CONFESSIONS OF A COMIC BOOK WRITER
Frankly, it started for me the way it probably did for you. Someone came up to me in the Hallowed Halls Of Marvel and said, "Hey, we're starting a new book called SPIDER-WOMAN." I looked up at that person and replied, "Come off it," "No," he insisted. "It's true. We're doing it. I just saw a sketch." Running through my mind was--what's next? The LEGION OF SPIDEY PETS? How about SPIDER-MAN's PAL, HARRY OSBORNE? This couldn't be happening. This is Marvel! We may be maniacal, but we're not mad.
I heard nothing about Spider-Woman for about a month or so afterward, and eventually assumed the thing had been one big joke. Then one day I saw the cover. Lord, we were actually doing it! But who was Spider-Woman? Was she Liz Allen? Or maybe Spidey's long lost sister from the bottle city of Forest Hills?
Then, I saw a page lying around the office, nodded with personal contempt, and asked who was responsible for the thing. I was told that Archie Goodwin wrote it, and Sal Buscema drew it. Well, I begrudgingly said that it was still a stupid idea, but at least it would be well written and well drawn.
About three weeks before you get our mags on the news-stand, we receive coverless versions of the book in the offices-- called make-readies. They let us know in advance that someone ruined the printing or the separations, or that we made a mistake somewhere along the way and never saw it. (Funny, we can have more than a dozen people go over any given book at its various stages, yet errors will sneak by unseen only to be glowing in scarlet neon when the make-ready comes in. There are more dented walls and heads around Marvel on make- ready day than any other time of the week.)
The make-ready on MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #32 finally came out and I read it, not knowing what to expect. But then, I'd read a grocery list if Archie wrote it, which either shows how much respect I have for Mister G's writing talent, or how little taste I happen to possess. Well, it was good. No, strike that--it was great! I really loved it. It wasn't Spider-Man, it wasn't even a distant relation. In fact, I was told that Stan didn't want Spidey and Webby (which is what I call our alluring arachnid) to even meet for a long, long time. Spider-Woman was her own character, and a totally interesting one.
I was impressed enough to ask if I could guest - star her in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE, and Archie agreed.
As I begun the Spider-Woman story for MTIO, word came down that Gene Colan couldn't draw TOMB OF DRACULA on a monthly frequency because of the then-impending HOWARD THE DUCK daily newspaper strip, and I had already decided at that point that I did not want to work with anyone other than Gene on that particular book, therefore I requested a change of assignment. Archie mentioned that Webby had done well in her SPOTLIGHT saga. So well, that Marvel was going to unleash Arachne in her own mag. The artist was scheduled to be Carmine Infantino. Would I be interested?
I gotta admit something here. I started reading comics in 1951 at the tender age of five. Marvel (as we know it) did not then exist, an wouldn't for the next ten years. Therefore, I grew up as a reader and fan of our Distinguished Competition, and one of the artists I--as a dyed-in-the-wool fan--grew up with was Carmine. His ability to depict fluid movement and action, coupled with his incredible rendering of gorgeous women, made his books among the most enjoyable memories of my youth.
During the very early sixties I was one of many fans who desperately wished to be able to draw. I remember visiting the D.C. offices where he was illustrating one of his regular characters (some guy who zeta-beamed across the galaxy to a planet orbiting Alpha Centuri); I interrupted his work and asked him with my usual brashness--"How do you draw hands? I can draw faces and elbows, but I can't draw hands." Carmine flipped over the art he was working on and spent the better part of an hour explaining the anatomy of the hand and how to use it to convey expression. It's memories of this sort that flooded back to me when Archie asked me if I'd be interested in writing Webby. To work with Carmine, I'd write MILLIE THE MODEL.
As most of you know, Carmine gave up art a few years later-- but now, after too long an absence, he's back at the drawing board what few others can even try to match. He's one of the best anywhere, and I'm proud to be working with him not only on SPIDER-WOMAN, but on NOVA as well.
When I took the SPIDER-WOMAN assignment, I realized there would have to be some changes made. I loved the initial story, but at the time Archie wrote it, it was scheduled to be nothing more than a one-shot appearance. Therefore with Stan and Archie guiding me, we made a few minor alterations in her origin. Nothing presented in this or future issues negates anything from Webby's first appearance, we just used that initial story as a starting point. We trust you won't be disappointed.
But, what about Webby? Who is she? What will she be like?
