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Here’s the additional and final allotment of my account with comics trailblazer, Mindy Newell! If you absent allotment one you can analysis it out here. For this final part, we altercate her appointment on Catwoman, at Marvel Comics, and beyond!

You’re additionally the aboriginal woman to address Catwoman. What was that like to you? Did you get to do what you capital with the character?

Mindy: Was I really? I didn’t apperceive that!

It was appealing cool. My aboriginal beat at her was in Action Comics Weekly #’s 611 – 614, a four-part story, “The Tin Roof Club.” To acquaint you the truth, I anticipate it’s bigger than that Catwoman mini-series with my name on it. By the way, I came up with the appellation of “The Tin Roof Club” because that’s how I’ve consistently anticipation of Selina.

“What is the achievement of a cat on a hot tin roof?—I ambition I knew … aloof blockage on it, I guess, as continued as she can” Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  

With that in mind, my bigger disappointment with the Catwoman mini-series is that DC wouldn’t acquiesce Selina to advisedly annihilate her pimp. I don’t apperceive why. The guy was a fucking pimp, for Christ’s sake! The accomplished abstraction of her murdering the adulterated was that it would account Selina to consistently abide that “cat on the hot tin roof.” Stuck, y’know? So I had to address it so that it was unclear. Which was absolute bullshit, of course.

I additionally fabricated a aberration in involving nuns and Selina accepting a sister who was a sister.  (“My sister, the sister,” as Ancestor Mulcahy would say on M*A*S*H.) It was declared to be an admiration to Frank Miller, not abandoned because of Batman: Year One, but additionally to his appointment on Daredevil, in which Matt’s Catholicism played such a able role. But I anticipate it would accept been stronger, and added interesting, if I had ashore to my own roots and fabricated Selina Jewish—after all, “Selina Kyle” could be aloof a “street name” to beard her origins.     

Basically, I assumption what I’m adage is that I ambition I could do it all over again—or accept addition able at her.

 

Looking through abounding of the comics you got to address like Wonder Woman, Amethyst, Catwoman, and Lois Lane. Was that in allotment because you adulation those characters, because you’re a woman and bodies acquainted that’s what you should be writing, or a mix of both?  

Obviously, I accept an affection for women characters, but absolutely how abundant of that comes from my gender, I can’t acquaint you. It’s added about “am I aflame about the character?” For example, if Marvel came to me and said, “We appetite you to address a Scarlet Witch series,” I’d accept to absolutely anticipate about it—she’s never aflame me, and I wouldn’t apperceive area to start. On the added hand, I’d fly over the moon if accustomed a adventitious by DC to braid an Adam Strange tale.  

In particular, aback Len offered me the Tales of the Green Lantern Adventure assignment, I never alike anticipation of accepting a woman as the lead; it was an abstraction I had of an “anti-hero” in the Hans Solo mold, addition with no absorption at all in acceptable a Lantern, which aflame me.     

Bottom line—for me, and for any writer—it’s the affiliation that matters. Hell, attending at J.K. Rowling. The kid’s name isn’t Hannah Potter.   

You additionally did appointment for Aboriginal Comics, Marvel, and more. What was it like alive for these altered publishers?   

Cat Yronwode and Dean Mullaney approached me about autograph The New Wave for Eclipse Comics. What a abortion that was!!!—and absolutely on me, not on Lee Weeks (my artist) or Cat and Dean. What can you do, sometimes you bang out. The ambush is, affective on—Tom Brevoort would aggravate me about it already in a while aback I was his abettor editor at Marvel…I would try to beam while “squinging” and say to myself “move on, move on.”   

Which brings me to Marvel …   

The aboriginal time I submitted article to Marvel, it was a “What If?” story. Not abiding what year it was, but it was afterwards my access into the New Talent Program, and afterwards Acknowledgment of the Jedi had appear out—so, backward ‘83, ‘ 84? Quite possibly it was alike ’85.  Anyway, Acknowledgment was a appealing big disappointment to me, abnormally afterwards Empire, and to get the aftertaste of Ewww-oks out of my mouth, I popped in my VHS—remember them?—copy of Empire and as I watched the acute arena of what I think, im-not-so-ho, is the best of the aboriginal trilogy, I got to cerebration …

“What If…Vader had gotten to Luke as he was blind from Cloud City afore Leia, Lando, and Chewie had gotten there?” Afterwards all, in conceivably what is the weakest artifice point of Empire, does it absolutely accomplish faculty that the Millennium Falcon accomplished Luke afore Vader, or at atomic one of the TIE fighters on convoying about Cloud City?     

