Interview with J.M. DeMatteis

[Galactus]

BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
The Amazing Spider-Man Family is a fun anthology series that's going to offer fans of the wall-crawler a look at the hero and his "family" of friends and foes through different eras. J. M. De Matteis is no stranger to writing Peter Parker and his adventurous alter ego. His story in August's issue one picks up a few hours after one he plotted in Amazing Spider-Man # 400, which finds Peter and May Parker shell shocked the day after Ben Parker's murder.


THE PULSE: There are so many people who have worked on the character of Spider-Man through the years. When you were just reading comics, who were some of the writers who really solidified in your mind who Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man was?

JM DeMATTEIS: I love the early [Stan]Lee-[Steve]Ditko stories, they’re classic; but I’m a huge fan of the Lee-[John]Romita run. Especially Romita’s first year on the book: that’s Definitive Spidey for me. The story where Norman Osborn is revealed as the Green Goblin is my all-time favorite Spider-Man story.

THE PULSE: How did your ideas from childhood of what it means to be this hero shape the way you write the character now?

DeMATTEIS: I think the thing that was so remarkable about Spider-Man, back in the '60s when I started reading about him, was the fact that—for all his power, for all the fun he had swinging on webs and fighting the bad guys—he was, at heart, just a regular kid, with a raft of problems, worries and neuroses. These days, that’s not so unique. There are lots of messed-up, neurotic super heroes out there. But Peter Parker remains the most human, the most relatable, hero in any superhero universe. His simple humanity was the core of the character’s appeal then and it remains the core of his appeal now.



THE PULSE: You're working on the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man Family on a story about what happened the day after Uncle Ben died. Why do you think a tale like that hasn't been told in comics before?

DeMATTEIS: I actually wrote a short back-up story, way back in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #400 (well, actually, I plotted the story. The dialogue was by some new kid named Stan Lee), that took place the morning after Uncle Ben’s murder. It was a story that dealt with Peter’s relationship with Aunt May and the shock and despair they were both feeling hours after Ben’s murder. This new story picks up later the same day, so I guess you could call it a sequel of sorts. As noted, that earlier story was really a Peter-May story. This one includes Aunt May, but the primary focus is on Peter’s first tentative steps as Spider-Man.

THE PULSE: Why do you think it's a story that comic fans are going to want to read now? What is it going to add to the mythos of the series?

DeMATTEIS: I have no clue if this will add anything to the mythos of the series! All I know is that it’s a fun story, with terrific art. That’s good enough for me—and I hope it’s good enough for the fans, too.

THE PULSE: What is it you enjoy the most about writing this type of Spider-Man story?

DeMATTEIS: What I enjoyed most about this particular story was that it was a different Spider-Man than the one I know best. Most of the Spider-Man stories I’ve written have involved an older, wiser—and extremely married—Peter Parker. It was fun to visit with Peter when he was just a kid: naive, confused, a little scared.

THE PULSE: A lot of people think that there would have been no Spider-Man without Uncle Ben dying ... but I've always thought that Uncle Ben was such a motivating force on Peter Parker's life that if he found out about the powers, he still would have been able to guide Peter to becoming a hero. What do you think about that? Was the death the only factor that could have led Peter to becoming Spider-Man?



DeMATTEIS: Uncle Ben’s death certainly forced Peter to reevaluate himself and the way he was using his powers—from a writing point of view, that’s incredibly dramatic—but I agree: if Ben found out about Peter’s transformation, he would have found a way to teach him to use those powers responsibly. That said, using your powers responsibly doesn’t necessarily mean putting on a costume and punching people in the face! If he’d lived, Ben might have had a very different take on what it means to be a hero.

THE PULSE: We've seen a few stories of Uncle Ben, Aunt May and Peter Parker, prior to his getting bit by the radioactive spider; when you were thinking about what you wanted to tell, why go to that day after instead of the first days Peter was with May and Ben or any other time?

DeMATTEIS: Because it was immediately after Ben’s death that Peter really became Spider-Man.

