PeterDavid.net

Okay, I'll start.

Marv Wolfman wrote Tomb of Dracula in the 1970s, thereby keeping horror in comics alive in that arid decade.

If I believed in an afterlife, Marv would go to Creators' Heaven for that mighty effort alone. This isn't even mentioning the library of stuff he's gotten published since then (Teen Titans or Crisis, anyone?).

Since I don't, I have to write this where he'll read it when he's still alive.

Marv! You ROCK!

TOMB OF DRACULA. Best horror comic book series ever. Ever.

That it was fully integrated into the Marvel Universe makes it an even more impressive achievement. Who else but Marv could actually take as dopey a concept as Dracula vs the Silver Surfer and make it work? Is there any other comic book from either of the big publishers that so successfully featured a genuinely evil protagonist? TOD reminds me of the German film DOWNFALL; like that film's Hitler, Dracula is realized as a human monster, unsympathetic but still subject to the same emotions as the rest of us. It's a difficult thing to pull off.

I remember the last few issues of TOD as being right up there with the (first) Phoenix Saga in terms of Oh My God, When Will the New Comics Arrive moments. (And unlike the X-Men story, Tomb of Dracula 72 ended in a way that satisfied and rewarded longtime fans).

Plus, he was a really nice guy at the one convention I saw him at, a class act. So here's to Marv!

Well, Marv did write New teen Titans with the x-tra s-tar George Perez and I do remember that 'vigilante' (spanic or spicnic inspiration). Crisis was also good. Yeah!

Although I have to confess that the first time I saw a Dracula book written by "Marv Wolfman" I though "Yeah, right. Tell me anything, I'm a kid." What next, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, written by Rob Zombie? TALES OF THE ZOMBIE by Bill Mummy? MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN by Simon Creaturefromtheblacklagoon?

So, I don't get it. If Marv expressed dismay that you were shut down, why is that a bad thing--seeing as it's liked with an "even worse" comment about liking Ann Coulter--which I'd expect you to think was bad? It seems from the comment at the top that you are dismayed about Marv's actions, but then celebrate him.

What did I miss here? Please clarify. Thanks.

BTW, I am just now reading his Dracula stuff by way of the Essentials. Very cool stuff. I thought I was too "mature" back in the day to go for monster comics. How wrong I was. Thanks Marv.

Jeff Lindholm

Sorry. That should be "linked with an 'even worse' comment."

JRL

Oh no! We have a Crisis On Infinite Blog Postings shaping up! Will MarvThread-1 or MarvThread-2 survive these cataclysmic events? And will anyone remember Kole?

Marv Wolfman is the greatest writer who ever developed a crisis on infinite earths.

Sorry PAD... Don't see the posting.

I'm sure he's done a lot of great work since this time period, but his run on New Teen Titans in the '80's was just fantastic. Thank you, Marv!

When I was 13 I picked up a copy of New Teen Titans issue 26 (I think) it was about runaways and the drug business. At this point in my life I was only really reading a few comics here and there. That story really shook me and got me upset when it was over. When I was 18 I went to work with at risk youths on Long Island for a decade. I also remember the death of Terra and was amazed at the emotions Marv could pull out of me.

Not sure why the initial entry double posted, but Kathleen was kind enough to eliminate one of them and combine the entries.

So, I don't get it. If Marv expressed dismay that you were shut down, why is that a bad thing--seeing as it's liked with an "even worse" comment about liking Ann Coulter--which I'd expect you to think was bad?

You're misreading. I simply felt badly over the circumstances wherein Marv showed up here offering fresh and educated perspective about the strike, and circumstances forced me to shut down the thread. So rather than reducing the poor guy to seeking refuge in the demonic arms of Ann Coulter, I'm making up for it by generating this thread wherein people can heap praise upon the greatness that is Marv and Marv, if he so chooses, can continue to offer his views on the WGA and such.

