User blog:GrnMarvl14/Q&A with David Gallaher

The second in our series of interviews is with a writer who's not new to Marvel, but might be fairly new to readers: David Gallaher, writer of and Darkstar & the Winter Guard.



'''Were you a comics reader as a kid? If so, what did you read? If not, have you become one now that you're working in the industry?'''

I didn’t read comics on a regular basis until I was in my mid-to-late teens. As a kid, I had a few comics that my mother bought at the local Safeway, along the lines of POWER MAN & IRON FIST, HULK, GI JOE, and SPIDER-MAN. But, I did grow up with the comics in my Sunday newspaper – and of course with television shows like THE HULK, SUPERFRIENDS, and SPIDER-MAN & HIS AMAZING FRIENDS. When I finally got into comics as a teenager, I found myself reading THE FLASH, NEW WARRIORS, AVENGERS WEST COAST, AVENGERS, FANTASTIC FOUR, and X-FORCE to name a few.

'''I noticed in an interview you did with Robot 6 that you worked for Marvel Interactive in the late 90s. What did you do for them and what was the experience like?'''

My experience as a intern and later as a freelancer for Marvel Interactive was intense and awesome. At the time, Marvel was undergoing a significant series of changes post-bankruptcy. But – during that era of instability – Marvel Interactive was able to push the boundaries with projects like the Cyber Comics, pranks (like Spider-Man joining the X-Men), cool initiatives (like SAVE DEADPOOL), and neat character micro-sites. I made a lot of great friends – many of whom I am still in touch with. Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned is that when people aren’t paying attention, it is the be time to be innovative.

'''You've done a quite a bit of work with Steve Ellis. What about him or his work makes him an appealing artist to work with?'''

Steve and I think in the same ‘visual language’ – I think that is perhaps the best way to put it. We believe in keeping our stories vivid, epic, and moving. We were raised on many of the same cultural touchstones, we share the same interests in mythology, conspiracies, role-playing games, and adventure stories. It also helps that Steve is an incredible professional.



How does doing work for Marvel compare with your work for online publishers like Zuda or ComiXology or more conventional publishers like Moonstone?

Hmmm … well with HIGH MOON and BOX 13, Steve and I have a little more ownership of our stories. We are creatively and personally invested in the stories. The same holds true for some of the work I did with Moonstone. It is comfortable to with some we have complete freedom over. With Marvel, it is a little more like trying on a new suit or tuxedo. There are things that need to be taken in, hemmed, or adjusted. Winter Guard was really my first attempt at doing anything with superheroes or their ilk – it was a learning experience, but I had a great deal of fun on it.

The most obvious question I can ask: Any tips for would-be writers?

Write like your life depends on it, because when you become a freelance writer – your life will depend on it!

'''With your recent Winter Guard one-shot and mini-series, you've commented on the Winter Guard being replaceable heroes. But how did the team get paired down to Red Guardian, Darkstar, Crimson Dynamo, and Ursa Major, and how would other Russian characters like Titanium Man fit in? Basically, why these four, and JUST these four?'''



I was really following the lead of Jeph Loeb, Christos Gage, Peter David, and Dan Slott – all of whom set the precedent for what I did with the one-shot and the mini-series. The truth is, four is a manageable number of characters. The key for me was to respect what had come before and build off of it.

'''How do you think the Winter Guard compares on the world stage to teams like the Avengers, or China's People's Defense Force? Do you think they're just seen as Russia's answer to the Avengers, or do they have their own, unique place in the world?'''

I don’t think of the Winter Guard as the Russian version of the Avengers. I think casting a team with that sort of ‘moniker’ doesn’t allow the team to have its own identity. As the ‘Russian Avengers’ they are living in the shadow of ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ – I think it is important for them to have their own unique identity, goals, and mission. Do I think they have their own place in the Marvel Universe? Absolutely!



'''Both Hulk: Winter Guard and Darkstar and the Winter Guard had connections to a very specific Hulk issue: Incredible Hulk #393 (Igor Drenkov's last appearance and you've said that the seeds of Fantasia/Fantasma being a Dire Wraith were in that issue). Is that a coincidence, or was that intentional?'''

A little bit of both, actually. It was a plot point that seemed ripe for exploring – and it gave me an opportunity to build upon the mythology and history of these characters a little bit more.

'''With the way Darkstar and the Winter Guard ended, it seems likely you have more stories to tell with these characters. Can we count on seeing more Winter Guard written by David Gallaher down the road?'''

Never say never.

Any characters out there you'd love to work on in the future?

There are a lot of characters I am partial to – Zatanna, Blue Beetle, Flash, The Winter Guard, The New Warriors – mostly the outliers – characters whose ‘greatest stories have yet to be told’ are really my favorites.

A big thanks goes to Mr. Gallaher for both agreeing to the interview and being patient following some technical difficulties that occurred with the e-mail I was using. For more information on his other projects, such as Box 13 and High Noon, check out his website. Very cool site with information on all of his projects.