JASON AARON: ON TAKING OVER GHOST RIDER & WOLVERINE

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

On February 13th, Marvel readers who have never heard the name Jason Aaron will get a double-whammy of the guy.

Not only is the writer beginning a four-issue story arc on Wolverine scheduled to be released on that day with art by Ron Garney, but Marvel Comics has confirmed for Newsarama that Aaron will be the new writer of the ongoing Ghost Rider series, beginning with an issue released on that same day.

Within the comics community, Aaron's name has been bandied about as a creator on the rise ever since his 2006 Vertigo miniseries series The Other Side won praise for its candid exploration of the Vietnam War through the eyes of both an American Marine and a Vietnam soldier. Since then, his ongoing Vertigo series Scalped has attracted the rather vocal attention of other writers in the industry – from Brian K. Vaughan and Brian Wood to Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction – who have publicly lauded the ongoing series' portrayal of organized crime on a Native American reservation.

All the attention seems to have paid off, as Aaron will take on the Wolverine series after this fall's high-profile Messiah Complex beginning with issue #62. And as current Ghost Rider writer Daniel Way wraps up his run with artists Javier Salteres and Mark Texeira, Aaron will take over the series with issue #20 along with Roland Boshi, a new artist from France whose work as a storyboarder and designer includes the recent Fantastic Four animated series on Cartoon Network.

We spoke with Aaron about all this upcoming Marvel work, including a rather intellectual discussion of the merits of flaming skulls, big claws, and skeletons in cowboy hats. And somewhere in there, we found out that readers can take a no-risk chance on Aaron's current work, because he's offering a money back guarantee on the first trade of Scalped for readers who want to find out why this guy is getting so much praise.

Newsarama: Wolverine and Ghost Rider? Does somebody at Marvel like you or something, Jason? You've done a couple issues for Marvel before, but this is a pretty good start for you as a writer with the company, isn't it?

Jason Aaron: Hell yeah, and I’m awfully damn excited. My first full issue of comic work, The Other Side #1, came out a year ago, and since then, it’s been an awfully crazy ride. And next year is shaping up to be even crazier.

NRAMA: Do you think this is a result of all the glowing reviews you've been getting on The Other Side and Scalped? Did you ask people like Brian K. Vaughan, Brian Wood and Ed Brubaker for plugs for the Scalped series? Or has all the attention from your peers been a total surprise?

JA: I’d been sending pitches to Marvel for the last few years without ever hearing anything back. Then Scalped and The Other Side came out through Vertigo, and all of a sudden I had editors at Marvel calling me up, offering me gigs. A most refreshing change, to say the least. Do I owe it all to Vaughan, Wood and Brubaker? Maybe so, but regardless, those greedy bums aren’t getting any more of my money, so tell them to stop calling. (I mean, c’mon, BKV, get a day job or something. Seriously.)

For real though, the response I’ve gotten from other creators has been overwhelming, and those three guys in particular have been incredibly gracious, constantly going out of their way to help publicize my work. It’s kind of hard to think of them as my peers since I still feel like a total fanboy whenever I talk to them, but I hope they know how much I appreciate the way they’ve so warmly welcomed me into the comic book writing community over the last few months.

NRAMA: For those of us reading Scalped, both the Ghost Rider and Wolverine projects seem ideal for you. Obviously Marvel agrees. Why is that? What about your style makes these two Marvel projects such a good fit for you and your style?

JA: I guess because I like to write stories about flawed and angry individuals who try to solve their problems by punching other people in the face. Which is weird, since in real life I’m a total wimp. I haven’t been in a fight since fourth grade, and I lost that one. Nevertheless, my stories tend to be rather dark and violent, but still human, still emotionally relevant. At least I hope. That’s certainly what I’m aiming for.

NRAMA: Is the Ghost Rider gig ongoing? How long do you intend to be on it?

JA: Until I start to suck, as editor Axel Alonso would say. Yeah, it’s an ongoing gig, and what we’re mapping out right now is about a two-year story.

NRAMA: Was Ghost Rider something you pitched or something that was offered to you?

JA: Axel asked me if I was interested, and I said, “absolutely.” My all-time favorite Marvel characters are still the horror-themed oddballs from the ‘70s, like Man-Thing, Son of Satan and Werewolf by Night. And I put Ghost Rider in that same category. He’s never really seemed like a full-on superhero to me, which I’ve always liked. When Axel approached me, he told me about the revelations Daniel Way had planned for the character and where that would leave things for the new writer, and all of that made me even more excited. I wrote up some ideas and emailed them to Axel as soon as we got off the phone, and now here I am. I also took Ghost Rider editor Aubrey Sitterson out for barbecue here in Kansas City, which may have helped.

