JEFF PARKER: WRITER BY NIGHT

[Alex Groff]

by Remy Minnick, Comixfan Staff Writer

This year at Wizard World: Los Angeles, it was announced that there would be a new back up story in the pages of Amazing Fantasy. We got the chance to chat with Jeff Parker, the writer of the supplemental tale Vampire By Night, to discuss this brand new heroine in the Marvel Universe, his work in the Marvel Adventures line and what exactly makes a fun comic. (Hint: It's orange, rocky and it's favorite letter is "R")

Comixfan: Let's start with your upcoming back up story in Amazing Fantasy about the new character dubbed Vampire By Night. When this was originally announced Mike Lee, a creator for White Wolf game studios, was attached to the project. How did you get involved with the title? How much information was given to you by Marvel and how much room did you have to work with on the character?

Jeff Parker: If I understand right, I believe the original writer was just putting too much in the story, way more than there was room for in three 8 pagers. It's understandable, game writers are used to having room to put in tons of back history, developments, etc. Of course I'm just guessing. Anyway, the editors went back to scratch, gave me the character's name and the fact that she's the niece of Jack Russell, Werewolf By Night, and said "Go!" They liked what I came back to them with, a young woman who's character works as a counterbalance to the Scorpion.

Comixfan: As you mentioned, the Vampire By Night story will be running 8 pages over 3 issues. How do you write a story to fit into that format? Was it difficult to write in that format or do you end up just writing a 24 page story and divide it up into three parts?

Parker: Even better-- I'm writing three separate 8-page stories! Comics storytelling allows for a lot of time-collapsing, if you're careful. I like the idea of doing what the original Amazing Fantasy and other anthologies did, introduce new characters in self-contained stories so readers can get a feel for them. Of course, I hope they enjoy VBN so we can tell a much longer story with the characters. We'll be seeing Uncle Jack again, too.

Still, eight and ten page stories... it's good to see them surface again. As readers keep growing impatient with long meandering storylines, maybe they'll embrace the short comics story like they did in the past. When we could have several anthologies, and they did well.

Comixfan: Who is this Vampire By Night and why is she only "By Night"? It was alluded to the fact that this character has some connection to Jack Russell, the Werewolf By Night. What can you tell us about this relationship?

Parker: She is Nina Price, the heir to a media empire thanks to her dad, and a curse of lycanthropy thanks to her mom. Or rather, the Russoffs, her mom's family. Soon after her 18th birthday, she realizes what's happening to her during the full moon, and she heads to the old homeland to try to have the curse removed. Instead she succeeds in getting bitten by a vampire. The two mystical afflictions blend in such a way that she's only a vampire at nightfall. And able to become a wolf at will during that time. Not a wolf-woman though, you will not be seeing a hairy girl running around in Amazing Fantasy. Sorry Furries!

Comixfan: Werewolf By Night is one of those characters that, while a third tier character, has a strong fan base like Speedball or Moon Knight. Were you familiar at all with the character before writing the story of his niece? With Nina Price being related to Jack Russel is there any chance of him showing up at all in the story?

Parker: Yeah, I used to read those books-- wait, Speedball has a strong fan base? When did this happen? Anyway, I read Werewolf By Night as a kid, and they still hold up. Again, we're trying to bring in new readers and not just cater to continuity fiends, so you need not have read any of the Werewolf stories to hop on board with this feature. But if you have, you'll enjoy extra benefits.

Comixfan: You also have work coming up on the Marvel Adventures line of books which are slated for a younger audience. Do you find yourself writing stories for the title differently then you do with your other work? Has Marvel given a list of things that can or can't be done within the confines of the title?

Parker: Actually they're aimed not so much at a younger audience as they are a new audience, the people that haven't followed the titles for years. As I understand, these are going to be among the books Marvel greets the public with in the return to 7/11's across the country. So they need to be accessible, and they need to be self contained. These stories start on page 1, end on 22!

So in effect, I'm writing these stories exactly the way I'd like to. My editors emphasize that these books are supposed to be FUN. And luckily, I tend to think that tales about super-powered people in costumes should be fun too. It was nice that I got to start with the chaotic buddy team of Spider-Man and Human Torch. That's coming up soon in Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man # 4, with some seriously nice art from Patrick Scherberger.