It's interesting in a way. I don't think a situation has ever developed quite like this strip before. You see, it's common knowledge in the business that it usually takes a writer about six months to get the feel of a new character he is working with. That basically means six issues of a book go by before the writer is comfortable with his material, before the bugs are ironed out. This isn't the case with SPIDER-WOMAN. The reason is--quite simply stated--her appearances in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE served as my trial period. Webby grew as a character in my mind--and by the time I completed the three (or was it four?) issues of MTO, I knew what I wanted to do with SPIDER-WOMAN.
Spider-Woman will not be a strict super-heroine. She will not crack one-liners like Spidey. She will not b going after monsters as she did in MTIO. Her adventures will run along many directions, but she will primarily be a crime-fighter, a stalker of evil, a dark nemesis of the underworld. She is grim and determined, and possesses a strange sort of--dare I say it at the risk of sounding corny?--innocence.
Spider-Woman was raised away from humans. She doesn't quite know how to cope, how to express herself. She can be cold, and yet very warm. She can self-assured, yet incredibly self-doubting. In short, she is one of the most fascinating characters I've ever worked with.
Lastly, before this page draws to an end, I want to explain her name--Jessica Drew. In her original appearance, we didn't have a name for her other self. Therefore we now needed something--and e wanted it to be an interesting name, something just a bit different. At a dinner at O'Johns, a 59th street restaurant in New York, Len Wein, Jim Shooter, Roger Stern, Ralph Macchio and myself spent an hour or some tossing suggestions around. The last name Drew was suggested and accepted. It was short and to the point. For a first name, everything was suggested from Saturday Schwartz to Homer the Happy Ghost. Eventually the name Jessica was suggested, but I initially turned it down.
The reason? My wife Michele and I had just named our own daughter Jessica. It would seem too patronizing, too cutesy to give Webby the same name. However the rest of the table over-ruled me. And so, Jessica it was.
And while we're on the subject of names, we'd like to announce our latest "name the letter column" contest. The inspired Marvelite fortunate enough to come up with a suitable name for this page will win a terrific prize. We'll tell you what that prize is as soon as we think of it.
So there you have it, the background, the truth, the trying times that went into Webby's creation. Frankly, I have high hopes for this book. I've already worked through to issue number five as I type this message, and the book is ever-improving.
So I'm enthusiastic. And I know Carmine and embellisher Tony DeZuniga are equally hopeful that we've put together not just a new, but a fantastically new book for you. So come along and join us on the Spider-Woman bandwagon! We're gonna take you on an adventure you'll never forget!
Bestest,
Marv Wolfman
*transcribed from Spider-Woman: Vol. 1, No. 1
I heard nothing about Spider-Woman for about a month or so afterward, and eventually assumed the thing had been one big joke. Then one day I saw the cover. Lord, we were actually doing it! But who was Spider-Woman? Was she Liz Allen? Or maybe Spidey's long lost sister from the bottle city of Forest Hills?
Then, I saw a page lying around the office, nodded with personal contempt, and asked who was responsible for the thing. I was told that Archie Goodwin wrote it, and Sal Buscema drew it. Well, I begrudgingly said that it was still a stupid idea, but at least it would be well written and well drawn.
About three weeks before you get our mags on the news-stand, we receive coverless versions of the book in the offices-- called make-readies. They let us know in advance that someone ruined the printing or the separations, or that we made a mistake somewhere along the way and never saw it. (Funny, we can have more than a dozen people go over any given book at its various stages, yet errors will sneak by unseen only to be glowing in scarlet neon when the make-ready comes in. There are more dented walls and heads around Marvel on make- ready day than any other time of the week.)
The make-ready on MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #32 finally came out and I read it, not knowing what to expect. But then, I'd read a grocery list if Archie wrote it, which either shows how much respect I have for Mister G's writing talent, or how little taste I happen to possess. Well, it was good. No, strike that--it was great! I really loved it. It wasn't Spider-Man, it wasn't even a distant relation. In fact, I was told that Stan didn't want Spidey and Webby (which is what I call our alluring arachnid) to even meet for a long, long time. Spider-Woman was her own character, and a totally interesting one.
I was impressed enough to ask if I could guest - star her in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE, and Archie agreed.
As I begun the Spider-Woman story for MTIO, word came down that Gene Colan couldn't draw TOMB OF DRACULA on a monthly frequency because of the then-impending HOWARD THE DUCK daily newspaper strip, and I had already decided at that point that I did not want to work with anyone other than Gene on that particular book, therefore I requested a change of assignment. Archie mentioned that Webby had done well in her SPOTLIGHT saga. So well, that Marvel was going to unleash Arachne in her own mag. The artist was scheduled to be Carmine Infantino. Would I be interested?
