HEROES CON/WW PHILLY '07: TERRY MOORE ON SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

When Sean McKeever announced earlier this year that he'd signed a DC exclusive, fans of the Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane series he has written for Marvel since its beginnings were distressed to think of the title in another writer's hands -- or, perhaps worse, ending altogether.

Tucked into its own unique universe, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane has found an audience of loyal readers -- of all ages, as intended -- who follow the title's monthly look at the drama-filled high school life of Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson and their circle of teenage friends.

As McKeever's final issue #20 looms in the series' future, word comes that Marvel has tapped creator Terry Moore to take over as writer. Best known as the writer/artist of his self-published title Strangers in Paradise, which just ended this week at Issue #90, Moore seems like a good fit for the title because his own series had a lot of similar romantic drama and the same type of character-focused storylines. According to the publisher, the series will start with a new #1 later this year. No artist has been announced as of yet.

While there have been hints that Moore will be writing more than one Marvel title, the creator says he isn't allowed to give details about what else he might have coming for the publisher. But as Newsarama talked to him about his work on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, we did find out that his fans might see an independent comic drawn and written by the creator sometime later this year that he's tentatively calling Motorgirl.

Newsarama: How did you get this job on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane?

Terry Moore: Well, when I knew that I was getting close to the end of Strangers In Paradise, I made a call over to Marvel and asked Joe Quesada if they had any projects for me, that I could do since I was going to have all this free time on my hands. And he came back and suggested this book. And I thought, "Wow! Yeah! I like that!"

NRAMA: Had you read the book before or did you go look at it after Joe suggested it?

TM: I had not read the book before, but I was aware of it. I had seen those beautiful Mike Mayhew illustrations on the front of the novels that had been done. So I was aware of the Mary Jane title after that. I knew that it was an all ages title and kind of manga looking, but I have to confess, I hadn't read it yet.

So when Joe said, "Check this out because I think you might like it." I did. I went out and got them all and read it. And I thought it was pretty cool. I see the point of it.

NRAMA: The point? What is that point and why did it draw you in to this project?

TM: I liked the fact that there's a title in the Spider-Man family that is approachable for new readers, and is accessible to younger kids and to girls. I think some of the more gritty, mainstream titles may be off-putting to new readers and parents of young teens. You need something like this to complete the line.

And I have to confess, I found the whole aspect of it very charming, that it focused on the kids in school. What I liked about the original Spider-Man stories was that they really focused on Peter
Parker and his friendships and his trials at home and in school, and oh yeah, he did this other thing too. So Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane is the closest thing to the original Spider-Man I've seen in years.

That's what I liked.

NRAMA: What do you, as a writer, bring to the project, and why do you think your style fits the title?

TM: Well, all I care about as a writer is the story of people. For me as a writer, and as a person, I am more interested in what it takes for people to wake up every morning and find their enthusiasm and get through the day. And I'm really interested in the personal battles that every person has, to be the best they can or to try to reach out and start a relationship or keep a relationship with somebody else who has their own hands full.

And I think it's maybe never more confusing than when you're a teenager. So it's fascinating to go back and put your mind back in that place, and to put myself in the shoes of Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Liz, Flash and Harry. To just put myself in their place and see what it takes for them to get up every day and go to Midtown High in Queens and do the best they can. Of course, Peter has a special set of problems.

But I found it fascinating as a writer. That's what I'm interested in. I care a lot more and am more interested in that than what the Secret Service is doing or World War Five or you know... [laughs]

NRAMA: [laughs] Well, that's a lot of what Strangers in Paradise focused upon -- the people. There were some pretty wild plot twists here and there, but do you see Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane as a similar "type" of title to Strangers in Paradise?

TM: I think it has a kindred spirit in the fact that it's a story that really focuses on people. And again, it's normal people in extraordinary circumstances. How could you not be interested what happens to these kids considering what's going on around them? They live in a city of supervillains and grown-ups doing incredibly weird things, and here's Parker, about 15 years old, and he gets up the courage to commute to Midtown and then go take these guys on. And then comes back at night to Queens to talk to his friends and try to sort out something of a personal life. It's just a great contrast.

When I first discovered Spider-Man when I was about the age of Parker himself, I thought, "Man, I can relate to this." And I still can, all these years later. It's easy to put myself back in that place. Their whole world is their neighborhood and their school, you know? So these things are really important to them, how they sort it out, and the emotions are intense.

[continued...]

