Prof: (Laughter.)
Prof: Okay, so you ended up in the horror genre right out of the gate then, huh?
Prof: Is that one that you enjoyed or had a particular penchant for or just happened to be where you landed and took it from there?
Prof: I love it. Youthful optimism and thank goodness for it.
Prof: A writer tends to paint a picture with words and some are more successful than others. How do you get across a vision in your mind to translate it to a visual medium like a comic book?
Prof: So you knew what an artist would be looking for.
Prof: So you automatically had an affinity with them. So how was Julie as an editor? Did you enjoy working for him?
Prof: (Chuckle.)
Prof: Ive heard similar stories from others and I only regret that when I started this project I waited too long and hed already left us.
Prof: Something like that. I know it was way up there and still very active in the con circuit and so forth. Nothing to regret there.
Prof: Despite what may be some obvious biases for you, do you think a story or the art makes a comic successful?
Prof: Okay, nothing superior in either?
Prof: Its kind of a solitary exercise being a writer. What helps keep you motivated?
Prof: (Laughter.) That sounds familiar. Denny ONeil said, I knew that I had two mouths relying on me out there and if I fouled up I might never work again.
Prof: That does make all the difference, Im sure.
Prof: Exactly. So theres more skin in the game than just yours. Youve worked with both full script and Marvel method. Which one did you prefer?
Prof: I can see that and it wouldnt have occurred to me without your perspective.
Prof: (Chuckle.) The things we learn from the school of hard knocks. Were there any other writers you enjoyed or who inspired you?
Prof: A very worthy list of people to look up to. Now that so many comics are done on the computer, do you think thats a good thing, a not so good thing, or any opinion?
Prof: (Laughter.)
Prof: Well, and if youre like me, when you sit down to write something, I dont know, theres something about a PC. Maybe because its right up in front of you at eye-level, and when the mind is flowing so much more quickly than the fingers, I find it helpful in that respect.
Prof: Ive got in my notes here that you did work for quite a laundry list of publishers. Warren, Marvel, Image, Gold Key, DC, Eclipse, DEFIANT, Disney
Prof: Definitely. Im sure thats not a comprehensive listing. Did any particular one treat you better than another?
Prof: Did you feel like you had more artistic freedom in any area more so than another?
Prof: You introduced some new characters at DC in particular to include obviously Swamp Thing and The Human Target [Action Comics#419, December, 1972]. Did you have a favorite or is that like asking if you have a favorite child?
Prof: (Chuckle.)
Prof: Such an icon, yes of course.
Prof: You bet. You created Wolverine, in fact, isnt that true?
Prof: What does it feel like to see them on the big screen?
Prof: Wise counsel. Im sure his background as a creator helps to influence his decisions and treatment of talent. Neal Adams has been very praising of Paul for the same thing.
Prof: All too rare. Especially in the corporate world. I dont mean to belabor Swamp Thing, but I stumbled across something that said the woman on the cover was modeled on someones wife or some such thing?
Prof: Thats the one.
Prof: Oh, kind of the Alex Ross method.
Prof: I know youre not necessarily a production guy, but wasnt it Gaspar Saladino who did the logo on Swamp Thing?
Prof: A talented man. A sweetheart of a guy, too.
Prof: A super guy. He was my very first interview and was trying to make it easy on me, for crying out loud.
Prof: You mentioned some of the artists you worked with over the years such as Carmine and Dick and there were also Gray Morrow and Bob Oksner and Bernie. Did you feel like anybody was
Prof: Yeah. Did you have a favorite, or is it fair to ask that?
Prof: Im sure that does change the dynamic. You worked on a couple of other Swamp Thing type characters.The Heap
Prof: Yeah. And then Man-Thing for Marvel. Were there differences?
Prof: I sure wasnt aware of that.
Prof: (Laughter.)
Prof: Ill be darned. I didnt realize that was your baby. Cool. You came in right toward the close of the Silver Age, though no one has been able to quite define when that was, precisely. Ive heard different years speculated
Prof: (Laughter.)
Prof: So I take it there was nothing evident in your experience that would show a transition. (Chuckle.)
Prof: It seems like during your tenure, both DC and Marvel seemed to be losing the bedrock younger audience. Any thoughts as to why that might have been?
Prof: The demographic just keeps shifting upward then.
Prof: That doesnt bode well for the future.
Prof: Exactly. Even initiatives like Free Comic Book Day doesnt seem to be quite turning the tide, at least in my very cursory observation.
Prof: Thats a precipitous drop to say the least. They used to get canceled for much higher numbers than that.
Prof: Astounding. When I was talking to Carmine or maybe it was Al Plastino they were saying that when they get their royalties on the new Showcase Presents, if youre familiar with those, they said the sales figures on those are very strong.
Prof: Theres obviously still an audience for the older work, but the newer stuff doesnt seem to be exactly burning up the world.
Prof: It seemed like there were some other younger writers coming in around the time you were, hitting their stride along with you, did you ever interact with say, Cary Bates or Denny or Jim Shooter?
Prof: Oh? You must have been editing then perhaps?
Prof: What did you propose to him at the time?
Prof: I noticed you had some co-scripting credits with Marv, Roy Thomas and a few others. When you do a co-collaboration how does that work?
Prof: Okay. I was trying to visualize how two people could work a single script and I just couldnt think of a way.
Prof: Is it quite a bit different writing for other entities like that? I mean a screenplay vs. a comic script, or are there enough similarities to make little difference?
Prof: So it wasnt any major leap out of a comfort zone to do that kind of work.
Prof: (Chuckle.) And yet you did.
Prof: I saw an interesting credit that you worked with Harlan Ellison on something for Dark Horse?
Prof: Are his mercurial tales well, if youre good friends, obviously its not a problem.
Prof: (Laughter.)
Prof: A perfect description. When you moved up to become an editor at both of the big two, was that a breath of fresh air or was it from the frying pan to the fire?
Prof: How come?
Prof: A light touch.
Prof: As a writer, that certainly must have influenced your methods. You probably tried to be the sort of editor you wish youd had.
Prof: I was at the local Barnes & Noble recently and went to the graphic novels section and I was kind of stunned to notice two racks of graphic novels and six of manga. That seems to be the sudden push everywhere. Do you have any opinion on what its doing or where its going?
Prof: Yeah, I remember sitting one Saturday morning with my daughter watching Dragonball Z or something and I said, Okay, so they sweat, they scream and they punch each other out. Is that all this is?
Prof: Im completely baffled as well, and yet it seems to be the only profitable niche these days other than, as we talked about before, the reprints.
Prof: Yeah, it seems like licensing is where the money is any more rather than the publishing aspect.
Prof: It makes sense or they wouldnt keep cranking them out. You had kind of a baptism by fire when you did Justice League. You were right there during a major Earth-One and Earth-Two crossover, plus it was the100th issue. Did that intimidate you at all?
Prof: And yet you seemed to carry on the tradition quite well. Did you have to do a lot of research?
Prof: Okay, so it was all stored up in the data center.
Prof: (Laughter.) You touched on some of the projects youre involved with today. Any other things that youre doing? You mentioned Bongo and what else?
Prof: (Laughter.)
Prof: But youve maintained some continuity all this time. Is there any genre youd like to work in that you havent?
Prof: It doesnt sound like it. It sounds like youve conquered all the worlds. Is there a legacy youd like to look back on with particular satisfaction?
