THE DAVID MICHELINIE AVENGERS INTERVIEW(Page 3 of 3)
--A WONDER MAN: COOLER THAN SUPERMAN EXCLUSIVE--
INTERVIEWER: MITCHEL
20- Are you familiar with Wonder Man's evolution and the way he looks today? He can fly now and looks like a blue version of the human torch or similar to Superman Blue. I really miss the classic strong man depending on technology to fly. You could always do neat stuff with him
whenever technology failed, like he would lose his jet packs and had to rely on the power of his legs to jump instead of fly; he did that in his regular series. One of the things I remember from your Marvel Premiere solo Wonder Man comic was the creative way you had him climb a building by carving his fingers into concrete. It was a nice variation on the way you see Spider-Man or Batman climb a building. This guy being such a powerhouse of brute strength and not being able to fly would certainly do it this way. Do you see the current ionic look as a positive change?
DM: I don't see it as either positive or negative; just different. Perhaps more contemporary would be a better term. When I wrote Wonder Man he was a character who had been dead for a couple of decades(?). He was a human being who wasn't comfortable being a super hero, who was looking for his niche in life. He's a different character now, and his current appearance reflects that.
21-Wonder Man has had so many costume changes. Do you have a favorite one?

DM: Naturally I have a fondness for the costume--or "un-costume"--he wore when I was writing him. A red safari jacket may be an odd fashion choice, but it suited a character who didn't quite fit in.
21A-I have to agree the costume used to go with the personality, but wasn't it too dressy for a guy that had to be constantly active and who doesn't have the luxury of throwing a hammer or flying and throwing optic blasts or
protecting himself with a shield? I guess that's why it got trashed most of the time anyway. Wouldn't it make more sense to wear jeans and a t-shirt or a tank top?
DM: I guess I just don't think of a safari jacket as being all that "dressy." Remember that this was during a time when The Vision and The Scarlet Witch were wearing *capes* into battle, and it's hard to get more formal than that. If Simon was really concerned about having his clothes ruined he probably would have gone to one of two extremes: either full body armor, or a tasteful yet inexpensive thong. I think it's more likely that he just wore what he was comfortable with on a day-to-day basis, and let the chips--or shreds--fall where they may.
22- After the Avengers West Coast regular series by Englehart started, a double-sized Wonder Man story written by you was released as a one shot. He was already wearing his tank top in Avengers West Coast and in your one shot he still has the red safari jacket he wore during your Avengers run so it looks like this story had been held back for a couple of months. Was Wonder Man one of your favorite characters? Was it being considered to give him a
solo series back then? Were you interested at that time in writing one if it was?
DM: Yes, Wonder Man was a favorite of mine, and I was definitely interested in writing more stories about him. As a matter of fact, that one-shot you refer to was originally conceived as a four-issue mini-series. All four plots were written and sold to Marvel, but then I was asked to combine them into a single, 40-page story. It was taking so long to get the story drawn (the reason why Wondy was still in his safari jacket, and the reason for the footnote explaining that the story took place before WEST COAST AVENGERS #1), that the editor decided that the only way to get it published before the millennium was to reduce the length. Hence, the format change.
23. Would you ever be interested in writing a solo Wonder Man project? If so, which artist would you like to work with you on it? If
you couldn't or didn't want to get involved in such a project which writer & artist you think would do a good job with the character of Wonder Man.
DM: I'm really not familiar with Wonder Man these days, so I'd have to read some current stories before I could decide if I'd like to write him again. As for artists, and other writers, there are a lot of talented folks working in
comics today. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find a team that would do justice to new Wonder Man stories.
24- Your last Avengers issues were Avengers 221 & 223 in 1982. 223 was a Taskmaster story. You also had a very successful long Iron Man run after the Avengers and are often named by fans as the definitive Iron Man writer. How is your relationship with Marvel today? There is a Taskmaster mini series coming up; since you created the character will you be involved in that one? Would you be interested in writing an Avengers project in the future?
