Editing for Maximum Impact: Ms. Marvel's Bill Rosemann

By Tim O'Shea

Ms. Marvel's profile has clearly been on the rise throughout the past year. With that in mind, SBC wanted to find out where things were headed in the coming months. Over the next month or so, as respective schedules permit, SBC will interview members of the Ms. Marvel creative team. But before interviewing them, I had the chance to email interview Ms. Marvel editor Bill Rosemann.

Tim O'Shea (TOS): Ms. Marvel is playing a prominent role in a few books at present, as editor of her solo title, how do you balance the effort to elevate her profile without running the risk of overexposing her?

Bill Rosemann (BR): Ms. Marvel is indeed at the center of the post Civil War landscape -- and we (the creators and her fans) wouldn't have it any other way. But, while she's appearing as a supporting character in New Avengers and Avengers: The Initiative, she's actually only starring in two titles, Mighty Avengers and her own solo title -- so, compared to the amount of titles some other heroes star in, I think two primary roles is a perfectly manageable amount for a character as strong as Carol Danvers. That said, I stay in close contact with my fellow editors, and together we discuss and coordinate Carol's appearances to the best of our abilities. All of the editors try to avoid character over-exposure and burnout. Short term it may bring in quick dollars, but long term it hurts the integrity of the character. Bottom line: Whether she's leading the Mighty Avengers against big bads like Ultron or targeting potential Avengers-level threats in her own book, this is Ms. Marvel's time!

TOS: The two most recent issues have sold out, some might say it's a result of her roles in Civil War and The Initiative, but do you think there's more to it than that?

BR: Actually, I'm happy to say that her last three issues have sold out--and that's with her printrun increasing each time--so it's nice to see that the readers who may have jumped onboard with issue #13 have stayed to see where Ms. Marvel's Operation: Lightning Storm program takes her next. As for what's caused the increase in interest, Carol's prominent role in the Civil War and now in the Initiative certainly brought the eyeballs that we hoped for. But I also believe the addition of Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan as the new interior art team and Greg Horn as the new cover artist hooked readers who may have originally stopped by due to that Initiative banner on the cover. Plus, Brian Reed really has Carol focused on her core theme--being "the best of the best" via Operation: Lightning Storm--and readers are reacting to that. Basically, all of the creators are kicking butt, which has retailers and readers interested.

TOS: Given that Ms. Marvel is involved in so many events in the Marvel Universe, how hard is it to edit the book?

BR: Every book presents the editor with challenges--whether it's a character or book that's searching for meaning, casting the right (available) creators, or even managing creators who have difficulty hitting deadlines. Fortunately, Ms. Marvel features a character with a clear "big idea" (a hero attempting to be the best crime-fighter in the world) and a creative team who all deliver what they say they will when they say they will. Actually, they deliver more than they say with some truly inspired work. So that's half the battle. The rest is keeping the train moving (dialogue balloon placements, constant proofing of lettering, coloring, etc.), staying in constant contact with the creators, and reading as many other scripts that feature Ms. Marvel as possible so that she's portrayed accurately in all her appearances. The biggest challenge is to constantly top the last story. How can we surprise and entertain the readers? What is the next step for Carol as a character? How can we leave the readers' jaws dropped and on the edge of their seats? It's all about the constant journey of learning and striving to get better.

TOS: You came on board as editor with issue #13. Now that you have a few issues under your belt, do you feel like you've established a strong rapport with the creative team?

BR: Every editor hopes that they bring the best out of their creators without stepping on their toes and ticking them off, so that's what I'm shooting for. You make suggestions, you give creators their best chance to succeed, you try to guide the story to its maximum impact--but you also get the hell out of the way and let the creators do what they do best. From Brian Reed to Aaron Lopresti to Matt Ryan to Chris Sotomayor to Dave Sharpe to Greg Horn, I like every single member of the creative team both as creators and people, and I hope they feel the same. We keep in contact through daily (often hourly) emails and phone calls, so everything seems to be going well. Then again, perhaps they're plotting behind my back to replace me with M.O.D.O.K.--which would be cool, because I bet M.O.D.O.K. has some awesome story ideas! Ultimately, what I hope is that the creators themselves have a strong rapport with each other, so that they continue to both mesh and inspire each other to deliver their best.

TOS: What would you say is the most noticeable impact that Reed and Lopresti have brought to the book?

BR: While Brian and I were sad to see Roberto De La Torre go (but happy that many people would be seeing his great art in Iron Man), we thanked our lucky stars that Aaron was available and interested in joining the team. On top of that, Brian was ready to launch Operation: Lightning Storm with Aaron's debut issue, which I think sent a message to the readers that a new day had dawned for Carol. So I think Brian and Aaron have delivered a new level of character focus, an increase in Marvel Universe involvement, a stability of quality, an increase of readers and some really fun comics. And the more they work together the more they grow and gel. We're only four issues in to their run, but so far, the results are very promising--and having read the script to issue #20, I know more coolness is on the horizon. It's my hope that Brian and Aaron are delivering a definitive run that elevates both Ms. Marvel and their careers.

TOS: Was the M.O.D.O.K. arc already in the works when you came onboard, or was that something you and the creative team hammered out?

BR: Hmmm…if I remember things correctly, while Carol had been fighting the forces of A.I.M. before I arrived (during the Doomsday Man arc), I think the showdown with M.O.D.O.K. was something I suggested to Brian as Carol's first Lightning Storm mission. Then again, Brian's a fellow M.O.D.O.K. fan, so he could have very well come up with the idea. Either way, Aaron's wish list started with M.O.D.O.K., so perhaps it came from him. Now that I think about it, I don't remember any of us coming up with the idea, I think M.O.D.O.K. himself beamed the idea directly into our brains! Man, M.O.D.O.K. rocks!

TOS: Carol Danvers is a woman with a deep, deep Marvel history, as editor how important is it to have the perspective to encourage Reed to mine that history, but also allow him to imbue the character with enough new development to allow her to evolve--all at the same time?

BR: That's one challenge that every writer must face when taking on a character that's existed for many years, and Brian excels at starting with a past event as a blast-off point, but then heading in fresh and unexpected directions. My job is just to look at the story from an outside perspective and make sure that it connects with new readers while also rewarding long-time fans. It's very easy to get bogged down with continuity--so if you look at creating a comic like a recipe, the trick is to use history as a flavor, but to not let it overpower the taste.

TOS: Will Carol Danvers be installing new security measures in her shower after the recent Ant-Man incursion?

BR: Brian & I were more than happy to work together with the Ant-Man creative team to generate yet another example of the way the Marvel universe interacts--but let's just hope that Carol never reads an issue of Ant-Man, because if she does, Erik O'Grady will have to worry about more than a can of Raid!

TOS: Thanks for your time, Bill.

BR: My pleasure, Tim--and thanks to all those readers who help Ms. Marvel fly so high!

Discuss this interview on the Feature Fiends Forum!