Marvel Interview - Best Selling X-Men Scribe, Victor Gischler

Today I have the honour of presenting an interview with best selling writer and winner of the Edgar and Anthony awards, Victor Gischler. He has taken the reigns of the newly relaunched X-Men series by Marvel Comics.

Ryan: The stats are in! First and foremost, congratulations on issue 1 of X-Men coming in on top of the sales charts for July. You're already an award winning writer so how does it feel to also wear the "best selling" prefix?

Victor: Thanks!  It feels good but a little odd too.  I'm also aware that the X-men is an ultra-popular super hero team, so it's hard to take full credit for selling so many copies.  I'm just glad to be part of the group of people that make the book so good, and it would be a mistake to let this success go to my head.  Paco Medina's art kicks butt and the editors keep me on track.  I'd be nowhere without those folks.

Now that you're a best seller and can demand any book you want, what character would you most like to write?

Yes.  I've been making lots of demands.  Which is why I'll be at the helm of Dr. Strange/Howard the Duck team-up starting next year.  Okay, that's a lie and not even a good one.  Seriously, I've got my hands full already.  I don't need to make any demands, and if I did, senior editor Axel Alonso would swat me on the nose with a rolled up newspaper.

What comics are currently in your buy pile?

Secret Avengers, Way's Deadpool, Uncanny X-men, Namor ... just to name a few off the top of my head.

You've written a number of novels, such as Shotgun Opera, Vampire A Go Go and this years The Deputy, how did you break into comics?

I have a great agent named David Hale Smith.  When I hooked up with him, I knew he handled some comic book guys (like Greg Rucka) so I told him I wanted to get into funny books.  It took a while, but eventually I found myself on the phone with the right people.  My very first comic book ever was a Punisher Max one-shot called "Little Black Book" and it was well-received enough that I got to do some more Punisher and eventually some other stuff.

How does it differ writing Punisher and Deadpool from X-Men?

X-Men brings LOTS of scrutiny and not just from readers.  Editors at Marvel HQ are constantly passing around my scripts and beat sheets to make sure I don't fly off the rails.  This process ups the pressure a bit, but it's worth it for a better end result.

X-Men Issue 4 in store October 13th

The already established canon in the X-Men universe doesn't seem to have stopped you from pushing the boundaries. That being said, why vampires?

The most basic answer is because Marvel said, "Victor ... we want vampires."  That's when I saluted and got to work.  But the bigger fact is that we knew we could do it in a kick-ass way.  Mutants and Vampires actually have some things in common, and we touch on these themes in the first story arc.

We've seen a fan favourite infected and been teased with the rebirth of the main vamp himself so with issue #3 of your X-Men run in stores last week, what other surprises do you have in store for us?

Again ... Howard the Duck.  No, seriously, that would be telling.  Stay tuned, true believers.

With so many people enjoying your current series, do you have any other work in the pipeline?

Deadpool Corps is rolling along nicely and a brand new story arc starts soon which I'm pretty excited about.  Also, millionaires should feel free to fund this film: http://www.pulpboy.com/

When Dracula was reassembled in issue #3, were you at all tempted to try and squeeze in a little "he's been re-vamp'd..."?

I actually DID use that line in a couple of interviews.  Never fails to get a groan.  Which is, of course, the best reason to say it.

And finally, what is your favourite vampire movie?

"Favorite" is a tricky word.  Changes with mood.  Sometimes I think LOST BOYS ... but I also like those Christopher Lee Hammer films.

Many thanks go to Mr. Gischler for taking the time out of his busy schedule. Can't wait to see some Vampire Wolverine berserker rage action.

Stay tuned true believers for upcoming interviews with Paul Tobin (Marvel Adventures) and Marjorie M. Liu (Daken & X-23)!