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12-20-2006, 06:38 PM
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TALKING WONDER WOMAN WITH JODI PICOULT, 2
 Click here for part one. Newsarama: You've mentioned that you hadn't read Wonder Woman growing up… Jodi Picoult: I was misquoted!! I did read Wonder Woman! Just not back to the 1940s ( laughs). I grew up in the 1960s. I wasn't reading the archived versions back then. In fact, they didn't even have archived versions then! I was reading the comics themselves. I would pick up comics sporadically – I wouldn't have to get every new issue, like my son does. I used to go get the newspaper on Sundays with my dad, and I would buy a Charms lollipop and a comic book. I did read some of the Marvel stuff, and, naturally, Wonder Woman – I was a girl, and she was a strong woman. NRAMA: What comics did you read growing up that were your favorites? JP: I liked the X-Men. I was a big X-Men fan. NRAMA: Wow, they didn't have that many X-Men fans in the 1960s… JP: No, no, this was later…I was older then, I was in junior high, maybe. NRAMA: So that would be the Chris Claremont run… JP: Yeah, that was Claremont. The Uncanny X-Men series appealed to me because as a teen I was teased a lot for being a class brain - and reading about a group of mutants who were somehow different from everyone else, yet incredibly cool and powerful, was validating for me. The best part about the book was that each of the characters had internal struggles, as well as external powers -- I think that's pretty much the universal teenage condition. I always sort of wanted to be Jean Grey when I grew up -- before her Dark Phoenix stage, that is. I love the idea of being able to read and possibly alter someone's mind. In a way, I guess that's what I try to do as a novelist, now, one reader at a time. NRAMA: Back to Wonder Woman, what's the tone of your story? JP: When you're reading it you should feel breathless, like something big is going to happen at any minute. But at the same time, a subtler mystery is developing within the character of Wonder Woman, as she tries to figure out the nature of who she is - to others, and to herself. There's also humor in my run - people might be surprised to know that Wonder Woman can deliver some great lines. NRAMA: What's it like working with Drew Johnson? JP: He's great! I've never met him, except via e-mail. But he's a wonderful artist. What I loved the most about doing the comic book within my novel, as I said, was that collaborative feeling, that sense that you take a skeleton and you give it to somebody else, and they somehow turn it into a three-dimensional creature. That's the magic of the comic book industry, and that's what's so fun about working with Drew. He has the uncanny ability to take something that I had in my mind and - by looking at the words I've given him on the page - to recreate it so that everybody else can see it as well. I think he's really talented, and he has a great sense of humor. NRAMA: You were originally scheduled to work with the Dodsons on this project. Did you have to adjust your script for the new artist? JP: I didn't have to adjust my script. Timing issues led my editor to hook me up with Drew for my first couple of books. I’ll switch back to Terry just in time for things to go completely nuts. NRAMA: Have you read Drew's previous run on Wonder Woman with Greg Rucka? JP: Yes, I had.  NRAMA: What'd you think of it? JP: Well, Drew's art was stellar. As for storylines -- there are some things that I liked, and some things I didn't like quite as much - which is quite normal, since every writer has their own take on a character. Greg made some interesting and controversial choices for Wonder Woman, and that's something I applaud. Obviously, some of the Max Lord storyline in my run grew out of that. NRAMA: In terms of older Wonder Woman stories—are there any that stand out for you, good or bad? JP: I really liked it back when she was fighting the Nazis! That was great! I'm a sucker for Steve Trevor, and romance, too. (laughs) In a way, her older storylines and villains, it's fun to recreate those as well. NRAMA: Any particular villains…? JP: Let's just say my favorite villain turns up again during my run. NRAMA: Some of her villains as originally conceived by William Moulton Marston are very psychologically interesting…The Cheetah was originally the physical manifestation of a poor little rich girl's evil side, Dr. Psycho is a deformed misogynist who kidnaps beautiful women and draws "ectoplasm" he uses to disguise himself as a handsome man…what do you make of that, as an author? JP: I think one of the beauties of the Wonder Woman character is that she is, to be perfectly obvious, female -- and that allows you to explore some themes that other superheroes don't usually address - such as whether a woman who's smart is a threat; how body image figures into a woman's worth; whether a woman is supposed to take charge or sacrifice herself for the greater good. Her villains have been