Wolverine to the MAX

The MAX universe is a horrible, violent place. It has killed the Punisher and it's full of blood. Of course, fans wouldn't have it any other way. And now, Marvel is bringing one character to that world that, while a seemingly perfect fit, has never made an appearance. That's right: Wolverine MAX is on the way.

The series will be written by crime author Jason Starr, who also recently contributed to Marvel with The Untold Tales of Punisher MAX #1. I talked with Starr about the book, an ongoing series that will debut in October. You can also enjoy the awesome cover to issue #1 from none other than Jock:

IGN Comics: First, congrats on the book! You also just had a story for the Untold Tales of Punisher MAX series – what draws you to the MAX universe?

Jason Starr: The MAX universe is a natural for me as a reader and writer, definitely my favorite line in all of comics. I’ve been a fan of the MAX books for years, especially Punisher MAX. I remember reading Garth Ennis’s stuff for the first time and how blown away I was. The whole concept of MAX, its total irreverence, resonated with me because it reminded me of the work of my favorite crime writers, such as Jim Thompson, Charles Willeford, and Patricia Highsmith. They were never afraid to push the envelope and risk offending everybody, and I found the same was true in the MAX books.

This was such a revelation for me because it seemed that way too many fiction writers had been playing it safe and shying away from taking risks. The line also resonated with me because for years I’d always taken a “to hell with it” approach with my own crime novels. In my books I’ve always tried to let loose, never hold back, go for what is true and honest in a story, and never censor myself or compromise my vision just to please some readers. I believe you have to write as if your family and friends don’t exist, and that is the whole vibe I get from the MAX books.

IGN: You’re primarily known as a crime novelist – is the transition to monthly comics something that you’ve been wanting to do for a while, or was it simply the draw of the project?

Starr: A combination. I’ve been looking for the right opportunity to do a monthly and I’m beyond psyched that it’s going to be Wolverine MAX. A couple of years ago, I wrote a graphic novel for Vertigo Crime, and then I did some more work for DC, including working with Brian Azzarello on First Wave. I learned so much from Brian, that was a real honor. My Justice Inc. back-up in First Wave was a monthly and I loved the challenge of building a story from month to month.

IGN: How is a MAX version of Wolverine – aside from an upped violence factor – different from the Logan we know in the normal Marvel Universe?

Starr: First off, yeah, there will be a lot of in-your-face violence, but it won’t be gratuitous. The violence will always come naturally from the characters and the storylines. To me “MAX” means going all the way, taking it to the max, letting loose, putting the pedal to the floor, but that doesn’t mean gratuitous—it means real, it means honest. And there are other, more subtle ways to push the envelope besides violence and sex. For example, I can push the envelope psychologically as well, reach into the darkness of Logan’s mind, and I intend to do that frequently.

IGN: Assuming that the X-Men don’t exist in the MAX universe, how is Logan’s life altered by their absence?

Starr: Logan has often been portrayed as a loner, and I’m going to play that up, get into every aspect of his aloneness, and loneliness. What does it feel like to be alone for hundreds of years, to feel unconnected to anything? This has had a big influence on Logan’s life and I want readers to get that.

IGN: Can you give us a general idea of the kind of plot we should be expecting in your first issues?

Starr: Don’t want to give away any secrets here, but it’s a plot that will take place in modern day Japan, and back to a time during Logan’s youth in Japan many years ago.

IGN: The solicitation suggests “a new look at Wolverine’s past.” Will you be revamping the character’s origin for the MAX Universe? How much of a role will the reveal of that past play in your ongoing story?

Starr: There will be some alterations to the back story that will help define Wolverine’s place in this universe, but all the changes will have a purpose. I don’t want to change anything just for the sake of changing it, and I’m always going to stay true to the soul of his character. The past is going to play a big role, as his past defines who is today. This dynamic of the past’s influence on the present interests me very much, and I see Logan as a sort of detective investigating his own mind, questioning his own experiences, a sort of ongoing self discovery project.

IGN: Is Wolverine a character that you’re drawn to in general? How do you manage writing such a different version of the character while retaining the things you enjoyed him in the first place?

Starr: Wolverine is my favorite character in all of comics which is why I’m so excited about this project. Over the past couple of years, I’ve written two modern werewolf novels for Penguin, The Pack and The Craving, so I’m definitely drawn, in general, to characters with wolf-like tendencies. But, to me, what makes Wolverine so intriguing is his psychology. More so than perhaps any other hero, there is a complexity to him that makes him endlessly fascinating, and I think that’s why so many writers have wanted to get a crack at him and why fans have been so enthralled. In the MAX books, it won’t be so much as what parts of Wolverine are retained, but which are accentuated. I want to focus on aspects of his personality that haven’t been focused on very much before.

IGN: Are there any members of Wolverine’s general supporting cast that you’d be interesting in importing to the MAX Universe?

Starr: There will be some familiar faces, but they will also be retooled to fit the storylines. Victor Creed, a personal favorite, will be involved, and some others.

IGN: Anything else you’d like to add about Wolverine MAX?

Starr: Just that, as a fan of comics, I’ve been waiting for the marriage of Wolverine and MAX for years, it seemed like such a natural to me. And now, to be the creator of it—well, that just amps up my enthusiasm to a whole other level.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.

Source : ign[dot]com