First off, I strolled into a comic shop yesterday (incognito; it's important not to overwhelm or intimidate the staff through the presence of a highly-admired comics journalist) and want to congratulate you on your formal debutante debut of the revamped X-Men.
My question was piqued by your mention that the thinking "at the time" of Chris Claremont's third X-Men stint was to write for the eventual trade collection -- which implies that *isn't* the thinking in 2024. So I'm wondering, what is your policy on what a single issue ought to do these days? Certainly, telling a full, self-contained story in 20 pages given the storytelling style of modern comics is near-impossible, and the sort of neverending inherited subplots that used to permeate Marvel have gone out of style. So what do you try to make a comic do?
I really miss the subplots, and how runs used to flow into each other. It made the Marvel universe feel like it had more depth, and it gave civilians something to do. Now the MU feels a bit more surface level, for better or worse.
It’s a shame that Claremont’s two returns to Uncanny did so poorly. A lot of writers and artists seemed to really struggle transitioning from the “classic” style to the “modern” style in the late 90s/early 00s. Claremont was THE master of classic storytelling, but he didn’t work well in a world without thought bubbles, dense prose and long-form subplots.
I enjoyed his second run on Uncanny (#444-#475) - especially the Alan Davis arcs - I found it captured his old 'magic' of the classic run - much more than XTreme XMen or his various Excalibur minis which all left me cold.
The Uncanny run with Alan Davis was kinetic and felt forward thinking. The Fury opening arc was pretty cool and intense as was the Savage Land adventure.
You’ve been talking a bit about how you want to focus on more solo books, and I’m curious to why. Is it a matter of just thinking the line would do better with more solos? Is it just “We haven’t tried this yet, might be something to pursue”? Or is it some other reason that the average comic nut wouldn’t even consider?
And is there a reason you intend to focus less on team books? Just to make space for the aforementioned solos?
It’s a bold strategy but I’ve always supported moves and enjoyed moves that feel bold, new and kinda risky. I’m excited to see where this approach goes.
Wait. There was a Sleepwalker Holiday Special ???!! Wow.
As ever, a very entertaining and informative read, Tom. That Giant Size X-Men featuring Angel looks like it could be pretty cool! The double-helping of Silver Age Zemo was right up my street - but I can't help thinking it's time the world got a new issue of SWISH INTO ACTION...
My girlfriend caught a glimpse of the BLOOD HUNT: DRACULA cover over my shoulder and asked if ol' Vlad was Kaiju-sized in the Marvel Universe. She pouted when I told he no, and said she's definitely read the book if he were.
Since that's not really a question--what is your favourite Marvel story featuring the King of Vampires? I myself am fond of Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk's tremendous Captain Britain and MI13.
Ah — shame on me for not being more specific with my question. I can see in retrospect how there was no way for you to intuit what I was actually curious about. Allow me to try again. In what earthly body of water is Bagalia located?
Can we credit you as another Wolverine creator now?
I will always have to say that you are far too hard on yourself in these Chronicles. Everyone on the book had tremendous respect for you. And having to work with two writers you interned with had to get into your head. Dwayne was tough to argue with. He knew how to really make his point and convince you whatever he wanted to do was right. And for all of us who ever had a schedule breathing down our necks, we get how stories that maybe should have been rethought go through until it’s too late. We were all concerned about his story and none of us stood up and said no way. Today, when I consult on a story I no longer sugar coat it. I’m blunt. More so than you remember lol. But as an editor, I made these same choices and now I kick myself. I wish Dwayne and I would have discussed all our storylines together. We didn’t. We sort of let each do as we pleased. I feel like I kind of left you to be the bad guy. And it was terrible to realize that maybe it was time to replace Denys. Especially since we all really liked Denys personally and had a ton of respect for him. But Mike and I spent a lot of time deciding the breakdowns so they could be inked. And this family story just played so strangely normal. I really had to wrack my brain to figure out how I was going to handle this in my stories.
@Pierre Navarre Well I've read a lot of Marvel 2018-NOW and without thinking hard, my absolute favourite run without question is Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk.
