Post by brentlambert on Mar 19, 2012 16:47:36 GMT -5
JD MATHIS INTERVIEW
Marvel Anthology: What appeals to you most about Marvel Anthology as a site?
JD Mathis: As a writer I think what appeals to me the most is how helpful everyone is to new members who are just getting started. Everyone is open to giving advice and tips on improving ones skills.
MA: Top three favorite titles at the site. Put them out there. Why do you like them?
JD: A.R.M.O.R. by Brent Lambert - An opening story that has lasted up to 10 issues makes for a massive read in my opinion. One of the things I like about the whole idea of A.R.M.O.R. is the fact that you are not confined to one reality. There are millions of them out there to play with whenever you get the urge to do so. Also I think the “Supplemental Info” at the end of each issue helps get readers up to date on things.
ICEMAN by Tobias Christopher - Here you have a solo series with a member of the X-Men that runs pretty smoothly so far and that doesn’t need tons of cameos and guest stars to move the story along. I like the fact that Bobby Drake has all sorts of whacky adventures when he’s away from the daily grind of the X-Men. And to be honest Tobias has a twisted sense of humor when it comes to his writing.
X.S.E. by Gavin McMahon - First off the whole idea of the book reminds me of a big mash up of Mission Impossible and S.W.A.T. and uses two characters Bishop and Pete Wisdom that I think were made for the role of policing the mutant populace. The cast is pretty large and I like how everyone gets a decent amount of story time in the book.
MA: Who's your favorite writer at the site?
JD: Hmm I think that’s a little hard to choose lol I think everyone does such a great job on their titles.
MA: What do you like the most about what you get to write at Marvel Anthology?
JD: I get to help mold the next generation of heroes. What I like the most is the fact that these young heroes in Avengers Academy when they graduate will get to choose the next steps in their lives, if they want to go solo that’s what they can do or they will be given the choice to take the next step to maybe one day becoming Avengers.
MA: Your dream title. What would it be? And if you're already on it, then what would be your dream title you'd like to see someone else write?
JD: Heroes 4 Hire!! I gave up comics way back when until one day I picked the first issue of Heroes for Hire that came out after the whole Onslaught Saga. Add in the recent series where Misty Knight acted as Control and you have a very neat idea for a series. Misty acting as Control and having the original duo of Luke Cage and Iron Fist as her go to field agents would make me read the series.
MA: Who's your favorite character at the site to read about?
JD: I’ve got several I like to read about like Deadpool, Luke Cage, and Hawkeye
MA: Who's your favorite character under your pen?
JD: I will always have a soft spot for Hornet since he was the first characters I really enjoyed writing but I have to admit I love writing Ronin in Avengers Academy. Taking the mystery martial artist identity of Ronin who in Marvel U has been passed around a little too much only to end up in the closet probably never to be used again and combining it with Chase Stein a character many says could be the next Captain America. Chase is an athletic young man skilled in the arts of the ninja assassin trained by the Dark Ocean Society who is also a genius level inventor.
MA: Which character do you most look forward to writing?
JD: To be honest I would love to intro Abigail Whistler and a new character Hannibal King Jr based on the version from Blade Trinity. A pair of second generation young hunters who think they are untouchable and are out to make a name for themselves by killing creatures of the night.
MA: So what are all of the titles you write at Marvel Anthology and how do you feel that they fit into the wider Anthology universe?
JD: At the moment I write Avengers Academy as well as dishing out an issue or two when I can for Tangled Web of Spider-Man. At the moment I’m still trying to get a feel for how they fit into the greater whole of the AU. TWoSM is a book where characters from the SpideyVerse who normally don’t get much face time have a chance to do so and with Academy it’s a new player in the Avengers universe
MA: What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer? And/or weakness?
