Painkiller Jane is Downright “Bad-Ass”: An Interview with Jimmy Palmiotti

She’s rough, she’s tough and if you look at her the wrong way she’ll probably kick your ass. Jane Vasko famously known as Painkiller Jane has been around since the 90’s, with multiple series spanning across several publishers, yet even then there are not many comic book readers that know about this compelling character. Seriously guys, she’s freaking awesome and everyone should find themselves in awe at her character. Jimmy Palmiotti, famous for some of his iconic runs with series like Powergirl and the ongoing Harley Quinn is also responsible for the co-creation of one of comics most resilient heroines. I had the opportunity to interview Jimmy Palmiotti in regards to all things Painkiller Jane.

Jimmy for those readers not entirely familiar with Painkiller Jane, how would you describe our favorite spunky redhead?

Jane was a bad ass New York cop that went undercover and nearly got killed by a drug overdose and a really bad beating. Because of it, Jane went into a coma and after a year, came out having a healing power and a lot of frustration and anger that she unleashes upon the criminal underworld on a daily basis.

 Jane Vasko has quite the personality, complete with colorful vocabulary and badass attitude. Do you pull inspiration from anything or even anyone in particular to help shape such a character?

Amanda Conner says Jane is really me deep down with a lot of aggression. I like to think of Jane as the person that doesn’t talk about things…the person that goes out and does something about it. She is a woman of action in every sense of the word. I admire her character because no matter how bad things get, she still believes she can change them for the better. I think that is where we have something in common. I am always hopeful that things can change.

We’ve seen Jane crossover with characters like The Punisher, Vampirella and even the Terminator in the past. Is there any characters you’d like to see Painkiller Jane team up with or even fight against in the future?

Hmmm, Painkiller Jane and The Pro would be a fun one. A painkiller Jane / Daughters of the Dragon would be such a thrill for me to write. I would also like to see her cross over with Harley Quinn or Powergirl, just to watch what kind of madness would happen. Realistically, I think it’s easier to create new characters and have an adventure with her. I find although the crossovers are fun, they also cheapen the character a bit to fit her into others continuity. That said, I would love to do more and make them work better than they have in the past. There were a few that I would love to have a do-over with.

In the 90’s Jane was iconic for her bandaged look in which most of the material covered up her
face, legs and arms. That’s something we haven’t seen in a long while. What made you decide to make her ditch that look and could it possibly make a return to her in her comics?

Because I thought it was a bit of silly looking and a sign of the times in comics where over the top worked. She used to have 409 feet of bandages following her and it made no sense. I like that Jane can now walk past you and you wouldn’t notice her till it was too late. She has always been a bit of a punk rocker to me and always will be. I love her in a cut off tee and red leather pants. The ultimate look for me.

For readers unaware, Jane Vasko makes no attempt to hide her sexuality as an extremely proud bisexual. A lot of writers often state or confirm a character’s sexuality outside of a comic but never within, much like Selina Kyle’s sexual orientation in the current run of Catwoman. What made you decide to announce Jane’s bisexuality in comics?

It’s less about announcing, as it is who she is and she doesn’t hide it. I have had her explain it to other characters that couldn’t wrap their heads around her choices, but I never played this up to get sales or attention like just about every other character out there. It is who Jane is and has always been since we created her in 1994. Her sexuality has never been sold as a gimmick. She is modeled after a very close bi-sexual friend of mine and any time I had a question, she was there to help me understand it so I can build up Jane the proper way and not make it about some male fantasy type thing.

Jane has had a home with multiple publishers over the years, including Event! , Dynamite and now finally with Icon comics. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to working with this companies?

So many I cannot list them all. All have been good and bad for me on some level because at the end of the day I always had to deal with someone else in control of the promotion of the book. What I have planned next is to take the book somewhere else, and launch the next one a bit different. Stay tuned.

Painkiller Jane had previously been announced to star in a new movie directed by the Soska sisters. We’ve seen Jane in media before including the 2005 made for tv movie as well as the 2007 followup series on the SyFy channel. How do you feel about this new incarnation for the character?

The Jane movie we are putting together is written by Craig Weeden and I and exactly as I write the character in the comics. I am also producing it and when we start shooting, my hands will be all over this project, so I will be the guy to blame if it sucks…which hopefully it wont. The main story in the film is her origin and all about her relationship and how Maureen fits into her life. I am sure at one point another set of hands will be on the script, but not without me there to work with them. The past two versions done for multimedia were not really the character but someone else’s version of her.

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen anything new from Painkiller Jane ever since her third and final issue in the mini series Painkiller Jane/22 Brides. Do you have any plans in the foreseeable future for Jane Vasko?

I do and it will be an announcement coming this summer. I have some aggressive plans ahead.

Make sure you check out Painkiller Jane and give this wonderful lady a chance.  I can’t stress enough how rad of a character she is! The best part of it all is that Jimmy Palmiotti offers most of her issues digitally  for easy access over on his website Paperfilms.