Steve Crowther pleads the case for Dan Slott.
To paraphrase the great Ron Burgundy, if you do not agree that Dan Slott is the greatest writer currently working for marvel comics, then I WILL fight you! In fact, were I part of the Fractal Matter team when this interview was first mooted, I would have fought Russell for the honour of doing it. Bare chested, with Jedi Sticks on a rickety bridge over a pool of lava! Instead, I get to stick my oar in and tell you why you should read this interview and buy ALL Dan Slott’s comics.
I was swayed by the positive online reaction to the first issue of his She Hulk and despite initial misgivings I gave it a shot. Here was a character I was apathetic towards and a comic that met with a look of disdain from my wife when I dared to read it in bed. However, I knew I was on to a winner the moment I started laughing out loud, something I rarely do with any comic. This guy obviously had the kind of love and knowledge of the Marvel Universe that Geoff Johns has for the DCU. Add to this a huge dose of the kind of irreverent, yet oddly respectful, humour worthy of the Giffen/Dematteis Justice League and you have the recipe for comic book gold.
Following this mainstream Marvel debut, my love of the Slott was set in stone by his wonderful Spider-man & Human Torch mini. Together with Ty Templeton, Dan provided us with 5 lovingly crafted issues, each self contained and set in a specific Spidey era. The web-head was the first character I ever followed, so admit the fanboy’s rose tinted glasses may have come into play. But it was Issue 3, set before I started reading the Spider-books, which had me laughing out loud more than any comic ever. Then, the ending of the final issue brought this jaded old comic geek the warmest glow. I reckon these must be the greatest Spider-man stories of the 21st century so far.
I soon became adamant that Marvel should sign him up and if there was one thing I thought he should write, it was THE Thing in a solo book or a team up like the old Marvel Two In One. Anyway, it seems someone
at Marvel read my mind. Dan got his exclusive and the first fruit of this was a Thing series very much in the old MTIW style. I was happy as a pig in mud, but the thing that saddens me now is how low this
book is selling when it deserves so much more. Thus, I feel I simply must urge you to pull Dan’s Thing* NOW. I mean, who can resist a guy who makes you love a character called Squirrel Girl in the darkly comical GLA. It makes me proud to be a bona fide “Slott Slut”! Well, I’ve blathered on for long enough, on with the interview and take it away Russ & Dan!
Q. What is your working day like? Do you have a routine?
I wouldn’t call it a routine… More like a form of OCD. For me, the hardest part is actually letting go of a plot or script. There’s always some more noodling or tweaking I want to do. I read a great quote from director Bryan Singer once. He said “No movie is ever finished, merely abandoned.” For me, writing is like that. I swear,
if there wasn’t an editorial office cracking the whip, I’d probably never reach the end of ANY project.
Q. Do you have any formal writing training?
Writing is all I’ve ever wanted to do, whether it was prose, fiction, journalism or just working on staff at a publication. In grade school, I was writing and drawing my own comics and trying to sell them to the other kids. In high school, when we were allowed to choose extra electives, I’d pick English classes. I took the creative writing course three times (No, not because I failed it! It was because I LOVED it so much, I took it two more times as “independent studies”). By senior year I was editor in chief of both the school’s newspaper
and literary magazine. In college I was the publications coordinator for every publication on campus, a theater/playwright major, and I was writing and drawing my own superhero strip for the school paper. Then right out of school I went to Marvel on their internship program, and I’ve been working and writing in comics ever since.
Q. How long does it take you to write a single issue? When writing a multi-part story, do you work on other things in-between the parts, or just plough straight on through?
It’s supposed to take a month per book, but I’m horribly slow. First there’s the basic idea for a story, and who knows when and where that will pop up. So I scribble ‘em down whenever I get them, and pull out
that pad whenever I need them. Actually plotting a story, describing all the action in the issue panel by panel, takes a couple of days. Once I get all the art back from the penciler, scripting the story takes a week or two. All of this is happening while I’m juggling (usually) two to three other comics. So you might be breaking down one
story one day, plotting a second story the next day, scripting a third story the following day, and, while you’re doing that, you suddenly get an idea for a fourth story, so you scribble that down right away. It’s a crazy way to work, but it can also be a lot of fun!
Q. Is writer’s block ever an issue for you? Do you have a way of working through it?
With the basic ideas? No. With the final script? All the time. I kinda freak out at that part. To me, that’s the icing on the cake. You goof up the icing, and no matter how the cake looks underneath, you still wind up with a sloppy cake. It’s not a question of being blocked for an idea. It’s usually the opposite. I’ve usually got so
many ideas for any one line of dialogue, that I clog up and can’t choose.
