The Marvelous Marv Wolfman thread

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Marv expressed dismay and, even worse, an interest in Ann Coulter because spammers forced me to shut down a WGA-related thread that he contributed to (a tactic, I suspect, of the AMPTP’s. Just remember kids: You can’t spell AMPTP’s without sPAM. Coincidence? I. Think. Not.

So here’s an entire thread dedicated to the greatness of Marv Wolfman.

Go nuts.

PAD

69 comments on “The Marvelous Marv Wolfman thread”

  1. Okay, I’ll start.

    Marv Wolfman wrote Tomb of Dracula in the 1970s, thereby keeping horror in comics alive in that arid decade.

    If I believed in an afterlife, Marv would go to Creators’ Heaven for that mighty effort alone. This isn’t even mentioning the library of stuff he’s gotten published since then (Teen Titans or Crisis, anyone?).

    Since I don’t, I have to write this where he’ll read it when he’s still alive.

    Marv! You ROCK!

  2. TOMB OF DRACULA. Best horror comic book series ever. Ever.

    That it was fully integrated into the Marvel Universe makes it an even more impressive achievement. Who else but Marv could actually take as dopey a concept as Dracula vs the Silver Surfer and make it work? Is there any other comic book from either of the big publishers that so successfully featured a genuinely evil protagonist? TOD reminds me of the German film DOWNFALL; like that film’s Hitler, Dracula is realized as a human monster, unsympathetic but still subject to the same emotions as the rest of us. It’s a difficult thing to pull off.

    I remember the last few issues of TOD as being right up there with the (first) Phoenix Saga in terms of Oh My God, When Will the New Comics Arrive moments. (And unlike the X-Men story, Tomb of Dracula 72 ended in a way that satisfied and rewarded longtime fans).

    Plus, he was a really nice guy at the one convention I saw him at, a class act. So here’s to Marv!

  3. Well, Marv did write New teen Titans with the x-tra s-tar George Perez and I do remember that ‘vigilante’ (spanic or spicnic inspiration). Crisis was also good. Yeah!

  4. Although I have to confess that the first time I saw a Dracula book written by “Marv Wolfman” I though “Yeah, right. Tell me anything, I’m a kid.” What next, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, written by Rob Zombie? TALES OF THE ZOMBIE by Bill Mummy? MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN by Simon Creaturefromtheblacklagoon?

  5. So, I don’t get it. If Marv expressed dismay that you were shut down, why is that a bad thing–seeing as it’s liked with an “even worse” comment about liking Ann Coulter–which I’d expect you to think was bad? It seems from the comment at the top that you are dismayed about Marv’s actions, but then celebrate him.

    What did I miss here? Please clarify. Thanks.

    BTW, I am just now reading his Dracula stuff by way of the Essentials. Very cool stuff. I thought I was too “mature” back in the day to go for monster comics. How wrong I was. Thanks Marv.

    Jeff Lindholm

  10. I’m sure he’s done a lot of great work since this time period, but his run on New Teen Titans in the ’80’s was just fantastic. Thank you, Marv!

  11. When I was 13 I picked up a copy of New Teen Titans issue 26 (I think) it was about runaways and the drug business. At this point in my life I was only really reading a few comics here and there. That story really shook me and got me upset when it was over. When I was 18 I went to work with at risk youths on Long Island for a decade. I also remember the death of Terra and was amazed at the emotions Marv could pull out of me.

  12. Not sure why the initial entry double posted, but Kathleen was kind enough to eliminate one of them and combine the entries.

    So, I don’t get it. If Marv expressed dismay that you were shut down, why is that a bad thing–seeing as it’s liked with an “even worse” comment about liking Ann Coulter–which I’d expect you to think was bad?

    You’re misreading. I simply felt badly over the circumstances wherein Marv showed up here offering fresh and educated perspective about the strike, and circumstances forced me to shut down the thread. So rather than reducing the poor guy to seeking refuge in the demonic arms of Ann Coulter, I’m making up for it by generating this thread wherein people can heap praise upon the greatness that is Marv and Marv, if he so chooses, can continue to offer his views on the WGA and such.

    PAD

  13. I met Marv at last year’s SDCC, and he was gracious enough to answer a question for me I’m sure he’s been asked a thousand times before: what he thought of the Blade films.

    So, thanks, Marv.

    And, yes, I like to know what creators think of adaptations of their creations. 🙂

  16. Hmmm. I agree with all the positive comments about TOMB OF DRACULA. Marv developed some great characters.

    I also loved the original run of NIGHT FORCE.

  17. When I sing in the shower, I double the length of “Secret Agent Man” by including the words to the Teen Titans theme. I think it’s fair to say I begin every day with Marv Wolfman.

  18. Marv wrote some of my favorite comics of all time — New Teen Titans/New Titans; Tomb of Dracula; Night Force; Green Lantern (*loved* this run) and the original Nova. He’s one of the top comic book writers *ever* in my opinion.

