relationships with Alex Maleev and David Mack. I pride my whole life around those relationships. My commitment to them is very high and BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | 11

very sincere, and it’s nice to get it back. Me and Bagley, past four years changed your writing schedule or your we’ve actually analyzed this recently because of all the writing subject matter? coverage on Ultimate Spider-Man #100, and we kind BMB: You know what? Not really. I used to go to a lot of looked back. We’re two completely different animals, more movies than I do. I gave up movies. Otherwise, I but Bill Jemas’ mad science that put us together thinking wake up, I go get my kid to school—which I’ll be doing that my indy crazy and Mark’s mainstream talent would when we’re done here—and I’m super-daddy all night generate something special towards each other, paid off. long, and then I tuck her in and get to work, so it’s not But it easily could have backfired, too. I’ve had that that different than it used to be. happen, where it just hasn’t worked out. But this one, Bagley and I agreed that Mark was just in this right place DF: So you still work at night? emotionally and professionally to just sit down and do BMB: Yeah, I still work at night. But I’m there for her this, and he was exactly what I needed for myself. It’s when she gets out of school. like marriage. As sexy as it is to hook up with a new artist–It is a lot like dating, it’s very sexy to meet someDF: That’s another advantage of not having to go to a job. one new and fancy, and I’m kind of BMB: Yeah, exactly. I gotta tell you, having that right now with Frank it’s really funny. I just had that Cho and Leinil Yu, they’re my conversation with my daughter, who second girlfriends. Leinil is doing wasn’t thrilled I was going to L.A. for Avengers, and, boy, they’re just even a couple of days. I said to her, amazing, and the pages are just “Ask your friends how much they see great. But there’s just something their dads.” Most of my friends who really fortifying and unique and are fathers only see their kids on the special about a long creative weekends. They’ve been working all relationship. You know, you have a day, they get home at 8:30, and the shorthand between the two of you, kids are asleep. And I get to hang out but at the same time you have and do something with my child similar goals as far as pushing every single day. yourselves in new directions, much like in a marriage. You bring out DF: You were one of the first new projects and you try new things comics guys into the Internet with and you ride the wave of the the jinxworld website, and you’re relationship, and that’s what I have still all over the web. What role do with Oeming and Maleev and all you see it playing in your career or these guys. And then, at the same anybody’s career? Has it changed time, me and Bagley are taking a over the years? break from each other. It’s sort of BMB: I’ve seen people completely like we’re separating. And I’m still in self-destruct their career on the love with him. We love each other. Internet, too, in glorious flames of It’s just, we need to see other dust. But other people like Mark people right now. I’m fond to death Millar and Geoff Johns, I think it’s Michael Oeming’s cover to the Icon of him. I just love him. a beautiful way to connect the run of Powers #1. global relationship into places [© 2006 Jinxworld, Inc.] DF: You spoke a little about other where fans can find each other media projects you’re working on. and love each other and hate Can you go into more detail? each other. And I do think, and I always sound like an BMB: I just wrote the screenplay for Jinx, and Charlize old fogy when I say this, but I remember when I was Theron is producing and may be starring. growing up, I was maybe the only person I knew who read comics except for my friends who I would try to DF: Oh, cool. And where’s the Powers movie? get into it. Now, any time, day or night, you can go BMB: Ask me next week. We just got it away from Sony, onto my board and there’s 200 people there who will and we have two offers on the table, and that’s what I argue with you was just in L.A. for. or talk to you about whatever nerdy thing is on your mind. I think that’s an amazing thing, and I am DF: Anything else going on, media-wise? constantly reminding people how special it is. BMB: A couple of things, but I’m so wary about talking about them, because people announce things DF: And do you get into the discussions, or do you just and they never happen. I have another video game sort of provide a forum? coming and some other stuff, but I might have a BMB: You know, it’s funny. By trial and error I’ve more definitive answer for you before you go into final discovered that most conversations, even if they’re print on this. about me, they really don’t want my involvement. Unless they ask me a direct question—I do have my DF: I know you’re incredibly disciplined. Do you work Q&A, and I do have something on the podcast—I don’t regular hours every day? And has being a father for the get involved. Most threads don’t really want my 12 | WRITE NOW

BMB: Oh, yeah, that’s true, too. But I love my forum so much. There have been marriages on my forum, and couples, and some great comic books are actually being produced for my forum now. A lot of the people on the forum are making comics, and I take a lot of pride in it. I really, really do.

inclusion. If they want, they ask. And if I chime in, I either end up killing the thread, which isn’t what they wanted, or I’m annoying them. So I just assume– and that goes doubly true with boards that I’m not hosting—like, if I’m on Comic Book Resources or Newsarama—if I see people arguing about something, and I chime in and say, “Well, the actual truth is this,” it seems to annoy them. They just wanted to talk, and I realized that I’m kind of ruining the fun, so I stay out of it—unless I see someone just slandering the sh*t out of me. Then I step in. But with most conversations—or critiques, specifically—when people are debating a book’s merits, I should stay out. It’s absolutely not my place to comment at all, and then everyone’s critique is valid. My argument has to be the work and not what I want them to hear me say. The book’s got to be what the book is, and that’s got to be my statement, and let everyone argue as long as they want. DF: That also sounds like it’s a way to discipline yourself and limit the time that you spend on the Internet, because otherwise it could be your whole life.

DF: That’s really great. But you have heavy commitments both personally and professionally, so how do you limit your time on the web? BMB: It’s not that much time. I used to goof around with a lot of pop culture stuff online, I’d do that with a friend of mine anyhow, but I just do it on the board so that everyone else can look at it, too, and my friend can see it, so everyone’s having fun with it. That kind of sets a good tone for the silliness of the board so it doesn’t get too lost in the nonsense. And my board, unlike others, is so ADD. There’s so many threads about so many different things. You can write a thread and it could be buried in an hour. It’s kicked right off the page by other threads. It’s amazing how many people just love that about the board. There are some guys on my board all day long. They’re just loving it. They’re just f*cking around at work and not getting anything done. DF: But, obviously, you can’t be one of those guys. BMB: You know what? My selfish head is, I can sit alone in a room and it doesn’t feel real, writing this Spider-Man issue or whatever. But when I go to that board for five minutes and someone is either loving something or hating something I did, it just really puts a sense of responsibility on me, that whatever I write, someone’s going to read. It just reminds me that there are real people reading my comics. That’s my selfish reason. I go there and someone’s lipping off or someone’s in love, and then, when you start typing. DF: But when someone says something really nasty, it doesn’t demoralize you? BMB: No. You know, it’s really weird. There are some people who genuinely despise me, and since I’m somewhat successful, that’s how it’s gotta be, and that’s fine. But every once in a while someone will say something that’s so out there that you have to sit there and go, “Is that true?” Someone will say something so mean about you, and then you think about it. “Is he saying that because he’s mean, or is he saying it because it’s true?” But a lot of it, you just look at some reviews where someone just kicked the sh*t out of me about something I wrote, and he goes, “All right, ten more issues BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | 13

of whatever and I’m out.” I didn’t understand that attitude. If you want to drop the book, fine. But “ten more issues and I’m out,” the criticism doesn’t mean anything. He’s still buying the book! There’s people who have been bashing the sh*t out of my Avengers, but they’re still reading it two-and-a-half years into the run! DF: That’s the nature of some comics fans. They’re going to buy every issue to tell you what you’re doing wrong. BMB: But, see, it took me a while to realize why they do that. I’m coming at it much clearer-headed now, especially with Avengers, which was a big eye-opener. I’d been at Marvel for a while, and then I took over Avengers, and there was a lot of, “Who the f*ck does he think he is,” or “Who the f*ck is this guy?” And I’m like, “I’ve been here for a long time, actually.” And then I said on the Avengers board, “If you hate it, why are you buying it? There’s 500 issues of Avengers prior to my run. Just read those. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be gone one day. Why are you still buying the comic, what is this about?” And then someone pointed out that “there are some fans that follow characters or companies. We’re like Yankees fans. I Brian took over The know you’re not a sports Avengers in 2004 and guy, but Yankees fans are instantly sent the fans there every season no into a tizzy with his matter what. So if you kick “Avengers Disassembled” *ss, we are the first people to go ‘You’re kicking *ss.’ storyline. Cover to the And if you suck, we’re the issue #500 Director’s Cut first people to say ‘you Edition is by John suck,’ louder than anyone Cassaday and to #501 is in the world. That doesn’t by David Finch. mean you’re not talented, it [© 2006 Marvel Characters.] doesn’t mean we don’t love you, and it doesn’t mean we don’t love the company, but it’s our responsibility to tell you you’re a f*cking *sshole.” And I’ve got to tell you no one had ever put it to me so clearly before. I really didn’t understand that. And I wrote, “Wow! I really understand that! I appreciate it!” Everyone thought I was being sarcastic and I wasn’t. I brought that whole idea with me to the next editorial retreat, and a lot of people had not been able to see it before now understood it. DF: That’s a very interesting perspective. BMB: Right there, I just started taking things online a lot less personally. I mean, I take the critiques sincerely, but I 14 | WRITE NOW

don’t take the insults as such a personal attack. And after the whole death of Hawkeye thing, I’m never going to get my *ss kicked more than that. And that was the highest selling thing I’ve ever worked on. So sometimes the louder they’re yelling, the more the book sells, so that’s weird, too. DF: So you have to figure out the balance between listening to the fans and not listening to them. BMB: Yeah, that is a weird thing, that if everyone online says, “Oh, I can’t wait for that,” it’s usually going to tank. DF: You can’t ask fans what they want, because they think they know what they want, but at the end of the day, what they want is for you to give them something cool, so they can say: “I didn’t know I wanted that— but I dig it!” BMB: Yeah, exactly! That’s true, too. And I did come to the realization around the thing that I just told you about the Yankees that you absolutely can’t make everybody happy. It’s impossible. And once you realize that, it’s so freeing. It’s the best thing that ever happens to you. You’re completely free to express yourself at the end of the day and not worry about negative fan reaction. DF: I know you’re serializing Powers, but you’re just doing a page at a time, right? BMB: This was the brainchild of a man named Tim Daniel, who was a guy who came to us and literally redid our websites and handed them to us. “This is what your websites should look like.” A real gung-ho guy. Now I’ve hired him to run my website, because just his ingenuity and dedication were great. He came up with the idea to run Powers and Kabuki daily on Newsarama. Newsarama had been toying with the idea but not knowing how to go forward with it, and so Tim designed this whole idea and put it forward, and we got, like, half a million hits a month or something. It introduces a lot of new readers to Powers. DF: There’s a huge world of webcomics. Would you want to do an ongoing original webcomic? BMB: There’s only a couple that I’ve read that I’ve truly

In 2004, Brian did this True Believer strip for the New York Times, giving a humorous view of his working life. [Superheroes in panel 7 are © 2006 Marvel Characters Inc. The rest of the strip is © 2004 the respective copyright holders.]

adored. A lot of them feel like they’re just not-ready-to-bepublished comics. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, I’m not at all slamming them. There’s a couple of them that are really inspiring. DF: So is that something you’d want to get into? BMB: I’m wondering what the next thing will be, a PSP kind of reader or something that’s a mixture of an iPod and a PSP that makes it a lot of fun to read comics on a screen or whatever, that is a way to print the material. I’m looking for that thing that makes it more fun for me, because right now I haven’t seen anything online, which is why I don’t want to do an original webcomic yet. DF: So you’re waiting for the technology to catch up to the content. BMB: It’s almost there, and, again, I’ve got two creatorowned books. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them debuts online, and then was released in a print version. DF: But nothing at this point designed specifically for the web? BMB: No, not yet.

DF: You’re doing those interviews with comics creators in the “Brian Bendis Presents” column on the Wizard Magazine website [www.wizarduniverse.com]. You seem to be having a lot of fun with them. How did those get started? BMB: Actually. They asked me to do a column. I’ve been harping on them to do this idea I had where I basically steal from Interview Magazine, I’ve always liked Interview Magazine interviews where it’s basically a phone call between, like, Diane Keaton and Kate Hudson, but it’s more of a conversation than an interview. And they always get to the point of what they want to plug, but there’s a lot of cool stuff in the interim, and they always go off into some interesting areas, and you really do feel like you’re listening to a phone call between two smart people. So I said to Wizard, “You guys should do that,” and they never did. When they offered me a column, I said, “Well, why don’t I just do that, then? Why don’t I call up my friends or people I admire, whatever, and talk to them, and we just publish a transcript unedited. And because a lot of these guys are my friends, I know the questions they haven’t been asked yet in interviews, but I know the answers and they’re fascinating. So I’ve been doing that—these are just very smart people and I like to show them off.

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amazing. It’s just everything you want out of a movie. I love a movie on DVD called Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. DF: I love that, too. It’s Shane Black writing and directing. BMB: The first half-hour is the best script I’ve ever seen on screen. It’s just really great. There’s another movie called Brick. It’s a film noir set in a high school. DF: Who did that? BMB: It was written and directed by Rian Johnson. He’s a brand new guy and they made it for no money. It’s really good. As far as comics, my favorite book on the market right now is Fell by Warren Ellis and [Ben Templesmith]. I just adore this comic. It’s very emotional for me. I just really love it. DF: Prose books? BMB: I’m reading Please Kill Me: The Oral History of Punk Rock for the second time. I don’t know why it makes me so happy, but that’s what I’m reading. DF: TV shows—anything striking your fancy? BMB: Studio 60, which is from Aaron Sorkin, who was the guy behind The West Wing. I just adore the show. Yeah, I just love it. Also, I have come out of the closet as a Gilmore Girls fan.

DF: Sounds like that writers panel I put together at the big New York convention last February. You were on it, along with Chris Claremont, Tom DeFalco, Denny O’Neil, and Stefan Petrucha. BMB: I loved that panel. That’s what a panel should be. People were talking about it all weekend. I don’t know if you were getting that, but– DF: Yeah, it was a blast. BMB: People really felt they got their money’s worth going in there. DF: Well, if you run out of people to interview for the Wizard site, I offer myself as a subject. BMB: Oh, you’re on the list. I’ve got questions for you, too. DF: Uh-oh. I don’t know if I like the sound of that. BMB: No, no, no, nothing to be worried about. DF: I guess I’ll find out. Some wrap-ups for this interview now: What are you reading these days that you’re enjoying, and what movies or TV shows that you’ve seen recently are you excited about? BMB: The Departed was absolutely fantastic. Boy, there’s nothing better than Scorcese kicking *ss. It’s so good. The script is crackling and the performances are 16 | WRITE NOW

DF: You ever see anything of the Heroes show yet? BMB: I have them on the TiVo, I’m going to watch them this week. I was out of town and I didn’t get to see them. I’m all looking forward to it because I know Jeph Loeb, who’s a writer and supervising producer on the show. DF: If he’s on, it’s got to be good. Anything else you want to plug or tell the public about? This ought to be out in late December, early January. BMB: Late December, early January, I would really like people to check out the Illuminati miniseries, because we’re putting a lot of work into it. It’s Jimmy Cheung’s finest hour as a penciler. It’s really gorgeous, really, really something. Again, now, I’m not trying to pick a fight with anybody, but I’m sure some of the story will annoy some people. It’s the true story of the Beyonder. We find out what the Beyonder really was. DF: It’s about time. BMB: So, it’s not that I’m trying to annoy people, but I reread that script before I handed it in and I went, “Oh, I’m going to get the sh*t kicked out of me for this.” And I also want to mention New Avengers. And Powers #25 is coming out, the 25th Icon issue, cover by me, cover by Mike, and, for people who have been reading the book, both Walker and Deena have powers now. One is in a free fall and one’s ascending, and they’re coming towards each other. So I’m looking forward to people seeing that, and hopefully they’ll check it out. DF: Thanks, Brian. As always, this was a blast. BMB: Thank you, Danny. I had fun.

THE END

As a special treat for DFWN’s readers, here are script and pencil art from Marvel’s Civil War #1, written by Mark Millar, with pencil art by Steve McNiven. (The printed comic pages are inked by Dexter Vines.) Civil War has turned the Marvel Universe on its head, as friend and family are pitted against each other, thanks to the Superhuman Registration Act.

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It’s the job of the artist to translate the writer’s directions into appropriate art. Notice the art direction for panel one: “Close on Cap, moody and eyes narrowed.” Now look at the first panel of pencils and notice how McNiven has chosen to tilt Cap’s head down slightly and to show the tension in Cap’s neck muscles. This gives him a more menacing attitude and adds tension to the panel. In this way, the penciler plays the role of “actor,” “director,” and “cinematographer.”

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In a major crossover event as big as Civil War, the writer and artist will have to coordinate their efforts with not only their editor, but with other writers and artists as well. Notice the note to the artist in panel 4. It lets the artist know that some of the characters he will have to draw have been designed by another artist— Howard Chaykin. If the note wasn’t there, McNiven could have reasonably assumed it was his job to design the “Cape-Killers.”

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Because Millar is comfortable with McNiven’s storytelling skills, as the tension between Captain America and the SHIELD agents builds, the writer does not overload the artist with a lot of art directions. McNiven is free to determine “camera” angle, framing, etc.

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As Stan Lee once said: “The Wise Man Knoweth When to Speak and When to Shutteth Up.” As a writer you need to understand when to use copy and when to let the artwork tell the story pretty much on its own. To know this, you might have to actually write copy, and then end up discarding it. Here Millar sets up the situation—Cap refuses to surrender—and lets McNiven take over. [Note also that the spelling of “tranquilisers” is Americanized for the printed comic, from the British spelling Millar used,]

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Here is a perfect example of trusting the artist to tell the story. In his script, Millar only calls for four panels. However, McNiven creates a nine-panel page bursting with drama and danger, and executes the script’s instructions regarding Cap’s shield in a highly imaginative way that gives the action an almost slow-motion feel, while showing us just how cool Cap’s use of his shield can be.

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In the hands of another writer, this page— with just one unit of copy—might have used more captions and/or dialogue, as well as sound effects. Millar chose the sparser approach as being more appropriate to the pacing of the story the way he wanted to tell it.

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Sound effects, also known as “SFX,” are an important tool that writers use. The use of multiple, repeated sound effects on this page has a similar effect to a cacophonous action scene in a movie.

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This page is a great example of slipping in character bits while not losing any of the action’s momentum. Millar has Cap calming the pilot down, then reminding him not to curse. Given that Cap is a man from an earlier period of American history where people were so not so free with vulgarity, this works as a humorous reminder of who Cap is. At the same time, it shows that Cap is so cool in the face of danger that he corrects the pilot while riding on the outside of a jet fighter!

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Here, McNiven delivers on Millar’s request for an image of Cap that will leave the readers breathless. Feel like playing writer? Try scripting these pages. As you do, decide if you would put captions and dialogue where there are none. Think about the decisions you made, and compare them to the ones Millar did.

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THE END

mazing (and Spectacular) as it may seem, Spider-Man debuted almost 45 years ago in the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15. Over the course of those years, the wall-crawler has had his comics exploits written by dozens, if not hundreds, of writers. All these folks took their lead from the character who was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko back in 1962.

In honor of this occasion—not to mention the fact that there’s a third Spider-Man movie coming our way this spring—I decided to get together a virtual roundtable discussion of some of the greatest Spider-Man Writers of all time. I say “virtual” because I didn’t actually sit these folks down in one room. I asked them all (with one exception) the same dozen questions and am running their answers consecutively. So there’s no “cross-talking” as there no doubt would have been were all these writers in the same room. Most of the writers chose to answer the questions via e-mail, while two—Todd McFarlane and Brian Michael Bendis—decided they’d rather be interviewed by phone. And if a given Roundtabler doesn’t have an answer to a given question here…it’s because he or she chose not to answer it. Since yours truly had the honor of doing some Spider-Man writing over the years, I decided I’d also answer the questions—which explains why I’m both the interviewer as well as one of the panelists. As I mentioned above, there was one writer who got his own special set of questions. Needless to say, that was Stan Lee himself. I couldn’t really ask him what it felt like taking over a character with a legacy like Spidey’s—since Stan was responsible for so much of that legacy! So while some of the questions the other writers answered are relevant for Stan, it was a no-brainer that he’d need a bunch of his own unique ones, too. His incredible responses lead off the section, and then we take off with the other writers’ answers. There’s a webful of fascinating and insightful information in the pages that follow. So…read on and enjoy!

Danny Fingeroth Editor-in-Chief

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SPIDER-MAN WRITERS ROUNDTABLE

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STAN LEE ON SPIDEY

The Man himself leads things off with his thoughts about chronicling the wall-crawler’s adventures… DANNY FINGEROTH: What’s the hardest thing about writing Spider-Man? STAN LEE: To me, the most difficult thing was coming up with different villains and different threats to the superhero Spidey—and to Peter Parker as a young, troubled man. DANNY: What’s the most fun about writing Spider-Man? STAN: The dialogue, always the dialogue. I got a kick out of adding gags, wisecracks and, of course, whatever dramatic, hopefully memorable speeches I could come up with, although I never quite topped the Gettysburg Address. DANNY: Once Spider-Man became a hit, did you feel you had to treat the character differently than you had when you thought that “no one was looking”? STAN: Nope. I always wrote everything the same way, whether I thought it was a hit or not. Of course, if it wasn’t a hit, I might have experimented more and tried to change the style a bit, but with Spidey there was no need to ever do that. DANNY: You had Spider-Man graduate from high school in pretty much “real time.” Was it your intention that the character age in real time—that he’d get a year older every year? When did you realize you couldn’t do that anymore? STAN: Yeah, I thought it would be great to have him age in real time. I never really knew that it couldn’t be done. You may recall, after high school I put him in college and then after he’d been there for a few years I made

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him a grad student. Later we had him get married—or maybe it was earlier, I can’t quite remember. I’d have eventually had MJ get pregnant, also. However, Martin Goodman, the publisher, didn’t want him to age in real time so that put a stop to it. DANNY: Do you identify with Spidey more than (or differently from) other characters you’ve written? STAN: Not really. I identify with each and every one of them, all in different ways, of course. DANNY: Who’s your favorite Spider-Man villain, and why? STAN: I’m really not good at picking favorites. I love ‘em all or I wouldn’t have done them. But if I have to pick one, I guess it might be Doc Ock because I thought his tentacles were a real original concept, although I also liked Sandman and Kraven and Lizard—aw, forget it! There’s no way I can just pick one! DANNY: What are you proudest of that you’ve done on Spider-Man? STAN: The fact that we managed to inject some humor and a considerable amount of realism into a superhero series. DANNY: Would you ever want to write a regular Spider-Man series or limited series/ graphic novel again? Where it all began: Stan and STAN: Probably not. Steve Ditko introduced Perhaps an occasional Spider-Man to the world in special issue— Amazing Fantasy #15. Cover preferably one with by Jack Kirby and Ditko. a humorous angle— [© 2006 Marvel Characters.] but to do a series, whether limited or not, would be what I did years ago, and I kind’a prefer to move forward in life rather than backtracking. DANNY: How is writing the Spider-Man newspaper strip different from writing the comic books?

