BOB LAYTON CHATS WITH IRON MAN/DOOM EDITOR MOLLY LAZER!

Bob Layton: First off, I tried Googling your name to get a bio and came up with bubkis. Is Lazer your real name?

Molly Lazer: Yep. 

Bob: And, by chance, if it isn’t, how long have you been in the Witness Protection Program?        

Molly: Haha...only for a few months.

Bob: (Laughter) Since there was no information about you, how about a few stats? Education, how you wound up as an editor at Marvel… etcetera?

Molly: Okay...well, I grew up in Connecticut and went to the University of Pennsylvania, where I studied creative writing and theater. My work background, before starting at Marvel, was actually in education. I spent four summers teaching reading, writing and math to learning disabled children and adults.

Bob: You'll never make it in the comic industry, Molly! You have a soul! (Laughter)

Molly: After graduation, I decided that if I could have any job in the world, I'd want to work in comics. So, I started networking through people I know who used to work in the industry.  I went to conventions and handed out my resume and, eventually, I was hooked-up with Jenny Lee, who used to be an editor at Marvel.  She introduced me to Dan Buckley, and I got an interview for an open position with Tom Brevoort. And-- I got the job.  I found out that I was accepted only 5 days after the interview, gave my notice at work the next day and moved back home to Connecticut. I started at Marvel in July 2004 and have been Tom's assistant ever since.

Bob: You and I represent two very different generations of Marvel personnel. How familiar are you with the company history and the significant role of women at Marvel?

Molly: Comics-wise, my reading experience was only composed of Silver Age titles that my dad read to me when I was younger and titles starting in 2002 and going forward. Then, I got back into comics while I was in college.  But while I was at Penn, I began to incorporate my love of comics into my studies and did a few papers on the industry on subjects relating to it.  So, I did read a number of books about the history of the industry, and I think one of the papers I did was on women in the comics industry.   But now that I've been working in the business for over three years, I have a much better sense of what's gone on behind the scenes.  There's still a lot to learn -- Marvel has so much history that it's hard to take everything in when you just get it in snippets and little stories that people tell. 

Bob: Molly, you can always ask me. I am history! (laughter)  Marvel has always had an open door policy when it came to hiring women in important positions--way before any other company. In a predominantly male-dominated business, I believe that it takes a special mentality to deal with some of the issues.  What do you think?

Molly: Sure.  I think that you need to be able to decide which issues you just let go and which are important enough to you to pursue or speak up about.

Bob: But, essentially, comics are male-oriented power trips. Where do you, as a woman, find common ground to relate to this? Or, do you wish you could big and green and smash everyone in sight once in a while?

Molly: Doesn't everyone? (Laughter)  I was introduced to comic books when I was very young -- only five years old.  And I was actually attracted towards the male characters more than I was the female characters -- to Spider-Man rather than any of his girlfriends, to the Thing and the Human Torch rather than to the Invisible Woman.  But I think that the way I identified with the characters had less to do with their sex and more with the fact that they were downtrodden.  That's what makes good characters -- if you can identify with them even if they're different from you.

Bob: I absolutely agree.

Bob: Personally, I've always been more creatively-attracted to characters that are self-actuating, such as Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne.

Molly: When I was young, I was into Spider-Man and the FF, but I think that was just because those were the comics that my dad had the most issues of.  I used to have pretend dance parties with the Fantastic Four.  Seriously! I'm a nerd.

Bob: (Laughter) I love that!  Actually, I was convinced that I was Batman when I was 11 years old. But, like I told Ron Lim last month, when I got to Marvel and met Frank Miller, he informed me that I was mistaken because HE was actually Batman when he was 11!

Molly: Ha!  That's great.  I made up my own super hero when I was 8 or so.  His name was Marvel Man.  Go figure.

Bob: So, this is the fulfillment of destiny in a way, isn't it?

Molly: I guess so, yeah! (Laughter)  Except, now-- I'm Marvel Girl...!

Bob: As far as I'm concerned you are!

Molly: Aw, thanks.

Bob: I think it's time for us to push some paper. How did you wind-up editing David Michelinie, Ron Lim and me on Iron Man/Doom and Iron Man:The End?

Molly: I believe that you and David pitched the project to Tom<Brevoort>, and he ended up with the plot outline first.  Then, he gave me the project and we went from there, putting together the full plots and, now, the artwork.  And-- it's been fun!

Bob: I know Tom oversees a good deal of the line, but are you involved with other Iron Man books besides these two projects?

Molly: I edited Iron Man: Hypervelocity, which was done recently by Adam Warren and Brian Denham.  I learned a lot of tech terms I'd never heard of before by doing that one!  And I've been assisting on the main Iron Man title for more than three years, though Nicole Boose does the bulk of the work on it these days.

Bob: So I have to ask you this: had you ever heard of David and me prior to us working together? (Laughter)

Molly: Yes, I had.  I knew a lot of names of people in the industry, even if I wasn't as familiar with their work as I'd like to be.

Bob: Well...that makes me feel a little better. You understand that the Iron Man readers from our generation are incredibly rabid and loyal to our two runs on Iron Man, right?

Molly: So I understand.

Bob: How do you think they are going to receive the new Iron Man/Doom project? I personally feel that it's a nice blend of a contemporary look with and the old school approach. And, I've been having an enormous amount of deja vu working on this project. There are days that I feel like I’ve gone back in time and I’m still working on the regular series.

Molly: From what I gather, and having read the original Iron Man/Doom stories, this is somewhat different from what's come before it.  It's classic (or old-school, as you've called it) in its storytelling approach, but the story that being told is very different than your typical Iron Man story.  And you and Ron Lim are doing a bang-up job on the art.  I think people will dig it.