Free Comic Book Day is always my the least likely day I will ever try and visit my Local Comics Shop. This year was the first time since FCBD has been running that I realised I could ask my LCS to put aside some free books for me that I would then happily pay for later. This means I can avoid queuing, get the FCBD books and give my LCS some extra cash that they presumably otherwise wouldn't receive.
Tom, how much thought from an editor's point of view goes to thinking how the Local Comic Shops can be supported as the lifeblood of the comic reader community?
"As you can see above, 60 years ago saw the introduction of the Avengers’ opposite number, the Masters of Evil, as led by Doctor (not yet Baron) Zemo. And as an example of the manner in which editor Stan Lee created a sense of synergy throughout his newly-growing line, he took it upon himself to christen the otherwise-generic Nazi scientist in that same week’s issue of SERGEANT FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS Zemo as well, making him the same character."
He wasn't even Dr. Zemo in AVENGERS, just "Zemo." That SGT. FURY was, I think, the one time he got called Doctor during his (comic book) lifetime. And as you note, he wasn't a Baron until retroactively, after he was good and dead.
"Lee and Kirby were often not on the same page even in these early years, and it led to some interesting gyrations as one man would make some story decision and then the other man would do a later story that contradicted it, requiring an awkward rewrite. (The loss of Professor X’s ability to walk was clearly one of these situations.)"
I'm guessing you're referring to X-MEN 9 and 12 here, where Stan throws a pointless line into 9 about how Lucifer cost him the use of his legs -- apparently just as a way to make Lucifer seem more important, because Xavier's already unable to walk in that flashback and there's no need to specify who did it yet.
But then in X-MEN 12, there's a scene that would be a dandy place for Xavier to have been injured, and it would have been his stepbrother Cain's fault. And Stan papers over that with a reference back to Lucifer.
Still, if it was Kirby's intent for Xavier to have been injured there, he seems to have forgotten it three pages later, when Xavier and Cain, both apparently able-bodied, are running around in Korea. [Which also makes no sense given Xavier's apparent age.]
Are you suggesting that the "Xavier" in those Korea scenes was meant to have been just some random G.I., who witnesses the creation of the Juggernaut and escapes to tell the story? If so, that would make sense, though it's kind of bland -- and it still leaves Xavier's loss of his ability to walk kind of unfinished, since you'd expect to see Kirby show a hospital scene or something, to get some greater impact out of it.
Or did Stan make Jack rework those pages, showing Xavier in the scene because of the Lucifer thing?
It had never occurred to me to think that wasn't supposed to be Xavier in that Korea scene, but it'd explain a lot.
Any tales from the Marvel vaults that you would like to see completed? Is there a lot of art in the marvel (virtual) vaults for some cool unfinished tales?
The appearance of Greg Wright on these threads makes me think of his legendary Punisher/Nick Fury OGN that was to be drawn by Jim Lee. I remember reading about a Marc Silvestri Punisher special too.
and an unfinished Punisher western by John Severin. And a Shotgun special by JRJR..and many more im sure that sound like fun.
Tom, I was going to ask whether you have anything to say about Dan Buckley’s huge interview but that’s unfair.
Instead, I’m just tossing a tidbit from it. That’s is he statement, which got a little traction in the press, which fewer or no five issue runs and going for ten. What’s interesting to me is his rationale which that new reboots every five issues is stressful — starting up a new run take time, energy, focus. Which makes a lot of sense.
You obviously have earned a lot of "man with the golden gut" latitude to implement big changes, and big changes are often big risks. "Both Spider-Man AND Wolverine as Avengers? No one would ever buy that!" But not every risk pays off. Do you have a process how three or four vague concepts turn into one concrete we're-doing-this idea ?
I miss Spider-Man as an Avenger. As good as his various books can be, it feels like he's just kept in his little box and doesn't affect the MU as a whole.
Tom, forgive me, I finally got around to binging the last few newsletters today, so this question is a bit dated: with the goodwill you’ve showered on the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans of late, did you have a favorite lesser known or unheralded story or issue from the run? I’m not talking about Judas Contract here, more along the lines of Who Killed Trident? Thanks as always for the content! And good luck with X-Men!
First off, I strolled into a comic shop yesterday (incognito; it's important not to overwhelm or intimidate the staff through the presence of a highly-admired comics journalist) and want to congratulate you on your formal debutante debut of the revamped X-Men.
