[Author Interview] Douglas Wolk, author of 'All of the Marvels', interviewed by Japanese translator Hayato Uesugi / Full text now available!

'All of the Marvels'
Interview with author Douglas Wolk
Interviewer: Hayato Uesugi

Q1. As mentioned in Chapter 1 of 'All of the Marvels', for readers who haven't read the book yet, could you briefly talk about how you read through approximately 27,000 Marvel comics for this book, and what inspired you to take on this massive project?

Douglas Wolk The idea for this book was born when my son, Sterling, who was 10 or 12 at the time, said he wanted to read all the Marvel comics. I thought, 'Well, it'll be fun for us to enjoy together for about two weeks. He'll get bored of it by then anyway.' But Sterling stayed interested in Marvel comics long after those two weeks, and we decided to read a lot of old comics together. That's when I thought, 'Wow, Marvel comics really form one big story. If I look at the whole of this story, what will I see? Maybe I could write a book about it.'

It actually became a book. I initially thought it would take about a year and a half for research and writing, but it ended up taking seven years.

Q2. You wrote that while reading Marvel comics over many years, you noticed recurring themes and patterns. Were there any that were particularly surprising?

In terms of themes, the most surprising thing was that many Marvel stories literally headed 'underground.' Between 1986 and 1989, many important events occurred beneath the surface. For example, Jean Grey's underwater cocoon, Spider-Man's burial in 'Kraven's Last Hunt,' the focus on the Morlocks and underground tunnels in 'X-Men,' the Hela underworld episodes in 'Thor,' the return of Mole Man's underground tunnels in 'Fantastic Four,' and finally, everything erupting to the surface in 'Inferno.'

I don't think this was intentionally planned. It's not like someone decided, 'Let's move all Marvel stories underground and show what's happening beneath the surface.' No one could have thought of that, yet many important stories from that period ended up that way. It's very interesting. Things that weren't intentionally decided by anyone emerge naturally in response to what is happening in the culture.

Q3. In chapters like 'Interlude: The Vietnam War Era' (Chapter 9) and 'Interlude: Presidents in Marvel' (Chapter 15), you discuss how Marvel comics reflect the realities of American society and culture. Are there any stories that stand out as particularly 'mirrors of the times'?

The most interesting mirror of the times is probably the 'Captain America' run written by Steve Englehart in the mid-1970s.

Englehart himself said: 'America was moving from the long, drawn-out story of the Vietnam War toward the specific crime of Watergate. In an era when the American President was a villain, I wrote a story about a man who believed in America's noble ideals. I couldn't turn a blind eye to the President's corruption.'

Englehart also said, 'Through 'Captain America,' I tried to create a continuous record of the reality of modern America.'

However, Englehart later realized that while comics can reflect the times quickly, they cannot depict real-world events in a timely manner. Nevertheless, everything America experienced in the 1970s—the energy crisis, economic anxiety, the Symbionese Liberation Army, revolutionary groups appearing everywhere, and above all, Richard Nixon at the center of it all—is reflected in Englehart's 'Captain America.' It's truly fascinating.

Q4. In Chapter 18, 'The Great Destroyer,' you write about the fear of authoritarianism seen in series like 'Dark Reign.' Given the current situation under the Trump administration where various restrictions are being imposed, do you think Marvel comics are similarly subject to constraints or forced self-censorship?

Wolk That's a good question. In a sense, there might not be many comics published yet that react directly to the currently frightening political situation. This is because comics are planned and produced quite far in advance, with long-term plots moving for years and medium-term plans in progress for months.

Still, in the current American Marvel comic series 'One World Under Doom,' I think you can see a slight reaction to the current era. 'One World Under Doom' is a story where Doctor Doom seizes power, takes control of everything, and tries to create a world as he sees fit.

I don't know how it will turn out yet, but the world unified by Doom is depicted as much closer to a utopia than the current United States, so I find myself feeling that the world Doctor Doom created might be better than the current America. That's a pretty bad thing, isn't it?

Q5. I believe the reason you ended 'All of the Marvels' with 'Marvel Legacy #1' (2017) was due to space constraints. Are there any important developments in Marvel comics since then that you would have liked to cover if possible?

Wolk I ended 'All of the Marvels' with 'Marvel Legacy #1' published at the end of 2017 because I had to end it somewhere. Otherwise, I would have been reading forever. But I am still reading, and I still read several new issues every week. It's just that I don't get paid for it now, so I can't read everything.

Among the developments in Marvel comics over the past eight years, there are quite a few I would have liked to include in 'All of the Marvels.' In particular, I would have liked to include the new X-Men developments that began with 'House of X' and 'Powers of X.' I touched on it a little in the book, but the five-year X-Men series that started there was truly wonderful. Each X-Men title talks to and reacts to the others, building a magnificent story where mutants try to build their own nation. There is so much I want to say about that series, and perhaps there will be an opportunity to do so somewhere.