  19. Posted by Craig J. Ries at February 5, 2008 09:53 AM
    I met Marv at last year’s SDCC, and he was gracious enough to answer a question for me I’m sure he’s been asked a thousand times before: what he thought of the Blade films.

  21. Posted by Craig J. Ries at February 5, 2008 09:53 AM
    I met Marv at last year’s SDCC, and he was gracious enough to answer a question for me I’m sure he’s been asked a thousand times before: what he thought of the Blade films.

    not sure why my part didnt show.

    Can you share Mr. Wolfmans answer?

    Tomb of Dracula was my Famous Monsters of Filmland growing up. loved it

  22. He invented Nova, my favorite superhero… and had the best incarnation of the Teen Titans ever. I will always be a fan.

  23. I appreciate MW. My appreciation is of his many contributions to both the Marvel and DC Universes.
    I also appreciate that DC today can only try to recreate his “Crisis” over, and over, and over again. Without his success. I appreciate that he enabled Gene Colan to do his best work.
    I hope this is enough appreciation for him.
    Oh yes, one more thing, BLADE!!!

  24. Peter,

    I am a huge fan of yours, and would like to join your forum, please advise how?

    Thank you!

    (P.S., I’m gay,a youngish 30-something, a libertarian-leaning yellow-dog Democrat and also a huge John Byrne fan… hehheh!)

  25. Marv is like beer.

    Ben Franklin said that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Marv is also proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Therefore….

    Also: Marv wrote quite possibly the best opening sentence of a novel ever in his novelization of Superman Returns.

    And “The Judas Contract” was a dámņ amazing comic book story.

    Plus he’s a good guy.

  26. About the strike…well, I agree with WGA. The thing is that in other countries writer and director are the same person and s/he is involved in the filming process as well as asking for money (production) or trying to shake the pocket for some cash. Trueba (Twoo Much) do use his own money to do films (as well as recording music,…) and his brother is a writer… they´re not always sharing films but they both alternate some tasks. Just an example. Maybe cause there is no specialization like in USA when you have different groups and teams (and what a big teams) doing their job.

    Maybe in a near future things can change and problems will be imported. The situation for writers is undecent.

    Yep, New Teen Titans have colossal moments.

  27. If you ever get a chance to sit on one of Marv Wolfman’s seminars on comic writing, do so. They’re incredibly enlightening. Also, Marv is one of the most positive and always-on pros I’ve seen. Here’s to Marv, who has written some of the seminal works of the medium and is still working today.

  28. My dad wasn’t at home as much as he wanted when I was five because of his job. Also, he wasn’t (as I’m not) the kind of guy who is comfortable showing affection. This particular day, I was really sick. I was in bed and my mother called him to his office. The next thing I know is that he’s back home with a bunch of paperwork so that he can work besides me. He also brought me my first comic (I had just learned to read). I’m guessing he didn’t give it a second thought, he just went for anything not rated r and expensive, assuming it was good or, at least, fancy. That’s how I got one of those Spanish Trade Paperbacks: I was fascinated for the end, in which Terra had betrayed the Titans. That’s how my love for comics started and, at that point, Marv Wolfman was writing them.

  29. Can you share Mr. Wolfmans answer?

    I don’t remember his exact words, but I recall that he thought well enough of them and for the most part the 3 films seemed to meet his approval.

    Perhaps he’d be willing to chime in and offer more exact thoughts, so I don’t mangle them. 🙂

  30. I am a huge fan of yours, and would like to join your forum, please advise how?

    You pretty much just did.

    PAD

  31. Marv Wolfman is a hairy man, moreso during the full moon.

    ((somebody had to do the obvious, even if Marv has heard it a million times before))

  33. Way back in the early ’80s, Marv was editing DC’s New Talent Showcase book. A friend and I co-wrote some pitches, and went into to the DC offices to submit them. Marv was both kind to us neophyte wannabe writers while also being very good at pointing out what was wrong with our stories. One bit, which he even still recalled a number of years later, was that pretty much all of our panel descriptions had so much dialog that you’d hardly be able to see any of the art.

  34. Green Lantern #134, 1981: Hal Jordan, his ring completely discharged, dressed only in his GL uniform, is stranded somewhere north of the Arctic Circle and, through sheer determination, manages to stay alive long enough to walk through the snow and the howling winds to a place of refuge.

    Awesome stuff, written by Marv Wolfman.

  35. Marv’s “Tomb of Dracula” and “The New Teen Titans” are rightly getting heaps of praise. I believe Marv’s “Nova” series, however, has been underrated by many.

    Some dismissed it — unfairly — as a “Spider-Man” rip-off. But Richard Ryder was different. He had a full nuclear family — a mother, a father, and a brother. And he wasn’t a scientific genius, or in any other way extraordinary — until he became Nova. And whereas Spider-Man took to super-heroics like a duck to water upon receiving his powers, Richard Ryder had to struggle mightily — which made his victories all the more sweet.

