Marv Wolfman Interview
Recently, MMORPG.com's Carolyn Koh sat down with award winning writer Marv Wolfman to talk about his role in SOE's upcoming DC Universe Online.
Interviews By Carolyn Koh on August 10, 2009
Jim Lee and Marv Wolfman need no introduction to the DC Universe aficionado, but then many of us often read the stories without thought of the creators of the narrative and art. So, who are they? In the simplest of terms, Jim Lee is a graphic artist and Marv Wolfman is a writer.
Award winning writer Marv Wolfman started writing for comics with DC in the 60s before moving to Marvel and back again in the 80s. He is known for long runs of Tomb of Dracula for Marvel and the New Teen Titans for DC. He also created the current iteration of Robin (Robin III/Tim Drake). In the 90s and 2000s, he started doing more with animation and television, and includes shows such as Teen Titans, Elf Quest, Superman: Lois and Clark and Transformers: Beast Machines in his resume. Currently he writes for DC Universe Online, fleshing out the story structure that Jim Lee and Geoff Johns have built.
| MMORPG.com: | Tell us what your role is in DCUO |
| Marv Wolfman: | I write out paragraphs to pages of the story and characters, to interconnect the stories in the structure that Jim and Geoff have built. Then the SoE developers create anywhere from 20 to 50 missions out of them, and I make sure that they all work correctly within the DC universe. |
| MMORPG.com: | Will comic book story arcs appear in game? |
| Marv Wolfman: | Yes, a number of things that will remind you of stories in the DC Universe will be seen in game. But since it is an MMO and players mean something, your interaction in that story will change the story. We are not retelling stories, but reminding you of the story. |
| MMORPG.com: | Will we delve into comic book histories? |
| Marv Wolfman: | We have not worked up any "expositions" type missions, but there are missions that will hearken back to histories. There will be some time travel involved in the game, just as there are all types of different environments that will be in game. |
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| MMORPG.com: | What actually is the time line in DCUO? |
| Marv Wolfman: | We picked the most iconic of recent times. There are recognizable DC times and DC heroes. Of course, game development will never be able to keep up with the comic books as I can write a story this month that will be published the next that may change the entire continuity, but expansions and patches will move stories along and keep the in-game story up to date. |
| MMORPG.com: | What's the most fun about this project? |
| Marv Wolfman: | It's writing things that millions of people will play. It's just wonderful and truly a writer's dream. |
| MMORPG.com: | Are you a gamer? What type of gamer are you? |
| Marv Wolfman: | I've played computer games since the 80s. I had an Atari as well as the Nintendo and then Doom and Castle Wolfenstein on the PC, then a PS2 and now I also have the Xbox and the PS3. My favorites were games like Myst and 7th Guest. |
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| MMORPG.com: | You like puzzle games then, will we see puzzles in DCUO? |
| Marv Wolfman: | Yes, I love puzzle games like 7th Guest because they make you think. But it doesn't work in MMOs. It's not the purpose of MMOs to puzzle. It's about playing with your friends and moving ahead in the story. |
| MMORPG.com: | Yes, but perhaps you have to solve a clue that the Riddler leaves you? |
| Marv Wolfman: | Oh yes! Puzzles as part of the missions and that lead you to play with friends. Certainly! Those are a lot of fun. God of War that I'm playing actually has lots of puzzles in the game. |
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Did you like this? Check out our interview with Jim Lee
