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SEAN McKEEVER: TALKING MARY JANE LOVES SPIDER-MAN
by Vaneta Rogers (Newsarama)
They say that everything old is new again. If writer Sean McKeever's recent announcements are any indication, that saying is right on the mark.
First came news that his critically acclaimed but canceled series Sentinel was returning for a five-issue mini-series this fall. Then came the announcement that his on-again, off-again mini-series Mary Jane was back as an ongoing with a new title, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane in December.
The first time Mary Jane was announced as an ongoing in 2004, it only lasted four issues. The comic, based on a "separate-from-continuity" story where Mary Jane is in high school with all the traditional Spider-Man characters, was put on hiatus after Issue #4 when sales of the monthly comic were lower than hoped.
Although it returned a few months later with another set of four issues, the series seemed destined to exist only in small chunks -- just large enough for digest-sized collections. The promising sales numbers from the digest always justified the title's return, but monthly readers had to wait between each mini-series while Marvel examined the digest results.
Now that Marvel has committed to an ongoing by the same creative team, including artist Takeshi Miyazawa, McKeever will be able to tell the story the way he originally pitched it -- as a monthly ongoing. Newsarama sat down with McKeever to find out where the series is going from here, why the name has been changed, and where he thinks a teen drama about a teenage girl fits into the world of Marvel publishing.
Newsarama: You've been writing a lot of four- or five-issue mini-series lately, but now it's official. You have an ongoing.
Sean McKeever: So they say. I won't believe it until I see an issue #6!
NRAMA: When that issue hits the shelves, will there be a big party?
SM: I think when they ask for the sixth script, I'll start partying.
But you know, (Editor) MacKenzie Cadenhead and (Manager of Sales) David Gabriel over there at Marvel have really been cheerleaders for this book and pushed its importance to Marvel's overall publishing plan, and I guess people are listening to them. Because now they are committed to the comic.
NRAMA: So you're encouraged by the commitment this time around?
SM: I think there are a lot of things going on at Marvel that are encouraging for people that support comics that might not be big blockbusters. The really nice thing now is you look at a lot of the books Marvel's putting out, like Marvel Team-Up and Cable/Deadpool and New Thunderbolts -- books that aren't lighting up the sales charts but Marvel's committed to them. It's nice to see that Marvel's got that commitment now to their series. And now for me, as a reader, I can feel like there's more of a sense of stability there, and if I pick up a book, it's not going to just drop by the wayside. I'm not going to feel like I just wasted my time or get all frustrated that I wanted to read the rest of the story.
I think I need to not be so hasty to assume they're going to cancel it after the first five issues. But it's tough!
NRAMA: You have a long memory, because Sentinel and Mystique were both canceled when you were writing them, one right after the other, followed by Mary Jane's hiatus soon after. But the tide seems to be turning -- now Sentinel is coming back and you won an Eisner Award this year. You're no longer known as the canceled writer, are you?
SM: Well, I guess I'm now known as the Eisner-award-winning canceled writer.
NRAMA: When did you find out Mary Jane was going to be an ongoing?
SM: They told me from the start, when they said it was coming back again.
NRAMA: When it was announced at the San Diego Comic Con that Mary Jane was returning, it seemed like everyone assumed it was a mini. But you've known all along it was an ongoing?
NRAMA: I knew all along it was an ongoing. But like I said, I was hesitant to believe it. When they told me it was an ongoing, it was really difficult for me to believe because, once bitten, twice shy, you know? It was supposed to be an ongoing the first time it came out last year. But it's a bit easier to swallow now that Marvel is committing to other books for a long period of time. Plus they're going to really push MJ in the newsstands and through their subscription program. I don't know how that's going to work in terms of the newsstand. But the fact that they're stating it publicly, that it's an ongoing, where everybody can see it and not just me? Now I have that to point to.
NRAMA: It also has a new name. Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane?
SM: They're calling it Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane right now, but I kind of like calling it Spider-Man "hearts" Mary Jane, because it's going to have that heart with the Spider-Man eyes and mask on it from the Mary Jane novels, right between the "Spider-Man" and "Mary Jane."
NRAMA: Why the name change? Is it a new direction for the book or more of a marketing thing?
NRAMA: It came about because of marketing. They wanted the book to start with Spider-Man's name. But it happens to work out really nicely, because when I originally pitched the series, issues 1-8 were pretty much what we've seen so far, and after that, I said in the pitch that she'd start hanging out with Peter Parker a little more. So it lends itself to that anyway. I never had a problem with them wanting to change the name like that.
With them changing the name, obviously, I have to focus on that relationship a little bit more, and maybe have Spider-Man in every issue if his name's going to be on it. And that's fine, because that's where I was going anyway in the original pitch.
NRAMA: Spider-Man showed up in the comic a lot in the first two mini-series anyway, didn't he? Not in every single issue, but most of them.