STAN: The biggest difference is the pacing. As you can imagine, it’s tougher to tell a story in three panels a day than in twenty pages a month. Also, in syndicated strips there’s a terrible size constraint. There’s no way to draw any big, spectacular panels in the amount of space allotted to us. DANNY: What’s the appeal of Spider-Man that’s made him so popular for so long? STAN: I think the realistic quality about Spidey makes it easy for readers to empathize with him and, as you know, empathy is one of the most important qualities in a fictional character. DANNY: If you could meet Spider-Man, what would you like to ask or tell him? STAN: In case nobody has told you, Spider-Man is a fictitious character. It’s not likely that I’ll ever meet him. I really don’t spend time wondering what I’d ask or tell Robin Hood, or Sherlock Holmes or James Bond. It’s a full-time job just thinking of what to tell the people I work with day after day. DANNY: Is there anything you’d like to say about writing Spider-Man not covered by my questions? STAN: ‘Fraid not, Danny. You seem to have covered everything. Well, actually, there is one thing! I can’t understand why people think J. Jonah Jameson is sort-of a villain— especially since I modeled him after my loveable self. Stan Lee co-created the Marvel pantheon of characters including—in addition to Spider-Man—the X-Men, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four. His Sci-Fi Channel series, Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, was the TV hit of the season, and will be returning soon with 10 new episodes!

Now that we’ve heard from The Man, let’s hear what the rest of the roundtable has to say about he wallcrawler… DANNY FINGEROTH: What made you want to write Spider-Man (besides being offered the gig)? BRIAN BENDIS: I am Peter Parker. There is no character I have to do less work to get me excited than Peter Parker. And also, every wound from high school is as fresh as if it happened yesterday. And I’m moved by the philosophy. “With great power comes great responsibility” is something you can live by. GERRY CONWAY: I was a fan from about issue #6 – it was a dream assignment, the fulfillment of a childhood (and maybe childish?) ambition. Also, I kind of identified with Peter Parker. PETER DAVID: Who wouldn’t want to write Spider-Man? He’s Marvel’s flagship character, he’s the everyman of the superhero community, and he’s quite possibly the single best character ever to come out of Stan Lee’s imagination. His appeal is limitless, and there’s just so many directions you can go with him. TOM DeFALCO: While I was always a fan of Spider-Man, I never planned or wanted to write him. I had done a fill-in, a few guest star appearances and a few issues of Marvel

Team-Up and I struggled to get his voice right. In those days, a character had a particular voice and it was the writer’s job to replicate that voice. I thought Roger Stern had done a great job and I was totally intimidated when Danny Fingeroth asked me to follow Rog. In fact, the assignment scared me so much that I knew I had to take it. J.M. DeMATTEIS: To be honest, in the beginning—and I started my acquaintance with Spider-Man with a lengthy, and fairly mundane, run on Marvel Team-Up—it really was the gig. I liked Spider-Man as a character...who doesn’t?...but, at that point in my career I would have been thrilled to take anything that was offered to me. “Wanna write Millie The Model?” “Cool!” Of course Spider-Man was one of the Great Marvel Icons and that was a treat. It was only in writing the character that I came to really love Spider-Man. Peter Parker is the most wonderfully complex, and wonderfully human, character in any superhero universe. It’s a case of becoming a bigger fan of the character as a professional than I was as a reader. DANNY FINGEROTH: I had been editor of the Spider-Man line and had gained an appreciation of the character I actually didn’t have as a kid, when my favorites were the FF, Captain America, Iron Man, and Daredevil. With my enhanced appreciation of the character, I thought I could contribute something to his universe. SPIDER-MAN ROUNDTABLE | 29

HOWARD MACKIE: Getting to write Spider-Man was a dream job. I, like everyone else working in comics at the time, grew up reading those Lee/Ditko and then Lee/Romita issues. Spider-Man was comic books as far as I was concerned. He was a guy I could identify with or at least hope to be like, and had powers that were way cool. But…and isn’t there always a but? I really did not want to write Spider-Man when I started writing comic books. If you remember correctly I was a reluctant member of the SpiderMan writing family at best. The Ghost Rider comic book had taken off, and gotten me some attention as a writer, and you (the editor of Web of Spider-Man) were in a jam and I agreed to take on Web for a short time as I began my freelance career. Writing the adventures of Spider-Man just seemed to be aiming too high too fast. So I wrote Web for a while, and then decided I was way too busy with Ghost Rider and decided to quit. I did. Then I left staff. And you immediately offered me adjectiveless Spider-Man. And for some unknown reason I said yes. The reality is... who could really have said no? Aside from getting to work with one of the greatest editors in the business... it was SPIDER-MAN!!!! TODD McFARLANE: As an artist, I was getting to the point where I was seeing if I could actually write stories for myself that I wanted to draw.

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AL MILGROM: Oh, please. Who, aspiring to a career in comics books, wouldn’t want to write the adventures of one of the greatest characters ever created? He was a revolutionary character and he, along with several other of the ’60s characters I loved, literally changed the course of my life! I was becoming tired of the DC stuff and was just on the verge of “outgrowing” comics altogether when the Marvel stuff started to trickle out. Like Pacino’s character in Godfather III, just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in. Spidey’s comics ultimate “everyman.” If you’re a human, you can imagine what you’d do if you had superpowers and gain insight into the character. DENNY O’NEIL: Well, actually…I did it because my boss asked me to. I think I was happy to get the assignment, but I don’t remember going after it. LOUISE SIMONSON: Spider-Man was always my favorite of the classic Marvel heroes. I loved the fact that as Spider-Man he won...and as Peter Parker, that usually meant a loss. I guess it was the irony of his situation... Also, it was fun to work with you as the editor. ROGER STERN: Well, I’d been reading Spider-Man stories ever since high school, and he’d always been my single favorite Marvel hero. But actually, I’d really never expected to wind up writing him. That seemed too far-fetched to me, even after I lucked into a job in comics. Looking back, one of the earliest things I wrote for Marvel was a ten-page framing sequence for a treasury edition holiday special. Just about every major Marvel character turned up in those ten pages — and I should probably retroactively apologize to George Tuska for asking him to draw all of that — so, of course, Spider-Man had his cameo. At the time, I thought that would probably be my one shot with the character. Then, about three and a half years later, Denny [O’Neil] offered me the assignment to write The Spectacular Spider-Man. And I still had to spend about a day thinking about it. The idea of writing one of the Spider-Man books on a regular basis was pretty intimidating, but I’m really glad that I decided to go for it. Writing Spider-Man turned out to be one of the most satisfying assignments I ever had. Plus, there was the added benefit that just about everyone had heard of the character. Shortly after I started writing comics, a teller at my bank was impressed that my paycheck was issued by Marvel Comics. But when I told him I was writing Guardians of the Galaxy, he just gave me a blank look. Later, whenever I told people that I was writing Spider-Man, you could see their faces light up. Same thing with writing Superman. People think it’s the coolest job in the world. And they’re right! ROY THOMAS: Actually, I didn’t particularly want to write Amazing Spider-Man, much as I liked the character—and flattering as it was to become only the second person ever to write the character. When Stan told me he needed to take four months off from writing so he could script a screenplay with French New Wave director Alain Resnais. I preferred to write Fantastic Four...but Stan specifically asked me to write Spidey...and since I didn’t have time to add both books for several months, Archie Goodwin was given FF...although, as it turned out, I did end up writing one issue of FF in that period.

LEN WEIN: Are you kidding? I was being offered the chance to become the third regular writer (following Stan Lee and Gerry Conway and discounting a couple of fill-in issues by Roy Thomas and Archie Goodwin) of the most important book in the Marvel Universe. Who says no to that? MARV WOLFMAN: Actually, that is precisely why I wrote it. I loved reading Spider-Man; I thought he was easily Marvel’s best single character, but I didn’t think I’d be able to duplicate the kind of dialogue Stan wrote. Back then, in the ’70s, we didn’t have the freedom to make wholesale changes in approach that writers do today, and Stan’s work on Spidey was personal, flowing out of his mind. I had wanted to write the Fantastic Four, but I was told by editor Archie Goodwin that if I wanted FF I had to take Spidey, too, because if I didn’t, he’d have to give it to another writer he didn’t want to give it to. I reluctantly took over the writing chores and discovered that I fell into writing Spider-Man. I had a better time writing him than any other book I was on save for Tomb of Dracula. FINGEROTH: Was there anything you consciously (or, in retrospect, unconsciously) set out to accomplish during your run on Spider-Man? BENDIS: I consciously was going for the [John] Romita, Sr. years. When I remember having this conversation with [Mark] Bagley, that’s the quintessential Spider-Man to us. That’s when the rules for Spider-Man were laid out pretty strong, and they were still kind of thinking about the Ditko years. That was the height of drama, fun, and superhero pathos put together. Unconsciously I really wanted to stay

employed. There’s a lot of mistakes that could be made, and I really didn’t want to f*ck it up. I just really didn’t want to be the guy who really made a mess of things. CONWAY: I just wanted to write the stories I would have wanted to read as a fan. DAVID: The intention, during my first run, was to write Spider-Man in a tone and style that hadn’t been done before: To give it a sort of “Hill Street Blues” feel. In fact, that’s why Owsley put the credits at the end as simple white against black background. DeFALCO: Yeah, I was determined to do the best I could, even though I was convinced I was going to screw up and humiliate myself. I soon realized that I could channel that fear of failure into the character. DeMATTEIS: With a character as multilayered as Peter Parker, it seemed natural (at least to me) to go for as many psychologically-driven stories as possible. I like to peel back the layers of a character, question the basic assumptions we all take for granted. Try to figure out why he does what he does. Find out what life circumstances, what stresses and traumas, pushed him to become the man he is. Looking back, I think the single thing I did best was to shine that same kind of light on the Spider-villains. I did some stories with Kraven, The Vulture, Mysterio, Elektro and, especially, Harry Osborn that I’m very proud of. I never saw any of the villains as “bad-guys.” In my mind, they were trying to do their best in difficult circumstances: they just made some horrendous choices along the way. We live in a world where people are forever trying to demonize “the other,” “the enemy,” “the evildoers.” Which means that, more than ever, we need stories that examine even the worst human behavior with compassion. I have to add that I also fell in love with the character of Aunt May. I think I poked into some corners of her psyche that few others had. In fact, I loved the character so much, I killed her. But I hear that she recovered!

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FINGEROTH: I really wanted to carry on the spirit of fun that the best Spider-Man writers, from Stan on, had been able to bring to the character. Specifically, in both the Deadly Foes and Lethal Foes of Spider-Man limited series, I hoped to shed some light on the motivations of his villains, how they saw Spider-Man and their relationship with him, and what he symbolized to them. MACKIE: No. Maybe. I’m not sure. I’d have to say the main directive (by me and by editorial) was to try to get Spider-Man back to what it was. What we meant by that was to try and to portray Peter Parker and Spider-Man in way that was in keeping with the way we remembered the Stan stories. Over the years Peter aged, graduated from high school, went to college, and eventually married. I and others believed that, as wonderful of many of the stories contributing to this growth process might have been, we had lost something essential to the characters. So, we spent a lot of time discussing how we could get that guy back. I do not think we succeeded, and clone story aside, we did try. McFARLANE: Really, for me the easiest one is probably a little bit different than sort of the pure writers is. The disadvantage that you have when you’re an artist working 32 | WRITE NOW

with a writer is that you could argue that the writers are writing all of their favorite characters, and all of their favorite scenes, and all the stuff they want to see. And I’m, like, going, “Oh, darn it. Those aren’t the same bad guys and situations I would put people in.” So eventually, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could actually write stories for myself?”, and then I could go in there and pick and choose sort of the situation, the characters, that I felt near and dear to. Yeah, the conscious thing I was trying to do at the very beginning–there’s a couple things. One was, in that story, [“Torment,” which ran in Spider-Man #1-5.—DF] trying to make it sort of more movie-esque, if you will. And, y’know, we did a lot of sound effects and stuff. I used a sound effect; it was the word “doom” in there. It was all different sizes and different places, but to me— I would never ever explain it to the readers completely— but it was sort of a soundtrack for a movie. When it got big, that means the music got louder. When it got small, that meant the music got sort of softer. When it got erratic, that meant that, again, like films try to literally manipulate you with sound. I was trying to see whether we could do that. I don’t know if there’s any thought balloons, as I recall. I don’t think I put any thought balloons in there, because, again, in a movie, you don’t get to read people’s thoughts. They either have to say it, or not. The second thing was sort of advancing what I’d already been doing artistically, which was Spider-Man, I was way more concerned about the spider part of what he was doing than the man part. And so, if you take a look at my entire run, most of it takes place at night. The costume got a little bit darker and a little bit blacker. And I just wanted to play on sort of the creepy crawly angle. I mean, if you actually look at all the stories, there was the Lizard, who is essentially a monster. I didn’t even let him talk, so I completely walked away from the fifty times we’d seen him before. And then, we had Wendigo, we had Morbius, we had the Hobgoblin. It was a big run of “monsters,” which sort of tickled my fancy more than having the Shocker in the book or something. MILGROM: Frankly, I was too shocked that you offered me the gig to be conscious! I just wanted to do entertaining stories that would sell well. O’NEIL: Just to provide readers with entertainment. The usual agenda. SIMONSON: It was a pretty short run. Five issues in all: two Marvel Team-Ups; three Web of Spider-Mans. Oh... also an annual. But I enjoyed them. But didn’t have time to develop any burning agenda. STERN: More than anything, I wanted to recapture the heart of Spider-Man, to get back to the character who had gotten me seriously interested in comics again. I was—what?—about the sixth or seventh person since Stan to write Spider-Man on a regular basis? And all those who came before me were sharp, talented writers. They’d all brought something to Spider-Man. And I did my best to pick up from where they’d left off. But, even with the best of talents, each new writer was bringing a new interpretation of what the last guy had done. It was getting to be a bit like a game of telephone.

So I was constantly reading and rereading the first hundred Spider-Man stories, paying special attention to the first four or five years of the series. Whenever I set out to plot a story, I would try to imagine how Stan would do it…how Steve [Ditko] would do it…how John [Romita] would do it. I couldn’t do it as well as they could, of course, but they were my models. THOMAS: I decided that, since Stan was coming back, I wanted to handle it a bit differently in turns of dialogue (I had him musing about pulp characters The Spider and The Shadow, which Stan wouldn’t have done, for instance)... and story. Stan specifically told me he wanted Gil Kane and me to do a vampire story right off (in #101) since the Comics Code had just been changed to allow them... and he contributed the idea that he wanted it to be a super-villain style vampire, not just Dracula or another of his ilk. And it was Gil Kane’s idea to do a “King Kong” story for the second set of two stories, and I’m not sure Stan would’ve been wild about taking Peter, Gwen, and JJJ to the Savage Land. But I think it worked out fairly well. WEIN: Basically, not to screw it up. Like I said, The Amazing Spider-Man was the jewel in Marvel’s crown. I figured my job was essentially not to tarnish that crown. Everything else was just gravy. WOLFMAN: Because of the fear factor involved, I simply didn’t want to screw it up. As I moved into it I wanted to take the comic, move it forward a bit and try to introduce new ideas into it. So I put Peter into grad school, I “killed Aunt May” in a fake storyline, and created a few new villains as well, including Black Cat. FINGEROTH: What were you not allowed— or wouldn’t allow yourself—to change about the series? BENDIS: You’re always toying with how far Peter and MJ have gone [sexually], since, you know, they’re fifteen. And their relationship is handled so realistically [in Ultimate SpiderMan] that you can’t help but think about it. It’s brought up on my website maybe every other week. There’s a poll, “how far have they gone?” So that’s brought up, and that’s subject matter that’s probably inappropriate for the book itself. But, at the same time, the subject just hangs there. CONWAY: For better or worse, I had quite a bit of freedom to do what I wanted with the character and the series – so long as I stayed true to the mythology as it stood at the time. DAVID: As always, the mandate is to provide the “illusion of change.” To have things change and develop, but not so much that you’ve profoundly changed the core of what makes Peter Parker Spider-Man. His sense of responsibility, his commitment to using his powers in as positive a manner as he can. DeFALCO: To me, the story of Spider-Man has always been a story about responsibility. I thought that was a terrific theme with unlimited story possibilities so there’s no way I’d mess with it. I also thought the main characters—Aunt May,

During his year-long stint as writer for Amazing SpiderMan Denny O’Neil introduced new villains, including Fusion and Calypso, the latter of whom would play a pivotal role in Todd McFarlane’s “Torment” storyline. The art’s by John Romita Jr. and Al Milgrom. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.]

J. Jonah, Joe Robertson—each contributed an important view of Peter Parker and were all important to the series. After that, everything else was fair game! DeMATTEIS: I was always very conscious of the fact that I could push things just so far. The character was going to be there after I left and I couldn’t transform Spider-Man past the point of recognition. (Hey, left to my own devices, Peter would have gone for extensive therapy and hung up his costume forever!) That said, I was very lucky that my editors let me really push the characters to some interesting extremes. I don’t think there had ever been a Spider-Man story as dark as “Kraven’s Last Hunt”—but neither Jim Owsley nor Jim Salicrup ever said, “Are you crazy? You can’t do that!” During the two year run I had on Spectacular Spider-Man with Sal Buscema, our editors— Rob Tokar and some guy named Fingeroth—let me have all the creative freedom I could ever want. I pretty much carved out a DeMatteisverse that was kind of an odd little subset of the ongoing Spiderverse. SPIDER-MAN ROUNDTABLE | 33

FINGEROTH: The challenge was always to work within the parameters of the character and what had gone before, while keeping it fresh for the readers. The idea of change was actually less challenging than figuring out how to make things exciting within the established ground rules. MACKIE: I do not remember any editorial edicts of that kind. There was an understanding of the type of story that was a Spider-Man story. Spider-Man sat at the very center of the Marvel Universe, so while he might interact with mutants, galactic beings, or the supernatural on occasion... those were to be the exceptions, not the rule. Spider-Man was a super HERO, and there were lines that just were not to be crossed. He would never kill anyone, wouldn’t use bad language, pretty common sense stuff. Overall though, I took part in the Clone Saga, the return of Norman Osborn, the death of Aunt May, and her return. So, not too much was sacred. McFARLANE: Wow. In all honesty, I didn’t really set too many limits on myself. I put that on the company and the editor, and it got me in trouble at times. For me it was J.M. DeMatteis and just not wanting to Mike Zeck’s “Kraven’s intentionally write the Last Hunt” storyline ran same stories I’d already in all three of the then read. So I go, no, you existing Spidey titles. know what? The Lizard is not going to be Curt Here are Zeck and Bob Conners, and he’s not McLeod’s covers to going to talk with that Amazing Spider-Man lisp that he has. To me, #s 293 and 294. the Lizard’s a monster, [© 2006 Marvel Characters.] and he has to be a very formidable villain, although in this case there was also Kraven’s daughter in there. I forget what her name was. But the bad guys have to not be goofy, and, more importantly, not be repetitive. I do the same thing with Spawn today. So I go, okay, how can I present the Lizard and Spider-Man in a way that maybe they haven’t [been] seen before when those two have been in a conflict? And either you’re going to go, “What the h*ll? Todd, that’s not what they’re supposed to do,” because there’s a comfort zone with those two. Or, you went, “Finally! Somebody writing a story that was a little bit different than the original Stan Lee story.” 34 | WRITE NOW

MILGROM: I wanted to stay true to the spirit of the character—Peter, over the years had gotten better looking and had more luck with girls, so we complicated that aspect of his life with The Black Cat. Plus we were in the midst of the switch to the black costume. Of course anytime you try to maintain the status quo of a character you run the danger of doing stale stuff. The really great writers (I’m not one) can find unmined veins of gold in even the oldest, most established, characters. Folks like Alan Moore or Frank Miller. O’NEIL: I didn’t like the spider-sense. Seemed like too much of an all-purpose deus ex machina. But the spider sense was inviolate. SIMONSON: Not exactly relevant since I wrote it for such a short time. STERN: I don’t think that anything was arbitrarily ruled out. I just tried to be faithful to the characters. Sometimes I was surprised with what developed. I mean, I didn’t originally plan to have Pete leave grad school, but that’s what happened. It just seemed like a natural development. THOMAS: Since it was a short-term assignment, I didn’t think about making changes to the series, though I had a certain latitude purely because of the short-term nature of the gig. WEIN: Nobody ever gave me any specific orders, but I considered it my job to maintain all the essentials about the book and the characters. I think the best advice Stan ever gave was to remind us that what we were trying to accomplish with the books was not change for the sake of change, but actually the illusion of change; putting the cast through all sorts of paces but really bringing them back to square one at the end. Once you start messing with that makes the characters special, you lose that connection with the reader. WOLFMAN: As I say we weren’t allowed to make big changes so we didn’t tend to think about them. But the one part of Spidey’s origin that had always bothered me was how Uncle Ben died. I never could accept that a common thief runs into Peter in Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, then shows up in Forest Hills to rob the Parker house. If you’re not in NY you wouldn’t know how

impossible that is; they are not around the corner from each other but miles and miles apart. It pushed coincidence too far for me. So I tried to make some sense of it—within the already existing story, as we couldn’t alter that. I did the story in #200 and it worked for what it was. I really like what the writers of the first Spider-Man movie did, however. Having the Burglar hijack Uncle Ben’s waiting car and killing him there made much more sense.

that the adrenaline doesn’t get turned on and off like a light switch. So it’s fundamentally unrealistic to have heroes be in knock down, drag out fights and then just stop. Since Owsley wanted me taking a more grim and gritty, streetlevel approach to the series, I felt the first thing I had to do was put Spider-Man into a battle situation where what would happen in real life would happen. I tried to then maintain that tone for the rest of my run.

FINGEROTH: What did you feel you had to change about the series?

DeFALCO: There was absolutely nothing wrong with Spider-Man and I didn’t really feel I had to change anything. I just had to come up with some good stories and some emotional roller coasters.