a way to continue exploring themes like this. I mean, look at Silver Swan - and then look at some of the brouhaha that's been tossed around the media recently about the ultra-thin models and the message they send to young girls. So in a way, you can look at some of the Marston stuff as being very ahead of its time! NRAMA: Though Wonder Woman is considered one of DC's "Big Three," she has had a hard time being a top seller. What do you attribute this to? JP: Actually, that's something I even poke fun at in my first issue. Again, I think it comes down to who is reading her. Who are you pitching this book to? Traditionally, in the past, you had comics that were aimed at teenaged boys. That's changed, and now you've got graphic novels and manga, which attract a huge market in both sexes. Before I could begin to figure out what I was going to write for Wonder Woman, I had to figure out who I wanted to be reading this. NRAMA: And who do you really want to be reading this? JP: I think you have to create a story that will attract both adults and kids. Boys should want to read Wonder Woman because she's sexy. Girls should want to read her because she's powerful and smart. Adults should want to read her because of the underlying political, moral, and social commentaries in the storyline. Kids should want to read her because the issues Wonder Woman faces might be issues that they face, trying to figure out who they truly are. NRAMA: Again, any hints as to how you plan to transcend different markets with your story…? JP: Like I said, I think it's a matter coming up with the things that can make Wonder Woman someone we relate to, identify with. Making her more than just someone who's always perfect and strong and right - but also someone who has moments of doubt in situations that are unfamiliar to her. NRAMA: Do you feel the character is viewed more as an icon or as a sex object than as a rounded personality? JP: Well, one of the first things that I did was ask if we could give her breast-reduction surgery, because as a woman, I know you wouldn't fight crime in a bustier. But I was somehow shot down by DC. That's a joke.  But, of course she's a sex object! If she wasn't, she wouldn't dress like that! And she's sexy! Power is sexy! Strength is sexy! However, the flipside to that is that it's also scary to a lot of people who are threatened by women who can think and act for themselves. I think Wonder Woman is, above all else, an icon. Like you said, she is one of the top three for DC Comics. What really sealed the deal for me was realizing that if you put all the characters mano-a-mano, the ones who would be left standing at the end would be Superman and Wonder Woman. That really says it all, doesn't it?NRAMA: How is writing Wonder Woman different from the graphic novel section of The Tenth Circle? JP: Well, writing Wonder Woman was a little bit like being handed a puzzle with a piece missing, and being told, "you need to create a piece that's going to fit right here, and it can be whatever you want, and it can be any color you want, but it has to have the right edges." When you're a novelist, you create your whole universe, and you have free reign. There is already a DC Universe in existence, and Allan, of course, is beginning his wonderful run, and so I need to be able to step in after he's done, and then someone will pick up after me as well. And to really be able to meet the edges of your stories to someone else's, that's a hard thing to do. NRAMA: Now, you went to college with Jim Lee... JP: I did! NRAMA: What's your relationship with him like? How far back does your friendship go? JP: Oh, we go back really far! He was in the same class my husband was, Class of 1986, at Princeton, and he is a wonderful guy. Jim lived across the hall from me when I was a freshman. He lived in a suite with a bunch of guys, and I lived in a suite with a bunch of girls, and we would play practical jokes on each other. One night, the guys moved a bunch of stereo speakers into our living room when we were asleep, and at about 3 AM they started blaring "Burning Down The House". We woke up, totally freaked out, and they thought it was hysterically funny. Which, in retrospect, it was... Jim was a pre-med student… NRAMA: Yeah – who somehow switched to art… JP: Right - he was never doing any pre-med work! (laughs) He had a drafting table, and he'd draw these amazing superhero characters. His wife was his girlfriend back then, and I knew her back then at Princeton. I knew they'd moved to California after graduation, and Jim had obviously ditched pre-med to become one of the foremost artists in the industry today. When I was doing The Tenth Circle, I thought about him, and I contacted him, and I said, "I really would like to talk to you about the comic book industry, and what it's like to be a penciller, and what it's like to create a character." He was incredibly generous with his time, and open and funny and friendly. He has a terrific family now, and when my kids and I were visiting, he even gave