|
It's Mark Waid. Does he really need an
introduction? I didn't think so. In this
interview we talk about his rebooting the Legion
of Superheroes, His work on Fantastic Four,
Superman, Bill Jemas, CrossGen Entertainment and
other stuff. Read on!
Jamie:
Okay what is the most valuable book in your
collection? When I say valuable I don't mean
Overstreet guide valuable, I mean comic fan /
sentimental value.
Mark Waid:
Probably my copy of ACTION COMICS #500, "The Life
Story of Superman," which I still have fond
memories of reading and re-reading until it
practically fell apart. Love that comic. Love
the Curt Swan art, love the Marty Pasko script,
love the heartfelt emotion in its pages.
Jamie:
You have been in the comic industry for quite
some time as a magazine editor/writer, editor and
freelance writer. Would you like to work in other
mediums?
Mark:
Media. Sure, and I have and I will. I've sold
properties to various animation houses and tv
studios and plan to pursue that--but I still
count comics as my main profession.
Jamie:
Marvel and DC have been signing creators up to
Exclusive Contracts. Have you been offered any?
Mark:
I have, several times, but the last time I signed
one of those, I paid dearly for it
psychologically, so you can understand my
skittishness. [Laughter]
Jamie:
How did you pay for it psychologically? What
happened?
Mark:
I ended up in Latveria--I mean, Tampa.
Jamie:
Every writer has to deal with writers block.
What do you do to break out of it?
Mark:
STEP AWAY FROM THE DESK. For me, it's either
happening or it's not happening. And if it's
not happening, the best thing I can do is let my
mind wander or, if the deadline is looming, call
up one of my writer pals and chat through the
problem.
Jamie:
Okay by now the world knows you are rebooting
the Legion of Superheroes again. Is this an effort
to make the Legion more realistic as teens, and
give younger people characters to identify with?
Mark:
Partially. Beyond that, it's primarily an effort
to tell good stories with vital characters, plain
and simple, regardless of their age. That said,
artist Barry Kitson and I still think the best
take for the series right now is the eternal
conflict between kids and adults.
Jamie:
What is the age range going to be? We've read
that this will be varied, and that cliques will
form around ages, and who came in together, etc
etc.
Mark:
Absolutely. The kids range from probably 14 or 15
to about 18, but they're not socially divided so
much along age lines as among which ones can
communicate on any meaningful level with any other
ones. Remember, despite their humanoid
appearance, all these kids come from different
planets, different cultures, different
civilizations--so it's no easier for them to bond
as it is to make a meaningful fighting force out
of a chair, a mathematical equation, and a
sweater.
Jamie:
Can we expect to see a Legion of Substitute
Heroes return, possibly as a rival group?
Mark:
Hadn't thought about that, actually. Hang on,
let me write that down...
Jamie:
What about the villains? Will we see some of
the classic villains reintroduced?
Mark:
No plans for the near future.
Jamie:
How about evidence that this is, in fact, a
future descended from the DC Universe of the 20th
Century?
Mark:
Heh. Pretty evident, I'd think -- but you be the
judge when you get to page 14 of issue one.
Jamie:
What is the status of Bouncing Boy? Do we need
to put more pressure on Barry Kitson?
Mark:
Be my guest. [Laughter.] I wouldn't count him
out altogether -- we just won' t see him
immediately.
Jamie:
Your Superman: Birthright story is now the new
Superman Origin. Considering that superhero
origins get re-written all the time, how long do
you think your version of his origin will remain
canon?
Mark:
Jamie:
While you are writing Fantastic Four, Marvel
has other FF books out - particularly the Ultimate
version. Do you feel any kind of competitive other
the books with the same characters?
Mark:
A little. I'd like to say no, but a little. It
helps that we have the flagship series, the "real"
book.
Jamie:
Have you had any involvement with the Fantastic
Four Movie?
Mark:
Other than contributing the term "imaginauts" and
watching some cool dailies in Avi Arad's office a
few weeks ago, nope. But I'm eager to see it.
Jamie:
When your first run with the Fantastic Four was
interrupted, was it hard getting back into the
groove of writing them again?
Mark:
Not really, because (a) they're great characters,
and (b) I was fired with enough notice that by the
time I got to the end of issue #508, I'd been
re-hired.
Jamie:
Bill Jemas is starting a new comic book
publishing company. Would you write his books and
create new characters for him?
Mark:
Don't think I'd be invited. Bill knows what he
wants, and that's great, and I salute him, but
without assuming who's "right" and who's "wrong,"
I'm not sure we really see eye-to-eye on what
makes a good comic.
Jamie:
What was Mark Alessi like?
Mark:
Sad. The smallest, pettiest man with the
largest, most insatiable ego you can imagine.
I've never met a bigger bully in my life, and I
grew up reading comics, man -- I know my bullies. I
think it's tragic that the company failed and
doubly tragic the way he took so many good people
down with him, and as I've said elsewhere
repeatedly, I wish none of his employees anything
but the best -- but as far as Mark himself is
concerned, there is not enough bad that can
happen to that man in the 21st century to balance
his karma.
Jamie:
What convinced you to work for CrossGen in the
first place?
Mark:
Remember the time. I signed at the end of 1999,
before Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada took over Marvel
and before Dan Didio came to DC. I allied with
Crossgen at a point when the entire industry was
in free-fall and Crossgen looked like the only
guys who were looking for a ripcord. I thought
they could be ground zero of a revolution in the
industry, and if not for Alessi's crippling ego,
they might have been.
Jamie:
When did you realize it might not be all that
was expected?
Mark:
The first of the many, many, many, many, many,
many, many thousands of times Mark demonstrated
his horrifyingly immense inability to listen to
anyone about anything under any circumstances
whatsoever. Talking to Mark Alessi was like
talking to a radio.
Jamie:
Why do you think CrossGen fell into Financial
Trouble?
Mark:
I don't know that there was any one specific
reason, and I wasn't there for the Final Blows,
but I can't imagine that having artists and
writers micro-managed by a publisher who hadn't
read a comic book since 1968 could have helped.
Jamie:
Assuming you had a million dollars to blow,
would you have bought CrossGen's creative
properties?
Mark:
Yeah--if only so I could have given the Code 6
ones like ABADAZAD back to the guys they
rightfully belong to.
Regards,
Jamie Coville
2004-10-20
|