Anyway, that was my jumping-off point. I saw in my arch Leia, Lando, and Chewie watching in abhorrence from the cockpit of the Falcon as Luke was “rescued” by Vader, and admitting Leia and Chewie we’re all for activity afterwards him, Lando cardinal them because the Falcon was actuality barraged by TIE fighters, and authoritative their escape from Bespin. I sat bottomward and wrote out that scene, and afresh it led to Leia actuality apprenticed to go to Dagobah and affair Yoda—Han and Chewie advancing with her—and not abandoned actuality trained, but acquirements the accuracy of her heritage. And afresh activity to accomplishment Luke, who by this time has been besmirched to the aphotic ancillary by Vader, not abandoned because of his aged concrete and affecting state, but additionally because, well, afterwards all, Vader is his father, whom Luke has consistently “hero-worshipped”…  

And in the final confrontation, Han dies (because I had apprehend that Harrison Ford had begged Lucas to annihilate of the character—and aren’t we advantageous that he didn’t, because 30 years afterwards …) aggravating to save Leia who is aggressive both Vader and Luke, and in the end, Luke cannot accompany himself to annihilate his sister, and from there it appealing abundant concluded like the cine …

That’s all from my memory, accept it or not. I no best accept the aboriginal synopsis.

So I beatific it off to Louise Simonson—I accept she was the editor of Marvel’s Star Wars banana in those days—and she either alleged me or beatific a letter, either way, she was abundantly terrific, answer that although she admired the story, she couldn’t use it because Star Wars was a accountant acreage and aggregate had to go through Lucasfilms…and that was my aboriginal acquaintance and my aboriginal glimpse into the apple of accountant products.   

Cut to years later, 1989, and I was arrive to UKAC (London) acknowledgment to the Catwoman mini-series. I came bottomward to breakfast at the hotel, and Mike Grell was there, whom I knew, and he was sitting with Tom DeFalco, Editor-in-Chief at Marvel.  Mike arrive me to accompany them, Mike alien me to Tom, and we got to talking, and I bethink Mike cogent Tom that he should appoint me. There was a little bit of allocution about it, afresh we confused on, accomplished our breakfast, and said, “See ya later.”  

UKAC was in September, and in May 1990 Mark Gruenwald—one of the best ever, gone from us waaaay too soon—called and asked me to appear in for an account for an abettor editor spot.  

I don’t acutely bethink acutely the sequence, but one affair led to another, and I was hired. The awe-inspiring affair was, I didn’t accept an exact position, if I bethink right; I aggregate an appointment with Kelly Corvese in a baby apartment of offices that included Marie Javins, Renee Witterstaetter (and Rob Tokar, I think), allowance all of them out for a while, and afresh I became the above Tom Brevoort’s abettor editor in the “Special Projects” analysis beneath Bob Budiansky.     

I admired alive at Marvel. In reality, I had taken a appealing big pay cut aback I came onboard there, but it seemed like the actual opposite—as if I had gotten a huge raise. I was aloof so happy. As Joseph Campbell said, “follow your bliss.”    

I formed with Tom on Deathlok and the Marvel trading cards collections and the album editions of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon’s Kid Cowboys of Boys Ranch. I additionally wrote a Deathlok adventure aggressive by Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” which took abode in Serbia during the war there, with Deathlok in the role of the monster, and John Higgins accomplishing the ceremoniousness as artist. Unfortunately, it never saw print, because that abundant book by Dwayne McDuffie, Gregory Wright, and Denys Cowan was cancelled. I additionally edited a calm comics adaptation of the Marvel Heroes trading cards.   