NRAMA: There’s a flaming head barbecue joke in there somewhere. Have you always been a Ghost Rider fan? Any past creators or stories you could point toward as influences?

JA: The first Ghost Rider issue I ever bought was #32 of the original series, way back in 1978. It has Ghost Rider on the cover all in flames and dangling from a noose, being hanged by the black-clad Bounty Hunter and several skeletons wearing cowboy hats, a couple of them angrily shaking their fists in the air.

NRAMA: It’s hard to beat skeletons in cowboy hats.

JA: It is, quite possibly, the greatest piece of art ever drawn by anyone anywhere in all the history of the world. All told though, my favorite issues are the ones written by Michael Fleisher. I’ve always been a big fan of Fleisher, particularly his Wrath of the Spectre stories and Jonah Hex work. Of the Danny Ketch series, my favorite issues were always the ones that used the villain Scarecrow. In terms of influences on my Ghost Rider run, I’d list Alan Moore’s American “Gothic” stories from Saga of the Swamp Thing, action and exploitation films of the 1970s, The Exorcist 3 and the Bible.

NRAMA: Somehow that’s not what I was expecting when I asked for influences. Let’s switch gears and talk about why Ghost Rider is so appealing – both for you as a writer and for readers. And how do you hope to tap into that appeal?

JA: Well, he’s a dude with a flaming head who rides a motorcycle. There’s the main appeal right there. For me though, I love writing tortured souls, and Johnny Blaze is about as damned and haunted and tortured as they come. And did I mention that his head is on fire?

NRAMA: You’re taking over the project from Daniel Way, who launched the series over a year ago. Will you be continuing with the same continuity that he's established for the series?

JA: Daniel is leaving Blaze in a great spot for me to take over. He’s tying up the loose ends from his run and also dropping a big revelation about Ghost Rider that allows me to launch things in a new direction.

NRAMA: Can you give us a hint at what that big revelation might be? Without blowing Dan’s big finale, of course.

JA: Daniel will be wrapping up Blaze’s war against Lucifer, and the fall-out from that will leave poor Johnny devastated. But more importantly, he’ll finally know who’s ultimately responsible for screwing his life all to hell by saddling him with the curse of the Ghost Rider, and in my first issue, he comes right out of the gate gunning for vengeance. The only question is, how in the hell does he get to… well, you’ll just have to wait and see.

NRAMA: Can you tell us anything else about your first story on the series?

JA: The first arc takes place in Montana, in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, along a lonely stretch of road that’s been the sight of an unusually high number of traffic fatalities over the years. Ghost Rider comes to town looking for vengeance and answers, but mostly just vengeance, and instead gets the proverbial “more than he bargained for.” Did I mention that there are nurses with guns, a troubled cop named Kowalski, a flaming weapon or two and a big surprise ending?

NRAMA: Nurses with guns? That just put you in the same league as skeletons with cowboy hats. But besides all these awesome toys, Jason, what do you hope to add to the Ghost Rider mythos overall during your run? What can we expect from Jason Aaron’s Ghost Rider?

JA: I’m just looking to tell cool little horror stories with kick-ass action, and also to build on the character of Johnny Blaze, to give his story a little more emotional depth. I also want to put the “Rider” back in Ghost Rider, and take advantage of the fact that Blaze is the world’s greatest motorcycle stunt rider.

NRAMA: What can you tell us about your new artist, Roland Boschi?

JA: Roland is really hitting the ground running, and everybody at Marvel is really excited about his work.

NRAMA: Switching gears to talk about your Wolverine gig, how did that project fall into your hands?

JA: Well, I guess I just did a good enough job on my last Wolvie issue, #56, that they decided they wanted me back. I had a total blast working on that story, especially with Howard Chaykin drawing it, and fans seemed to really enjoy it as well.

NRAMA: This is the character you started with way back when you won a Marvel contest and were given the chance to write a short Wolverine story, which was your first published work before landing The Other Side. It's kind of come full circle, hasn't it?

JA: Yeah, pretty wild, huh? And it only took six years.

NRAMA: What do you think it is about this character that makes him such a draw for you as a writer?

JA: Well, he and I are both rather hirsute, but that’s probably not what you were looking for, huh?

NRAMA: [laughs] Not exactly.

JA: I think even though he’s been around so long and been a part of so many stories, he’s still a rich character with lots of stories to tell. He’s also great to use as a conduit for telling the stories of people around him. And he has big claws that he uses to slice and stab people, which is pretty cool.

NRAMA: Yes, but those of us who have read your Wolverine stories before – particularly the recent Issue #56 – are well aware that you like looking at this character from a little different point of view. Will this upcoming story fit that description?