Q. Do you write completely in isolation, or do you discuss your scripts with other writers? Do your regular artists Juan and Andrea have any input on the script?
If there’s time I ALWAYS bounce my ideas off other people. My prime soundboards are editor, Tom Brevoort, and my pal, Ty Templeton. There’s others in the “think tank”, but those are the guys I bug the
most. I usually don’t go out of my way to involve my fellow artists at the plotting stage, but I do try to leave lots of room in the plots where they can express themselves and have fun. For example, I might throw out suggestions for the blocking of a fight scene, but tell them that in the end it’s up to them how it plays out, as long as the scene arrives at a specific outcome. Alternatively, I maybe let them run wild in designing a new character, or an important location, or whatever! I also try to find out what things or characters they like to draw, and then I do my level best to incorporate THOSE elements into a plot. I really want my artists to have a FUN time drawing the book.
That said, as we come up on SHE-HULK #8 and the legendary Paul Smith becomes our new penciler, I’m going a lot looser on the plots. This is because Paul wants a greater sense of freedom on how he wants to tell the story, and right now that is working out great because Paul Smith is really getting into the book. The happier your co-creator is, the better the result. You can’t really argue with passion. Especially not when the book comes out looking THAT good!
Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Yes. Take up drawing. There’s enough writers in this industry already. What? You’re after my gigs now? Go away!
Q. Tom Brevoort has edited all of your recent books for Marvel. Do you have a close working relationship? Does he have a lot of input?
Tom is one of the best editors I’ve ever worked with. He’s got a great eye and a good gut for comics. Trust Tom’s gut! Every time an editor has changed my script or tweaked it (usually without me knowing), it just makes me gnash my teeth! But when Tom does it? I see where he’s coming from, and it really helps the issue’s storytelling. Tom’s office lets me see the corrected script, so sometimes I argue with Tom about some of the changes, and sometimes he changes it back.
We also share the same kind of “old school” sensibilities, and I consider him a good friend.
Q: In a recent Captain America letter column, when asked “What is your least favourite everyday chore?”, Tom Brevoort’s answer was “Calling Dan Slott looking for script” – do you struggle with deadlines?
Yup. Like I said before, I have a hard time letting a script go.
Q. Was it much of an adjustment to go from writing the animated versions of Batman’s rogue’s gallery to the versions in Arkham Asylum: Living Hell?
Only in as much as content, what the characters could and couldn’t do or say in either title, but their characters were the same. Most people have a hard time looking past the cartoonish house style of the
Paul Dini/Bruce Timm Batman, but what these creators did was boil down all the Bat-Characters to their core essence. They really “got” them. So if anything, working on Batman Adventures was the PERFECT way to
hone my Bat-Character sensibilities.
Q. Were there any favourite Bat-villains you couldn’t fit in?
Catwoman. There was no way we were sticking her in the asylum. It would’ve been nice to have Harley too, but, all in all, the Joker and Two-Face scenes were a kick, and I really had a fun time creating all
of the NEW rogues with Ryan Sook.
Q. What is it about Batman’s villains that attracts readers and writers alike? Is it the name recognition from exposure they have had in outside media, or are they just great characters?
All of the best ones have an easy to grasp core concept, a sense of menace, and a touch of whimsy. He really does have the BEST rogues gallery in all of comics. After that? The Spidey and Flash villains come in a close tie for second. (Though the single best bad guy of ALL time will ALWAYS be Doctor Doom!).
Q. When I checked out your past works online, I found a couple of credits for you as colourist. Is this right?
Yup. That was in the 90’s. The industry was putting out a TON of books a month, and if an issue was running late and an editor needed some pages coloured pronto- they’d grab ANYONE who had markers, a
colouring guide, and opposable thumbs, and, well, I fit that bill.
Q. In your Marvel books you refer to a lot of the greater Marvel Universe, both historical and recent. Are you as big a fanboy as your stuff would suggest?
Ab-SO-lutely. I totally CRUSH on all the Marvel characters and all the bits and pieces of the Marvel U. You’ve asked, I’ll tell: I am a HUGE fanboy, and I don’t mind letting the whole darn world know.
Q. Do you mind occasionally being referred to as someone who writes “old school” comics? Do you see this description as even vaguely accurate?