PAD

I met Marv at last year's SDCC, and he was gracious enough to answer a question for me I'm sure he's been asked a thousand times before: what he thought of the Blade films.

So, thanks, Marv.

And, yes, I like to know what creators think of adaptations of their creations. :)

"TOMB OF DRACULA. Best horror comic book series ever. Ever."

I agree 10000%.

I heard Marv once thumb-wrestled Chuck Norris into submission.

Hmmm. I agree with all the positive comments about TOMB OF DRACULA. Marv developed some great characters.

I also loved the original run of NIGHT FORCE.

When I sing in the shower, I double the length of "Secret Agent Man" by including the words to the Teen Titans theme. I think it's fair to say I begin every day with Marv Wolfman.

Marv wrote some of my favorite comics of all time -- New Teen Titans/New Titans; Tomb of Dracula; Night Force; Green Lantern (*loved* this run) and the original Nova. He's one of the top comic book writers *ever* in my opinion.

Posted by Craig J. Ries at February 5, 2008 09:53 AM
I met Marv at last year's SDCC, and he was gracious enough to answer a question for me I'm sure he's been asked a thousand times before: what he thought of the Blade films.

I'd like to thank him for creating black cat spider-mans best supporting cast member.

Posted by Craig J. Ries at February 5, 2008 09:53 AM
I met Marv at last year's SDCC, and he was gracious enough to answer a question for me I'm sure he's been asked a thousand times before: what he thought of the Blade films.

not sure why my part didnt show.

Can you share Mr. Wolfmans answer?

Tomb of Dracula was my Famous Monsters of Filmland growing up. loved it

He invented Nova, my favorite superhero... and had the best incarnation of the Teen Titans ever. I will always be a fan.

I appreciate MW. My appreciation is of his many contributions to both the Marvel and DC Universes.
I also appreciate that DC today can only try to recreate his "Crisis" over, and over, and over again. Without his success. I appreciate that he enabled Gene Colan to do his best work.
I hope this is enough appreciation for him.
Oh yes, one more thing, BLADE!!!

Peter,

I am a huge fan of yours, and would like to join your forum, please advise how?

Thank you!

(P.S., I'm gay,a youngish 30-something, a libertarian-leaning yellow-dog Democrat and also a huge John Byrne fan... hehheh!)

Marv is like beer.

Ben Franklin said that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Marv is also proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Therefore....

Also: Marv wrote quite possibly the best opening sentence of a novel ever in his novelization of Superman Returns.

And "The Judas Contract" was a damn amazing comic book story.

Plus he's a good guy.

About the strike...well, I agree with WGA. The thing is that in other countries writer and director are the same person and s/he is involved in the filming process as well as asking for money (production) or trying to shake the pocket for some cash. Trueba (Twoo Much) do use his own money to do films (as well as recording music,...) and his brother is a writer... they´re not always sharing films but they both alternate some tasks. Just an example. Maybe cause there is no specialization like in USA when you have different groups and teams (and what a big teams) doing their job.

Maybe in a near future things can change and problems will be imported. The situation for writers is undecent.

Yep, New Teen Titans have colossal moments.

If you ever get a chance to sit on one of Marv Wolfman's seminars on comic writing, do so. They're incredibly enlightening. Also, Marv is one of the most positive and always-on pros I've seen. Here's to Marv, who has written some of the seminal works of the medium and is still working today.

My dad wasn't at home as much as he wanted when I was five because of his job. Also, he wasn't (as I'm not) the kind of guy who is comfortable showing affection. This particular day, I was really sick. I was in bed and my mother called him to his office. The next thing I know is that he's back home with a bunch of paperwork so that he can work besides me. He also brought me my first comic (I had just learned to read). I'm guessing he didn't give it a second thought, he just went for anything not rated r and expensive, assuming it was good or, at least, fancy. That's how I got one of those Spanish Trade Paperbacks: I was fascinated for the end, in which Terra had betrayed the Titans. That's how my love for comics started and, at that point, Marv Wolfman was writing them.

