Ron Marz Q & A thread Options

[Ron Marz]

Okay, I refuse to be outdone by Phil Hester in anything except fantasy football. And drawing. And Midwestern aw-shucks humility. But that's it!

So that means the Witchblade forum now has a Q & A thread so you guys can ask me questions ... and I will generally give you cryptic answers that make you more anxious for future issues. Seriously, I'm not big on giving away spoilers, but I'll tell you what I can about Witchblade, Dragon Prince and anything else we have coming up ... like Magdalena in 2009. Or that other book I'll be doing in 2009...

[black bolt]

Hi Ron, good move !

You're older than Phil on the boards, so you deserve a Q & A thread more than him ! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)


i've just read Filip Sablik talking about 2009 on Newsarama. I understand Magdalena will first come back in a mini-series

rebooting the character. But will you see an ongoing in 2010, if the mini works ?

Also, i was wondering if the artist is known, and what about Keu Cha's work ?

And thanks for all the great stories you made for the Cow ! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[jaymes_e06]

You are great and one of my favs so thanks for doing this. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)


Q1: How did you get your big break in the industry and could you maybe explain it?

Q2: You've created a new and complex characters in a short time (The Curator, Dani, and Gretch just to name a few) who is the one you like the most to write for the established characters from the series before you took over or the ones you created?

Q3: Do you have other writers that inspire or motivate you to kick ass (meaning to outdue yourself hehe) more?


Edit: one more lol

Q4: How do you feel when people say that you've reinvergorated TC and it's characters? Did you expect it? Did you set out to do it?

Thanks in advance. I'll deff be back for more.

[Ron Marz]

i've just read Filip Sablik talking about 2009 on Newsarama. I understand Magdalena will first come back in a mini-series

rebooting the character. But will you see an ongoing in 2010, if the mini works ?

Also, i was wondering if the artist is known, and what about Keu Cha's work ?

And thanks for all the great stories you made for the Cow ! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

Thanks, it's been my pleasure.

The Magdalena project isn't so much a reboot as a fresh start. We're not invalidating anything that's gone before, but we definitely want to give readers a ground floor, or a new starting point. My intention is to take everything that's cool about Maggie, everything that works, and bring it front and center. And I'll stick with the character as long as there's a demand.

We do have an artist we want for the project, and there have been discussions, but there are scheduling issues we need to work out before we can announce anything. The Keu Cha project is still happening, though we likely won't release it until after we re-introduce Maggie. Everything's going to work in concert to make Magdalena a major player.

[Ron Marz]

You are great and one of my favs so thanks for doing this. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)
Q1: How did you get your big break in the industry and could you maybe explain it?

Q2: You've created a new and complex characters in a short time (The Curator, Dani, and Gretch just to name a few) who is the one you like the most to write for the established characters from the series before you took over or the ones you created?

Q3: Do you have other writers that inspire or motivate you to kick ass (meaning to outdue yourself hehe) more?
Edit: one more lol

Q4: How do you feel when people say that you've reinvergorated TC and it's characters? Did you expect it? Did you set out to do it?

Thanks in advance. I'll deff be back for more.

1) I got into the industry thanks to my buddy writer-artist Jim Starlin, who suggested it, showed me the ropes, and got me in the door at Marvel. Jim ushered me in, co-wrote my first jobs with me, and handed Silver Surfer to me when he left the title. I've been working ever since.

2) I truthfully like writing both the characters I've created, as well as characters like Sara that I've inherited. If I connect with a character, I usually end up with plenty of stories to write about that character. The characters I don't connect with don't appear that much, if at all. Of course, I really love writing characters AND concepts I've created from scratch, like Samurai: Heaven and Earth for Dark Horse, or Dragon Prince for Top Cow.

3) Sure, other writers provide inspiration all the time. From Dickens, Shakespeare and Stephen King, to Alan Moore and Frank Miller, it's all grist for the mill. You can't be a writer if you're not a reader.

4) It's very flattering when people say that, but I feel like I'm just doing my job. And I've certainly had a lot of help, both from the everyone at Top Cow who is letting me tell the kind of stories I want to tell, and from everyone who wrote these characters before me. Everyone stands on the shoulders of those who came before.

[phrostie]

first i wanted to take a moment to say, "Tease!"

ok, about this, "Or that other book I'll be doing in 2009..." is this a book that is set in a future world or the present topcow universe?

