Will Pfeifer: Behind the Writer

By Mike Jozic

Although he is by no means 'new' to the comic book industry, it could be said that Will Pfeifer doesn't have many high profile credits to his name. In 1998, he got his 'break' when he collaborated with Sandman and Scary Godmother artist, Jill Thompson, on DC/Vertigo's Finals mini-series, and has since appeared in their horror anthology, Flinch. This April, Pfeifer takes a dip in Marvel's lucrative mutant Gene Pool to offer up a playful retrospective on one of the companies oldest mutants, Dazzler.

With Thompson on board as artist, and borrowing a little from VH1's biography series, Behind the Music, Will takes a twelve page look back at the long, and sometimes unusual, history of Alison Blaire and her bittersweet quest for fame.


Mike Jozic: I really hate starting off interviews this way, but for anyone who may be unfamiliar with your work, could you maybe run down the whole "Who is Will Pfeifer?" thing?

Will Pfeifer: Well, Finals is still my big comics project. I've also done a short story for Flinch (also from DC/Vertigo), and I've got a few other things in the works. I've been a comics fan all my life, and have been drawing them for almost that long. In 1986, when I was a college sophomore at Kent State University in Ohio (the inspiration for Finals' Knox State, by the way), I got involved in the small press/mini comics movement and began writing and drawing my own satirical super-hero comic, Violent Man. I created seven issues until I gave it up in the mid '90s (and stopped right in the middle of a multi-part story, I'm proud to say). During that time, I'd become friends with several comics folk in Kent (there's a surprising concentration of them there) including Jill Thompson. She and I developed the ideas for Finals, and, after waiting years for Vertigo to bite on it, created that series in 1998 and 1999.

When I'm not trying to break into the tough marketplace of modern day comics, I work full-time as the assistant features editor of the Rockford Register Star, a medium-sized newspaper in northern Illinois. I also write a weekly movie column there. The job lets me wallow in pop culture, which is what I love to do.

As for my personal life, I'll be turning 34 this summer, so I'm older than a lot of people trying to get into the biz. And, this September, I'll be getting married to a swell gal who never worries about my comic book obsessions. Well, hardly ever worries.

Jozic: When I first heard about it, I really liked the idea of a Dazzler: Behind the Music story. I was wondering, where did the idea come from, and what sorts of things can we expect from it?

Pfeifer: Jill had been approached about doing a story for X-Men Uunlimited, and suggested me as a writer. I talked to the editor, Lysa Hawkins, who suggested I come up with some offbeat ideas for short stories. After bouncing around a few ideas involving Nightcrawler, Kitty and the gang, the phrase Dazzler: Behind the Music somehow popped into my head. I instantly knew I was onto something. I mean, it just sounded right. When I started to research the character -- I hadn't read her comics since I first bought them in my teens, many years ago -- I realized what a perfect match the whole concept was. Dazzler never really wanted to be a super-hero; she always wanted to be a singer. That quest for fame fit the story arc of a Behind the Music episode beautifully, and though Dazzler never had the horrible drug problems that every Behind the Music star seems to endure, her battles with super-villains were the perfect substitute. The story itself is both the episode of Beyond the Music (I changed the title to avoid the VH1 legal army) and the reactions of people watching it -- super people. So, as the show progresses, we shift around New York City and other locations in the Marvel Universe to hear comments from the folks who knew Dazzler and were involved in some of the events.

Jozic: It sort of reminds me a little bit of the Dazzler: The Movie Graphic Novel of a few years back. Was that at the back of your mind when you were putting this story together?

Pfeifer: The Dazzler: The Movie graphic novel was one of the things that made me want to do the story, though I couldn't remember what the actual plot of the graphic novel was at first. It was the simple fact that Dazzler once tried to make a movie that made it seem like a moment out of a Behind the Music story. When I reread the graphic novel, I was amazed how well all this crazy continuity fit my plans.

Jozic: Did you have to go back and reread the original Dazzler run to research the project?