JA: No, unlike my story in #56, this issue will really focus on Wolverine himself. We’ll see a few flashbacks to a portion of his life we’ve never seen before, and we’ll also witness his first meeting with another big-time mutant.

NRAMA: Wolverine has evolved a lot since his introduction as part of the X- Men. Explain who Wolverine is right now, as you see the character, and what your take on him is going to be.

JA: I think it’s interesting what we’ve been learning about the character in Wolverine: Origins. Turns out, Logan has been a pretty bad guy for most of his life, which leaves him with lots of past sins to try and make up for. And also makes him something of a hypocrite when he condemns someone else for doing wrong.

NRAMA: You said the issue will focus on Wolverine, but can you tell us a little about the story and what you’re going to explore about the character?

JA: In the wake of the events of Messiah Complex, Logan is looking for vengeance. Against who and for what, I can’t say. But he’s determined to let nothing stand in his way. The present day portions of the story take place in the Middle East. The whole story is basically one long, violent chase, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the streets of Baghdad. What’s going to happen when Logan catches the person he’s chasing? Why is this chase so personal for him? Check out Wolverine #62 for some of the answers.

NRAMA: Leave ‘em wanting more.

JA: I know. I’m such a tease.

NRAMA: You're getting to work with Ron Garney on the series. How has that been?

JA: Wow, he’s pretty damn great, isn’t he?

NRAMA: That’s what he said about you after reading your first script.

JA: Ron has been really excited about the project from the get-go and it shows. His pages are amazing.

NRAMA: We talked about the rave reviews you’ve been getting for Scalped, but for those people not reading the series, you’re offering a money back guarantee for the first trade. Why do something like this? And how does it logistically work?

JA: Well, I find myself writing for a much larger audience now with my Marvel work, and I’d like to try and turn some of those readers on to Scalped, the book that got me the attention of Marvel in the first place. Quite simply, without Scalped, I wouldn’t be writing Wolverine or Ghost Rider.

Still, I know it’s hard these days to get people to invest their time and money in a new concept, so I’m trying to make it as easy as possible. You can already buy the first Scalped trade for the low price of only $9.99, and now if you don’t like it, you can send it to me and I’ll give you your money back. It’s as simple as that. For more details, check out scalped.info.

You can also download the first issue for free from DC’s website. So really, what excuse do you have for not at least giving it a shot? I’m incredibly proud of this series, and I want to put my money where my mouth is.

NRAMA: And for those of us who are already reading Scalped, can you give us an idea of what's coming up in the series?

JA: The current arc, “Casino Boogie,” is about to wrap up, with an issue that focuses on former revolutionary Gina Bad Horse. After that, issue #12 is a stand-alone story with guest artist John Paul Leon. It serves to wrap up the book’s first year and pave the way for the second year, as things really amp up. It’s also one of those “great jumping on points for new readers.”

After that, issue #13 is the first part of a five-issue arc called “Dead Mothers,” and this is really what everything has been building to so far. And just when I thought R.M. Guéra’s art had really peeked for this title, he comes along and takes it up another notch. His work on issue #13 is devastatingly good.

NRAMA: With the projects at Marvel now on your plate, are you still determined to stick with Scalped long-term?

JA: Most definitely. I love what I’m doing at Marvel and hope to keep things going with them, but nothing could tear me away from Vertigo. I plan to be working with them for as long as this industry will have me.

NRAMA: What other projects do you have coming up?

JA: A couple more things here and there, but nothing I can really talk about yet. There is the Top Cow Pilot Season contest coming up in a month or so. If my Ripclaw issue wins the fan voting in that, I’ll be following up with another Ripclaw project next year.

NRAMA: Between all these titles, Jason, you're getting a lot of projects that seem to fit your style, as well as a few higher-profile jobs. How does it feel to go from "up-and-coming writer" to someone who's becoming established? A little nerve-wracking? Or is it about time?

JA: It feels terrific. Things have worked out way better than I ever could’ve imagined, really. And this is still just the beginning. As far as I’m concerned, the best is yet to come.

[Grievous]

best of luck to him.

He is doing very well in comics this last year.

scalped is very good.

[Jed Saxon]

"Scalped" didn't work for me but at least one can hope from this that his GR stories won't be as decoooompreeeeeesseeeeeed as Way's.

[thefourthman]

This news solidifies my decision not to drop Wolverine once Guggenheim took over, but now I have to start reading Ghost Rider again, yay! Aaron is the man, I hope both are runaway hits for him, he deserves it.

[BornToRun]

These are a couple of books/characters with great promise, that are seldom as good as they should be. He seems like he's got a good handle on them; we could see some really good stories come out of this.