My question was piqued by your mention that the thinking "at the time" of Chris Claremont's third X-Men stint was to write for the eventual trade collection -- which implies that *isn't* the thinking in 2024. So I'm wondering, what is your policy on what a single issue ought to do these days? Certainly, telling a full, self-contained story in 20 pages given the storytelling style of modern comics is near-impossible, and the sort of neverending inherited subplots that used to permeate Marvel have gone out of style. So what do you try to make a comic do?
I really miss the subplots, and how runs used to flow into each other. It made the Marvel universe feel like it had more depth, and it gave civilians something to do. Now the MU feels a bit more surface level, for better or worse.
It’s a shame that Claremont’s two returns to Uncanny did so poorly. A lot of writers and artists seemed to really struggle transitioning from the “classic” style to the “modern” style in the late 90s/early 00s. Claremont was THE master of classic storytelling, but he didn’t work well in a world without thought bubbles, dense prose and long-form subplots.
I enjoyed his second run on Uncanny (#444-#475) - especially the Alan Davis arcs - I found it captured his old 'magic' of the classic run - much more than XTreme XMen or his various Excalibur minis which all left me cold.
The Uncanny run with Alan Davis was kinetic and felt forward thinking. The Fury opening arc was pretty cool and intense as was the Savage Land adventure.
You’ve been talking a bit about how you want to focus on more solo books, and I’m curious to why. Is it a matter of just thinking the line would do better with more solos? Is it just “We haven’t tried this yet, might be something to pursue”? Or is it some other reason that the average comic nut wouldn’t even consider?
And is there a reason you intend to focus less on team books? Just to make space for the aforementioned solos?
It’s a bold strategy but I’ve always supported moves and enjoyed moves that feel bold, new and kinda risky. I’m excited to see where this approach goes.
I recently re-read Heroes Reborn 2021 on Marvel Unlimited and was struck by how good it was!
Also I laughed about how poor second grade Tom kept marking down the price of his comic.
Wait. There was a Sleepwalker Holiday Special ???!! Wow.
As ever, a very entertaining and informative read, Tom. That Giant Size X-Men featuring Angel looks like it could be pretty cool! The double-helping of Silver Age Zemo was right up my street - but I can't help thinking it's time the world got a new issue of SWISH INTO ACTION...
My girlfriend caught a glimpse of the BLOOD HUNT: DRACULA cover over my shoulder and asked if ol' Vlad was Kaiju-sized in the Marvel Universe. She pouted when I told he no, and said she's definitely read the book if he were.
Since that's not really a question--what is your favourite Marvel story featuring the King of Vampires? I myself am fond of Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk's tremendous Captain Britain and MI13.
Ah — shame on me for not being more specific with my question. I can see in retrospect how there was no way for you to intuit what I was actually curious about. Allow me to try again. In what earthly body of water is Bagalia located?
Can we credit you as another Wolverine creator now?
I will always have to say that you are far too hard on yourself in these Chronicles. Everyone on the book had tremendous respect for you. And having to work with two writers you interned with had to get into your head. Dwayne was tough to argue with. He knew how to really make his point and convince you whatever he wanted to do was right. And for all of us who ever had a schedule breathing down our necks, we get how stories that maybe should have been rethought go through until it’s too late. We were all concerned about his story and none of us stood up and said no way. Today, when I consult on a story I no longer sugar coat it. I’m blunt. More so than you remember lol. But as an editor, I made these same choices and now I kick myself. I wish Dwayne and I would have discussed all our storylines together. We didn’t. We sort of let each do as we pleased. I feel like I kind of left you to be the bad guy. And it was terrible to realize that maybe it was time to replace Denys. Especially since we all really liked Denys personally and had a ton of respect for him. But Mike and I spent a lot of time deciding the breakdowns so they could be inked. And this family story just played so strangely normal. I really had to wrack my brain to figure out how I was going to handle this in my stories.
@Pierre Navarre Well I've read a lot of Marvel 2018-NOW and without thinking hard, my absolute favourite run without question is Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk.
I agree completely (my answer would be the same).
