EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Black Panther: The Man Without Fear Writer, David Liss!

David Liss is an American writer of novels, essays and short fiction; more recently working also in comic books. He was born in New Jersey and grew up in South Florida. Liss received his B. A. degree from Syracuse University, an M. A. from Georgia State University and his M. Phil from Columbia University. He left his post-graduate studies of 18th Century British literature and unfinished dissertation to write full-time. "If things had not worked out with fiction, I probably would have kept to my graduate school career track and sought a job as a literature professor," he said. Now a full-time writer, Liss lives in San Antonio, Texas with his wife and children.

Most of Liss' novels to date are historical-mystery (or historical-thriller) novels. Settings include 18th century London and America, and 17th century Amsterdam. One novel, The Ethical Assassin, is a contemporary mystery-thriller. His first book, A Conspiracy of Paper (2000), won the 2001 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. [Wikipedia]

The answer is the same in both cases. Marvel approached me. Bill Rosemann, the editor of both my first comic book (Daring Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special) and Black Panther, had read some of my fiction and thought I might be interested in writing comics. I’m a lifelong fan of comics, so I was thrilled to be asked, and very happy to be offered these projects.

I wouldn’t say it’s been difficult, but there has been a learning curve. In many ways a good story will remain fairly consistent no matter what medium it is told in, but in other ways, the medium dictates the way in which that story can be told. My novels rely on a lot of dialogue and not terribly visual. Comics, of course, require relatively few words and lots of visuals. It’s been a great experience, however, learning how to tell a story in a completely new way. I’ve been having a great time doing this.

Certainly there is some research, and there is a fair amount of pressure. Black Panther has a very dedicated following, and there are fans out there who measure every word to make sure it is worthy of the character they love. I think it’s great that there are people out there who are so invested in the character, and I absolutely respect their passion, but it is also a little intimidating.

I’m a longtime Daredevil fan, so I get why some readers might have been surprised. However, Marvel has done this kind of thing before (as when Hercules took over the starring role in Incredible Hulk), I like how they put so much effort into keeping the Marvel Universe dynamic and flexible. The characters can’t remain static and keep doing the same things over and over again. Where’s the fun in that? In my view, this kind of shake-up keeps things interesting and fresh.

I can’t talk about any plot developments that haven’t yet been announced. Let’s just say that nothing is off the table.

Honestly, I have no idea. If there is a master plan for bringing Matt Murdock back to Hell’s Kitchen, no one has told me about it. Like most readers, I assume he is coming back eventually, but I don’t know when that will be. As of this moment, T’Challa in Hell’s Kitchen is the status quo.

I love writing this character, so I’ll keep doing this as long as they let me.

This a nourish, street-level title in the Daredevil tradition. The is a character driven story about tough choices and hard punches. Fancesco’s art is amazing. We are starting out with a six-issue arc in which T'Challa is both hunting (and is hunted by) a dangerous new crime lord called Vlad the Impaler, who is trying to fill the current power vacuum. There is also a related mystery element -- why is Vlad killiing off innocent men and women around Hell's Kitchen? This arc will also deal with T'Challa's transition from monarch to street vigilante. After this intial story, we are going to do some different, and very cool, stories which we have in various stages of planning. I can't say more, but I can tell you they are going to be fun for me to write.

There are tons of characters I'd like to write. At this point, it a question of who they will let me write. And yes, there will be other characters from the larger Marvel Universe, who will be swinging through (hint hint) this book. The longer I write this book, the more I will have a chance to play around with some of the characters that intrigue me. Luke Cage, for example, has a recurring role in the first arc, and I've really enjoyed having the chance to write him.

Yes, some of the Daredevil support cast will be appearing in the book, but I'm not giving anything away. I'd rather have things unfold naturally. Suffice to say I enjoy the fact that this is Daredevil's world, and I respect the integrity of the Daredevil history. I want to make sure this book earns its Man Without Fear subtitle.

Honestly, I haven't thought about it much. I think a Black Panther movie would be a great idea, but I'm not on top of the Hollywood scene enough to make any suggestions.

I will likely see all of them, but I think I am most excited for Captain America . It's one of the titles I most look forward to every month, and I am very eager to see how well it makes the translation to the big screen. Plus, I am sure many Nazis will die.