 Fans of the current incarnation of the GI JOE series have been up
one side of the rollar coaster and down the other side a few times in the series short
twenty-eight issues. The latest change in status quo is the series new writer,
Brandon Jerwa. Paperback Reader's Scott Nelson managed to corner Jerwa and discuss
life as a writer of this 80's icon comic series. PBR: Issue #26 of the
ongoing monthly G.I.Joe comic from Devil’s Due is your first on the title. Prior to that, however, you had a 4-issue run on
G.I.Joe: Frontline that was pretty well
received. How’s it feel to be the new
regular writer on the main book?
JERWA: It’s like
being perpetually ten years old, but I can drink and swear!
Just kidding…mostly.
No, it’s actually the
coolest thing that’s ever happened to me, marriage and childbirth notwithstanding.
When I was a kid, GI JOE was everything to me. I
would come home from school and literally lock myself away for hours playing GI Joe. To
start my career in comics with something that I love SO much is sort of overwhelming.
 PBR: Josh Blaylock ended his run on the book with quite
a bang! You were credited for that story as
well. How did it feel to kill some of the
Joes? Was it tough deciding which ones were
going to go?
JERWA:
Boy, did we piss off a lot of fans with those choices,
but that’s the nature of death, isn’t it? The Grim Reaper never takes the guy
that kicked your ass up between your shoulder blades every day of Middle School, and the
Joeverse is no different in that regard.
Of course, Hasbro has final say in
all of this, so it was up to us to determine how best to work in those parameters. They take killing characters VERY seriously. And
it was hard for me: Mainframe was always a favorite of mine, Flash was my very first Joe
figure, and Chuckles…well, I got my start writing a four-issue story about the guy…I
think I’ve proved my love on that one. I
almost wussed out on Chuckles, truth be told.
PBR: What made you decide to pitch that first story to
Devil’s Due? Have you been a comic book
fan for long?
JERWA:
It was December of 2001, and I was broke and unemployed,
taking care of my son while job-hunting. I
had literally always dreamed of being a comic writer, but it just seemed so unrealistic,
you know? A lofty goal, but I took a stab at it…and to my surprise, they bought it! I
was lucky enough to have the support of my wife as well…when you’re out of work,
I suspect most wives don’t want to hear “hey, I think I’d like to write
comic books, even though I have ZERO experience doing so.” Mine took it all in stride and just said ‘okay.’
 PBR: Do you have any comics that you, yourself read on
a regular basis? What are some of your
favorite titles?
JERWA: In my old age,
I find that I’ve become a trade paperback guy, exclusively. I really love the
Ultimate books, and I pick up the JLA trades as well.
Plus Hellboy, Grendel and a few others along the way.
PBR: Who are some of your favorite writers?
JERWA: Bendis, that’s
obvious I guess. I love Dan Jolley (and talk about the nicest guy on the face of the
planet), Millar, Mignola and the old Claremont/Byrne work. Too many to name, really…if
you want to talk about ‘normal books’, I don’t really follow any authors as
a habit, except maybe Hunter S. Thompson. I
just read what I like.
PBR: If you could choose any 3 books in the industry to
write besides G.I.Joe, what would they be?
JERWA:
Wow, that’s tough! I recently realized that I have
a Batman story to tell, so I’d at least like to do my story someday…of course,
an Ultimate title would be awesome (or any Marvel book, really)…and then my
oft-ballyhooed favorite: ROM, Spaceknight. Someday,
my love…someday…
I’d also like to do “my
own thing” as it were. Creator-owned, creator’s-fault-if-it-fails.
 PBR: Some of my favorite characters in the G.I.Joe
universe are Zartan and the Dreadnoks. Who
are some of yours?
JERWA: Hawk and Destro. Really, I just love them all…except Billy.
There just aren’t enough fires in the world for that kid to burn in.
PBR: I’m totally digging the whole angle with the
crooked General (Gibbs?). I about died at the
end of issue #26 when he gave Cobra Island over to Tamox and Xamot! Will we see his motivations revealed soon or are
you going to tease us with that awhile more?
JERWA:
The saga of Gibbs and his schemes will be something that
plays out before the end of the year, but there will be some waiting involved. Trust me,
though…there will be SO much going on that you won’t even notice.
PBR: Seeley and the rest of the art team are doing a
terrific job on the book as well. How is the
collaboration with them? Do they sometimes
come up with elements to add into the story?
JERWA: Tim’s
awesome! Talk about an artist who literally gets better every time he puts pencil to
paper. We’ve added a background guy now,
to give Timmy a chance to concentrate on the characters. He says my scripts are hard to
draw sometimes, because I ask for a lot of specific details, but he always delivers the
goods…and yes, he does contribute to the story from time to time, making suggestions
and what have you.
PBR: Other comic book fans might not be aware of this,
but you’re also in a band – SD6. What
can you tell us about that? Is there special
significance to the name “SD6”? Is
an album due out soon?
JERWA:
SD6 gets its name from the TV show “Alias” (a
favorite of the wife and I) and we’re working on our debut CD as we speak. This is
actually the 4th CD for me, having put out two as Relay and one as Omnibox. The
music of SD6 is melodic, high-energy techno-pop.
 PBR: Some people might be on the “fringe” of
picking up the title, but a little hesitant because they think they need to be intimately
knowledgeable of the G.I.Joe universe. How do
you balance keeping the hardcore fans’ interest at the same time as making the story
open enough to bringing in new readers? That’s
no small task.
JERWA: Not to fire up
the hype machine, but this is literally THE perfect time to get into GI Joe. #26 is still
available, but starting with # 28 wouldn’t kill people, either. I think the key to snagging new readers with a
book like Joe is to have a strong advertising presence, reminding them that they can read
the book if they’d only try. Personally, I think one of our strengths is the ability
to create characters and situations that have deep meaning to the long-time fans, but
keeping a context that’s easily accessible to new readers.
PBR:
Have you heard much about the G.I.Joe movie they’re working on? Hopefully, that’ll drive readers into
checking out the comics, too.
JERWA: I really don’t
know anything more than the information that’s on the ‘Net right now. That being
said, you’re right…if it could drive people to the comic, that would be great.
We’re actually taking some great strides to reach the people who don’t know Joe,
but I can’t talk too much about that right now.
PBR: Thanks for your time! Keep bringing us the action, suspense and intrigue
we’re growing accustomed to in G.I.Joe each month!
Anything else you’d like to tell the fans?
JERWA: I really do
appreciate our devoted fanbase and the new people who are just coming in; they’re
literally one of the most devoted fan communities in comics today.
Thanks for this opportunity and keep up the good work! |