SM: Right. I don't mean to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the digests, but my idea all along was to just have Peter be hanging out kind of in the background, and I'd be telling this drama about Mary Jane's life. And then after a shift in her social life, he would become a major part of her life. And that's where we are now. We're at the dawn of their relationship. So it's a perfect time for a new #1 issue.
NRAMA: So will Mary Jane and Peter Parker's relationship heat up?
SM: Well, spoiler warnings for anybody who hasn't read the Homecoming digest yet. At the end of the Homecoming mini-series, MJ had a huge falling out with her circle of friends. When she was down in the dumps and by herself, Peter Parker was there to be her friend. So when we open up the first issue, we're showing you what that friendship entails so far. And it's just this kind of awkward friendship where Peter's helping her out with school and stuff, but they're obviously a little more friends than that. There's a sort of awkwardness and at the same time earnestness between them.
NRAMA: But she's still dreamy-eyed about Spider-Man?
SM: Of course. Once again, Mary Jane gets into her escapism mode. She doesn't want to have to deal with things that happened to her in the past. So she's interested in Spider-Man.
In the first issue, we see her try to make Spider-Man her boyfriend. And you know, with Peter and Mary Jane's relationship becoming what it is, it's going to make for some very interesting back and forth through the series. Obviously readers know they're the same person -- Peter Parker and Spider-Man -- but we won't show it in the book. It's not about Peter Parker. It's not about Spider-Man. It's about Mary Jane. These are just the two men in her life.
NRAMA: Sounds like a fun little love triangle. Will we still see the friends from the first two digests hanging around?
SM: The rest of the supporting cast will still be involved. When I mentioned men in her life, Harry Osborn, her recently minted ex-boyfriend, he's still around. In fact, he'll be trying to hang around Peter a little bit so he can be around MJ. But she doesn't want to be around any of those guys because it just reminds her of Homecoming.
NRAMA: Will Liz Allen and Flash Thompson survive as MJ's friends?
SM She'll still be hanging out with Liz, because they're best friends. You can't sever that bond. But it's going to be really awkward for awhile. And then I've got plans for Flash. I don't want to say what they are yet. It just works really well playing with what we've done in the series, and playing with Flash's role in the original Amazing Spider-Man series. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to write him now. So they're all back in it.
So you've got Mary Jane, with Peter and Spider-Man, and then Liz, Flash and Harry. And that's the supporting cast for right now. We'll probably bring in some guest characters and stuff like that too. Not Marvel guest characters. But some other teenagers and stuff.
NRAMA: You mentioned Flash's role in the original Amazing Spider-Man series. How do you view this series as it relates to the history of these characters within the regular Marvel Universe?
SM: I think to a certain extent, we can play with pre-conceived notions much the way they do in the Ultimate Universe, but not in a big way. I don't plan to be trying to follow any of that or tell my version of any of that stuff. Because it's already so different having Mary Jane in school, and it's really so much about Mary Jane that it doesn't really lend itself to getting into any of the stuff that happened in the Spider-Man book in the '70s and '80s.
NRAMA: What is it, as a writer, that makes you able to write about a teenage girl?
SM: Stunted emotional growth.
NRAMA: Well, that explains it. But isn't it a challenge to put yourself in a young woman's shoes – er, hopefully figuratively speaking…unless you really have more that you want to talk about?
SM: No, really. I think that there's an emotional place in this character that really resonates with me at a certain level. It's not a teenage girl emotion. It's just a certain sensitivity that I have, that I'm able to put myself in that place.
NRAMA: It seems like Mary Jane is doing what a lot of teenagers do. She's just trying to find her place in the world.
SM: Yeah. All teenagers are there. But especially Mary Jane, because she runs away from her problems so much. She's not quite figuring out where she is. She's kind of avoiding that. I'm 33, and I'm still figuring it out. I mean, now I have a career as a writer and I have a home, so there's a sense of stability. But in a lot of ways I'm still trying to think about my place in the world.
So maybe there's some resonance there. Honestly, I don't really think about it enough to be able to answer it in any way that sounds meaningful or interesting.
NRAMA: Well, you may be able to find her voice so well because she's a pretty well-known character, especially to you. Spider-Man was something that you grew up with, and you know Mary Jane so well...
SM: See, you have better answers than I do.
NRAMA: Oops. I'm just saying, does that make it easier to identify with her because you grew up with her? Would it be more difficult if you had to create a whole new female teenage character?
SM: No, not at all. When I did The Waiting Place, I did the same type of stuff. And I did a story in Spider-Girl. I think I'm just so good at writing the teenage stuff because I just really identify with that time in your life. I think I'm always kind of feeling like I'm waiting for the next part of my life to happen, you know? And I think that's the way a lot of teens are, kind of restless and waiting for their lives to begin. I think there will always be some way that I am like that.
NRAMA: They're putting together the same creative team for the ongoing that you had for the mini-series. Are you looking forward to working with them again?