Not at all. I consider it a badge of honor. Yeah, I’m “old school”, but hopefully I’m producing “old school” material with a modern day spin.
Q. What’s your favourite She-Hulk story (by someone else)?
FANTASTIC FOUR #275 by John Byrne. It’s the issue he created based on an idea from a Kevin Nowlan pin up. A very fun story.
Q. The Naked Truth - the story with the guy taking photographs of her sunbathing? Good choice. I’ll always have a soft spot for the story that introduced me to Jen - the original Secret Wars miniseries. My absolute favourite is probably a short Chris Claremont/Alan Davis story from Solo Avengers 14, where Jen keeps having to break off a Supreme Courtappearance to fight Titania.
Both good calls. Check out SHE-HULK vol.1 #10 and you’ll see that we referenced both of those stories!
Q. You’ve recently added the Two-Gun Kid to the cast of She-Hulk - have there been any characters you weren’t allowed to put in?
Nope. Marvel has been GREAT about letting me use whatever characters I’d like. That’s been a kick. It’s like I’m a kid in a candy shop.
Q. Will there ever be an Awesome Andy action figure? My wife wants one.
Me too! Though, personally, I’m holding out for a Squirrel Girl action figure…
Q. You’ve mentioned a “top secret-y thing that… will make She-Hulk fans happy” Is there anything more you can say about that?
No. Because it’s top secret-y.
Q. Will you ever explain why She-Hulk slept with Juggernaut? You’ve hinted before that you’ve got a get-out…
In Vol.1 #11, we saw that She-Hulk doesn’t remember sleeping with Mr. Marko. Doc Samson said she was “blocking”, but we’ll just have to see…
Q. What can you tell us about She-Hulk’s involvement in Marvel’s upcoming Civil War event?
All of CIVIL WAR hinges around a legal issue. So right there, that’s plenty of fodder for Marvel’s premiere Superhuman Lawyer. (What? Are heroes going to go to Nelson & Murdock? Be real! One of them’s in jail. And the other’s well *sniff*…) Ahem. Anyway, fans can expect to see She-Hulk running around in both the CIVIL WAR and CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE, and in her own CIVIL WAR issue (SHE-HULK #8), fans can see She-Hulk dealing with some serious New Warriors-related fall out. If you’re a NEW WARRIORS fan, you will NOT want to miss this one! On top of that, the issue also features a MAJOR turning point in She-Hulk’s life… You’ll just have to wait and see.
Q. Is there any artist you’d like to work with but haven’t yet had the opportunity?
My dream list consists of (in alphabetical order): Alan Davis, George Perez, John Romita Sr., John Romita Jr., Bill Sienkiewicz, and Walt Simonson. But there are so MANY comic artists I dream of working with!
Then there are some artists I’ve worked with… but on something tiny (like only a page or two), and whom I’d love to do a larger project with, like (in alphabetical order again): Amanda Conner, Ron Frenz, Adi Granov, Tom Grummett, Mike Mayhew, Eric Powell, Lee Weeks, and Mike Wieringo!
Q. Tell us all about Big Max, the Primate that Lowers the Crime Rate. Who is he, and how did he come to be?
Big Max is a lovable super-powered, flying ape in a cape. He’s my first original super hero, and his first adventure is coming out (cross your fingers) this Wednesday! I can’t wait for this! If you like fun comics, you should try this out. It’s got a superhero ape fighting an evil criminal mime. How can you go wrong with that?! As for where he came from? Probably a bizarre evolutionary experiment gone wrong (or right, if you’re talking about Universal karma)… an experiment that came from the hands of Big Max’s arch-nemesis, Doc
Galapagos: The Evilutionist!
Q. With the invention of the 72-hour day, and no pesky exclusive contracts or other writers getting in your way, what would you be writing?
Hmmm. Well my favorite Marvel Characters have always been: Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Doc Doom, She-Hulk, and The Thing. So, right there, I’m pretty darn happy with what I’ve got! As for DC? Over there my favorites are: Batman, The Creeper, the Silver Age Doom Patrol, Deadman, and Superman. But I think you can see from the way I like bringing EVERYBODY into my stories, that I’ve got a soft spot for just about each and every character out there. Just happy to be playing in such fun sandboxes!
Q. Will there be a return engagement with Spider-Man and the Human Torch? The reviews were pretty positive.
Yeah. Pity the sales sucked. Seriously? Ty and I have talked about pitching a giant sized one shot. So you never know…
Q. Was there a particular era of Spidey or Torch history you enjoyed revisiting?
Particular era? No. It’s ALL good! Just to get my grubby little mitts on Spidey, the Torch, and the FF- AND to get a chance to play with all the BEST toys! That was non-stop fun. I mean, c’mon! Kraven? Gwen Stacy? The Spider-Mobile?! What’s not to love?
