By Jim Beard
For a novelist, Duane Swiercznski found himself something at a loss for words when asked how his recently-won exclusive with Marvel Comics felt:
"Somehow 'super wicked cool awesome' doesn't quite do it justice," the writer admits. "I've been a Marvel reader since I was old enough to hold a comic book, and to be writing for them now is beyond my wildest dreams."
Swiercznski, best known for his work on crime novels as well as non-fiction work like "The Big Book O' Beer," first alighted in the hallowed halls of Marvel last year with MOON KNIGHT ANNUAL #1. He's since notched his keyboard penning the hit new CABLE ongoing series.
"Aside from CABLE, I'll be taking over IMMORTAL IRON FIST beginning in July, with artist Travel Foreman," notes Swiercznski of his immediate Marvel future. "Next January, my PUNISHER MAX
arc, 'Six Hours to Kill,' with artist Michel Lacombe kicks off. And finally, IMMORTAL IRON FIST editor Warren Simons and I have been working on this top secret, hush-hush horror project, which has me just giddy."
"Hush-hush" represents familiar ground for the writer, who made his mark on the world of crime and suspense fiction with novels like "The Wheel Man," "Severance Package," and "The Blonde." He feels that writing novels allows him a better handle on storytelling, a skill he utilizes in his comic scriptwriting.
"Its all one big learning process," explains Swiercznski. "With every new project—be it comic script, novel, treatment, short story—I feel like I pick up another insight or trick along the way. That's the fun. I don't think I'll ever kick back with a beer and think, 'Ahhhh…nailed it,' because that's the moment it would stop being fun.
"I think writers should be like Sisyphus: always struggling to push that boulder to
the top, yet able to learn from the experience of getting squished by it, too."
Beyond his current and immediate future projects, Swierczynski has his eye on a few other Marvel properties for the long run.
"I've already been given a chance with my favorite—Frank Castle—but I'd also love the chance to tell a Spider-Man story," the writer notes. "And a story that somehow involves Ben Grimm, because my four-year-old daughter thinks he's cool."
Duane Swierczynski's CABLE #3 hits stands on May 7.
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