SM: Takeshi's awesome. I finally got to meet him in Chicago this year, and he's even cooler than I thought he'd be. Which makes it all the more sweet to be working with him again. He does such a terrific job on this comic. And Christina Strain on colors. And MacKenzie Cadenhead. I work with her all the time, but if I don't mention her in this interview, she's going to beat me up.
NRAMA: What's it like working with Takeshi?
SM: Anytime now, Takeshi's going to be working on the layouts for the first issue, and I just can't wait to see what he comes up with. Sometimes he'll take my description for a panel and just kind of throw it out the window. He'll show some inanimate object or something, just cut away from the character. My initial instinct would be that you wouldn't catch the emotional resonance of what I'm trying to do, by not seeing the characters faces or postures. But it just does wonders. I love when does that stuff. A couple times I've actually written in inanimate scenes like that and thought about things like that, but when he does it, it's just always a delight to see the choices he makes.
Plus I made him draw some cheesy villains in the first issue.
NRAMA: OK, now you have to tell us what villains show up in the first issue…
SM: I don't want to give away all of them, but I will say that one of them rolls around in a big wheel.
NRAMA: Hmmm...
SM: There are, like, six villains running around in this issue. It's all kind of one-panel appearances, but it's a lot of fun.
NRAMA: Six villains? Is the Mary Jane comic taking more of an action direction?
SM: It is not a superhero comic. It is not, not, not a superhero comic. It's a teen drama. That's something that I should really stress to people. Now that we're going to have Spider-Man showing up, it does not change the tone of the book at all. It's not going to become Spider-Man rescuing Mary Jane, or Mary Jane is in trouble. It's not about the action and it's not about Spider-Man's adventures -- it's still about Mary Jane.
NRAMA: As a teen drama, and you mentioning it fitting into Marvel's publishing plan, why do you think this book is important to Marvel's strategy?
SM: That's really more of a question for someone at Marvel.
NRAMA: Well, what would you say as a Marvel reader? You know what kind of stuff they're usually publishing. You read X-Men books and Captain America ...
SM: Oh, I don't read that Ed Brubaker stuff.
NRAMA: Whatever.
SM: I'm just trying to be like Kirkman and make fun of another writer. Maybe it'll get me a lot of press.
NRAMA: But if you..
SM: Kirkman has an ugly beard.
NRAMA: {sigh} Um ... that's probably something we shouldn't follow-up on. But where does it fit ... I mean Mary Jane ...
SM: I know what you're trying to ask. But it's its own thing. It's not part of a line. It's not part of an imprint.
NRAMA: You can't point to another Marvel ongoing that is targeting this audience, can you?
SM: Runaways would be the closest, probably. But that's an action comic. It's also an ensemble teen drama, I think, but it's very much about the superhero and powers stuff.
No, Mary Jane is out on its own, but I think that's maybe what makes it so important to keep around. They don't have another comic for someone who's interested in this kind of story, for someone who is looking for these types of characters and relationships. It's unique among their other comics and is reaching out to a unique audience. It's not as out on its own as it would be if it didn't have the Spider-Man connection. Obviously, it makes a lot of sense to do that from a marketing standpoint. And I love that because now I get to play in my own little Spider-Man playbox.
NRAMA: It's not targeted at the usual Marvel comic book reader...
SM: No, and I think some of them are actually kind of disdainful of this book because of that. But it's an outreach book. Marvel wants books like Mary Jane to reach an audience that is not reading Marvel comics now.
That doesn't mean it's not accessible to people who read Marvel comics now. I know a lot of people who are big Marvel fans who love this book because they gave it a try. A lot of them weren't interested in it. I don't know how many times I've heard people say that when they heard of the book, they thought, "oh that's so stupid." And then either, "I saw some art" or "someone told me about it" or "I flipped through it once just for kicks and I loved it."
So I hope that Marvel fans who are disappointed because it's not in continuity or because they think it's targeted to teen girls, I hope they don't think it's something they can't read. Because it absolutely is something they can read and enjoy a lot.
NRAMA: So even though it's about teens, it's accessible for adults?
SM: I think it's a lot of fun for adults. Obviously it's not for everybody. Not everyone likes teen drama stuff. But it's great for someone who can look back on that part of your life with amusement. I think it's something you can enjoy. If you're real bitter about your high school years, you might not want to read it. I know people think nothing of consequence happens in the comic, and make fun of it because it's got things in it like who's going to take her to homecoming, who's going to take her on a date. To which I say, well, teens really do worry about that stuff.
NRAMA: And aren't most comics about relationships anyway?
SM: The good ones are.
But you know, it's actually kind of a cool thing about Marvel comics. There are people who love Marvel comics so much that they want every Marvel comic to be written for them. So they can enjoy it. They want to be a part of all of it. And that's a really awesome sentiment, and it's
one that I've felt in my lifetime. But I don't think it's realistic.
This book won't be for everybody, but I hope they give it a shot. At least give the first one a shot. There'll be a dose of Spider-Man in there. You'll definitely get a feel for what the book's going to be like. And if you don't like it, you don't have to buy a second issue. But I hope people will give the first issue a shot.
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