@’s by writer David Liss!
KletusCasady here. David Liss has quickly become one of my favorite writers at Marvel. At this time he’s only written BLACK PANTHER with artists Francisco Francavilla & Jefte Palo & MYSTERY MEN with Patrick Zircher but both of those comics in my opinion are excellent and a great example of why I read comics in general. He’s also written a few novels such as THE ETHICAL ASSASSIN, A CONSPIRACY OF PAPER and THE COFFEE TRADER which have also met critical acclaim. David Liss was nice enough to let ol’ Kletus annoy him for a short while and pick his brain about his deepest, darkest comic book secrets…KLETUS CASSIDY (KC): How did you get into writing comics?
DAVID LISS (DL): I was asked! MYSTERY MEN and BLACK PANTHER editor Bill Rosemann read one of my novels saw some overlap between my interests and Marvel's. I've always been a big fan of the medium, so I was thrilled to get the chance to write for Marvel.
KC: How would you describe the transition from writing novels to writing comic books in a serialized fashion?
DL: I've always loved serialized fiction, both in comics and on television, so I was very happy to get a crack at trying my hand at it. Obviously, writing a comic script is very different than writing a novel. You have less space, and a confined amount of space, and the medium is much more visual. On the other hand, I love the collaborative element of comics, working closely with an editor and artist, and I love using the space between issues for cliffhangers and dramatic pauses. But while it's a different kind of story-telling, some core elements remain the same. Comics, like novels, work when they are about characters the reader cares about. The trick is figuring out how to use the medium to its best advantage to tell the kinds of stories you want to tell.
KC: I agree; if the reader doesn't care about the characters then I doubt they'll care about much else. I feel like you have an exceptional grip on the characters you’ve written so far for Marvel. How do you get inside your character’s heads? Do you walk around with a homemade Black Panther suit on (please say yes)? Do you pretend to be them for a day? What do you do to ensure you have a firm comprehension on a character’s personality? DL: Ha! Nothing so complicated or dramatic as that; mostly I try to think through characters and scenarios. I tend to consider story in terms of character before plot, so I try to work out what it would be like to be this person in this situation, and try to imagine what it would be like to experience what these fictional characters experience. There's no real formula for this. It's more a matter of trying on different ideas, or panther suits, until one feels right.
KC: Damn! I was rooting for the Panther suit.. Were you already familiar with what was going on in the Marvel Universe? How did you bring yourself up to speed?
DL: I was about ten years out of touch with the Marvel U, but fortunately I have worked on research-intensive projects before. This time, I got to sit around the house reading comic books, and it counted as work. That's pretty sweet.
KC: Did you grow up reading comics? If so, who were you into?
DL: Yes, I grew up with comics. I was always a big fan of BATMAN, SUPERMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, SPIDER-MAN, DAREDEVIL & PUNISHER. In later years I was really into a lot of indie titles like NEXUS and GRIMJACK.
KC: I actually thought that you'd be a good fit for Batman. Out of those characters that you listed, are there any specific runs that stand out in your mind, or writers/artists that you were into? DL: Probably the biggest stand-outs for me were Frank Miller's run on DAREDEVIL and, later, the work he did over at DC. Also, the Giffen and DeMatteis run on JUSTICE LEAGUE.
KC: Are any of those heroes on your list of characters you'd like a chance at writing? Who would be at the top?
DL: Like most comics fans, I'd love to have a chance to write some of the really iconic characters like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Daredevil, or Punisher. I think I'm more drawn to solo characters than groups. I also like writing characters who face serious challenges, which is one of the things I loved about the Black Panther concept when Marvel floated it by me. That said, I think I'd have a good time working with just about any established character as long as I had a chance to tell interesting, character-driven stories.
KC: Right on. Now Daredevil, Batman, Spider-Man and Punisher at surface level seem like their challenges would be easier to chronicle based on how human these characters are, but Superman is kind of the pinnacle of the super human. What challenges would he face in a David Liss Superman book?
