Exclusive: Interview with Howard the Duck’s Chip Zdarsky
March 20, 2015Do you love working in characters like She-Hulk and Black Cat into this world?
My assumption has been that Marvel will fire me after three issues – I figured this is my only shot at writing a Marvel book so I want to go to my grave knowing I wrote Spider-man dialogue once. Or She-Hulk. I’m throwing these characters in for the reader, but I’m also doing it for me because I know this may be my one shot at it. It’s guest stars galore. I think in issue 5 I’ve got about 20 different characters.
“I want to go to my grave knowing I wrote Spider-man dialogue once.” ~ Chip Zdarsky
Just finding a way to piece them in…
The difference between writing stories that are an original creation and writing for Marvel are the characters. When you are writing an original piece, you have to build a character that is gritty and rough and tumble and a wildman, whereas writing for Marvel I can pick up, say, Wolverine. Marvel has covered all the bases in terms of character types. They are readily accessible. I need a smart guy! Well there’s like 20 smart guys!
Oh man, I should introduce some kind of brainiac lady! Marvel always has Reed Richards and Tony Stark, it’s all these dudes that are the brain trust of Marvel. Can you think of anyone, who is a woman, who is a top-level intellect… science, tech person?
Hm, now that’s a good one!
Yeah, that’s going to give me some homework…
Can you tell us about your involvement with adapting Sex Criminals for television?
Myself, no. By virtue of the contract with Universal, they don’t necessarily have to tap into me for anything. Matt has to do the heavy lifting on it. He has to write a certain number of pilots in a certain amount of time and one of those happens to be Sex Criminals so it’s almost a separate deal wrapped into an overall deal. I don’t have a lot of interest in participating in that mostly because of time – comics is 100% of my time right now and I’m mostly looking forward to just seeing it.
Would you let Jamie McKelvie return the favour with a variant cover after you did one for Wicked and the Divine?
No. No him and I are through. [Laughs] Actually I would love to! But he’d probably lord it over me. He’d find a way! Especially if it did really well. Like “oh, I hear the most popular cover is mine… interesting…” That smug son-of-a… [laughs]
Do you have any conventions planned for this year?
I have too many! Last year I wasn’t prepared for this to be successful in any way, so when people ask me to shows I think it’s great! Next thing I knew I was doing… every show. I’m doing C2E2 in Chicago, but before that I’m going to London, Dublin and Paris to do signings… store signings in Baltimore, Minnesota, San Diego Comic Con I’ll be there all 5 days, Italy in the fall, Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina where Matt is from. He can be the tour guide. I’m forgetting a ton of them but I know every weekend in April and May I’m doing something. I’m an idiot… but I bought a Cintiq so I’ll be taking that with me and drawing in my hotel room when I have the chance.
