Chris Claremont (London, UK, 1950) is the creator of ‘X Men’ with cartoonist Dave Cockrum. He tells about this in this newspaper on the terrace of the Palacio de Avilés hotel, where he is staying these days, when he attends the Celsius 232 festival, which consists of fantasy, science fiction and horror literature. Translator Virginia de la Fuente collaborates to bring this interview to a successful conclusion.
–When you were commissioned to play ‘X Men’, did you think it was just another job?
– Back then, it was a low-budget series that Marvel wanted to air. The truth is, she had no expectations from him, in fact, he was going on a monthly trip. If they had expectations from this project, they would definitely not order from me, who is very young. This contract gave me the opportunity to work with one of the best artists I know, Dave Cockrum.
– When did you realize you were dealing with a great job?
-I knew from the beginning: before I started work. They were characters created from scratch. It was a great opportunity. Dave Cockrum has been a great artist. We did a great show between the two of us. When Marvel realized that “X Men” was a blockbuster, it didn’t matter because we were having such a good time…
-How was work?
– A miracle, I’m telling you.
– I was talking about whether you thought about and drew the character.
–Basically, the character designs were the brainchild of Dave and editor Len Wein. They created the aesthetics of the characters and the first story, the first “staple”. Right at the end of this issue, I added an idea that helped the “X Men” triumph.
– So he entered the second number.
-This much. When I entered the second issue it was great and I could understand the characters because in the first only the basics were explained. Cultivating them with Cockrum was like magic. There was neither then nor later a series like “X Men”: they could be started from scratch. We started from scratch because the rest of the Marvel stories had been out for at least a decade. At least superheroes.
– He talks about Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
-Yes. The truth is, I found myself in a special situation where a writer is rarely able to create his own characters.
–Have you noticed that your characters have grown since you left “X Men” half a century ago?
They’ve changed more than they’ve grown.
– And do you like these changes?
–Sometimes I like the changes they make to “X Men”; sometimes not.
–To clarify, are you talking about changes in comics or movies?
– In both media. People will always complain. I’ve already told you this, both in the movies and in the comics: sometimes yes, sometimes no. Hugh Jackman will be on screen and they will say he is too tall for Wolverine. And they’ll see Halle Berry on screen and say she’s a very small Storm. And deep down, who cares if they get close to the characters or not. They’re Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman and they work great in this alternate reality. The joke is, there are artists in the comics who complain that Wolverine is too small – one meter fifty – and that’s why they don’t like to draw him. They want to make it bigger, but it’s small and small and strong.
–Which of the “X Men”—yours and those who aren’t—do you prefer?
– The “X Men” I created are much, much better characters than those currently in development. And I say it with a smile. Almost half a century later, every time I see my characters I still find a story to tell.