And that’s what fascinated me: Peter has made the decision to use his powers responsibly, to stop being a costumed performer and become a hero. But just deciding to become a hero doesn’t make you one, no matter how much power you have. If I could suddenly climb walls and swing on webs, I don’t think it would make me any braver or wiser. So I wanted to know what it was like for Peter going out there the first time—before he became the confident, quipping Spidey that we know. That’s really the heart of the story.



THE PULSE: What did you think of the whole deal that Spider-Man recently made with the devil? Were you following the story?

DeMATTEIS: I haven’t read it, so I certainly can’t pass judgment on it. From what I’ve heard, the main purpose of that storyline was to clear the decks a little, open up some new storytelling possibilities; so, in the end, it doesn’t really matter if the Mephisto story was a work of genius or an utter disaster. What matters is where the Spider-books go from here. As long as Marvel continues to turn out smart, entertaining, emotionally-involving Spider-Man stories, I think the readers will be happy.

THE PULSE: Some writers think a single Spider-Man works better than a married Spidey. How do you feel about that? Did you view his marriage as a hindrance?

DeMATTEIS: I wrote many, many stories about the Peter-Mary Jane marriage and never viewed it as a hindrance. (Strangely, when I wrote Superman I absolutely found the Clark-Lois marriage a hindrance. I think it’s because I believed in Peter and MJ’s love and commitment far more than I did in Clark and Lois’s. The Parker-Watson marriage seemed much more authentic to me.) That said, I was certainly aware that many other people did view the marriage as a problem. It made Peter seem too old, less of the clumsy, anxious kid he was in the Stan Lee era. In fact, one of the things we’d hoped to achieve with the (dare I say it?) Clone Saga was a way to give the readers a single Peter Parker (Ben Reilly) and maintain the Peter-Mary Jane marriage, giving the Parkers the Happily Ever After they deserved. But we never did get a chance to reach that end-point.

THE PULSE: How is working on a Spider-Man story now different than when you were working on the series in the '80s and 90’s?

DeMATTEIS: We don’t have five hundred hologram covers—and there’s not a clone in sight!

THE PULSE: What kind of void do you think a series like Amazing Spider-Man Family is going to fill in today's market?



DeMATTEIS: My sense is that this will be a fun anthology title, where a variety of creators can jump into any given time period in Spider-Man’s history and just tell strong stories, unencumbered by current continuity. Sounds like a great idea to me!

THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on?

DeMATTEIS: I just signed a deal to write a novel—a young adult fantasy—for the Bowen Press, a new imprint at HarperCollins. The book should be out in late 2009/early 2010. It’s a story I’m very excited about, one that (I hope!) fans of ABADAZAD and THE STARDUST KID will enjoy.

I’ve been writing for the Cartoon Network’s BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD animated series and that’s been great fun. I’m working on my third episode now. The tone of the series is a little more playful than the previous BATMAN series ... and each episode has been packed with DCU characters.

I’ve got a project in the works for IDW called THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAVIOR 28. It’s a story, spanning more than six decades, about superheroes, politics, violence, pacifism and pop culture (among other things). This is a project I’ve been developing for years and I’ve finally found the right artist for it: Mike Cavallaro, who was just nominated for an Eisner Award for his wonderful PARADE (WITH FIREWORKS) series from Image. SAVIOR 28 should be out late in ‘08.



I’m co-writing—with my friend Derek Webster—an original graphic novel for Desperado called ARMS RACE. Since this won’t be out till ‘09, and it’s pretty early in the creative process, I don’t want to say much about the story...but I will say that ARMS RACE, like SAVIOR 28, is a saga that spans many years and uses the superhero metaphor to investigate some intriguing real-world issues. It’s being illustrated by a terrific new artist named Dove McHargue.

We’re also working away on the final HERO SQUARED mini-series, GIFFEN & DeMATTEIS’S HERO SQUARED: LOVE AND DEATH (yeah, I know that title’s a mouthful). It’s a three issue series, drawn by the amazing Joe Abraham, and those kind souls at Boom! Studios tell me that the first issue will out in December (the same month that Boom! re-releases three projects—originally published by DC/Vertigo— that are near and dear to my heart: SEEKERS INTO THE MYSTERY, THE LAST ONE and MERCY).