all the kids an art lesson. My son Jake pretty much thought he'd died and gone to heaven -- I mean, imagine getting an art lesson from JIM LEE! The best thing about Jim Lee is that he truly is as nice a guy as he seems to be. And he looks absolutely no older than he did the day we graduated! NRAMA: Has he offered any pointers on working in comics for Wonder Woman? JP: No. I had interviewed him for The Tenth Circle , he was definitely a great resource for me. In fact, he helped me find the artist for The Tenth Circle (Dustin Weaver) - who was one of his apprentices. Dustin was a young kid, really talented, and I'm glad I was able to hook up with him when I could, because I'm sure he'll be a lot more expensive in the future! When I was contacted by DC Comics to work on Wonder Woman, I thought for sure Jim must have had a hand in it, and as it turned out, he didn't! In fact, he wrote me a couple of weeks later saying, "I heard about you writing Wonder Woman! Congratulations!" NRAMA: Have you talked with other novelists-turned-comic-writers, such as Greg Rucka, Neil Gaiman and Brad Meltzer, about going from prose to comics? JP: I'm big fans of their work, both novel and graphic novel, but I haven't spoken to them. We haven't had a cocktail party or anything, but you can give them my e-mail address if they're interested. NRAMA: Do you currently plan to do any additional Wonder Woman or comics work after your current run is finished? JP: We'll see! I never say never, not in my regular writing, and not about this either. I can tell you that this has been an awful lot of fun, and I hope that people enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed working on it. NRAMA: Are there any other characters you'd like to work on, or possibly do a long-form creator-owned book? JP: Oh God! (laughs ) I don't know. That's an interesting question. Most of the characters I grew up identifying with were actually Marvel characters. I think they've always played this duality between psychological conflict and physical prowess. That's what's always interested me, that's what I always write about in my books, and that's what I'm trying to think about in my comic book now. I'm sure it would be fun to write for something I used to read as a kid, X-Men or something like that. But by the same token, it's going to be hard to let go of Wonder Woman, because you really don't get any bigger or better than that. NRAMA: Any final thoughts on Wonder Woman, your run, or comics in general? JP: I think comic books get a bad rap a lot of the time. People think, "Oh, well, you read comics, whoop-dee-doo, it's kiddie stuff," right? But in reality, the comic book medium is such a fantastic way to give incisive social and political commentary. Comic books are funny, they're edgy – the well-written ones, anyway – they're making fun of current administrations and political incidents going on in the world, and social values that might, at closer look, be suspect. Being given the opportunity to try my own hand at that in a framework that has existed for, in Wonder Woman's case, over half a century, is a really phenomenal playground. Jodi Picoult's run on Wonder Woman begins in March 2007 with issue #6. Special thanks to Quail Ridge Books & Music of Raleigh, NC for their help with this article. |
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12-20-2006, 07:03 PM
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#2 |
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She's definitely got the right attitude for the character.
Looks like the title is in good hands. As everyone else says, get it monthly and we should be satisfied. |
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12-20-2006, 07:04 PM
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#3 |
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no new artwork. for shame.
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12-20-2006, 07:13 PM
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Its an "I'll wait an see" for me. Heinberg's run has been pretty decent, minus the delays, I've just never found WW that interesting.
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12-20-2006, 07:16 PM
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#5 | |
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Quote:
Hey! We have a winner! At least she's starting off from the right place... |
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12-20-2006, 07:29 PM
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#6 |
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Ok sounds good to me. Glad to hear she likes Steve Trevor and romance.
Just please give me a Wonder Woman book I won't be embarassed to share with the girls in my family. I'm looking at you Supergirl! Good luck Jodi Picoult. |
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12-20-2006, 07:38 PM
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It's a little disappointing that she found Rucka's run to be hit and miss. Thought that was great stuff.
