Superman Returns For Author Wolfman

By Terry Hooper

Superman Returns but Marv Wolfman Never Left

Veteran comic professional Marv Wolfman created several series and characters in his time, including Marvel’s Blade and the Crisis On Infinite Earths from DC. His run on the Teen Titans has become a staple of comic book history. He has worked on comics, animation, and related projects for over thirty years, and is still going strong. The upcoming Superman Returns movie has a novel adaption by Wolfman. Terry Hooper talked to Marv about his career and the Superman Returns novel.

TERRY HOOPER: I have to be honest here and say that I have not read any of your books! An awful confession to make but I'll rectify the situation as soon as possible! I am, naturally, a BIG fan of the work you have done in comics over the years.

MARV WOLFMAN: Shame on you. Go read those books fast. Buy several copies to make up for your tardiness.

TH: I have to say that, until checking out your site [a href=http://www.marvwolfman.com/>MarvWolfman.com] I wasn't aware that you had written a book based on the Crisis On Infinite Earths [COIE] maxi series of the 1980s.That series was to redefined/clear up the DC continuity and when I read it I was comic geeky enough to say:"Gahk! They've killed the Flash!"/"AGH! They've killed Supergirl!" so on and so forth.

Trying not to be long-winded here [and failing]; when I get the story for a comic I "see" it mentally and that helps me when I come to draw the comic. Now, when you were asked to write COIE, or any comic, do you "see" it visually?

MW: First, I wasn't asked to write Crisis. I came up with the idea and pitched it to DC. But yes, I see comics visually. I was a Junior High School art teacher and majored in art both at the High School of Art and Design and at Queens College where I got my Bachelors of Fine Arts degree. So yes, I always see my stories visually.

TH: The follow-on question is quite simple; okay, you wrote the COIE series but how do you then convert the comic into a novel with so many characters and things to describe that some readers will not have seen such as the Monitor's craft, the obelisks that appeared in different times and so on -I mean, this was a far-reaching comic series.

MW: See what you get for not reading it first? If you had you'd know I changed it. Instead of the universe spanning approach George and I used in the comic, I chose to make this a different story - one which incorporates all the major Crisis events, but it's now all told in first person by The Flash. That changes how the story is told as well as provides a new experience to Crisis readers.

TH: Wow! I really am going to have to get that book now! That’s a totally different approach to what I imagined would be used.

Do you get much feedback from fans who may have read the COIE series/graphic novel and then the novel? Ever get the "Hey, it worked as a comic but not a novel" or "This book was better than the comic series!"? I ask because I knew someone who was a complete comic book geek and was given the novel....and was pretty broken up when he told me the novel was "almost better than the comic series"!

MW: Many people actually preferred the novel, which surprises me. They feel that the novel gives more of an emotional underpinning to the comic. To me however I think they are two very different entities. The comic uses the strength of visuals - and there is nobody better than George Perez with that kind of book - as well as the ability to give a huge canvas that would be very difficult to do in 80,000 words. The novel grounds the story more in reality and let me write about the characters.

TH: You really have sold me on getting the book now. I know that the COIE novel sold well -an ebook and a second printing. Was it your first comic-adapted-to-novel?

MW: No. I co-wrote a Spider-Man novel back in the early 70s, as well as having written a Fantastic Four novel at the same time. I also co-produced 11 super-hero novels for Pocket Books.

TH: Ah! Now I knew about those books but I had a friendly argument with someone because I thought you had written some of them but I was told no. Guess no one can argue now!

Before we leave COIE can I ask how much further you were able to expand the story: if someone who has only ever read the comic book picked up the novel would they find aspects of the story have changed to fit things into a novel?

MW: See above. It's a very different story set during the Crisis.

TH: Now,Marv, I'm assuming that, having adapted a 12 issue maxi series into a novel, that adapting the film Superman Returns was easier? Or are there more constraints on yourself, as a writer, to not go beyond what is seen in the movie?

MW: Adapting my own work into a novel and adapting a movie are completely different experiences. I made up the Crisis novel but I had to follow most of the movie for Superman Returns. I was allowed to add things and I added an entirely new opening among other bits here and there, but I am following their story and I'm trying to tell the novel in the style of the movie, not my style. This is an adaptation, not an original.

TH: As you have done the film novelization I'm hoping that you can fill in a few things for those who haven't seen the film yet but are a little confused?

For some reason Superman vanished off into space [we don't want to spoil the story for potential readers here!] for several years and now returns. He is not out of continuity with the Christopher Reeves Superman films, though, and is meant to be the same character?

MW: Sorry to say but I won't reveal anything about the film until it comes out.

TH: awwwwww. I ask because some have tried to link the new Superman into the Smallville TV series Clark Kent character - but these are completely separate, right?

MW: They are separate.

TH: The movie and TV versions of DC comic characters such as Batman, The Flash [which I loved!], Superman and so on, are always considered NOT to be the same in any way other than names and costumes. This applies to this new Superman I'm assuming?

MW: The movies and the comics may have some similarities but they are different.

TH: So, if not the same character as in the comics, does that make it easier to write, without having to keep worrying about comic continuity?

MW: I am writing the movie so nothing else matters. You don't worry about the comics here, except in some background detail that doesn't change the movies.

TH: I guess I have to ask a similar question to that re. COIE -- would the comic book fan of Superman, who might like the movie even if it doesn't fit in with comic continuity, find the movie legend expanded? Earlier I asked about any constraints put on you in adapting a movie to novel, I was just wondering whether there were scenes that you thought would be great to expand upon but couldn't -or, in fact, were allowed to expand on?

MW: They are different so a fan should approach this as a movie only. If they liked Superman The Movie then they should think of this in the same continuity. I was asked to expand on some scenes and characters and allowed to create some of my own.

TH: If this is the movie Metropolis and Superman of today do you include any references to those other notable movie heroes -Batman [in Batman Forever the caped crusader said at one point: "This is why Superman works alone!"], Steel or, uhm, Catwoman?

MW: I don't think I did.

TH: Marv,I've asked about problems in adapting comics in to a novel or a movie into a novel but which do you find easiest or more fun -I would have guessed COIE as you wrote the series but.....

MW: I have to say writing is not fun. The result of the writing is. It's all work, but it's work I greatly enjoy so it doesn't matter if it's my material or someone else’s.

TH: And, finally, any other novels in preparation -comic/movie adaptions or original concept?

MW: None at the moment.


TH: Marv,my thanks for taking time to answer these questions and the best of luck with the Superman Returns novel!