BENDIS: It was not broken. And besides Ultimate Spidey, I write [the regular Marvel Universe] Spider-Man character, too, in New Avengers. Spider-Man is not broken. The change I made is I made him part of a team. In an early issue of my Avengers run, Spider-Man says, “Gee, I’m not just a team guy,” and Captain America says, “No offense, but how’s that working for you? We admire the sh*t out of you [and would love to have you on the team].” I brought to the forefront how the other Marvel heroes look up to Peter Parker just like the audience does, that he’s the quintessential hero. Every bad thing that could ever happen to a superhero has happened to Peter Parker, and he’s never given up. He’s never veered from the course. So I put him on a team so he can be faced with that [admiration] and deal with it. That was something I thought that was long overdue. So that’s the one change I did make that was controversial, but that’s my argument. CONWAY: I wanted to make Peter Parker more believable as a young adult – more like myself and people I knew, reflecting the experiences we had and were having as we tried to establish ourselves as independent personalities. DAVID: I tried to push Spider-Man to points that he had never reached before. To see if I could get him into a situation where he was so angry that he just completely lost control. Anyone who’s ever been in a real fight will tell you

This panel from Web of Spider-Man #1 features Louise Simonson’s take on what would happen if a gang of criminals stole the Vulture’s technology. Art by Greg LaRocque and Jim Mooney, possibly assisted by Vince Colletta.

DeMATTEIS: Nothing. I didn’t want to change the SpiderMan universe so much as deepen it a little. Shine a light into some unexplored corners. FINGEROTH: Nothing, really. With a character like SpiderMan, who has such a long history, you can usually just ignore bits of continuity you didn’t like rather than changing it. In the same way, you can add backstory to an existing villain or supporting character that can deepen that character and make for an interesting plot twist or story point. It’s interesting with embellishing villain or supporting cast backstories to see if and how future writers take something you established and embellish that. MACKIE: Absolutely nothing. The core concept of Spider-Man was, and still is, straight forward and direct... “with great power comes great responsibility.” Pretty much says it all. McFARLANE: From the very beginning, both on Amazing Spider-Man and then carried over into Spider-Man, it was just continuing to acknowledge that it was the current day that I was working. And so when I took over the book artistically on Amazing, I didn’t get a sense anybody had done anything to update the book visually for literally fifteen or twenty years. They were still drawing it like John Romita, Sr.—which is terrific, he’s the Norman Rockwell of SpiderMan, and, again, he’s awesome. But, it was like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” They were still using the same 1969, ’73 clothes that John had put on him. They were still using the same 1973 hairdo on Mary Jane and Peter Parker. And at this point, Mary Jane was a model. And artistically, I’m going,

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weight. Remember the “Master Planner” Trilogy [in Amazing Spider-Man #’s 31-33]? When Spider-Man had to lift that locomotive-sized hunk of machinery? Ten men could not have done that. And 2) I wanted to write stories that would make people like Aunt May. Marv had written a story-arc where it appeared that Aunt May had died. (She was still alive, of course. It had all been part of some ruse set up by Mysterio.) And no one seemed terribly upset. In fact, I remember there being a general reaction of “It’s about time.” A good number of readers seemed to blame May for a lot of Pete’s personal problems—and I don’t even want to think about what that said about their personal lives. I mean, come on! May is the woman who raised Pete. She’s really the only mother he ever knew, and I wanted to emphasize that. At least, readers stopped wanting to see her dead. THOMAS: Nothing. The Amazing Spider-Man was as good as it got. WEIN: Not a thing. Oh, I added a few things — Peter’s apartment, the relationship between Liz Allen and Harry Osborn, a few villains — but I tried to change as little of what made the book a huge success as I could.

While he was the regular ASM writer, Marv Wolfman wrote and edited Amazing Spider-Man Annual #13. John Byrne and Terry Austin did the art, although there’s not a mutant in sight.

WOLFMAN: I thought I needed to put Peter into grad school to explain why he was still in college. Since Marvel characters aged somewhat it was starting to strain credulity that he’d been in college 15 or so years. But you can stay in grad school forever if you want. My plan was to put him there and then never mention it again. FINGEROTH: Do you identify with Spidey more than (or differently from) other characters you’ve written?

“Wow. Peter Parker is now in the year 1990, he’s married to a model, and the book still looks like one of those Marvel Tales reprints.” And I go, “No way. It’s time to acknowledge that people wear designer clothes, and they like their little gadgets, and the world is sort of getting sophisticated.” So that was it, just continuing the course of that, that this is the Spider-Man of whatever year I was drawing it, not a tribute to the Spider-Man of ten or fifteen years ago. [They] were terrific, but they were good stories and visuals for that time, but it was time to make them modern. MILGROM: Again, I wanted to get back to Peter’s earlier, more “loser-ish” roots. O’NEIL: Nothing. It wasn’t broke so I didn’t try to fix it. SIMONSON: Don’t remember any burning desire to rock the boat. STERN: I had two major goals. 1) I wanted to remind everyone of how strong Spider-Man was. Somewhere over the years, people had started referring to Spider-Man as having “the strength of ten men” – very poetic, but also very wrong. Spider-Man is supposed to possess the proportionate strength of a spider. He can easily lift 40 times his own body 36 | WRITE NOW

BENDIS: More than. Daredevil’s another character where I spend a lot of time in his head. This is a character I couldn’t be further from—a lawyer, blind, handicapped. There’s nothing about him that’s similar to me. But I can get into his head. For some reason I was just completely in his head. And, as I mentioned before, to flip the switch to get into Peter Parker’s head was also easy for me. Because they’re so different, he and DD are a lot of fun to write together, too. CONWAY: Absolutely. DAVID: No more so than others. DeFALCO: While I certainly identified with Pete, I saw him more as a best friend, a guy I was happy to have in my life. The character I most identified with was Eric Masterson, Thunderstrike. DeMATTEIS: Absolutely. I think most of us who have written the character for a length of time completely identify with Peter Parker. With his humanity, his courage and, most of all, with his flaws. He’s just a regular guy who happens to have these extraordinary powers—and he’s always struggling (and sometimes failing) to do the right thing. Take away the powers and I think you have a pretty good description of what it is to be human. I think most of us are decent,

compassionate people at heart...and we really do try to live a decent life...but our inherent flaws are always tripping us up. Whether we surrender to those flaws or, as Peter does, struggle to transcend them, is the real question. FINGEROTH: As an adult, I do identify more and differently than when I was younger. Oddly enough, as a kid and an adolescent, I didn’t identify that strongly with Spidey. That may seem strange, because you’d think a younger person would identify with him more than adult. But he was, from the beginning, a teenager and then young adult with problems, financial and psychological, that were more of interest to the adult me, and probably to a lot of older readers. Of course, the colorful costumes and wild adventures in his stories have always had lots of kid appeal, but the inner core of the character is actually pretty mature. MACKIE: I did identify with Spider-Man, more-so Peter Parker, for a variety of reasons. Many of his personal traits and experiences reflected my own. He and I both lost the significant male role model in our lives at a young age— Uncle Ben and my dad. Peter grew up in a section of Queens that was right next to the area of Brooklyn in which I lived. And we both like getting dressed up in costumes at night and—never mind. McFARLANE: No, not really. It’s funny, because I just did an interview with somebody, and I know that there’s sort of the go around of, people like Spider-Man because he was just a normal kid, and people identify with that. I don’t buy into it. I think it’s a good shtick that Stan does, but it doesn’t explain why a lot of people go see Batman, who is a corporate guy, a millionaire (if not a billionaire), who’s fabulously good-looking, has every woman throw herself at him, and we still like him. So, to me, the characters, once they put on the costume, sort of have to stand on their own, and then go through trials and tribulations. MILGROM: Since he’s that “everyman” kind of guy—who, despite his great powers, still has everyday problems, he’s one of the easiest characters to identify with. I suppose that since I’d “risen” to professional editor and cartoonist at Marvel Comics, with all the inherent powers and responsibilities therein, I thought that life would be nothing but good. But like any human, I still had problems and doubts and insecurities, and what could be closer to being like Spider-Man than that? O’NEIL: As originally conceived, Peter Parker was a bit of a loser who never fit into high school/teenage life. That was me. SIMONSON: I don’t know about more. But for me, Peter Parker’s human difficulties were as much a part of the series as Spider-Man’s battles. They kept me interested. The stories were generally more than just slugfests. I tried to reproduce the things I liked about Spider-Man in the other series that I wrote more regularly, like New Mutants or X-Factor or Power Pack. Heck, even on Superman: The Man of Steel. A sense of the human cost of superheroing. STERN: Probably. To be honest, I came a little late to the game. The first issue of Amazing Spider-Man that I bought off the spinner rack was #40. But around the same time, I

During his time as writer on Amazing Spider-Man, Len Wein co-created Green Goblin III, who was revealed to be Harry Osborn’s psychiatrist, Dr. Bart Hamilton. Ross Andru and Tony DeZuniga did the art honors. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.]

found a paperback collection of early Spider-Man stories including the capsule origin from issue #2, a lot of great features from the first annual, and “Duel with Daredevil,” still one of my favorite stories. And then I discovered Marvel Tales and started catching up with the rest of the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man’s. And those stories appealed to me on a more personal level because Ditko’s Peter Parker looked a lot like me…or at least like the way I did in high school…which was when I was reading those stories. THOMAS: Probably more, in some ways... I was not that many years away from my own youth (I was 30 or so), but that still didn’t make me eager to write that kind of soap opera, much as I admired it and loved to read it. WEIN: No. If I had to pick the characters I most associate myself with, it would probably be Swamp Thing and Wolverine, both my creations. Although I suppose everyone identifies with Spidey on one level or another. WOLFMAN: Spidey is the foul-up in everyone who knows deep inside they are better than what appears on the SPIDER-MAN ROUNDTABLE | 37

surface. I think you have to identify with that to some degree. It’s why I disagree with Peter being such a success now; he began scrawny and not handsome, now he’s muscular and good-looking. He couldn’t get any girls to date him and now he’s married to a super model. That’s not a character anyone can easily identify with. FINGEROTH: What’s the appeal of Spider-Man that’s made him so popular for so long? BENDIS: Well, “with great power comes great responsibility” is a religious mantra that can be lived by. You could actually start a religion. It’s bulletproof. Argue your way out of it; you can’t. And he’s just honest and pure and emotional, and people who read books like this, they want to put themselves in that position and they want to behave a certain way. Like, if someone’s killed my girlfriend, how would I behave? And, really, you’d want to be Peter Parker. You’d want to rage out, you’d want to have all the emotions, but at the end of the day not lower yourself to the killer’s level. You’d want to rise to the occasion. CONWAY: As originally conceived and written for at least the first ten-to-fifteen years, he was a true reflection of the inner life of the average adolescent.

peak of its potential. Peter has all this stuff going on his life, but still manages to do good—and have FUN—as SpiderMan. And if he messes up, we relate to that too, connecting it to the way our own well-intentioned actions sometimes may be misunderstood or blow up in our faces. MACKIE: Is it the costume? The name? The snappy banter? The powers? The origin? All of those things put in a stew of amazing stories, characterization, supporting cast, villains, writers, artists, etc.. have come together to create one of the most wonderful comic book characters to have ever been imagined. A normal guy, with amazing powers, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility that makes him a hero. McFARLANE: I think we understand that in sort of a subconscious way, that maybe you go, “Yay, he’s a little dark, he’s a little this, he puts on the costume, he gets to move on webs, he gets to hang upside down, he can crawl on walls, and he can swing on buildings! It’s kind of cool.” The same reason why I think a lot of kids think it’d be neat to be Superman for a day. “I can lift buildings and go faster than bullets, and I can fly!” I mean, my little six-year-old goes, “Dad, wouldn’t it be cool to fly for a day?” So, wouldn’t it be cool to be able to just jump on a skyscraper and crawl to the top, too? There are some superpowers that I don’t think are nearly as intriguing. For example, Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts. I don’t know if most kids go, “Wouldn’t it be cool to be a mystic arts guy?” But crawling up buildings and shooting webs out of your palm? That’s not bad.

DAVID: Believe me, if I knew for certain, I’d create a character of similar durability. Probably the simplest way to look at it is that many of us have this fundamental belief that, no matter how much we do, ultimately it’s not enough. We should have tried to do more. That’s Spider-Man in a nutshell. Write Now! E-I-C Danny Fingeroth MILGROM: He’s such an everyman He faces this deep dissatisfaction: No wrote this villains’ point-of-view character that everyone can identify matter how much he does in order to of the wall-crawler limited series, with him. Plus, he’s been written and expiate his original sin, he can never drawn by a slew of the most talented do so. When you consider all the good Deadly Foes of Spider-Man. that he’s accomplished in his life, cerThe cover to issue #1 is by Al Milgrom. people in comics over the last (ye [© 2006 Marvel Characters.] gods!) 45 years. tainly a rational person would say that the scales have been balanced for his O’NEIL: I think it was and is his humanity. It’s easier to inaction that resulted in Ben’s death. But Spider-Man still identify with Spidey than with most superheroes. doesn’t believe it. He needs to keep on going. DeFALCO: Pete is one of the nicest, most responsible people you’ll ever meet…and he gets involved in the wildest adventures.

SIMONSON: The contrast between his super/otherness and his humanity. Also he had a cool costume and fun villains and supporting cast.

DeMATTEIS: The appeal lies in the fact that he’s not SpiderMan. With or without the mask, he’s Peter Parker.

STERN: Oh, there are so many things. For instance, we all know that he’s Peter Parker, but with that full-face mask, he could be anybody. Doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, Hispanic, Asian, whatever – that could be you under that mask! And wouldn’t that be great? To be able to pull on that mask and be Spider-Man? To imagine yourself skittering up the sides of buildings, swinging across the city on a web, and making fun of the people who give you grief?

FINGEROTH: It’s got to be the “regular guy” quality, even though Peter in many ways is far from a regular guy, being brainy, not a jock, and so on. But he takes one of the main ideas that the dual identity superhero appeals to –”If only the people who give me a hard time knew what I was really going through, then they’d love/respect/admire me”—to the 38 | WRITE NOW

Sure, Spider-Man has all of these personal problems, but he still has all those weird powers. And, besides, we would do a better job of it, wouldn’t we? Well, no, we’d probably screw up a lot, too. Just in different ways. And besides, no matter how popular or better looking or stronger we might become as we get older — Hey, don’t laugh! Some of us do – we all remember that gawky, awkward time in our teens. And for most of us, that awkwardness never completely goes away; it just hides out in some back corner of our psyches. And that’s why we identify with Spider-Man. Plus, I figure that more than a few guys fantasize about being married to Mary Jane Watson. (Even though that wedding was a huge mistake for the series.) THOMAS: His everyman quality... precisely what Stan intended... added to the great Ditko costume and superpowers. He was and is a character with infinite possibilities. WEIN: What I just said, the fact that everybody feels a little bit like Peter Parker under the skin, put upon, underappreciated, full of layers that nobody ever takes the time to see. All of us wear a mask of one kind or another. Peter’s is just more obvious, is all. WOLFMAN: I think it’s the underdog quality to him. If Flash Thompson or whoever the surrogate today is were to put down Peter, he’d stammer and then finally say something nasty if he said anything at all. Spidey on the other hand would be funny and put the guy down instantly. He knows exactly what to say at the moment, which few of us ever do. As I said before, he represents the us the inner us wishes we could be. FINGEROTH: What’s the hardest thing about writing Spider-Man? BENDIS: The hardest thing is, he’s got the best rogue’s gallery, and coming up with a new villain that would fit in that gallery is very difficult. You come up with something, and it’s just not as good as Doc Ock. And that happened a couple times, when I’ve had an idea for a story, and I want to come up with a new villain. And then I go, “You know what? No one would be better suited to this story than Norman Osborn. Anything else would be just a lite version.” What’s better than Norman Osborn or Doctor Octavius? These are the greatest villains in the history of comics. CONWAY: Giving it up. DAVID: Keeping all the continuity straight. DeFALCO: For the series to work, you have to pour a lot of garbage on Pete’s shoulders and keep on piling it. That’s hard to do when you really care about someone. But, unfortunately, a happy Pete is a boring Pete. DeMATTEIS: I never really found it difficult writing the book as long as I let the characters lead me. The stories grew out of their internal struggles, their hearts and souls. Trying to impose a plot from the outside—as I did in one particularly wretched Spider-Man annual that clumsily tried to wrap up threads from my canceled Man-Thing series—was a blueprint for disaster.

FINGEROTH: Keeping the sense of fun. It’s easy to forget that the guy isn’t just about the problems. He’s about the human ability to transcend our problems. MACKIE: The length of the ongoing series, the continuity and the tremendous pressure created by all those wonderful (and a few not so wonderful) stories that have come before. McFARLANE: The hardest thing, probably the same as almost for every character, trying to get that balance between the costume powers and the fact that there’s actually a real person underneath the costume. Otherwise it’s too easy to go too fantastic and too unrealistic, and you start getting into farce. How do you maintain that it’s still a human being that’s in there? This is why, when the character has troubles personally and/or you see the repercussions of what he does, to me those are more interesting in terms of writing. If you look at the first arc I wrote, I intentionally tore his costume and cracked the lens on his eyes and pounded him, because, again I don’t think these guys should be getting in a fight with Doctor Doom, with his laser beams and his steel glove, and walking away from it unscathed. If you look at a heavyweight boxer who goes fifteen rounds SPIDER-MAN ROUNDTABLE | 39

with another heavyweight boxer, although he may have won the decision, by the fifteenth round he f*ckin’ hurts the next day. He knows he was in a fight. Whether he won or not, he was in a fight. I think we acknowledge the consequences of having to be a hero, and that there is real physical pain. I think it’s necessary to show from time to time, and a lot of great writers have done it, the un-fun part of having to save the day for the average citizen. MILGROM: Trying to do new, fresh stuff on a character that’s so well established, while competing with far better writers. O’NEIL: Hard so say…Balancing the nerdish with the heroic, maybe. SIMONSON: Trying not to cram too much into the stories. STERN: When I was writing the series, the hardest thing for me was dealing with the ever-shifting deadlines. You probably remember that, Danny. At one point in the early 1980s, there was a move to build more time into the

schedule. Not a bad idea, really. But instead of moving deadlines closer by a day or so every month, they were moved up by weeks overnight. Some of us went from being two weeks ahead of schedule to six weeks behind. I mean, I believe in deadlines, but this was ridiculous! I hated that pressure. It took me at least a year to get back ahead of the schedule. THOMAS: I had little patience for all the soap opera soliloquizing. As I said, I felt it worked in the book, but it wasn’t my kind of thing. WEIN: Maintaining the quality. WOLFMAN: Keeping in mind the attitude of the character. The moving back and forth from Spidey’s outer confidence to his inner monologue which is anything but confident. It’s a fine line; move too much in one direction and Spidey is too cocky. Move in the other and he’s pathetic. FINGEROTH: What’s the most fun about writing Spider-Man? BENDIS: The wisecracking. He’s a trash talking basketball player on the court. He’s nothing but fun. He says every witty thing you wish you would have thought of at the moment you were in a difficult situation. CONWAY: Exploring the lives of Peter Parker and his cast of characters. DAVID: The wisecracks. Spider-Man has the snappiest sense of humor of any character in the MU. DeFALCO: The villains, the dialogue, the crazy uses for his powers, Pete himself…and, of course, I loved working with Ron Frenz! DeMATTEIS: No matter what he’s going through, Peter Parker has a wonderful sense of humor. It keeps him going...and it allows the stories to breathe. “Kraven’s Last Hunt” was extremely grim, there wasn’t a lot of room for humor in that one; but, in general, Peter’s sense of humor is the saving grace of the book— just as it’s often the saving grace in life. Even when, especially when, things get rough, you’ve got to keep joking, laughing, looking for the absurdity in the situation. And Peter always does that. FINGEROTH: It has to be getting to write Peter and SpiderMan’s (hopefully) witty dialogue, especially during the fight scenes, but the rest of the time, too. When you can have him get off a really funny remark while in action, it feels great.

In Marvel Team-Up, vol. 1, #1, Roy Thomas gave readers a look into the personal life of one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, the Sandman. The art’s by the classic team of Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.]

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MACKIE: Sitting down at the keyboard and beginning a story with something like, “Spider-Man swings over the Manhattan skyline...” And then you think, “Whoa! I’m getting paid to do this?” Plus, back when I was writing Spider-Man, I got to work with some of the most creative and fun people in the industry. We had pretty regular get togethers in which I was brought together with the likes of Tom DeFalco, J.M. DeMatteis, Todd DeZago, Terry

Kavanagh, Mark Bagley, Alex Saviuk, John Romita Jr., Danny Fingeroth, and more writers, artists, editors... and we had FUN! I truly believe that the fun we had in the meetings was conveyed onto the pages of the monthly comics. McFARLANE: It’s (A) tipping your hat to the history of the character as it pertains to you when you’re now going to write that next issue, (B) trying to actually add to that history in a unique fashion, (C) having fun with the heroic part of it, and (D), writing something again that has the readers going, “Okay, it’s not just good guy versus bad guy, there’s some soap opera that’s in there, too.” And so, it’s, again, a balance of writing any good sort of American novel, if you will. How do you get people intrigued by all the facets that people are coming to the table looking for? MILGROM: Hey, he’s a great character. Despite all the trials and tribulations, he’s got an optimism and joy that’s hard to resist. O’NEIL: Same thing. Nerd and hero in one package. SIMONSON: Just doing it. Coming up with the stories. And, of course, those few issues working with you as editor, Danny, were really fun. STERN: When you’ve got him swinging around, mixing it up with someone twice his size, and you start putting words in his mouth — and the lines just start flowing — that’s magic. When you’re in that zone, it’s like you become Spider-Man. THOMAS: Taking him to the Savage Land, in those four issues. And Morbius. And, in Marvel Team-Up #1, the personal interplay with Sandman and his mother. Always something other than Spidey himself. The least fun was having to deal with the extra arms that Stan gave Spidey at the end of #100. For one thing, I couldn’t seem to inspire Gil to do anything with them... they just flail around, and then suddenly vanish like will of the wisps at the end of #102, and I didn’t have time or space to change that, since Gil had (as per usual) run out of room at the end of the story, since he rarely paced things out in advance. WEIN: Easy, all the snappy patter. Spidey’s a character you can really cut loose with and every writer who’s understood that has had a great ride. WOLFMAN: His dialogue. You can write the most outrageous lines and they are fun to read. FINGEROTH: Who’s your favorite Spider-Man villain, and why? BENDIS: That’s difficult. I’m going to say Kingpin, because, especially in Ultimate Spider-Man, he represents this hard lesson you learn growing up: that bad people get away with sh*t. He represents all that to Peter. And also, to the Kingpin, Peter is this thing that he can’t kill. He just can’t do it. He just can’t get a hand on him. There’s nothing he can do that will make Peter afraid of him, and Peter will just make fat jokes to his face and web his feet to the

floor. This image of this man who has tried so hard to accumulate all this wealth and respect, but there’s this little f*cker who’s not even going to acknowledge any of it. That’s a lot of fun to write. CONWAY: Doc Ock – because in the early days at least, he was so over the top. DAVID: Mysterio. I haven’t the faintest idea why. DeFALCO: Doctor Octopus…because he’s the man Pete might have grown up to be…if Uncle Ben and Aunt May hadn’t raised him correctly. DeMATTEIS: The Harry Osborn Green Goblin. I love the dynamic of two best friends who are also mortal enemies. Who love each other but are on wildly opposite paths. Gerry Conway did great work setting that dynamic up...and I had a wonderful time, over the course of two years, bringing it all to a boil. Spectacular Spider-Man #200, which featured Harry’s death, is the Spider-Man story I’m most proud of. (It helped that it was brilliantly illustrated by Sal Buscema.) SPIDER-MAN ROUNDTABLE | 41

FINGEROTH: Doc Ock. While the Green Goblins may have more personal grudges against Spider-Man, it’s the fact that Ock is a version of what Peter could have become that makes him appealing. Or maybe it’s just that there’s something cool about those mechanical arms. MACKIE: I could choose any of those characters that Stan created within the first years of Amazing Spider-Man—they were the most fun for me to read. But the most fun to write... Norman Osborn. Not the Green Goblin, but the man beneath the mask. The complexity of his twisted soul allowed for an exploration into the darkest which lie beneath many, but were so close to the surface for him.