Bob: Speaking of Ron, you have worked with him before, right?

Molly: I have.  He drew two limited series for me -- Avengers Next and Fantastic Five.  He's great!

Bob: I think he's doing the best work of his career on this mini-series. I have to ask you --have you ever worked with anyone that kinetic and energetic in your life? He wears me out just talking to him!

Molly: I know!  I'm exhausted after getting off the phone with him.  Really, though, it's great to work with someone who's so enthusiastic about what they do.

Bob: I've known Ron a long time and he's ALWAYS been like that, Molly.

Molly: I admire him for it. 

Bob: Why do you think I was so pleased when you were able to get him for this project? You really can't buy that kind of zeal!

Molly: So true.

Bob: Many of my fans have been requesting the release date for the Iron Man/Doom mini-series. Could you let them in on what the tentative plan is for publishing the four issues?

Molly: I can't give an exact answer to that since it hasn't been solicited yet, and schedules keep changing, but fans can look for the series in April.  We'll make the exact shipping schedule known in two or so months.

Bob: While we're talking about April...how about letting my readers in on some of the plans that Marvel has for cross-promoting their products with the Iron Man motion picture?

Molly: We're planning on putting out a lot of classic Iron Man stuff in conjunction with the movie, we've got the Iron Man/Doom series coming out, the classic villain the Mandarin is appearing in the main Iron Man series, and we have a few other surprises up our sleeves.

Bob: A few other surprises...like Iron Man: The End? Notice how clever I segued into plugging our other project?

Molly: Yes, very clever.

Bob: I pride myself on being artistic-- yet highly commercial!

Molly: We're still figuring out where that goes on the schedule, but I'd imagine it will be some time close to the movie’s release.

Bob: So, what can you tell my readers about the upcoming Iron Man: The End project? Nearly half of my monthly fan mail consists of queries about that long-awaited project.

Molly: We're not ready to announce who the penciler is for the project, but fans will find out soon.  The book is a double-sized one-shot that tells the story of Iron Man's last days...or is it Tony Stark's last days...or neither?  Both?  Wait and see...! But it will be the end of Iron Man as we know him.

Bob: Spoken with true editorial acumen, Molly! Everyone will be titillated and yet-- know absolutely nothing! (Laughter)

Molly: Yep, that's the idea.

Bob: However, you will let ME know, won't you?

Molly: Oh, sure.  You mean you haven't read the plot? 

Bob: Very funny. (Laughter)  On a more serious note, what personal career goals have you set for yourself at Marvel? Is there something that you're dying to do somewhere down the line? Is there that one story you've been dying to write your whole life—that sort of thing?

Molly: I've really been very fortunate to be involved on all of the titles I'd wanted to work on when I started at Marvel.  I was never hugely interested in the X-Office, so the Marvel Heroes office was the perfect place for me to end up.  And I've been a part of a lot of Marvel's big events in the last three years -- the start of New Avengers, House of M, Civil War (where we blew up the Marvel Universe’s version of my parents' house), the Death of Captain America and more.  And I've gotten to work on some quirky projects too, like Livewires and the Fairy Tales books. Goal-wise, I'd like to be a part of bringing comics to an audience that wouldn't otherwise be exposed to them.  I think we can do that if we tell the right stories and readers find plots and characters that they can connect with. 

I don't think I'll be doing any comics writing any time soon, though.  My creative writing interests lie mostly in prose fiction. 

Bob: Nothing wrong with that. That's my preference as far as entertainment goes, so I'm looking forward to reading something of yours one day soon.

Molly: Thanks.  I'm looking forward to FINISHING writing something.  (Laughter)

Bob: I have two questions before we wrap it up.

Molly: Sure -- ask away.

Bob: First,  Can Ron, David, and I work for you for the rest of our lives?

Molly: Sure, if you want.  Sounds like fun!

Bob: Secondly, I met you in person back in February, and you’re an attractive and amiable type. But... for the love of God--explain this photo of you that I found on the internet!

You look really pissed at something...!

Molly: (Laughter) Actually, that wasn't the one I was expecting you to dig up!  I guess there are a bunch of photos of me on the net looking like that.  One blogger did a whole entry about how I'm a zombie because many of the pictures he found of me look similar!

Bob: (Laughter)

Molly: Anyway...that shot is part of a promotion from an opera I was in called “The Sorcerer”.  I played Constance, one of the ingénues.  And, in that picture, I was being lectured by my mother and I wasn't having any of it.  Hence the pissed-off look.

Molly: There are other photos from that show where I look a lot happier, I swear!

Bob: Well, I believe you! I met you last February at the New York Con and you were nothing by smiles. That's why that photo took me aback for a second.

Molly: Ha!

Bob: Oh, and you’d best send me a picture of yourself that you prefer...or I will be forced to use this one to run with this interview.

Molly: Yeah, I'll find something. (Laughter)

Bob: You are an incredibly reasonable woman, Molly. Thanks so much for the opportunity to work with you and for taking the time out to do this interview.

Molly: Thanks for interviewing me, Bob!  It's been a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  I'm glad we're working together, too.

Bob: Oh, one last question?

Molly: Yes?

Bob: Jets vs. Cincinnati at 4:15pm. Are the Jets going to win it?

Molly: Ummm...the only sport I ever watched regularly was Men's Figure Skating.  So—I’ve got nothing.  Let's go with “yes”.

Bob: (Laughter) Ah--you're a peach, Molly!

END