DM: I'd describe my relationship with Marvel today as "sparse." I've had two offers of work from them in the last six years, both coming secondhand through an artist who was initially asked to draw each project. But with the huge amount of new talent knocking on Marvel's doors every day, that's understandable.
Nope, I know nothing about any upcoming Taskmaster series. Usually when you
create a character for a major comics company, the company owns that character. So when you leave a title (or a company), characters you may have created pretty much go up for grabs. That can be frustrating, but it's just the way things are.
25- In a recent issue of Iron Man, Jocasta was given a new synthezoid body along the same line as the Vision's. Are you happy she has this new body or do you prefer her old metallic one? Also, if you were writing it, would you bring her and the Vision together as a couple now that they are essentially the same body wise?
DM: I don't mind the new body, as long as the personality inside it is still interesting. As far as getting Jocasta and The Vision together--is Wanda dead? Are they divorced? Sorry, but I'm completely ignorant of current
Avengers continuity.
25A-[In a follow up e-mail I explained to Mr. Michelinie Wonder Man, Vision & Scarlet Witch character developments and how it evolved to their current status.] How do you feel about the divorce? How do you feel about Simon & Wanda as a couple? Do you see them lasting and eventually getting married? Do you see them having kids? Would Simon make a good father? Would you be interested in writing a Wondy & Wanda limited series if Marvel asked?
DM: Even though the events in this plotline have been described to me, I haven't read the actual stories themselves. And I'm sure there are many nuances that the writers included of which I'm still ignorant. So it really wouldn't be fair for me to try to give an opinion on something that I'm not familiar with first hand.
25B-Why did you leave Avengers? Was the title ever offered back to you while at Marvel?
DM: I honestly don't know why I left THE AVENGERS. I think the book got a new editor around that time, so maybe there was a conflict of viewpoint between he and I. Or maybe I was offered another assignment, or was overworked and had to drop something. I really can't remember. As for your other question, no; I was never offered a second run on the Avengers' title.
25C-You also wrote two of the three published Avengers Graphic Novels: Revenge of the Living Monolith and Emperor Doom. What made you decide to use Wonder Man as the lead protagonist in the Emperor Doom graphic novel?
DM: Jim Shooter and Mark Gruenwald both worked on the plot concept with me (based on an idea by Shooter), so any one of us may have been responsible for Wonder Man's prominent roll. I believe the specific reason that
Wondy figured so heavily into the plot was that, of all the Avengers active at that time, he was the one most likely to believably resist Dr. Doom's mind control device.
25D: In Emperor Doom, you have Tony Stark run some tests on Wondy's body to examine the properties and potential of his ionic energy. Did you have any plans to follow up on that, and explore the results of that test?
DM: I don't think I had any specific plans; Simon's exam was included essentially to move the plot of that particular story, to provide a reason for Simon to have been cut off from the world during the time that Doom was taking over. But nothing is ever thrown away in the wacky world of comics, and I imagine that had I remained on the book the plot thread of Simon Williams' ionic nature would have been explored further.
26- When you helped create Venom with Todd McFarlane, did you think he'd become such a popular villain? What did you think when Marvel tried to make him into a hero for a while?