Q. What’s your favourite Dan Slott comic?
That’s tough! Recently, I was REALLY proud of SHE-HULK vol.1 #4 (with Spidey suing the Daily Bugle), SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH #3 (with the fruit pies and the Spider-Mobile), ARKHAM ASYLUM LIVING HELL #3 (the origin of Humpty Dumpty), and JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #13 (with the one-and-only adventure of All-Star).
Out of EVERYTHING I’ve ever done though? It’s a toss-up between the TWO-GUN KID story I got to do with the legendary Gil Kane (in Marvel Comics Presents #116 and reprinted in the MARVEL VISIONARIES: GIL KANE TPB) and REN & STIMPY SPECIAL #3: MASTERS OF TIME & SPACE. The R&S SPECIAL was a really insane book. It was a choose-your-own adventure comic that involved time-travel and kept folding into itself. The logistics of it was INSANE! But it all worked out! If you EVER get a chance to read it, I’d really appreciate it.
Q. Which is a greater achievement – getting The Mad Thinker’s wesome Android and the Two-Gun Kid into the supporting cast of She-Hulk, or getting Squirrel Girl into the GLA (And having her defeat the REAL
Thanos)?
Good one. Ask me to pick between my babies. Nice. The simple answer is that I love ‘em both the same.
Q. Will we be seeing the Great Lakes Avengers again soon?
Yes. They’ll be appearing soon in one of the books I’m working on, and ANOTHER writer will have them guest star in one of his books as well. Who? I’m not saying, because those are their beans to spill. I will say this though, they ran the idea past me, and I thought it was a hoot!
Q. At the moment, you’re exclusive to Marvel. Are there any characters of theirs that you wouldn’t or couldn’t write?
Classic THOR. I love ‘im. The Walt Simonson run is one of my favourite runs of comics, and while I think I could write a pretty good THOR in a team book- I don’t think I’ve got enough THOR-chops to pull off his solo adventures. Hercules? You bet. He’s the fun, drunken THOR. THOR himself? Verily, it shakes me to my very marrow.
Q. Is there a character that doesn’t currently have their own title that you think really should have? Who should be writing it (If not you)?
Yes. But the last thing I want to do is draw attention to it. ‘Cause then someone else will snatch that character up.
Dang! Russel, that was a LOT of questions. I’m gonna have to stop now, because I’ve been typing for over an hour and a half! Your other questions were good too! Maybe we could do a follow up? But right
now, I’ve either got to get some sleep, or get back to work!
Thanks!
Dan
In addition to She-Hulk, Dan Slott is also the writer on Marvel Comics’ The Thing (reviewed previously). In a recent interview at Newsarama, he advised that the book is not selling well – “We are in a very scary place, numbers-wise”.
He continued: “If you like this book, put it on your pull list. If you don’t have a pull list, start one - even if it’s just for The Thing. If you’ve heard good things about the book, but you’re a wait-for-the-trade-person? Please understand, you are not hurting us - but if you step up now, you can help save us”
“There’s one grand prize, the whole kit-and-kaboodle, and it’s going to the best pitchman on the message boards! We need people pounding the virtual-beat, getting the word out about our pull list campaign, and letting people know what they like about the title. I’ll be scouring all the boards and declaring a winner by the end of June.
What I’m looking for is the person who’s doing the best job promoting “Pull My Thing and Win a Prize” - but without being pushy or derailing any threads. And you gotta bring the love!”
The prize? An original page of Thing art by Andrea DiVito, signed copies of the first two She-Hulk trades, the all-new third trade, the GLA trade, the GLX-MAS Special, and the Spider-Man/Human Torch: I’m With Stupid Digest – all of which come highly recommended.
I’m going to step out of my thin and barely formed bubble of professionalism for a moment – if you’re a fan of superhero comics, if you’re a fan of the Fantastic Four, if you’re a fan of The Thing – buy this book and keep it going. If you’re already buying and you want it to continue, if you like the look of the prizes on offer – join in with the contest. Pull Dan Slott’s Thing and you might win a prize.
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Russell Hillman was born in London but now lives in Coventry. His hobbies include precious little. He doesn’t get out much, but thinks reading a lot of comics makes up for it. He’s wrong.