McFARLANE: I had a part in co-creating that Venom guy, which I think is pretty cool–but I still think it’s a guy like Green Goblin. I’m sort of partial to the original bad guys for a lot of superheroes, because they’re the ones that have been around the longest and that you react to. Green Goblin, although he isn’t a monster, when he puts a mask on he looks like a monster, and then, again, there’s a schizo behind it. A true madman is more interesting than a guy who’s completely insane. Y’know, like the Kingpin seems a little bit more dangerous than the Joker, because the Joker’s too easy to just go, “Ah, he’s nuts.” I mean, okay, crazy people do crazy things. But I always find it more intriguing with people who actually have their wits about them that actually do things that you would consider to be insane. Like, “go take that man’s children and cut their heads off and leave a message.” You go, “That guy knows what he’s doing and does it anyway” where you could argue that the Joker just does it haphazardly. So, to me, the Green Goblin in his original form, Osborn, sort of knew what he was doing a la the Jeffery Dahmers of the world. They should know better, and they still continue to do it. MILGROM: Probably Doc Ock. So Cool! So Wonky! And there’s some weird appeal about a villain who actually has eight appendages fighting a hero who’s named for an arachnid which also has eight limbs... O’NEIL: Doc Ock, maybe. A unique take on the classic mad scientist archetype. SIMONSON: Oh gee. I dunno. I like the old villains like Doc Ock and the Green Goblin and the Vulture, I guess. Maybe cause I was imprinted by them as an early reader. STERN: It’s the Vulture hands down. Now that may be because one of the earliest Spider-Man stories I read was a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #7—Spider-Man with a bum arm, taking on the Vulture in the Daily Bugle Building. That was so great! You can have your Green Goblin or your Doctor Octopus, but for my money the Vulture is the Spider-Man foe. The Vulture versus Spider-Man is old age and treachery versus youth and enthusiasm. I couldn’t believe that Stan had never given the old bird an origin. And I couldn’t believe my luck when I got a chance to write him one. THOMAS: Dr. Octopus is the best... but I like Sandman a lot. Always wanted to write him as a Plastic Man type. WEIN: Ego would say one of the characters I created while on Amazing Spider-Man or Marvel Team-Up — Mirage,

Before he was Daredevil’s deadliest foe, the Kingpin of Crime put the squeeze on Spider-Man, as seen in this cover for Amazing Spider-Man #69. Stan Lee wrote the story. The art’s by John Romita, Sr. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.]

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Basilisk, W.H.O., Stegron the Dinosaur Man, Will-o’-the-Wisp, Rocket Racer, Jigsaw (though he’s gone on to become the Punisher’s archenemy, so go figure) — but at the heart of me, it’s Doctor Octopus! Always has been, always will be. WOLFMAN: Well, I’d like to say Black Cat since I created her [in The Amazing Spider-Man #194], and indeed she’s one of my favorites, but I also loved writing Doc Ock. I’m not sure why but he’s really a good character. FINGEROTH: What are you proudest of that you’ve done on your Spider-Man run(s)? BENDIS: My proudest moment was issue #13 of Ultimate Spider-Man when Peter told Mary Jane he was SpiderMan. It was kind of like a one-act play in a comic book. That represented a lot of good things for me. I kind of knew I was going to have a long, good time at Marvel after that was produced, just the way it was handled internally, even though that wasn’t part of the plan, and ultimately how it was received by readers who weren’t sure about me and from that story kind of made the decision about me, that was kind of nice. That meant a lot to me in just pure emotion. And also I’m pretty pleased with the “Clone Saga” that we’re doing right now, and I’m loving the reaction, because everyone told me not to do it. CONWAY: Raising the bar for everyone who came after me when I wrote the death of Gwen Stacy. DAVID: Believe it or not, probably the Spider-Man short story called “Five Minutes” that I wrote for a collection [The Ultimate Spider-Man a prose anthology published by Byron Preiss Multimedia/Berkley Books in 1994—DF] some years back. I think it’s probably the single most effective story I’ve ever produced. DeFALCO: The fleshed out origin of Doctor Octopus, Mary Jane’s backstory and the battle with Firelord. DeMATTEIS: “Kraven’s Last Hunt” is the one that people seem to remember (Mike Zeck was at an absolute peak; his work was extraordinary and contributed so much to the ultimate success of the story)...and it’s a damn good piece of work...but, as mentioned above, I think the Harry Osborn material is even better. FINGEROTH: I think The Deadly Foes of Spider-Man limited series was an interesting look into the world of supervillains. It wasn’t of the school of gritty-to-an-extreme that we see so much of—the villains behaved in what may be seen today as a restrained way—but I think I got into some sense of why these people with great power felt that it either gave them no added responsibility, or if they did feel that it gave them responsibility, that they interpreted that differently than Spider-Man did. MACKIE: I am proud to have been offered the chance to chronicle a brief run in the adventures of one of the most wonderful comic creations in history. I am proud, and grateful, to have had the opportunity to have worked alongside such great creators as Tom DeFalco, John Romita Jr., John Romita Sr., J.M. DeMatteis, Terry Kavanagh, John

A page from Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley’s Ultimate Spider-Man #13. By the time they’re through, this team will have done a record 110 issues of the mag! Inks by Art Thibert. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.] Byrne, Todd DeZago, Mark Bagley, Danny Fingeroth, Ralph Macchio, Ron Lim, Ron Garney and a bunch of others. I am proud of the small part I had in the Death of Aunt May storyline... J.M. and I were certain that we could be arrested for murder if our phones were being tapped and we were plotting out the death of the old lady. And then there is a little story I wrote called “Who Did Joey Z?” I like that one a lot. McFARLANE: Y’know, I didn’t do it nearly as long as probably most everybody else you’re interviewing here, so probably being able to tap into writing stories that I knew the visuals were going to also match up with the writing, having the luxury that I was also sharing a body with the guy who did the drawing. So I was able to write and come up with visuals and story elements that I knew I was going to be able to tackle artistically, and I can’t necessarily say that if I write a story for somebody else, they’ll be able to do it as well as I think I could, or they’ll do it twice as good, or maybe I’m not taking advantage of what they may be able to do. Ultimately, it was my first writing gig. I’m probably the only guy who can say that. So being able to look at the first issue I did and at the last issue and to say that I got at least nominally better than when I started. SPIDER-MAN ROUNDTABLE | 43

MILGROM: I’m glad I didn’t kill the appeal of the character. And despite what anyone says, I like the SPOT character I created. Inspired by Chuck Jones, I loved the broad slapstick of the character. By the way, I was upset when they used him in a Spidey cartoon sequence and the narrator mispronounced his last name. It’s Jonathon Ohn—pronounced “On” as in Johnny Ohn, the Spot. Johnny-on-the-spot! Get it? Well, I thought it was funny (or at least punny)! O’NEIL: No one thing comes to mind. SIMONSON: Hard to say. My run was pretty short-lived. STERN: Oh, come on, that’s like asking a father to pick his favorite child. I’m really pretty happy with that first extended run – from Spectacular Spider-Man #43 through Amazing Spider-Man #250. People always mention “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man,” and I am proud of that story, but I’m just as proud of “Daydreamers,” the Vulture stories, the Cobra-and-Hyde stories, the Juggernaut story, the annual that introduced Captain Marvel, and all my chapters of the Hobgoblin saga. 44 | WRITE NOW

Tom DeFalco had several different stints writing Spider-Man. In Amazing Spider-Man #260, he teamed up with penciler Ron Frenz and inker Joe Rubinstein to bring on the action. [© 2006 Marvel Characters.]

I’m also happy with the Spider-projects I got to write years later Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives, the Amazing Spider-Man ’97 Annual, Untold Tales of Spider-Man: Strange Encounters, Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin. I just wish that I’d been allowed to write more. Overall, I’d have to say I feel honored that a lot of people still seem to remember my stories fondly after all these years. THOMAS: Though I didn’t do it for long, I am proud of my run on Amazing Spider-Man. WEIN: Getting rid of that stupid clone (or so I thought), and the relationship between Harry and Liz. Getting to work on a regular basis with the incredible Ross Andru. The story “The Longest Hundred Yards” and, of course, one of my all-time favorite story titles: “Arm-in-arm-inarm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm with Doctor Octopus.”

WOLFMAN: A couple of things. I liked my story where JJJ is attached to Spider-Man by a bomb handcuff [in The Amazing Spider-Man #’s 191 and 192]. It really allowed me to get into both their heads in ways I’d not seen before. I also liked my Kingpin story—for those who might not remember, Kingpin was a Spider-Man villain until he was later put into Daredevil. In order to appease his wife, Vanessa, Kingpin promised her he’d give up his criminal ways at a specific time and day. He managed to defeat Spider-Man and was about to kill him when the clock struck. He could have killed Spidey— his hated foe—except that he promised Vanessa he’d walk away from his past life. And he did what he promised. I thought that gave depth to what had previously just been a more typical super-villain. Finally, I really did like the Black Cat. Besides being Spidey’s first female villain, she created a conflict in his mind, which is always good for that character.

and all the rest of it. But at some point it has to get beyond that and once it’s beyond that, then what’s that driving force in you? The revenge factor only goes so far, it only lasts so long, so why have you made it a career? After all these years, there’s something in your DNA that sort of makes you want to do this. What is that?” MILGROM: “Keep up the good work. And get a financial advisor.” O’NEIL: I’d ask him “Is the spider-sense for real? I mean, really?” I’d tell him to let go of the past—the same thing I’d tell Batman! SIMONSON: “Don’t sweat the small stuff and grab your fun where you can! And by the way, good job!” STERN: I’d ask him if he knew a way that I could stay young the way he does. And, depending on when we met, I’d tell him, “Don’t marry Mary Jane. Big mistake! Oh, and keep your mask on, kid!” THOMAS: “Stop beating yourself up for Uncle Ben’s death.”

FINGEROTH: If you could meet SpiderMan, what would you like to ask or tell him?

WEIN: “Shmuck, you’re married to one of the most beautiful women in the world, and you have people who love you without reservation. Lighten up a little, okay?”

BENDIS: “There’s a lot more ways to make money off this than you think, that wouldn’t be selling out.” CONWAY: “Sorry about that.”

WOLFMAN: “Are you nuts?” DAVID: “If you’re done with Mary Jane, can I have her?”

During his run as writer-artist of DeFALCO: “You think you’ve Spectacular Spidergot it tough now, in a certain Man, Al Milgrom put alternate universe you’ve got Spidey through his the additional headache of a paces against classic teenage daughter!” villains, and new ones, such as The Hermit. DeMATTEIS: “Hey, Pete—thanks for those royalties in the ’90s! They helped build my house!”

FINGEROTH: Is there anything you’d like to say about writing Spider-Man not covered by my questions? BENDIS: Best job ever. I’ve written X-Men, Daredevil, Avengers, and all the others, but [Spider-Man] is the greatest job ever. It really is. CONWAY: Nope.

FINGEROTH: “Y’know, you didn’t pull the trigger—the burglar did. Give yourself a break.”

DAVID: Nope. DeFALCO: I just hope that the fans had as much fun reading my stories as I had producing them and I’d like to thank everyone for just being there!

MACKIE: “Clone or not?” McFARLANE: Probably, in the true sense, why does he do it, and how big does that “why” answer go? “I mean, again, I understand that somebody whacked your uncle

DeMATTEIS: Just that working on a classic character like Spider-Man, contributing to the mythos in any way, was a genuine honor. SPIDER-MAN ROUNDTABLE | 45

I’d also like to say thanks to Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita, Sr. If it wasn’t for what those guys did...we wouldn’t be having this conversation!

And people don’t want to hang around guys like that too much. You have to introduce a little bit of levity, and Peter already had some of the levity built into him.

FINGEROTH: It’s really an incredible feeling to write adventures for a cultural icon, knowing that whatever you write—good, bad, or indifferent—will become part of the Spider-Man canon forever. Talk about great power and great responsibility!

MILGROM: Probably, but I’d better get back to work, so I’ll have to think about that at a later date.

McFARLANE: I think Spider-Man has a lot of flavor, and unlike Superman, Batman, and some of the other mainstay characters—Captain America I put in that category, maybe even Thor with Blake, Bruce Banner— they don’t seem to want to smile and goof off as much as Peter Parker. Peter Parker can understand that if he takes this too seriously, a la Batman, he probably will drive himself insane because of the reality of what he’s doing. So because of that, whether it’s a survival mechanism or it’s just an internal thing that he does because he’s actually just a goofball, he does it. He sees that it doesn’t have to be dead-nut serious. I had to actually introduce that element into Spawn years later, because I knew that my guy was going to be this grim, solemn guy, y’know?

SPIDER-WRITER BIOS: Spider-Man-centric info about the roundtablers. Needless to say, their complete resumes are much longer than this. ASM = Amazing Spider-Man MTU = Marvel Team-Up, Starring Spider-Man

SSM = (Peter Parker) the Spectacular Spider-Man Web = Web of Spider-Man SM = (adjectiveless) Spider-Man Brian Michael Bendis has been writing Ultimate Spider-Man for more than a hundred consecutive issues—starting with #1—and shows no signs of stopping. Gerry Conway wrote ASM in the 1970s and SSM in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. He wrote the groundbreaking death of Gwen Stacy story in ASM #121 and co-created the Punisher in ASM #129. Peter David has written ASM and SSM, including the “Death of Jean DeWolf” in SSM. He helped launch the Marvel 2099 line as writer of Spider-Man 2099. Peter recently returned to Spidey as writer of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Tom DeFalco wrote ASM in the 1980s when he and Ron Frenz introduced Spidey’s black costume. Tom returned to Spider-Man in the 1990s, first on SSM, then moving onto ASM. He co-created, Spider-Girl— starring Peter and Mary Jane’s daughter— which he continues to write today.

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O’NEIL: Nope. SIMONSON: Nope. Except that I really was grateful for the opportunity to do so. So thanks! THOMAS: No, except that there are days I wish I’d written The Amazing Spider-Man again when Stan gave it up permanently a few months after he returned... because they reprint those stories, and the royalties—excuse me, incentive payments... would be nice. But I feel Gerry Conway had a better feel for the character than I would have. WEIN: When it’s working, it’s probably more fun than human beings should be allowed to have. WOLFMAN: Nope.

J.M. DeMatteis first wrote Spider-Man in the pages of MTU, then unleashed the groundbreaking Spidey saga, “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” He’s had memorable stints on SSM and ASM, including the landmark issue ASM #400. Danny Fingeroth wrote a run of Web, as well as three Spider-Man limited series, including The Deadly Foes of Spider-Man. He was also Group Editor of the Spider-Man line. Howard Mackie started his career as a Spider-Man writer when he took over Web in the early 1990s. He later took over the writing chores of SM, and then in the late ’90s wrote both SM and the re-launched ASM. Todd McFarlane’s association with Spider-Man began when he was tapped to take over the penciling of ASM with issue #298. During this time, he co-created Venom. He then went on to become the writer and artist of SM. Al Milgrom wrote a year’s worth of SSM, including issue #100, in the 1980s. He returned to Spider-Man in the early 1990s to script the six part story “Round Robin: the Sidekick’s Revenge.” which ran in ASM #s 353358. Al was also regular penciler on SSM in the ’80s.

Dennis O’Neil had a run on ASM in the early ’80s, and did a couple of memorable Spidey annuals with Frank Miller. Louise Simonson had a short but distinguished tenure as a Spidey writer. She wrote the first three issues of Web as well as MTU #149 &150, and MTU Annual #7. Roger Stern got his start as a Spider-Man writer scripting SSM in the late 1970s. He soon jumped to ASM, where he wrote many well-remembered stories, including the intro of Hobgoblin, and the classic “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man.” Roy Thomas had a brief stint as the writer of ASM (#s 101-104), during which he co-created Morbius the Living Vampire. He also wrote the first issue of MTU. He also wrote a one-shot The Way to Dusty Death teaming SpiderMan with Doctor Strange. Len Wein wrote 30 issues (#s 151-180) of ASM in the 1970s. Len also co-wrote, with Marv Wolfman, the first prose Spider-Man novel, Mayhem in Manhattan. Marv Wolfman wrote more than 20 issues of ASM during the late 1970s, including issue #200, and co-created Spidey’s sometime adversary, sometime girlfriend, The Black Cat.

THE END

NOT A PLATYPUS:

THE REBIRTH OF MYSTERY IN SPACE

by Jim Starlin

ast issue, writer-artist Jim Starlin showed us some cool script and art from his The Weird feature in Mystery in Space. This time around, Jim gives us the lowdown on how he got involved with MIS to begin with—including his reimagining of Captain Comet. Take it away, Jim… —DF All things evolve, figuratively going from single cell organism to plankton to fish to amphibian to mammal and eventually becoming their equivalent of either man or platypus. Businesses and business practices are no exception to this rule. In the comic book industry, evolution has made some huge leaps in the past couple of decades. Hand lettering and little old ladies sitting in a windowless office somewhere in New Jersey, separating comic book colors for publication, have evolved into much simpler operations done on computers. But I believe the greatest change has taken place in the area of how a comic book comes into being: the conception process. Now to establish my own bona fides, let me remind the reader that I have been in the biz since 1972 and enjoy a pretty successful career in the comic book industry. Today there are perhaps only a half a dozen other creators that have more collected volumes of their past work currently in print. So one would think that getting a comic book project off the ground wouldn’t be a problem for me. Well, you’d be wrong. Process is king. Back in ’72, after a run on Captain Marvel, I stopped by the Marvel Comic offices to speak to then editor Roy Thomas about my next project. At that meeting we decided I’d take a crack at another outer space oriented hero. That night I began penciling the first page of the Warlock series. But since then movie tie-ins and myriad merchandising deals have come into the equation. DC and Marvel Comics aren’t the small operations they once were. So let us now consider a new project I’m working on at DC: the revival of Mystery in Space. Warning: this tale will be strictly from my prospective, the freelance artist/writer point of view. I have made no attempt to fill in empty spaces in my knowledge by interviewing anyone up at DC about the following events. This is absolutely an exercise in subjective ignorance.

So to begin with, I was in the middle of the second volume of Kid Kosmos for Dynamite Entertainment and decided, once this graphic novel was done, that getting my name out there more broadly amidst the comic-book-buying public would be a wise career move. The best method for accomplishing this end would be taking on a job for either DC or Marvel Comics. There’s two ways one can set about gaining such employment. #1: You can phone overworked editors, most of whom are desperately trying to catch up with their deadlines, and leave a message on their answering units, to see if they’re interested in working with you on some project. What will probably then happen is said editor will write a note to remind him or herself to give you a call back. That note will then disappear beneath a mountain of late work and never be seen again. #2: You can go to a comic book convention, have a few drinks in the evening with fellow freelancers and editors and something may just rise out of this strange mix of camaraderie, reunion, alcohol, ego inflation and JIM STARLIN | 47

deflation, paranoia and confusion that is the after-con happy hours. I chose to take my shot at the Baltimore Comic Convention. But Dan DiDio and I actually connected up on the con floor rather than over a beer. I was looking for a job and he was interested in having me write this particular project he had in mind. A number of phone calls and a few weeks later, Dan and I mutually agreed I wasn’t right for the abovementioned project after all. But we’d meet at the Philly Con in a couple of weeks and talk possibilities. That’s when MIS came into the picture. Right off the bat I got a good hit off Dan, could see that he appreciated writing. This is something not all comic book folk take into honest consideration. What has good writing got to do with a visual medium? Dan told me DC had plans to revive Mystery in Space with Adam Strange. Mr. DiDio wanted the character jazzed up in some new way. I was hooked. As a kid I spent many a transit vacation hour in the back of the family station wagon, enjoying Covers to issues #1 and 2 of Adam’s quirky adventures and studying Jim’s Kid Kosmos, which is a the breathtaking art of direct continuation of his Carmine Infantino and Cosmic Guard series. [© 2006 Jim Starlin] Murphy Anderson. Yes, this was a project I could and would get obsessive about. But then Dan laid the bombshell on me. Mystery in Space would be linked to DC’s next big crossover miniseries, 52. I tried to conceal the horror this revelation stirred within me. Now if you’ve been in the business for any length of time, you know that coming in on a job that is connected to a crossover is very similar to leaping through the window of a fast moving train without jostling any of your fellow passengers. I’d been involved with many of them over the years and can assure you that, as far as freelancers are concerned, there are only two types of crossovers: the annoying hassle crossover and the total disaster crossover. The upside was that we’d be working nearly a year ahead of schedule on Mystery in Space and 52 could work around and with what we did in our project. I’m 48 | WRITE NOW

absolutely certain Dan believed this to be true when he assured me that things on this project would go smoothly. And I, optimistic fool that I am, wanted to believe. So I proceeded to begin revamping Adam Strange, even though I hadn’t yet seen all of what Andy Diggle and Pascaul Ferry were currently doing with the character. Those books eventually caught up with me and I was filled in on what would happen in the Rann-Thanagar War [limited series]. I adjusted my synopsis accordingly and by the time I polished it up, I was quite proud of my Adam Strange proposal. Our hero would be going in a radically new and complex direction. This would be an Adam Strange no one had ever before seen. Of course by now you realize this is also an Adam Strange no one will ever see. But I’ll get back to that. Experience had taught me that for a project to survive at either of the major comic book companies it needed a paladin— a champion—within the community. Yes, I said community. For each of the majors is very much like a small village in the middle of Manhattan, populated by real and fictional folk, who have their own game agendas and insecurities. Yes, Dan DiDio had started the wheels rolling on Mystery in Space, but I knew the man currently had several dozen different plates spinning at the end of different sticks. Mystery in Space desperately needed an editor to assure it didn’t get lost in the shuffle. Once again a comic book convention proved the solution, this time in Barcelona, Spain. Bob Schreck and I had never worked together but had run into each other many times at cons. I knew his rep as a professional. It was solid. Now working with an editor is one of those strange relationships you just can’t easily describe in print. A good editor knows the territory and can subtly guide you to fruition without yanking the steering wheel from your hands. I’ve worked with some of the best, like Archie Goodwin and Roy Thomas. I’ve also worked with the other end of the spectrum.

