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Ms. Marvel, an Interview

posted by Matt Knicl at 8:23 pm.

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Ms. Marvel Comics

One of my favorite comic series right now is Brian Reed’s Ms. Marvel. While a solo book, what appeals to me is the various characters that show up in the title as sounding boards for Carol Davers (Ms. Marvel) to bounce off of. So far the series is collected in three trade paperbacks and issue #24 came out last week.

Mr. Reed recently spoke to me about Ms. Marvel and his plans for the future.

Matt Knicl: What is the main purpose behind your Ms. Marvel series?

Brian Reed: It started out as an examination of a woman who wanted to do what we all want– to be the best she can be. In the case of Ms. Marvel, she wanted to be the best super hero she could, but she made some missteps along the way. She confused popularity with respect. She chose her country and its needs over her relationships and the people she cared about. In fact, at almost every turn she’s made what seemed like the right choice and later come to regret it. So, if anyone out there is looking to have fun psychoanalyzing a writer through the characters he writes, I should be a fun afternoon’s work.

Matt: Why did you want to use that character?

Brian: She was offered to me as a project I might want to pitch for, and I had this idea of her trying to do her own thing for the first time in a long time (rather than being part of a team), and Marvel liked that idea enough that they gave me the job.

Matt: Do you find that Civil War and Mighty Avengers interferes or compliments what you have in mind for her?

Brian: One of the really fun things about writing comics is that it’s a lot like playing in the sandbox as a kid. Only now there’s 20 other writers out there playing in the sandbox with you, and you all have to respect one another’s toys. I’m lucky in that every time anybody has come near a character I’m writing, I’ve always been asked if this new idea would screw up anything I already had in motion. And every time I’ve said I’d rather go with this new idea because I liked the surprise of it. I liked the challenge of keeping up with the rest of the Marvel Universe rather than just sitting in the corner by myself.

Matt: What motivates you to use the characters you do?

Brian: It all depends on the moment. I needed a hero for Ms. Marvel to take under her wing, so that’s when Araña came into the book. I picked her literally because I opened a comic and saw her and said “is anybody else using her?” She was supposed to show up for a couple of pages then go away, but she clicked so well and gave me so much to do with Carol that I kept her around. Machine Man happened because I was looking to fill out Operation Lightning Storm and (I forget if it was me or then-editor Bill Rosemann) jokingly said ‘Maybe Machine Man written how he was in Nextwave?” I legitimately do not remember why I picked Sleepwalker, except that he hadn’t been around in awhile and I thought he might be fun to use.

Matt: Machine Man is wearing Nextwave clothes in your series - do you think that Nextwave is a part of regular continuity?

Brian: I considered it part of my duty to make it such the first time I read “Fin Fang Foom put you in his pants!”

Matt: What are you planning for the series in the future?

Brian: Right now I’m getting ready to write the last issue of the Secret Invasion tie-in. After that, well, we’re talking. Both editor Steve Wacker and I feel like it’s time to shake things up… possibly pretty violently, and we’ve got a few ideas on the table that are going to take a couple weeks to fully sort out. I can tell you this much– it’s going to be pretty big, and pretty darn cool.

Matt: Do you have any other projects you are working on/starting to work on?

Brian: I have THE CIRCLE from Image Comics, which is days away from Issue 3 hitting. It’s action/adventure/espionage and folks seem to really be enjoying it. Also, CAPTAIN MARVEL is coming out from Marvel Comics right now, and it leads into this summer’s big SECRET INVASION series. I’ll also be taking over on Dynamite’s RED SONJA full time in the very near future.

Matt: What has been your favorite moment in Ms. Marvel so far?

Brian: My current favorite is in issue 28, but that isn’t out for a few months so I can’t give it away. I really liked the bit in the Puppet Master arc where Carol realizes she can stop Puppet Master from killing himself, but then elects not to. It was a cold, soldierly moment that laid the groundwork for the next year of stories.

Images courtesy Marvel and Image

Matt Knicl: My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.