Pfeifer: Yes. I actually have almost all of those issues, but they're in my mom's attic in Ohio, 400 miles away. So I had to buy them again at my local comic book shop, which fortunately has an extensive back issue department. Then I had to sit down and take notes, figuring out what I wanted to include and what I was going to have to leave out. I'm not going to try and argue that those back issues of Dazzler are great comics, but there sure is a lot of nutty source material in them. I wish I could've included more -- but I also think this story works best at a short length. After more than a dozen or so pages of that, it would wear out its welcome.

Jozic: Was it hard to squeeze all of that Dazzler continuity into 12 pages?

Pfeifer: Damn right! That was, by far, the hardest part of writing Beyond the Music. I went through several versions of the panel/page layouts before I settled on one that crammed everything in, but didn't feel like I was struggling to cram everything in.

Jozic: Considering the source material, is the story going to be serious, tongue-in-cheek or somewhere in-between?

Pfeifer: It's tongue-in-cheek. It's not silly, or a mockery of the character, but it's tough writing a deadly serious history of Dazzler -- and I'm not sure why anyone would want to. Trust me - it's a lot more fun this way.

Jozic: Jill is a great artist but not the first name that pops into my head when it comes to Marvel's mighty mutants. Have you seen any of the finished artwork yet?

Pfeifer: I haven't seen any artwork yet, but I'm dying to. Jill and I talked about the story, and I think this is something she'll really be able to sink her teeth into. Besides being a very talented artist, she's got a great sense of humor (as anyone who reads Scary Godmother or Finals should see instantly) and she'll no doubt bring a lot of that to this story.

Jozic: This will be your first time playing in the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe. Did you have any reservations going there or was it just plain fun for you?

Pfeifer: I grew up reading Marvel Comics, and during the Claremont/Byrne years, X-Men was my book of choice, so yeah, this was a lot of fun. It's like being able to play with a big box of toys -- Marvel has so many characters and such a detailed history that re-examining bits of it in a new light can be very addictive. That being said, I was surprised when I looked back at Dazzler's past how incredibly complex her continuity was. I though this was some obscure character that hadn't been used in years, and I discovered all this stuff I would have to incorporate if I wanted to be loyal to the concept of my story. But once I started doing that, it became like a game, trying to make everything fit logically into the Behind the Music format. In the end, it turned out to be my favorite part of writing the story.

Jozic: I didn't notice your story listed in the solicitation for April's X-Men Unlimited. Do you know where and when the story will appear?

Pfeifer: I think it's set for the July issue.

Jozic: Now that you're done the Dazzler story, do you find you have the mutant bug now? Will you be doing any more work with the X-Men in the future?

Pfeifer: Actually, I've worked with Lysa Hawkins on three other stories for X-Men Unlimited - one involving Mastermind, one involving a Sentinel, and one involving the Black and White Queens of the Hellfire Club. I think all three will be running in the issue after the Dazzler story, which is a special "villains" issue of X-Men Unlimited. I'd like to do more, so if the fans like the stories they see, I'd encourage them to either write Marvel or speak up on the message boards at Marvel.com.

Jozic: A little earlier, you mentioned that Nightcrawler and Kitty (personally, two of my favourite X-Men) may have fitted prominently in earlier story ideas that were abandoned. Could you throw out some of the ideas that didn't make the final cut?

Pfeifer: I don't want to go into too much detail, in case I get a chance to use those stories down the line, but the Kitty Pryde story involved a reunion with her first boyfriend, from before she joined the X-Men; and the Nightcrawler story was a long chase through Manhattan packed with property destruction on a grand scale. It would be fun to write, but a real pain in the ass to draw.

Jozic: What sorts of non-mutant (non-Marvel?) projects do you have lined up for the foreseeable future?

Pfeifer: I wrote a story that Jill illustrated for DC's upcoming mondo-giant-hardcover book, Bizarro Comics, which hits the stands in late June. This book is going to be amazing, with a lineup of "alternative" comics talent like you've never seen -- at least in a mainstream comic book. I'm happy to be part of it. Our story involves a Green Lantern recruit who joins the reserves - not the Corps - and the trouble he finds himself in. It's a lot less glamorous side of the Green Lanterns. I've also got a short text piece for a JSA Secret Files comic book in the hopper, and for the past few years, I've been co-writing a humor/science fiction comic called Space Junk with Mark Ricketts, who was the man behind Caliber Comics' Nowheresville. It's a lot of fun, but we're not quite ready to spring it on an unsuspecting comic market...yet.