Even your average comic book artist or writer is a rather dedicated fanatic, pouring their very hearts and souls into their work. The editor then has the option of either nurturing and refining the product of that loving labor or pissing on it. The latter occurs either through malice (just occasionally) or ignorance (more often than you’d think possible). Believe it or not, I once worked with an editor who didn’t know the difference between a caption and a panel. And, no, I’m not going to tell you who that was. I knew from the grapevine I wouldn’t have such problems with Bob. Plus, he’d worked long-term with Frank Miller, which meant he was used to debate as a facet of the job. An editor that goes along with anything you want to do is useless. An editor that wants it all his way and won’t listen to argument is a disaster, usually looking for safe territory that doesn’t actually exist. So I nosed up to Bob, during one of the numerous dinners European cons treat you to, with the notion of subtlety feeling him out about working together on the project. Then someone pointed out we were wearing the same shirt (different colors but the same pattern). I decided on the spot that was a sign from on high and just out and out asked him if he’d edit Mystery in Space, and he agreed. Yes, comic book folk are a highly superstitious lot, always looking for omens and mystical guidance. At this point it became Bob’s job to shepherd the Mystery in Space synopsis through DC Comics’ approval process. Being on the outside I really have no

idea how many folks had to read the proposal and okay it. Dan Didio and Paul Levitz were most definitely in the mix. Occasionally Schreck would mention someone’s name I’d never heard of before and can’t recall now. But he assured me things were moving along. So I sat back and did the freelance fret-andwatch-the-phone-not-ring shuffle. Waiting on project approval is easily my least favorite aspect of the job. Weeks turned into months. How many I can’t remember. But at the time I’m sure it felt like several dozen. It always does. Fortunately I was pretty busy finishing off the coloring on Kid Kosmos, so I didn’t have much time to obsess and go too crazy—though I did sort of accidentally eat one of my cats during this time frame. But I’m sure that’s a story nobody really wants to hear. But the thing about working for the majors is the fact that they’re both part of larger corporations. The more people you get involved in anything, the more likely it is that communication breaks down. And that’s exactly what happened with Mystery in Space. To this day I’m not exactly sure how this came about (I’ve heard three different versions) and in the long run it really doesn’t matter. It just happened. It appears that while one part of DC Comics was preparing for Mystery in Space with Adam Strange another sector of the company was determining that certain central characters in the 52 series would not be used for a year after the miniseries ended. Because Adam didn’t have a book of his own no one figured anyone had to be contacted to let them know Mr. Strange was among this group. I was vacationing with friends on Lake Michigan when Bob broke the news to me. We were still going JIM STARLIN | 49

So I wandered down the beach, thinking dark thoughts and scheming on how I could gracefully duck out of the Mystery in Space project. But then a funny thing happened as I cooled down. I started considering Captain Comet’s flaws and began to realize they could be turned into assets. Comet (I was already shedding his unearned title) was a hero who never really got his act together. The guy was no superstar. He was a working class grunt; going from fighting invisible aliens and talking clothes in the fifties to being second banana to The Secret Society of Super Villains in the eighties to finally morphing unexplainably into the respected old man of space heroes in present day comics. As far as I know, he’d never even been considered for membership in the JLA.

to do Mystery in Space, but now without Adam Strange. Instead, Dan had decided the book’s lead feature would be Captain Comet with the Weird as a backup. To say I was terribly disappointed would be extreme understatement. I was appalled and flabbergasted! Someone had to pay for this outrage! But the complexity of the corporate entity is such that I had no clear idea who to set my assassins after, so I went for a walk along the beach instead. The truth is I just couldn’t get my head around the idea of Mystery in Space without Adam Strange. It was like Starsky without Hutch! The Weird—a character who’d starred in a miniseries Bernie Wrightson and I did for DC back in 1987—as a back up feature I could easily live with. In fact I’d actually already been toying around with some ideas about him. But Captain Comet?! Okay, I know I’m about to horribly offend a bunch of old Captain Comet fans. Tough. Like Adam Strange, Captain Comet is one of my childhood vacation memories, with great art by Murphy Anderson. But as a character there was a vast difference between Strange and Comet. No zeta beams in the Captain’s series. Comet’s origin consisted of Adam Blake discovering he is a so-called throw forward, a telepath born 100,000 years before his time. A long way of saying mutant, I guess. I’ll spare you the rest of my rant about how silly I think the original Captain Comet series was. All I’ll say is, even as a child I realized Captain Comet didn’t belong to any kind of military outfit. The man had obviously just plain given himself the rank of Captain. 50 | WRITE NOW

The more I looked at Comet the more I realized there were many oddly quirky and terribly funny aspects to the character that could be modified and amplified. Plus, in retrospect, I realize the plot I was developing had elements of humor to it that Adam Strange wouldn’t have easily lent himself to. A long time back an editor, who’d just adopted a pooch of his own, had inappropriately suggested I add a dog to a story I was then working on. I’d passed on the idea then but dusted it off now and added a voice and lousy attitude to the mix. And so Tyrone, Comet’s pet bulldog and companion, was born. By the time I came back from my walk I had Comet’s entire back-story mapped out. Once I returned home from vacation, a number of elements from the Adam Strange synopsis were cherry-picked to go into the Comet/Weird tale. Somewhere along the way it was decided (again I don’t remember if was by me or someone at DC) that the Comet and Weird stories should be linked. The new Mystery in Space proposal was completed in record time and dropped back into the DC Comic approval system. Again, the waiting. Harder this time, because I only had a few pages of Kid Kosmos left to color and nothing set up to work on afterwards. Bad planning on my part. I think my constant calling up and whining got Bob Schreck to fast-track the second proposal helped. It galloped through the approval process in weeks rather than months. An artist had been attached to the original Adam Strange proposal but since been lured away to another project during MIS’s approval process. So a new artist for Comet had to be found.

Bob came up with a young artist to pencil Comet and sent over some scans of a Marvel Team-Up book one Shane Davis had recently drawn. To tell the truth I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed by the art. But Schreck assured me the lad had improved vastly since that job. Then Shane’s Batman pages started coming my way. Schreck was right. The kid was good. Bob set him to designing MIS characters between Batman pages. I approached Bernie Wrightson about drawing the Weird again, knowing the chances of tempting him from his work in Hollywood to be slim. I was right. So the Weird was reduced to having his new adventures being drawn by the artist that originally only designed his costume—me! I started writing scripts for Comet, knowing they wouldn’t be penciled until after Shane finished his Batman run. Between those scripts, I wrote and drew installments of the Weird. I was working on issue #5 when the first of Shane’s Comet pages started coming in. The Batman pages had been impressive. The Comet pages were simply mind-blowing! I suddenly realized I was working on what was going to be a very special book. As of this writing, Shane’s completed the pencils for his first installment of Comet (I can’t rave about them enough). I just turned in the pencils and script for the sixth installment of The Weird and am working on the third’s coloring. I occasionally drive Shane crazy with demands for character designs that the Weird series needs now, but that he won’t be getting around to drawing into the Comet series until months from now. Al Milgrom inks away on the Weird and Matt Banning delineates Shane’s Comet pages with Jeremy Cox waiting to do his computer pigment thing. Yes, it’s been a long and rather (please excuse the pun) weird road that has led to this time and space. Actually, aside from Adam Strange’s unexpected departure from the project, MIS made it through the approval machine relatively smoothly and unharmed. Horrific surprises were kept to a minimum. I can now see from this vantage point that Mystery in Space is going to be one of those books I can look back at with more than a little pride. You can never tell about these things at the beginning of the journey. Some series start off badly and turn into something terrific like the Cosmic Odyssey. While others look great at the starting line and degenerate into chaos like Valiant’s Unity series did. But Mystery in Space is definitely one for the plus column. I have to admit, the fan boy in me can’t wait to see MIS in the shops. My thanks to Brandon Monclare, Bob’s assistant editor, and all the abovementioned folks. Congratulations, guys, the end result of our laborious joint gestation is most definitely no platypus.

Dramatic final page from Jim’s Captain Comet story in Mystery in Space #1. Art by Shane Davis and Dexter Vines. [© 2006 DC Comics] About Jim Starlin: Born James P Starlin, October 9th, 1949, in Detroit Michigan. Educated in a Parochial (Catholic) grade school and public high school. Served in the U.S. Navy, 1968-71, as a photographer’s mate. Started at Marvel Comics in 1972, and has been working on and off with comics ever since. Works include Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, ‘Breed, Captain Marvel, Cosmic Odyssey, Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir, Doctor Strange, Dreadstar, Gilgamesh II, Hardcore Station, Infinity Abyss, Infinity Crusade, Infinity Gauntlet/War, Iron Man, Master of Kung Fu, Silver Surfer, Thanos Quest, The End of the Marvel Universe, Warlock and the Infinity Watch, Warlock, Wyrd: The Reluctant Warrior, Mystery in Space, Thanos, and now Kid Kosmos: The Cosmic Guard and Kid Kosmos Kidnapped. Currently penciling and writing a space-oriented miniseries for DC Comics that will come out in October 2007.

THE END

JIM STARLIN | 51

Page 1 Splash Panel: We start off Comet (in his new outfit andwith a street scene set on Hardcore Station, in the residentia futuristic -looking apartment looking like a very fit twenty-something,) has just walk l district. building and is being set upon ed out of a Captain Comet clones who work by for the Eternal Light Corporatifive assailants. Shane, these are the monks. on. I’ll refer to them as the hood ed There’s no design yet for these because you’ll be drawing them character’s outfits so I’m going to be leaving that job feel about them. Their heads before me. They should look dark and mysterious withup to you, should be fully covered with hood a cleric s with eye cut outs. Good luck. al Two of the hooded monks are grab bing Comet by the arms. Another hero looks pained but is resis is mind blasting Comet. Our toward Comet, holding a psyc ting this assault. A fourth hooded monk is walking on it. The last hooded monk ishic restraint headband. This is just a headband with a circumenacingly itry design hovering in the air above the attac k, supervising. Maybe have a small robot hove ring in the air nearby, silently witnessing this incident. Logo: COMET Title:

ESCHATOLOGY

Credits:

Writer

Penciler

Jim Starlin Colorist ?

Shane Davis Letterer ?

Inker ?

Asst. Editor Brandon Montclare

Cap1: Muggings on the stree ts of

Editor Bob Schreck

Hardcore Station are, unfortuna tely, quite common. Cap2: But getting assaulted by five telepaths with super stren gth is something to take special note of. Cap3: For one thing, there aren ’t

all that many of us psychics arou nd. Cap4: Telepaths that can benc h press a Buick? Until ten seco nds ago I was pretty certain I it. was Cap5: Lots of questions and no time

for answers.

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Here are some of Jim Starlin’s script (“full script,” with the art and dialogue done at the same time) and Shane Davis’s pencils for the first couple of pages of Captain Comet in Mystery in Space #1. (The finished pages are inked by Dexter Vines.) The art differs from the script in several ways, while still telling the intended story. Here, on page one of the story, Davis—with clearance from writer and editor—came in close for a dramatic full-page splash. Many of the details Jim asks for in the script aren’t revealed until the next page and beyond.

Page 2 , aining him on the previous pageis one of the monks, that were restr Comet Panel 1: Comet is now flippingband device. Crash! The other monk that was holdingdriving him into the monk holding the headhis waist. Comet is hitting him with a telekinetic blast, now sunk into the street, up to k on the ground is rushing toward Comet, as if to attack. downward. The remaining mon down. dead serious about taking me Cap1: Because these guys were space. thing brea ht me about a half second of Cap2: A little leverage boug ies into the street, that these badd I was telekinetically driving Cap3: I could tell, from the creepcle department. mus outclassed me in the with k, but his assault is being met g to mind blast the rushing mon een Comet Panel 2: Comet is now tryin k. The mental forces are slamming into each other, betw another mind blast from the mon ay. and the monk. Spectacular displ level, it looked like... Cap4: But on a pure psychic et is was battling is collapsing, Com test of wills. The monk he took down, getting Panel 3: Comet has won the can see the first two monks he we et Com nd Behi . blast mind besting him with a to their feet. up on them. Cap5: I had a bit of an edge ng metal plate (6 ft. x 6 ft.) is rippi of ing at a nearby wall, where a large getting up. Show some kind were Panel 4: Comet is now point that ks mon two the mind into his telekinetic powers. The k is free of its setting and slamming Mon et’s head to indicate he’s using emanation coming from Comshould have distinctly different looks to them. The hovering rs powe inetic blasts and telek now heading toward Comet. ’s length and take them out to keep them further than arm Cap6: So the game plan was A.S.A.P.

For page 2 of the story, Jim provided a basic page layout to show how he envisioned the 4-panel page in his script looking. Shane had some other ideas for how to tell the story and submitted two different thumbnail sketches of his vision of the page for Jim and editor Bob Schreck to see. [© 2006 DC Comics]

JIM STARLIN | 53

Finally, here are Shane’s fully-rendered pencils for the page design that was agreed on. Also shown are the balloon placement guides indicating where the letterer should put the units of copy that are numbered in Jim’s script. The term “balloon placement guide” is used, even though the copy in this case is in captions, not word or thought balloons.

Note that there are fewer units of copy on the finished page then there are in the script. An editorial decision was made at some point to delete or combine some text.

THE END 54 | WRITE NOW

JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM:

SECRETS OF NONFICTION COMICS SCRIPTWRITING Fred Van Lente

hile currently doing work for Marvel and Image, Fred Van Lente’s also a prominent voice in the indy comics world. Here, Fred has taken the time to talk about some of his own experiences—and what you can learn about them. —DF PART ONE: The Truth About Nonfiction Comics— and Me. Go into the average bookstore. Go on, I’ll wait. Pay attention to how much surface area is devoted to what topics in the store: there is usually one fairly large section for “fiction and literature.” But the majority of the store is taken up by genres in the nonfiction category: Science, Nature, Travel, Gay and Lesbian Interest, Cooking, Philosophy, Religion, Judaica, Current Events, African-American Interest, History, Psychology… The list goes on and on. On the other hand, in the average comic book store you’ll find that the percentages are very much skewed in the reverse: Nonfiction makes up the smallest percentage of the available stock. If you discount the nonfiction about comics (or science fiction or video games, and related topics that could be labeled “Geek Interest”), that number drops down to a few stray titles.

Mostly, this is because, as I am sure I will shock exactly no one by asserting, what is usually referred to as the “comic book” Direct Market could be more accurately described as the “superhero market” or, even more accurately, as the “DC & Marvel Universe market.” Comics readers, no matter how sophisticated or interested in alternative books, generally started out as fans of one superhero or another and then “graduated” to other types of comics as time went on. (I’d include myself in that category.) So of course fiction, in the form of superhero comics, predominates. That said, however, the Direct Market, she is a changin’. As the mainstream publishing industry begins to embrace comics, the Direct Market is adopting more and more aspects of mainstream book publishing. A good indicator of that fact is the small but growing

market for nonfiction comics out there in Funnybookland. I discovered this myself quite by accident when I started self-publishing, with artist Ryan Dunlavey, my own nonfiction comic book series, Action Philosophers. Right off the bat I should underscore that when I refer to nonfiction comics I do not mean autobiographical comics. Ever since Harvey Pekar self-published his first issue of American Splendor back in the mid 1970s, autobiography has been one of the dominant forms of independent comics. Arguably the most famous graphic novel ever, Maus, is itself part autobiography (being as much about Spiegelman’s relationship with his father as it is a biographical account of his father’s wartime experiences). Joe Sacco’s celebrated journalism comics, Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde, are as much travel journals of Sacco’s sojourns through war zones as they are reportage, so I’d stock them on the memoir shelf as well. VAN LENTE | 55

This distinction didn’t start with me: Most creative writing departments and writing contests/grants consider “literary nonfiction” to be a separate hybrid of the two dominant forms. The reason for this, I would suspect, is that the autobiography or memoir has more structurally in common with the novel or short story than with, say, a treatise on voting patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa. Memoirs and novels are both frequently dependent on characters, dialogue, and suspense to move their narratives along. Since the nonfiction writer does not have access to the thoughts of his subjects and is held to higher standards of evidence and proof, he can rarely employ the same bag of narrative tricks available to the fiction writer. (Though some writers, like Bob Woodward of All the President’s Men fame, flagrantly disregard this fact and write internal monologues for their real-life “characters,” this is highly controversial and generally a no-no for people who are not Bob-freakin’Woodward.) Unless one actually has credible transcripts of conversations on hand, for example, it is difficult if not impossible to include long passages of dialogue in a nonfiction work. Also, any narrative, fact or fiction, tends to have the same basic structure, with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. By contrast, information in a nonfiction work is frequently organized in a non-sequential way: by, say, geographical origin, unity of concept, or some Steve Ellis’s covers for two other method. comics that he and Fred

co-created and which Fred

So, when I refer to wrote: Rightwing #44 and nonfiction comics, I mean The Silencers #1. those dealing with [Rightwing and The Silencers are both copyright the sciences and the © 2006 Fred Van Lente and Steve Ellis.] humanities: history, politics, philosophy, et cetera. And even though they’ve never been as popular as their make-believe counterparts, nonfiction comics–even as I’ve narrowly defined them above—have a long and venerable history in the medium, dating back to the Golden Age. In 1946, DC started publishing the rather redundantly titled Real Fact Comics (as opposed to Fake Fact Comics?), which ran a hodgepodge of factual features in each 52-page, bimonthly issue: “How a Movie Serial Is Made”; a biography of Annie Oakley; “Dog Training at Canine College.” Comics history given what it is, however, Real Fact is best remembered, bizarrely enough, for premiering DC’s first major space hero, Tommy Tomorrow, in its sixth issue (in “Columbus of Space”). Maybe Fake Fact Comics would have been the more accurate title. 56 | WRITE NOW

The cartoonist generally regarded as creating the first underground comic, God Nose, in 1964, signed his work under the pen name of “Jaxon,” but soon reverted to his real name, Jack Jackson, and as a writer and artist he is probably the greatest single creator of nonfiction comics ever—the Will Eisner or Jack Kirby of the field. The legendary chronicler of Texas history in such graphic works as Comanche Moon (Rip-Off Press, the company he co-founded, 1979), Los Tejanos (Fantagraphics 1982), Lost Cause (Kitchen Sink Press 1998), and Indian Lover (Mojo Press 1999) mixed exhaustive scholarship with a sense of humor and a flair for the dramatic visual that made a huge impression on Yours Truly as a teenager. Unfortunately, Jackson’s comics did not make much of an impression on the academic community. It was his first prose work of history, Los Mesteños: Spanish Ranching in Texas, that garnered him a pile of humanities awards, made him a Lifetime Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association and got him inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. It is a true tragedy that we will not get to see any more history comics from Jackson, as he has now passed into history himself. He was found just outside Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Stockdale, Texas, at the beginning of June this year, an apparent suicide. One practitioner of nonfiction comics who has spectacularly succeeded in penetrating the mainstream is Larry Gonick, a cartoonist who began serializing his Cartoon History of the Universe in 1977. While shopping around for a mainstream publisher, he was lucky enough to find an exceptionally formidable advocate: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, then an editor at Doubleday. Jackie O edited the book version of Universe and since then Gonick has produced, through a number of big-time book publishers, further installments, such as The Cartoon Guide to Physics (1994), to Genetics (1983), to Chemistry (2005), Computers (1991), Sex (1999), and many more. Rumor has it that the Cartoon Guide to Navel Lint is soon forthcoming. I should also mention the most successful nonfiction comic ever—which, perhaps predictably, is about comics—Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud’s delightful hybrid of art history, narrative theory and how-to-book. It’s still going strong now 12 years after its original publication by Tundra in 1994. I just checked and it’s currently #453 on the overall Amazon sales list. Four hundred fifty-three! Out of something like two million-plus titles Amazon offers! Pardon me while I go gnash my teeth in jealousy.

