WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Drawn Here, Part 5

Drawn Here, Part 5

Hanover, New Hampshire - May 16, 2007

They're vivid and action-packed, but comic books wouldn't be the same without the words. Jodi Picoult remembers her childhood, smiling, as she says, "Sometimes, I'd buy Wonder Woman."

Now the Hanover woman provides those words for Wonder Woman. It is a new gig for this established novelist. She says, "It was a lot more work than I thought it would be. You have to be much more attentive to the balance between dialogue and action."

Her 2006 book The Tenth Circle had built-in comic strips. D.C. Comics saw it and offered her a job writing five issues of their famous title. They hoped to attract the best selling author's large fan base.

Jodi Picoult says of Wonder Woman, "She is powerful, strong, funny, and a great role model for young girls."

South Burlington screenwriter Hawk Ostby tackled another old character: Iron Man.

Ostby says, "It's really our first time working in the comic book genre."

He and his California writing partner helped bring the Marvel Comics character to the big screen. They were on the top-secret Iron Man set this Spring with stars Robert Downey Junior, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges. The movie comes out next year.

Ostby promises, "You'll be able to bring kids, but there will be something for adults as well."

But Picoult and Ostby were no experts. They had only read a few comics, so got up to speed with decades of back issues. They discovered comic book characters have weaknesses that humanize the superheroes.

Spiderman, for example, is as much about alter ego Peter Parker's relationship with his girlfriend and his widowed aunt as it is about busting bad guys. Picoult's take on Wonder Woman is that she feels isolated, struggling to fit in with normal humans she can't relate to.

Picoult explains, "She's never really had any relationships with people."

And Ostby's Iron Man is wracked with guilt: he made millions making weapons for war. The screenwriter says, "He's a guy trying to fix himself. A guy with a broken soul."

While anything is possible in comics, the authors did have restrictions. The Wonder Woman and Iron Man series have more than 100 years of history between them. Fans and publishers would demand the writers respect those legacies.

Picoult chuckles, "As any woman would know, you wouldn't go fighting crime in a bustier, but D.C. Comics would not let me get rid of that costume!"

Ostby adds, "There's an origin story. Every comic book has an origin story. In the first one, you pay homage to the origin story and update it."

That's just what the separate projects do: Keep venerable characters fresh.

Jason Andreasson, the manager of Earth Prime Comics on Church Street in Burlington, says, "Any new life is good. Absolutely. Everytime one of these high-profile people comes in, the numbers go up with the book sales."

The two authors have one response to dabbling in this colorful world.

Ostby beams, "It's been fun!" Picoult echoes, "It's really fun!" 

A fun job, if you can get it.

The screenwriter says if Iron Man is a box office success next year, it may spawn a franchise. As for Jodi Picoult, her last two Wonder Woman issues are due out this month and next. Picoult will read from her latest novel 19 Minutes at the Dartmouth Bookstore in Hanover Thursday, May 17th, at 7:00 PM.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News