Wolverine: Killing Made Simple: Yost & Dezago Talk
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Inside Wolverine: Killing Made Simple CREDIT: |
Snikt! And then kill.
It sure is simple for Marvel’s Wolverine to do what he does best. But what happens when death comes a-calling?
Despite the extent of his healing factor, old man Logan is not immortal. Go back and read Marc Guggenheim’s “The Death of Logan” six-issue arc and you’ll have answers to your burning questions.
And in the August-shipping Wolverine: Killing Made Simple one-shot, writers Chris Yost and Todd Dezago, along with artists Koi Turnbull and Steve Kurth, intend to take death to the next level. Think extinction-scale level.
So, what happens when Wolverine faces death… for the last time? We sat down for a brief chat with Yost and Dezago about Wolverine: Killing Made Simple.
Newsarama: So, guys, from the solicits, Wolverine: Killing Made Simple is the story about Wolverine descending into a suicidal death wish? Didn't he tell Lazaer, the Angel of Death during Marc Guggenheim's second stint on the Wolverine comic book series that he had no intention of dying because if he were to die again, it would be a permanent death this time?
Chris Yost: Yeah, in my story Wolverine is pretty aware of his mortality. It's essentially a handbook on how to kill Wolverine, written by Wolverine.
NRAMA: Chris, you're currently writing Wolverine in X-Force. Are you approaching the character differently in Killing Made Simple?
CY: In the one-shot, Wolverine's on X-Men business, and he's with a student. So he's on his best behavior. Best for Wolverine, that is. There's still plenty of aggression, inappropriate behavior, and snikt-ing.
NRAMA: Trance, formerly of New X-Men, is brought in as a new reader-friendly character for the story, but why her?
CY: A couple of reasons. We get to see through Trance what people think of Wolverine. Trance didn't see a lot of action in New X-Men (luckily for her), but what must the younger mutants think of Wolverine? You'll find out here. And Wolverine has a history of taking young teen girl mutants under his wing. Here you'll find out what happens when that girl doesn't quite have the spark of a Kitty, Jubilee or Hisako.
To speak plainly, Trance annoys the crap out of Wolverine, and she's kind of not so into the whole 'heroism' thing.
NRAMA: Does it also mean that her fate is sealed? Is she safe from your mutant killing spree?
CY: Trance is in a different kind of jeopardy, given the villains. They don't want to kill her... they want to save her.
NRAMA: What about Nanny and Orphan Maker? What sort of a threat does a pair of former would-be saviors of mutant children pose to Wolverine?
CY: You'd be surprised. As Wolverine tells Trance, he's not invulnerable. He can be hurt, and he sure as hell can be killed. And you'll see exactly how that can happen. The actual title of my story is 'Killing Wolverine Made Simple.'
NRAMA: For you, Todd, this marks a return for you as you'd previously written the character for a brief period in the 90s. Looking back, what fond memories did you have of your run on the title back then? Writing a few issues after the legendary Chris Claremont's four-issue stint must've been a nerve-wrecking moment, no?
Todd Dezago: Actually, at the time, I was thrilled at the chance to write Wolverine--one of my all-time favorite characters--and while it could have been incredibly intimidating coming on after Chris (one of my all time favorite writers!), I think I did my best not to think about that. It was great to get to play with Logan again and get inside his head for a little while. And the job Steve did with the artwork is just stunning--some beautiful, brutal stuff!
NRAMA: Have you been following how the character has been portrayed in the comics after all these years?
TD: I've followed Logan throughout, checking in on a fairly regular basis--loved how Joss Whedon handled him in Astonishing X-Men... But Wolverine is such a timeless character, one of those guys we just love and, though he goes through some heavy... stuff now and again, he doesn't really change. And that just makes us love him more!
NRAMA: So, what brings Logan to the Artic Circle this time around in your story?
TD: A favor for a friend. What the favor is is the story. Who the friend is is for another story somewhere down the line.
NRAMA: Lastly, what do you personally look forward to seeing in next year's X-Men Origins: Wolverine film?
TD: From the very first X-Men movie, I knew that Hugh Jackman gotWolverine. It was obvious that this guy did his research, read the essential stuff, and dug the character. He not only portrays Logan, but has been known to protect him, questioning a couple times during all four filmings, whether they were being true to the comics, to the image that we all know and love. That's it for me. This one's gonna rock!