Jozic: Is it strange going from writing indie stuff to playing with the mainstream super-hero set?

Pfeifer: It did take some adjusting. For one thing, there's all that continuity I had to pay attention to, which was something I never had to worry about with Finals, since I was making up all the continuity and back-story myself. And, unlike Finals, I couldn't have the characters swear every five seconds - but that limitation probably led to snappier dialogue.

I hope so.

Jozic: What is a typical workday like for you?

Pfeifer: At this point, most "typical" workdays don't really involve much comics work. Needless to say, I'd like to see that change. When I am writing comic scripts, I do it from the little book-jammed study in my apartment. I'm surrounded by all my favorite pop-culture crap - an Iron Giant action figure, an Elvgren pin-up calendar and lots and lots of CDs, so it's a pretty comfortable place to write, if a little cramped.

For me, there are two parts to writing a comic script. First, there's the planning, which can take a long time. It involves thinking about the project and putting it together in my head, taking many notes and trying to decide all the concepts and scenes I want to integrate into the script. Then, eventually, I put all that into a rough story form, usually broken down by page. From there, I do some extremely rough panel breakdowns. This isn't something the artist will see, and it's definitely not something the artist will follow. It's just to help me write the script.

Now for part two - putting the actual script on paper. So far, every project I've worked on has been 'full script,' which means each panel is described, and all the dialogue is included. I like working this way. It lets me pace the story and be fairly detailed in how I want scenes to flow. The artist, of course, can change things if there's a better way to do it, visually. After all, they're the artists. They know what works.

As far as my daily job at the great metropolitan newspaper goes, I spend the day writing, editing and generally help coordinate what goes into our features section. It's a good job, with lots of opportunity for putting a personal touch on the work I do. And, I'm glad to say, my co-workers and bosses are very supportive of my comic book work. When FINALS hit the stands in summer of 1999, the paper did a big article on it.

Jozic: A lot of pro writers have come from a background in journalism (Ron Marz and Neil Gaiman, just to name two), and I wondered if that has proven useful to you at all in terms of breaking into, or writing, comics? Is that a course that you would recommend for other writers trying to break in?

Pfeifer: I didn't go into journalism as a way to break into comics, but it definitely has been an asset. On the most basic level, it helps you deal with deadlines. Especially when a person is trying to break into the comic book business, getting the work in on time is something I think should be mandatory. If you're trying to impress an editor, and want them to consider you for more work, don't keep them waiting. It's just part of being professional about your job.

In the broader sense, working at a newspaper keeps me involved in the goings on of the world. I spend all day reading and editing the news, and that exposure brings abroad perspective to my writing. Finally, journalism teaches you the value of the well-chosen word. You have to write tight -- a skill that comes in handy when you're working with the limited space of a word balloon.

Jozic: You and Jill have worked together on several occasions, are there any other artists, or even writers, that you would like to work with in the future?

Pfeifer: Sometime down the line, I'd like to work with some of my friends who've inspired me to take a whack at this crazy business, [like] Jay Geldhof, Galen Showman and Craig Russell. I also like Frank Quitely's work a lot, especially the Flex Mentallo mini-series he did with Grant Morrison, and his issues of The Authority. I'd like to write a story for him, but it looks like he's gonna be tied up on the X-Men for awhile. Other folks on my wish list would be Eduardo Risso (100Bullets), Duncan Fegredo, J.G. Jones (Marvel Boy) and some people I cant think of right now, but know I'll remember as soon as this interview sees print.

	Mike Jozic has spent the last several years interviewing comic book creators and other entertainment related personalities for various publications. He has been published both online and in print, with his work appearing in The Comics Journal, FearsMag.com and Silver Bullet Comicbooks. He maintains his own website at www.meanwhile.net and currently serves as the Features Editor for SBC.