I’m continuing to enjoy my new gig as editor-in-chief of Ardden Entertainment. Our FLASH GORDON #0 sold out at the New York Comic Con and FLASH GORDON #1 will be hitting stores in August. Ardden’s got a number of other exciting projects in the pipeline for ‘09 and it’s been a blast working with publishers Brendan Deneen (who’s also writing FLASH) and Rich Emms, helping to shape this young company. You’ll be hearing lots more about Ardden in the months to come.

[CaptainStacy]

Sounds cool! Im really looking forward to this.

Anybody else?

[Themanofbat]

Of course... I like Spider-Man Family... very reminiscent of DC's 70's versions of the "Family" comics that came out quarterly...

[Ray-Fu]

I'm in!

I love J.M's stuff when it comes to Spidey. He can do dark and emotional just as well as fun and light

[kguillou]

J.M was awesome man, he wrote so many classic stories and had such a strong handle on Peter Parker, i hope we can see more of that even if the stories aren't in continuity.

[Hobgoblin]

DeMatties is far and away my favorite Spidey writer, but I would prefer if he were on ASM instead of this non continuity BS.

[CaptainStacy]

Originally Posted by Demogoblin

DeMatties is far and away my favorite Spidey writer, but I would prefer if he were on ASM instead of this non continuity BS.

Agreed. That, or make the new Spider-Man family book continuity.

I'd love to see adventures featuring Prowler, Silver Sable, Cloak & Dagger, etc., all within the confines of the current Marvel Universe. Heck, somebody needs to follow up on Steel Spider, since his run in with Venom over in Thunderbolts...

Stuff like that would make the book more compelling, imo.

WhatEVER they do, i hope they drop the Spider-Man J stories. That just seems like the same frigging story over and over again...

[Hobgoblin]

Originally Posted by CaptainStacy

Agreed. That, or make the new Spider-Man family book continuity.

I'd love to see adventures featuring Prowler, Silver Sable, Cloak & Dagger, etc., all within the confines of the current Marvel Universe. Heck, somebody needs to follow up on Steel Spider, since his run in with Venom over in Thunderbolts...

Stuff like that would make the book more compelling, imo.

WhatEVER they do, i hope they drop the Spider-Man J stories. That just seems like the same frigging story over and over again...

Its like they tease me by getting my hopes up ("DeMatties is back?! OMG!") and then pull the rug out with something like this ("A non continuity 'Spider-Family' book? Argh!").

[Donald Thomas]

Originally Posted by Ray-Fu

I'm in!

I love J.M's stuff when it comes to Spidey. He can do dark and emotional just as well as fun and light

Aloha,
Agreed. Always enjoyed his work.
Spidey rules

[DACrowe]

Good interview. I always thought he was one of the absolute best writers to ever pen Spidey stories and stands in elite company. His work in the '80s and early '90s are filled with classic tales and his runs were some of the few highlights of the mid-to-late '90s which for every good Spidey issue were 10 bad ones (and over half the good ones DeMatteis wrote).

Look forward to what this could be and his idea about exploring the first time Spidey goes out to be a hero is a good one and I'm surprised no one has really handled it before (though I suppose the movie in the chase scene touched on the ridiculousness of doing this when he first swung).

Also gload to see someone who didn't view the Peter/MJ marriage as a hinderance. I'm sure he probably prefers writing a single Peter, but he knew how to write a married couple and used it as a new avenue for Spidey stories instead of an excuse for mediocrity like most writers do.

[Traveller]

DeMatteis is the best Spidey writer ever. I love Stan's writing a lot but I think JMD was who made me a Spidey fan for a life.
I am very glad to see him back to Spider-Man though such a little work.

[SPIDER-ADDA]

The only reason I watched Legion of Super Heros was because DeMatties wrote several episodes. He is an amazing writer.

[LarryLegend]

Looking forward to this. In my opinion, he's the last great Spider-Man writer.