Can you share Mr. Wolfmans answer?

I don't remember his exact words, but I recall that he thought well enough of them and for the most part the 3 films seemed to meet his approval.

Perhaps he'd be willing to chime in and offer more exact thoughts, so I don't mangle them. :)

I am a huge fan of yours, and would like to join your forum, please advise how?

You pretty much just did.

PAD

Marv Wolfman is a hairy man, moreso during the full moon.

((somebody had to do the obvious, even if Marv has heard it a million times before))

1Roll over Anne Coulter and tell James Carville the news. Marv Wolfman Rocks!

Way back in the early '80s, Marv was editing DC's New Talent Showcase book. A friend and I co-wrote some pitches, and went into to the DC offices to submit them. Marv was both kind to us neophyte wannabe writers while also being very good at pointing out what was wrong with our stories. One bit, which he even still recalled a number of years later, was that pretty much all of our panel descriptions had so much dialog that you'd hardly be able to see any of the art.

Green Lantern #134, 1981: Hal Jordan, his ring completely discharged, dressed only in his GL uniform, is stranded somewhere north of the Arctic Circle and, through sheer determination, manages to stay alive long enough to walk through the snow and the howling winds to a place of refuge.

Awesome stuff, written by Marv Wolfman.

Marv's "Tomb of Dracula" and "The New Teen Titans" are rightly getting heaps of praise. I believe Marv's "Nova" series, however, has been underrated by many.

Some dismissed it -- unfairly -- as a "Spider-Man" rip-off. But Richard Ryder was different. He had a full nuclear family -- a mother, a father, and a brother. And he wasn't a scientific genius, or in any other way extraordinary -- until he became Nova. And whereas Spider-Man took to super-heroics like a duck to water upon receiving his powers, Richard Ryder had to struggle mightily -- which made his victories all the more sweet.

About 20 years ago I went to a convention and collected the entire "Nova" series from the '70s. I still treasure it to this day.

Thanks, Marv!

Did anyone else read DEFEX, a series Marv did for Devil's Due a couple years back? Fantastic book. I was so bummed when the entire line was cancelled.

I very much enjoyed Marv Wolfman's work on New Teen Titans, as well as Crisis and History of the DC Universe, all with George Perez. For many years, Titans was the one "must read" title on my pull list. Even during a particular storyline where I thought the title was at something of a low ebb, I stuck with it. In part because I felt sure it would bounce back.

I especially liked how he and George Perez made the Titans (and their supporting cast) come across as three dimensional people. If you accepted the conceit that some of them had special abilities, they came across as believable in their actions and reactions to the world around them.

KRAD, not only is "Judas Contract" great, but I also liked the story called "Shades of Gray" in Tales of the Teen Titans #55 in which Changeling confronts the Terminator, and Terminator refuses to fight him. Instead, Slade Wilson shows up in civilian clothes and the two end up talking over lunch at a diner.

I interviewed Marv via E-Mail for an article a few years ago, but don't believe I've yet met him at a convention. Maybe one day.

But what one book would I ask him to sign, if I had to limit it to just one? That'd be a tough choice.

Rick

I was trying to come up with a Chuck Norris style joke, but I'm not funny enough. Instead, I'll just say that "Switched" was one of the best episodes of the Teen Titans cartoon.

People have mentioned plenty of stuff about New Teen Titans, Tomb of Dracula and Nova. Yet, people have forgotten something else he worked on:

Superman.

While John Byrne was half of the writing team on the Superman books when the Post-Crisis DC Universe debuted, Marv Wolfman was the other half. In the Superman books, Marv created new supporting characters like Cat Grant and Dr. Emil Hamilton (who was originally supposed to be a one-time character), and along with Jerry Ordway co-created the character of Gangbuster. He was also the one who provided the vision to revamp Lex Luthor into the evil scientist turned corrupt business tycoon that he's been through most of his Post-Crisis existence.