DM: Okay, first off, I didn't "help" create Venom. I created the character all on my own. The story for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #300, in which Venom was first featured, was plotted and approved by the editor before an artist was assigned to the book. That said...I didn't consider the popularity of the character when I invented it. I just thought it would make a really cool villain for Spider-Man, someone whose total motivation centered on Spidey. Most Spider-Man villains at that time were motivated by greed, power, etc., and only encountered our hero reluctantly, by chance, when he showed up to foil their plans. I think Venom became popular for two reasons: one, of course, was Todd McFarlane's incredible visuals. The other was the fact that the editor at that time, Jim Salicrup, allowed the character to grow at his own pace. He declined to allow other writers to exploit the character, and didn't ask me to write a Venom story just for the sake of having a new Venom story to promote. We only did Venom stories when I came up with ideas that progressed the character, that took him somewhere he hadn't been before. So each story was interesting, and the readers started looking forward to seeing what we would
do next. I think that was a big factor in the character's ongoing popularity. As for the decision to make Venom a hero, I thought it was a bad one, and I told Marvel that. Let's face it, jolly as he may be, Venom is still a psychopathic mass murderer--not exactly classic hero material. But Marvel owned the character and could do whatever they wanted with it. I was twice offered the writing assignment for the proposed monthly series, and twice turned it down. Then they decided to do a string of mini-series instead, and offered me the first 4-issue run (later expanded to 6 issues). I decided that, if they were going to do this no matter what, maybe I could at least set things up to be as true to the character as possible. So I agreed to write the first mini-series. Everything after that was beyond my control.
27- If you could go back and change a single story you've already written, what would you change and why? Of all the Marvel titles you wrote is there one in particular you would like to return to?
DM: IRON MAN #244. This was actually two stories. Bob Layton and I had done an Iron Man story "for the drawer"; that is, an inventory story that could be pulled out and plugged into the schedule as a fill-in if deadlines got tight. This particular story was a flashback involving Tony Stark's adjustment to civilian life after he had first become Iron Man in original continuity, when he still had to wear a chest plate to keep his damaged heart beating. For reasons I don't remember now, we were later asked to come up with a framing story around that inventory tale to create a double-sized issue. We were given a page length and we created the framing story to those specifics. Months later, when the book came out, I discovered that two pages-worth of the frame story had been chopped out; apparently, someone had made a mistake on the page length but no one had bothered to tell us. This is the reason I quit my second run on IRON MAN. Not because someone dared to touch my Precious Golden Prose, but because no one had the courage to tell me that the cuts were being made (let alone allow me to do the changes myself, in a way that wouldn't make the story confusing). So, given a time machine, I'd go back and revise IRON MAN #244 to make it read better.
As far as returning to a character or title, I'd actually prefer to take on characters I haven't written before. The possibilities are greater. But if I were to pick a title to go back to, THE AVENGERS would be a good choice since the fluidity of the membership roster would allow me to add new characters that I found intriguing or exciting.
28- Who is your all time favorite Villain and why?
DM: My favorite villain that I created is Venom; he's so cheerfully psychotic that he's just fun to write. As for villains that other people have created, I'd have to pick Dr. Doom. I find his combination of nobility and ruthlessness compelling.
29- Who is your all time favorite hero and why?
DM: That's a tough one. But despite how much I loved writing Iron Man, I guess I'd have to say that Spider-Man is my all-time favorite super hero. He's the character that got me hooked on comics back in the '60s. And the day Jim Owsley gave me the writing assignment on WEB OF SPIDER-MAN was probably the second happiest day of my career. The first was when I was switched over to the original Spidey title, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.
30- Which character or characters do you hate writing and why?
DM: I don't think I actually hate writing any characters. But I do admit that I dread writing dialogue for Thor and his ilk. I just find all those "thee's" and "thou's" cumbersome.
31- What is your all-time dream project?
DM: Probably the third and concluding chapter of the Iron Man/Dr. Doom/Camelot saga.
32- What is your advice to anyone trying to break into the comics industry as a writer or artist?
DM: You're asking the wrong person. I haven't had a monthly writing gig in comics in six years. If I knew how to break in, I'd be doing it myself!
33- In your powerful run on Iron Man, you revealed that Tony Stark was an alcoholic and made the character struggle to realize his problem and deal with it. This was a very groundbreaking story at the time and the character, just like many people in real life, still struggles with his alcoholism. What made you decide on alcoholism and are you happy that this flaw in Iron Man's armor still persists in helping define the character's strengths and weaknesses today?