In the wake of the success of Understanding Comics, more and more creators have tried their hand at nonfiction comics. DC’s Paradox Press initiated its Big Book line of factoid anthologies with a Who’s Who of A-list comics talent, beginning in 1994 with The Big Book of Urban Legends. And there’s Mr. Science Comics, Jim Ottaviani, who through his company, G.T. Labs, has published five graphic novels, starting with Two-Fisted Science (1997), through his latest hit, Bone Sharps, Cowboys & Thunder Lizards (2005). Recently, the incomparable Kyle Baker has gotten into the act, self-publishing a four-part biography of slave rebel Nat Turner beginning in 2005. As for me, I had little interest in nonfiction comics beyond that of the casual reader; I fell into them as a creator entirely by accident. My artist buddy Ryan Dunlavey was planning on going to the Small Press Expo (SPX) in Maryland in 2001 and wanted to submit a story to their annual anthology. Ryan and I had been friends since college (Syracuse University–McCloud’s alma mater) and I had always admired his work, but we had never collaborated on a comic before. I somehow managed to talk him into letting me script his short story. I had been a veteran of several SPX’s past, always with my co-collaborator on comics like The Silencers (Image/Moonstone), artist Steve Ellis (another SU alum). Beginning with our first SPX in 1998, Steve and I created mini-comics that were parodies of different kinds of comics. We had written and drawn a parody superhero character called Rightwing, the rabidly right-wing conservative vigilante. The next year we showed up with a landscape pamphlet religious comic in the style of Jack Chick’s fundamentalist Christian tracts, except ours tried to convert people to the worship of Great Cthulhu. I decided to continue the tradition when I sat down to write a script for Ryan. One type of comic that I had yet to satirize was the little free comic booklets you’d get in action figure packages when I was kid, like GI Joe or Masters of the Universe. The theme for the SPX anthology that year was biography. I thought it would be amusing to imagine there was an action figure of controversial nihilist Friedrich Nietzsche, and that what Ryan and I were creating was the free bio comic that came with it. Thus the concept and first installment of Action Philosophers was born. Unfortunately, Destiny is a cruel mistress. Not only did the anthology people reject the Nietzsche story, but also the convention itself was cancelled that year because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But Ryan, showing the bulldog tenacity that strikes fear into the hearts of his many enemies, refused to give up on the AP concept. He submitted the Nietzsche story to a start-up comics magazine, Prophecy, which wanted to be an Onion-style free paper distributed in major metropolitan areas around the country, supported

by local advertising. It turned out that Prophecy’s editor had been a philosophy major in college. He loved the Nietzsche strip and commissioned more in the Action Philosophers series; Ryan and I gratefully complied and in the succeeding months produced two more AP strips, featuring Plato and the founder of Zen Buddhism, the Indian monk Bodhidharma. But Destiny was not done toying with us just yet. Prophecy’s funding fell through, sticking Ryan and I with an entire comic’s worth of strips and no publisher. We went out trying to find one, but all the major indy labels shot us down. It was actually Chris Staros of Top Shelf who recommended we apply to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter Laird’s non-profit Xeric Foundation for a self-publishing grant (learn more about their fine work at http://www.xericfoundation.com), so we’ll always give a grateful tip of the hat to Chris for that. VAN LENTE | 57

Ryan and I won the grant in the fall of 2004. We received almost $3,000 to self-publish two issues, the first of which would contain the three previously created strips and the second would comprise all-new material. I figured that’d be 64 pages of comics that we could use to get a mainstream book publisher interested in the project, in the vein of Gonick’s Cartoon Guides. I assumed we would crack 500, maybe 600 copies through the comics Direct Market, but that low figure was no biggie, since we were getting free Turtle Bucks from Xeric that we wouldn’t need to make back. Well… I’m beginning to think that Destiny might not be such a cruel mistress, but instead that I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing. I’m writing this article in September 2006. Ryan and I are currently finishing off our seventh issue of Action Philosophers. Our first issue sold out of two printings, to the order of 5,000 copies or so, and our first trade paperback is currently selling out of its second printing at about the same number of units. In fact, the first three issues of Action Philosophers sold out, and Ryan and I have taken Xeric’s $3,000 investment and turned it into what this calendar year will be well over $30,000 in gross sales of comics, books, t-shirts, and posters. At the same time this was happening (and wholly by coincidence), I broke into the mainstream comics writing biz as well. So while I actually pay my rent writing Marvel comics like Marvel Adventures: SpiderMan, Super Villain Team-Up, Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four, Nightmask, Western Legends, et al, if you told me, in 2004, that the most rapidly-expanding segment of my business, and the one that garners me the most fan mail, the most praise from retailers and distributors alike, and a deluge of positive press was not my mainstream superhero comics but my Podunk little black-and-white self-published nonfiction philosophy comics I would have asked you what you were smoking and may I have some, please? Now, let’s explore why the market for nonfiction comics is a lot healthier than it seemed to me at first glance and how you can use some of what Ryan and I have learned making Action Philosophers to help make your own nonfiction comics successful. PART TWO: Making Your Own Nonfiction Comics Hindsight being 20/20, I can now see that the Direct Market’s interest in nonfiction comics can be attributed to a few basic factors:

subjects—Plato, Ayn Rand and Karl Marx, to name just a few—are some of the biggest-name “characters” in history. Lots of times at cons customers are just about ready to walk past the Action Philosophers table when they see a name that stops them in their tracks: “Hey, a Kierkegaard comic? No way! I love him!” (Seriously, this happens all the time.) b) Nonfiction comics make great “gateway” comics. Comics fans can be rather evangelically minded, in that they’re always trying to convert their non-comics reading friends to The Cause. A “civilian” who couldn’t care less who’s sleeping with whom in the X-Men but has a passing interest in existentialism might be more open to reading a comic about Albert Camus than to DC or Marvel’s latest offering. I can’t tell you how much fan mail arrives at Action Philosophers World Headquarters from people who say they buy multiple copies of each issue to give to their friends. We also get lots of letters from philosophy majors who have never read a comic before but had their eyes opened to graphic literature by a comics-reading buddy shoving a copy of AP into their hands. I received an email from a philosophy professor in Montreal who says she buys two copies of AP: one for herself, and one to leave in the faculty lounge at the college where she works. c) Retailers like to push product they’re proud of. The Comics Journal’s web site is currently conducting an on-line poll with the predictably grim (for TCJ) header of “The biggest threat to the comics industry is:” and as of this writing it’s a landslide (43.4%) for “retailer unwillingness to diversify”. I’m sorry, but those people are woefully misinformed. Retailers want to offer a diverse product line; the widespread perception that comics = superheroes hurts them more than anybody, and they know it. Having talked to scores of retailers at comic book conventions around the country, and judging from the mail (and orders!) Ryan and I receive from them, I can tell you that nothing motivates a retailer to sell, sell, sell more than a product they feel proud to recommend to their discerning customers. As a comic book publisher, I always have to keep in mind that the retailer (via Diamond) is my primary customer, not the individual reader, and the best thing I can do is manufacture a product that makes him look good with his customers (who are also my readers). That said, however, if AP wasn’t a quality book and didn’t sell okay enough on its own, it’s not likely retailers would evidence much enthusiasm for it. But I believe it is and I know it does. Here are some of the secrets Ryan Dunlavey and I have learned doing AP that can help any creator of nonfiction comics achieve similar goals: Secret #1: Nonfiction comics are still comics!

a) Nonfiction comics can fit neatly into comics’ “franchise” business model. Just as superhero comics are sold on the names of Superman, Spider-Man, and affiliated tradespeople, some of Action Philosophers’ 58 | WRITE NOW

Meaning that the same bag of tricks storytellers employ in fiction comics applies: delaying a surprise reveal until the end of a page or the top of an even

page following an odd page (i.e., so the reader has to turn the page in order to see it); using a splash or large panel for emphasis; split-screens, and so on. Do not hesitate to employ all the same visual tools and tricks. The graphical language of comics, with its ability to visualize and personify abstract concepts, can be superior to prose in the conveyance of philosophical, mathematical and scientific ideas. The naturally reductive artistic techniques of cartooning allow the nonfiction comics creator to get away with a lot more in terms of putting words in real people’s mouths and simplifying big concepts than his prose cousin. As McCloud points out in Understanding Comics, a smiley face is not a face–it is a circle, two dots and a curved line–but it is the idea of a face; people look at it and see a face. Likewise, readers will give a cartoonist a lot more leeway in interpreting real life people and events because “it’s just a comic.” My rule of thumb is that I am conveying ideas, not exact facts, and as long as the reader “gets the jist of it” I’ve met my personal standard of proof. Political cartoonists have understood this since the 18th century.

Bertrand Russell demonstrates the proper use of Occam’s Razor. From Action Philosophers #6. Script: Van Lente. Art: Dunlavey

Reproduced nearby is a four-panel [Action Philosophers © 2006 Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey]. sequence from AP #6, demonstrating the use of the classic philosophical principle of I should say that there will always be aficionados of Occam’s Razor by famed British thinker Bertrand your topic who will complain that you didn’t mention Russell in a graphical way that could only be done with this or that factoid that they find especially compelling. comics. Ryan and I got some disappointed letters when we did a story about Jean-Paul Sartre in AP #5 and did not Secret #2: You can’t include all your research. mention his famed companion, pioneering feminist Simone de Beauvoir, once in the entire tale. However, This rule can apply to any form of nonfiction the story was not about Sartre’s entire life, but instead writing, but it is especially critical in the comics focused on his incarceration in a Nazi POW camp medium. Comics scripting is a unique type of writing during World War II. One of the camp’s German officers in that in no other medium do you have an exact lent him Martin Heidegger’s seminal work Being and quantity of material to hit. Writers can turn in 2,000 Time there, which set Sartre down the path of penning word articles, more or less; film directors can turn in his masterwork of existentialism, Being and 120-minute long feature films, more or less. Comics Nothingness. Though the lifelong romance between scripts have to conform to exact page counts of four, Sartre and Beauvoir is what attracts many students to eight, twelve, 22, 64 pages, no more, no less. his story in the first place, she did not play a major part Oftentimes you can get so absorbed in a particular in his wartime experiences, so I left her out. Even topic and all the fascinating trivia associated with it though you might catch flak for it later, the writer has that you lose the forest for the trees. Using too much to stick with only those facts that directly apply to the research interferes both with the overall organization specific story he is telling. of the story and its pacing–you end up explaining too much and showing too little. You still need to do the Secret #3: Mine your research for visual hooks. research; you just can’t use it all. What you need to do is content yourself with relating just enough facts This is a combination of secrets #1 and #2. One of the to get across your major points, and—as tasty as some easiest ways to decide which facts to include and which to of the more trivial morsels may be—you need to leave leave on the cutting-room floor is to stick with the details them on your plate. that, as we say around AP HQ, “make good comics.” VAN LENTE | 59

For example, while reading up on Plato for the second AP story ever, I stumbled across a passing reference to the fact that, in his youth, the famed philosopher was a professional Greco-Roman wrestler. “Plato,” in fact, wasn’t even his real name – it was his stage-wrestling name and literally translates to “broad” or “flat,” referring to his massive shoulders. So, thinking this would be both amusing and a way for modern readers to relate to an historical figure who died almost 3,000 years ago, I told Ryan to draw Plato like a Mexican wrestler, with a mask over his head. Taking the ball and running with it, Ryan promptly dubbed Plato the “Wrestling Superstar of Ancient Greece” on the cover of Action Philosophers #1, and Ryan’s dynamic image of Plato leaping from the ropes, I have no doubt, was a major reason for our early success. Since then, the philosopher’s rallying cry of “Plato Smash!” (I had Plato talk like Ah-nold in the AP story) has graced the cover of our trade paperback and our t-shirt, making the Wrestling Superstar of Ancient Greece our unofficial mascot — and an exceedingly lucrative one at that. Secret #4: Remember that people prefer to read about other people. Some of the subjects we’ve mentioned – statistics, quantum physics, existential philosophy – are pretty abstract stuff, but as we’ve also said, people have made comics about them. That’s largely because the creators of these comics do a good job of humanizing their topics, regardless of how unrelated to humanity-at-large they Speusippus’ Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum duke it out in Action may seem to be. You should do the same. Philosophers #7. Script: Van Lente. Art: Dunlavey Much in the same way that you look for [Action Philosophers © 2006 Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey]. visual hooks within your subject to create a dynamic comic, you should also look for Athens as a 16-year old student and was hired on as an human hooks in order to drive your overall narrative. instructor after graduation. In fact, he didn’t leave the Academy until Plato’s death in 347 BC, when he was For example, Aristotle is one of history’s great almost forty. One of my sources off-handedly remarked polymaths—one of the first experts in logic, physics, that Plato’s successor, his nephew Speusippus (don’t ask metaphysics, taxonomy, botany–you name it. When me how to pronounce it, I have no idea), changed the approaching his life and thought for AP #7 I had to Academy’s curriculum so that it heavily favored math. No figure out a way both to focus the material to have a doubt this did not sit well with the empirically-minded story of manageable length for a 32-page comic and to Aristotle, who rejected abstract number theory in favor not overwhelm the reader with the dreaded specter of of observing nature at work. This writer speculated that Too Much Information. the Academy’s pro-math shift forced Aristotle to quit his job there. He went back home to Macedon to tutor the As with Plato, while researching Aristotle’s life I young heir to the throne, who grew up to be Alexander stumbled across a bit of historical trivia most researchers the Great. Afterwards Aristotle returned to Athens and simply gloss over: the son of the royal physician to the opened up his own school, the Lyceum. court of Macedon, Aristotle came to Plato’s Academy in 60 | WRITE NOW

Although I had no direct evidence that the Lyceum and the Academy were competitors in the ensuing decade, simple economic logic dictated that to be highly likely. What recruitment department wouldn’t crow that the dean of its school taught the ruler of the largest empire in history? I seized on my theorized rivalry between Aristotle’s Lyceum and Speusippus’ Academy as the focus of my story, which became an Animal House-style battle between two warring colleges as the one tries to outdo the other in enrollment and prestige. This gave me the dramatic hook I was looking for, and, as a bonus, the math-versus-science battle showcased the principal foundations of Aristotle’s thought, which were rooted in experimentation and empirical observation. Secret #5: Please, please, please do not use a talking-head narrator. Though Larry Gonick’s whole schtick involves an emcee/host narrating the action from the sidelines in his Cartoon Guide series (and Scott McCloud does the same in Understanding Comics), I respectfully find this to be a cop-out. For one thing, the universal “Show Don’t Tell” rule of writing still applies: a narrator providing exposition invariably slows the action down and makes for a much less dynamic story. For another: Gonick and McCloud have already done it, so it behooves us young up-and-comers to try something different. The medium of comics provides enough tools for the nonfiction storyteller that he needn’t be restricted by a talking-head lecturer: You need only pick up one of the many fine nonfiction comic books on today’s racks to find that out.

I’m not necessarily recommending that all you aspiring comics scripters out there set aside your dream genre projects – the superhero/science fiction/fantasy/horror epics you’ve been working out in your heads since you were kids – and defect to the nonfiction side of the Force. For one thing, I don’t need the competition! But seriously, if you are interested making your mark in this industry doing something that is still (as of this writing) fairly unique, and your interests lie as much in explaining complex topics to knowledge-hungry readers as in regaling them with a ripping yarn well-told, you should not let fiction’s overwhelming dominance of the Direct Market stop you. We are currently living through an unprecedented historical moment wherein the acceptance of comics as a viable medium in the Englishspeaking (and reading) world is shifting decisively in funny books’ favor. The mainstreaming of comics can be rendered permanent only if their content matches the interests of the general public, and judging by the volume of stock in any bookstore, those interests lean heavily toward The Real. The market is there; it’s just waiting for shrewd and talented creators to exploit it. I hope you’re among them: Good luck! You can check out (and buy) Action Philosophers on-line at http://www.actionphilosophers.com. Fred Van Lente also writes such comics as Cowboys & Aliens (Top Cow/Platinum), The Silencers (Image/Moonstone), Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man and Super Villain Team Up (both Marvel). Learn more about him than you can possibly stand at his official web site, http://www.fredvanlente.com.

THE END

VAN LENTE | 61

ONE story. I Socratics featured in this of all A gathering of all the PreFULL-PAGE SPLASH: a “class-picture” type shot do d coul You s… way of two g around a could see this going one e, and show them sittin rout ge oma ics-h com the 693) of them in rows. Or, go IETY. (Quote: Aristotle ting of the JUSTICE SOC table like this first mee sophy it on to match his philo l atic has a distinctive outf be found in their individua Regardless, each Pre-Socr can e renc refe re pictu ly accurate (links to more historical strips): a wet suit; • THALES wears a scub a fish head; e • ANAXIMANDER has on it and holds one of thos a beanie with a propeller • ANAXIMENES wears ; ered fans keeps hand-held battery-pow head (like Firestorm) that ling pyro with a flaming • HERACLITUS is a gigg n; agai over and more flicking a lighter over – not like the Thing, but like he’s made out of rock ”); EAD • PARMENIDES looks CKH “BLO a ally a look (he’s liter black of a petrified wood kind burnt to a crisp, so he’s into a volcano and got • EMPEDOCLES jumped t him is his eyes. abou le shab ngui disti thing and steaming—the only ers,” writes the first real “Of the FIRST philosoph thought CAPTION: y, ARISTOTLE, “MOST HISTORIAN of philosoph were of the nature of MATTER the principles which were s.” thing ALL of s ciple the ONLY prin no “META”-physics… The In other words, there was ed : TION CAP spiritual worlds all obey material, idealistic, and IDENTICAL laws! in the days before the Those theories prevailed CAPTION: mega-star philosopher, appearance of this first are ers that expounded them SOCRATES, so the think #19… ACTION PHILOSOPHER(S) known, collectively, as LOGO: CREDITS:

THE PRE-SOCRATICS!

(by COMIC BOOK are STORY The dual principles of this Y)! ART (by RYAN DUNLAVE FRED VAN LENTE) and

Here are script and finished, lettered art from Action Philosophers #19. Fred writes detailed full scripts for artist and AP co-creator Ryan Dunlavey.

Providing reference for artists is often part of a comics writer’s job. The internet has made that aspect easier. Doing things such as having the Philosophers sitting around a table a la the Justice Society is one of the touches that attract both regular readers as well as comic book fans. Note how Fred provides a web link to the Justice Society shot he wants Ryan to see. Since Ryan received the script via e-mail, he can just click on the link and see the reference.

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Through humor, lean text, and imaginative art, Fred and Ryan are able to deliver many complex philosophical ideas and make them understandable.

TWO HEADER: LOGO over top:

ETUS THALES of MIL He is extremely povertythe pyramids by their shadows.

Panel 1: Thales measures . toga is patched and threadbare stricken in this picture, and his DES. He a scientific JACK-OF-ALL-TRA was s Thale 1. CAPTION: the flow of mighty predicted ECLIPSES, diverted RIVERS… ure the height of the …and figured out how to meas ON: 2. CAPTI SHADOWS at the precise PYRAMIDS by measuring their was equal to HIS height! time of day when HIS shadow EMEN mock Thales openly. Panel 2: Some rich Greek NOBL S would have won think his mad MENTAL SKILL You’d 3. CAPTION: PEEPS. Thales some PROPS from his 4. CAPTION:

You’d be WRONG….

he’s so GREAT! Pfff! SHADOW BOY here thinks exter? T, why aren’t you RICH, Poind SMAR so you’re If 6. NOBLEMAN #2: HAW, HAW! er station in an olive grove. Panel 3: Thales studies a weath ined that next after careful STUDY, Thales determ So, 7. CAPTION: ially bountiful OLIVE summer would produce an espec CROP… up all the OLIVE …and used his last CENT to buy ON: 8. CAPTI PRESSES in the neighborhood! noblemen pay him toga, grins madly as the glum Panel 4: Thales, now in a rich of the olive press behind him. use the for dough of ads buttlo , he CLEANED UP renting Once his prediction came TRUE 9. CAPTION: rs! out his equipment to the growe

5. NOBLEMAN #1:

10. THALES:

Who SAYS philosophy doesn

THREE Panel 1: The now-rich Thales, lost in thought, wanders through a land up at the twinkling stars scape, looking in the night sky above. 1. CAPTION: But not even FINANCIA L SUCCESS slaked Thal es’ thirst for KNOWLEDGE… 2. THALES (THOUGHT): There is such a WONDRO US VARIETY to the thing s in the world… Clouds, stars , men, earth… 3. THALES (THOUGHT): …yet I am CONVINCED that the MANY are relat ed to each other by a single COMMONALITY—the ONE ! Panel 2: Thales is so lost in thought, he doesn’t realize that he has come open well until he trips upon an on the edge, and loses his balance. 4. THALES (THOUGHT): But WHAT could this One BE— 5. THALES: WHOOOAAAA… Panel 3: Same shot: Thal es falls into the well. 6. SFX: SPLASH! Panel 4: Same shot: the well. NO COPY Panel 5: Stat previous panel. 7. THALES (THOUGHT, IN WELL): By ZEUS, I’ve GOT it! 8. THALES (THOUGHT, IN WELL): ALL THINGS are made of WATER!

’t PAY? Heh!

VAN LENTE | 63

Here’s Ryan describing how he works with Fred, specifically about this page from AP #19: “Fred sends me the script as a word document that I print out on paper and draw the page thumbnails right on the print out. I wanted the rhyming panels to all be the same size, so I sketched out a few layouts before I got the right one.

“I rough out the page in light blue eraseable pencil. The image size is 8 x 12 inches. I tighten up the pencils in red. I just like to draw with colored pencils better than regular graphite ones. I don’t get too detailed since I’m going to be inking it myself.

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“I don’t bother showing Fred the pencils because scanning and mailing them to him slows down production time. And since we’re self-publishing, I’m technically my own art director, so there’s almost never any corrections to be made. I ink the pencils mostly with markers, scan the art into Photoshop, shrink it to 6 x 9 inches and create the dot patterns.

“I mail the inked pages to Fred and he letters them with Adobe Illustrator, then mails them back. Sometimes Fred makes changes to the script if they’re more appropriate for the art – both for visual clarity and the size available in panels. There weren’t any changes on this page that I’m aware of. Fred sends the lettered Illustrator files back to me so I can drop them into the layout program I will send to the printer. Most of the time Fred’s lettering looks great, but sometimes I make little changes for the sake of clarity and page aesthetics. For this page, I thought the ‘rhyming’ font was hard to read so I changed it. Fred didn’t mind.” [Action Philosophers © 2006 Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey].