The best appointment accustomed me at Marvel was as editor of NFL Pro Action, a accountant kids annual in affiliation with (duh!) the NFL, which Bob Budiansky consistently teasingly said he assigned me because “I was the abandoned one in the Appropriate Projects who was as basics about football as comics.” The best way to call Pro Action is to say that it was like Sports Illustrated for Kids, abandoned of advance it centered on football, while the Marvel ancillary of it absolute accessories about the company, it’s characters, and its creators; every affair had a absolute banana aural it, as able-bodied as Fleer trading cards. The aboriginal affair featured a photograph of Troy Aikman activity aback to canyon and Wolverine disturbing through the awning about to sack him. (I came up with that idea, actual appreciative of it.) The premiere banana adventure featured the X-Men and the Los Angeles Raiders’ Howie Continued activity up adjoin Calistro and the Morlocks. It debuted at the 1994 Dallas Cowboys-Buffalo Bills Super Bowl in Atlanta, area every fan begin it on his or her bank at the Georgia Dome forth with added “swag.” 

A nice advantage for me: as editor, I got to go the Super Bowl that year. (But there’s a “sidebar” to that story. See below.)   

I additionally wrote a “public service” Daredevil adventure about the crisis of kerosene and blaze blockage for the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association, and two Black Widow stories, one for Marvel Comics Presents and one for a Daredevil Annual.   

As for my adventures with Aboriginal Comics … Howard Chaykin alleged to ask me to chat over his scripts on a few issues of American Flagg! and I was animated to advice him out. 

You accept mostly been out of the comics arena as a contributor for over two decades. What led to that decision?  

When the acquisitiveness of Wall Street got the bigger of Marvel, it led to the near-collapse of not abandoned Marvel, but the absolute industry; at Marvel accurately it acquired layoffs, and I was one of the casualties. This was, what, 1996? I already knew I was on the list, acknowledgment to “a little birdie,” so I was able aback it was my about-face for the buzz to ring.    

Which brings me to this: I was told afterwards my own accurate axe had collapsed that “people” were adage “how maturely and agilely I took the news” and “how afraid they were.” That was what afraid me—I mean, really? Bodies accepted me to go basics and bandy chairs and about go batty (as one actuality absolutely did)? Is that what they absolutely anticipation of me? Bodies with whom I had formed for 5, 6 years?  Many of whom were not abandoned co-workers, but friends?   

That hurt. A lot.  

And it additionally brings to apperception article abroad that was told to me in my aboriginal canicule at Marvel. That bodies were adage that I had been assassin because I had slept with Tom DeFalco.     

Really? Seriously? (I’d consistently anticipation it had to do with that breakfast at UKAC, area Mike Grell had put an abstraction into Tom’s head.)       

The other, added important question, is why? Why would bodies say that?  

Although the comics industry has consistently been perceived as “He-Man Woman Haters Club”—I advertence The Little Rascals for those who don’t get it, go advanced and google it—there accept consistently additionally been women. Whether it was the Big Two or the independents, there were women. Aloof to name a few, and in no accurate order…the backward and admired Flo Steinberg. Marie Severin and Glynis Oliver. Karen, Marie, Renee, Louise. Amanda Connor and Martha Thomases and Alisa Kwitney. Bobby Chase and Jo Duffy and Ann Nocenti. Dawn Guzzo and Virginia Romita. Trina Robbins. Cat Yronwode. And so abounding others whose names I cannot anticipate of appropriate now but whose faces I acutely see.

But with aggregate that’s activity on appropriate now with the airing of the animal aggravation and available activities of men in the accessible eye, some obnoxiously obscene, and with my own adventures with The Letter, I do acquisition myself apprehensive …

How many, or did any, of these acknowledged women accept their own “The Letter” abhorrence stories? Did any of them anytime accept to accord with babble rumors? Were any of them alleged as “bitches” or “difficult” or whatever?  

I accept never absolutely paid absorption to rumors and gossip—in one ear, out the other, y’know? And what you charge to apperceive will be eventually begin out—but there was consistently article about alive at Marvel … I’m not adage that anyone was candidly beggarly to me, but I accept to accept that it was at Marvel in the aboriginal ‘90’s that I absolutely started acceptable acquainted of how adamantine it was actuality a woman in the industry.

Though, and I charge accent this: I never acquainted “discounted” in the Appropriate Projects division—Tom B. and Bob were never allotment of that bullshit; in actuality they both went to bat for me added than once—nor by Ralph Macchio, who gave me the two shots at Black Widow. But I about acquainted “discounted” by abounding of the editors on the “main line.” Meaning, about speaking, it sometimes acquainted as if abounding on the beat agents didn’t booty any of my artistic abilities seriously. (Or did they accept that absolute babble about me and Tom DeFalco?) Eventually, I appealing abundant chock-full allurement about autograph assignments, and aloof went about my business. But there was one time that it all absolutely did get to me.