Newsarama's coverage of the 2007 Heroes Con & Wizardworld: Philadelphia is brought to you by GameAlmighty.com - "Truth, Justice, and Videogames by the only website run by superheroes"...

NRAMA: While the title has a lot of male readers, it's specifically aimed toward a young female reader, and while Peter Parker is a main character, it really focuses on that young teenage girl named Mary Jane Watson. And you've always, through Strangers in Paradise, been cited as a writer who could find the voice of women and seemed to be
able to write women well. Do you think that's one of your strengths and something in particular that you bring to this title? And if so, why? Why are you so good at writing women?

TM: You know, that's always been something I've felt a little self-conscious claiming. It's not something I brag about because I don't know how to defend it. But you're right: For the last 14 years, the feedback I get is, "Gosh, you're writing good women characters." How I do that? I just don't know. I don't know how I sit down and write a song.

I just sit down and write about the internal people before you put the skin on. Everybody's kind of the same inside. And then you have to factor in what they're dealing with, whether they're male or female or what their accent is or whatever. So I think if you just write about the spirit first, and then drape them in skin and put all those problems on top of it, that's been my approach. That's how I figure it out.

NRAMA: Do you think fans of Strangers in Paradise might follow you to this project?

TM: I hope so.

NRAMA: Do you think they'd enjoy it?

TM: I think they would because I think easily half my readers on Strangers in Paradise were women. And of course, Spider-Man loves Mary Jane has a focal point of Mary Jane. I see it as a very easy transition for me to go from writing about Francine, Katchoo and Casey to going and writing about Mary Jane and Liz.

NRAMA: Yeah! Liz has a little Katchoo in her, doesn't she? [laughs]

TM: Oh yeah! Oh yeah! [laughs]

NRAMA: That fiery temper!

TM: Exactly. The characters are so diverse and so easily defined. I really think Sean McKeever's done a great job of setting them up in their own time and place and defining them at their ages, at that point. I really respect what he's done. I intend to maintain the atmosphere and tone of the series that he's established. The book has very strong fans already, so I'm sure that when I go in, people will be watching to make sure I don't go in and just wreck everything Sean set up.

NRAMA: That was going to be the next question. "Are you going to change anything?"

TM: No! I don't plan on going in and turning anything upside down. I love the series, and what I would like to do is continue in the sprit that Sean has established and continue to entertain readers -- and hopefully introduce some fun surprises.

NRAMA: Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane doesn't follow the continuity of 616 to the letter. But Sean does insert these little nods to the past of Spider-Man, with old, rarely seen Spider-Man villains and characters showing up, like Big Wheel -- and even Gwen Stacy and Firestar have been added to the cast. You said you started reading Spider-Man when you were really young, so are you hoping to keep the same kind of quirky nods to the past or did you have something else in mind that you'd like to bring to the comic?

TM: Well, that's one of the things I found charming about the series. Because it's technically the early part of Spidey's career, obviously, you can go back and use some of those villains that were actually kind of fun. There was one villain that I remember being so goofy back in the '60s. I think he was called The Frog or something Frog-Man, and he just had springs on his feet [laughs] and that was his power! He robbed banks and bounced away and I thought that was just the dorkiest thing I'd ever seen!

NRAMA: [laughs] Does that mean he's going to show up in Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane?

TM: [laughs] If nothing else, just to bounce around in the background of one panel! I mean, [laughs] what other title would give that poor guy another shot?

I like the fact that, in this title, Spider-Man can go and fight these guys -- and as a 15-year-old kid, half of it's fun for him -- and this is one title where you won't find people in the emergency
room at the end of the day. It's not so serious, with heavy consequences, and I like that.

NRAMA: When you take over Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, are you going to pick up where Sean left off? Will it be, like, the next day?

TM: Well, I think it's safe to say there might be a little bit of time lapsed between Sean's last arc and when I pick up, and when we rejoin them, they'll be in the middle of a moving train. And I'll figure it out from there.

NRAMA: Will there be new numbering when you take over?

TM: I believe, last time I was talking to the guys at the office, they weren't sure if they were going to start with a new number 1 to separate the story arcs or just continue from Sean's last issue, which is #20.

NRAMA: Any word yet on the artist?

TM: We don't know who's going to be drawing it yet, so we'll see.

NRAMA: You're going to be just writing as opposed to writing and drawing, which you did with Strangers in Paradise. You're not walking away from your art, are you? Are you going to be drawing something somewhere?

