Jason Aaron is a creator I had the pleasure of interviewing back in my SBC days. Back then, Aaron was just starting to get some well-deserved attention for his work. What struck me about that interview was just how savvy he was (and continues to be). Ghost Rider and Wolverine are two characters that typically fail to spark my interest, but not when Aaron’s writing them. Aaron is busy at Marvel writing the ongoing Ghost Rider series, the Wolverine: Manifest Destiny miniseries. We also discuss his recent stint on Black Panther and the ongoing Vertigo series, Scalped. Last but not least, just in time to spread some holiday cheer this week sees the release of Punisher MAX X-Mas Special.
Tim O’Shea: As the positive reaction to Ghost Rider has grown, how much were you surprised at the number of reactions that ran along the lines of “I’ve never found the character of interest…until now”?
Jason Aaron: It’s nice to know I’ve helped bring new readers to the fold, but Ghost Rider was already a fun character long before I came along, all the way back to when he was first written by Gary Friedrich.
O’Shea: Given how busy you are with your various writing assignments, what drives you to take on the GR letters column? (Don’t get me wrong, it makes for fun reading…)
Aaron: GHOST RIDER was my first big ongoing assignment for Marvel, and I figured a lot of the people who’d be reading the book would have never heard of me, so I thought the letters column provided a great opportunity to introduce myself to them. And yeah, it’s a blast. GHOST RIDER gets a lot of mail. In particular, we get a lot of letters from people who don’t read any comics other than GHOST RIDER. I don’t know what it is about the character, but it has a very broad appeal. From church folks to cons, we get letters from them all.
O’Shea: How is it that the Ghost Rider series has seemingly dodged the Skrull invasion?
Aaron: We talked at one point about doing a Secret Invasion crossover, and I had some cool ideas for a Super-Skrull with the powers of the Champions, but ultimately it would’ve been a distraction from the overall story I was trying to tell, and it just didn’t make sense to do it. I did get to kill plenty of Skrulls in Black Panther though, so I still got my Secret Invasion fix.
O’Shea: Speaking of the good old Skrulls, why was your three-issue run on Black Panther not longer than that? Any chance you could end up writing the character again? (I would think so, given that at least one of the issues in the run sold out) What about the books dynamics was it that attracted you to the assignment in the first place?
Aaron: I was offered the three issue Secret Invasion story on the book, and jumped at the chance. I’ve always been a big fan of Black Panther, from the old JUNGLE ACTION issues to the Priest series and now the new book. I’d love to write the character again some day, but I know Marvel and Reggie Hudlin already have big plans in the works for T’Challa and I can’t wait to see what’s coming. Plus, I’ve already got plenty of stuff on my plate to keep me busy next year.
O’Shea: Did Marvel approach you about the Punisher Christmas one-shot or was that a concept that your proposed?
Aaron: Axel Alonso asked if I wanted to write a Punisher MAX Christmas Special, and I replied, oh God yes, or something like that, and then came up with the most heartwarming holiday story I could think of. It involves three hitmen from back east and a pimp named Shepherd and Frank Castle trying to deliver a baby and… you get the picture.
O’Shea: Wolverine is a man of many miniseries–what is it about your miniseries that you feel will make it standout in the very diverse and very busy comic market?
Aaron: I’ve written Wolverine in a few different stories now, and I’ve tried to make each one distinct in tone and setting and set-up. This MANIFEST DESTINY mini-series is basically my heartfelt love letter to Hong Kong cinema and all the Kung Fu films I spent my Saturdays watching when I was a kid. There are mystical warriors and one-armed swordsmen and aging masters and even the Sons of the Tiger.
O’Shea: In doing mainstream characters like Black Panther and Wolverine, do you hope that you’ll gain new readers for Scalped?
Aaron: Yeah, I hope that every new reader who likes my Marvel work will go out and give SCALPED a shot. I still feel like I’m trying to get my name out there to all the mainstream fans. And if any of them enjoy my work on WOLVERINE or BLACK PANTHER or GHOST RIDER, then I don’t really see it as much of a stretch that they’d enjoy SCALPED. Without SCALPED, I wouldn’t be writing for Marvel in the first place, since that’s how I got their attention.
O’Shea: Speaking of Scalped, where do you hope to take that book in 2009?
Aaron: To even darker places. 2009 is when everything really hits the fan. And then we’ll begin picking up the pieces.
O’Shea: Why is it that on the heels of your success with Scalped that you chose to do work with superheroes at Marvel instead of DC?
Aaron: Quite simply, because of Axel Alonso. He may be one of the most powerful editors at Marvel, but to me he’s still just a Vertigo guy at heart, so he and I really hit it off. Everything I’ve done at Marvel so far has come through him.
O’Shea: As much as you are a fan of University of Alabama football–would you ever consider creating a comic book series with football playing some sort of a role in the series?
Aaron: As a matter of fact, yes, I would. I’m actually already working on a graphic novel that deals with Alabama football that’ll be published by Oni. It’s still in the early stages though, so I don’t wanna spoil any details. I’ll just say that growing up in the south, football is indeed very close to my heart. I live and die by the success and failure of my beloved Crimson Tide. So it’s been a good year, what with the Tide ranked #1, and I’m excited to finally be able to combine my loves of comics and football.
O’Shea: Is there anything else you’d like to discuss about your current or upcoming work?
Aaron: It’s been a hell of a year for me, but next year is seriously shaping up to be bigger and better. I’m excited already.