Like it or hate it, the Post-Crisis Superman mythos would have been very different without Marv Wolfman.

Marv Wolfman's take on Lex Luthor provided the foundation for the version we now see in "Smallville." It is a far more compelling vision than the "generic megalmaniacal supervillain" he once was.

That's another one we owe ya, Marv.

I have to add my appreciation for Mr. Wolfman. I started buying comics in the mid 70's. I too have a special fondness for the original Nova series. While I enjoyed Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, it was great to be able to get a "number 1" issue and feel like I was there for the beginning! I've followed Mr. Wolfman through the years and I look forward to the upcoming Raven mini.

Thanks for all of the stories, Mr. Wolfman!

Greg Smith

TOD was the best Western, War, and Romance comic of the 70s...and, yeah, a Horror book too, if you must.

And on top of Marv's superlative writing, we had perhaps Gene Colan's finest artistry in a career full of fantastic art.

Seriously, what's not to love about this book?

You're a mensch, PAD.

Friends don't let friends blog Ann Coulter.

My God! I am so touched. Honestly, I can't come up with the words to say anything else.
Thank you.
-Marv

Marv, just wanted to thank you for "A Lonely Place of Dying". As a 9-year old fellow "-ason", Jason Todd's death hit me hard. Tim Drake's creation fixed that and more.

Oh yea, Teen Titans also ruled!

A couple of years ago, when I was finishing up a 18 year career in social services, I wrote Marv to let him know that it was the humanity and ideals in his writing that got me interested in that field in the first place. Unlike a lot of comics I read in my youth, his have held up and warrant adult re-reading.

For every fight over content, for every night without sleep to meet a deadline, and for every struggle to find the right words, I say again, Thank You Marv.

Oh, and PAD? Even though I was older when you started writing, the same goes for you, but you come in at a second when compared to Marv. So thank you as well, and thanks for giving me a chance to thank Marv a second time.

"Who Is Donna Troy?" made me cry.

Thanks, Marv!

Marv wrote the first Marvel comic I ever owned (Nova #12) as well as my first Amazing Spider-Man (#192, Spidey chained to J. Jonah Jameson with a bomb!), and, remembered most fondly, my first issues of Fantastic Four.

I still love his story of the omnipotent Sphinx taken down by Galactus during the Skrull aging-ray saga (possibly my first story arc).

Oh, and FF #200 (Reed vs. Doom) remains one of the greatest anniversary issues ever published.

For thrilling a young boy and firing his imagination on all cylinders, I thank Marv.

I'll never forget the day I bought New Teen Titans #34, the one that revealed that Terra was working for the Terminator. Then Judas Contract followed after that.

Awesome stuff. Simply awesome.

Fantastic Four #200 is the best Reed-Doom fight EVER, and is one of the five best superhero comics of all time.

I still get chills every time I read it. What a great comic.

Oh, and Teen Titans is fun, too.

But man, FF 200.

Damn shame that Keith Pollard left comics to work for the auto industry...

I'm not sure if this is the right place to communicate this, but as long as we've got his attention, I just as soon pass this along.

It was one of the joys of my life to meet Marv at a con a few years back.

I could've never said this to him in person, but Marv and my personal read-to-the-bone tatters of his Titans run got me through some hard times in my youth. I grew up without a lot of close friends under some difficult emotional conditions. Throughout all those times, I could always go to Dick, Donna, Wally, Raven, Gar, Vic, Kory and others for a dose of friendship, family, and courage to get me through tough times. At the toughest, it was almost like they were with me as a result of the vivid nature of their creation.

Thanks, Marv, for your wonderful storytelling of human spirit and by proxy, being my friend in difficult times. Not to build up a bunch of funnybooks too much, but it really mattered to me in a very real way.

