NYCC '08 FLOORBUZZ: JASON AARON

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

This weekend at New York Comic Con, it wasn't uncommon to see creators walking around the convention floor, blending in with all the fans. On Saturday, the crowds were pretty thick, but we were able to flag down writer Jason Aaron for a quick interview.

Well, "quick" turned into something a little longer as we realized this guy is doing a lot of work in a lot of different places. This summer, the comics he's written will be released by Vertigo, DC, and of course Marvel, the publisher with which he just signed a two-year exclusive contract. The characters he's touching this summer range from Wolverine to Constantine to Batman.

Seen by many as an up-and-coming writer, Aaron was just nominated for his second Eisner Award this year for his ongoing series Scalped from Vertigo (the first being for his mini-series The Other Side last year). And he's been getting a lot of attention from Marvel fans for the story he's doing right now in Wolverine, as well as his ongoing gig on Ghost Rider. Recently announced as the writer on the Secret Invasion tie-in story in Black Panther, Aaron also has stories coming up in Hellblazer and a one-shot Batman villains story called Batman: Joker's Asylum.

And readers who make it to the end of this interview will see that Aaron just achieved another "first" -- the first time he met Grant Morrison, which for a life-long comics fan is worth a photograph, which we couldn't help taking when we spotted the moment on Sunday.

But first: The interview. As Aaron was walking to lunch on Saturday, we talked to the writer about all this upcoming work and what readers will see next.

Newsarama: Where do we start? You're doing so much! Let's start by talking about Wolverine. What do you think of the fan reaction to your and Ron Garney’s story that's running in the comic right now?

Jason Aaron: It's been great! I didn't know what to expect when I kind of jumped into the Marvel Universe, but it's been great. I think Wolverine is a book that suits my sensibilities and I've been able to do what I wanted to do, but it's still within the framework of what's going on with Marvel, because it's spinning out of Messiah Complex. So I've been really happy with the response.

NRAMA: The last issue ended with Wolverine about to finally confront Mystique after chasing her across a war-torn Middle East.

JA: It's time for the showdown. Mystique stopped running. And Editor Axel Alonso really wanted to take Mystique back to kind of the movie look -- this naked blue look. So that's where she is at the end: Just naked, holding these gigantic guns, waiting on Wolverine.

NRAMA: Is it fair to assume there's going to be a pretty big fight in the next issue?

JA: Yes. A big throw-down. You'll just have to wait and see how it turns out. Also, we've been doing these flashbacks to their first meeting and how they ended up working with a team of grifters in Kansas City. So we'll see how that turns out. There's a bit of a twist in how that's resolved.

NRAMA: Let's see then, you're doing Ghost Rider. Can you tell us what's coming up?

JA: The issue that comes out next month has a shocking last page, and it sets up everything we're doing after that.

NRAMA: Last time I interviewed you about Ghost Rider, you gave us a good tease about the nurses with guns. Anything you can tease about what's coming up in future issues?

JA: How about nuns with nunchucks? Nunchuck nuns. We'll see that at some point.

NRAMA: So you're working your way through the dictionary, and you're on "N" right now? Nurses and nuns and nunchucks.

JA: [laughs] Yeah. Pretty much.

NRAMA: And you're doing Black Panther for a few issues?

JA: I'll just do three issues of that, starting in June, which are the Secret Invasion tie-in issues.

NRAMA: So you've already started writing those issues?

JA: Yeah, I've written the first one. It's being drawn by Jefte Paolo, who did the recent Moon Knight Annual, and he's done a couple other things for Marvel. It's basically just Skrulls versus Wakanda. It's a huge war on the plains of Africa, something that boils down to hand-to-hand combat between Skrulls and the people of Wakanda led by Black Panther and Storm.

It also features a big throw-down with a Super Skrull who's got the powers of Marvel's most bad-ass street fighters, so he's got a Wolverine hand, and an Iron Fist hand, and a Bullseye logo on his forehead.

NRAMA: Was that super street-fighter Skrull your idea?

JA: Oh yeah. It had to be somebody who it would be fun to have go against Black Panther.

NRAMA: The Eisner Award nominations just came out. So what do you think about being Eisner nominated for your ongoing Vertigo series Scalped?

JA: It was great! You know, it's great to get that recognition. Starting a book like that, with a different concept and a brand new writer and an artist who is new to the States -- you never know what to expect. So just the buzz we've gotten and the fan response and everything has been incredibly rewarding.

NRAMA: What's coming up for readers of Scalped?

JA: Well, the next issue is the last part of the “Dead Mothers” arc.

NRAMA: Is that kid whose mother died going to get any breaks?

JA: Well, I could tell you... but I'd better not.

