Retro Thursday: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman
In spring of 2004, I attended Planet Comicon in Overland Park, Kan., and heard two of the most successful comic-book creators of the 1970s and 1980s: Marv Wolfman and Len Wein. Julius Schwartz, longtime DC editor, had recently died, and so he was on the minds of both creators. A few things discussed at the show four years ago that still haven’t come to fruition: Wein was working on a “Swamp Thing” movie script, and Wolfman was hopeful his long-delayed “Teen Titans: Games” graphic novel would be finished by George Perez. As of 2005, the “Games” graphic novel was on indefinite hiatus. I haven’t heard any updates recently about a “Swamp Thing” film. The following article was originally published April 9, 2004.
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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Two former editors in chief of Marvel Comics talked about their work in comics and other media adaptations of some of their most famous creations at the recent Planet Comicon. Marv Wolfman created many of the New Teen Titans for DC with artist George Perez. He’s written episodes of the “Teen Titans” series for the Cartoon Network based on his comic and has more episodes in the pipeline.
Wolfman also created Blade, the vampire hunter who will be featured in a third motion picture this year, and Bullseye, a villain in the recent “Daredevil” film.
Len Wein is working on a screenplay for “Swamp Thing,” which he co-created with artist Berni Wrightson.
Wein said the new “Swamp Thing” would be a true horror movie, with the creature done in CGI rather than a “guy in a rubber suit.”
Wolfman and Wein both had hits in the 1970s horror resurgence in comics, following the relaxation of the comics code to allow more horror elements. Wolfman’s “Tomb of Dracula,” with Gene Colan, introduced “Blade,” and Wein’s “Swamp Thing” brought a philosophical slant to a horror staple.
Wein and Wolfman broke into DC in the late 1960s, when Julius Schwartz was one of the top editors at the company.
Wein and Wolfman paid tribute to Schwartz, who died Feb. 8.
Wein told how he received his first assignment from “Julie.” He was waiting in the DC offices to pitch a story for “Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane,” when Schwartz barreled into the office.
“What are you doing here?” Schwartz said.
Wein responded, saying he was pitching a “Lois Lane” story.
“No, you’re not,” Schwartz said, grabbing Wein by the collar.
Schwartz sat Wein down in his office and said, “You’re writing the Flash.”
When Wein protested that he hadn’t prepared anything for the Flash, Schwartz said, “You couldn’t be any worse than that S.O.B. I just fired!”
While Schwartz could be gruff, he also was very influential.
“It’s astonishing when you look at one man’s impact,” Wein said, noting that Schwartz’s revival of Flash, Green Lantern and the Justice League motivated Marvel’s 1960s output.
Wolfman and Wein, who each briefly served as editor in chief of Marvel in the 1970s, trail only Marvel’s Stan Lee in the number of characters they have created or co-created that have been adapted into film or television. Besides Swamp Thing, Wein also co-created Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Storm and Colossus of the X-Men.
Though these creators appreciate the opportunity to bring these characters to a larger audience, they feel some in comics are trying too hard for movie success without noting what makes a good comic.
“Comics used to be ahead of the curve; now we’re following the curve,” Wolfman said.
Wolfman also wrote the hit series “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” of which Wein served as a consulting editor. The artist was Perez. The landmark miniseries aimed to clear the barnacles off DC Comics’ continuity, which at the time included multiple universes and versions of main characters. The series, released in 1985-1986, will reach its 20th anniversary next year.
“Crisis on Infinite Earths” was targeted at hard-core Marvel fans, who at that time didn’t follow DC Comics.
“And wouldn’t,” Wolfman said, “because it was too confusing to them.
“We needed to do something incredibly large and incredibly loud to say to these people, ‘Come on over and take a look. DC has great characters.’”
“Crisis” merged all the continuities into one Earth. In the process, Flash and Supergirl were killed, and the multiple Earths were destroyed.
Wolfman said despite its sales and critical success, “Crisis” didn’t clear up continuity problems as much as he would have liked.
Characters weren’t supposed to remember the Crisis, and all the books were supposed to start new with No. 1 issues, with no recollection of what had gone before, Wolfman said.
“It failed only because the people (in charge) in 1986 and on decided to go in a different direction,” Wolfman said.
However, the books made a mark in sales and in readers’ minds. “The ‘Crisis’ was a way of getting (Marvel) fans over. … We actually succeeded and got them to come over … we were 100 percent successful in that,” Wolfman said.
To commemorate the series, still popular in trade paperback, Wolfman is writing a “Crisis” novel.
Another series still with a strong fan following is the Wolfman-Perez issues of “New Teen Titans,” which DC will release in trade paperback. Also expected late thisyear or next year is the long-awaited “Titans: Games” graphic novel reuniting Wolfman with Perez.
The release date isn’t set yet, as Perez is still recovering from a wrist injury he suffered drawing “JLA-Avengers.”
“Games” was originally set for a 1989 release, but stalled after Perez was “burned out” on drawing the Titans. Now, Wolfman said, the project is back on track.
