Second String Sanctuary

EJC: For starters, let me ask you about the cover artist for She-Hulk #1, Adi Granov. Where did Marvel find this guy? His cover looks gorgeous! I’m glad Marvel isn't making the mistake DC did when the “Many Happy Returns” story line came out in Supergirl. The interior artwork by Ed Benes was terrific, but the first few covers looked lousy. Anyway, please tell me he’s going to be the permanent cover artist! I’d love for him to be to She-Hulk what Adam (AH!) Hughes has been to Wonder Woman.

Dan: Tom Brevoort’s office has been using Adi’s covers for a while now, most notably on The Inhumans. And as far as I know (and hope), he’ll be our cover artist for as long as possible. Just wait until you see the cover for She-Hulk #2! [That cover is now the cover to She-Hulk #1. The old #1 cover has been moved to issue #2---EJC] It’s AMAZING! Man, I hope they make it into a poster!

EJC: My friend Tom Burgos, and a few others have been a little nervous when they heard this book was going to have a comedic flair to it. It’s not that they dislike comedy per se, but they’re afraid that if a She-Hulk book gets too wacky like the old Sensational She-Hulk, that Jennifer’s character would be perceived as a joke. I don’t think that comedy and drama can’t exist in the same book---Peter David has mixed both in his series for years. Could you at least reassure these fans that we’ll be laughing with Jennifer and not at Jennifer?

Dan: There'll be some “with” and there'll be some “at.” “At” isn’t always bad, look at some of the Ben Stiller comedies (There's Something About Mary and Meet the Parents). The important thing is that the humor comes from the character. What I can tell you is that (hopefully) you'll be laughing “with” the book and not “at’ the book. And, as I’ve told She-Hulk fans on message boards and in online interviews, this book will be set firmly in the Marvel Universe. There will be no breaking of the 4th wall. John Byrne’s already gone there, did it wonderfully, and (as we can see from the non-Byrne issues of Sensational She-Hulk) mined it for ALL of its potential.

EJC: You’ve described this book as sort of an Ally McBeal-type series. Obviously Jen’s career as a lawyer will play an important role. That doesn’t mean she won’t occasionally use her powers and get into fights, will she? Also, did you have to consult with one of the Marvel lawyers just to get some of the details right, or was that unnecessary?

Dan: Even though there’s going to be some quirky courtroom drama, Jen will still get to flex her gamma-enhanced muscles and get into some good ol’ fashioned Marvel-style slugfests.

On the legal front, I’ve got a friend or two who are lawyers and should be able to lend a hand here or there. But the LAST thing I want to do with the courtroom side of this title is weigh it down with long winded points of law. This is a comic book and things have to stay fast paced and visually interesting.

EJC: The announcement for this series followed hard upon the heels of “Search For She-Hulk” in Avengers and you mentioned that the events of that story line specifically play into your book. Was this story used as a test run to gauge interest in the She-Hulk, or was this just a coincidence?

Dan: In “The Search For She-Hulk”, Geoff Johns brought back She-Hulk's ability to turn back into Jen Walters. This will play into the new book. But readers won’t need to have read those issues in order to jump into the first issue. She-Hulk #1 should be a good launching on point for everybody.

EJC: When Tom Burgos mentioned Ultima to you on the She-Hulk Message Board, not only did you know whom he was talking about, you remembered which issue of The Savage She-Hulk she came from. Did you first become a fan of Jennifer’s during this series, or did you seek back issues after reading about Jennifer in Avengers or Fantastic Four? What was it about Jennifer that you liked the best?[joke] Don't be afraid to say, “She's green and she's HOT-- what more can a man want? ” [/joke]

Dan: I grew up a die-hard Marvel fan and read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on. But She-Hulk didn't become one of my all-time favorite characters until John Byrne made her a member of The Fantastic Four. And what do I like most about her? Her sense of humor. She's a hoot!

EJC: Did you ever write any fanfiction (She-Hulk or otherwise) before becoming a professional comic writer, and if so how different is writing now that you're doing it in the “big leagues”? How specific do you describe poses to penciler Juan Bobillo when you write your scripts, and has he ever surprised you? Since Juan is from Argentina, do you send your writings to him directly, or do you rely upon a translator to communicate with him?