THE END VAN LENTE | 65

ADAPTING TO THE CINEMATIC SANDBOX

by Lee Nordling

ee Nordling’s back with some more tips about you, your comics, and Hollywood. Listen to what this smart fellow has to say. [By the way, there are spoilers to the endings of several movies, comics, and books in this piece, none of them current. You have been warned.] —DF

Every writer has his or her own process for determining how to best adapt material from one medium— whether it’s comics, prose or TV—into film. Your interest here could be as a creator whose work is being adapted, you could also be the writer looking to adapt somebody else’s work, or you might just be interested in watching the train wreck that may or may not take place. Regardless of which it is, it’s important to understand the process in which you’re participating or observing. In adapting a property from one medium into film, some rip the heart out of the original piece and do whatever they want to do, simply because they can. There are a lot of these people in Hollywood. I’m not just ragging on writers, because directors and producers often do the same thing to screenplays, but when they’re doing it to screenplays that are from writers who just eviscerated somebody else’s work...well, on these days, I believe in karma. Other writers try to adhere slavishly to the source material, or as many aspects of the material as possible, as was evident in the first two Harry Potter film adaptations. In this process, the results usually don’t take best advantage of the visual storytelling possibilities of the film medium, but they do manage to not offend the fan base. They may bore them to death, but they don’t offend them. The above examples are two extremes, and sometimes these extremes produce vibrant cinematic results, but this isn’t a discussion about being so lucky or talented that you can escape the pitfalls. Those are the extremes; now let’s discuss the two middles. The first one is a process for figuring out how to consider what to keep and what to toss. It’s not new, in that many screenwriters have practiced and written about it before, William Goldman in his book, Adventures in the Screen Trade, being the most prominent example I can think of, but this approach is embedded at the core of most successful adaptations. 66 | WRITE NOW

The key to a successful adaptation is getting to the heart of the story, isolating what it’s really about— not what it could be about, but what it is about, concept-wise or thematically—as opposed to how it tracks in terms of plot or in its sequence of events. The first step to discovering what’s at the heart of a story is by simply looking at where it begins and where it ends. Then you look at the bridge between the two, examine the journey, and ask yourself, “What’s the moral of the story?” Yep, it’s that simple. When you figure out the moral to the story, which can also be called the “moral argument,” “theme,” or “controlling idea” —the statement that the story makes about one or more things the writer wants to convince you are or aren’t true—then you’ve got a spine around which to wrap your adaptation. My favorite example to prove this point is how one of my favorite writers, David Mamet, badly adapted an early draft of Thomas Harris’ book, Hannibal. For the uninitiated, this book was the follow-up to Silence of the Lambs, which, in turn, followed Red Dragon.

well as why the finished film is episodic and unfocused. There’s so much in it that doesn’t belong in a love story between Hannibal and Starling, and, even if the events were in the book, the results are unsatisfying. If you accept that Hannibal is My Fair Lady, then the solution to the adaptation and Foster’s possible participation should have been a simple fix. My Fair Lady is a musical adaptation of the stage play, Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw. In this original incarnation of the story, Eliza Doolittle allows herself to be molded into a “lady” by Professor Henry Higgins. When Eliza realizes she’s been taken for granted, she leaves the professor, just as she does in the scenes toward the end of My Fair Lady. But in the original play, she doesn’t return to him at the end, and the bullying professor gets his comeuppance.

Separated at birth? Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Julianne Moore as Clarice Starling in Hannibal. [My Fair Lady © 2006 Warner Brothers Entertainment, Inc. Hannibal © 2006 Dino De Laurentiis Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Scott Free Productions, Universal Pictures]

Excesses and wanderings aside, I liked the book. By the time I’d reached the climax, I’d already figured out that it was the thriller equivalent of My Fair Lady. “Huh???” you say. “Yep,” I say. My Fair Lady is about a woman who is refined and defined by a man, with whom she ultimately comes to a separate-but-equal understanding. Hannibal is about a woman who’s being pulled in several different directions by a number of men, each of them wanting to refine and define who she’ll be as a person. Hannibal wins, and they ultimately come to a separatebut-equal understanding. At their hearts, they’re not much different. Whether it was by direction from the producers or from the director, Ridley Scott, the adaptation was re-imagined as a story of unrequited love by Hannibal for Starling. Nope, I’m not guessing, Scott says this on the DVD commentary, and it’s the best clue as to why Jodie Foster chose not to reprise her role as Starling, as

Since Jodie Foster was reported to have hated what happened to her Starling character in the book, the people shepherding the film could have easily steered the adaptation in the direction of Pygmalion, where Starling is manipulated by a number of different and powerful men, but ultimately breaks free of all their influences and regains her footing as her own woman. Pretty compelling stuff, and Foster might have been onboard for that. After this, the next step would have been to eliminate and/or refocus the rest of the novel’s story that doesn’t work to this end. Sure, easier said than done, but in the end it would’ve been a lot less work than trying to turn Hannibal into a love story while smoothing out all the stuff that didn’t fit, which is something they did not end up accomplishing anyway. Conversely, Silence of the Lambs—a film that’s often referred to as a horror film, and contains many truly horrific images and sequences—isn’t structured like a horror film; it’s a buddy movie. Ted Tally, the screenwriter, recognizing that he couldn’t condense the entire novel, established the relationship between Starling and Lecter—two characters with opposing goals who are forced to work together to achieve those goals—at the center of the story, and he only kept in whatever else was necessary to have each of the characters achieve his and her goals. In this manner, he was able to refashion the novel into a screenplay, with considerably less story/plot than the original book contained and still have it work as a whole, making it a distant cousin of buddy pictures like 48 Hours and Die Hard With A Vengeance, but still related to them, nonetheless. ARTICLE NAME | 67

So, finding the heart of the story and staying true to it is the form of adaptation that snuggles up closely to our second example from above, the obsessively faithful adaptation, but one that doesn’t forget its cinematic necessities. As a process, it’s the one that worked for Lord of the Rings and the third Harry Potter film, and has the best chance of breathing the cinematic life of the original material onto the screen. That said, without the right thematic lynchpin, or any consistent thematic lynchpin, it’s impossible to consistently determine what to keep and what to toss. Two terrific examples of doing it well are the comics-to-film adaptations of Road To Perdition and Ghost World. Each latched onto the key emotional thrusts of the characters and the drama and brought the films to life with few core changes. For those familiar with the graphic novel and the filmed version of Road To Perdition, one change of note was the ending.

was adapted into the critically and financially successful L.A. Confidential), and the screenwriter, Josh Friedman—creator of the planned 2007 TV series, The Sarah Connor Chronicles—had no moral/ thematic compass by which to drive his adaptation ...or not a simple enough of one to hold all of the necessary elements in balance. With The Black Dahlia, Friedman tried to hold onto too much of the novel’s labyrinthine plot, which forced him to limit characters, motivation, and reduce the ending to the worst example of characterexposition-as-denouement that we’ve seen in a mainstream American film in many years. He packed fifty pounds of story into a five-pound bag, which reduces this particular form of adaptation to one simple problem and solution: When you’ve got too much story for the space or time that’s required, use the heart/theme/moral argument of the story to cut away the chaff that doesn’t fit.

At the conclusion of the book, the son, enraged, guns down his father’s killer, gets his dying father to a confessional, then is revealed to have grown up to be a priest who’s just completed his memoir about his father’s life. We know that he will suffer a life of penance for his acts, even though he ultimately chose the road of peace. At the conclusion of the film, the son can’t bring himself to take the life of another, not even his father’s killer, not even to save his own life, but his wounded father manages to kill the killer himself and is gratified to know, before dying, that his son has been freed from the cycle of violence that drove this story. In the book, the act of penance and commitment to a life of peace is necessary; without it, we don’t know whether or not the cycle of violence would be broken. In the film, it isn’t necessary to show what happened to the boy because we know the cycle’s already been broken. This is likely one of the contributing factors as to why Sam Mendes chose to excise this scene from the film; it became extraneous. The filmmakers stayed true to the thematic point of the novel that the cycle of violence needed to be broken, and that was enough. Stepping back to the type of film that tries to adhere slavishly to the source material, the recent adaptation of James Ellroy’s novel, The Black Dahlia, was a critical (and financial) disaster. The novel is the first in Ellroy’s famous L.A. Quartet (the third of which 68 | WRITE NOW

Road to Perdition in graphic novel form and as a motion picture. The GN page is written by Max Allan Collins with art by Richard Piers Rayner. [Script © 1998 by Max Allan Collins. Art © 1998 by Richard Piers Rayner. Graphic Novel cover art: Pulse Advertising/David Sameth TM and © 2002 DreamWorks L.L.C. and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.]

And yes, per the Hannibal example, you still need to identify the right heart of the story. Now, what about stories that are acquired by production companies and studios as nothing more than fodder for what they hope to accomplish? “What??!!” You exclaim. “Does this happen???!!!” “You bet,” I say. Where there isn’t the goal of bringing millions of faithful followers of the source material into the theaters to witness a cinematic reenactment of their favorite book, comic or TV show, the production company or studio could very likely have acquired the original property because there was something unique about a facet of the concept or plot that they wanted to use in the creation of an entirely new animal/property. For example, the first adaptation of Farewell, My Lovely, the Philip Marlowe novel by Raymond Chandler, was for the 1942 film, The Falcon Takes Over. The Falcon was modeled after The Saint, each of which starred George Sanders, and which, like The Saint, was a long-running series of theatrical programmers. (For those of you under a hundred, a theatrical programmer was a short film, often near an hour in length, used to fill out a theater’s double-bill. There were many such series that ran as programmers in the ‘30s and ‘40s.) A more recent example of taking what you need and leaving the rest is what the brilliant Charlie

Kaufman did in his adaptation of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief. He wrote a film about himself having trouble adapting the book into a film, and it was directed by Spike Jonze under the title, Adaptation. Some similar adaptations that are more close to home for comics readers are Superman Returns, Batman Begins, and the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises. There’s an added difficulty in discussing these films, because the original properties are owned and controlled by corporations, but that only means more people are getting a vote; it doesn’t change the dynamic. Even though the goal of these adaptations was to remain true to certain qualities of these name-brand characters, the companies and filmmakers recognized that the adaptations needed to cherry-pick from the properties what was perceived as salvageable, then build them again from scratch in a new place that was outside the boundaries of comics continuity and company mythologies. Regardless of whether they were successful—though I believe they mostly were—this is how these adaptations were approached. In this kind of adaptation, the trick is to figure out what and how much you need to salvage from the source material to build your new animal and keep it structurally sound, and then you should chuck the rest. Oh, and there’s no reason to feel badly if you’re the writer who’s doing that, because the author of the source material knew or should’ve been made aware that this is what was going to happen when the production company or studio acquired his or her material. Authors certainly have the right to disagree with the creative choices/decisions that are made— LEE NORDLING | 69

Ursula K. LeGuin is more than entitled to do so for what was done to her first two Earthsea novels—but these are the chances creators takes when they take the money and cede control. This form of adaptation is a variation on the rip-theheart-out example above, but it’s handled with the skill of a surgeon, and the heart is successfully transplanted into a new body that could never have come to life without the operation. We’ve covered the four primary types of adaptation: 1. Completely faithful, even to the point of obsession;

2. Sign the contract, take the money, and work to make yourself a constructive advisor on the adaptation that you all agree you’re going to make...and understand that even as an advisor, your role will be limited. 3. Make certain that you get the vote you want in determining what will or won’t be done with the adaptation (even though choosing to do this will very likely limit the number of people willing to work with you to some number just above zero). Don’t count on being Frank Miller on the set of Sin City, though it’s nice to dream, and some dreams do come true. 4. Don’t let anybody adapt your material from what you originally created for whatever reasons you want. It’s okay to be Bill Watterson not allowing Calvin & Hobbes to exist in any form other than comics.

2. Faithful, but flexible to the cinematic medium; 3. The isolation of useful concept and plot material in the development of similar but separate properties;

Whether you’re the writer adapting somebody else’s work or the creator whose work is being adapted, when you know what you want something to be, it’ll be easier to help it be exactly what you want.

4. Rewriting whatever you want to because you can. So, what should you do if you’re the screenwriter? Sometimes, screenwriters are presented with obstacles in source material that makes successful adaptation a dicey proposition, at best. Sometimes the obstacles are creative; sometimes they’re commercial. If you’re brought into a project, the goal of the adaptation will likely be made clear, or you should work to ascertain the goal. If you’re free to make the choice, you know the nature of the options.

Now, imagine you’ve been transported to the world of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and you’re standing in front of a table that’s covered with dozens of different cups. Any one of them could be the Holy Grail.

If you pick the right cup, the fruit of your efforts could live forever. If you don’t pick the right cup, your vision for the adaptation will die.

Okay, now let’s switch shoes. Choose wisely. As the creator of a comics property, and where you’re not one of the lucky ones who gets write the film or TV adaptation of your own comic, you get to sit back and watch some version of the process I’ve just described above. Knowing what you now know, you have several options: 1. Sign the contract, take the money, remind yourself that the comic still exists, no matter what anybody did in the adaptation of it to a film or TV show...and accept the idea what they created is a completely different animal. 70 | WRITE NOW

Lee Nordling is a veteran comics editor, writer and cartoonist working in the comics, publishing and entertainment fields. He lives on top of a mountain in the Poconos of eastern Pennsylvania with his wife, Cheri, and their pack of animals, Jules, Sam, Puck, Li’l Lee, Stephanie and New Year. He lives within a short driving distance of Blockbuster and a comics store, so there’s no need to send that Care package you’re putting together. He can be reached by email at lee.nordling@gmail.com

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Letters from our readers

Danny: I bought Write Now! #13 – and LOVED the Kurt Busiek article on breaking in. Very truthful and strangely motivating. Thanks for doing what you’re doing. Matt Hoverman Via the Internet Thanks, Matt. It’s gratifying to know that the magazine is achieving what we set out to do with it. And if anybody sees Matt’s name on any comics or theater work—run, don’t walk, to see it! Matt is a graduate of one of my writing classes, and his work is always unique and intriguing. I predict he’s gonna make it big! Re: Write Now! #13 August 2006: One of the things I enjoy doing is sitting in a nice park and reading some magazines I purchased. Today was a gorgeous day and I grabbed a bunch of magazines, including, of course Write Now! #13. Out of all these magazines, yours was the most enjoyable. I truly enjoyed the Simon Kinberg interview. To be a great writer, it is important to read a lot, and Simon says that he was a “reading junkie’” and is obsessive with his research. It is truly important to research the material that you are going to write about. I also highly enjoyed the Dennis O’Neil interview. Dennis always has some helpful insights. I love to write, and Write Now! is my bible to good creative writing. I can’t thank you enough! Sincerely yours, Paul Dale Roberts, Jazma Monarch Jazma Online! www.jazmaonline.com Thanks, PDR. With guys like Simon and Dennis giving advice, you can’t really go wrong. They make an editor’s job easy. Hello Danny, I enjoyed Kurt Busiek’s article in WN #13 for the truth of the matter, but it is also disheartening to me. His story about his struggle was interesting. So many times he made connections only to have them turn into dead ends. He was in the heart of the industry, working for Marvel, and still he struggled. You would think that once he had his foot in the door, he would have had lots of opportunities and could succeed, but still it seems he was overlooked. I’m glad he was finally recognized for his talent. The comics world is a better place because of it.

I was disheartened to read that the official company guidelines were not worth anything other than a way to simplify an assistant editor’s job to reject submissions. I’m one of those poor suckers who thought that was the key to being accepted or at least looked at. I would follow the rules to the T, never faltering from the path. I will never submit this way again, if Kurt says that it is futile. But I must ask, would the guidelines not be helpful in at least guiding us in producing something presentable to submit, as in the situation below, namely, at a convention? I find some of the best places to make connections or have a chance of getting someone to look at your writing, art, etc. are comics conventions. If you can make it to one, do. You can meet the stars and the bigwigs of the industry you love. Most are approachable and they know that people are going to try to submit stuff. The trick is in how you do it. Sounds like a new set of guidelines, but that’s another story. Good luck, and thank you, Kurt. Mark Dwerlkotte Via the Internet Sorry you came away from Kurt’s article discouraged, Mark. I think what Kurt was saying was actually meant to be encouraging: that it couldn’t hurt to submit the official way, just don’t count on breaking in that way. Kurt was challenging each and every writer to be as creative in their approach to promoting themselves and their work to a publisher as they are in their writing. What Kurt was trying to show you was that there is no one way to break in. Everyone has a different path to entry, and each person has to find that path for him or herself. What’d you think of this very issue? Let me know via e-mail at WriteNowDF@aol.com or via regular mail, at: Danny Fingeroth, Write Now!, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Road, Raleigh, NC 27614. See ya next issue—that’s #15— when J.M. DeMATTEIS tells us about his and MIKE PLOOG’s smash hit Disney project: ABADAZAD! There’s a great new PLOOG COVER and Nuts & Bolts from the Abadazad crew! DFWN #15 will also have amazing script, breakdowns and pencil art from DC’s red hot 52* series! You’ll see the work of MARK WAID, GREG RUCKA, GEOFF JOHNS, GRANT MORRISON, KEITH GIFFEN, JOE BENNETT and CHRIS BATISTA! Also next issue: JIM OTTAVIANI and JOHN OSTRANDER give you insights into writing you won’t want to miss! And, of course, much more! See ya then! —Danny Fingeroth FEEDBACK | 71

HOW-TO BOOKS & DVDs

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Interviews and lessons by Justice League Unlimited’s DWAYNE McDUFFIE, interview with Hate’s PETER BAGGE conducted by JOEY CAVALIERI, comics scripter/editor GERRY CONWAY, writer/editor PAUL BENJAMIN, plus more NUTS & BOLTS how-to’s on writing and sample scripts, and a JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED cover!

STAN LEE, NEIL GAIMAN, MARK WAID, PETER DAVID, J.M. DeMATTEIS, TOM DeFALCO, DENNY O’NEIL, and 18 others reveal PROFESSIONAL WRITING SECRETS, plus DeFALCO and RON FRENZ on working together, JOHN OSTRANDER on creating characters, and an all-new SPIDER-GIRL cover by FRENZ and SAL BUSCEMA!

DC Comics president PAUL LEVITZ on the art, craft and business of comics writing, STEVE ENGLEHART’s thoughts on writing for today’s market, survey of TOP COMICS EDITORS on how to submit work to them, Marvel Editor ANDY SCHMIDT on how to break in, T. CAMPBELL on writing for webcomics, plus a new GEORGE PÉREZ cover!

X-MEN 3 screenwriter SIMON KINBERG interviewed, DENNIS O’NEIL on translating BATMAN BEGINS into a novel, Central Park Media’s STEPHEN PAKULA discusses manga writing, KURT BUSIEK on breaking into comics, MIKE FRIEDRICH on writers’ agents, script samples, new RON LIM /AL MILGROM cover, and more!

(80-page magazine) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: SEP043062

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(80-page magazine) SOLD OUT (80-page Digital Edition) $2.95

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WRITE NOW! #17

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HEROES ISSUE featuring series creator/ writer TIM KRING, writer JEPH LOEB, and others, interviews with DC Comics’ DAN DiDIO and Marvel’s DAN BUCKLEY, PETER DAVID on writing STEPHEN KING’S DARK TOWER COMIC, MICHAEL TEITELBAUM, C.B. CEBULSKI, DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, Nuts & Bolts script and art examples, and more!

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(80-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG074138

WRITE NOW! #14

WRITE NOW! #15

WRITE NOW! #16

BRIAN BENDIS interview, STAN LEE, TODD McFARLANE, PETER DAVID and others on writing Spider-Man, pencil art and script from MARVEL CIVIL WAR #1 by MILLAR and McNIVEN, JIM STARLIN on Captain Comet and The Weird, LEE NORDLING on Comics in Hollywood, and a new ALEX MALEEV cover!

J.M. DeMATTEIS interview on Abadazad with MIKE PLOOG, DC’s 52 series scripting how-to by RUCKA/JOHNS/MORRISON/ WAID, KEITH GIFFEN breakdowns, pencil art by JOE BENNETT, JOHN OSTRANDER on writing, STAR TREK novelist BILL McCAY on dealing with editors, samples of scripts and art, and more, plus a FREE ROUGH STUFF #4 PREVIEW!

Interview with Spawn’s TODD McFARLANE, Silver Surfer writers roundtable, script and pencil art from BRIAN BENDIS and FRANK CHO’s MIGHTY AVENGERS and from DAN SLOTT’s AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE, an interview, script and art by DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF on his acclaimed graphic novel TESTAMENT, cover by MIKE ZECK, plus a FREE DRAW #14 PREVIEW!

(80-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN074011

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WRITE NOW! #19 WRITE NOW! #18

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Celebration of STAN LEE’s 85th birthday, including rare examples of comics, TV, and movie scripts from the Stan Lee Archives, tributes by JOHN ROMITA, SR., JOE QUESADA, ROY THOMAS, DENNIS O’NEIL, JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JIM SALICRUP, TODD McFARLANE, LOUISE SIMONSON, MARK EVANIER, and others, plus art by KIRBY, DITKO, ROMITA, and more! (80-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB084191

DARK KNIGHT and SPIRIT executive producer MICHAEL USLAN on the writing process for films, Dennis O’Neil on adapting THE DARK KNIGHT movie to novel form, BRIAN BENDIS script and LEINIL YU pencils from Marvel’s SECRET INVASION #1, mystery and comics writer MAX ALAN COLLINS discusses his career and upcoming projects, MARK MILLAR script and BRYAN HITCH pencils from their upcoming run on FF, DAN SLOTT script and STEVE McNIVEN pencils from Spider-Man’s BRAND NEW DAY, inside info on DC’s online ZUDA COMICS imprint from RON PERAZZA, ALEX GRECIAN talks about the making of his Image series PROOF!, and more! (80-page magazine) $6.95 Ships July 2008

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Annual Membership with one of $ these posters: 40 In The US

Captain America 23” x 29”

1941 Captain America 14” x 23”

Strange Tales 23” x 29”

Super Powers 17” x 22” color

Annual Membership with one of $ these posters: 50 In The US The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center is organized exclusively for educational purposes; more specifically, to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby by: • illustrating the scope of Kirby's multi-faceted career • communicating the stories, inspirations and influences of Jack Kirby • celebrating the life of Jack Kirby and his creations • building understanding of comic books and comic book creators To this end, the Museum will sponsor and otherwise support study, teaching, conferences, discussion groups, exhibitions, displays, publications and cinematic, theatrical or multimedia productions.

Marvel 14” x 23”

Galactic Head 18” x 20” color

Incan Visitation 24” x 18” color

JOIN THE JACK KIRBY MUSEUM: www.kirbymuseum.org Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center • PO Box 5236 • Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA • Telephone: (201) 963-4383

MODERN MASTERS SERIES Edited by ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON, these trade paperbacks and DVDs are devoted to the BEST OF TODAY’S COMICS ARTISTS! Each book contains RARE AND UNSEEN ARTWORK direct from the artist’s files, plus a COMPREHENSIVE INTERVIEW (including influences and their views on graphic storytelling), DELUXE SKETCHBOOK SECTIONS, and more! And don’t miss our companion DVDs, showing the artists at work in their studios!

MODERN MASTERS: IN THE STUDIO WITH GEORGE PÉREZ DVD

MODERN MASTERS: IN THE STUDIO WITH MICHAEL GOLDEN DVD

Get a PERSONAL TOUR of George’s studio, and watch STEP-BY-STEP as the fan-favorite artist illustrates a special issue of TOP COW’s WITCHBLADE! Also, see George as he sketches for fans at conventions, and hear his peers and colleagues—including MARV WOLFMAN and RON MARZ—share their anecdotes and personal insights along the way!

Go behind the scenes and into Michael Golden’s studio for a LOOK INTO THE CREATIVE MIND of one of comics' greats. Witness a modern master in action as this 90-minute DVD provides an exclusive look at the ARTIST AT WORK, as he DISCUSSES THE PROCESSES he undertakes to create a new comics series.