I gotta admit something here. I started reading comics in 1951 at the tender age of five. Marvel (as we know it) did not then exist, an wouldn't for the next ten years. Therefore, I grew up as a reader and fan of our Distinguished Competition, and one of the artists I--as a dyed-in-the-wool fan--grew up with was Carmine. His ability to depict fluid movement and action, coupled with his incredible rendering of gorgeous women, made his books among the most enjoyable memories of my youth.
During the very early sixties I was one of many fans who desperately wished to be able to draw. I remember visiting the D.C. offices where he was illustrating one of his regular characters (some guy who zeta-beamed across the galaxy to a planet orbiting Alpha Centuri); I interrupted his work and asked him with my usual brashness--"How do you draw hands? I can draw faces and elbows, but I can't draw hands." Carmine flipped over the art he was working on and spent the better part of an hour explaining the anatomy of the hand and how to use it to convey expression. It's memories of this sort that flooded back to me when Archie asked me if I'd be interested in writing Webby. To work with Carmine, I'd write MILLIE THE MODEL.
As most of you know, Carmine gave up art a few years later-- but now, after too long an absence, he's back at the drawing board what few others can even try to match. He's one of the best anywhere, and I'm proud to be working with him not only on SPIDER-WOMAN, but on NOVA as well.
When I took the SPIDER-WOMAN assignment, I realized there would have to be some changes made. I loved the initial story, but at the time Archie wrote it, it was scheduled to be nothing more than a one-shot appearance. Therefore with Stan and Archie guiding me, we made a few minor alterations in her origin. Nothing presented in this or future issues negates anything from Webby's first appearance, we just used that initial story as a starting point. We trust you won't be disappointed.
But, what about Webby? Who is she? What will she be like?
It's interesting in a way. I don't think a situation has ever developed quite like this strip before. You see, it's common knowledge in the business that it usually takes a writer about six months to get the feel of a new character he is working with. That basically means six issues of a book go by before the writer is comfortable with his material, before the bugs are ironed out. This isn't the case with SPIDER-WOMAN. The reason is--quite simply stated--her appearances in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE served as my trial period. Webby grew as a character in my mind--and by the time I completed the three (or was it four?) issues of MTO, I knew what I wanted to do with SPIDER-WOMAN.
Spider-Woman will not be a strict super-heroine. She will not crack one-liners like Spidey. She will not b going after monsters as she did in MTIO. Her adventures will run along many directions, but she will primarily be a crime-fighter, a stalker of evil, a dark nemesis of the underworld. She is grim and determined, and possesses a strange sort of--dare I say it at the risk of sounding corny?--innocence.
Spider-Woman was raised away from humans. She doesn't quite know how to cope, how to express herself. She can be cold, and yet very warm. She can self-assured, yet incredibly self-doubting. In short, she is one of the most fascinating characters I've ever worked with.
Lastly, before this page draws to an end, I want to explain her name--Jessica Drew. In her original appearance, we didn't have a name for her other self. Therefore we now needed something--and e wanted it to be an interesting name, something just a bit different. At a dinner at O'Johns, a 59th street restaurant in New York, Len Wein, Jim Shooter, Roger Stern, Ralph Macchio and myself spent an hour or some tossing suggestions around. The last name Drew was suggested and accepted. It was short and to the point. For a first name, everything was suggested from Saturday Schwartz to Homer the Happy Ghost. Eventually the name Jessica was suggested, but I initially turned it down.
The reason? My wife Michele and I had just named our own daughter Jessica. It would seem too patronizing, too cutesy to give Webby the same name. However the rest of the table over-ruled me. And so, Jessica it was.
And while we're on the subject of names, we'd like to announce our latest "name the letter column" contest. The inspired Marvelite fortunate enough to come up with a suitable name for this page will win a terrific prize. We'll tell you what that prize is as soon as we think of it.
So there you have it, the background, the truth, the trying times that went into Webby's creation. Frankly, I have high hopes for this book. I've already worked through to issue number five as I type this message, and the book is ever-improving.
So I'm enthusiastic. And I know Carmine and embellisher Tony DeZuniga are equally hopeful that we've put together not just a new, but a fantastically new book for you. So come along and join us on the Spider-Woman bandwagon! We're gonna take you on an adventure you'll never forget!
Bestest,
Marv Wolfman
*transcribed from Spider-Woman: Vol. 1, No. 1
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