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09-11-2006, 05:53 PM
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J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI TALKS THOR
 While it probably won’t come as any great surprise to Marvel fans writer J. Michael Straczynski will serve as the creative force behind Marvel’s upcoming Thor revival, spinning partly out of the writer’s own work in Fantastic Four and partly out of Civil War, official confirmation comes after literally years of waiting for fans of the character. So with the news newly minted, we figured it was time for a sit-down with JMS for the writer’s first open conversation about the upcoming Thor ongoing series… Newsarama: Joe, first of all, this seems like a project that has long been in gestation. We’ve asked you about Thor in the past in reference to your Fantastic Four storyline, but you’ve never been able to respond fully acknowledging the ongoing series. So now that the barrier is removed, can you ask you again to give us the brief but now definitive back-story of this Thor concept...? Its origins? How and if Neil Gaiman and Mark Millar were involved? J. Michael Straczynski: I've always been a big fan of Thor, and I've always actually preferred to write characters with a big mythos behind them than more straight-ahead characters. The best Babylon 5 characters were always the ones that came at you from more unusual stomping grounds (Londo, G'Kar, others) than Earth-normal. Way back several retreats ago, Joe Quesada mentioned the goal of eventually bringing Thor back, and I made a suggestion for whoever ended up doing it, and [Mark] Millar jumped right in and said it was his. (He also made this claim about the Sudetenland, and we all know how that worked out.) But Mark, being Mark, was soon distracted by other bright-shinys. Neil [Gaiman] was on tap at one point, with more of a teen Thor approach, then eventually it came back to me . NRAMA: Is there a specific reason for the period of time it took for this title to launch? Was it a creative decision? A marketing one? Personal? JMS: I think it was a combination of the first two. Marvel wanted to rest the character for a while, which I think was a good decision, so that his return would be noteworthy. They also wanted to find some way to interface this with the Civil War storyline, and some considerations in that story - which will surface in Civil War #4 - meant pushing the debut back beyond that point. NRAMA: Any hints just to hold readers over for another week or so? JMS: Let us just say of Civil War #4 that there will be a reckoning.... NRAMA: Before asking you for specifics, if we may, let’s start with some broader questions. What’s the appeal of the Thor concept to you? JMS: I've just always liked the character, from his debut in Journey into Mystery, which I read as a kid when it first appeared, to now. To be honest, I've always preferred that iteration of Thor, with the Dr. Donald Blake persona, than some of the later variations on that theme. Maybe that's just nostalgia speaking, but I think there was something valid there in the counterpoint of the characters, a warrior and a physician. As some measure of how much a fan I am, when I heard that Marvel West might be getting back the rights to Thor, I spec'd out a complete movie screenplay even though I had heard that they already had another writer on tap, just because I wanted to do it. I'm still very happy with that screenplay, incidentally, though it has absolutely no bearing on what we're going to do with Thor in the comics. NRAMA: Are you a fan of the “a god walking among humans?” thing? JMS: That's one aspect of it, certainly, and Marvel has always slanted a bit toward those kinds of characters...Captain America out of his element in the 21st century, Peter Parker who never seems to fit in, Daredevil who cannot see the world as we do, the Hulk who is always at odds with the world...a god among humans certainly has that aspect and that appeal. But what also makes the character attractive is the flip-side, to see humans interacting with a god. Who are they to him, but also, who is he to them? I think that's a very cool dynamic to play with. NRAMA: Are you a fan of Norse mythology? JMS: To a certain extent, yeah...for as far back as I can remember, even as a kid, I had an attraction to Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies. NRAMA: Though one of Marvel’s more iconic figures, perhaps with the exception of Walt Simonson’s 80’s run, Thor has never been a huge seller for Marvel, at least not in the last 20 years or so. Why do you think that is, and do you think your concept address this issue at all? JMS: I'm not entirely sure. If I were to speculate, and that is all this is, it may be that over the years it got farther afield of its original architecture as a story and a character. I love Beta Ray Bill as a character, but does his appearance, so near to Thor's, make the latter less unique? I loved having him turned into a toad, but does that make it harder to take him seriously later on? I do think it's possible to treat a character with too much reverence, but at the same time, you can go too far in the other direction as well. I think the stories may have gotten a bit repetitive over the course of decades, so that when you picked up an issue of Thor, you kind of always knew what to expect...and there's good to that, and not-good to that. NRAMA: Will your new series/ be steeped in the character’s previous history, particularly then last few years and end of the previous series, or are you using this opportunity to clean the slate? JMS: I'm picking up where the story left off, but I kind of do want to use this as a way to clean the slate and bring it back more to the Kirby/Lee roots of the character. We've already hinted that Donald Blake is back (raising the question: how?), and there are other elements I'd like to see brought back as well. NRAMA: We’ll