Ballsy move to map out GR for two years, too! Without a sequel in the works (as far as I know) or a major role in the Marvel Universe, it seems like that one would be on Marvel's hit list pretty quickly if it doesn't deliver.

[xdemon]

I love Scalped and am looking forward to Wolverine and Ghost Rider.

[Reliant]

I've been kinda of looking for an opportunity to jump onboard Ghost Rider. Sounds like the start of Aaron's run is a good place to start...

[pop monkey]

Great news! Can't wait to read Jason's take on Ghost Rider. I'm a bit burnt out on Wolvie, but I will probably check out this upcoming arc. SCALPED is a great book (as was OTHER SIDE), and for those who haven't tried it yet, pick up the first trade and give it a shot. It's super-cheap and a great read! Don't let SCALPED become another AMERICAN VIRGIN!

[Predabot1]

NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo............!!!!! !!!!!

..........

I LOVED Texeira and Ways Ghost Rider! So.... an era is coming to an end. After the dreck that was 95% of V2, I could finally read a GH-comic that was actually entertaining.

Alas...

I'm seriously thinking about dropping this one now. The reviews better be DAMN, and I mean GOD-DAMN good! Otherwise... it's the trashcan for it.

[tbumpkins]

Awesome news! I was very, very impressed with Aaron's recent Wolverine issue. Sadly, that's all I know of his stuff, but I think I'll pick up those Vertigo trades to see what's up. More importantly, I can pick up Ghost Rider again! Liked what I heard from him so far, especially the liking of the Scarecrow issues; if he included the GR Annual by Warren Ellis than double the points as that was one of my favorite flame head issues ever.

[Blackbeard]

Outstanding news! Congrats, Jason!

[Marius665]

I've never read any of his work before but it looks like I will most likely be a supporter and go grab his stuff. Wolverine and Ghost rider, freakin' awesome!

The only thing I'd like to see about Wolverine is the explanation of his history with the Native.

And Ghost Rider, all I want to see is the return of Vengeance.

[ShinAkuma666]

Scalped is an awesome series ! Like all Vertigo series, they take their time to lay the fondations to the story and the characters, the art is incredible too.

Its a very good offer that Mr. Aaron is offering, you can also read the first issue here, along with more great Vertigo #1 issues:

http://www.dccomics.com/sites/vertigo_num1s/

[SunnyvaleTra]

Scalped has not missed a beat since the first issue. Other Side was good stuff as well.
Congrats, Jason.

[Evilomar]

Almost got excited for a minute. I thought he was replacing Daniel Way on Ghost Rider and Wolverine Origins. Good luck to you Jason.

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Daniel will be wrapping up Blaze’s war against Lucifer, and the fall-out from that will leave poor Johnny devastated. But more importantly, he’ll finally know who’s ultimately responsible for screwing his life all to hell by saddling him with the curse of the Ghost Rider, and in my first issue, he comes right out of the gate gunning for vengeance.

Wait... wasn't that established back in the Dan Ketch run if not before?

[shadowchaser]

nice, i can finally pick up ghost rider again!

[joaokamikaze]

Funny. I believe his first published work was a Wolverine story in 2002. Does marvel needs so much time to realize someone can write good stories?!

[4thdimension]

Gutsy move to give a writer who is pretty fresh in the field two books,but one of them is wolverine. Marvel is taking a good chance here. Aaron seems ready for the big time.

[red-maverick]

YES!! finally Way is off another book. Im so getting Ghost Rider and the Wolverine arc. It looks like he really understands the characters well. Plus Im loving this guys Vertigo stuff, more the Other Side than Scalped but both are very good. I wish Marvel would give non-hollywood/tv writers more of a chance and be less sceptical about putting them on series.

[4thdimension]

Originally Posted by Evilomar

Almost got excited for a minute. I thought he was replacing Daniel Way on Ghost Rider and Wolverine Origins. Good luck to you Jason.

He is replacing Way on Ghost Rider,and he is taking over wolverine from guggenheim

[Hypestyle]

I am angry that Way's Rider run is ending.. i have all the issues.. just great.. well, at least he gets to wrap up his storylines..

[TheGrayHulk]

Mmmm... it seems like I'm gonna have to try Ghost Rider now... I was waiting for that opportunity, thanks!

[Walter Hill]

Jason Aaron is a good choice for the book. He'll make it work.

[johnny.blaze]

YEAH~~~~ Way is off of GR. No more "Lucifer Pokemon - gotta catch 'em all storyline!"

BOO~~~~ Guggenheim should still be writing Wolverine (and with Garney's art i might add!!!).

BOO~~~~ Tex & Saltiares are leaving the book when they should just start hitting their stride.