[jedimastercap]

Hi!

I have to questions:

1. Why is it that since you took over the Witchblade Book, Sara gets more sex per page (not only per comic, but per page)?(it looks like she has been having more sex in like 25+ issues than in the 75+ issues before you took over the book).

2. I have been wondering since a long time: could it be that Patrick Gleason = Ron Marz? (I mean is Patrick Gleason the Top Cow universe version of Ron Marz)?

[Ron Marz]

first i wanted to take a moment to say, "Tease!"

ok, about this, "Or that other book I'll be doing in 2009..." is this a book that is set in a future world or the present topcow universe?

Present Top Cow Universe.

And something else NOT set in the Top Cow Universe.

Tease, indeed. ;)

[Ron Marz]

1. Why is it that since you took over the Witchblade Book, Sara gets more sex per page (not only per comic, but per page)?(it looks like she has been having more sex in like 25+ issues than in the 75+ issues before you took over the book).

2. I have been wondering since a long time: could it be that Patrick Gleason = Ron Marz? (I mean is Patrick Gleason the Top Cow universe version of Ron Marz)?

1) Not really sure why you think that. I believe we've shown Sara "with" someone in issue #104 (the first time she slept with Gleason) and the morning after in #105; a flashback panel in First Born #2; the opening of issue #121; and the dream sequence in Broken Trinity: Witchblade. Maybe I'm forgetting a moment or two, but still, that doesn't seem like a lot in almost 45 issues. Sara is certainly more affectionate now, but I would think that's natural, since she's in a steady relationship.

2) No. That's kind of silly. Readers always immediately jump to "Mary Sue" conclusions, I guess because it seems clever. But I've never written "myself" into a story, because frankly, if I can't come up with someone more interesting than me, I'm not much of a writer. Gleason and I share very few common traits beyond a Y chromosome.

[black bolt]

The Magdalena project isn't so much a reboot as a fresh start. We're not invalidating anything that's gone before, but we definitely want to give readers a ground floor, or a new starting point. My intention is to take everything that's cool about Maggie, everything that works, and bring it front and center.

Thinking of this, i really like the way you manage to bring fresh new ideas in a title and are in the same time very respectul

of the established mythology, like you do in Witchblade.


Thanks for the accurate answer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[phrostie]

any chance we will see a Tales of the Magdalena?

[Morbius]

Mr. Marz, your four part arc of The Darkness Vol. 2, "Dragons and Darkness," was an impulse buy off the stands for me and my first Top Cow book (relieving me of hundreds and hundreds of dollars to come in new and back issues, by the way (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ). It was a great story, but seemed like it left a lot of questions about those light dragons. Any chance you'll return to Mr. Kuo and his powers now that you're filling out more of the Top Cow Universe artifacts?

Thanks for writing some of my favorite stories every month, and for making yourself so accessible to your fans!

P.S.: I fought the urge to go on for pages and pages about my all time favorite character, Kyle Rayner. I'm proud of myself. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[Amund]

I have a few questions, nothing with story lines... mainly about the Magdalena

1.) how long of a mini series will this Magdalena be?

2.) If it's super popular, will you consider an ongoing series?

3.) If they make either a Witchblade or Magdalena game, will you write the story?

4.) Will we be seeing a lot of the Magdalena?

5.) Could you make it so the Magdalena is never in a thong again?

6.) Do you have an editor that looks over your scripts for Witchblade?

7.) You obviously have big plans in store for the TopCow universe, do your plans effect other titles in the TopCow universe like the Darkness?

[Divia]

I have a few questions, nothing with story lines... mainly about the Magdalena

1.) how long of a mini series will this Magdalena be?

2.) If it's super popular, will you consider an ongoing series?

3.) If they make either a Witchblade or Magdalena game, will you write the story?

4.) Will we be seeing a lot of the Magdalena?

5.) Could you make it so the Magdalena is never in a thong again?

Yes all interesting questions and ones I want to know the answers to as well, espically that damn thong issues. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/angry.gif)

Wait..does this mean you'll be writing Mags too if it goes monthly?

[Amund]

Yes all interesting questions and ones I want to know the answers to as well, espically that damn thong issues. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/angry.gif)

Wait..does this mean you'll be writing Mags too if it goes monthly?

If he doesn't I offer my services!