    About 20 years ago I went to a convention and collected the entire “Nova” series from the ’70s. I still treasure it to this day.

    Thanks, Marv!

  36. Did anyone else read DEFEX, a series Marv did for Devil’s Due a couple years back? Fantastic book. I was so bummed when the entire line was cancelled.

  37. I very much enjoyed Marv Wolfman’s work on New Teen Titans, as well as Crisis and History of the DC Universe, all with George Perez. For many years, Titans was the one “must read” title on my pull list. Even during a particular storyline where I thought the title was at something of a low ebb, I stuck with it. In part because I felt sure it would bounce back.

    I especially liked how he and George Perez made the Titans (and their supporting cast) come across as three dimensional people. If you accepted the conceit that some of them had special abilities, they came across as believable in their actions and reactions to the world around them.

    KRAD, not only is “Judas Contract” great, but I also liked the story called “Shades of Gray” in Tales of the Teen Titans #55 in which Changeling confronts the Terminator, and Terminator refuses to fight him. Instead, Slade Wilson shows up in civilian clothes and the two end up talking over lunch at a diner.

    I interviewed Marv via E-Mail for an article a few years ago, but don’t believe I’ve yet met him at a convention. Maybe one day.

    But what one book would I ask him to sign, if I had to limit it to just one? That’d be a tough choice.

    Rick

  38. I was trying to come up with a Chuck Norris style joke, but I’m not funny enough. Instead, I’ll just say that “Switched” was one of the best episodes of the Teen Titans cartoon.

  39. People have mentioned plenty of stuff about New Teen Titans, Tomb of Dracula and Nova. Yet, people have forgotten something else he worked on:

    Superman.

    While John Byrne was half of the writing team on the Superman books when the Post-Crisis DC Universe debuted, Marv Wolfman was the other half. In the Superman books, Marv created new supporting characters like Cat Grant and Dr. Emil Hamilton (who was originally supposed to be a one-time character), and along with Jerry Ordway co-created the character of Gangbuster. He was also the one who provided the vision to revamp Lex Luthor into the evil scientist turned corrupt business tycoon that he’s been through most of his Post-Crisis existence.

    Like it or hate it, the Post-Crisis Superman mythos would have been very different without Marv Wolfman.

  40. Marv Wolfman’s take on Lex Luthor provided the foundation for the version we now see in “Smallville.” It is a far more compelling vision than the “generic megalmaniacal supervillain” he once was.

    That’s another one we owe ya, Marv.

  41. I have to add my appreciation for Mr. Wolfman. I started buying comics in the mid 70’s. I too have a special fondness for the original Nova series. While I enjoyed Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, it was great to be able to get a “number 1” issue and feel like I was there for the beginning! I’ve followed Mr. Wolfman through the years and I look forward to the upcoming Raven mini.

    Thanks for all of the stories, Mr. Wolfman!

    Greg Smith

  42. TOD was the best Western, War, and Romance comic of the 70s…and, yeah, a Horror book too, if you must.

    And on top of Marv’s superlative writing, we had perhaps Gene Colan’s finest artistry in a career full of fantastic art.

    Seriously, what’s not to love about this book?

  45. Marv, just wanted to thank you for “A Lonely Place of Dying”. As a 9-year old fellow “-ason”, Jason Todd’s death hit me hard. Tim Drake’s creation fixed that and more.

    Oh yea, Teen Titans also ruled!

  46. A couple of years ago, when I was finishing up a 18 year career in social services, I wrote Marv to let him know that it was the humanity and ideals in his writing that got me interested in that field in the first place. Unlike a lot of comics I read in my youth, his have held up and warrant adult re-reading.

    For every fight over content, for every night without sleep to meet a deadline, and for every struggle to find the right words, I say again, Thank You Marv.

    Oh, and PAD? Even though I was older when you started writing, the same goes for you, but you come in at a second when compared to Marv. So thank you as well, and thanks for giving me a chance to thank Marv a second time.

  48. Marv wrote the first Marvel comic I ever owned (Nova #12) as well as my first Amazing Spider-Man (#192, Spidey chained to J. Jonah Jameson with a bomb!), and, remembered most fondly, my first issues of Fantastic Four.

    I still love his story of the omnipotent Sphinx taken down by Galactus during the Skrull aging-ray saga (possibly my first story arc).

    Oh, and FF #200 (Reed vs. Doom) remains one of the greatest anniversary issues ever published.

    For thrilling a young boy and firing his imagination on all cylinders, I thank Marv.

  49. I’ll never forget the day I bought New Teen Titans #34, the one that revealed that Terra was working for the Terminator. Then Judas Contract followed after that.

    Awesome stuff. Simply awesome.

  50. Fantastic Four #200 is the best Reed-Doom fight EVER, and is one of the five best superhero comics of all time.

    I still get chills every time I read it. What a great comic.

    Oh, and Teen Titans is fun, too.

    But man, FF 200.

    Ðámņ shame that Keith Pollard left comics to work for the auto industry…

Comments are closed.