Remember before, aback I said I got to go to the ’94 Super Bowl? It wasn’t because of Marvel.

Marvel wouldn’t accelerate me. Afterwards all, who was I? Aloof the Marvel-side editor of the magazine. The annual that was allotment of the swag placed on every fan’s bank in the Georgia Dome. The annual that Howie Continued captivated up to the camera on FOX NFL SUNDAY because central its awning was a feature banana book adventure featuring Howie affronted alongside the X-Men (and which, Howie said on air, afflicted his kids added than his football and television career.

When the NFL heard about this abundant dis—more specifically, NFL Properties, Inc., the licensing arm of the football alignment with whom I formed putting calm NFL Pro Action—well, aboriginal they were shocked. Afresh they did article about it, advantageous for my absolute weekend at the Bowl. Including hosting me at a Michelin best dinner, area I sat with writers from Sports Illustrated and added giants of the football and sports journalism world.  

And aback bodies from Marvel saw me there in Atlanta…

Boy, was their face red.

Nope. No way. They abandoned me.

And there were a few added things that happened, over at DC—this account is bringing up memories that I had anticipation I had tossed out—

DC didn’t accelerate me to UKAC in 1989. I was arrive to be a bedfellow there by the backers of the convention, because the Catwoman mini-series was a huge success in Britain.  That was fine, and I was aflame and honored.  But what I bethink acutely was the abruptness that anybody displayed in seeing me there, admitting of advance I had told them; and alike added importantly, I had no allurement to the DC party, a big event—I didn’t alike apperceive about it until one of the British creators said to me, “See you tonight, right?” IIRC, this was said in advanced of Karen, who afresh got me an invite, afterwards which you could not get in.

It was actual weird, actuality feted during the day by admirers and by the British creators whom I was meeting, and afresh actuality figuratively and actually shut out by bodies I had accepted for six years at night. Again, by bodies I had advised friends. It was, to say the least, upsetting.

But I was in London for the aboriginal time. So I filed it away—“I’ll anticipate about it tomorrow,” said Scarlett—and, aback I wasn’t at the convention, went to the Tower and Buckingham Palace and Kensington Gardens and Piccadilly Square and Harrods, and did all the touristy things one does aback in London for the aboriginal time.

Then, a few months later, at 666 Fifth, I chock-full by Julie Schwartz’s appointment and asked him about the achievability of my accomplishing addition adventure for him. I don’t appetite to bethink this.

He said:  “Move on!  Nobody wants you here!”  

“It’s not personal, Sonny, it’s business,” said Michael Corleone. But … All of a abrupt I was 12 years old again, and the new kid, out of abode and all abandoned and cipher admired me. The depression, which had consistently sat on my accept whispering in my ear, laughed.  “I accept you now.”  

And things fell apart, but that’s a adventure for addition time (And which, hopefully, you will be account one of these days).

Anyway, I accept wandered a lot in answering this question, but the aftereffect of this is that aback I was laid off from Marvel, I capital to go out with my arch captivated high. It wasn’t the aboriginal time in my activity that things had collapsed afar (and it wouldn’t be the last), but the important affair was, to get up and accumulate walking. I had a adolescent to booty affliction of.  I had a “me” to booty affliction of.

Of course, I was upset. Sad and affronted and bitter. But, okay, it was over. If comics didn’t appetite me, it was their loss. It had been fun while it lasted, but, oh, able-bodied … addition aperture would open. The abasement could beam all it wanted. It would not accept me this time.  

You’re still on the comics arena as a columnist at ComicMix. What led to you activity that avenue in the comics community?

Between afresh and years later, I had annihilation to do with comics. I didn’t alike apprehend them. Oh, I would occasionally go to my bounded comics boutique and aces one or two up, but I never bought them.     

As for advantageous the bills–eventually, I alternate to nursing full-time. It was “eventually” because, afterwards I was laid off from Marvel, I did all sorts of odd jobs, some of them interesting, best of them not. I aloof wasn’t accessible to go aback to nursing, a profession in which (like comics, I suppose) your accomplished affection charge be.    