And I think 'The Immortal Hulk,' which ran for about eight years, will also be long remembered as the definitive version of the story of the Hulk.

Q6. Looking at the future development of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), how do you think individual Marvel comic volumes, series, and major events will be adapted into films and integrated into the movies? I would love to hear your predictions, Mr. Wolk.

Wolk: Honestly, I have no idea what the future plans for the MCU are. The only thing that is clear is that Marvel Studios has barely touched the 'X-Men' yet, and there are countless possibilities lying dormant within the 'X-Men'.

There are also lesser-known Marvel comic works that might be interesting if turned into television series or movies. Or perhaps they wouldn't be interesting at all, but that would depend on how they are adapted.

In a few years, perhaps 'Skull the Slayer' or 'The Living Mummy' might be adapted, but I think it is more realistic that X-Men-related comics will be incorporated into the MCU.

Q7. I know you are also well-versed in Japanese manga; could you share your thoughts on the relationship between Marvel Comics and Japanese manga? Are there any Marvel works that were strongly influenced by Japanese manga, or Marvel works that strongly influenced Japanese manga?

Wolk: There are several Japanese manga that were produced based on Marvel Comics, and some were later translated and republished in the United States. In addition to Spider-Man and the Hulk, there was also a manga version of the X-Men.

Now there is Peach Momoko's Demon Days (X-Men). Peach Momoko handles both the story and the art, creating a very beautiful work with visuals and a tone that are completely different from Western comics.

Before that, in 2019 and 2020, 'Weekly Shonen Jump' published collaboration works with Marvel ('MARVEL x Shonen Jump+ SUPER COLLABORATION').

In 2003, Tsutomu Nihei worked on 'Wolverine: Snikt!'. Kengo Kaji and Kazuo Koike also wrote an episode of 'X-Men Unlimited' around the same time ('The Swordsmith' in 'X-Men Unlimited #50', published in September 2003).

Even before that, there was a series called 'Marvel Mangaverse,' which was produced by American writers and artists, though it was short-lived.

C.B. Cebulski, who currently serves as Marvel's Editor-in-Chief, is also a passionate manga fan.

However, the biggest turning point for the influence of manga to flow into American comics in earnest came around 1982. At that time, Frank Miller read manga like 'Lone Wolf and Cub' and incorporated the visual ideas he gained from it into his own comics. 'Wolverine' and 'Daredevil' are examples of this.

And other artists followed suit, adopting the techniques Frank Miller had experimented with, and for a while, American comics indirectly inspired by Japanese manga were produced.

Q8. Now that you have finished your grand reading project of reading almost all of Marvel Comics, what has 'Marvel Comics' become to you, Mr. Wolk?

Wolk: To me, 'Marvel Comics' is something special that I want to put in quotation marks; it is a massive, ever-evolving collection of stories that many creators have woven together on the premise of following each other's rules.

I often hear people say, 'Doesn't Marvel reboot all the time?' but that's not the case; in reality, you just see frequent 'relaunches' (restarts). In other words, even if they publish a new issue #1, they don't throw away almost all the previous stories and start over from scratch.

For example, a new issue #1 of 'Fantastic Four' was released last week. But it wasn't remade to coincide with a movie release. Rather, a movie release might make readers interested. In such cases, if there isn't a cover with a big #1 on it, they might hesitate to read it. Issue #1 becomes an 'entry point' for such people.

Everything that has been depicted in these comics is an event within the grand story of Marvel. They don't always happen in the same universe, but most of them do. That is why everything always remains a part of the Marvel story.

Q9. Could you tell us about the projects you are currently working on, if you don't mind?

Wolk: I actually can't talk in much detail about my current projects. I'm working on two things right now, but neither can be made public at this moment.

However, one is heavily involved with comics, though it doesn't have much to do with Marvel. The other has only one point of contact with comics, which relates to early Marvel writer Al Hartley.

That's all I can say for now.

Q10. Finally, please leave a message for your Japanese readers.

Wolk: I would like to convey my feelings to the Japanese readers. I am truly, truly grateful to all of you.

What I want to do is not talk about the comics I like, but help you find the comics that you will surely love.

And I would like to express my deep gratitude to the translator, Hayato Uesugi, for translating this book so carefully and for submitting such deeply thought-out questions. I hope Mr. Uesugi can make good use of this interview.

Thank you very much.

Interview, English transcription, and English-Japanese translation: Hayato Uesugi
Editorial cooperation: Peter Serafin
Video production: Hayato Uesugi and Yushi Soda
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