DM: When I was first offered the IRON MAN writing assignment, I had never read an Iron Man story. In researching the previous year or so of Marvel's continuity I saw Tony Stark as a man whose world was falling apart: his company was in the process of being taken over, his friends had betrayed him, his love life was in shambles. My first thought was, "Wow. If this was a real person he'd be looking for a safety valve or he'd freakin' explode!" This led me to the idea of substance abuse as an escape, and I decided on alcohol since it seemed more logical than hard drugs given Tony Stark's playboy lifestyle in the '80s, before cocaine became fashionable.
Am I happy that the flaw exists today? I'm happy that it isn't ignored. Having Tony order Perrier at a bar, turn down a glass of wine at dinner, and even occasionally (but very rarely) think that life might be easier if he tipped back just one martini...that's believable and realistic, since alcoholism doesn't go away. But dwelling on it as the basis of a storyline,
well...like I said earlier, if someone brings some new angle to the subject, fine. Otherwise, it's been done; move on.
34- When you write, do you draw a lot of it from personal experiences or real life situations in order to give your characters more depth and realism?
DM: I think every writer puts a bit of him- or herself into every story, consciously or otherwise. While going over my old AVENGERS run for this interview, I came across an issue (#197) that had Wonder Man and The Beast
going to a Rock 'N' Roll Revival--and I remembered that I had gone to a similar show in Manhattan a month or so before coming up with that story, which is how it sneaked into the plot. And when I first got into comics,
writing short horror stories for DC's "mystery" line, I remember using the opportunity to name characters after a hated ex-employer three times--which allowed me to kill that character off in some deliciously nasty ways! Those
were conscious decisions. But personality and experience creep into stories by the back door as well. In that same issue of AVENGERS, a character--Dr. Cowan--is motivated by fear, deciding to start a nuclear war to get it over with, rather than having to live with the threat of *possible* war hanging over his head. That isn't/wasn't one of my own personal fears, but I know I've made many decisions in my life out of lesser fears. And that very likely trickled into my plotting process, perhaps making a rather extreme and unlikely motivation a bit more plausible.
35- Many of the characters you've written have all too human flaws and frailties. What would you say are Wonder Man's and why?
DM: I don't know what they are today, but when I was writing the character I think one of his major flaws was an inability--or at least a reluctance--to see himself for what he really was, or to see himself as others saw him. Here was this incredibly strong, handsome guy, envied by men and desired by women. And yet he was diffident, unsure of himself, seeing himself as someone who just didn't belong. This lack of confidence is very human, and I think it made him sympathetic to readers who could identify with similar feelings.
36- Who was your favorite artist to collaborate with and why?
DM: I've been extremely fortunate to have worked with a huge number of terrifically talented people over the years. Bob Layton, of course, has been my collaborator on nearly a hundred Iron Man stories, co-plotting as well as providing artwork for most of them. And his contributions can't be minimized. Todd McFarlane's innovative style made writing AMAZING SPIDER-MAN fun, and his complete professionalism made him a pleasure to work with. Bret Blevins drew THE BOZZ CHRONICLES perfectly, Sal Velluto gave me more than I asked for on JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE, and Kieron
Dwyer was perfect on ACTION COMICS. Add Walt Simonson on STAR WARS, Nestor Redondo on SWAMP THING...well, you get the picture. How could I possibly pick just one?
37- How do you feel about Marvel's new Max line of adult-themed comics and how do you feel about them dropping the Comics Code Authority and rating their own books?
DM: I don't know anything about the Max line. As far as dropping the Comics Code seal, that's been done before and no one seems to mind. Or notice.
38- What can your fans look forward to? Any projects you could tell us about that might be coming in the near future?
DM: Nothing specific. I've got a couple of irons in the fire, but will have to keep stoking the flames and see what happens.
Thank you so much for your time and for letting us enjoy this look back into the history of Wonder Man and one of the most exciting Avengers periods and the creative mind of David Michelinie!
DM: Yer welcome!