Writing Wonder Woman is something that I've been writing for years... but you mean how I got it published, don't you?
Right.
:) I had a few ideas for a story, but I was unsure as to what to do with them... Being a comics journalist, I know a handful of comics professionals, and I hit them up for advice...
Which comic pros did you speak with?
Joey Cavalieri, Heidi MacDonald... and anybody else that I could get to tell me about their philosophy about storytelling, super-heroes and comic books...
Was there a particular piece of advice from any of them that stuck in your head?
Joey's advice was the best (no wonder he's the Supemrna editor). He recommended to keep it clear, keep it clean, and keep it true to the character -- heroic.
And you know Joey how? From being a journalist? Tell me who you've written for and what you've worked on recently.
I know Joey from being a journalist. I interviewed Joey most recently for Wizard Magazine, "New Man in Lois Lane's Life." Recently, I've done work for Wizard, InQuest, Combo, Overstreet's Fan, Marvel Vision...
And you've worked for a few publishers as well, right?
AH, yes. And I was working with Newsweek magazine's online site... but not as a writer...
And at Disney right?
Oh, gosh. YES! I wrote a few small things, and helped Heidi MacDonald with the Disney Adventures comics section...
But this is your first BIG break into comics. How does it feel? Is this something that you've wanted for a long time?
You know something? It's a little scary. Because this IS something that I have wanted for a long time. And here it is! But...
...It's easy to sit back and be an armchair creator. But to actually do something, to put it out in front of people who are not your friends, to expose yourself... it's a little scary.
Do you find yourself afraid to do more pro work? Or maybe more work, but not at such a high level?
I don't know what's worse -- never getting anything published, or getting something published and having everyone hate it...
I'm not afraid to do pro work... That's not it. It's just that I'm still at the point where what I am doing is very personal to me... I believe in the characters that I am (trying) to write about.. I believe in the story that I did for Wonder Woman... I believe in super-heroes... My motivation for this story wasn't the money, it was the chance to say something about a character that I believe and I believe in... My motivation wasn't even the chance to be interviewed by you... :)
Ooof. LOL...anyway...
I have no issue with doing work at such a high level... but again, I wouldn't want to get to a point where I don't believe in the story that I'm telling. ...Where I can't stand behind the message that I'm sending... In journalistic work, the important thing is to tell the truth....in my fictional work, I still want to tell the work... YIKES....in my fictional work, I still want to tell the TRUTH.
Speaking of the story...what's going on in this issue of Wonder Woman and what prompted you to write it.
The entire issue is a celebration of the ten year anniversary of the re-launch... I had put together a story idea, and was hoping that something like DC's SHOWCASE would have a place for it... but as John Byrne is WW's main fella, and I wanted to do a WW story, I ran the idea by JB.
What sort of feedback to John give you?
Have you ever asked JB about his read on super-heroes? He's actually very informative, very helpful... if you can get over your initial terror as asking him questions. Mostly, John gave me his viewpoint on Diana and the other characters in the WW roster. What makes them tick, why they are the way they are... and what might be happening in their future!
John's not one to hold back when you ask him his opinion. Were you surprised when he liked your story?
"No, because I'm durn good," laughs Ruth. "I've seen John at conventions, and dealing with his fans... For the most part, if they approach him with a legitimate question, he's very open to listening wo what they have to say, what they think....which may or may not have any effect on anything....seeing the way JB deals with his fans is what helped embolden me to appraoch him with my idea... to see what he thought of it...So he liked it, and he encouraged me to finish it...
How did it get in the hands of the correct editors? Did John help you with that?
And when I would run into him online, he would sometimes ask how it was coming along... But I had thought of it as a Showcase story, and when I found out that Showcase was booked solid, I lost hope. So I told Byrne that the outlook was grim...and a few weeks later, when I ran into him online again, he said that he might know of someplace that it could go and recommended that I send it to Paul Kupperberg. Lemme just throw in -- no one is more thrilled about this than my boyfriend. JB is one of Sean's all-time favorite comic creators... Sean's taken to referring to JB's story as my 'warm-up' story. Like with a warm-up act at a concert... :)
So, Kupperberg liked it? Then what happened? How did you get hooked up with Artist Jill Thompson?
(As I understand it) Kupperberg and Byrne wanted to do a double issue for 120... they were thinking of either doing pin-ups or having a back-up story. And Kupperberg liked the idea of my story, and was just wonderful about making it much better... Thompson was Byrne's first choice (and reccomendation) for the artist, I had always been a big fan of hers, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to work with her...
Did the story finally come out to look the way you saw it in your head?
No, It looks better!
Heh heh. So, what's the story about? You said it was a transition.
It's mostly about what happened between 100 and 101... what made Diana leave Boston, and what propelled her to Gateway City...
So you tied up some loose ends.
Maybe... but I also created some new ones!
Yikes. So, what's in the future for you? What's next?
I brought some old WW characters back... pretty ambitious for a ten-page story...What's next? I HAVE NO IDEA. There's a bunch of stuff that I am working on, but what comes of it, I don't know. We'll see!
What would be some of your dream projects?
One of them I'm working on now... But the best advice I got was not to talk about your projects, write them!
Good point. I think I got enough. Let's just get the tech stuff: What issue of WW will you be in?
120, on sale in February. Pencilled and inked by Jill Thompson, colored by Trish Mulvihill, and (the token male on the project) lettered by John Costanza...
Heheh...Just Ruth Morrison? Any middle initial or anything?
"Ruth Selkirk-Yorkey Morrison." No relation to Grant, Toni, Jim or Bill...
For real?
Y'ever see my invoices? Actually, my full name is Ruth Ellen Anne Selkirk-Yorkey Morrison. But that's too long...
Well, I have to say thank you very much for taking the time to be interviewed by the DC FANZINE. Congrats on going "pro."
Oh, I don't feel like a pro! I just feel like a very lucky fan!
THE END.