MARV WOLFMAN

The following is an e-mail interview with MARV WOLFMAN, who had a long, distinctive run on TEEN TITANS and wrote the monumental CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, as well as worked on many, many great projects over the last several decades.

This interview took place August 8, 1998.

JOHN DALTON: What are your earliest comic book memories?

MARV WOLFMAN: As a reader? The Superman TV show and then buying Superman comics. They were great.

JOHN DALTON: How did you break into comics?

MARV WOLFMAN: I published fanzines, amateur fan magazines. I kept writing stories for them and sent them to the publishers until one of the editors asked if I wanted to try writing a horror story for House of Mystery. I did, and thirty years later...

JOHN DALTON: What in your life prepared you to work in comics?

MARV WOLFMAN: As a kid I used to hit my head against the wall until it hurt :)

BACK ISSUE: Across the great depth and breadth of your work, what are you most proud of?

JOHN DALTON: Dracula, Titans, Crisis, Man Called AX, Spider-Man, etc.

BACK ISSUE: What has changed in comics, for better or worse, since you began?

MARV WOLFMAN: Today comics are better drawn than before and there are some comics that are so well written it's unbelievable. For the worse, many writers don't think ahead. They do something without realizing the ramifications which has led to many incredibly dumb ideas--the Spider-Man clone story, for example.

JOHN DALTON: What do you think will change in comics as we enter the 21st Century?

MARV WOLFMAN: If they survive, more of the same, for both good and bad. Hopefully, for the better.

JOHN DALTON: If you had free reign to do whatever you wanted in comics today, what would it be?

MARV WOLFMAN: Comics for kids that were not cartoon adaptations, but stories kids really like to read dealing with kid issues.

JOHN DALTON: You were the name associated with Teen Titans for many years. What is your best memory of your work on that classic book?

MARV WOLFMAN: I was given the freedom to do what I felt best, and because of that we made the comic a best seller. I enjoyed that freedom and the fun of the Titans characters for years.

JOHN DALTON: Your "Crisis on Infinite Earths" stands as a milestone in comics, and is still talked about today. What was your vision for this monumental work?

MARV WOLFMAN: I wanted to simplify the DC Universe and make it accessible to new readers. The Crisis achieved that goal. I also wanted to do a story featuring every DC hero, to make something bigger than had ever been done. I hope I achieved that goal, too.

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