assume you’re going to save that “how” for the series, so we won’t put you on the spot and ask… Quick question – faux Shakespearean dialogue… pro or con? JMS: I'm inclined to try one bit of a change there. Even as a kid, I could never figure out why a Norse god would speak in medieval style English. I think it's possible to have that distance and formality in one's language without resorting to that kind of dialogue. The closest thing I'd point to as a comparison would be Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. His speech patterns have a very stylized feel, there's a sense of antiquity about them, but you don't have to parse a lot of "thou's" and "thy's". So that's more the feeling I want to strive for. NRAMA: Getting a little more specific… Thor in the past has always had to distinct words to move in – the Avengers/Marvel Universe world and the fantasy-based/Asgardian world. Which world (if either) will this new Thor inhabit? JMS: A bit of both. One thing that I tried in the first few issues, which have gone over very well in-house, involved the choice of where to rebuild Asgard. Imagine for a moment shining Asgard, in all its ancient glory, high minarets and spires, miles wide in every direction...hovering eight feet above the ground...in the American Mid-West. Oklahoma, to be specific. How would Thor (and, in time, other restored Asgardians) relate to the folks thereabouts? How would they relate to gods living in their midst? Rather than go with the stereotype, I think they'd be (for the most part) welcomed as neighbors. Eccentric neighbors, to be sure, but neighbors nonetheless. It's a marvelous opportunity to provide real contrasts between those two worlds as the locals more or less adopt the Asgardians...'cause they're just looking for a home, same as anybody else. And imagine standing beneath that structure, miles in every direction, hovering just a few feet above your head. The American Mid-West has been largely ignored or given short shrift by the comics’ universe, and this is a good chance to bring that world into play, with its values and its heart. We will see ourselves more clearly for the contrast, I think. The flip-side is that Thor et al will also be more contrasted against this background. If everything is godlike, then nothing is godlike...but put that contrast back in again, as Lee and Kirby put Loki and Thor and others into modern life, and I think it actually helps to strengthen Thor as a character...makes him more unique, more distant and godlike...while tugging at his humanity at the same time. And there's always room for a doctor in a small Oklahoma town.... None of which is to say that down the road Asgard can't or won't be moved to a more lofty locale, but for now, for re-starting the character and making him more interesting by the contrast, that location serves a very solid story purpose. NRAMA: We won’t ask you how specifically, but last we saw Asgard and the more familiar Asgardians, they were all dead and/or destroyed. Given you earlier comments about bringing back some elements from the early Lee/Kirby run, can we assume familiar characters like Sif, Odin, and the Warriors Three, and a familiar-looking Asgard will return? JMS: Yes, but not necessarily as you last saw them. NRAMA: You briefly mentioned Neil Gaiman’s “teen” take on Thor, which Wizard detailed in their Thor news story of a couple of years back. That involved a new group of teens finding Asgardian artifacts at that Mid-West research facility and taking up the mantle of the gods. The Mid-West research facility part proved accurate, but just to set the record straight, from all your comments your concept breaks from that at that point and will present a more familiar take on the concepts and characters, correct? JMS: I don't know if familiar is the word I'd use, but they ain't teens, that's for sure. NRAMA: How about graphically… Will there be any new take or changes to the look of Thor and Asgard? JMS: I like and want to keep the sensibility of his classic wardrobe, but I'd like to see if we can't make it a bit more realistic to the eye...to again hearken to the Lord of the Rings, if you look at the Riders of Rohan, their shields, helmets, or the soldiers of Gondor...I like that look, and would like to see if there's a chance to blend those together with the traditional Thor silhouette. See these related stories: |
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09-11-2006, 10:28 PM
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Awesome! Looking forward to this. |
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09-11-2006, 10:46 PM
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Great to hear. I'm enjoying JMS' FF as well as Squadron Supreme a great deal. Thor is going to be awesome.
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09-11-2006, 10:47 PM
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Um, didn't they do this Agard above the city bit before? I have to say, i'm not so sure about this one...
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09-11-2006, 10:56 PM
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I was hoping it would be MAO, not JMS
I started buying Spider-Man again when JMS took over but eventually dropped it. I've been quite under-impressed with his FF. I really want to like his Thor - I'll keep my fingers crossed. |
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09-11-2006, 11:21 PM
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I knew Marvel would drop Thorspeak as soon as I read the preview for Civil War #4. Great now we are going to see Thor use slang and crap. People don't understand that the whole Thorspeak thing is part of who Thor is. Kurt Busiek understood it, Walt Simonson understood it, and Stan Lee understood it. Dropping Thorspeak is like when Spider-Man all of a suddenly was given organic web-shooters, it doesn't make any sense, but makes the current writer happy.