Dan: Nope. Never wrote any fanfic. And, I make it a point NEVER to read it for numerous reasons. One, I have a hard enough time keeping OFFICIAL continuity straight-- the last thing I need is unofficial continuity clogging up my brain. Two, there's only so many hours in the day. And three, I've got a zillion ideas of my own-- and heaven forbid I have a story in my files that is too close to someone's fanfic. Best for someone working in the biz to avoid those sites all together-- as well as any message posting labeled “what if they did this?” or “my idea for that.”

Juan and I have never worked with each other before. But when I found out he was going to be my artist, I immediately ran to the comic shop and picked up his issues of Agent X, Captain America, and X-Ttreme X-Men TPB Vol. 4. To my eternal relief, the stuff looked GORGEOUS! I couldn't wait to see what he’d do with Shulkie!

I’ve only seen the first five pages of She-Hulk #1 so far, but I'm already deeply impressed.

From our few e-mails it's easy to tell that his English is MUCH better than my grasp of any latin-based language. So I think everything will be just fine. :)

EJC: How do you regard continuity as regards to Jennifer’s personal history? Sometimes, I get slightly annoyed when writers change a few details (for example, Jennifer graduated initially from Harvard Law School, not UCLA!), but I realize that it’s sometimes better for a writer to fudge the past a bit in order to make a better story. (Besides, the older a character gets, a little fudging is necessary. Nobody claims that Ben Grimm is a WWII veteran anymore.) “Search For She-Hulk” was a perfect example. I loved how Geoff Johns described Jennifer’s past, even though she wasn’t portrayed as quite that shy or timid in the original Savage She-Hulk. In other words, what parts of Jen’s past do you think is best to throw away or ignore, and what is best to keep?

Dan: I caught that Harvard/UCLA continuity bit too. [David Anthony] Kraft (who wrote Savage She-Hulk from issue #2 on) put Jen in Harvard. [Chris] Claremont touched on it in his She-Hulk story in Solo Avengers. And Johns switched it to UCLA in his recent run of Avengers.

Since that’s the most recent take, I'm going with UCLA. Could there be a compromise somewhere? Pre-Law? Summer courses? Auditing classes? Probably. Am I going to worry about it? Not right now. I'm firmly focusing on our first six issues. That gives us between 126 to 132 pages of story to play with, and I don’t want to waste a single panel on “continuity correction.” If that kind of stuff needs to be done, I say let’s do it online or in the letters pages.

EJC: Getting back to Ally McBeal---I always thought that Callista Flockheart was a dead ringer for “plain” Jennifer Walters, and Flockheart was considered a very beautiful young actress during that series. (Harrison Ford certainly thought so, since he married her!) Anyway, I didn’t care for how some artists gave the impression that before she became the She-Hulk, Jen must have been plain and unattractive. I think that although Jen is not a supermodel, she certainly isn’t homely. Could you say how Juan Bobillo will draw her, or would it be best to wait and see?

Dan: No need to wait and see, sir. Juan’s first three pages of pencils are already up online. Take a gander. I think his Jen is cute as a button. As for the Ally McBeal angle-- that was always just a “high concept” pitch. If I had to cast Jen, I'd go for Reneé Zellweger circa Jerry McGuire.

EJC: Finally, one last question. My friend Will is worried that the sheer volume of questions that have been directed your way might drive you away from the She-Hulk board? I don’t think there have been any problems, but is there anything we can do to make your stay at the She-hulk board more pleasant?

Dan: Nope. You guys are great! After 10 years of She-Hulk NOT having her own monthly book, I can TOTALLY understand everybody’s enthusiasm and interest! All I can say is keep the questions coming!

(But as the lateness of THESE responses will tell you, I’ve been getting bogged down by a LOT of work and it might take me a while to respond. But I promise to do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion. Thanks again!)

EJC: You’re welcome, Dan! We’re all looking forward to seeing more of your posts here, and more importantly, reading She-Hulk when it comes out in stores next March!