In September 2001, I was alive for the retired Senator Frank Guarini as his authoritative abettor (a retired Senator is never absolutely “retired”—I bethink demography calls for him from Karl Rove and Nancy Pelosi) in city Jersey City. His appointment had a attractive appearance of the Apple Trade Center towers. So I had a bird’s eye appearance aback American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower at 8:46 A.M and United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m., 19 account later.  

It wasn’t as if I had an epiphany at that moment: “I charge acknowledgment to nursing.” But a few canicule later, I was sitting alfresco about to accept lunch; the buzz beef sandwich was on my lap and an unopened, algid can of Diet Pepsi was on the bank abutting to me aback a young, exhausted, bedraggled fireman, acutely aloof advancing from the site, absolved by me.     

“Hey,” I said.

He aloof looked at me with a bare stare.  

“Take this,” I said, captivation out the Diet Pepsi.   

“No, that’s okay.”

“Take it.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

He stepped over, took the Diet Pepsi, and chugged it bottomward in about 5 seconds.  

“Thanks.”   

“Thank you.”

He absolved off.  I never saw him again. A few canicule afterwards I handed in my notice. I told the Senator I was abiding to nursing.   

“I get it,” said the Senator.

But comics seemed to be arena hide-and-seek with me in one way or another. I came home from appointment one day aloof two abbreviate months later, area my babe told me, “You’ve got a bulletin from some Brit.”   

Curious. The abandoned “Brits” I knew were from my comics days. I played the message. It was from addition alleged John Higgins. The name seemed familiar, but I couldn’t abode it. Anyway, I alleged him back. He was in New York, and he was agreeable me to a “get-together” of DC people. I agreed, mostly I was curious. Who was this guy?   

John and I got calm that night, and a accord began which led to marriage. I wasn’t absolutely in comics, but I was on the periphery; although John and I did appointment calm on a adventure for 2001 A.D., “Faces,” my affection wasn’t in it. Autograph it was like, as the accepted adage goes, affairs teeth.     

John and I bankrupt up, and afresh I thought, “That’s it.”

But … “Just aback I anticipation I was out, they cull me aback in,” said Michael Corleone.    

Blame Mike Gold. Or absolve him, depending on your viewpoint.   

Out of the sky dejected a few years later, Mike alleged me and asked if I would like to go to the MoCCA Festival. I hadn’t apparent Mike in a actual continued time, and I had consistently admired and admired him, so I agreed. It was fun; added importantly, I had fun afresh with comics, afflicted by the abounding absolute comics creators who so acutely admired the medium, and my heart, which had for so continued been frozen, started to melt. Aloof a little, but there was a thawing.     

Mike and I backward in touch. I started account the casual comic. I started browsing the web for comics news. Yeah, I was absolutely thawing. And then, one day in the aboriginal summer of 2011, he asked me to address for ComicMix. My aboriginal cavalcade appeared on July 18, 2011, “Back in the Saddle Again.” And I’ve been benumbed anytime since.  

Is there any appearance you’d like to address that you didn’t get a adventitious to, or one appearance you’d adulation to go aback to?

There is one appropriate affair I would change if I could get into the TARDIS and go back.  It was a mini-series about one of Abigail Arcane’s ancestors that I had proposed to Karen and on which she had accustomed me the go-ahead. It’s one of those “what ability accept beens,” but it was absolutely my fuck-up, and I ambition it had never happened…but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

There’s a Sue Storm, a.k.a. The Invisible Woman adventure listed in my “Stories” binder that’s been lying abeyant for years. I’d adulation to get my keyboard on Catwoman again. I’d adulation to “report” on Lois Lane again. And I’d adulation to “fly” with Supergirl.  

And addition on Facebook afresh appropriate that I revisit Jenesis, the appearance that started it all for me. Hmm … (What was that catechism about my affection for women characters again? *smile*)

Joe: Afore we blanket up I accept to ask you, what did you anticipate of the Wonder Woman movie?

Just as Vivien Leigh seemed to be the active apotheosis of Scarlett O’Hara, Gal Gadot absolved off the “four-color” folio to become the active apotheosis of Princess Diana of Themyscira.  Her performance, im-not-so-ho, saved, and will abide to save, the DCCU.

Par for the advance for a Wonder Woman!

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