MARVEL'S JESSICA JONES: PLAYING WITH FIRE EXCLUSIVE Interview With Writer Lauren Beukes

2020 has been a very busy and successful year for Marvel and Serial Box. Since the two began their joint effort of releasing audio-books based on the characters and stories from Marvel comics, there have already been three franchise launches.

Things kicked off with Thor: Metal Gods, which we initially reported on earlier this year. Marvel quickly followed that up with their second 2020 Serial Box outing, Black Widow: Bad Blood, which we shared multiple reports on, including our interview with narrator Sarah Natochenny, better known as the voice of Ash Ketchum in Pokemon over the past fifteen years.

The third and most recent release has been Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire. We had the amazing opportunity to speak with a few of the writers who contributed to the series, and last week we shared our chat with Elsa Sjunneson, the creative that was brought on to authenticate the character of Daredevil.

Now, we turn our attention to Lauren Beukes, another writer responsible for Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire. We chatted with her about the character and learned a bit about story as well. Check out what she had to say for yourself below!

Joe: As an author who is well known for writing best-selling novels, how did you initially become involved with Marvel’s audio-comic project, Marvel’s Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire?

Lauren Beukes: I was approached by one of the editors and it sounded hella fun. I love collaborating on projects, whether that’s comics, like our Vertigo original horror, Survivors’ Club, co-created and co-written with my best friend, Dale Halvorsen and artist Ryan Kelly, or animation, running the writers room on the Adventures of Pax Afrika, for example with writers Sarah Lotz and Sam Wilson. Other people’s brains are amazing and when you combine forces with the right team, you make the story richer, more inventive, more surprising.

Joe: Were you familiar with the character of Jessica Jones before becoming involved with this project or did you have to do lengthy research and look to your peers for assistance?

Lauren Beukes: I’d read the original Bendis comics back in the day and I’m a fan of the TV show. We did have some super comic nerds in our writers' room which helped a lot and of course our Serial Box and Marvel editors who could deep dive on backstory or lesser-known characters for us.

Joe: I understand that this series is connected with the comics version of Jessica rather than the Netflix adaptation. Does Jessica get a visit from her infamous enemy Kilgrave (The Purple Man)?

Lauren Beukes: It’s certainly in her background trauma, which plays a major role in what happens here. But I can’t say more without revealing spoilers.

Joe: In your own words can you share a bit about the story of Marvel’s Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire?

Lauren Beukes: All of us have had traumatic experiences of varying degrees of our own and appreciate the importance of therapy, so we wanted to have Jess seeking out meaningful help, trying to be better. On her therapist’s advice to be kinder to herself, she takes on what looks like an easy case of a missing 20-year-old boy with minor superpowers of his own, working in entertainment at the Hellfire Club, but of course, it’s more than it seems and Jess being Jess, she can’t let it go.

Joe: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Lauren Beukes: I have a new novel out 28 July, Afterland, set in a post-pandemic world where 99% of the male population have died and Cole is on the run with her 12-year-old son, Miles, from all the people who want to treat him as a valuable commodity.

What do you guys think? Leave your two cents in the comments, and be sure to check out the preview for Marvel's Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire below!

Marvel’s Jessica Jones: Playing with Fire is a 16-episode story you can read OR listen to on your phone and on the web.

In the series launching on Serial Box, Jessica Jones has made an art of ignoring her particular brand of super-powered trauma. But these days, she’s giving the whole “self-care” thing a try. Seeing a therapist, finding healthier coping mechanisms (read: no business-hours drinking), working toward not wanting to punch things all the time. Maybe even taking the occasional case that won’t eat her alive.

A simple missing persons case seems like just the ticket. But when a boy’s body turns up in what looks like a cut-and-dried OD, Jessica can’t let it go and dives headlong into an obsessive search for answers.