Free Comic Book Day is always my the least likely day I will ever try and visit my Local Comics Shop. This year was the first time since FCBD has been running that I realised I could ask my LCS to put aside some free books for me that I would then happily pay for later. This means I can avoid queuing, get the FCBD books and give my LCS some extra cash that they presumably otherwise wouldn't receive.
Tom, how much thought from an editor's point of view goes to thinking how the Local Comic Shops can be supported as the lifeblood of the comic reader community?
"As you can see above, 60 years ago saw the introduction of the Avengers’ opposite number, the Masters of Evil, as led by Doctor (not yet Baron) Zemo. And as an example of the manner in which editor Stan Lee created a sense of synergy throughout his newly-growing line, he took it upon himself to christen the otherwise-generic Nazi scientist in that same week’s issue of SERGEANT FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS Zemo as well, making him the same character."
He wasn't even Dr. Zemo in AVENGERS, just "Zemo." That SGT. FURY was, I think, the one time he got called Doctor during his (comic book) lifetime. And as you note, he wasn't a Baron until retroactively, after he was good and dead.
"Lee and Kirby were often not on the same page even in these early years, and it led to some interesting gyrations as one man would make some story decision and then the other man would do a later story that contradicted it, requiring an awkward rewrite. (The loss of Professor X’s ability to walk was clearly one of these situations.)"
I'm guessing you're referring to X-MEN 9 and 12 here, where Stan throws a pointless line into 9 about how Lucifer cost him the use of his legs -- apparently just as a way to make Lucifer seem more important, because Xavier's already unable to walk in that flashback and there's no need to specify who did it yet.
But then in X-MEN 12, there's a scene that would be a dandy place for Xavier to have been injured, and it would have been his stepbrother Cain's fault. And Stan papers over that with a reference back to Lucifer.
Still, if it was Kirby's intent for Xavier to have been injured there, he seems to have forgotten it three pages later, when Xavier and Cain, both apparently able-bodied, are running around in Korea. [Which also makes no sense given Xavier's apparent age.]
Are you suggesting that the "Xavier" in those Korea scenes was meant to have been just some random G.I., who witnesses the creation of the Juggernaut and escapes to tell the story? If so, that would make sense, though it's kind of bland -- and it still leaves Xavier's loss of his ability to walk kind of unfinished, since you'd expect to see Kirby show a hospital scene or something, to get some greater impact out of it.
Or did Stan make Jack rework those pages, showing Xavier in the scene because of the Lucifer thing?
It had never occurred to me to think that wasn't supposed to be Xavier in that Korea scene, but it'd explain a lot.
Any tales from the Marvel vaults that you would like to see completed? Is there a lot of art in the marvel (virtual) vaults for some cool unfinished tales?
The appearance of Greg Wright on these threads makes me think of his legendary Punisher/Nick Fury OGN that was to be drawn by Jim Lee. I remember reading about a Marc Silvestri Punisher special too.
and an unfinished Punisher western by John Severin. And a Shotgun special by JRJR..and many more im sure that sound like fun.
Tom, I was going to ask whether you have anything to say about Dan Buckley’s huge interview but that’s unfair.
Instead, I’m just tossing a tidbit from it. That’s is he statement, which got a little traction in the press, which fewer or no five issue runs and going for ten. What’s interesting to me is his rationale which that new reboots every five issues is stressful — starting up a new run take time, energy, focus. Which makes a lot of sense.
You obviously have earned a lot of "man with the golden gut" latitude to implement big changes, and big changes are often big risks. "Both Spider-Man AND Wolverine as Avengers? No one would ever buy that!" But not every risk pays off. Do you have a process how three or four vague concepts turn into one concrete we're-doing-this idea ?
I miss Spider-Man as an Avenger. As good as his various books can be, it feels like he's just kept in his little box and doesn't affect the MU as a whole.
Tom, forgive me, I finally got around to binging the last few newsletters today, so this question is a bit dated: with the goodwill you’ve showered on the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans of late, did you have a favorite lesser known or unheralded story or issue from the run? I’m not talking about Judas Contract here, more along the lines of Who Killed Trident? Thanks as always for the content! And good luck with X-Men!
looking forward to the mutants being back into the larger marvel universe. Who are your favorite mutants? a top 5 maybe?