I'll see how the reviews are for the first issue but I'm wary of picking anything up with JMS' name on it. I can't believe that I might not pick up the new Thor series but I've read JMS' work before and he is better at playing with his own characters like the Squadron Supreme then working with established characters. This could be Marvel's equivalent of The Flash: Fastest Man Alive series in that an old series is starting out completely new and the writer f**** it up completely. |
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09-11-2006, 11:33 PM
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This is such a disappointment. A well written Thor, like in Oeming's Ragnarok or anything by Simonson would have been a great start. Too bad we get Straczynski's dredge he calls "writing". Once again, thanks Joe you just ensured I have an extra $3 in my pocket.
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09-11-2006, 11:34 PM
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Asgard on earth? What a way to punk out the home of the gods. Whatever happened to Asgard existing in it's own dimension? And what about the fact that Asgard is not just a city, but an entire world? Are the Frost Giants slummin with the prarie dogs or something?
I'm excited about Thor coming back, but please, treat Asgard with some respect... Last edited by tgail : 09-11-2006 at 11:39 PM. |
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09-11-2006, 11:36 PM
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And by the way, Simonson's Thor didn't speak that much medieval English either, and it was just fine by me. |
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09-11-2006, 11:38 PM
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09-11-2006, 11:48 PM
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Personnally I am LOVING this news.....not that it is a big surprise.
No matter what you guys say I have been loving JMS's Spider-Man, Fantastic 4, and Squadron Supreme and think he is going to do a great job on this book. I really liked the few issues of SpiderMan that brought Loki in and his stuff with Dr. Strange was great int here too. I think he has the goods for this kind of book. Bring it on JMS! By the way.............ANYONE GOT ANY IDEAS ON AN ARTIST ON THIS BOOK?! |
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09-12-2006, 12:00 AM
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Bad job by the interviewer -- there wasn't a single question about how this would affect his status on other titles (i.e. whether or not he would be staying on Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, etc.). He has a bit too many gigs now.
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09-12-2006, 12:01 AM
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I'm not sold on this just yet....
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09-12-2006, 12:01 AM
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09-12-2006, 12:16 AM
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The reason you're railing against it is the same reason I may pick it up. Always hated the way he spoke. Now if it's toned down, I'm interested. Also, I like the new Flash title. Granted, it's not as good as Johns run, but it miles ahead of the crap after Johns run. |
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09-12-2006, 12:16 AM
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09-12-2006, 12:21 AM
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Top 3 shudder nightmare thoughts
1. Blue Collar Frost Giant Comedy Tour - "Yew Might be an Asgardian if..." 2. Thor jacking up his chariot with 4X4 tires 3. Replacing "For Asgard" with "Boomer Sooner" chant |
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09-12-2006, 12:31 AM
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JMS. If you happen to read this:
Find a way to work the concept of Einherjar into your new take on Asgard, and I'm there. Seriously. You give me Einherjar, and I'll give you sales on Thor and uh.. pick a title. That's right. 2 for one deal from me here. |
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09-12-2006, 12:33 AM
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09-12-2006, 12:36 AM
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Yea, well.. how many years has it been since a mention of Yggdrasil? Or Alfheimr? (Elfheim), or Niflheim?? Eh? Eh? Marvel comics Asgard has always been pick & choose, so I'm not to picky on JMS getting fast-n-free w/ what he writes in. Me? I'll just be happy if the use the concept of Einherjar somehow. |
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09-12-2006, 12:46 AM
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There goes my hopes of reading Thor. Nice one Marvel.
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09-12-2006, 12:48 AM
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Great interview, I expect that Thor, Asgard and the asgardians be treated with respect, especially I would like that Amora the Enchantress and also her younger sister Lorelei come back.
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09-12-2006, 01:07 AM
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Hit and Miss
JMS is hit and miss with me. "Supreme Power" and "Squadron Supreme": Bullseye! That "Strange" series? Uh...what? I'm sure he'll do the title justice though...he always does bring quality concepts to his work, they just don't always work at times. Take his FF for example: Reed working on creating a bunch of fantastic people? Alright! Reed helping in creation? I'm lost.
As for that artist? I've heard Stuart Immonen's name tossed around, but what about JMS's buddy Gary Frank? Hmmmm.... |
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09-12-2006, 01:07 AM
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Okay....I know I'm about to get flamed alive for this...
But has JMS ever been to Oaklahoma? I mean seriously... I'm biased (University of Texas grad)... but I've never known Oaklahoman's to be all that tolerant of things that were different. I honestly think Joe Q has lost his mind... |
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09-12-2006, 01:07 AM
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