TM: I will. I don't know what it will be yet. Obviously, drawing is what takes all the time. So I'm glad to be able to write this, because I wanted to do something after Strangers in Paradise that was a total change of pace but still comfortable to me. This really fit the bill. But that does leave me free to get in trouble with some drawing commitment somewhere, so I'm still trying to figure that one out.

NRAMA: I'm sure your fans will hope to see you somewhere.

TM: I plan on it. If nothing else, I plan to start another independent series at the end of the year. There's an idea that I've been batting around among my friends and I'm trying to refine it, so there's definitely another series in me somewhere.

NRAMA: I think you had mentioned something to me once about a sci-fi idea. Do I remember that right?

TM: Well, yeah! There was originally a sci-fi story. I still kind of have that around. I was making notes about that last night.

NRAMA: Ah ha! Is that what we'll see next?

TM: I don't know if that will be the next one. There's a really strong competitor -- another story that is a lot more accessible, I think, to people. It's in development. It's called Motorgirl for right now. That's the working title. But I don't have any announcements on it yet. It's just something I'm working on.

[Sean McKeever]

Yay! Terry Moore is the absolute best choice for this!

[Midas]

Originally Posted by Sean McKeever

Yay! Terry Moore is the absolute best choice for this!

I'd have called him the second best choice, with Tom Beland being the first. Still, this is a potentially good move by Marvel and I applaud it.

[richstanz]

FANTASTIC NEWS!

So glad this is going to continue.

Brilliant choice for a new writer!

[NightRiver]

Holy Crap! That is awesome news!

[Rob Barrett]

This is great news indeed!

[comicfanuk]

Oo!

I'm just so glad that the title will continue!

THANK YOU MARVEL!!

[cyclopsfan]

Originally Posted by Sean McKeever

Yay! Terry Moore is the absolute best choice for this!

You sir are a class act... It's always obvious how much you love the industry you work in. Your support of your replacement is to be commended.

Best of Luck,

Your friend from Sentinel Days,


Cyke.

[cleazer]

Wow, what an incredibly inspired choice!

Great news!

[ssava]

Congrats!
I love...LOVE the series...both art and writing.
Great job to Sean and company.

Looking forward to Terry's taking of the reigns.

[loony_nut]

Holy monkey parts, this is so awesome!!

SMLMJ started off for me as a guilty pleasure but now it is really one of the books i look forward to every month.

[Jed Saxon]

Dang!
The good news just won't stop, right?

So there's is a reason to keep buying SMLMJ. I mean it's just written by one of the two guys that would gotten me do to so after Sean's departure (the other would've been Andi Watson).

[BillReed]

Hey, some good news for a change! Heh.

[Salieri]

I just 'yay'ed so hard my lungs fell out. And not in a good way.

[Sano]

Originally Posted by Sean McKeever

Yay! Terry Moore is the absolute best choice for this!

Just to let you know Sean I loved what you did with this book and I absolutely loved your Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends story in Spider-Man Family, bringing Video Man into 616 lol!

I'm exited about Terry Moore taking over and am happy that the book is in good hands.

[amlah6]

BEST! NEWS! EVER!

[R.McKegan]

Great news. My girlfriend is going to love this. She's a huge SiP fan and she's been dieing to know what Moore would be working on next.

[H.W.]

This is great news. I couldn't be happier for Terry Moore.

[BlueThunderArmy]

!!! I literally just shouted "oh my god." Great news.

[Supreme Convoy]

Holy hell... that's awesome!

I'm so glad Spidey Loves Mary Jane is still around.

[Livewire2nd]

Awesome News for the book I'm glad it's not getting Canned. I also hope that Terry's Name can bring new readers to the book.

[jza1218]

This is an inspired choice!

[motteditor]

!!!!!!!

Wow.

I have to admit I didn't really care for the one issue of this I picked up (I'm not really the target audience and I'm a dubious Spider-fan under the best of circumstances), but I'm a big fan of Terry Moore. And now that SiP's gone... I do hope he's doing something else, though, since like I said, I'm not much of a Spider-fan. I think I'm going to go daydream about him on post-Joss Runaways, which would also seem like a good fit.

[Alextron]

Will Spidey shed his skin and be consumed by Spiders in this book, too?

[Knowbrainer]

Originally Posted by Alextron

Will Spidey shed his skin and be consumed by Spiders in this book, too?

Uh... what?