NRAMA: I have a feeling he won't. Nobody gets any breaks in Scalped.

JA: No, they don't. And after that, issue #18 is a stand-alone issue that focuses on a character we haven't focused on before, but somebody we've seen before. That will be drawn by a new Italian artist, Davide Furno, who is actually doing three issues. After the stand-alone issue, we'll have a two-parter that will focus on Dash and Carol. So it's our steamiest, sexiest two-parter, but also, there are some major revelations about Carol's past. We find out why she hates her father so much, and what's the root of that. And it really takes their relationship to a whole new dark place.

NRAMA: A dark place? See... nobody gets any breaks in Scalped.

JA: [laughs] No. Things are going to get way, way worse before it gets any better for anybody.

NRAMA: Do you have anything else to talk about?

JA: Yeah, I'm doing two issues of Hellblazer that start around June. The story goes back to the events of Newcastle, which are kind of the most infamous events from Constantine's history. And it also involves his time in Mucous Membrane, that punk band he was in in the '70s.

So it starts out as kind of a VH1 Behind the Music story of "Whatever Happened to Mucous Membrane?" These American filmmakers go into Newcastle to make this documentary, and of course they get the proverbial "more than they bargained for." And Constantine shows up to sort out the mess, and he has to return to the scene of his greatest failure to try to save these people.

NRAMA: Was this a story idea you pitched?

JA: Yeah, well Casey Seijas is the editor on Hellblazer, and he was the assistant editor on The Other Side and has been the assistant editor on Scalped, so once he took over Hellblazer we talked about a couple ideas. Sean Murphy is the artist on it. And that was something I was able to do right before I signed my Marvel exclusive.

And then I have my first and last -- for at least for the next two years -- gig in the DCU.

NRAMA: Oh yeah! The one-shot, right?

JA: Yeah, it's a Batman: Joker's Asylum one-shot focusing on the Penguin. It's being drawn by Jason Pearson, who's also doing the covers for my Black Panther story. It was a lot of fun. It's the first time I've ever gotten to play in the DCU sandbox, and the Batman universe, even though Batman's not in it much. It mainly focuses on the Penguin.

When the editor gave me a list of villains to choose from for the project, he told me to rank them in the order of preference. Joker was on the list, and I figured everyone was going to put Joker first. So I thought I'd be different and put Penguin first, 'cause I had a cool idea I wanted to do for Penguin. He emailed me back and said, "Everybody wanted to do Penguin, but you were the first one." So Joker was like the pretty girl that nobody wanted to dance with, and I got to do Penguin. And it was a lot of fun.

NRAMA: Can you tell us anything about the story?

JA: Well, you know, Penguin is not a guy you'd normally associate with the super-wacko Batman villains. But I was trying to show that he does have a very dark side and a creepy side, and delve a little bit into his past. I tried to make him a really creepy, intimidating Batman villain. I had a lot of fun. It was a lot to dig my teeth into.

NRAMA: Do you have anything else coming up?

JA: Isn't that enough?

NRAMA: [laughs] Well, you'll have more coming up in the fall for Marvel, right?

JA: Probably. I'm exclusive to Marvel for two-and-a-half years, and I'm doing two books a month. Ghost Rider, I'll probably be doing for two years. I'm doing Black Panther after Wolverine, so once I'm done with Black Panther, I'll be moving on to something else.

While the interview concluded with Aaron admitting he knew what would be next, but couldn't announce it yet, we ran into Aaron again on Sunday and talked again. But this time, we found him face to face with Grant Morrison, shaking his hand and meeting him for the first time.

We took a few photos of the meeting, and afterward, briefly spoke to Aaron about it. And what surprised the writer the most was that Morrison was familiar with his work on Scalped and enjoyed it. That's got to feel good for a comics-fan-turned-writer, right?

What else the two discussed, we will never know. But one thing that wasn't mentioned because Aaron decided against it: "I was thinking about telling him I almost named my son Grant," Aaron laughed. However, he ended up naming the boy Dashiell, which, as loyal Scalped readers know, is the name of the main character: Dashiell Bad Horse.

Probably a good thing he went with Dashiell. Somehow, "Grant Bad Horse" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

Check back all this week for more floor buzz from New York Comic Con.

[LazarusMan]

Aaron is a great guy. I met him in KC at our local con and we discussed the finer elements of Ghost Rider, and he is very knowledgeable. He brought me back to the book after I swore it off with the Angel elements. And now it's at the top of my stack.

[ejulp]

Is Grant Morrison officially my generation's Alan Moore yet?

[SpaceButler]

Jason Aaron is awesome. I look forward to reading more of his stuff as it comes down the pipeline.