Speaking of that, I'm also happy to have a chance to write for some excellent artists, and give them some graphic storytelling to work with. Just like with stories that I draw myself, I'm trying to give them scripts crafted for visual action.

Comixfan: You are going to be writing the Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four book for the forseeable future. What was the main attraction for you to write this title instead of a more mainstream Marvel Universe book?

Parker: One: that's the book they offered me. But like with other Marvel assignments lately, I've had this freakish luck where I've been offered things I'd really want to do. I love the FF and the Adventures approach fits my philosophy to a tee: don't bog the stories down in continuity and make them cryptic to possible new readers. Focus more on good plot and characterization. And again, as MacKenzie Cadenhead commanded, "bring the fun!" Now I must go find the fun. And bring it.

I'm not big on the way so many mainstream comics have turned into soap opera. Readers are too focused on what's going to happen in the books, and that's not as important as the way it all happens.

Comixfan: What can readers look forward to in upcoming issues of Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four?

Parker: We're still working over story points now, so I have to keep mum for a bit. But the evil alchemist Diablo appears in my first issue.

Comixfan: With the new Fantastic Four movie coming out this summer, is there any pressure to tell stories that relate well with the events of the movie?

Parker: Nope. Nice, huh?

Comixfan: Your also going to be contributing a story for Marvel's upcoming Monster Special, what can you tell us about it?

Parker: This is fun, because I'm doing a new version of a Kirby classic. A college student is given a death ray and charged with finding an alien menace named Manoo. You know, that kind of stuff happens a lot when you're an undergraduate. The original story is a lot of fun, you can find it on the excellent Monsterblog at http://monsterblog.oneroom.org/stories/?story=manoo&page=1

Comixfan: How did you get involved with the upcoming Monster Special? Was this another case where they handed you a character and said "Go!" or did you get your pick of which character to reinvent for the special?

Parker: Mark Paniccia told me I could revisit any of the old Monster stories I wanted, but I kept getting the vibe that he wanted Manoo brought back. He'd say "There's plenty of good stuff. What do you think of Manoo?" And later: " Good Manoo, Jeff. Have you figured out what story you want to write? Just let manoo. I mean, let me know." I finally took the hint and worked on a Manoo idea that would have a comparable revelation to the one in the original. This special is going to be really good. I think Eric Powell is doing a Devil Dinosaur story. I'm in the "Where Monsters Dwell" section.

Comixfan: What other projects do you have coming up?

Parker: Steve Lieber and I are working on an adventure graphic novel called Underground that we hope to finish this summer. And for just myself, I'm working on Volume 2 of The Interman. I should be ready to talk more about those before long!

Comixfan: It seems that "fun" is a keyword when talking about your upcoming work at Marvel, what do you think makes a story "fun"?

Parker: Fun is: The Thing dressed as a pirate commanding a ship. Which has already been done, but it's a great image that encapsulates the spirit of what I like to do. In short, I want to treat escapist fantasy like escapist fantasy. I don't know how many comics I've opened lately where it's just 22 pages of people in costumes having an argument. Can somebody just fight some crime, or discover a lost city or something? Are our lives so thrilling that we turn to comics to get a fix of the mundane now? There's really nothing I can say on this point that Kyle Baker hasn't said better in any of his recent interviews.

You know, maybe we can do Pirate Ben Grimm again after all.

Pre-order Amazing Fantasy online now at X-World Comics and save!

[Phasmal]

Really cool to hear that stories are going to get more self-contained, at least in the "Adventures" line. I'm also glad that there is a place new readers can go to just have fun with the characters before they get into the emotionally heavy stuff. I think you really to build up an interest in most spandex characters just as slam-bang superheroes before you can be really interested in their painful problems. Anything to boost readership.

Why don't we have a whole slew of heroes dress up a pirates? That'd be nice fodder for good ol' Spidey humor.

[sslion]

Cool! Really looking forward to these back-up stories and the Adventures stuff!