(120-minute Standard Format DVD) $29.95 ISBN: 9781893905511 Diamond Order Code: JUN053276

(90-minute Standard Format DVD) $29.95 ISBN: 9781893905771 Diamond Order Code: MAY073780

Volume 1: ALAN DAVIS

Volume 2: GEORGE PÉREZ

Volume 3: BRUCE TIMM

Volume 4: KEVIN NOWLAN

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905191 Diamond Order Code: JAN073903

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905252 Diamond Order Code: JAN073904

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905306 Diamond Order Code: APR042954

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905382 Diamond Order Code: SEP042971

Volume 5: GARCÍA-LÓPEZ

Volume 6: ARTHUR ADAMS

Volume 7: JOHN BYRNE

Volume 8: WALTER SIMONSON

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905443 Diamond Order Code: APR053191

by George Khoury & Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905542 Diamond Order Code: DEC053309

by Jon B. Cooke & Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905566 Diamond Order Code: FEB063354

by Roger Ash & Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905641 Diamond Order Code: MAY063444

Volume 9: MIKE WIERINGO

Volume 10: KEVIN MAGUIRE

Volume 11: CHARLES VESS

Volume 12: MICHAEL GOLDEN

by Todd DeZago & Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905658 Diamond Order Code: AUG063626

by George Khoury & Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905665 Diamond Order Code: OCT063722

by Christopher Irving & Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905696 Diamond Order Code: DEC063948

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905740 Diamond Order Code: APR074023

NEW FOR 2008

Volume 13: JERRY ORDWAY

Volume 14: FRANK CHO

Volume 15: MARK SCHULTZ

Volume 16: MIKE ALLRED

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905795 Diamond Order Code: JUN073926

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905849 Diamond Order Code: AUG074034

by Fred Perry & Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905856 Diamond Order Code: OCT073846

by Eric Nolen-Weathington (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905863 Diamond Order Code: JAN083937

MODERN MASTERS BUNDLES

NEW FOR 2008

Volume 17: LEE WEEKS

Volume 18: JOHN ROMITA JR.

by Tom Field & Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905948 Ships May 2008

by George Khoury & Eric Nolen-Weathington (128-page trade paperback) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905955 Ships July 2008

BUNDLE THE GEORGE PÉREZ VOLUME & DVD TOGETHER, OR THE MICHAEL GOLDEN VOLUME & DVD TOGETHER

ONLY $37.95 EACH (SAVE $7 PER BUNDLE)

MODERN MASTERS VOLUMES ON MIKE PLOOG AND CHRIS SPROUSE ARE COMING IN FALL 2008 SEE OUR SUMMER CATALOG UPDATE!

THE ULTIMATE MAGAZINE FOR LEGOTM ENTHUSIASTS OF ALL AGES!

NEXT ISSUE IN JUNE:

COMING IN MAY:

BRICKJOURNAL COMPENDIUM 1

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BRICKJOURNAL #2 (VOL. 2) Our second FULL-COLOR print issue celebrates the summer by spotlighting blockbuster summer movies, LEGO style! The LEGO Group will be releasing new sets for BATMAN and INDIANA JONES, and BrickJournal looks behind the scenes at their creation! There’s also articles on events in the US and Europe, and spotlights on new models, including an SR-71 SPYPLANE and a LEGO CONSTRUCTED CITY. For builders, there are INSTRUCTIONS & MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATIONS. Plus, there’s a feature on the ONLINE LEGO FACTORY, showing how an online model becomes a custom set, and a look at how the LEGO Group monitors its quality! (80-page magazine) $11 US POSTPAID ($14 Canada, $20 Elsewhere) (80-page Digital Edition) $3.95 (or FREE to print subscribers) • Ships June 2008

4-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTIONS: $32 US Postpaid by Media Mail ($42 First Class, $50 Canada • Elsewhere: $66 Surface, $78 Airmail)

PRINT SUBSCRIBERS GET THE DIGITAL EDITION FREE, BEFORE THE PRINT ISSUE HITS STORES!

VOLUME 1 features interviews with LEGO car builder ZACHARY SWEIGART (showing his version of the timetraveling Delorean from the movie Back to the Future), JØRGEN VIG KNUDSTORP (CEO of LEGO Systems, Inc.), Mecha builders BRYCE McLONE and JEFF RANJO, paraplegic LEGO builder SCOTT WARFIELD, BOB CARNEY (LEGO castle builder extraordinaire) and RALPH SAVELSBURG (LEGO plane builder), REVEREND BRENDAN POWELL SMITH (author of the LEGO version of the Bible), NASA Astronaut Trainer KIETH JOHNSON, JAKE McKEE (Global Community Director for The LEGO Group), builder JASON ALLEMANN on recreating the spacecraft from 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, features on the BIONICLE universe, how to make your own custom bricks, plus instructions and techniques, and more! Reprints Digital Editions #1-3 (below). (256-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $44 US POSTPAID ($51 Canada, $61 Elsewhere) ISBN: 978-1-893905-97-9 • Ships May 2008

GET DIGITAL EDITIONS OF VOLUME 1, #1-9: The first nine issues shown below comprise Volume One, and were released from 2005-2007 as Digital Editions only, averaging more than 100,000 downloads each. They’re available for downloading now for $3.95 EACH, and issue #9 is FREE!

DOWNLOAD A FREE DIGITAL EDITION OF VOL. 1, #9 NOW AT www.twomorrows.com

“HOW-TO” MAGAZINES Spinning off from the pages of BACK ISSUE! magazine comes ROUGH STUFF, celebrating the ART of creating comics! Edited by famed inker BOB McLEOD, each issue spotlights NEVER-BEFORE PUBLISHED penciled pages, preliminary sketches, detailed layouts, and even unused inked versions from artists throughout comics history. Included is commentary on the art, discussing what went right and wrong with it, and background information to put it all into historical perspective. Plus, before-and-after comparisons let you see firsthand how an image changes from initial concept to published version. So don’t miss this amazing magazine, featuring galleries of NEVER-BEFORE SEEN art, from some of your favorite series of all time, and the top pros in the industry!

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ROUGH STUFF #1 Our debut issue features galleries of UNSEEN ART by a who’s who of Modern Masters including: ALAN DAVIS, GEORGE PÉREZ, BRUCE TIMM, KEVIN NOWLAN, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, ARTHUR ADAMS, JOHN BYRNE, and WALTER SIMONSON, plus a KEVIN NOWLAN interview, art critiques, and a new BRUCE TIMM COVER!

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ROUGH STUFF #2

ROUGH STUFF #3

ROUGH STUFF #4

The follow-up to our smash first issue features more galleries of UNSEEN ART by top industry professionals, including: BRIAN APTHORP, FRANK BRUNNER, PAUL GULACY, JERRY ORDWAY, ALEX TOTH, and MATT WAGNER, plus a PAUL GULACY interview, a look at art of the pros BEFORE they were pros, and a new GULACY “HEX” COVER!

Still more galleries of UNPUBLISHED ART by MIKE ALLRED, JOHN BUSCEMA, YANICK PAQUETTE, JOHN ROMITA JR., P. CRAIG RUSSELL, and LEE WEEKS, plus a JOHN ROMITA JR. interview, looks at the process of creating a cover (with BILL SIENKIEWICZ and JOHN ROMITA JR.), and a new ROMITA JR. COVER, plus a FREE DRAW #13 PREVIEW!

More NEVER-PUBLISHED galleries (with detailed artist commentaries) by MICHAEL KALUTA, ANDREW “Starman” ROBINSON, GENE COLAN, HOWARD CHAYKIN, and STEVE BISSETTE, plus interview and art by JOHN TOTLEBEN, a look at the Wonder Woman Day charity auction (with rare art), art critiques, before-&-after art comparisons, and a FREE WRITE NOW #15 PREVIEW!

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: AUG063714

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ROUGH STUFF #5

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NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED galleries (complete with extensive commentaries by the artists) by PAUL SMITH, GIL KANE, CULLY HAMNER, DALE KEOWN, and ASHLEY WOOD, plus a feature interview and art by STEVE RUDE, an examination of JOHN ALBANO and TONY DeZUNIGA’s work on Jonah Hex, new STEVE RUDE COVER, plus a FREE BACK ISSUE #23 PREVIEW!

Features a new interview and cover by BRIAN STELFREEZE, interview with BUTCH GUICE, extensive art galleries/commentary by IAN CHURCHILL, DAVE COCKRUM, and COLLEEN DORAN, MIKE GAGNON looks at independent comics, with art and comments by ANDREW BARR, BRANDON GRAHAM, and ASAF HANUKA! Includes a FREE ALTER EGO #73 PREVIEW!

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Features an in-depth interview and cover by TIM TOWNSEND, CRAIG HAMILTON, DAN JURGENS, and HOWARD PORTER offer preliminary art and commentaries, MARIE SEVERIN career retrospective, graphic novels feature with art and comments by DAWN BROWN, TOMER HANUKA, BEN TEMPLESMITH, and LANCE TOOKS, and more! (100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: NOV073966

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ROUGH STUFF #9

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ROUGH STUFF #8 Features an in-depth interview and cover painting by the extraordinary MIKE MAYHEW, preliminary and unpublished art by ALEX HORLEY, TONY DeZUNIGA, NICK CARDY, and RAFAEL KAYANAN (including commentary by each artist), a look at the great Belgian comic book artists, a “Rough Critique” of MIKE MURDOCK’s work, and more! (100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: FEB084188

Editor and pro inker BOB McLEOD features four interviews this issue: ROB HAYNES (interviewed by fellow professional TIM TOWNSEND), JOE JUSKO, MEL RUBI, and SCOTT WILLIAMS, with a new painted cover by JUSKO, and an article by McLEOD examining "Inkers: Who needs ’em?" along with other features, including a Rough Critique of RUDY VASQUEZ! (100-page magazine) $6.95 Ships Summer 2008

4-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTIONS: $26 US Postpaid by Media Mail ($36 First Class, $44 Canada, $60 Surface, $72 Airmail).

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DRAW! (edited by top comics artist MIKE MANLEY) is the professional “HOW-TO” magazine on comics, cartooning, and animation. Each issue features in-depth INTERVIEWS and STEP-BY-STEP DEMOS from top comics pros on all aspects of graphic storytelling. NOTE: Contains nudity for purposes of figure drawing. INTENDED FOR MATURE READERS. TWO-TIME EISNER AWARD NOMINEE for Best Comics-Related Periodical.

4-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTIONS: $26 US Postpaid by Media Mail ($36 First Class, $44 Canada, $60 Surface, $72 Airmail).

DRAW! #4

DRAW! #5

DRAW! #6

Features an interview and step-by-step demonstration from Savage Dragon’s ERIK LARSEN, KEVIN NOWLAN on drawing and inking techniques, DAVE COOPER demonstrates coloring techniques in Photoshop, BRET BLEVINS tutorial on Figure Composition, PAUL RIVOCHE on the Design Process, reviews of comics drawing papers, and more!

Interview and sketchbook by MIKE WIERINGO, BRIAN BENDIS and MIKE OEMING show how they create the series “Powers”, BRET BLEVINS shows “How to draw great hands”, “The illusion of depth in design” by PAUL RIVOCHE, must-have art books reviewed by TERRY BEATTY, plus reviews of the best art supplies, links, a color section and more! OEMING cover!

Interview, cover, and demo with BILL WRAY, STEPHEN DeSTEFANO interview and demo on cartooning and animation, BRET BLEVINS shows “How to draw the human figure in light and shadow,” a step-by-step Photo-shop tutorial by CELIA CALLE, expert inking tips by MIKE MANLEY, plus reviews of the best art supplies, links, a color section and more!

(88-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: JAN022757

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DRAW! #10

DRAW! #11

DRAW! #12

DRAW! #13

From comics to video games: an interview, cover, and demo with MATT HALEY, TOM BANCROFT & ROB CORLEY on character design, “Drawing In Adobe Illustrator” step-by-step demo by ALBERTO RUIZ, “Draping The Human Figure” by BRET BLEVINS, a new COMICS SECTION, International Spotlight on JOSÉ LOUIS AGREDA, a color section and more!

RON GARNEY interview, step-by-step demo, and cover, GRAHAM NOLAN on creating newspaper strips, TODD KLEIN and other pros discuss lettering, “Draping The Human Figure, Part Two” by BRET BLEVINS, ALBERTO RUIZ with more Adobe Illustrator tips, interview with Banana Tail creator MARK McKENNA, links, a color section and more!

STEVE RUDE demonstrates his approach to comics & drawing, ROQUE BALLESTEROS on Flash animation, political cartoonist JIM BORGMAN on his daily comic strip Zits, plus DRAW!’s regular instructors BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY on “Drawing On LIfe”, more Adobe Illustrator tips with ALBERTO RUIZ, links, a color section and more! New RUDE cover!

KYLE BAKER reveals his working methods and step-by-step processes on merging his traditional and digital art, Machine Teen’s MIKE HAWTHORNE on his work, “Making Perspective Work For You” by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, Photoshop techniques with ALBERTO RUIZ, Adult Swim’s THE VENTURE BROTHERS, links, a color section and more! New BAKER cover!

Step-by-step demo of painting methods by cover artist ALEX HORLEY (Heavy Metal, Vertigo, DC, Wizards of the Coast), plus interviews and demos by Banana Sundays’ COLLEEN COOVER, behind-the-scenes on Adult Swim’s MINORITEAM, regular features on drawing by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY, links, color section and more, plus a FREE ROUGH STUFF #3 PREVIEW!

(96-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC032848

(104-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: DEC043007

(112-page magazine with COLOR) $5.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY053188

(96-page magazine) SOLD OUT (96-page Digital Edition) $2.95

(88-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: OCT063824

DRAW! #16

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DRAW! #14

DRAW! #15

Features in-depth interviews and demos with DC Comics artist DOUG MAHNKE, OVI NEDELCU (Pigtale, WB Animation), STEVE PURCELL (Sam and Max), plus Part 3 of editor MIKE MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ COMIC ART BOOTCAMP on “Using Black to Power up Your Pages”, product reviews, a new MAHNKE cover, and a FREE ALTER EGO #70 PREVIEW!

BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE, covering major schools offering comic art as part of their curriculum, featuring faculty, student, and graduate interviews in an ultimate overview of collegiate-level comic art classes! Plus, a “how-to” demo/ interview with B.P.R.D.’S GUY DAVIS, MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ COMIC ART BOOTCAMP series, a FREE WRITE NOW #17 PREVIEW, and more!

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAY073896

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Features an in-depth interview and coverage of the creative process of HOWARD CHAYKIN. From the early ’70s at DC, STAR WARS, and HEAVY METAL, to AMERICAN FLAGG and now WOLVERINE, we catch up with one of comics most innovative artist/storytellers! Also, we go behind the drawing board and animation desk with JAY STEPHENS, from JET CAT and TUTENSTEIN to his new Cartoon Network show, SECRET SATURDAYS! Then there's more COMIC ART BOOTCAMP, this time focusing on HOW TO USE REFERENCE, and WORKING FROM PHOTOS by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY. Plus, reviews, resources and more! (80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 Ships Summer 2008

Don’t miss our BEST OF DRAW volumes, reprinting the SOLD OUT ISSUES!

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NEW STUFF FROM TWOMORROWS!

ALTER EGO #77

BACK ISSUE #28

WRITE NOW! #18

DRAW! #15

BRICKJOURNAL #1 (V2)

ST. JOHN ISSUE! Golden Age Tor cover by JOE KUBERT, KEN QUATTRO relates the full legend of St. John Publishing, art by KUBERT, NORMAN MAURER, MATT BAKER, LILY RENEE, BOB LUBBERS, RUBEN MOREIRA, RALPH MAYO, AL FAGO, special reminiscences of ARNOLD DRAKE, Golden Age artist TOM SAWYER interviewed, and more!

“Heroes Behaving Badly!” Hulk vs. Thing tirades with RON WILSON, HERB TRIMPE, and JIM SHOOTER; CARY BATES and CARMINE INFANTINO on “Trial of the Flash”; JOHN BYRNE’s heroes who cross the line; Teen Titan Terra, Kid Miracleman, Mark Shaw Manhunter, and others who went bad, featuring LAYTON, MICHELINIE, WOLFMAN, and PÉREZ, and more! New cover by DARWYN COOKE!

BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE, covering major schools offering comic art as part of their curriculum, featuring faculty, student, and graduate interviews in an ultimate overview of collegiate-level comic art classes! Plus, a “how-to” demo/ interview with artist BILL REINHOLD, MANLEY and BRET BLEVINS’ COMIC ART BOOTCAMP series, a FREE WRITE NOW #17 PREVIEW, and more!

The ultimate resource for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages, showcasing events, people, and models! #1 features an interview with set designer and LEGO Certified Professional NATHAN SAWAYA, plus step-by-step building instructions and techniques for all skill levels, new set reviews, on-the-scene reports from LEGO community events, and other surprises! Edited by JOE MENO.

(80-page magazine) $6.95 Now Shipping Diamond Order Code: FEB084191

(80-page magazine with COLOR) $6.95 Now Shipping Diamond Order Code: AUG074131

(80-page FULL COLOR magazine) $8.95 Now Shipping Diamond Order Code: FEB088010

ALL- STAR COMPANION V. 3

MODERN MASTERS VOLUME 15: MARK SCHULTZ

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Ships May 2008 Diamond Order Code: MAR084108

KIRBY FIVE-OH! (JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #50) The regular columnists from THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR magazine celebrate the best of everything from Jack Kirby’s 50-year career, spotlighting: The BEST KIRBY STORIES & COVERS from 19381987! Jack’s 50 BEST UNUSED PIECES OF ART! His 50 BEST CHARACTER DESIGNS! Interviews with the 50 PEOPLE MOST INFLUENCED BY KIRBY’S WORK! A 50PAGE KIRBY PENCIL ART GALLERY and DELUXE COLOR SECTION! Kirby cover inked by DARWYN COOKE, and an introduction by MARK EVANIER, making this the ultimate retrospective on the career of the “King” of comics! Edited by JOHN MORROW. (168-page tabloid-size trade paperback) $19.95 ISBN: 9781893905894 Diamond Order Code: JUL078147 Now Shipping

(100-page magazine) $6.95 Diamond Order Code: MAR084109

SILVER AGE ALTER EGO: BEST SCI-FI COMPANION OF THE LEGENDARY COMICS FANZINE In the Silver Age of Comics, space was the place, and this book summarizes, critiques and lovingly recalls the classic science-fiction series edited by JULIUS SCHWARTZ and written by GARDNER FOX and JOHN BROOME! The pages of DC’s science-fiction magazines of the 1960s, STRANGE ADVENTURES and MYSTERY IN SPACE, are opened for you, including story-bystory reviews of complete series such as ADAM STRANGE, ATOMIC KNIGHTS, SPACE MUSEUM, STAR ROVERS, STAR HAWKINS and others! Writer/editor MIKE W. BARR tells you which series crossed over with each other, behind-the-scenes secrets, and more, including writer and artist credits for every story! Features rare art by CARMINE INFANTINO, MURPHY ANDERSON, GIL KANE, SID GREENE, MIKE SEKOWSKY, and many others, plus a glorious new cover by ALAN DAVIS and PAUL NEARY!

Go to www.twomorrows.com for FULL-COLOR downloadable PDF versions of our magazines for only $2.95! Subscribers to the print edition get the digital edition FREE, weeks before it hits stores!

(144-page trade paperback) $19.95 ISBN: 9781893905818 Diamond Order Code: JUL073885

In 1961, JERRY BAILS and ROY THOMAS launched ALTER EGO, the first fanzine devoted to comic book history. This book, first published in low distribution in 1997, collects the original 11 issues of A/E from 1961-78, with creative and artistic contributions by JACK KIRBY, STEVE DITKO, WALLY WOOD, JOHN BUSCEMA, MARIE SEVERIN, BILL EVERETT, RUSS MANNING, CURT SWAN, & others—and important, illustrated interviews with GIL KANE, BILL EVERETT, & JOE KUBERT! See where a generation first learned about the Golden Age of Comics—while the Silver Age was in full flower—with major articles on the JUSTICE SOCIETY, the MARVEL FAMILY, the MLJ HEROES, and more! Edited by ROY THOMAS & BILL SCHELLY with an introduction by the late JULIUS SCHWARTZ.

More amazing secrets behind the 194051 ALL-STAR COMICS—and illustrated speculation about how other Golden Age super-teams might have been assembled! Also, an issue-by-issue survey of the JLAJSA TEAM-UPS of 1963-85, the 1970s JSA REVIVAL, and the 1980s series THE YOUNG ALL-STARS and SECRET ORIGINS, with commentary by the artists and writers! Plus rare, often unseen art by KUBERT, INFANTINO, ADAMS, ORDWAY, ANDERSON, TOTH, CARDY, GIL KANE, COLAN, SEKOWSKY, DILLIN, STATON, REINMAN, McLEOD, GRINDBERG, PAUL SMITH, RON HARRIS, MARSHALL ROGERS, WAYNE BORING, GEORGE FREEMAN, DON HECK, GEORGE TUSKA, TONY DeZUNIGA, H.G. PETER, DON SIMPSON, and many others! Compiled and edited by ROY THOMAS, with a new cover by GEORGE PÉREZ!

(192-page trade paperback) $21.95 ISBN: 9781893905887 Diamond Order Code: DEC073946

(224-page trade paperback) $26.95 ISBN: 9781893905801 Diamond Order Code: MAY078045

(10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Surface

Airmail

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR (4 issues)

$44

1st Class Canada $56

$64

$76

$120

BACK ISSUE! (6 issues)

$40

$54

$66

$90

$108

DRAW!, WRITE NOW!, ROUGH STUFF (4 issues)

$26

$36

$44

$60

$72

ALTER EGO (12 issues) Six-issue subs are half-price!

$78

$108

$132

$180

$216

BRICKJOURNAL (4 issues)

$32

$42

$50

$66

$78

Features an extensive, career-spanning interview lavishly illustrated with rare art from Mark’s files, plus huge sketchbook section, including unseen and unused art! By ERIC NOLEN-WEATHINGTON. (120-page TPB with COLOR) $14.95 ISBN: 9781893905856 Diamond Order Code: OCT073846

MODERN MASTERS: MICHAEL GOLDEN DVD Shows the artist at work, discussing his art and career! (120-minute Std. Format DVD) $29.95 ISBN: 9781893905771 Diamond Order Code: MAY073780

For the latest news from TwoMorrows Publishing, log on to www.twomorrows.com/tnt

TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com