[tgail]

Does anyone in comics have hair anymore?

[Moored]

Originally Posted by tgail

Does anyone in comics have hair anymore?

Gail Simone has a rich scalp of hair. I wonder how she would look without it

[yonofui]

Originally Posted by tgail

Does anyone in comics have hair anymore?

Only the bad guys!

[Kinnon]

For me Mr Aaron is fast becoming one of those writers who never fail to excite. We have several guys on pul lists, who ask for "everything Grant Morrison does", "anything Geoff johns writes" and so on,Brubaker, Ellis , Millar etc etc. writers seem to be the new superstars usurping intrest from the artists.

The regulars recently gave Jason his own "ANYTHING HE DOES" pull list, and I fully expect it to expand.

Great news all round, just get Tony Moore on Ghost Rider and it'll be perfection.
Thanks for the interview.

[Mundungus]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Grant Morrison. So suave. His hands faster than a speeding bullet!

Also, to touch on the actual article. Jason Aaron is the kind of writer who is an inspiration for anyone wanting to break into the industry. I don't quite remember how he got his first gig (I think i was a contest?), but he's shown his hard work and sometimes, that's all you need.

[LazarusMan]

Originally Posted by ejulp

Is Grant Morrison officially my generation's Alan Moore yet?

What about Warren Ellis? He's super-weird and a pretty closed off guy for the most part. I would say he's a little closer to Alan Moore, but that could all be opinion.

[Optimus]

Man I hope Aarons stays on Ghost Rider longer then just two years.

[Disco Cookie]

That's Jason Aaron? Woof! Been reading Scalped since day one and loved every issue. Good to see him getting the kudos (and types of gigs) he absolutely deserves.

And wow, what a hunk.

[beetle1million]

Originally Posted by LazarusMan

What about Warren Ellis? He's super-weird and a pretty closed off guy for the most part. I would say he's a little closer to Alan Moore, but that could all be opinion.

I think it depends on if you're making the comparison based on disposition versus their art. On the latter, I feel like it would have to be Morrison. Ellis is very very good sometimes, but if you're going for sheer brilliance in the Kirby-Moore vein, I think you end with Morrison over Ellis.

But speaking of Jason Aaron...

Scalped might be the single best monthly comic book being made today.

[seesoul]

Jason Aaron is a "buy-on-sight" writer for me.

[deadkid]

Glad to see Jason Aaron getting some major props these days. His run on Ghost rider and Wolverine have been great. Made me start picking up the comic again. Might even pick up The Black Panther issues even though I normally don't read the book. Also good to hear his exclusive deal dosn't effect scalped.

[cpahl2000]

Jason´s wolverine is excellent and I can´t wait to see what he´s going to do on Hellblazer.

I hope he can do Wolverine monthly, he knows how to write Logan.

[RedSquirrel]

Originally Posted by ejulp

Is Grant Morrison officially my generation's Alan Moore yet?

Yes, except he isn't a total nutbar like AM.

GM was very cool to me at an SDCC signing, he's really courteous to his fans. Love that guy!

[Dalarsco2]

Oh god, please be returning to Wolverine after BP! In related news, does anyone else think that Morrison look like Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor? And for the record, he is totally nuts, just in a different way from Alan Moore. Last I heard he's a vegan who thinks he's a "chaos wizard."

[Falkner]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Seen by many as an up-and-coming writer, Aaron was just nominated for his first Eisner Award this year...

This would be his second Eisner nomination. His first was for his first series,The Other Side. Now his second nomination is for his second series, Scalped. Yes...the man is on fire.

[RedSquirrel]

Originally Posted by Moored

Gail Simone has a rich scalp of hair. I wonder how she would look without it

OK, who has Photoshop?!?

[Peagle8]

Grant Morrison and Terry Francona, separated at birth. Who knew?

[Moonbeam]

Originally Posted by Falkner

This would be his second Eisner nomination. His first was for his first series,The Other Side. Now his second nomination is for his second series, Scalped. Yes...the man is on fire.

Yes, he is. And I think he will have many more nominations.

Thanks for catching the error. It's been corrected.

[TonyBedard]

Originally Posted by ejulp

Is Grant Morrison officially my generation's Alan Moore yet?

Alan Moore is your generation's Alan Moore.

[Sam Little]

Jason Aaron is doing great stuff. Really digging his Wolverine arc. Plus he looks just like me.

Looking at those Grant Morrison pics though, I don't think I'd recognize that guy on the street. That would be a missed opportunity, so I hope he wears a name tag as a general rule.

[Kahn]

I really hope he ends up enjoying Marvel, because I'll buy anything he puts effort into.

The street-level Skrull sounds all kinds of great.