Marv had a great run as writer of "The Amazing Spider-Man" in the late 70s, and also, I am eternally grateful to him for writing the "Return of Optimus Prime" 2-parter in season 3 of "The Transformers." Anyone else remember the red spores and the madness plague? Optimus battling Rodimus Prime for the Matrix?? Marv is a hero to a generation of 80s cartoon lovers, even if they don't realise it.

A few years back I was working at a book store in the mall here in LA.

A guy comes in and seems interested in the comics section. Being that I was the resident comics guru I asked the guy if I could help him find anything. I suggested some titles and when I got to "The Terror of Trigon" he said: "Actually, I wrote that."

Then Marv signed the trade and I bought it. Awesome guy, not as hairy as I thought a person named Wolfman would be...

he's tall too,

um, and he wore nice...shoes?

yay Marv!

Posted by Baron

A guy comes in and seems interested in the comics section. Being that I was the resident comics guru I asked the guy if I could help him find anything. I suggested some titles and when I got to "The Terror of Trigon" he said: "Actually, I wrote that."

Manymany years ago (1990, to be precise), i found myself on a dinner and music cruise on the Thames, and was one of two or three people talking to Ian Matthews (eartly member of Fairport Convention).

He mentioned that he'd been living in Texas for a while, and had lost pretty much everything in a fire. Including his record collecton.

So he took to touring used record stores looking for copies of his out-of-print stuff, and found a lot of it in one store.

When he plunked his selections down on the counter, the clerk noted that they were all by the same obscure guy he'd barely heard of, and remarked "You must really like this guy's stuff..."

I visualised Matthews simply smiling and laying down a credit card...

The comic card game MUNCHKIN BITES! (with such goth-type characters as vampires, werewolves, changelings, and mummies) pays homage to Marv Wolfman with their card MARV, showing him as a werewolf (with the tombstone of Dracula in the background).

Raven´s character is deep and -without a doubt- an inspiration for some kinda women on trouble. Women...continue readin´ comic books!!

Anyone who thinks Tomb of Dracula is the best horror comic series ever has not read Uzumaki.

Oddly enough, I was unpacking some comics earlier this week (I've recently moved house) and came across the classic "Who Is Donna Troy?" and "The Wedding" stories from The New Teen Titans. Not having read them for years, I sat down and read them both right there, cover to cover...

...and they *still* make me cry.

One of the greatest writers in comics, ever (and having met him once in Reseda, one of the nicest, as well).

He created Nova, the best superhero of all time. That's all you gots ta say.

I'll back Mafus 100% on that one. Loved Nova.

I never quite got into Nova, but I'm just now reading the Essential reprints of Tomb of Dracula. WOW, that's good stuff. Major kudos to Marv for that!

TWL

What If Four Other People Had Become Nova? is another of my favorites from Marv.

I regret that I never read the beginning or the end of Marv Wolfman's multi-issue pre-1986 Superman storyline where Vandal Savage is an evil corrupt businessman, from Earth-2 migrated to Earth-1, and Superman has trouble dealing with a bad guy who isn't straight-up criminal, but hides behind a facade of legitimacy!

Frankly I wish they stuck with this combination of characterization and plot... and left Lex Luthor with being a mad scientist.

Also.... there are more Marv Wolfman comics I wish I owned than Marv Wolfman comics I own.

Some people will say Shakespeare is the greatest writer in history. Others believe Edgar Allen Poe, Dante, DH Lawrence, Ibsen, Tolstoy, Moliere and scores of others are the greatest. I've read them all and enjoyed their work just the same. But to me, the absolute greatest writer in history, is Marv Wolfman.

The works of all the above novelists have influenced generations of readers throughout time creating works that deal with themes of a universal nature in finite, complete story volumes.

Anyone who is familiar with the works of Marv Wolfman can say Marv is a man whose work dealt with the same themes, situations, character predictments as the above authors... but he did it on a monthly basis for over thirty years.