While DC would like the graphic novel out for Christmas, Wolfman said, he’d prefer it to come out in 2005 for the 25th anniversary of the first Perez-Wolfman issue of “New Teen Titans” in 1980.
“Faces of Evil” comes to DC in January
ARLINGTON, Texas – The economic downturn will force comic book companies to focus even more on great stories, story editor Ian Sattler said at the DC Nation panel at Wizard World Texas last weekend.
“It’s something we take into consideration, that we’re aware of,” he said. “It motivates us to tell the best stories possible in 2009, so that if you’re spending your money on comics that it’s worth it for you.”
DC Comics is kicking off 2009 with an event focused on the bad guys of their fictional universe.
Sattler promoted DC Comics’ “Faces of Evil” as a tour of the DC Universe from the villains’ perspective, shipping in January.
Writer Sean McKeever said classic “Teen Titans” villain Brother Blood would return as part of the event, which will also feature Deathstroke and Catwoman. University of Oklahoma graduate Sterling Gates will write the “Prometheus” one-shot as part of this event.
“DC Comics is doing a company-wide event … really trying to pump up the villains of the DC Universe,” Gates said in a recent e-mail. “Prometheus (is) kind of this ‘anti-Batman’ character – his criminal parents were gunned down by policemen when he was a kid, so he swore to take down all law-enforcement agencies, starting with the Justice League.”
But DC isn’t leaving its heroes behind. Artist Ethan Van Sciver was also on hand at the panel, promoting his upcoming revival of the Flash in “Flash: Rebirth” with writer Geoff Johns. He previously worked with Johns on “Green Lantern: Rebirth.” Asked what he might tackle next, he suggested Aquaman.
“The original Aquaman, the one where he first appeared,” he said. “With the orange shirt, maybe with green gloves. Keep it as classic as possible. Like ‘Super Friends’ Aquaman, but cool.”
WORD BALLOONS
by Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Wizard World Dallas video
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Check out some video highlights from Wizard World Texas. In the video are Scott Chitwood from Red 5 Comics, Robert Luedke of Head Press Publishing, “Love and Capes” creator Thom Zahler, as well as a spokesman for the Heroes 4 Heroes charity.
- Matt Price
Wizard World Texas: Saturday
Some highlights from Saturday’s Wizard World Texas:
* Talked to Thom Zahler about his superhero romantic comedy “Love and Capes.” He shared with me that “Lois and Clark” was an influence on “Love and Capes,” and we talked about how much we liked the Dean Cain-Teri Hatcher chemistry.
* Listened to former WWE wrestlers Honky Tonk Man, Greg the Hammer Valentine and Virgil talk about the glory days of professional wrestling. Valentine talked about his father, wrestler Johnny Valentine, learning the business at Stu Hart’s wrestling dungeon, and his classic matches with Tito Santana.
* Good crowd on hand getting autographs from Arkansas artist Mitch Breitweiser, the artist of “Captain America Theater of War: Operation Zero Point.”
* Heroes for Heroes were on hand fundraising as part of their mission to send comic books and other entertainments to troops. The Hero Initiative, the group that raises funds for older comic-book creators facing financial or medical needs, was also on hand at Wizard World Texas.
- Matt Price
Wizard World Texas: Friday report
I’ll hit a lot of this stuff more in-depth later, but here’s a few quick hits from Wizard World Texas, going on this weekend in Arlington.
* Ethan Van Sciver was pumped about his new Batman action figure that he designed from the DC Direct Superman/Batman series 6 “Enemies Among Us” line. Van Sciver said the Hal Jordan from the line was already sold out at the booth he visited.
* Van Sciver also said he’d have an interest in an “Aquaman” series with writer and frequent collaborator Geoff Johns.
* DC Story Editor Ian Sattler told attendees at the DC Nation panel to look for a lot more Deathstroke, Lobo and Animal Man in 2009.
* Crowd seemed decent for a Friday.
* Saw some neat DC Treasury editions, including the somewhat hard to find and not-available-in-trade-paperback Superman vs. Muhammad Ali.
* Sattler encouraged everybody in the crowd to pick up “Supergirl,” by OU graduate Sterling Gates.
* Sattler insisted that “Final Crisis” would make sense once the final issue came out, and said readers should consider “Superman Beyond” to be the closest of the tie-in miniseries. Sattler said that “Legion of 3 Worlds” would be extremely important to DC Comics in the coming years.
* Writer-artist Billy Tucci talked about the Japanese-American soldiers who served in World War II, who were the real-life inspiration behind “Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion.”
More later!
- Matt Price
Wizard World Texas this weekend
The largest comic book convention in the Southwest starts today, and fans can meet comic book writers, artists and stars of genre entertainment.
The guest of honor at Wizard World Texas is artist John Cassaday, known for his collaboration with writer Joss Whedon on “Astonishing X-Men.” Cassaday, born in Fort Worth, Texas, returns for the three-day show at the Arlington Convention Center.
Frank Cho (”Liberty Meadows,” “Mighty Avengers”) is also a scheduled guest.
