An DCU:NG Email Interview with Marv Wolfman
Marv Wolfman is to the Teen Titans what Chris Clairmont is to the X-Men. By introducing such new characters as Cyborg, Changeling, and Starfire, he breathed new life into a title that was quickly becoming a series of goofy sidekick stories. He allowed the teens to mature and face threats that would make their mentors repect them as equals. DCUNG asked Marv if he would have the time to answers a few questions for Titans fans, and well, being the stand-up guy he is, he agreed.
DCUNG: What first got you interested in comics (as a hobby and as a career)?
MW: I was a fan reader (as were we all) and did fanzines, amateur magazines printed on a ditto press (before xerox). I sent the fanzines to DC and Marvel and they liked my writing and asked me to submit stories. This was back when there weren't any new writers entering the field.
DCUNG: What was your first professional work in comics?
MW: I co-wrote and drew (along with Len Wein) a story for Castle of Frankenstein. After that I sold an issue of Blackhawk to DC.
DCUNG: How did you come to work on the Titans?
MW: I co-wrote a few Titans stories back in the original run with Len Wein. When I returned to DC after a decade at Marvel in 1980 I asked about reviving Titans. They weren't interested but I told them what I wanted to do and they okayed it.
DCUNG: Thinking back on all the Titans storylines you wrote, which one single storyline do you remember most fondly? Why?
MW: Several stories, actually. In no order, the Judas Contract, Who Is Donna Troy, and a story called "Shades of Gray." Judas Contract because we had set up this long-range story that truly surprised people (the supposed hero being revealed to actually be a villain--where have we seen this recently?) and the story worked as both a character and action story. I thought it was very strong. The Donna Troy story was highly emotional, and Shades Of Gray because it broke the mode of heroes and villains having to fight to work their problems out. Changeling and Terminator sat down and talked about things, about life, about love, etc. I thought it worked wonderfully.
DCUNG: Who was the easiest Titan to write? The most difficult?
MW: The easiest was Gar Logan. I love writing snappy patter. The most difficult was Jericho. George created his silent manner and once he left I no longer had an artist who could do body language to describe his emotions. Without that and without dialogue (or thought balloons) he was impossible to do.
DCUNG: I enjoyed the last arc of the New Titans (even though it was cancelled) and thought the team had potential. What were your feelings on the final lineup of the Titans?
MW: I hated them. They were not my idea and those characters weren't designed to work together. Individually they may have been fine, but not as a group. To me, the New Titans were Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg and Changeling.
DCUNG: What do you think about the newest lineup of Titans? What about the upcoming Young Justice (or JLA Jr., whatever it ís going to be called)?
MW: I don't know anything about them. Sorry.
DCUNG: Why do you think teen heroes (and especially sidekicks) are making a comeback?
MW: They never went away. I think teen readers enjoy reading about teen heroes who aren't played like stupid kids. I never liked the idea of a Junior Justice League because that meant they were, by concept, inferior to the adults. I always believed teen heroes were heroes first and teens second and that they didn't need adult supervision or approval. They could operate on their own.
DCUNG: Which comics or characters would you most want to have a chance to write? Why?
MW: I still prefer Superman. I've always felt he was the one hero who truly represented the heroic ideal.
DCUNG: Any future plans we should be looking out for?
MW: Hannibal King for Marvel, Dracula for Dark Horse, and looking for work.
Marv Wolfman's homepage can be found at: http://www.primenet.com/~marvw