r/books • u/marjorie_liu AMA Author • May 17 '16
ama 4pm AMA: Marjorie Liu (Monstress: Image Comics)
Hi! My name is Marjorie Liu, and I’m a New York Times Bestselling author of over seventeen novels, mostly urban fantasy and paranormal romance. I’m also know for my work at Marvel Comics on titles such as Dark Wolverine, X-23, Black Widow, and Astonishing X-Men. I’m currently writing a Han Solo mini-series for Marvel, and I’m also hard at work on my own creator-owned title for Image Comics, Monstress — an epic steampunk fantasy about a teenage war survivor who has a psychic connection to a monster. It’s sort of like Miyazaki meets Game of Thrones. It’s an ongoing — the sixth issue comes out on 5/25, and the trade — Monstress Vol. 1 — hits shelves on July 13th.
I’m very glad to be here with you all, and I’m happy to answer your questions for the next two hours, from 4 - 6 pm EST. Here’s a link to my twitter announcement of this Reddit event: https://twitter.com/marjoriemliu/status/732297727422398465
EDIT:
EVERYONE: Thank you SO much for joining me this afternoon for the AMA! You've been incredibly kind, and I appreciate you taking the time to drop in with your questions.
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May 17 '16
Hi Marjorie! Thanks for doing this AMA. I have a couple of questions for you. First of all, how is your writing process different between writing for comics versus writing for prose? How do you figure out which stories work better in the two mediums? Lastly, what's it like to work in the Star Wars universe? I know the Lucasfilm story group ultimately has the say, but how much do they bring to the pitch compared to what you're bringing to the table on Han Solo?
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u/9eetee9 May 17 '16
Hi Marjorie! Huge fan of Monstress here. So my friends and I were talking about the comic the other day and we all used 'he' to refer to the monster inside Maika, but then we realized that we don't even know if it's a he or a she. Can you help us out with this? Also I didn't see Monstress #7 being listed on Image August solicitations. Will there be a delay then?
Wishing you all the best!
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u/Zthe27th May 17 '16
You wrote that big Iceman story in Astonishing a couple of years before he came out. How do you feel about retcons that change the core of your story? Do you think him being closeted enhanced the arc in retrospect?
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u/TheAmazingSpiderLin May 17 '16
Hey Marjorie! I'm loving Monstress right now and your X-23 run is one of my all time favorites. You made "the perfect killing machine" into a relatable young woman.
You've never written any comics for DC, so my question is given the opportunity which of their characters would you want to write?
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u/gaminette May 17 '16
The world of Monstress seems pretty expansive. Once Maika's arc is finished, do you foresee yourself continuing with other stories from this world?
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u/SK47CC May 17 '16
Hi Marjorie, is there a difference between writing a comic script opposed to say a teleplay or film script? Is there a resource to research in how to write a comic script with panel descriptions?
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u/dandoruinn May 17 '16
I have a great affinity for your work, especially Astonishing X-Men. Your ability to advance plot and character equally is perfect. Cece got more character development under your pen than she possibly ever has. Since Claremont wrote her in Revolution, she has been nothing but a background doctor. What are you most proud of during your run? Did you want to do anything that the editors wouldn't let you? If you had been able to stay on longer, did you have plans you would have liked to unfold?
You wrote comics with casts that were not all white, something which was not seen at the time. Do you think your X-Men could be a big gun today with the diversity push now? Your Liberators book would fit right in now. How about pitching it again? ;)
Are there any comics that are your dream to write now?
Have you thought about writing more X-Men novels?
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u/Kalebruss May 17 '16
What's your writing process like? Do you start w/ characters or worldbuilding first?
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u/zajakin May 17 '16
Hi Marjorie,
Big fan of Monstress and X-23! As an Asian-American woman just getting started in writing comics, you are a huge inspiration to me. Thank you.
Kind of a standard question but do you have any advice for anyone looking to get into the comic industry? Particularly women, people of color, etc.?
Thank you again for being so amazing, and please pass my adoration along to Sana Takeda as well. Monstress remains the single most beautiful comic on stands right now!