Marv Wolfman is a great writer, one whose work spans approximately 35 or more years. As a reader there is no doubt that I spent a lot of time collecting and reading his work. I briefly met him at San Diego Comic Con International 2003, and am fortunate for this opportunity to have, briefly, interviewed him. His work is very important for continuity fans, but most especially, fans of the DC Comics Universe. Wolfman’s work The Crisis On Infinite Earths totally reassessed the DC Universe. It is a work any fan of DC Comics ought to read. He has written within many genres and created all sorts of comics for numerous publishers. It is StL Comics’ great privilege to present this interview with Marv Wolfman.

Alex Ness: Vampires and Vampire Hunters: Your work on the character BLADE and title TOMB OF DRACULA pegged you for some as a horror writer, but would you rather they think of your work as spanning genres?

Marv Wolfman: I think of myself as a writer who can do a great deal of material in many different genre.

AN: I think TOMB OF DRACULA is great, mind you, but is it a writer's fear to be pigeon holed as a certain kind of writer, as a TV actor fears replaying the same character for the rest of their career? Any special memories of your work on the character?

MW: In comics I am probably more well known for my super-hero work. And to some it's my humor writing in animation that I'm known for. I have no problem with anyone liking any part of my work.

AN: NEW TEEN TITANS: Nearly all of the staff at StL Comics count the Titans and your work on the team as a favorite all time book. When it hit the stands did you expect it to be such a wild success? If conditions were right would you ever return to the book? What story arc was your particular favorite?

MW: Nobody expected it to be a big hit. All George and I knew was it was going to be good. I don't think DC is at all interested in having me return to Titans although I'd love to do some individual Titans character stories.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS: Roy Thomas has called this book a tragic event and unnecessary whatever the critical success of it.

MW: That's Roy's opinion and he's entitled to it. Fortunately, the fans have always supported it. As for whether it was necessary, the answer is yes it was because it got Marvel readers to buy DC Comics for the first time and prior to Crisis they weren't. That each time it's been reprinted it outsells all DCs projections indicate the fan's feelings for it as a real classic. Also, that it was voted in the CBG poll as the 2nd best comics story of the 20th century says what the majority feels. By the way, Roy and I were, are and remain good friends. We can disagree with creative choices but that's okay. I believe every number of years you should clean house and start over again for the new generation of readers.

AN: Others, some here at StL Comics began reading at DC comics because of the now streamlined history and new continuity at DC. What do you say to the critics of the raison d'etre of the Crisis? Any hope that you might tell us how you had a backdoor possible save for Barry Allen (Flash) to survive rather than die?

MW: If readers pluck down their money they're entitled to any opinion they want to have about the success or failure of Crisis or any other book. Its track record is the only answer I need to give, but everyone has the right to love it, hate it, or have any other views about it they want. I don't get involved with that at all. The last I'll say about Crisis is in 1982-85 (the time period I was working on it) the book was vitally important to DC. To look back 20 years and make comments based on today's readers and their current tastes is wrong. The book wasn't done for a 2005 readership.

AN: General comments: Is the comic industry truly ageist? Or do readers simply respond to new and different views? Compared to the industry in the 1960s and 1970s to the present: are views in the industry towards established veterans versus rookies completely reversed?

MW: The companies are ageist, not the readership. They'll buy whatever they like. In many cases the companies are right and the veteran pros can't produce for today's readership. Trouble is they make a blanket decision and rule out everyone and in many cases refuse to even look at new material from older pros. But then I feel that an equal number of so-called hot writers (of which I was one back in the 70s and 80s) also can't write. It's always been that way and probably always will be so it's best not to get angry and simply do what one has to in order to survive.


AN: New Projects: GenePool, Defex. Your recent work DeFex at Devil's Due sold out and is being reprinted. Is Devil's Due going to expand further and you write more books there, or do they have a slow growth agenda? Tell us about any further work there or anywhere else if you might...

MW: Gene Pool is in stasis at the moment. I've signed for at least 6 issues of Defex. I have no idea what DD's plans are right now but they are very good guys.

I just wrote a direct-to-video animated movie called El Lobo for Stan Lee's new company, Pow Entertainment. I wrote last year a novel based on Crisis on Infinite Earths that will come out this coming April and I'm working on a graphic history of the State of Israel. There are other projects here or there that I'm also working on.

AN: Thank you Mr Wolfman.