Marv Wolfman created hundreds of original characters throughout his career, most of whom are universally recognized and loved to this very day. It's a list of creations that's second only to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Most of Marv's creations are fully fleshed out beings with a history and universe that could very well have made it all their own, outside the comics universe.

The stories of Starfire and Raven from the New Teen Titans quickly come to mind -- a princess who was betrayed by her jealous, psychotic sister and sold into slavery... and Raven, the daughter of a woman who was raped by an other worldly demon, raised by a pacifist society called Azarath, that disassociated itself from the world of man -- and all the love, joys and yes, violence of the same world.

Marv Wolfman engineered the creation of a universal epic so grand only George Lucas' Star Wars universe measures by comparison. Marv created the entire Vegan system of the DCU, the Citadel wars, the Omega Men: species and corresponding planets... and for Marvel; Nova, Black Cat, Blade, Bullseye and countless others.

He gave us Crisis and a cohesive history of the DCU, the likes of which no one had done before and no one has been able to emulate since (no matter how hard or how many times they try).

Marv showed me the beauty of the Human Spirit by writing about beings with and without heart, some just ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. He writes of triumph and tragedy, on a human scale and a universal scale.

Most of all, the work of Marv Wolfman taught me all the joys of reading, from the time I was seven all the way to the present, as a mature, responsible adult. His works are timeless, brilliant and comprehensive, enjoyable, to readers of all ages.

Marv Wolfman is the greatest writer in history. And the best thing about that is he's still crafting some of the finest stories ever written, even today.

Posted by: Blue Spider

Also.... there are more Marv Wolfman comics I wish I owned than Marv Wolfman comics I own.

Actually, Marv Wolfman is one of several creators by whom there are more works that i wish i owned than there actually *are*.

Marv is one of my all time favorite writers ! His New Teen Titans work is so very near and dear to my heart. I was also so thrilled when he took over the Nightwing book as I had been unhappy with it pretty much since it started. His run was the first run of the book I ever actually enjoyed.

I was also very lucky to meet and he was wonderful and gracious. I hope his new Vigilante series is still coming out because I am eagerly looking forward to it. Marv---thanks for all the incredible work you have done in your career that has brought us so much enjoyment !

I haven't come across a Marv Wolfman tale I didn't like yet. That Spider-Man story he penned with Spidey & JJJ both locked to a bomb by their wrists is a true classic.

My favorite Teen Titans story was the Titans Annual where Adrian Chase becomes The Vigilante. That was an intense book.

Also: Nova...one of my favorite heroes from my childhood and one of the most visually interesting ones.

Tomb of Dracula was amazing.

Marv rocks!

Marv Wolfman is one of the finest craftsmen the industry has ever seen. Nobody (with the possible exceptions of Roger Stern and Len Wein) puts more effort into the nuts-and-bolts aspects of what makes a story, or for that matter a series, work. Putting Marv Wolfman onto a book doesn't just guarantee a good run, it guarantees that the next writer will have a good starting point to work with for another good run to come.

I'll second the praise for 'Crisis', 'Titans', 'Tomb of Dracula' (I've read 'Uzumaki', and Wolfman and Gene Colan put together an epic that surpasses it, a brilliant character study of true evil with gorgeous, moody art) and 'Nova', and add praise for something that might not have gotten much play in fan press: His novelization of 'Crisis'. As much power as the original series had, the novel has more in places...I'm not ashamed to admit, I got all teary-eyed when Supergirl died in a way I never did when reading the comic. (I was, of course, too manly to actually cry.)

And he's a real gentleman in person; I had the occasion to interview him in 2006, and he gave me loads of time to ask questions about series he'd probably never even thought about in years, giving gracious and well-thought out answers, even while also dealing politely with fans who, um...might not have deserved it. (Rule #1 of Convention Etiquette, folks: It's an autograph table, not an information booth. Marv Wolfman does not know where the bathrooms are.)

I'd add more about how great he is, but there's only so much space.