Interview - The Marvelous Marjorie Liu

X-23 Issue #2
On Sale October 20th

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Marjorie M. Liu, author of the Hunter Kiss novels and writer of the recently relaunched Daken: Dark Wolverine and X-23 for Marvel Comics.


Ryan: Thanks Ms. Liu for taking the time to speak with me, being a novelist and comic book writer I'm sure you've got plenty on your plate right now.



Last week saw the release of Daken: Dark Wolverine #1, would this be a good jumping on point from those unfamiliar with your work on Dark Wolverine?

Ms Liu: Absolutely.  For those who aren't familiar with the character, we use these three issues to set up his personality, his history, his future.  Our goal is to make him a major player in the Marvel universe, and you'll really see the beginnings of this by the end of #3, which echoes back to our first run on Dark Wolverine (and a certain Fantastic family).

How much have the events in Dark Reign, and to a lesser extent, the Franken-Castle run effected Daken's attitude? Particularly towards his father?  Do you think there will ever be a paradigm shift in the resentment Daken has for his father?
 
I think it's beginning already.  Daken has begun to learn that hating his father doesn't get him anywhere.  It's a distraction, and not worth his time.  The best revenge is success -- and that's his focus at the moment.  But we'll also be getting some more insights into how he was raised, what he had to go through that turned him into the man he is -- and it's not as straightforward as some might think.

This week also saw the return of X-23 (Laura Kinney) in issue #1 of a new X-23 ongoing series, written by you and illustrated by Will Conrad. Considering that you seem to be the handler of Wolverine's children, will the events in X23 and Daken cross over into Jason Aaron's new Wolverine run?

Not in Jason Aaron's run, but we are planning a crossover between Daken and X-23.  I believe that should happen early in 2011 -- which, amazingly enough, is right around the corner.  We're planning a big, brutal story for that one.

What can we expect in coming months from X-23 and Daken?

Daken will continue to expand his base of power -- his empire, if you will.  Again, expect to see him going head to head with some major players in the Marvel universe.  Vague, right?  I wish I could say more, but Dan and I are hammering out some ideas right now that we're very excited about.

As for X-23, she'll be leaving the X-Men in the next arc -- or rather, at the end of this one -- and will find herself going up against a villain that's far more dangerous and sly than any she's encountered before.  She'll have an ally in this fight -- a member of the X-Men who I think fans will be happy to see -- but both of them will be targets.

Again, I wish I could say more, but I'm keeping mum while I iron out more details.

In no way would I insinuate that you have spare time on your hands, but do you have any other work in the pipelines that you can share with me?

Mostly just novels.  I recently had a book come out, the third in my Hunter Kiss series.  It's called A WILD LIGHT, and it's about a woman covered in living demonic tattoos.  My next novel, IN THE DARK OF DREAMS, hits shelves at the end of November.  Part of my Dirk & Steele series of paranormal romantic thrillers, this particular story is about mermen, pirates, sea monsters, and the end of the world!  Good times.

Your run on Black Widow was very well received and really showed your chops for writing characters outside the X-Men canon. If at all possible, what other characters would you most like to write?

Punisher.  Catwoman.  Wonder Woman.  And several of the X-Men who I actually will be bringing into X-23.  I love writing comics, and there are a lot of characters I'd love to get my hands on.

You made your break into the comic book realm by writing an X-Men novel for Marvel. Have you always been an "X" fan?

Ever since I saw the X-Men cartoon on Fox.  That was my gateway into the Marvel universe.  I didn't actually begin reading comics until college, though.  That was the first time I had access to a comic book store.

Finally, what is in your buy pile at the moment?

I'm looking forward to seeing that Gambit/Storm one-shot, and Jason Aaron's first issue of Wolverine!   As for novels, I've got Angela Carter's THE MAGIC TOYSHOP in my basket, along with Michele Lang's LADY LAZARUS, and the new English version of Stephen Mitchell's GILGAMESH.



Thanks so much to Marjorie for her time and also for the great books that she has been putting out. You can visit her at website and I highly recommend following her on twitter, she has some fantastic tips for budding writers.