WINterview: Jay Leisten!

It’s no longer a secret that Marvel Comics has a secret weapon.  And his name is Jay Leisten.  Fans of Uncanny X-Men are certainly no strangers to Jay, the master inker.  We’re stoked for Jay’s upcoming run on the Ironman relaunch in November.  And you should be too!  We recently spotted Jay feeding quarters into a GORF machine at an old-timey video arcade.  We thought we’d cheer him on, while he took a crack at the high score.  Afterwards, basking in the glow of his new high score glory, we thought we’d run a few questions by him, just for fun, and here’s what happened:

THWP:  Nice high score, Jay.  Real nice.  Well, we didn’t see Hank Pym or Janet Van Dyne in the Avengers movie.  What do you make of that?
Jay:  I’d really like to see Ant-Man in an Avengers film. He’d fill a void in terms of skill, but may end up giving too much “Science Officer” to the team.

THWP:  Too much “Science Officer”?  Heh!  Here at The Hourly Planet, we harbor a fondness for the Hank Pym character.  We say “Bring him on!”  Let’s see now…  What else…  Oh!  There’s Nathan Christopher Charles Summers (Cable), Rachel Anne Summers (a.k.a. Rachel Grey, the new Marvel Girl), Hope Summers, and Nathaniel Grey (X-Man).  As for the parallel universe / alternate timeline descendants of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, it’s beginning to feel crowded in here.  How did it come to this?  Where will it go?
Jay:  Good question. I wish I had an answer. I don’t see any of them going away anytime soon, and they all have a strong audience.

THWP:  Very strong audiences indeed.  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  And it’s probably best to not think about so much.  Ok, next question…  WWII still looms large in today’s comics, thanks to the likes of Nick Fury, Timothy Dugan, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Master Man, and others.  Some say that there will come a day when WWII-era values and/or characters no longer connect with younger readers.  Is that day coming?  Has that day already come and gone?  Will that day never come?  What do you think?
Jay:  I do think that we could see a transition for a few of those characters as ‘Nam guys instead. I don’t see why some would require a hard reboot like that.

THWP:  Settle a bet for us?  Who is the cutest female brunette character in Marvel Comics?
Jay:  I’ve always liked Leinil Yu’s Wasp and Frank Cho’s Spider-Woman, but why narrow it down to just the one!?

THWP:  Jan and Jessica.  Excellent choices, and excellent point.  Sure, we can have two at a time, right?  And by the way, what’s coming up soon, that Jay Leisten fans should be on the lookout for?
Jay:  Well, I am doing a 4-issue arc of X-Factor (issues 242 – 245), and gearing up for the new Ironman relaunch.

THWP:  Right on, Jay.  Best wishes to you and all the creative teams in the 616.  Please tell Kieron Gillen to turn up the music.  We want to hear it loud and proud, across the ocean in New York.

Sonny Calzone:  And that’s going to be all for today, Planeteers!  Join us again next time, when JB Wesley peppers Mike Deodato Jr with some very important questions, exclusively here at The Hourly Planet!  Sweet chili pepper pie!

With inking by Jay Leisten!