Movie and TV personalities scheduled to attend include Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from “Star Wars”), Corey Feldman (”Lost Boys”), Lou Ferrigno (”The Incredible Hulk”) and wrestler Greg “The Hammer” Valentine.
Other writers attending the show are Christos Gage (”Avengers: The Initiative”), Marc Guggenheim (”Amazing Spider-Man”), writer and artist Phil Hester (”The Darkness”) and Max Brooks (”World War Z”). Lee Bermejo, artist of “The Joker” graphic novel, is also scheduled to be at the show, along with the writer Brian Azzarello.
Arkansas-based artist Mitch Breitweiser (”Captain America: The Chosen”) is scheduled to attend, as is Ethan Van Sciver, the artist of the upcoming “Flash: Rebirth.”
Also set to attend are:
→ Terry Moore: creator of “Strangers in Paradise” “Echo” writer-artist.
→Billy Tucci: “Shi” creator and “Sgt. Rock: Lost Battalion” writer-artist.
→Sean McKeever: writer of “Teen Titans.”
For more information go online to www.wizardworld.com.
- by Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Terry Moore, Billy Tucci and Sean McKeever coming to Wizard World Texas
Wizard World has confirmed three new guests for the Wizard Word Texas convention, to be held from Nov. 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center:
Terry Moore: Creator of “Strangers in Paradise” and writer-artist of “Echo.”
Billy Tucci: Creator of “Shi” and writer-artist of the upcoming “Sgt. Rock: Lost Battalion.”
Sean McKeever: writer of “Teen Titans” and former writer of “Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane” (now written by Terry Moore.)
– Matt Price
Wizard World Texas to host Fear Fest
Press release:
Congers, NY (September 26, 2008) – Wizard World Texas just got even bigger with the announcement today that the pop culture extravaganza will host the hottest horror show in Texas, Texas Fear Fest, as part of the festivities November 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center.
On top of the impressive list of comic book talent already attending at this year’s Wizard World Texas convention, Corey Feldman (“The Lost Boys,” “Friday the 13th 4” & “5”), Danny Trejo (“From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Rob Zombie’s Halloween”) and cast members from “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning,” “Monster Squad” and “Halloween 4” will be on hand to meet and greet their fans. In addition to the guests, there will be special events, including screenings of “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning” and “Monster Squad” and Fear Jam, a concert featuring Michale Graves, formerly of The Misfits, FirstJason, and The Horrifics with special guest Eerie Von of Danzig and Samhain.
“Wizard is thrilled to be able to play host to such a popular event and work with Texas FearFest partners John Gray and Sean Clark,” said Wizard Senior VP/Operations Joe Yanarella. “This amazing opportunity allows us to bring in more guests and more excitement and grow our show larger than ever before.”
“This really is a merger of powerhouses,” said Fear Fest’s John Gray. “What a fantastic opportunity for the fans of Fear Fest and Wizard! It also lets me combine my two great loves—horror and comics, so I am personally ecstatic!”
“Being able to join forces with an established and well respected company like Wizard World is truly a blessing for us,” added Sean Clark.
For complete information on guests, events and tickets, visit txfearfest.com. Texas FearFest is sponsored by pitofhorror.com, dreadcentral.com and conventionallstars.com.
Wizard World, the largest family-friendly comics and pop culture convention in the United States, returns to Texas November 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center.
Collectors’ show comes to Oklahoma City in October
If you like your comics old-school, there’s a show coming to Oklahoma City that should be right up your alley. Organized by Bart Bush, who, as far as I know, had the first comic-book store in Oklahoma, the 41st Anniversary Vintage Comics & Collectibles Show will focus on comics, vintage movie posters, pulp magazines and the like. The show will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct 3 and 4 at the Biltmore Hotel, 401 S. Meridian.
– Matt Price
Full press release is after the break.
Frank Cho, others join Wizard World Texas guest list
A “good girl” artist and a hard boiled writer are among the scheduled guests for the year’s last big convention.
Wizard World Texas has announced an initial lineup of guests for this fall’s convention, held Nov. 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center.
As previously announced, the guest of honor of the show is John Cassaday, artist of “Planetary” and “Astonishing X-Men.” Joining Cassaday will be writer Brian Azzarello, of the crime drama “100 Bullets,” and artist Frank Cho (”Liberty Meadows,” “Mighty Avengers”), known particularly for his drawings of women.
Other writers attending the show include Christos Gage (”Avengers: The Initiative”), Marc Guggenheim (”Amazing Spider-Man”), writer and artist Phil Hester (”The Darkness”) and Max Brooks (”World War Z”).
On the artist side, Mitch Breitweiser (”Captain America: The Chosen”), who followed something of a Cassaday style in his Captain America miniseries, is scheduled to attend. Lee Bermejo, artist of the upcoming “The Joker” graphic novel, will also be on hand. Also attending: Jacen Burrows (”Crossed”), Shane Davis (”Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns”), Paul Duffield (”FreakAngels”), Marko Djurdjevic (”Mighty Avengers”) and Ben Templesmith (”30 Days of Night”).
More information is available at www.wizardworld.com.
– Matt Price
Photos and artwork after the cut.