Still, that doesn't mean that she won't "get" WW. |
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12-20-2006, 07:40 PM
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Picoult sounds like she'll do right by Diana - can't wait now!
If Picoult's a Marvel fan I would love to see her tackling someone like Ms Marvel. It's not that I think female writers should only write female characters but considering that female-led comics have historically been written by men I'm enjoying seeing what women like Simone bring to the characters. And if Picoult's good she should definitely keep writing comics - this medium has and will benefit from an influx of new voices. |
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12-20-2006, 08:01 PM
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Reed is doing a great job on Ms. Marvel. |
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12-20-2006, 08:04 PM
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#10 |
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Yay! Drew's back on WW!!!!!
 ...but just for a bit? then Dodsons are coming back? |
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12-20-2006, 08:11 PM
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I think the bigger problem at hand is not that men are writing female characters, but more that there aren't many successful titles with female leads, period. And I think comics need to escape a trap of getting female writers to write female characters, and vice versa. If Picoult's run on WW is good, let's see what she does with other characters, regardless of gender. And get some more titles out with female leads, written by both men and women. |
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12-20-2006, 08:25 PM
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#12 |
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BOOYA
FEELING HOT HOT HOT.
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12-20-2006, 08:34 PM
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Quote:
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12-20-2006, 08:35 PM
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cant wait for your arc in 08-09!
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12-20-2006, 08:46 PM
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Sadly, it's sales are probably also an example of why there aren't more books with female characters on the shelves. |
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12-20-2006, 09:08 PM
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nice interview. she seems very excited which is good.
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12-20-2006, 09:54 PM
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Ditto. |
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12-20-2006, 09:57 PM
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Very good points. |
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12-20-2006, 09:58 PM
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Seconded. |
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12-20-2006, 10:00 PM
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We need more smart people like Jodi in the industry. I think I may start to check out her stuff now.
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12-20-2006, 10:00 PM
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Yep. |
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12-20-2006, 10:05 PM
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This is why I'm gonna be buying trades from now on. How in the world do U relaunch a book w/ a new "hot creative team" only to see that team get broken up after only 5 issues??? Are we going towards an age where all ongoing series will have different creative teams for every single story arc? As someone who reads regularly, as in monthly, I find it annoying to hear all this hype for a new team on a book & gain some interest in it, only to find out that the run on the book only lasts for ONE storyline! I used to collect all X-Men books regularly. I still get Astonishing & am really interested in the direction of Uncanny & Adjectiveless, but what's the point of me collecting them again, when I'm pretty sure Carey & Brubaker will leave the books rite after their year long arcs are over? Is no one but Bendis capable of staying on a book for more than a year?
Sorry for the rant. Anyways, I'm glad that Mrs. (or Ms.) Picoult is getting this job, as she does seem happy to write WW. It seems as though she'll be able to give WW the respect that THE #1 iconic female comic book character truly deserves. I wish her the best of luck. & if I hear it's a good run, I'll get in in trades hahahah |
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12-20-2006, 11:07 PM
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#23 | |
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If you're not shame on you. Yes, you!!! So go pick up a copy, you won't regret it. I promise! |
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12-20-2006, 11:23 PM
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#24 |
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I very much agree with Batmite79's point of view here.
There have been a lot of awesome books written by males where the lead character was female. As they've already been pointed out, there's Andreyko's Manhunter (which gets better and better every issue) and Reed's Ms. Marvel (which currently is my favorite Marvel book.) PAD's Supergirl run is very notable in that respect, as is his work on Fallen Angel, both by DC and IDW. Both books are just...god...the word incredible doesn't even begin to do his work on them justice. And then there's DeFalco's Spider-Girl and Amazing Spider-Girl. Totally bringing the awesome. I think that if writers concentrated more on the character and their world instead of trying to give the character's world a Brand New Direction every five or six issues, then the books themselves might actually be more interesting. Just my two cents. |
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12-20-2006, 11:28 PM
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#25 | |
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Quote:
That's true -- you can have gay men too. |
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