JD: My greatest strength is probably my over active mind lol I can sit down and come up with tons of interesting story ideas and ways for characters to go a different route in a series but a lot of times I don’t have the time to see it happen. And that is what my greatest weakness is probably too, the fact I get so busy with life and the things that are happening that it seems to take me forever to get an issue done. It reminds me of how Kevin Smith used to take forever to get an issue done on some of his projects lol.
MA: Which writers do you draw influence from and why?
JD: Gail Simone and Sean McKeever from their Birds of Prey run. Also Dwayne McDuffie has been a real big influence I loved Static Shock and his Justice League run. I know they are TV shows but all his animation stuff like Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited, etc I have on DVD.
MA: So you make mention of the Dark Ocean Society and Chase Stein. Does the Dark Ocean Society figure heavily into your plans and if so, how?
JD: I liked the idea of the Ronin identity having a history so I wanted to use that but throw in my own ideas. One of those ideas is that the name and costume of Ronin are held by someone for a year at a time through combat challenge. Chase is the current Ronin because he did what he had to do in order to survive. For the time being he’s pretty much untouchable by the rest of the DOS because of the rules they follow. However once that year is up Chase will find himself being hunted and challenged for the name and costume by others who want the honor. Chase doesn’t want to bring this trouble to the academy so it forces him to go on his own until it’s over with, but he learns that when you’re an Avenger even an academy student you’re never alone.
MA: In the next year or two, which character or characters do you think are going to change the most heavily under your pen?
JD: Hornet will be going through a lot in the stories to come. For most of the first season he spends all his free time tinkering with his armor trying to make it better because in his mind he wants to be the next Iron Man. As time goes on he will be taking big steps to become the hero he always wanted to be.
Sister Grimm will also be going through a major change down the line which will put her in a position that could make her the world’s greatest threat.
Honestly I’m hoping that every character under my pen will go through changes that will make them better.
MA: So give us a bit of insight into the antagonists that the heroes under your pen are about to face. Which ones in the next year or so do you believe are going to be the most threatening?
JD: Even though the villains will rotate in and out I think Alex Wilder will be the one everyone will have to worry about. I see him as becoming the MU version of Lex Luthor. He has connections all over the world thanks to his family’s connections, he invents a new deadly threat with the hero hunting Sentoids, and he runs a crew of villains with the Young Masters.
MA: Power wise, who do you, feel are some of the most lethal characters at your disposal whether they are protagonists or antagonists?
JD: At the moment with everything I’ve got planned Sister Grimm stands out as one of the most lethal because of her raw magical abilities. She has the ability to be a force for goodness or one of the most dangerous forces for evil. She’ll discover she has an unhealthy addiction to the dark magics. Think Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer mixed with a little Scarlet Witch.
MA: So Avengers Academy is definitely a popular title in the comics as of late. Are there things from that series you intend to incorporate into yours and are there things you intend to do differently?
JD: The main thing I tend to incorporate is the characters. Many of them are starting out as villains while a few are going the hero route. I guess the one big thing that I did different was that the idea for the academy came from Pepper Potts who is also running the place. With help from some of the big players in the MAverse like Captain America, Iron Man, and Nick Fury she was able to bring her dream to life.
MA: How do you like being part of the Avengers line at Marvel Anthology? I sense that there is a good deal of collaboration going on.
JD: I really like the Avengers line because everyone involved is there to help out to make the stories mesh even if they don’t have anything to do with one another. Jamie and Erik have been there for me with ideas, advice, and tips on how to make everything work. I also have to thank Jamie for allowing me access to a lot of his characters so they can guest star in Avengers Academy as guest lecturers. So you can expect to see someone Captain America teaching combat training or leadership skills.
MA: So here's your chance to tell us why Avengers Academy should be read. GO!
JD: In Avengers Academy you’ll get to see not only how the experiences the kids go through help them grow as both heroes and people within the academy but you’ll get to see how they use those experiences on the outside as well. So if you want to see what a bunch of teens can do when you’re trained by the greatest heroes in the world then go read Avengers Academy!!
