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Interview by Perry Taliaferro Keep your eyes open people. There is a bad ass writer coming around the corner, and he is bringing a bad ass mutant with him. The writer: Duane Swierczynski. The mutant: Cable. |
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Now, most of you are familiar with the artistic splendor that is Mr. Olivetti’s pencils, but what about the other member of this creative duo? Are you new to the name Duane Swierczyski? Its okay if you are, because trust me, you won’t be for long. The guy has talent. HR – Duane, first off, thanks for taking the time to do this. DS > My pleasure, Perry. HR – Seeing as how I already posed the question, let’s start with that … who is Duane Swierczynski?
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DS > I am a man with a surname almost nobody can pronounce. Not even my parents. (And even they often confuse me with Joe Straczynski.) Until very recently, I was the editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia City Paper, but now, I’m writing novels and comics full-time.
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HR – Having read three of your previous novels (Secret Dead Men, The Wheelman and The Blonde), all of which I enjoyed by the way, I am really excited about your newest book that is |
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currently on the stands - “The Crimes of Dr. Watson: An Interactive Sherlock Holmes Mystery”. Can you tell us a little about that book?
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DS > Well, it’s my version of a Sherlock Holmes story. That is to say: Holmes is missing. Watson’s been framed for torture, arson and murder. And Baker Street’s burned down. The only way things could be worse is if Cloverfield were to show up and start stomping around Victorian London. |
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HR – You also have a similar style book, featuring Batman, coming out soon right? DS > Yep. DC Comics saw The Crimes of Dr. Watson at BookExpo last year, and approached the publisher to see if something |
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similar could be done with the Dark Knight. It was a lot of fun to write. HR – This seems to be your busiest year to date, for you also have another novel coming out between these two “interactive” books - “Severance Package” is due in May of this year. Does this book continue where “The Blonde” left off or does this contain a new cast of characters entirely? |
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DS > Oh yeah. Ever since I was given a Werewolf By Night book and record set when I was a kid, and it scared the living crap out of me. Growing up, I read a ton of Spidey, Iron Man, Batman, Moon Knight, and anything crime or horror related. I always kept in touch with the big events (Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen), but it was the X-Men movie in 2000 that kicked my ass back into the comic book shops again. I’ve rarely missed a Big Wednesday since. HR – So how did Marvel first contact you about working for them? Did they want you for Cable specifically? |
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DS > Ed Brubaker introduced me to Axel Alonso and Warren Simons, at which point I started pitching ideas for one-shots. I ended up writing three of them. (Two are out already—“Moon Knight Annual #1” and “Punisher: Force of Nature”—and a third is in the pipeline.) |
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Soon, Axel and I started dancing around the idea of me doing a monthly. (Axel likes to lead, BTW—it’s best to just go with it, and not step on his toes.) When he told me about what he had in mind for Cable, I would have given a |
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HR – So how do you envision Cable as a character? |
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DS > Cable is the kind of character I love writing about: the stoic, quiet tough guy. Because it’s fun to watch how tough guys respond when you start to apply the screws to them. That’s the heart of any good tough guy character: Richard Stark’s Parker, Sergio Leone’s Man With No Name, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, and so on. It’s kind of like, “You think you’re tough? Well, let’s see how you deal with this…” |
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HR - What can we expect from Cable this time around? Will this be a series with lots of character interactions or will Cable be essentially solo? DS > Oh yeah—he won’t be alone. Cable’s mission is directly tied in to what’s happening to the other X-books—especially Uncanny X-Men. If you liked what happened in “Messiah CompleX,” Cable is simply part 2 of that same battle. HR – So … Cable’s new partner, the mutant baby that he is taking care of … Is it Jean? DS > It’s actually my baby. Long story… HR – Do you and Ariel have a set number of issues you are doing or is this “open ended” for now? DS > Definitely open-ended. |
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HR – How is it working with Ariel? DS > Every time I open an email with another page from Ariel, it’s like goddamned Christmas. I love his artwork. HR – When it comes to comics, are you a writer that is precise with descriptions, or do you like to give the artist lots of room to adlib or adjust … do his “own thing”? DS > I try to strike a balance: give enough description so the artist knows what I have in mind, but too much so that it becomes a |
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straightjacket. I’m still new at this—it’s a learning process. Hopefully, I’m not annoying the artists too much. HR – How does writing a novel compare to writing a comic? I mean, is it easier for you to script a scene and let the art help tell the story or do you prefer to rely on words? DS > The storytelling impulse is the same—I mean, it all comes from the strange part of my brain that likes to make stuff up. The difference is in how you flex your creative muscles. There’s something |
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very liberating about writing sheer action and dialogue—Ed Brubaker once compared it to a kind of hardboiled pulp poetry, which I like a lot. But then, it’s nice to sink into the world of a novel, too, where you can inhabit your characters in a different way, and let the reader do a little more of the heavy lifting. HR – Now, I have to ask this, as you are a fan of Spider-Man, and without getting yourself in trouble with your new boss … what do you think about the magic retconning of the Spidey/MJ marriage?
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DS > What do you mean? They got married!? When did that happen? Shit. Next you’re going to tell me Harry Osborne’s dead and Spidey’s got… oh, I don’t know, organic webshooters or some such crap. HR – Thanks for taking the time for this Duane, but before I let you go, HeroRealm tradition dictates that I have to ask … Pants or No Pants? DS > Dude, I recently quit my day job. It’s definitely no pants. |
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So there ya have it. Now that you know a little more about Duane Swierczynski, be sure to tell your comic guy to pull you a copy of the new Cable series coming in March. And hey, while you’re at it, why not give one of his novels a shot- Secret Dead COMMENT ON THIS INTERVIEW HERE! |
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Copyright 2007 - HeroRealm.com |
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