DL: That's always the problem with a Superman story, of course. While he remains among the most iconic characters out there, it's hard to tell a good Superman story that's not an origins or Elseworlds story simply because the character is so powerful. I like how DC has dialed back on some of that with their re-launch and established that his powers are considerable, but still growing. Like with any character, the secret to telling a good Superman story, however, remains creating a situation where he faces a genuine and emotionally convincing obstacle or challenge. That said, I honestly have no idea what I would do if given the chance to write Superman, but I love the idea of tackling a difficult narrative challenge.KC: Let's switch gears here a bit. With Francesco Francavilla, Jefte Palo & Patrick Zircher, I feel like you've had great luck as far as artists go. I know there are some writers that describe things down to every detail while there are some that just give a basic outline and allow the artists more interpretation; not that either one is better, but which do you prefer? How much control do you exert over the direction of the art?
DL: I see the artist as a collaborator, not as a craftsman who is there to carry out my orders, so I try to give as much freedom as I can. In other words, if it isn't necessary to advance character or story, it's not there in the script. I don't tell the artist what kind of chair or clock to draw unless it is important for the story or it tells us something about a character. I write that way so that the artist has the freedom to tell the story visually in the way that he thinks makes the most sense. Also, I don't want to be a pain in the ass and give a lot of directions that aren't necessary. I trust an artist's visual instincts more than I trust my own. Finally, I did an informal survey of artists I don't work with and asked what they like and dislike in a script, and most said they wanted some freedom and only necessary detail.
KC: How much do you speak with the artists during the scripting process and what kind of things do you discuss?
DL: It depends on the artist, of course. Mostly I send in a script, and then I'll get rough drawings with any questions, which I can respond to or suggest tweaks. With MYSTERY MEN it began a little earlier since we had new characters, and Patrick had to do the character designs as well.KC: Are there any other artists you’d be excited about working with?
DL: I'm thrilled to be working with Shawn Martinborough on an upcoming BLACK PANTHER arc, and I'll be working with Colton Worley on THE SPIDER for Dynamite. I've seen some of his early pages, and they are fantastic.
KC: Are there any artists that you haven't worked with that you've seen their artwork and said, "Damn, I gotta work with them?"
DL: Honestly, I just don't work that way. I dig good art in the books I read, but I think most of the guys who make it into comics are damn good to begin with. For me it's more a matter of finding the right match for the story. I love the feel that both Francesco and Jefte bring to BLACK PANTHER, for example, and I love how different the books feel when each of them is at the helm. And I remember when we were floating idea for artists for MYSTERY MEN, a bunch of names were suggested that left me kind of lukewarm, but when Patrick's name came up, I knew immediately he was the guy.
KC: I know you have a new novel coming out. What’s the title, and what can you tell us that will have people salivating to jump between the pages of this book?
DL: The book is called The TWELFTH ENCHANTMENT, and it is already out. It's set in the early 19th century, and it's about both the first organized labor movement against the Industrial Revolution and people who practiced traditional English folk magic, as well as scholarly ceremonial magic. Unlike a lot of books where magic works, the magic in my novel is based on the real magic that real people really did and really believed worked. It's more subtle than what you get in a lot of supernatural fiction, but it's all historically authentic.KC: Any new projects that you’d like to tease (comic books or otherwise)?
DL: I've got an illustrated novel called SWORD OF THE APOCALYPSE coming out with Radical, a horror short story in an anthology called THE MONSTER'S CORNER, and next spring I'll be doing THE SPIDER for Dynamite.
KC: This last question is from one our talkbackers. If the Mystery Men were to have a BBQ, would they wear their full uniforms? Who would run the grill, and would they wear an apron and a chef's hat?
DL: I'd want The Operative running the grill. You know everything would be cooked perfectly. And it would be The Revenant wearing the chef's hat. His affect is serious, but I see him as the one most likely to have a sense of humor about himself. Him and Aviatrix, but I somehow don't see her wearing an apron with that crowd.KC: Well that's all I've got. Thank you for doing this, I know you've got a busy schedule with the book tours and Black Panther suits (good title for your biography) but we here at AICN appreciate you taking the time to talk to us and I’m personally looking forward to your future endeavors.
DL: Thank you.
KC: If you’d like more information on David Liss check out his website here or would like follow him on Twitter here or stalk him on Facebook here.
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